Category: Android

Tesco Hudl Initial Impressions

Tesco have worked quite hard in the recent past to increase their digital offering.  They have bought Blinkbox for video streaming, We7 for music streaming and Mobcast for digital books.  They have created Clubcard TV and merged their acquisitions in order to create an all in one streaming …

Note 3 benchmarking scores artificially increased

The Note 3 is a very impressively specced handset with a 2.3GHz quad core Snapdragon 800 processor and 3GB of RAM so you would expect it to be towards the top end of all the various benchmark applications and it does. However it appears that like with the …

Hands on with the LG G2 at the UK launch party

    The LG G2 was announced on the 7th of August in New York and in true LG style the UK sort of got left behind, the G2 is only just starting to appear at retailers and networks. Last night we attended the UK launch party in …

Chrome for Android updated with Gesture Support

Google has announced an update to the stable channel of Chrome for Android which brings gesture support to the browser. According to the latest Google blog post, in Chrome for Android, you’ll be able to: Swipe horizontally across the top toolbar to quickly switch tabs. Drag vertically down …

The LG G2 UK launch

Tonight we’re going to one of those little launch parties. For the LG G2, that is getting it’s UK launch today. We’ll bring you the full story tomorrow. But in the meantime, if you’re interested in the G2 and you want us to test something out leave a …

TubeMate – Downloading YouTube videos on your Android

Ahh screw it. I’m going to let you know about because, let’s face it, there’s only about 12 people that don’t know about this particular app. Now, come close to the screen my dear friends. Closer. Closer… Hey have you been eating onions? So, if you want to …

LG G2 Now available on Three

With it’s 5.2″ screen and rear volume rocker, the new flagship powerhouse from LG, the LG G2 is now available from 3 stores or online. The handset features a full HD 1920 x 1080 screen, a 13MP rear camera with Optical Image Stabilisation, is 4G ready and combines …

Galaxy Note 3 Cases – Get some

If you’ve bought one of those shiny new Samsung Galaxy Note 3 handsets you’ll probably want to protect it. These cases are now available on Mobile Fun and include this case with funky laces. Look at that! It’s like having a foot against your head (and believe me, …

The upcoming Nexus 5 appears again

I’m guessing that you’re aware of the upcoming LG made Nexus 5? The successor to the current glass backed LG Nexus 4. The phone that a lot of people are currently holding out for. Well it seems to have appeared online again. This time it has appeared on …

Acer Liquid S1 – Review

I’ll come out and say it, I love enormous phones, call them phablets, small tablets, massive phones or just plain old stupid. I’m a convert, I’ve come to terms with the fact I’m never going to be able to wear super skinny jeans and own a large phone. …

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 – Initial Impressions

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 arrived on my desk a few days ago. The Note 3 marks the third generation of the Galaxy Note range, it also marks the third Galaxy Note that I’ve owned. So as is often the case with a new device here at Coolsmartphone …

Sony Smartwatch 2 – Review

Do you remember back to when you were a kid and you used to watch Knight Rider? Remember looking wistfully at the Hoff’s watch communicator that he used to talk with Kitt? I did anyway. Now we’re getting a step closer to this becoming a reality. I present …

HTC off-load remaining Beats shares

Well, we kinda knew it was on the cards, now it has indeed happened. HTC has sold the remaining shares in Beats Electronics. Bloomberg reports that the deal is expected to complete in the fourth quarter and will raise $265 million for the rather battered HTC. HTC originally …

Galaxy Note 3 – Not quite locked in the way we all assumed

So we have a couple of bits of news following the revelation that the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 will be locked down to the region it’s sold in. Firstly, it seems that there is a way around this, and that’s to.. a) Put a local SIM into the …

Speedtest for Android gets a rather snazzy looking update

App updates usually fall into two kinds, an update that adds features or fixes a bug and the other kind is where they’ve redesigned the app and made it look all pretty. Last night’s Speedtest update has done exactly that. Oh and to give them their due, they’ve …

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 available on Three

Now, if you’re in the cool gang and follow us on Twitter, you’ll already know that we’ve had a full hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. You’ll also know that it’s popped up on Three already, but we’ve now got the official press release, which is brimming …

Patent filing reveals an interesting keyboard from Samsung

As much as tablets are useful, one thing remains true. The bigger the tablet the harder it is to type, onscreen keyboards are just a nightmare stretched across a 10″ screen. It’s never as easy as typing on a laptop. As Samsung have quite a few different laptop …

Humble Bundle 2 out now

The idea of a Humble Bundle is that you can buy 4 games for however much you want and choose how to split the money between the developers and charity. If you donate more than the average (currently $4.52) then you get 2 free games as well. The …

Hangouts and Talk Messages being routed incorrectly

Techcrunch are currently reporting that messages sent to the new Google Hangouts are being routed incorrectly. Twitter users, Google forum members and Google Talk users have all been complaining that messages sent to one recipient have actually been arriving in other people’s inboxes. The site states that… One of …

