Category: Android

New shots of HTC Sense 3.5 appear

Shots of the new HTC Sense interface have emerged on xda.cn. These shots are apparently taken from the upcoming HTC Bliss handset and show HTC Sesne version 3.5. New rounded buttons have appeared at the bottom of the main screen and there’s widgets on the left-side. Rumours have …

Samsung ban may not include UK

Apple have yet again taken aim at Samsung by getting an injunction to ban the sale of Galaxy handsets. The embargo is due to kick off in a few weeks time and concerns an Apple patent for an interface to “view and navigate photographs on a touch screen …

In detail – The Sony Ericsson Xperia neo V

Today Sony Ericsson announced a new handset this morning along with new Android updates for other handsets. We decided to take a closer look at their new model, the Xperia neo V. It’ll be arriving in Q4 and features a 1GHz Snapdragon MSM8255 CPU with two cameras, a …

New phone & Gingerbread updates for Sony phones

Sony Ericsson have announced a suite of upgrades to the software on their 2011 Xperia phones, along with a new model to showcase the new features. The new software brings: Android 2.3.4 Google Talk with video calling (for phones with front camera) 3d sweep panorama photography mode Swipe …

Android App Review – Paper Camera

Paper Camera is a camera effects app that lets you take a picture and apply various effects to the picture as you take it. I know there are several apps out there that do this already. This one does it with a slightly different twist. Basically it gives …

Samsung Galaxys banned from sale in Europe

The patent battle between Apple and Samsung has got ugly again, with Apple today winning a Europe wide ban on the sale of Samsung’s extremely popular SII, S and Ace handsets. This ban isn’t immediate, giving Samsung 7 weeks to get a defence together and counter, but its not good …

Samsung Galaxy W, coming soon to Three

Three has announced it will stock the new Samsung Galaxy W, set to hit Three stores soon. This is a smaller version of the very popular Samsung Galaxy SII, running Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) with a super speedy 1.4Ghz processor and 3.7” Super LCD screen. It also has a …

BBC Coverage Survey – The results are in

Last month the BBC launched a survey to try and find the actual mobile coverage in the UK. To take part you simply needed to download an Android application and use your phone as normal. The app then logged whether you were on a 3G or 2G connection …

Asus Eee PC 4GB Running Android

So, I have an Asus Eee PC off eBay. It’s got a fairly small 4GB SSD drive inside and comes with some random Linux variant. Running Android on it is just a matter of downloading the appropriate ISO thanks to the hard work of Android-x86.org. There’s other custom-built …

Announced – Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman

Ahhh.. the classic Walkman. Who remembers those headphones with bits of sponge and having to rewind your cassettes ? Sony looks set to carry the “Walkman” brand on for many years to come with this new handset, named “Live”. Android has always struggled somewhat against Apple in terms …

LG Turns up the heat with the Sol

LG have just announced this, the Optimus Sol. It’s only 9.8mm thick and runs Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). Other highlights are the 5 megapixel camera, DLNA (Media Sharing), WiFi, 1GHz CPU (512MB RAM / 2GB ROM), microSD expansion, Bluetooth 3.0, aGPS, FM radio, 3.5mm audio jack and a 3.8″ …

Coolsmartphone Recommend Android App – Wizz Bar

Today we are going to look at a Honeycomb app for your tablet. Wizz Bar allows you to create a list of up to 7 shortcuts and be able to access these from within any other program via a spot on the status bar. Below is a shot …

Advent Vega now with Android 3.2

Earlier on in the year I bought an Advent Vega and out of the box I was not too impressed. With a lot of tinkering I got it to a state where it was usable. Since then the Android community have really got behind this device and hacked the …

AndyPad Pro Prototype video released

AndyPad are due to release two tablets in a couple of weeks. A lot of interest surrounds these two tablets due to the specs and the prices of them. A few weeks ago they released a video of the basic model accompanied by a lot of heavy breathing. …

HTC London Event – Tune in here for full coverage

It’s that time of year again. HTC are gearing up to another pretty massive launch down in London. This time Facebook reveals that the event will have a Twitter hash-tag of #HTCQB, but that probably just means “HTC Quietly Brilliant”. Gah… HTC aren’t giving much away, but we’ll …

Take part in the Motorola DEFY Lucky Dip

Whilst it may look a little strange, Kirsty Gallagher is helping Motorola show that their DEFY handset will survive the festival season. Kirsty avoids the mud in Covent Garden where visitors have the chance to win tents, festival tickets and sleeping bags. You can also enter by visiting …

Coolsmartphone Recommended Android App – Lockscreen Calendar

Do you want to see your upcoming appointments on your lockscreen? Today’s app will let you do just that. It will as long as you are not using the standard HTC or Samsung lockscreens. Below are a few shots of it in action. Please note that the developer is German …

HP kills off WebOS!

