Category: General

Nexus 9 First impressions

Every once in a while a tablet comes along that you think is going to really up the ante and raise the bar. This is what I was hoping the Nexus 9 was going to be. Now is the time where we start to find out. Those of …

Real-world testing – EE LTE-Advanced in London

EE recently announced the launch of their upgraded LTE-Advanced network here in London. This runs at a maximum of 300Mbps with real-world max speeds of 150Mbps promised and a realistic 90Mbps during the day. Vodafone also launched their service in London with the same speed expected. But are …

Swapping your phone? Got a SIM problem? Get an adaptor

Some clever sausage somewhere decided at some point that the standard SIM cards were just too big. Despite some phones still being massive (phablets etc), we’re seeing the teeny-tiny nano SIM slot on some phones, with the slightly-larger micro SIM now being an almost-standard. However, there’s still those …

Lenovo Tab S8 review

Today we have a wealth of tablets in all shapes and sizes. You can choose between Windows 8, Android or iOS 8. There’s pretty much a flavour for anyone. I’m a fan of the smaller form factor and as a result I have swung toward the iPad Mini …

When free really isn’t free

Wondering how the makers of mobile apps can afford TV advertising when they’re free to download? Well, we seem to quite like a model named “Freemium”. The word itself, which is a mash-up of “free” and “premium”, means that you get the entire game or app for absolutely …

Charge on the go, without a strange bulge

Sometimes, if I go to a restaurant and order a large steak, I’ll get the meat sweats. Likewise, when I need to make an important call or I’m waiting for an email and see my phone hitting 5% battery life, I get the battery sweats. We’ve seen various …

Doodle, scribble, colour in. It’s no problem on these new cases

There’s a wide range of cases out there but this one is definitely geared towards the kids, or perhaps those who want a canvas for quickly doodling ideas. The tablet cover, available in 7″ (£19.99) and 10″ (£24.99) sizes lets you or your children doodle all over the front of …

One Plus hope to sell 1 million One’s by year end.

  Having already sold over half a million devices to date, through an invite only system, the Chinese startup company OnePlus have stated they now hope to have one million of their “One” phones sold by years end. Speaking to a Forbes reporter at Dublin’s Web Summit, Director …

Podcast 116 – Listen in live

Hello there, welcome to the “listen in live” page for our podcast. Joining me this week should be Dan, Garry and John, topics this week will be about the Nexus 9, my Moto X, Dan and his Note 4, Garry and his ongoing ideal tablet hunt and what …

New 999 mobile location system could help save lives

Have you ever been unfortunate enough to have to dial 999 from your mobile? 60,000 people per day or 22 million a year call the emergency services from a mobile telephone (is it me or is that number absolutely vast?) and it is pretty much nailed on that …

EE launch EETV in stores now

Gone are the days when your mobile network only delivered calls and texts. The introduction of 3G and 4G and technology added more ways to interact and now EE have pushed things further with a TV gadget to deliver your favourite shows. Their recently-announced TV service is a …

Networks far from convinced by Government not-spot solution

The UK Government are pushing harder for networks to fill holes in their coverage. As costs to plug gaps in remote or sparsely populated areas are usually high, they’re not always on the priority list, so Culture Secretary Sajid Javid has made it his mission to rectify this. …

Nexus 9 Unboxing

It’s here my very own brand new Nexus 9 32gb Wifi. I have been looking forward to this day for a wee while as I loved my Nexus 7 (2013) edition and it was in desperate need of a successor. I have been reviewing a lot of tablets …

Gmail gets to update to Material design

This morning Android owners will have awoken to the news of Nexus 9’s being unboxed around the world (ours is here). Even if you don’t have a Nexus device you will be pleased to hear that you too can enjoy the new Gmail app from Lollipop as it’s …

Vodafone add NOW TV to their added extras

If you’re buying a new handset or upgrading to one on Vodafone then you’ll already be familiar with the free content you can get with Spotify, Sky Sports Mobile TV or Netflix. From today, customers signing up to Red 4G (new and upgrading) can choose to add NOW …

Could network roaming be coming to the UK?

Network Roaming is one of those break through events that we have been expecting for along time, but a lot of us were starting to suspect that it would never happen. The ability to roam across networks would allow users who find themselves without service to switch to …

Encase Bluetooth keyboard folio review

What is the main sticking point when trying to use an Android device for productivity? Simple. The keyboard. Sure, an onscreen keyboard is great for short notes and maybe the odd email or two, but for me it’s not a replacement for a physical keyboard. Although we have …

WiFi on the London Underground, now in 150 stations

Remember when people said that WiFi on Tube stations was too costly and difficult to install? That the age and complexity of the transportation system would be a nightmare to overcome? Now we have 150 stations in the network with WiFi switched on and, whilst it’s a shame …

Looking to get yourself and iPhone 6 case?