Sony reveal new Android powered Walkman devices

Sales of the humble MP3 player have nosedived as most people use their smartphones for the majority of their personal listening needs. Whilst Apple have had major success with their iPod range, other manufacturers have struggled to make a dent in the personal music player sector once music …

New version of Hangouts on the way for Android

What was once known as “Google Talk” has slowly transformed into Google Hangouts and now it’s changing again. The update, which is rolling out now, will finally re-add a way for you to actually see who’s online and available to talk (which has been a personal annoyance of …

European Note 3 to only work with European networks

In a somewhat interesting turn-up for the books, it appears that the European version of the new Samsung Galaxy Note 3 will only work with European SIM cards. Clove have posted a picture of the sticker that appears on the box of the phones that they have in …

GMail for Android update in progress

As recently confirmed by Google a new version of Android is due to be released rather soon. Around the time that Google releases a new version we often see updates to the major apps that make a fundamental part of the OS. The first of these updates appears …

Samsung to unveil premium “F” range of handsets

Based on how popular the iPhones 5s is compared to the iPhone 5c, I’m guessing that premium and highly-priced handsets are still more attractive to many. People would rather save and show off, rather than go for a budget device. So, news that Samsung is to introduce a …

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 – Hands on

Today I nipped to the local Three store to obtain a SIM card,. While there I was just making general enquiries about the Galaxy Note 3, the guy serving me said that the Samsung retail rep was in the store and they should be told release dates today. …

Samsung announce gold Galaxy S4s

Now you may be noticing a trend here. Hot on the heels of Apple’s gold iPhone 5S, Samsung have today announced their very own golden edition(s) of their flagship Galaxy S4. Samsung’s Facebook and Twitter accounts are proudly displaying photos of both Gold Pink and Gold Brown devices …

HTC One update to 4.3 begins

The HTC One has now been on the market for nearly seven months and is still HTC’s leading device. July saw the handset receive the 4.2.2 update and now the latest incantation of Google’s Android OS is beginning to roll out bringing the HTC One bang up to …

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear available from today

The Galaxy Note 3 and the Galaxy Gear, Samsung’s recently announced latest flagship devices are today available across parts of Europe. The devices are available from London’s Westfield Stratford shopping centre, where the Note 3 will cost £649, and the Galaxy Gear will set you back £299.  Buy both …

Amazon announces Kindle Fire HDX tablets

Amazon has announced two new Kindle Fire HDX tablets, one with a 7-inch 1920×1200 screen and another with an 8.9-inch 2560×1600. These screen sizes and resolutions are enough to give Google’s Nexus tablets a run for their money, and their 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800 SoCs and 2GB of RAM …

Archos Gamepad 2 revealed in retailer leak

The Archos Gamepad. There is really not a lot to be said about the original, particularly after the less than favourable opinions of our own James Pearce. Dependant on your point of view, there is good or bad news for it has been revealed in a leak by …

Casing shortage’ affecting HTC’s ability to meet demand for smaller handset

Supply chain problems may add to HTC’s difficulties this quarter, if a recent report from Reuters is accurate. The news agency reports via “sources familiar with the matter,” that the Taiwanese manufacturer is facing shortages of the HTC One Mini’s aluminum casing due to “design difficulties.” The report …

Android Device Manager gets Remote Lock Feature

Google were late in the game in bringing remote find and wipe options to Android but now that they are finally with us it would seem that Google are not resting upon their laurels. Added today is the new Remote Lock feature which enables you to remotely lock …

Have mobile phones stopped evolving?

There is, if we’re honest, a bit of a problem with phones now. They’re all a little bit too good. Personally, sitting here, apart from making me a cup of tea or driving me to work, I can’t think of much else that I want my phone to …

Happy Birthday Android

I can’t believe it’s been nearly half a decade since I got my hands on the the HTC G1, and I’ve been hooked ever since. Today marks the 5th anniversary of Android. The initial release was on September 23rd 2008 and we covered the launch and the new …

Oppo N1 unleashed with rotating camera.

In an event that took place just minutes ago in Beijing Oppo have announced the release of the Oppo N1. The handset features rear touch panel called “O-Touch” and a multi-touch OS which adds a splash of colour and time-saving tricks. The makers of the much lauded Find …

Focal Camera app now on Google Play

Following the launch of Cyanogen Inc., the Focal Camera app became a casualty when it was removed from the CM builds. It has, however, reappeared with a proper release in Google Play. Labeled as a beta product, it’s an improved (but not finished) release of the open-source camera …

Huawei MediaPad 7 Lite Review

Don’t get me wrong, I love writing reviews, but of the large quantity of Android phones on my desk I was quite happy to at last see a tablet. The MediaPad is, for me, a perfect size. It’s easy to hold with one hand and weighs about the …

Tesco to launch own brand Tablet, known as the Hudl

Supermarket behemoth Tesco has today announced that it is to start selling its own tablet, known as the Hudl. The device, a 7″ HD screened tablet is to ship with Android 4.2.2 (Jellybean), will sport a 1.5Ghz Quad-core CPU and will have 16GB onboard storage which will be …