Category: Android

CES – LG G Flex2 now official

Not long ago today we posted leaked information and a press release about the new LG G Flex2. This was about to be announced in Las Vegas at CES. Now this is very real thanks to the full and official LG announcement Whilst the original G Flex might not …

CES – Acer H7550ST. Yes, it’s a projector, but wait…

A projector isn’t something you’ll see covered a great deal here. Yes, there’s projectors that you can connect your phone to etc, but this puppy is really quite interesting because inside there’s a Chromecast dongle. Acer have strapped one inside of this so that you can watch Netflix, …

CES – The rumours

Although we do see a few launches of new phones at CES, a lot of companies tend to hold off until the more mobile-centric event at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Despite this, we’re hearing that a number of manufacturers will be announcing new phones in the next …

CES – Jade Liquid S Announed

Remember my look at the Acer Liquid Jade ? The camera wasn’t exactly great but I definitely liked the styling in my mini review and subsequent video overview. Now, a newer version, packing a more powerful front camera (5 megapixel instead of 2 megapixel) but the same resolution …

Welcome back, here’s what you’ve missed

This week is going to be pretty busy, that’s for sure. International CES, the Consumer Electronics Show, kicked off yesterday. Over the years it’s been the launch-pad for devices like the HD TV, DVD, OLED TV and driverless car tech. As usual we’ll be bringing you all the …

CES – Liquid Z410 4G Smartphone announced. Mid-range and cheap.

Let’s get to the nitty-gritty shall we? You’re gonna be seeing a stack of CES-related announcements this week as the big tech show kicks off in Las Vegas. This is the first of many, the Acer Liquid Z410. It’s got a 4.5″ 245 ppi screen, it’s 64-bit and …

Motorola Moto G + 4G hot deal

If you’ve got any money left after Black Friday, Panic Tuesday, Boxing Day and the January Sales then I’m quite frankly astonished. However, if there is a bit still floating around in your wallet then you could perhaps treat yourself to this easily-unlockable Motorola Moto G 4G, which …

HTC start 2015 with some big promises

We’re a little light on detail, but Jeff Gordon – top Comms Manager at HTC – is promising some exciting new gadgets this year. As you can see above, he’s promising some “big things” that’ll “blow you away”. Let’s hope it’s not just a new large phone with …

Samsung launches “Look at me”

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects about 1.5% of the population to a lesser or greater extent. It is not all to the extent of the film “Rain Man”, but it does affect how people communicate with others. This varies with each individual but is often demonstrated …

Nexus 6 availability update

The Nexus 6 has been plagued with availability issues both in the UK and on the other side of the pond. However upon checking the Play store today I saw that this is about to change. If you are wanting to get the Nexus 6 from Google direct …

Amazon dishes up stacks of free apps

The sales and offers seem to arrive earlier and earlier with each passing year. Although Amazon usually give away one paid-for app per day, today they’ve gone a bit bonkers. Their free apps offer is running from now until Boxing Day (26th) and they have up to £150 …

Sony Xperia E3 Review

You’re probably pretty familiar with the Sony Xperia styling by now. This E3 model maintains a lot those same design cues but at a more budget price. This puppy is available for just £99 on Vodafone Pay As You Go and you get 4G for that too. Not …

Getting some grub, quick – Just Eat Mobile App Review

At this time of year we’re probably all thinking of a nice home-cooked meal. Brussel sprouts, turkey, roast potatoes and all the trimmings. Problem is though, this is all a lot of work. So give yourself, your mother or whoever a break and get yourself a takeaway instead. …

Google Maps now introduces 3D Cardboard-friendly Street View

Remember my Cardboard Review? This low-cost VR headset is easy to construct and a proper fun gadget. Just drop your phone in the front, run the Google Cardboard app and off your go. You’re in a world of virtual reality and it’s not massively expensive, plus if you …

Google pushes Android 5.0.2 factory images for 2012 Nexus 7

If you’re a listener to our fantastic podcast (if not you should be) this week you will hear me stating that the Android 5.0 lollipop update had ruined my 2012 Nexus 7. Performance-wise the device became really laggy. Well, it appears that Google has acknowledged the issues as …

Nexus 9 Keyboard Folio now available in the UK

The wait is over the Nexus 9 Keyboard Folio. It is now on the Play store along with the Magic Cover. They are available for £110 and £35 respectively. I have not had hands on with the keyboard but it does sound like it could genuinely make the …

Nexus 9 LTE available in the UK

Finally we are able to purchase a Nexus 9 LTE in the UK, but not from where you think. Amazon are currently showing that they have some Nexus 9 LTE variants in Black in stock.. Unfortunately since this screenshot was taken the price has gone back up to …

Moto G 2nd gen down in price

Fancy a good deal? Check out the Moto G for a possible pre-Christmas gift to yourself or someone else. It’s the 5″ 2nd generation model with 8GB storage and dual SIM. You can get it for just £119.95 at the moment and, if you hunt around the various …

Moto G 4G, now on Three

Fancy a go on the Moto G 4G? How about getting your 4G fix from Three for no extra cost per month? The new Motorola handset is now available from the network with prices starting at just £16 a month, and there’s no up-front cost on that. If you …

Inateck card reader and hub review.

