Tag: app

Home, Sweet Home. NAS and WiFi picture backup

At home I have a NAS box. I originally purchased one of these because I’ve somehow used all the storage that my cloud provider had available and the cost to upgrade was nothing short of insane. I’d tried other providers, however the cost, the reliability, and the fact …

Register and check callers via the Telephone Preference Service

A lot of smartphones now come equipped with a blocking system to let you stop unwanted calls from repeatedly bothering you. On the HTC U11 I’m testing now, you can see that in action below.. However, in the UK we have something called the “Telephone Preference Service”, or …

What can we expect from mobile gaming from 2017 and beyond?

I’m a big mobile gamer. Yes, I’ve got a PlayStation at home but, when I’m on the bus, I’m also playing games on my Galaxy S8 too. It’s predicted that the global games business will grow to some $108.9billion this year, with mobile devices helping to generate a …

It’s Friday, here’s an advert

It’s Friday. Friday at last. Last night, whilst randomly looking for a YouTube video (and I’ll be honest, I was trying to find some Leslie Chow clips because I’m a bit bonkers), an advert appeared before the video. You know the sort, it’s one of the many YouTube …

Alexa, can you be my new squeeze?

If you’re used to talking to someone called “Alexa” in your kitchen, then you might also be talking to her on the move too. A new update for HTC U11 owners, provided you’ve got the latest software, means that the Alexa voice assistant can now sit inside your …

Menace for Mobike in Manchester

So, here’s the idea. You download either the Android or the iPhone app. You create an account and then, using the app, you find a pushbike in your local area. You scan the code on the bike and off you go. When you’re done, and you’ve reached your …

Jobrapido – Find your next, or first, job

Fancy getting a new job? Well, you’ve definitely got a choice of apps to deliver the very latest opportunities. In days of old (which really wasn’t that long ago) we’d have emails delivered with the latest opportunities. Sure, it worked and you could customise the mails that came …

Going fishing? Try these amazing angling apps

My father-in-law is a keen fisherman. Or angler. Or fish catcher. I’m not honestly sure of the term, but I had a strange and yet straightforward question recently. “Are there any decent fishing apps for my phone?” Well, I’l confess to not knowing the answer to that one, …

Design your own smartphone game on paper, then play!

I walked into the kitchen this morning to find my son drawing what appeared to be a platform game on a piece of paper. When I asked what he was doing, he told me that he was designing his own smartphone game. “That’s nice”, I thought, but then …

Strava. Huawei. Sort this out. Now.

Remember my old story about getting Strava working on Huawei handsets? It involves disabling the sometimes over-zealous power management on your Huawei phone. Why do this? Well, if you’re running Strava (the running and cycling recording app) on a Huawei phone then the battery control software will see …

FaceApp – Another few minutes of fun

We were big fans of the MSQRD app when it first came out. It’s quite a fun little gadget which, with the aid of your phone camera, puts masks and hats on your face via augmented reality cleverness. Now there’s another one to add to the collection, it’s …

AVG on your mobile – it does a lot more than you’d think

Let’s be honest. If you’re buying an Android phone then, if you’re careful and don’t install much, you’re probably not going to be bothered by viruses or other nasties. However, looking at my son’s phone, he’s definitely not careful, and when I’m rushing to find an app to …

Solitaire – Get a more polished version

You may remember my trip down memory lane when Microsoft launched their classic Solitaire app for both iPhone and Android devices. It was true to the original Windows desktop version, and Microsoft took great pride in promoting the “classic” feel of it, with the same graphics and te …

BatON app review- view battery level of attached bluetooth headset

Have you ever picked up your Bluetooth headphones, then pocketed a pair of wired headphones in case they run out of juice when you’re out? Do you carry a spare pair of backup earphones as you’ve no real idea of the battery level of your Bluetooth earphones? BatON …

Google Maps to add two new interesting features.

