Category: Android

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 …

Hello Moto, now part of Lenovo

We’ve known about this particular change-of-hands for a while now, but various legal approvals and boxes needed to be ticked before it could be rubber-stamped. Motorola Mobility today becomes part of Lenovo, who have already given us some rather tasty devices this year like the S850 and the …

Microsoft announce the Microsoft Band

The rumours surrounding Microsoft making a wearable of some sort have been floating around the web for a while now. Last night Microsoft finally announced it, the Microsoft Band which is a fitness and sleep tracker for Windows Phone 8.1, iOS 7 or 8 and Android 4.3 and …

The Shanda Geak 2 smartwatch boasts crazy battery life

Shanda are a well known Chinese company, who have a watch hardware division called Geak. So it makes sense that their 2nd smartwatch will be called the Shanda Geak 2. So far nothing of any huge interest to us UK residents, but there are two things of interest …

Oppo R5 appears. Smashes slimness records.

Oppo are on a roll today. Their new flagship, the N3, has just been formalized and now we’ve got this, the Oppo R5. It’s made using “reinforced industrial grade aluminum alloy” and it’s also hand-crafted in ceramic too. However, the big selling point here is the thickness – …

Oppo N3 announced. Comes with spinny, remotely controlled camera.

Oppo have just announced the N3 and, as we expected, the camera spins round. Not only that, but there’s a Bluetooth remote control which lets you move the camera remotely and snap photos. You can also use this to listen to some tunes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XdSpg1p1CQ Built using industrial-grade aluminium, …

LG UK announce Android Lollipop for the G3

It’s that time of the year at the moment. Where Android device manufacturers get hassled about whether or not they are going to update every last product in their portfolio ever, to the latest version of Android. LG however have tweeted out something that all UK G3 owners …

Fitbit Charge, Charge HR and Surge

A few weeks ago news spread out across the digital waves about three new products from Fitbit, well now they’ve gone and unveiled them publicly. First up is the Charge, the ‘basic’ activity tracker. This device tracks all the things your standard Fitbit tracker will right now: steps, …

Oh no. Another great deal. Lenovo Yoga Tablet going cheap.

It’s that time of year when you should be thinking of gifts for others. Kids are making lists, your wife or girlfriend wants something “special” that you’ve “put thought into” but somehow you find yourself in the gadget shops on your lunch break, staring at the deals and …

Moto X 24 hour flash sale

Ever since the Nexus 6 announcement, some of the Android faithful over here in the UK have been holding their breath as they waited for the UK pricing of the $649 phablet to be announced. At today’s exchange rates, that would equate to the £400 region which would …

Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 10.1 – Review

Lenovo are capable of big things, they are involved in many different areas of modern day mobile technology. Be it phones, Android tablets, Windows tablets, hybrid laptops, Chromebooks and even just plain old laptops and desktop PCs. Each and every year they push out new and updated devices …

Lenovo Tab S8 unboxing

  Well here we have my first Intel powered Android device, in the form of the brand New Lenovo Tab S8. I picked this little beauty up in PC World for £149.99. It pretty much went on sale a few days ago. The device is so new they …

Quick flick: This is Inbox – Gmail revamped

OK. Right off the bat, it would probably be better to set expectations. This does not replace email. This does not make the underlying issues about email and the tonnage an average user receives in one day just go away. Having said that, the new Inbox app does …

Nexus 9 Amazon preorders pushed back

Those of you who listen to our weekly podcast will undoubtable know that I have a Nexus 9 on order with Amazon for delivery in the 4th November. Well just to keep things interesting I received an email today informing me that this preorder is now being pushed …

LG announce availability of the G Watch R

The original LG G Watch was a great “mark 1” device for Android Wear, it just showed the world how Android Wear works and didn’t get bogged down with the design or anything like fancy buttons. I liked the original, but I ditched mine for a Pebble Steel, …

Podcast 114 – Listen in live

Welcome to the live edition of our podcast, this is the listen in live post which will become live at about 7.30pm tonight. There will be a Play button below. Topics this week will revolve around the Nexus pre-orders, the devices we’ve been using this week and the …

Google Helps iPhone Owners Make the Switch to Android

There are several reasons why some iPhone users might want to change to an Android based Smartphone but is it as easy as it sounds? There’s a common belief that it’s difficult to switch from an iOS device to Android, and this perception might put off those who …

Google Unveils ‘Google Inbox’

In a bit of a surprise announcement today, Google decided to announce a new product of theirs’. “Years in the making”, Google says that Inbox, though developed by the Gmail team, is a whole new way to send and receive emails. For many of us, dealing with email has become …

Three show off the HTC RE Camera

The new viewfinder-less pipe-cam from HTC will be available soon and Three are already getting the marketing wheels turning with one of their hands-on videos. http://youtu.be/Xoa88v5JGGg The camera, which can display a preview of your footage onto your smartphone, is an easy to use click-and-go affair. We’ve got …

Android Lollipop – A Picture Special

So, finally the rumours can have been put to bed, the speculation and conjecture can stop for, as we all now know, Android L is actually Android Lollipop.  We had the initial developer version back in May with another update being issued late last week. Like many, a few …

Sony Xperia Z3 Compact – Review

Iterative products are just a way of life these days. We get a new slightly updated device every few months, sometimes every six months, sometimes even every year, Sony have mastered the iterative product cycle, releasing new products every six months ensuring they stay current. A manufacturer finds …

Pre-order a OnePlus One on 27th October 2014

That’s right, you will be able to order (well pre-order) one of the most frustratingly difficult to order phone of 2014 on 27th October. As posted on the OnePlus Forum the invite system will be bolstered by the option to put down cash no matter who you are …

Archos VR glasses available to order for £25

Even though they are hardly top of the range, you have to admire Archos. The French company keep the bottom to mid-range end of the market afloat, releasing a variety of smartphones and tablets. Never one to shy away from the latest tech, Archos have now announced their own VR headset. …

Oppo update the Find 7/7a with KitKat

Can you remember the Oppo Find 7/7a? I had one earlier in the year and whilst being fairly impressed with it, it only ran Jelly Bean with the Color OS skin on top. Well Oppo have pushed out a new ROM for the Find 7/7a which is KitKat. …

Nexus 9 available for pre-order now from Play Store

Google finally seems to be getting their shipping act together as the Nexus 9, the first tablet to come with Android Lollipop installed, is now available for pre-order at the play store. The only caveat is that the wait time is currently standing at 2-3 weeks. I know …

Nexus 7 no longer available on UK Play Store

Well that didn’t take long! A quick search for some details on the Nexus 7 (to be honest I was looking to compare the battery size with the Lenovo Yoga 8 tablet due to the cheap price that Argos are selling it for as reported earlier this week) …

HTC Lollipop news

There’s a lot of information about Android Lollipop and we’ve also learned that doing a Google image search for “lollipop” reveals some really risque results. We’re trying to stay the right side of the family-friendly line here, so we’ve gone for the “completely weird pictures of lollipops”. Today …