Tag: android

Play Snake on your smartphone right now.

Sure, you could get the new / old Nokia 3310 to play Snake on, but it’s not the traditional version. It is, as you may have seen in my hands-on video the other day, a modem jazzed up version. If you want the traditional version, try getting this …

MWC 2017 Barcelona: Launches and Press Conferences in a nutshell

Mobile World Congress (MWC 2017) kicked off this morning in Barcelona, Spain. This is arguably the most important event of the year for the mobile industry. As customary, most of the big brands that sell smartphones, tablets and attachments held their product launch events and press conferences in …

MWC – Hands-on with the HTC U Play and U Ultra

These are definitely very nice looking gadgets indeed. The paint job on the back is particularly stunning and reflects and shimmers the light around as you move it. Available from March, the U Ultra is the larger of the two phones but both run Nougat 7.0, have microSD …

MWC – Lenovo launch the Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSc1YQqRrG0 Both powered by Nougat 7.0, these will be shipping next month. The two handsets are well built and there’s a definite focus on a clean and premium metal finish here. The G5 has a 5″ Full HD display (1920×1080) display whilst the G5 Plus has a slightly …

MWC – Nokia have returned.

In reality the Nokia brand should be worthless. Microsoft grabbed the mobile arm of Nokia and then either.. (a) Performed a number of changes in order to make it more successful (b) Completely destroyed the mobile side of the company after launching devices like the 930. ..it depends …

MWC – Huawei P10 and P10+ Picture Special

Following on from the EE announcement, we’ve had confirmation that both Three and Vodafone will be ranging the Huawei P10 and Huawei P10+ too. Three have confirmed that they’ll be taking the black and gold models. The P10 and P10+ will be available pricing from March in Europe …

Google Assistant coming to Android 6 and 7

Well, when we saw the launch of the LG G6 we thought that having Google Assistant on it was something special, but not so. It turns out that Google Assistant is coming to Android 6 and 7. Google tell us that .. The Assistant is already available on …

MWC – LG G6 Launch Liveblog and livestream

We’ve heard the rumours and seen all the leaked shots, now it’s time for the launch itself. We’re expecting a new 18:9 screen, a bigger battery, faster CPU and no more modular business. Rumours of rounded corners on the screen and a flattened rear with no camera hump …

MWC – BlackBerry Mercury accidentally goes official as the KEYone

A slightly premature embargo-busting post by the guys at GSMArena (now removed) has resulted in the BlackBerry KEYone spilling all over the internet earlier than expected. The handset, which has already appeared in the flesh thanks to teaser shots from TCL Exec Steve Cistulli, was also known as the DTEK70 …

Remix OS is coming to your phone… Kinda

We here at Coolsmartphone like Remix OS. I have personally used it in the form of a tablet, and also a set top box. I have also seen a prototype of their next tablet (which sadly seems to have stayed as a prototype). Now along with their recently funded …

Fancy more than just another Android keyboard? Try Redraw Keyboard

If you’ve got an Android device, then you’ll probably know just how easily you can swap keyboards. The latest Google keyboard comes with a raft of Emoji icons, so that you can convey your emotions in a text, a WhatsApp message, or a Facebook update. However, there’s only …

Lenovo Yoga Book – Review

Intro I love tablets. I love the idea of carrying something thin and light around that has enough computing power in it to keep me up to speed with all my musings on this very site. I also love being able to just pull out something from my …

LG and Google team up on improved smartwatches

If you’re into your smartwatches and use an Android device, you’ll have noticed the lack of updates of both hardware and software recently. LG are planning to change all that with two new smartwatches, both running the new Wear 2.0 update. They were leaked by Evan Blass but …

Lenovo Yoga A12 announced officially.

Those of you who have been following my Yoga Book reviews may be interested in learning that it’s a product line that Lenovo are continuing to work on. This was confirmed with the announcement of the new Lenovo Yoga A12. This is essentially an entry level Yoga Book …

First look – The EBox T8 V Streaming TV Box – Version 5

We’ve received another Android TV box to test today so I thought I’d give you a quick overview as it’s an improved version of an already very popular box. This is from EntertainmentBox – it’s the EBox T8 V and is powered by an Amlogic S912 64bit octa-core …

Selling a fully loaded Kodi box – It’s a grey area

Wait, I know what you’re going to say.. Of course it’s not a grey area! If you’re selling a “Fully Loaded Kodi Box” then it’s going to be illegal, end of. Well no, not necessarily, and I’ll tell you why. For most of us, “Fully Loaded” means that …

Lenovo Yoga Book – Unboxing

It’s not that often that a device comes along that is truly a game changer. That is until now.  Today I had the pleasure of unboxing an item that in my opinion is truly groundbreaking, and could potentially change the game in its field. I am, of course, …

How much is the app marketplace actually worth?

Apps. The ones I download are mostly free because, deep down in my heart, I’m tighter than a gnats backside. How do these apps make money then? How do the developers get paid? How do those big TV advertisements appear on TV if we never actually click “Buy” …

How app pricing seems to impact app types

If you follow us on Twitter then you may have seen me mention the fact that Kodi is riding high in the Google Play apps charts. It’s not overly surprising though, especially when you consider how many people are buying Android TV boxes or attempting to get around …

I’ve always wanted to be a DJ. Now everyone can have a go.

