Category: Android

Strava user has his bikes stolen as home address is revealed

It’s something we’ve reported on before, but sadly someone else has fallen victim after having his bikes pinched. It’s a double-edged sword at times, with people wanting to challenge each other and share their achievements, but you do need to protect yourself. Strava, the activity tracking app and …

What can parents do to save their kids from Cyber Bullying?

I’m conscious that, as my kids hit their teenage years, it becomes a pretty complicated phase in life. As parents we didn’t really have many of the problems that children have today. They’re now connected to the web and a lot of interaction is done online. We didn’t …

Pebble Health a stone’s throw away from fitter smartwear

Fitbit must be rolling over in some type of fitful unrest. The cross-platform smartwear manufacturer Pebble has just rolled out a new application to bring itself in line with a lot of dual purpose wearables with the new Pebble Health app. The Pebble Health app focuses on three …

A few apps to keep you busy over the Christmas break

It’s Christmas, so that will probably mean that you’re heading off to see relatives. Amongst the gifts, the food and the TV, there’s definitely going to be a period where everyone will sit down and generally fall asleep on the sofa. Although we do tend to concentrate on …

A little extra Christmas cash is always welcome

Yes, it’s that time of year again and we’re all a little bit short on cash right now. I think this year I’ve been a little too sensible and I’ve actually bought all my gifts already, meaning that my bank balance – and any cash set aside for …

TVPlayer launches on Apple TV

TVPlayer has just announced it has joined Apple TV with two of its services. The first will be giving Apple users the opportunity to watch over 85 of the UK’s top TV channels within a single app for free called TVPlayer Basic. The other is TVPlayer Plus, the low-cost pay …

HTC One X9 leaks out in crystal-clear shots

I properly love the HTC One A9. Although I loved the quality of the HTC One M7, M8 and M9 – I wanted something fresh and new. The HTC One A9 was it, and our HTC One A9 review resulted in a high score. You might’ve seen more …

Speedy delivery now in Manchester too

If you’re a last-minute Christmas gift shopper and you live in Manchester, listen up. Now Amazon Prime are of offering one-hour delivery slots on thousands of items. Get onto their site, choose your product and have it delivered right to your door in less time than it would …

Honor 7 now available on Amazon for not a lot

Right, you’ve only got a few hours on this one, so be quick. We know that the Honor 7 has been dropped in price from the vMall already, but this offer is now direct from Amazon and includes free UK delivery. The Honor 7 has been dropped in …

Honor to launch in the US next year.

Don’t know who Honor are? For one they are the company that pinched our own James Pearce, secondly they are part of the phone manufacturer Huawei. They’re based more on-line than having retail outlets, but they’re still able to supply high spec’d devices with reasonable price tags. As …

Huawei Mate 8 specs released

In November, Chinese phone manufacturer Huawei announced their highest specced phone to date, the upcoming Mate 8. On-paper specifications do look mighty impressive. The Huawei Mate 8 is now available for sale, with the promise of better performance and battery life. The device features the new Kirin 950 …

Pixel C – was it meant to be a Chromebook?

There are some stories doing the rounds at the moment about the Pixel C. They aren’t just reviews and first impressions, but about the origins of the tablet. Let me explain. We know that the Pixel line has long been attributed to Google’s own high-end Chromebook range, and …

Google Play Music family plan now available in the UK too.

If you like your tunes and the rest of your family does, have a look at this. Right here in the UK you can now get the Google Play Music family plan. You become the “family manager” and basically become responsible for the billing. Then everyone in your …

Cortana is bridging the OS gap UPDATE

Those of us who use Siri and Google Now will be familiar with the difficulties and idiosyncrasies of using a voice assistant. They sometime work and sometimes….. they don’t. They struggle with regional accents (if you are a Brummie or Glaswegian, you get me). Sometimes they are just …

Using the Sony Android 6.0 Concept

I have an exciting task this week. I get to test out the next version of Android from Sony, and it is really nice. I’m using the software on a Z3 that Sony has very kindly provided me with for the time being. There are some significant differences …

Plemo LG G4 Heavy Duty Case – Review

I recently received a Plemo LG G4 heavy duty case from Avantek UK for review. So here is a run down of the case and my thoughts on it. The case comes in three parts, the first two of which are required and form the main case, the third …

Increase your language skills with an Oxford Thesaurus app

I don’t get this. Sorry. I know it’s good and that, but if I’m writing for this particular website and want to come up with a word meaning “fantastic” but, different, I could just go to thesaurus.com and get words like “awesome”, “superb”, “unreal” or “marvelous”. However, if …

OnePlus makes phones invite free

The most annoying thing about trying to get a phone from OnePlus has been their insistence on using an invite system in order to allow you to buy one of their phones. It seems like there is some good news on that front as for the next few …

Updated Google Hangouts randomly ‘betaing’

Now, I’m a bit of a sucker for beta software. I like it when I find an issue, or see a new feature. It makes the new shiny feel that bit newer, so Google betaing (yes, it’s not a word, but you get the idea) a new version …

Could we see a Pixel C launch next week? I hope so.

