Category: Android

Huawei Ascend Mate 7 Review

It’s all the fault of Samsung.  We had a tablet market and a phone market with a rather clear distinction between the two.  Phones were small, tablets were large and in between we had the Dell Streak with its immense 5” screen that everyone looked at and said …

Ceramic and metal body rumoured for the Huawei Ascend P8

The mid-range Ascend P7 launched six months ago and our very own Gary reviewed it here. Now it’s rumoured that the next phone in the Ascend series, the P8, is currently undergoing internal testing at Huawei HQ. Rumours are that the new device could make a appearance as …

Hey, what’s your thoughts on the new Android ads?

You’ve seen the iPhone and iPod adverts. They’ve been copied quite heavily by other manufacturers. You’ve seen the Windows Phone ads too, which are currently pushing Cortana quite heavily and showing how it performs up against Siri.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYZ5gAQMJg8 But, at the moment for me at least, the raft …

Acer Leap now available to buy

It’s a hard time of year to start a new exercise regime. The days are short, it’s cold and Christmas is right around the corner. Come on, we’re going to pig out and we’ll probably love every minute of it. The diet and exercise starts in January, yeah? …

How did your relationship start?

I hate to admit it, but I’m old enough to remember a time before mobile phones were available. When I was a teenager we then started getting mobile phones, but apart from the odd text and a play with the ringtones there wasn’t a great deal you could …

That whole cartridge-buying nightmare. Sorted.

Watch out everyone, because I’ve had a few days off. This usually means that I have a number of articles where I need to get something off my chest. This is the sort of blog post that usually ends up on my personal blog but I guess, as …

Want a cheap PAYG handset? Three have just cut some prices

This, my fine friends, is the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini. I reviewed it about a year ago. There’s me sitting in my car with the phone, which was about £300 at the time (and indeed you’ll still find it for £299 from Samsung direct) however…. Today Three are …

Google wallet to cease third party digital purchases.

Google have announced that they will shut down the Google Wallet API for third-party digital goods purchases from March 2nd 2015. Google Wallet will continue to function, however, for Google Play purchases. Google Wallet will still exist and consumers will be able to make purchases for goods in …

LG G Watch R – Review

The original Android Wear devices were about showing the world what Android Wear was about, the initial lineup included the LG G Watch which I reviewed here, it was just a black square on my wrist that basically showed some pictures of watch faces on my wrist to trick …

Sky Go or Android Lollipop? That is the question…

Regular users of Sky apps and Android devices will not be surprised to read about another problem in this marriage of convenience. Sky’s forums are chock full of entries about how their apps crash whenever Android is updated.  Lollipop, aka Android 5.0, is no different. Many Sky users …

Encase Wallet review for Xperia Z3

A new phone means that it’s time for a new case. This time around I have moved away from the Roxfit cases that are abundant for Xperia phones and I’m instead trying a different maker – Encase. I have already tested one of their keyboard covers for small tablets and, …

Huawei Ascend Y550 Review

Cast your mind back to January 2013 and you may remember the Huawei Ascend G330. It looked like this.. The moment I unboxed the Y550 it instantly reminded me of the G330 above. Sure, the Y550 is a bit bigger and has a larger screen (4.5″ on the …

Galaxy Tab Active now available

If you’re after the rugged Galaxy Tab Active that we mentioned a couple of months ago then head to Exertis. Nope, I’ve not heard of them either but, due to the business customers that’ll be buying this device, their partner will be offering .. A unique proposition for …

Galaxy Note Edge on the way to Vodafone UK

Well that’s a pleasant surprise. The Galaxy Note Edge has popped up on the Vodafone coming soon pages today. I say “pleasant surprise” because we were told in September that it wouldn’t be gracing our shores. The handset has a large 5.6″ quadHD screen and runs Android 4.4 …

Fancy a Blue HTC One M8?

Today UK independent phone retailer Carphone Warehouse announced that it would be exclusively stocking the flagship handset, the HTC One (M8), in blue for the first time in the UK. This striking coloured version of the phone will be available exclusively from the Carphone Warehouse, for those who …

Nexus 9 First impressions

Every once in a while a tablet comes along that you think is going to really up the ante and raise the bar. This is what I was hoping the Nexus 9 was going to be. Now is the time where we start to find out. Those of …

Motorola Moto X 2014 – Review

Motorola last year showed the world that you didn’t need to have the highest possible specs to create a really decent phone. Last year’s Moto X was behind the rest of the pack spec wise and it offered a really good package, this year’s model they’ve increased the …

Lenovo Tab S8 review

Today we have a wealth of tablets in all shapes and sizes. You can choose between Windows 8, Android or iOS 8. There’s pretty much a flavour for anyone. I’m a fan of the smaller form factor and as a result I have swung toward the iPad Mini …

When free really isn’t free

Wondering how the makers of mobile apps can afford TV advertising when they’re free to download? Well, we seem to quite like a model named “Freemium”. The word itself, which is a mash-up of “free” and “premium”, means that you get the entire game or app for absolutely …

