Gmail for Android update brings notification actions (updated)

Google have (finally!) updated Gmail for Android to take advantage of the the notification actions that were introduced in Jellybean last summer. Users can now reply, archive or delete directly from the notification curtain if they’re running Android 4.1 or higher. It’s a really useful feature which Google …

Kidigi car kit for Samsung Galaxy Note II – Review

Most generic car kits just aren’t man enough for the Samsung Galaxy Note II, so Kidigi have addressed this with a nice, meaty dedicated kit. Kidigi are a specialist third party mobile technology accessories company from Hong Kong that caters for most popular handsets (they even do Blackberry …

Google Keep: A new note taking app from Google spotted briefly online

A new note taking service from Google called Google Keep briefly saw the light of day yesterday before being taken down again shortly after it was discovered. The discovery was originally made by the 1E100 and with several screenshots having surfaced thanks to Android Police. Google Keep allows …

Will 4G break your TV? The testing begins

Dudley. Deep in the Black Country it’s home of the delightful Merry Hill and people who “spake loik may”. Soon though people in Dudley will be bathed in 4G at 800MHz. Great news, you’d think, but it’s actually part of a test. Digital Spectrum Limited will be spending …

Foursquare for BlackBerry 10 updated: brings feature parity

About time that Blackberry is getting some love from Foursquare – it’s been a staple of blackberry users from its announcement on the original platform, now BB10 devices are getting the same love that Foursquare has splashed on iOS owners. Along with the usual smattering of bug fixes …

Create your own micro SIM. Just hack it with scissors.

I’m old school. I’ve got a standard sized SIM card. A card of this size has been around for quite some time and over the years my Orange SIM has prostituted itself with so many handsets I’ve lost count. It’s only when I actually call Orange and they …

10 inch playbook – and 6 more devices on the way

It isn’t a leak when it’s announced by your director of product management at BlackBerry Middle East, who announced the existence and likely shipping date of the 10 inch BlackBerry PlayBook. Mike Al Mefleh made the comments during the BlackBerry users forum in Dubai, stating “We have a …

Dropbox buys Mailbox in reported $100m deal

Mailbox, the iPhone app designed to ease the pain of trying to clear your inbox on a daily basis, has gained a lot of attention since its launch, helped no doubt by the waiting list system the team have used to manage the rollout, allowing the app to …

Did Three bag a bargain?

The 4G auction is all over as we know and the winning bids are starting to appear online, however some news has come out which points to the fact Three might have bagged themselves a real bargain when it comes to the 1,800Mhz spectrum they plan to use …

The Coolsmartphone Podcast – Episode 38

Welcome to the Coolsmartphone Podcast episode 38, the Samsung Galaxy S4 special edition. Joining me this week are Jamie Hoyle, Mark Peters and Simon Allum. This week’s topic are basically the Samsung Galaxy S4 and our thoughts on it. Subscribe to our new RSS feed here, iTunes is …

Specs Compared: Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One

There’s bound to be some fierce competition between the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4. Both handsets aim to grab that elusive smartphone crown and it’s fair to say there’s no love lost between the two companies (check out what HTC had to say about the S4!). So …

Where is this week’s Podcast

Last night in New York City something rather large happened. You may have noticed. The Galaxy S4 was announced and to mark that occasion we’re going to have a special edition of the podcast. We’ve pushed it back one day and tonight we’ll record it and get it …

What is Samsung Smart Pause and Smart Scroll?

Before the release of the announcement of the Galaxy S4 we heard lots of rumours about ‘Eye scroll’ technology being built into the phone. We didn’t quite get the ‘Eye scroll’ rumoured but what we did see feature on the S4 is Smart Pause and Smart Scroll. Both …

HTC get their claws out over the Galaxy S4

As we saw last night Samsung released their new flagship phone, the Samsung Galaxy S4. While general reaction to the phone has been a little mixed (many people on my Twitterl timeline simply described it as ‘meh’, it hasn’t taken HTC very long to get the claws out. …

Take card payments with iZettle

iZettle is a really handy and affordable way of taking card payments using your mobile phone.  No longer do you have to be a big business or shop to be able to receive card payments, perfect if you are always buying lunch at work or for friends who …

Vodafone deliver an update to the Galaxy S2

Got yourself a Samsung Galaxy S2? Yeah? Good aren’t they. Sure, the S4 has been announced now but I’m with you brother. The S2 is a bloomin’ good handset still and, if you’re on Vodafone, you can now get yourself Android 4.1.2. We’ve had a tip from Matthew …

O2 Confirm – The S4 is approaching

Just yesterday we looked at the UK networks and checked to see who was going to carry the Samsung Galaxy S4. The only network who hadn’t confirmed were O2, but they’ve just uypdated their Twitter feed with confirmation that they too will be carrying the handset. You can …

AdBlock Plus removed from Play Store by Google

AdBlock Plus, the app that blocks those pesky mobile ads has been removed from the Play Store by Google. In a move that could be seen to be protecting their own revenues, Google are running the risk of upsetting the many users that only want the content of …

Why I think Andy Rubin left Android [Opinion]

By now the news is everywhere. Andy Rubin is leaving Android, the project he brought with him to Google in 2004, to work in their famous Project X department (responsible for Google Glass). There are many theories as to why Andy Rubin has left the effort – some …