The rumour train has once again stopped by at Coolsmartphone Towers. It dropped off the usual detritus, however, whilst sifting through the rubbish we found this thread of info about the recently discussed Pixel C Android tablet. Dutch website tweakers.net are stating that Google plans to open the …

OnePlus X – Unboxing

Have you been thinking to yourself, “It would nice to have a handset that didn’t require a backpack or a monolithic battery”? I had the thought occur to me the other day but then instantly dismissed it as nonsense and told my brain to behave itself. Of course bigger …

ZTE Axon Elite – Review

This is the ZTE Axon Elite. It’s a big phone, with a 5.5” inch screen, and it doesn’t feel small in the hand. It shouldn’t either – there’s a lot packed under the hood of this ‘Ion Gold’ coloured beast. I’ve never had serious hands-on time with a …

Remix Mini – Unboxing

You may recall a little while ago I was raving about an Android PC Box that came from the Far East. China to be precise. Well, the time has come for the unboxing to happen and I’m of course talking about the Remix Mini. I have already had …

Samsung announce the 2016 Galaxy A range.

Today Samsung announced the details and specs of the 2016  Galaxy A series range of devices. They will be coming in three screen size options: 5.5-inch for the A7, 5.2-inch for the A5 and 4.7-inch for the A3. Equipped with an enhanced camera system for brighter and clearer …

Nexus 6P – Night shot special

I’ll be honest and say that this is a bit of a quick and dirty post. See, I had a read of our Nexus 6P review and I’ve had chance to borrow one. I’ve been using the phone to take some photos, including some of the ones used …

Samsung Gear VR available to buy in UK

Looks like Samsung have released their Gear VR headset for sale on the online shop (Samsung Shop). Priced at £80 and currently in stock. Head on over if you interested in grabbing one. It’s compatible with Galaxy S6 edge+, S6 and S6 edge. The headset straps onto your …

Send a present – all you need is a mobile number

I get a LOT of emails about new apps. I mean, A LOT. This one actually looks quite interesting. It’ll let you send gifts to people, and all you need is their mobile phone number. No, we’re not talking about those “virtual presents”. You know, those ones where …

Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 – Review

This is the review of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 2, an affordable 5.5” smartphone which hails from the largest smartphone vendor in China (third largest smartphone vendor… in the World…). The Redmi Note 2 was announced and released in August 2015, and as with all other Redmi branded …

Christmas Tree Lights Slow Down Your WiFi

Double checking the date to ensure its not April the 1st, today Ofcom warns Christmas Tree Lights can slow down your home WiFi and have released a smartphone App that allows you to check your connection. The app tests WiFi signals to ensure data flows uninterrupted between your …

Nexus 6P – Review

Google’s latest handset has been garnering a lot of interest from the tech world over the last few weeks. In between all the reports of people not getting their orders delivered on time and Google delaying the launch, I managed to secure one for this review. With the …

HTC want your help

It is no secret that HTC’s fortunes haven’t been too great of late. Despite positive reviews of their phones, the company seem to be finding it difficult to sell their handsets in large quantities. In an attempt to improve this situation HTC now wants your help.  In particular, …

Black Friday – Amazon Fire 7″ down to less than £35

You might call it “that day when shops just reduce stuff that was far too expensive anyway”, you might call it “a great opportunity to get a bargain” or you may just call it “that day when people park like utter idiots everywhere and descend on the high …

Black Friday – OnePlus open sales and holiday deals

OnePlus have opened up their shop to allow the purchase of both the OnePlus Two and the OnePlus X without the need for an invite. At the time of writing this post both the OnePlus Two 64Gb version is up for £289, and the OnePlus X will be …

Does the “butter side down theory” apply to phones?

You all know it the legend that states if you drop a piece of toast, it will land butter side down the vast majority of the time. It has even been scientifically proven by this guy. In a number of tests he ascertained that the majority of falls will …

Black Friday – Mobile Fun piles up the offers

Wow – where do we start? It feels like there’s at least one of everything on offer over at Mobile Fun for Black Friday… which isn’t surprising, seeing as they cover the whole gamut for your mobile needs. Lessee, we’ve got Names, like Ted Baker, Samsung, Tylt, Olixar, …

Black Friday – Honor vMall deals

Honor are as you would expect haveing a bit of a thing for black Friday and are inviting people to claim vouchers through their vMall store to get some tidy discounts off the Honor 7. It seems like the sign-up bonus will discount the price of the Honor …

Forget Black Friday, meet Vodafone Red Thursday

Those canny folk over at Big Red have stolen a march on Black Friday by coming up with Vodafone Red Thursday… to cut a longish story short, Vodafone Red Thursday – today – is offering some pretty neat deals. They’re starting today, but there are more to come …