Category: Android

Samsung post an official hands on video for the Galaxy S4 Zoom

The Galaxy S4 Zoom is an intriguing device, the one thing I’m mainly interested in is the camera UI and how fiddly it is. Luckily Samsung have posted a hands on video on their YouTube channel showing me how the thing works. Here it is, enjoy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqiBdo22mrg

HTC One mini announced

HTC have today announced the smaller version of the HTC One, the HTC One mini. Packing a lot of the same design language seen in the One, the mini does have a few changes to mention which we will go through now. First of all the screen is …

Are Nokia in danger of “doing a Samsung”?

Samsung seem to be attempting to get into the Guinness Book Of Records for “the largest number of screen sizes in their portfolio” record with a different phone for each and every increment from 3″ up to 11″. Nokia increasingly seem to be heading off down that worrying …

Nexus 7 successor images leak out

The Asus / Google Nexus 7 is probably the most successful Android tablet ever. It has become the one tablet I actually pick up every day and actually use, rather than just dust off and recharge, like my Surface RT. Google have historically updated their devices annually and …

HTC One mini official picture appears.. almost

HTC are unveiling more and more of their HTC One Mini. It’s a trend we’re seeing with lots of mobile handsets, a powerful and hugely advertised handset (like the Galaxy S4 or the Galaxy S3 from Samsung) is followed up shortly after by a ever-so-slightly-less-powerful version which has …

Benchmarks reveal a new Galaxy S4???

Think about all of the technology that the world could possibly need. Go on, admit it, the first thing you thought of was another Samsung Galaxy handset.  After all, there quite simply aren’t enough phones in the Galaxy range and another one is bound to improve all of …

Xperia Z Ultra coming your way in September

This is a phone with a ma-hoo-sive 6.4″ Full-HD “Triluminos” display. It’s waterproof, dust resistant and has a quad-core 2.2GHz Qualcomm CPU. Our earlier story shows some lovely pictures of this slim handset, which is just 6.5mm thick. Sony also have some great shots of the device here, …

Should it just be about the camera?

At what point in history did the camera become the most important on a new smartphones spec sheet? Don’t get me wrong here, I love a decent camera phone, but increasingly I’m seeing manufacturers chase the “best camera ever” type of tagline and other specs or form factors …

G Cloud Backup receives huge update

Morning lovely reader. Let’s talk backups. No, no. Don’t switch off. Yes, I know it’s one of those “things” that you really don’t want to do but, let’s admit it, this is something you should look at. The G Cloud Backup app has always let you protect and …

It seems that Oppo are going to make a Windows Phone at some point

Oppo are a little known Chinese Android handset manufacturer that we’ve recently become smitten with, via the reseller Oppo Style eager Europeans have been able to purchase the Find 5 which Ronnie reviewed here. But something interesting has occurred on Sina Weibo (the Chinese equivalent of Twitter), the …

Worldwide Availability For The Optimus G Pro

While the Optimus G Pro (we mentioned here) has been available since February in LG’s home country of Korea, it has made a slow but steady march out to other countries around the world and is ready to reach a whole lot more in Q3. LG is announcing …

New Play store launches on web

Overnight it looks like the Google Play store has been updated to match the look and feel of their latest Android phone and tablet app. We’ve all used the new-look app on Android got a while now. We saw a sneak peek at this new design back at …

HTC One Mini not mentioned by HTC in any way at all. Honest.

Ooo lookie here. HTC talking about something small? Something that’ll pack a “BIG PUNCH” ? That’s definitely nothing to do with the HTC One Mini we saw earlier or those pictures of a HTC One Mini or even these other leaked shots. Ohhh.. no. No way buddy. HTC …

HTC One update on Three rolling

    Blimey, this was quick! So HTC announced this morning that the 4.2.2 update for the HTC One was being rolled out to the UK today, and now Three have tweeted the same for their phones. I think that’s one of the quickest updates from a carrier so …

Addictive free game – Bubble Box

It’s fair to say that we get a lot of emails from developers about their app or game. Some, sadly, don’t make it onto Coolsmartphone but this one had me hooked so it definitely deserves a mention. Bubble popping and breaking is something we’ve all seen before, but …

Did you know that Gorillas like Fruit Ninja?

Marketing and promo videos are often a little surreal and this video from Asus advertising their FonePad is rather strange. Maybe they’re pointing out the ideal size of human to use the 7″ phone or maybe they’re just being a bit odd. Either way here is the video.

HTC One receiving Android 4.2.2 update

Not much we can add to this really is there? The HTC One is getting an update delivered as we speak, although as usual you might have to wait a little if you got your phone direct from a network. Your phone should automatically check for this, however …

More details about the HTC One Mini appear online

The HTC One Mini could possibly be the one to revitalise the fortunes of HTC. People do like a smaller cheaper version of a well known flagship. At first we thought that the HTC One Mini was going to be very similar spec wise to the One, but …

HTC One turns red in scorching heat!