I have been sent through the Inateck card reader and hub with USB on the go support, for review. Lets start with the good and bad points. Good Points Small lightweight form factor. Soft plastic feel. loads of ports giving versatility. Powered/None Powered option. Bad Points Attached USB …

MyRoll Gallery now supports Android Wear

MyRoll gallery has been around for a few months now, offering a nice gallery replacement app with a nice UI and it bundles your photos together into Moments. The developers have updated the app with a nice material style and rather interestingly they’ve added Android Wear support. So …

Podcast 121 – Listen in live

Hello there, welcome to the “listen in live” page for our podcast. Joining me this week should be John, topics this week will be about 2014 and the best and worst of things. We have a variety of categories to decide which has been the worst for each …

LG G3 handsets receiving Lollipop right now

First it was Vodafone-supplied G3’s, now it looks like unlocked handsets are also receiving the update to Lollipop. We’ve received a number of emails and tweets to say that handsets have updated, but handsets from other networks don’t appear to have the new version just yet unfortunately. As …

Google maps getting two slick updates

We gotta hand it to them Mountain View folk, and the way both the ecosystem and the apps keep evolving. Google Maps never used to be my go-to application for turn-by-turn directions (telmap M8 was my personal favourite), but the way they have been iterating has been phenomenal. …

Huawei reveal the Honor 6 Plus

Stuffed with three, yes three, 8 Megapixel cameras, Huawei today unveiled its latest smartphone under the new Honor branding. Following on from the reasonably priced Honor 6, meet the new imaginatively named Honor 6 Plus. The new device’s unique selling point is it’s three 8 megapixel cameras. There’s two in …

SimCity BuildIt is now available on iOS and Android

SimCity is one of those classic iconic games that has help to shape the video game industry through its many incarnations. There have been mobile versions of SimCity released previously although they have never quite managed to recapture the magic of the big screen original. This may be …

Never Fall Behind with Smartphones

At the train station today I noticed a stack of people just staring at their phones. I was one of them, and if I’m honest I’ve become a phone zombie too. However, despite how mainstream mobile phones have become in society, many people don’t use them to their …

HTC Desire EYE review

HTC have been around for many years now. They’ve produced some really top end devices such as the HTC Sensation, HTC One X and even back to the HTC Desire which at the time was a specification powerhouse. The problem seems to be so many people still walk …

Quad-core 1.5GHz for less than £94

Remember my review of the Rocomo GT-I9500? well, I’ve been on the hunt for cheap Android kit again and this time the 5″ Elephone P6000 has caught my eye. It’s on presale at the moment but will cost you just $169.99, which works out at around £108.60. This …

Android App Review – Lazy Swipe

Large screen devices have a lot to answer for these days, they force me to wear trousers with large pockets, they force me to carry a man bag whilst I’m out and about and most of all they force my thumbs to stretch way beyond what they were …

Galaxy Note Edge lands on Vodafone UK

Samsung recently announced the new Galaxy Note 4 smartphone which we all expected to see and had a rough idea what was coming. What we were not expecting though was the introduction of another Note handset, this time the Note Edge. AFter our up-close look we were then told …

Production of the Nexus 5 finished

Google has confirmed that the Nexus 5 production has stopped, and… once they are gone, they’re gone, so we’d suggest people get them while they can. It was only yesterday that Google removed the listing of the the Red and White variants of the Nexus 5 from Google Play. The …

Festive Fun apps to keep you entertained

OK, it’s that time of year already. Your bank account looks like a wasteland, there’s pine needles everywhere and that roll of sticky tape has mysteriously disappeared just when you need it. What apps do you need to ensure things go smoothly? Well, the Google Santa Tracker is …

Buy the OnePlus One, invite-free

Buying yourself a present this Christmas is going to be a bit of a theme here at Coolsmartphone I think 🙂 The OnePlus One handset, which we handled here, has a 2.5GHz quad-core CPU, Android 4.4 (Cyanogen), Adreno 330 GPI and either 16GB or 64GB of storage. Best …

EE crowned as top mobile operator in London

Think for one minute about the current networks we have to choose from in the UK? Name me two. I’d guess most of you went with EE and Three, not only are they the most popular but they also offer a great product. Be it almost totally unlimited …

WinZip now adds Dropbox support

If you’ve already grabbed the WinZip app for Android then you’ll hopefully have noticed a cheeky little addition lately. If not, grab it now and you’ll now find that the app lets you encrypt, squish and share files directly to Dropbox. It basically means that you have one …

Nexus 6 Review

It’s here. The latest generation of the Nexus lineup, the Nexus 6. We have finally managed to get hold of one of these unobtainable devices by buying our own review unit. The device we have here is the 32GB model in blue. There has been much said about …

Latest update to Hangouts brings new features.

Today Google revealed the latest update to their own messaging app, Hangouts. The update sees the addition of 16 sticker packs, new video filters for calls, the ability to add contacts with their phone number, smart location suggestions and a “last seen” timestamp that shows you when your contact …