Well this caught us all out! HP have just announced that they are to “discontinue operations for WebOS, specifically Touchpad and WebOS phones” – that’ll be the just about/to be launched Pre3. The handset is just about available but it rang alarm bells when the handset received an …

EVO 3D Lands At Carphone Warehouse

We were kindly tipped off a few minutes ago that the HTC EVO 3D has made its way to Carphone Warehouse here in the UK and is now on sale. On checking the website we indeed found that the EVO is in stock and ready to sell both …

Xperia Ray Coming To Vodafone

Vodafone have updated their coming soon section today and have now included the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray handset but no details on pricing or availability as of yet. The Ray is an impressive 8 megapixel camera phone featuring a full aluminium body, 8 megapixel camera with Exmor R technology and …

Coolsmartphone Recommended Android App – Tweetdark

Do you like Tweetdeck? Do you like dark apps and widgets? If you just shouted yes out loud twice then todays app is for you. Tweetdark is basically a much darker version of Tweetdeck. Below are some shots of the app and the widgets. Tweetdark works exactly the …

HTC to sue Apple for Patent Infringement

It’s fair to say that we’re slightly losing track of who is suing who now. Today HTC are to take action against Apple, claiming that the iPhone, iPad and iPod all infringe HTC patents. At first glance the patents seem a little generic and are used in many …

Galaxy Tab 10.1 Sales now back on

Want to buy the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 ? Good news folks, the ban has been lifted temporarily until the full hearing on August 25th. The news comes after Apple documents were called into question and means that customers across Europe can go and purchase the device. Unfortunately …

Apple documentation against Samsung queried

The BBC is carrying a very interesting story surrounding the continuing battle between Apple and Samsung. Apple have recently secured an injunction to stop Samsung selling the Galaxy Tab 10.1 Android Tablet because is “slavishly” copied iPad designs. A number of images and comparison shots have been filed …

Motorola Defy+. Just like the original, but quicker.

Some months ago we showed you how the Motorola Defy could easily cope with water, snow and dust. Now the Motorla Defy+ has been revealed and it’s still as “life proof” as ever. The new device, which will be available in the Autumn in Asia, Europe and Latin …

Mi-One Phone Announced.

This morning at 7am GMT in Beijing the Mi-One phone was announced. It is made by the people behind the Android MIUI roms. The spec for the phone is pretty good. Hardware: – Unlocked bootloader! – 4inch screen at 480 x 854 res – Dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S3 …

Snapped – HTC Pico

The HTC Bliss we saw last month has appeared again by the looks of it. This this time the name is “HTC Pico” and although it’s got a different name it does look exactly the same as the HTC Bliss renders. Equipped with a 3.2″ HVGA 480×320 screen …

Android partners applaud Motorola purchase

Android partners have jumped into to have their say on Google’s acquisition of Motorola. Samsung, who are currently being beaten around the head by Apple, have stated.. We welcome today’s news, which demonstrates Google’s deep commitment to defending Android, its partners, and the ecosystem. Sony Ericsson, HTC and …

Samsung to challenge Apple injunction

The international injunction against the Galaxy Tab 10.1, which was brought about by Apple, is set to be challenged on August 25th. Samsung have been forced to stop selling their new tablet due to an Apple embargo, although some retailers are still able to sell it as existing …

Google to acquire Motorola Mobility

Ok, this is big news! Google have announced they are to acquire Motorola’s mobile phone and tablet business for $12.5 billion. This puts Google directly into the hardware business, like Apple, but actually there seems to be a different motive. The tech industry has recently become rather courtroom based, …

Orange Monte Carlo Review

Following on from last year’s San Francisco, Orange have finally released its long awaited follow up. The Monte Carlo continues the tradition of offering fairly solid midrange hardware at a comparatively bargain basement price. In this case the stakes have been upped with the Monte Carlo now featuring …

Coolsmartphone Recommended App – Sugarsync

A few months ago we covered Dropbox as a recommended app. Since then I have frequently been running out of space and struggling with its limitations. So I started looking around some of the other online storage apps for Android. I came across Sugarsync as I started to …

Coolsmartphone Recommended Android App – Gallery Excluder

Gallery Excluder is a fairly simple app that lets you remove all of those folders from your gallery app that you do not want to see. I have loads of music, icons, wallpapers, downloaded images and lots of real pictures. Sometimes a folder that contains an image will …

Galaxy S Plus Lands On Vodafone

Vodafone UK have now launched the Samsung Galaxy S Plus handset and it is available to buy right now in their online store free from £31 a month on a 24 month contract. Features include a 5 megapixel camera, 1.4Ghz Processor and it also runs Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread …

LG Optimus Black – Get a FREE tablet with our exclusive deal

The LG Optimus Black is currently available on Orange but, if you’re looking for a network-free version, stay tuned. Our friends at ur-mobile.com have sorted out a special deal which is exclusive to Coolsmartphone readers. We’ve teamed up to offer the LG Optimus Black for just £298.95 but, …

Orange Monte Carlo – send us your questions

I got home this evening to find a lovely Orange Monte Carlo review unit waiting for me, courtesy of the one and only Conor from Orange. I’m hoping to have a review up by Monday but I wanted to give readers the chance to ask any questions they …

First screenshots of Ice Cream Sandwich leak out

The first images of the Ice Cream Sandwich have leaked onto the web, courtesy of RootzWiki and Android Police. From what little that can be discerned, the sheenshots seem to suggest the next version of Android will be an evolutionary leap from Gingerbread. In keeping with the Tron-esque look …

Samsung Galaxy R Announced

The Samsung Galaxy R is now official. The handset has already appeared on these pages a number of times and comes equipped with a Tegra 2 CPU running at 1GHz, a 4.2″ WVGA screen, WiFi, GPS, a 5 megapixel camera at the rear, 1.3 megapixel up front and …

HTC and Beats tie-up for a better sound experience

We’re assuming that the major HTC announcement coming this afternoon is this, a deal between HTC and Beats by Dr. Dre. Estimated to be worth around $300 million will help to “create superior mobile audio experiences”. We assume that this will mean the end of tinny and weedy …

Major HTC Announcement this afternoon

HTC are to hold a teleconference to “Make a Major News Announcement” at 4.30PM BST today. We’re not at all sure what this is just yet, but HTC CEO Peter Chou will be hosting the call live from Los Angeles. We’ll have full news on this shortly after …