Category: Android

So…you have a new Galaxy tablet, Samsung?

I’ll be quite honest, I’ve lost a large deal of the time that I used to have to spend on searching the net for all of the detailed specs and reviews on tablets, so my knowledge is somewhat lacking compared to what it used to be. That being …

LG F5 arrives in France

The LG Optimus F5 has a 1.2 GHz Dual-Core CPU and 4.3″ IPS (256ppi) screen. When we saw it at Mobile World Congress it was running Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2 and packs 8GB of storage, 1GB RAM and microSD expansion card. There’s dual cameras – a 5 megapixel …

Kenny and his robot microwave an S4

Art. It’s a subjective topic. One man’s idea of a masterpiece is another man’s Samsung Galaxy S4 cooked to death. Yes, if you like your smartphones burnt to a crisp then you probably need to meet this man. (Tip, don’t go alone!) His name is Kenny Irwin, and …

HTC One Camera Test – Part Three

Yesterday we updated our HTC One with the very latest patches and tried some low-light shots. We compared it against the 13-megapixel shooter on the Sony Xperia T. Both phones had HDR mode turned on during the test. HDR images capture a greater dynamic range between the lightest …

Acer announce the Liquid E2 Smartphone

Last week we covered the availability of the Acer Liquid E1 Duo from Expansys. I liked the idea of it as I have a bit of a thing about Dual Sim devices. Well Acer have now actually announced it’s successor already. The Liquid E2 comes in either single …

HTC One Updated – Our second camera test

Today the HTC One received an update. Software version 1.29.4.12, which is a 229MB download, is said to update the camera, improve HTC Zoe sound quality, improve Beats Audio and adds system stability tweaks. Let’s wind back the clock because, in February, we posted this article which compared …

Smartphones in spaaaaace – The NASA Nexus Orbiters

You’ve heard of the Galaxy Nexus, right? Well, how about the two Nexus One ‘budget’ satellites that are watching us from an altitude of 150 miles as I type? The idea is to get off the shelf components and make a fully functioning satellite for less than $10,000. …

Acer Cloud Mobile now £179.99. Corr blimey!

We’ve reviewed it and we’ve mentioned last month that it was down to less than £200. Now it’s even cheaper with the price dipping down to just £179.99, and that includes the delivery and everything. The handset will, of course, arrive unlocked and has a 4.3” IPS 1280×720 …

BBC iPlayer Radio launches on Android

Back in October I wrote a small piece regarding the launch of iPlayer radio.  At the time the app was only available on iOS with an Android version said to be following soon. Well, some 6 months later the Android version has finally launched and it looks quite impressive. Clearly …

HTC in yet more bother with the One

  HTC are not having a good time of it. With they HTC One they come up with a brilliant handset, trumpet it in a massive fanfare and then realise that they are unable to deliver it Now the Taiwanese company are about to be hit with more …

Virgin Media reveal Samsung Galaxy S4 Pricing

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is all set for launch. So far plenty of carriers have announced their intentions to stock the device and now Virgin Media have thrown their hat into the ring. As ever, Virgin Media don’t just give their subscribers airtime and data limits, also thrown …

LapDawg O-Stand for iPad – Review

I love my iPad. I use it all the time, every day, mostly on my sofa. It is quite heavy though, and slightly uncomfortable to hold for long periods of time. That’s where the O-Stand from LapDawg comes in. The O-Stand from LawDawg looks slightly like something out …

Cut The Rope Time Travel now available

I’m a big fan of Cut The Rope, and noticed yesterday that a new version is out, called ‘Time Travel’. This edition sees the awesome Om Nom travel though time (see what they did there?) meeting ancestors  and gulping down yet more candy. Perhaops they’ll be a ‘Cut The …

Samsung Galaxy S4 Vs the Nexus 4

If you listened to our lovely podcast this week you’ll have heard us discussing the various merits of the Samsung Galaxy S4, in particular, VS other (cheaper) handsets like the Google Nexus 4. I really like my Nexus 4. I like stock Android, it’s whizzy fast and does everything …

Amazon Coins, another virtual currency. But why?

Amazon’s new digital currency is now just a month away from being introduced. It’s a currency and payment method that you’ll be able to use in the Amazon Appstore and will soon become second nature for those with a Kindle Fire HD. Amazon Coins will let you buy …

Motorola Defy+ Launched on Three

Three have today launched the Motorola Defy+ on their UK network bringing the well built sturdy phone to the masses at a price of just £10 a month on contracts or £69.99 on PAYG Dust, scratch and water resistant, the Motorola Defy+ is a handy phone for those …

Acer Liquid E1 Duo now in stock

Once again another Dual SIM phone appears on the market and my imagination runs riot. The prospect of not having to carry two phones around all day gets my temperature racing. The fact it is made by Acer also means it will probably be well made, in the past I’ve had my …

Archos announce three new smartphones

It’s been mere hours since we heard that Archos had some new handsets up their sleeve. Now we’re getting information about the new handsets in question, and three of them will be heading your way soon. The 50 Platinum, the 53 Platinum and the 35 Carbon. The Archos …

Samsung pays bloggers to bad mouth HTC

Samsung and HTC have been mortal enemies for a while, which is a bit David and Goliath, given the size of Samsung, but it looks like Samsung have turned the war dirty. Taiwan’s Fair Trade Commission launched an investigation in to reports that Samsung had paid bloggers to …

StealthGenie – Snoop on others easily

Whilst browsing around eBay I found a number of listings for “spy software” designed to snoop on the phone use of friends, relatives, colleagues or people you don’t like very much. After becoming intrigued I stumbled across StealthGenie, which is charged in monthly installments. The spy software is …

Pocket for Android gets an update

Pocket is one of those apps that you either use and love or you don’t use and can’t comprehend. I use it and I don’t think I could survive without it (bit extreme I know). Pocket basically allows you to save a webpage for viewing at a later …

Are FOUR new Archos Android phones coming?

