Author: Leigh Geary

Samsung to try and block iPhone 4S sales

The war between Samsung and Apple continues. Reuters reports that it will file patent-infringement claims to try and ban the sale of the new iPhone 4S before it even hits the shops. Samsung said preliminary injunction requests for a ban on iPhone 4S sales will be filed on …

Steve Jobs dies

We’re waking up this morning to the sad news that former Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs has died. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2003 but continued to be a huge driving force in the mobile industry until very recently. His infamous “One more thing…” announcements were …

Curvy Nexus Prime teased

Following the new(ish) iPhone it’s now the turn of Samsung to launch a handset. They’ve added a sneak peek at their new Nexus Prime handset in the video below… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM9RO-GAKjE There’s very little to see so far unless you’re trigger-happy with the pause button, although it’s clear that …

No thanks, I’m sticking with my Galaxy S II

Hello. My name is Leigh. I started this whole thing back in 2002. Back then it was all about the Microsoft Smartphone but over the years there’s been a colossal change in the mobile landscape. Today Apple announced the iPhone 4S. Despite what people say, it’ll be yet …

iPhone 4S announced, pre-orders from 7th October

So this is probably on the underwhelming side of the rumour and speculation about the new iPhone. Here’s what it’s got: A5 processor (7x faster than iPhone 4) iOS5 (available for iPhone 4 from 12th October) Infinity Blade II (iOS exclusive, RPG with great graphics for iPhone) Better …

£150 Million of public money for more masts

Coverage. It’s always a hot topic. Check your local paper and we’re prepared to lay money on the fact that those residents groups opposing a new mast will be secretly sitting at home, cursing the lack of a decent signal. The Chancellor, George Osborne, has promised £150 million …

HTC Sensation XE Ready to roll

If you’ve got £479.95 burning a hole in your pocket then my personal bank account is definitely the place for it. Of course, if you’d rather get something in return, you may want to consider a brand new, unlocked HTC Sensation XE from those lovely people at The …

HTC Radar and HTC Titan now available

The HTC Radar and HTC Titan have both just appeared on the Phones4U website. We managed to get a lot of hands-on time with the HTC Titan (full specs here and the HTC Radar (full specs here) some weeks ago but we didn’t expect them to actually ship …

HTC Vulnerability – Patch on the way

HTC have already go to work on the security vulnerability that appeared over the weekend. The news has now gone mainstream with the BBC and other networks picking up on the issue. We’ve received the following statement from HTC about the matter.. HTC Public Statement HTC takes claims …

Turn your phone into a games machine with iControlPad

This rather special accessory fits onto a variety of handsets and instantly turns your phone into a gaming console. It comes with a built-in battery for powering both the controller and extending the battery life of your phone whilst playing those power-hungry games. Compatible with the iPhone, Galaxy …

Test out your data usage with Vodafone

Vodafone have changed the way that they charge for data. They’ve introduced a new “Data Test Drive” which let you buy a smartphone and use the web as much as you want for the first 3 months of your contract. During these first few months there’ll be no …

Xperia PLAY up for just £179.99

In these austere times it’s always worth keeping an eye on sites like hotukdeals for the latest bargains. Argos is now selling the Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY for a mere £179.99. The offer popped up over the weekend and appears to have quickly sold out, so here’s hoping …

Opinion – The HTC Explorer

The HTC Explorer got officially announced last week but we had a rather sneaky few hours with it some weeks back. Although it hasn’t got the top-end specs we’re normally used to from Android smartphones, it will serve as an entry into the smartphone world for many and …

Well hello there, Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus

Samsung have just announced another device which will probably receive a lawsuit pretty soon. The Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus weighs a mere 345g and is just 9.96mm thin. It runs Android 3.2 Honeycomb and that 7″ screen has a 1024×600 pixel WSVGA resolution. Powered by a 1.2GHz Dual-core …

The Microsoft mobile success story, thanks to Android

Let’s all be honest, we’re quickly losing track of who is suing who and owns which patent. What is clear though, is just how much one company can make from the success of a competitor. According to a Goldman Sachs analysts, Microsoft will make $444 million (nearly £284 …

Xperia Arc S – Now on Vodafone

Got £31 a month ? Pop into a Vodafone store and get yourself a shiny new Xperia arc S. It’s been a month since we saw it launched and features a speedy 1.4GHz CPU, 8.1 megapixel camera with HD video recording and the Exmor R image sensor, HDMI …

Motorola DEFY – Not quite so lifeproof ?

Ahh bugger. Some pretty negative PR for Motorola today. The BBC Watchdog show has received a number of complaints from owners of the Motorola DEFY. They, like us, saw the adverts showing the handset surviving a pretty considerable drop onto a dance floor. However, in some cases the …

Three to carry the HTC Explorer

Three have announced that they will be carrying the HTC Explorer “soon”. The new handset is aimed at “the first time” smartphone user and has a 600Mhz CPU, Android 2.3 and a new version of the HTC Sense interface. A the back there’s a 3.2 megapixel camera whilst …

HTC Explorer Announced

Known previously as the Pico the HTC Explorer isn’t unfamiliar to us and we were lucky enough to get some decent hands-on time with the device last week. It’s HTC’s most affordable handset and will be available in Q4 in metallic black, active black and metallic navy. HTC …

ZTE Libra gets unboxed

We managed to get a hands-on with the ZTE Skate in February but the ZTE Libra has passed us by so far. It’s available to buy now for £159.95. Clove have added a couple of quick unboxing images and should follow-up shortly with a video too. Clove are …