Back in the day, when we used to have nightclubs and you’d go outside to meet other people instead of “swiping” them, I always wanted to be the DJ. The nearest I got was doing the lights in a local nightclub, and I made the mistake of leaving …

Its finally here! (sort of) – Nokia Android phone announced

In 2011, Nokia took the now-fateful decision to abandon the “burning platform” of Symbian and moved over to Windows Phone. This decision was close one; in those days the smartphone market was very different with multiple OS’s having a reasonable foothold (as opposed to the duopoly of today …

Huawei Mate 9 – Review

At the beginning of November, Huawei released something a little bit exciting – the Huawei Mate 9. I was lucky enough to be given one of these devices for review and as such have been using it for the past few weeks. It is now time for me to …

HTC have something for U on January 12th

Filling an entire news item with conjecture and rumour about an upcoming launch? Well, I’ve seen it quite a bit across the web today. Many are trying to decide what exactly the new “HTC U” or “HTC for U” launch, which we’ve just received an invite for, actually …

ProBox 2 Air Android TV Box – Review

Some time ago I decided to cancel my current satellite TV subscription. To be honest I thought the monthly fee was extortionate and decided to go along the “cable cutters route”. I found that I could get nearly all, if not all of the content I wished to …

V88 Plus TV Box – Review

Back in the “old days” we used to have photos on film. We then sent them off to get processed and we’d get them back on nice paper and we’d put them into albums. Now, we have smartphones and we have our photos stored either in a “cloud” …

Chrome OS Yoga Book version announced

Lenovo and Chrome OS 2016 has been on record for being one of the most interesting years on record. Whether in the political sphere (not going there) to the tech world (Google’s smartphone, exploding Note 7s, the disappearance of headphone jacks). However arguably the most innovative device has been the …

Huawei Honor Magic appears in China

Magic! Honor pulled quite a number in China yesterday unveiling the Honor Magic, a smartphone all curves and shiny glass. The Honor Magic has an interesting spec sheet to say the least, as it differs from most device SKUs on the current smartphone market. The screen is a …

Monies off the Honor 8 at vmall

The Honor 8 is a great phone, I use one as a main phone and am very happy with it. Vmall currently have some attractive discounts on the Honor 8: £50 off the white one and £30 off the black and blue models. What do you get for …

Is the hunt over? Asus Zenpad 3S 10 Tablet Review

Introduction Regular readers of the site may remember my adventures and #firstworldproblems in the tablet world. Whether it was using an iPad Mini (many years ago), Windows, convertible devices or a cheap Android slate, I hadn’t found a device which satisfied me completely. My Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 …

Super Mario Run out today!

This looks to be the “next big thing” on mobile. Today Super Mario Run will finally launch for iOS devices and, although it looks a bit like the traditional Super Mario Bros, this is an “autorunner”, so the clever little plumber moves forward at all times. That means …

EMTEC GEM Box – Review

Let’s break this down shall we? Imagine taking a fairly powerful Android phone, removing the screen and replacing the navigation system with an Xbox-style controller, then outputting the video to your TV. That’s basically what you have here. Inside is a quad core CPU, 1GB RAM, 16GB of …

Android Pay – Pull a cracker this Christmas

Using Android Pay could result in a nice gift this festive season. Just use your phone to pay for something and you’ll be in with a chance of winning one of 100,000 prizes. Get a cracker every time you use Android Pay “through Dec 31”,  which apparently is how …

‘Tis the season to catch ’em all…

Pokemon Go has just released its festive season event, and players have good reasons to be merry. The location based augmented reality game developed by Niantic delivers new Pokemon to catch and some festive decorations to boot. The new splash screen is quite festive, I can not lie. …

Android app updates will now be a lot smaller

Next time you’re around your parents have a look at how many app updates are pending – I bet its lots! Convincing Joe public to update their apps is difficult enough at the best of times, many just ignoring the pop ups and warnings. Afraid they will break …

Android 7.1.1 Nougat is out (for some)

Today Google is rolling out Android 7.1.1 Nougat to some devices. This isn’t a big release, but adds a few features to Pixel and Nexus devices and tidies up things with bug fixes and optimisations. The list of devices getting Android 7.1.1 Nougat from Google is as follows: …

Meizu M5 Note launches officially

Last week Meizu announced the Pro 6 Plus and Flyme 6. Now it is the turn of the Meizu M5 Note to be officially unveiled in China. The Meizu M5 Note is a super midranger with an amazing spec sheet in value for money terms. All metal body …

Meizu Pro 6 Plus and Flyme 6 announced

Meizu today announced their new flagship and updated Android-based OS: the Meizu Pro 6 Plus and Flyme 6. Meizu, one of our favourite Chinese smartphone companies, has been incrementally improving its product line-up in terms of hardware for a few years now. Their devices have a tightly integrated …

Try makeup on without the hassle

If you’ve ever gone into Boots or another store selling makeup and beauty products, you’ll no doubt have seen the orange-faced girls who are more than keep to plaster your moosh with lipstick and eyeliner. The result may or may not be what you’re looking for, but orange-faced …