Archos appear to be throwing everything they have into the mobile market, by releasing not one, not two, but four new smartphones! What’s more the smartphone are thought to be released in April and May, so we should be seeing them hit the shelves very soon. The phones …

Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 officially unveiled

The Samsung Galaxy Mega has been more or less official for the past week or so, at the end of the London Samsung Galaxy S4 World Tour event on Tuesday night it was announced that there would be Mega handsets available for demonstration, and so I finally got to play …

WordPress for Android gets a whole new look

Here at Coolsmartphone we rather like WordPress, it is the basis of everything we do and without the mobile apps this site would be a totally different place. Last night an update for WordPress for Android appeared. The update amongst other things brought a whole new UI to …

Win an LG Nexus 4 at Mobile Fun – Competition

Fancy winning a Nexus 4? Of course you do! Mobile Fun are running a free to enter competition to do just that. You can even enter as many times as you like! All you need to do is follow this link to find out more – Nexus 4 …

Samsung Galaxy S4 World Tour – London

Like the look of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and want to know more? Me too. Like Jason Bradbury? Yeah, he’s OK. Like Gary Barlow? Me either! Well, if you liked at least one of those then you would have enjoyed the Galaxy S4 World Tour event in London …

Muvit Slim and Stand, Xperia Z case review

I am a very proud owner of a Sony Xperia Z and up until now I have been using a very cheap case that I picked up in a market which has been offering me minimal protection. When Mobilefun offered the chance to review the Muvit Slim and …

The app that asks “Are you my cousin??”

Picture the scene, there is a man talking to a lady in Mojos nightclub in Norwich. They’re getting on famously and are just about to leave together for more fun in a more intimate setting when he pulls out his smartphone. She does the same and they “bump”….. …

A couple of rather good Three deals for the Galaxy S4

The Galaxy S4 is just around the corner now and, if I’m honest, I’m looking around for an upgrade. I’ve started looking for a more data on my next plan because I got kicked for going over my paltry 750MB data allowance with my current network… Doah… And …

Microsoft Boss calls Android “a mess”

Yes, Microsoft should be trying to portay everything in a positive light but this recent interview with Windows Phone Chief, Terry Myerson, seems to to have a slight distortion in the reality field. The Windows Phone OS is good yes, but the limited success so far doesn’t seem …

HTC patent an odd dual screen slider

Don’t you just love a quirky patent application? You know the sort, the ones where you can’t really at home how on earth the pictured image will work in the real world. Well HTC have one such patent application for us. Personally I’d love to see some quirky …

HP Slate 7 Available for pre-order….only £129!!

The bar has been set.  The Nexus 7 and the iPad mini are generally considered to be the two best 7″ tablets available but a new challenger is about to enter the ring. The HP Slate 7 is Hewlett Packard’s foray into the Android tablet world and is …

Ahoy, me Hearties! Climb aboard!

You’ve seen what we do, you’ve seen how we do it. We love writing about the very latest smartphone apps and handsets. It’s in our blood baby. Although we’re never going to be rich it’s something we love doing. It’s more than a hobby, it’s a “calling”. 🙂 …

Deal – Acer Liquid Gallant Duo

Dual SIM phones are pretty clever, they use two SIM cards, one for voice and normally one for data. The Acer Liquid Gallant Duo does quite a bit more though, with Ice Cream Sandwich the options to control exactly which SIM did what where plentiful. I reviewed the …

Momax The Core Smart Case for Samsung Galaxy Note II – Review

Momax have taken a fresh look at the case/stand hybrid concept with The Core Smart Case, which uses an origami inspired design for the stand coupled with a traditional gel casing. Good Fits perfectly Magnetic fasteners Screen protector and cloth included Bad Stand angle is too upright Unstable …

The Lumia 920 – Testing Image Stabilisation at Thorpe Park

Optical Image Stabiliser systems are built into a number of smartphones to smooth out the video whilst filming. It means that the funny clip of your girlfriend or wife riding around in the Tesco trolley is more like F1 and less like a wobble-cam special. Nirave from UKMobileReview …

The Cat B15 – Can it pass the Coolsmartphone test?

Back in February we got a first look at the new tough smartphone from Cat – those people who do the diggers. This, at first glance, seemed to strike the balance between style and ruggedness pretty well. A good quality 4″ screen, dual-core 1GHz CPU, microSD slot and …

Newscron review – Your news on the go

Sorting your daily dose of news into small, bite-sized chunks can be a bit of a pain at times. You either download an app, go through the mobile version of the newspaper website or heck – you could even buy one of those “paper versions” 😉 The people …