OK, not really, but if you want a phone to match your suntan then nip down to Phones 4U, because this weekend the ‘Glamour Red’ version is finally available. We first heard that the UK release would be in mid-July, then pre-orders became available with no official date, …

Vodafone to stock the Huawei Ascend Mate

The thought of owning a Huawei Ascend Mate is quite an appealing one, seeing our own Leigh Geary struggle to use it one handed in his review recently made me eager to get one. It’s just what you do with a large oversized phone. The good news is that …

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom is now available in the UK

Clove have posted on their blog that they have received stock of the Samsung Galaxy Z4 Zoom and you can buy one for £442.80 which is including VAT. The Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom is a smartphone-camera hybrid. Unlike any other device currently on the market, the Zoom offers …

Google Maps 7.0 hits Play Store

The updated Google Maps has finally appeared on the Play Store. Featuring the new stripped down UI first featured on the iPhone, it’s quite a change from the previous Android versions which were fairly Chrome heavy. There are also a number of other changes.  UI The new UI …

Acer Liquid E2 Duo now available, and it’s even cheaper!

Recently we reviewed the Acer Liquid E1. It’s got a dual-core CPU and a 5 megapixel shooter. However, the Acer Liquid E2 is now in stock and the specification has been significantly ramped up. Powered by a quad-core 1.2GHz CPU, this has Android 4.2, 4GB internal storage, a …

Time for something a little smaller

Good things come in small packages right? I think that’s what they taught us at school in the eighties anyway. I’ve been going on about oversized giant phones and 1080p flagships for weeks now and it wasn’t until I sort of accidentally bought something rather small and also …

TeamViewer to provide remote support for your phone

Morning you lovely people. Now. I get a lot of email. A … lot. Over the years one email keeps popping up and, unfortunately, I have to keep knocking it back because there wasn’t a solution to the problem. The problem? Remotely controlling a smartphone. Remote support of …

Paper Artist is now available for Android and iOS

Owners of recent high end Samsung devices have probably come across Paper Artist before as it has been included as a preload on a few Samsung devices over that last 6 months (the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2 among others). The developers JFDP Labs had an exclusivity …

Galaxy S4 Active Now Available In UK

AT&T the US carrier was first to get hold of Samsung’s ruggedized, waterproof Galaxy S4 Active late last month. But now independent retailer Unlocked-Mobiles is stocking the Active in the U.K. today, priced at £494.98 — a little less than the average asking price for the regular GS4. So …

Drive Like A Fighter Pilot – Garmin Head Up Display

Navigation experts Garmin have announced what I think is the coolest add on to your smartphones navigation app.This small HUD (Heads-Up Display) unit connects to your smart phone via Bluetooth, and beams pertinent navigation information on to a small screen attached to your car windshield or to an included …

Order from local restaurants online with JUST EAT mobile app

Something wonderful seems to have happened here in the UK. The British summer has arrived. No, I’m not talking about that 15 degrees Celsius when the local teenagers start riding their bikes without tops on, this is actual, real, heat. At this point a lot of people will …

Rumoured… The worlds first Tegra 4 phone from ZTE

Back in February ZTE and NVIDIA announced a partnership to make the Chinese manufacturer the first to bring Tegra 4 phones to market this year. Rumors and leaked images (shown above) have surfaced and if they  are to be believed, then ZTE as expected is set to launch the …

Facebook Android app gets an update

Are you a user of that small and some what unknown Social Media Site Facebook. Well the Facebook for Android App has an update yesterday evening, bringing all the features from the last beta to the current stable version (that’d be 3.4). The biggest feature is for users …

Roxfit Bumper case for Sony Xperia Z – Review

Shortly after getting the Sony Xperia Z I decided that it just felt a little too delicate for my liking. I wasn’t happy taking it out until I had a case. The nice glass backplate of the Xperia Z shouldn’t be covered up really, so I looked for …

Making money on the move

What do you use your smartphone for? Well, if you’re anything like me it’ll probably be to check Twitter and Facebook, perhaps the odd email. You may do some browsing and you may even upload photos to the web. However, why not use it for making money? In …

Oppo said to be working on a camera

The jury is still out on whether people want a dedicated camera or a smartphone with a camera. Oppo are apparently following in the footsteps of smartphone manufacturers like Samsung and are working on a fully fledged camera. A “source” has stated that an internal Oppo briefing mentioned …

My time with the Sony Xperia Z

The Sony Xperia Z, to the masses it has been eclipsed by the HTC One and the Samsung Galaxy S4, to me it is the next logical step in my hunt to find my ideal “next generation” device. By next generation I mean compared to my Galaxy Note …

LG L3 II – First Impressions Review

The LG L3 II is part of the second generation of the quirky L-Series smartphones. The range is characterised by its almost square screen. It’s certainly an individual look, and because/despite of this they have sold millions worldwide. LG have been kind enough to loan us one, and …