Get the OnePlus One a bit cheaper

If you’re after the Oneplus One then OppoMart seem to have trimmed the price a little. Instead of $399 (£252.14) it’s reduced by $50 if you enter the code “ONE50F” at the checkout. This’ll bring it down to $349, or £220.55, plus you get an official case. Ah, …

Gmail Android app appears on even more handsets

If I’m honest, the Gmail experience you get on a desktop computer isn’t exactly “swish”. It’s a little clunky, a bit low tech but yes, it does the job. On Android it was a bit better, but still lacked some gloss. This morning that newly designed Android version …

One Plus hope to sell 1 million One’s by year end.

  Having already sold over half a million devices to date, through an invite only system, the Chinese startup company OnePlus have stated they now hope to have one million of their “One” phones sold by years end. Speaking to a Forbes reporter at Dublin’s Web Summit, Director …

Nexus 6 cases pop up on Google Play

If you’ve got a Nexus 6 then, well, I’m amazed. It’s not available yet but we do at least know prices. You can’t even pre-order it on the Google Play store. To be honest, if I’m getting on my soap-box for a bit, putting a phone up for …

UK Nexus 6 pricing revealed

Google have finally disclosed UK pricing for their new Nexus 6 flagship phone. It’s as expected unfortunately, which might be a good thing for some people, but others were hoping for a price similar to the Nexus 4 or Nexus 5. Two colours will be available at launch …

Former Nokia X manager behind new smartphone startup – Vsenn

Well, this is certainly a bit strange. We’ve received a press release about a new company called Vsenn. They’re a mobile startup based in Finland and they will soon deliver a modular smartphone based on Android with OS updates guaranteed for 4 years. There’s encryption too, but the …

The Poppy Appeal enters the smartphone world

This Sunday is Remembrance Sunday. It’s the Sunday closest to Armistice Day on November 11th, the end of the First World War hostilities in 1918. It’s also a chance for us all to remember, commemorate and pay our respects to those who’ve fought for the freedom we enjoy …

Tesco Hudl 2 – Review

Budget Android tablet, those three words can sometimes strike fear into the heart of any reviewer handed one. Sometimes though those fears are just confounded. Sometimes a budget Android tablet can actually be really good. Before I spoil the rest of this review lets have a look at …

Nexus 9 Unboxing

It’s here my very own brand new Nexus 9 32gb Wifi. I have been looking forward to this day for a wee while as I loved my Nexus 7 (2013) edition and it was in desperate need of a successor. I have been reviewing a lot of tablets …

Gmail gets to update to Material design

This morning Android owners will have awoken to the news of Nexus 9’s being unboxed around the world (ours is here). Even if you don’t have a Nexus device you will be pleased to hear that you too can enjoy the new Gmail app from Lollipop as it’s …

Huawei Y330 overview

We’ve seen quite a bit from Huawei recently and I managed to grab a bit of time with the Huawei Ascend Y300’s baby brother – the Huawei Ascend Y330. This is a smartphone which comes with some pretty decent features for the price you pay (which is about …

Encase Bluetooth keyboard folio review

What is the main sticking point when trying to use an Android device for productivity? Simple. The keyboard. Sure, an onscreen keyboard is great for short notes and maybe the odd email or two, but for me it’s not a replacement for a physical keyboard. Although we have …

Google push Android L source code to AOSP

The day has come. Android L has been released, the new Nexus devices are sort of on sale and as you’d expect Google have pushed out the source code for some of the most recent Nexus devices. Now it’s time for everyone to catch up. App developers, custom …

The future of the Amazon Fire Phone

Last week Amazon released its third quarter financial results.  Amongst a great number of tedious statistical and fiscal matters was the curious fact that it had $83 million worth of unsold Amazon Fire Phones on the shelf.  In fact, the fantastically awful sales figures have hit Amazon’s overall …

Nexus 9 – Hands on

I was recently invited to London to get hands on with some new devices made by HTC. The main device that everyone wanted to get their hands on was of course the Nexus 9 tablet. A tablet from HTC. This is something we’ve waiting a long time for as …

Skinny Samsung Galaxy A3 and A5 launched

A couple of new Galaxy handsets have been shoved out today and they’ll be available in China in November with UK availability to be “announced in due course”. Samsung have sent us some rather “different” product shots too.. Samsung are highlighting the social media aspect of these as …

Andy Rubin leaves Google

I’ll lay money on the fact that a lot of you know who Andy Rubin is, even if you’re not quite sure why. He’s one of the people responsible for creating Android and was the former CEO at Danger. He left the Android division in March last year …

Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact unboxing and initial impressions

It is here. The day I’ve been waiting for. My newly acquired Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact has arrived. Although I had to wait a little longer than I would’ve liked (due to issues with the shipping companies), it’s here now. So, let’s find out if it was worth …