If you’re lucky enoguh to own one of those spanky new iPhone 6 handsets then there’s one particular accessory you absolutely NEED to have. A cover. As I’ve mentioned before, I have kept mine pretty naked, preferring to have the phone looking just as it should. In reality …

STK Cuboid 2 4000 mAh battery pack – Review

Mobile battery packs are a way of life these days, a kind of safety blanket that you keep in your rucksack, laptop bag, briefcase or handbag. It just sits there waiting to be pulled out and expected to charge your phone or tablet as fast as possible. Choosing …

Get yourself a pussy tracker

You know those loving, soft cats that come and sit on your lap, wanting some fuss? Yeah, our cat isn’t one of those. If she does see fit to come near you she’ll either just meow or she’ll suddenly pounce on you for no good reason and rip …

Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact unboxing and initial impressions

It is here. The day I’ve been waiting for. My newly acquired Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact has arrived. Although I had to wait a little longer than I would’ve liked (due to issues with the shipping companies), it’s here now. So, let’s find out if it was worth …

A smart home hub with a twist

Being friendly goes a long way with me. There’s a lady called Justine Mrsich. She works for Lages & Associates and she emailed to tell us about this thing, the new link-U Hybrid Connection SmartCam. It’s one of those IndieGoGo campaigns, so initially I didn’t look at the …

Podcast 115 – Listen in live

Hello there, welcome to the “listen in live” page for our podcast. Joining me this week should be Dan and Matteo, topics this week will be about Matteo at DroidCon in London, the Moto X price drop, the two new phones from Oppo, some new smartwatch news and …

EE crank up the speed even further. 4G+ live in London now

Remember that “4G on steroids” that Vodafone announced a couple of weeks back? Well now it’s the turn of EE, who are deploying the 4G+, aka LTE-A in London (Vodafone are calling it 4.5G). It’s now live at 150 sites across the capital and, if you’ve got a …

Microsoft announce the Microsoft Band

The rumours surrounding Microsoft making a wearable of some sort have been floating around the web for a while now. Last night Microsoft finally announced it, the Microsoft Band which is a fitness and sleep tracker for Windows Phone 8.1, iOS 7 or 8 and Android 4.3 and …

The Shanda Geak 2 smartwatch boasts crazy battery life

Shanda are a well known Chinese company, who have a watch hardware division called Geak. So it makes sense that their 2nd smartwatch will be called the Shanda Geak 2. So far nothing of any huge interest to us UK residents, but there are two things of interest …

Lenovo Tab S8 unboxing

  Well here we have my first Intel powered Android device, in the form of the brand New Lenovo Tab S8. I picked this little beauty up in PC World for £149.99. It pretty much went on sale a few days ago. The device is so new they …

Amazon to offer up contract phones too

Head over to Amazon.co.uk right now and you’ll be able to get your next smartphone on a Pay Monthly plan. They’re working with O2 on this and there’s more than just the Amazon Fire Phone on offer, although you can buy that if you wish (£0 upfront on …

You want a serious amount of online storage?

Whether you’ve got a big microSD card in your phone or you’ve got plenty of on-board storage, backing your stuff up to the cloud is always a good idea. There’s a big selection of online storage providers, or you can get yourself a NAS drive and backup those …

EE Osprey – Review

EE recently announced a range of new mobile connected devices including a new tablet called Eagle, an in-car WiFi option called Buzzard and this new MiFi – the Osprey. Whilst in London for a few days I was given the opportunity to try out one of these and see just …

Nexus 9 Amazon preorders pushed back

Those of you who listen to our weekly podcast will undoubtable know that I have a Nexus 9 on order with Amazon for delivery in the 4th November. Well just to keep things interesting I received an email today informing me that this preorder is now being pushed …

LG announce availability of the G Watch R

The original LG G Watch was a great “mark 1” device for Android Wear, it just showed the world how Android Wear works and didn’t get bogged down with the design or anything like fancy buttons. I liked the original, but I ditched mine for a Pebble Steel, …

Three show off the HTC RE Camera

The new viewfinder-less pipe-cam from HTC will be available soon and Three are already getting the marketing wheels turning with one of their hands-on videos. http://youtu.be/Xoa88v5JGGg The camera, which can display a preview of your footage onto your smartphone, is an easy to use click-and-go affair. We’ve got …

Nokia. Thank you for the memories.

Bear with me here, because I’m in a rather strange mood after listening to a pirate radio DJ shouting “Oh my days” several times this morning and “Oi Oi” quite a lot. I think it’s gone to my head. Nokia, as you’ll know already, is dead. We all …

Hauppauge mySelfie review

Are you a selfie fan? Want more control? Well, this weird little gadget should suit you. Or should it? The mySelfie is a Bluetooth remote for your smartphone or tablet. Not only that but it’ll work as an anti-theft key ring to locate your phone or your keys. …

My new toy – The Pressy

Some months ago I ordered this cheap physical button for my phone. It plugs into the audio port and gives you an additional button which you can program to open certain apps or run certain tasks. The cheap button was just £1 but this, the “proper” Pressy button, …

Free data on EE every month

OK now, don’t get too excited, it’s not a great deal of data but still, this is worth investigating if you’re thinking of getting a tablet as a gift. It’s only 100MB, but if you have a tablet or phone that mostly lives near a WiFi hotspot it …

Nexus 9 available for pre-order now from Play Store

Google finally seems to be getting their shipping act together as the Nexus 9, the first tablet to come with Android Lollipop installed, is now available for pre-order at the play store. The only caveat is that the wait time is currently standing at 2-3 weeks. I know …