Right back in 2008 I got my hands on my first Android device, the fantastic T-Mobile G1. One application stood out above all the rest – Google Maps. Back then it was just a very simple mapping tool giving users a fairly simple view of the world. Google …

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 …

BeeLine – Cycle navigation made easy

I like the sound of this little doo-hickey. Just strap it to your bike and it’ll provide a simple guide to your destination. An arrow shows you the direction you need to be heading and below it’ll show how many miles remain. You can then make the best …

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 …

I think it’s time for a new Twitter app

Enjoy Twitter? Or are you a Facebook fan? I’m definitely more of a Twitter person myself, and have the official app installed on my Android phone. I have a bit of a love / hate relationship with the app because it tends to conveniently “forget” my settings every …

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 …

Earn real rewards. All you need is a great snatch

A new game is now available on Android and iPhone which encourages you to steal (virtually, that is) from others. After downloading “Snatch” you can win prizes by grabbing virtual parcels. Within those parcels are real prizes, including a year’s free pizza from Pizza Hut and a year …

Newton Mail App – Review

Remember all those years ago when you’ve got your first email account and you couldn’t wait to set it up with a stupid account name? Now, many years later, it’s quite embarrassing having to pass those details to any prospective employers, hospitals or friends.  So what do you …

Save money without even thinking – Chip

This one kinda raised some immediate red flags with me. Sure, the idea is great – it’s an app which will automatically put money into a special savings account based on your affordability. It’s a great idea, but when the developers told me that you had to “link …

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 …

Yeah, thanks for that Microsoft. Solitaire on my phone. Whoop.

Years ago, before flat screen monitors, we had big chunky PC’s with big chunky CRT monitors. Laptops weighed half a tonne and smartphones were just a dream. The internet? You’re joking son. If you were at work in these times (which, granted, seems like something from the prehistoric …

Matchmaking, without the embarrassment – Spritzr

Matchmaking. Internet dating. Online relationships. These are all words and phrases that used to carry a certain amount of embarrassment, but those days are now in the distant past. Now there’s all manner of dating and relationship apps, from the sublime to the ridiculous. This one claims a …

Can you beat the neural network?

This is a nice time-killer, and you don’t even need to worry about getting the app, because there isn’t one. Whether you’ve got an iPhone or Android, just head over to quickdraw.withgoogle.com and draw the object or animal that the website tells you to doodle. It’s a simple …

Track your child without a huge cost

If you’re wanting to keep an eye on your child and want a no-frills way of finding out where they are, here’s a way I recently stumbled across. What you’ll need, in this particular setup, is a cheap Android phone for your son or daughter. These are everywhere …

Kasamba Psychic Readings – Review

Want to know your future? Got some questions that you need answering? Well, if you’ve been to Blackpool or another one of our seaside resorts you might’ve seen a brightly coloured tent with various promises of answers to your questions – whatever those questions may be. I’ve never …

Shoptimix updated to add faster shopping

Heard of Shoptimix? It’s available for both Apple and Android and basically lets you create shopping lists and manage them in a fast and easy way. Yesterday they launched a new Android version which adds a new “Speedy Shopping”. It’ll let you whizz through the products and then …

In-app purchases on Android. This is broken. Sort this out. Now.

I’ve just wasted an hour and a half trying to get a refund on an in-app purchase that my son mistakenly made within Real Racing 3. It’s a great EA game and you can improve your experience by purchasing items for varying quantities of cash. Writing about smartphones …

RATED – The BBC iPlayer Radio app

Welcome to the first in a series of articles celebrating apps which are an example to others on how things should be done. I’m probably preaching to the converted, but I wanted to talk about the BBC iPlayer Radio app. It’s available for iPhone,, Android and Kindle. For …

Do you really know what your child is doing online in today’s world?

There’s a definite increase in popularity for mobile trackers. Many attach negative connotations with the software, perhaps thinking that their only purpose is to track and secretly spy on partners. However, with the traditional PC now leaving our homes, more and more kids are using the internet in …

Play a game, get rewards in Las Vegas

Having a dabble online with one of the many betting and casino sites is something that some may shy away from. It involves spending money and maybe, perhaps, winning some back. The part in the middle – where you’re actually playing those games and enjoying them – can be the …

Ofcom wants to know about your not-spots

Not being able to get a signal in the middle of a city is still, in 2016, all too easy. In Lichfield I can walk out of a Vodafone or EE store and, just a few metres from the door, I’ll have no signal at all. Even with …

Protecting your teenager against sexting

When I was in my teens, smartphones weren’t really a “thing”. Sure, we had mobile phones, but they were big clunky things and you couldn’t even text on them unless you paid for the texting “service”. Plus, they were pretty much confined to older people, not “grandpa” old, …