Get yourself 25% off and win with Skinflips

We’ve decided to tweak our Skinflips competition a little to include even make things a bit simpler. The prizes now include… 1st – £50 Voucher to spend on any Skinflips product 2nd – £30 Voucher 3rd – £20 Voucher We’re also giving everyone that enters a 25% discount …

iPhone Launch event scheduled

With rumours continuing to swirl around there’s now finally some concrete information about the next iPhone, or the launch event at least. Invites for the October 4th event have gone out to journalists with the subject “Let’s talk iPhone”. It’ll be held at the Apple campus in Cupertino, …

Samsung Galaxy Y also due to arrive on O2

The new Samsung Galaxy Y is now also set to arrive on O2 in addition to Vodafone. This particular unit has been “Exclusively designed for O2” and is a bit of an entry level device if we’re honest. Specs include Android 2.3, a 240×320 (QVGA) 3″ capacitive screen, …

Get ready – Windows Phone 7.5 is about to arrive

The big new update for Windows Phone handsets is really close now. Overnight, several Microsoft websites have transitioned to new Mango-specific pages. The US and UK pages are available and the Windows Phone 7.5 schedule is online so you can see just how close you are to the …

Virgin customers can now use Orange too

Orange and T-Mobile customers have now been able to roam onto the merged “Everything Everywhere” network for about a year now. It’s setup currently so that you roam across if your normal signal drops but it’s still 2G-only. There’s hope that this will change to 3G roaming sometime …

Huawei Honor unveiled

The Huawei Honor got revealed yesterday. It packs a 4″ FWVGA 850×480 screen and is powered by a 1.4GHz CPU and Android 2.3.5. Around the back there’s an 8 megapixel HDR-enabled camera and a further 2 megapixel shooter up front. We’re guessing that the usual GPS / WiFi …

ZTE Libra and ZTE Skate now available

The new ZTE Skate and ZTE Libra handsets have landed at The Smartphone Centre. These handsets are manufacturer unlocked and delivery is completely free. You can bag the ZTE Skate for just £214.94. It’s a thin device with a large 4.3″ 800×400 pixel screen, 800MHz processor, 5 megapixel …

Skinflips Competition!

A few weeks back we took a look at Skinflips. They’re quality protective skins (covers) for your phone, laptop, tablet or gaming device. Made in Germany, you can create your own image or choose from one of their brilliant designs. Fancy getting your own skin for nothing ? …

Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro now just a week away

After a QWERTY Android phone ? The Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro was delayed a little but, according to Clove, it’ll start to ship from next Thursday for £322.80 unlocked. The Xperia Pro runs Android 2.3 and has a 3.7″ 854×480 screen with the trick BRAVIA technology we got …

Galaxy S II Hits the 10 million mark

We’re pretty big fans of the Galaxy S II and so, it seems, are you guys. Samsung have shifted 10 million of them so far and have doubled from 5 million just 8 weeks ago. That’s some pretty decent numbers. Samsung GALAXY S II continues success reaching 10 …

Track your costs – Contractor Expenses

I used to be a contractor and I remember vividly the mountains of receipts and scribbled notes that used to pile up in the car. Keeping track of journeys and expenses can be a nightmare, and this is where a new iPhone app called Contractor Expenses steps in. …

Stuck with words? Try SnaPanda

Have you ever seen a word and not understood what it meant ? SnaPanda is a new Android app which will let you enter a word on screen and get a definition or, if you’re in a hurry, you can point the camera at a page in a …

Hands on – HTC Sensation XE

Most smartphone owners are pleased with their handsets. There is, though, one major issue that nearly every handset we’ve ever reviewed has. Stick your headphones in and … oh dear… the sound quality is appauling. Tinny, whimpy sounds which are just no good at all. The Sensation XE …

The Smartphone Centre opens up

An all-new phone store has just opened up online. It’s called The Smartphone Centre and they have some rather tasty deals available. We’ve already dealt with some of the people behind the company and they’ve loaned us handsets to review over the years, so they definitely get our …

Galaxy Note gets the hands-on treatment

Got big hands? You lucky sausage. You know what that means don’t you? Eh? Oh yes, it means you can get a Samsung Galaxy Note. It’s received the full hands-on treatment, complete with stylus-poking, by the guys at Clove. The device has a 5.3″ WXVGA (1280×800) HD Super …

News gathering for the iPhone 5 launch

So you, like us, are probably watching anxiously for the iPhone 5. You’re wondering how to cut through the incredible load of rubbish that’s popping up on Google News – multiple re-reports of the same stuff, baseless rumours, spam and nonsense – and get to the meat of …

Android Market 3.1.5 Available

We took a look at the revamped Android Market recently but there’s quite a few of you who aren’t able to upgrade to it just yet. If you’re prepared to take a chance, xda-developers have an even newer version – 3.1.5. This is apparently quicker than the 3.1.3 …

Three get the Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman and Xperia Arc S

Three have announced that they will carry the Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman this Autumn. Not only that, but they’ll also have the Xperia Arc S too. Sylvia Chind, Head Of Handsets at Three, stated.. Sony Ericsson have a great track record in delivering phones with great features …

Samsung Galaxy Note due at the end of November

The Samsung Galaxy Note should be arriving in November according to the Clove blog. The Note has a huge 5.3″ screen and should cost around £500 +VAT. You can pre-order it or get an email when it’s ready here. For more info on specs, have a look at …

Windows Phone 7.5 to arrive in the next week or two

So, the big question then. Where is Mango ? Windows Phone 7.5 has been “just around the corner” for quite some time now and it’s definitely stirring a lot of interest. Eric Hautala, General Manager of Customer Experience Engineering, has given us an update of timings via the …