Category: Android

Three WiFi calling app now on Android too

Just yesterday we revealed the new app from Three which lets you make and receive calls over WiFi. It’ll use the same minutes and texts from your bundles, and it’s so great way to fill gaps in coverage or use your phone abroad. Yesterday the iOS version of …

EU delivers pre-emptive slap for purchasing in free Apps

When is free, not free? Or free, kinda, but not quite all the time. Except… mostly. Yep, we’re talking about those apps and games which are built around the freemium model. There’s more than one way to build a freemium app. The first way is to build a …

Do iPhones slow down when a new version is available?

There is a great conspiracy theory around that Apple have planned obsolescence, ie their iPhones automatically become slower when a new iPhone is about to appear. It is, say the conspiracies, a clever way to get you upgrading. Whilst this would be illegal and would run the risk …

Find your next network by strength easily

This got pushed into my Twitter timeline and, despite it being in beta, it looks fairly promising. If you’re looking for your next phone and are considering a switch to another network, coverage maps are always good to check. They’ll let you know what the signal is like …

World’s cheapest smartphone launched

Priced at an amazing £26 the Karbonn A50S is set to launch in India. The Karbonn A50S features the Android operating system and has access to the Google ecosystem including Gmail and Maps. It also has a touchscreen display, front and rear cameras (no details on megapixels, although …

Chromecast now available on Vodafone UK

If you’re looking to get the back-of-your-TV dongle that is the Google Chromecast, Vodafone are now offering it up for a mere £25 with their 4G plans. The gadget, which we took a look at in detail here, will let you watch YouTube, NetFlix and iPlayer media on …

Sky launches new Sky Service app

British Sky Broadcasting, the satellite broadcaster for the United Kingdom have launched another app to compliment their growing suite. The new app, available on iOS and Android gives an easy way to view and manage your account, make changes to things such as Pin number, engineer bookings and …

We’re giving away a OnePlus One invite, but be quick!

The people behind the OnePlus One are selling the handset through an invite system. This makes it pretty hard to get hold of but you do join an exclusive list of people owning one. We’ve already had a hands-on with the OnePlus One and now we’re giving away …

More cheap Android tablets, even Bush are at it

It’s Friday, it’s sunny, so let’s have some hot deals for the weekend shall we eh? This is the Bush MyTablet, which is exclusive to Argos in either silver or pink. Both have 1GB RAM, 8GB internal storage and run on a 1GHz Cortex A9 CPU. The 8″ …

Explore feature added to Google Maps

Google is rolling out a new feature in Google Maps with “Explore”. Once updated you’ll notice a small location pin button in the bottom right next to the location button — tap it, and you’ll be taken into the new Explore interface with information tailored to your location. …

The HTC One (M8) Launches in Red and Pink

The HTC One (M8) is one of the most popular flagship Android devices that has been launched this year, and today HTC have announced that the device will be released shortly in 2 new colours Red & Pink. Both new colour variants retain the brushed metal, curved unibody …

Images of the Samsung Galaxy Alpha leak out

Rumours, leaks and people’s imagination are what fill the gaps between new phones being announced these days. Not a week goes by without speculation about a forthcoming Samsung device. The rumours surrounding the metallic Galaxy F or Galaxy Alpha have been kicking around for a while now and …

UK Moto G getting KitKat 4.4.4 with added features

Are you the owner of the universally liked Moto G handset ? If so it looks like this your lucky day. The latest update to the Android OS – KitKat 4.4.4 – is rolling out to devices. The KitKat update has mainly been patches and bug fixes, but …

OnePlus One – First Impressions

OnePlus – the newbie Android manufacturer with the ‘Never Settle’ motto, the incomprehensible marketing  strategy and the very hard to get hold of smartphone The One. The black ‘Sandstone’ 64gb version  was delivered just five minutes before I left the house for an away visit which involved an …

Is this the thinnest smartphone ever ?

Remember the Gionee Elife S5.5? (Me neither!) Well that device was a ridiculously thin handset at just 5.5 mm thick. Now China has certified an upcoming Android handset from the same company, codenamed the GN9005,. It reportedly measures only 5mm (0.2in) thick; that’s half a millimetre less than …

Quick, buy these before I do

eBay seem to be having one of their sales, and there’s a selection of electronic gadgets listed here that you might like. I’ve already spotted a number of Android tablets for less than £100, and there’s more to choose from if you’ve got a bit more cash too. …

Do you fancy trying to break your Oppo Find 7?

Unified storage is something we’ve come to take for granted these days, your shiny new phone or tablet has an internal memory dying for you to fill it with your junk. That memory is one nice big lump with no restrictions on what you can put where. But …

HTC to the the smartwatch arena?

Yeah, I know what you’re thinking. This is pretty ugly. You’re right too, but it’s an apparent “artists representation” of what the new HTC smartwatch could look like. This one, as usual, comes from @evleaks and he’s his usual confident self when it comes to authenticity… To those …

Tracking those expenses – Company Mileage Logger

Available for Android and iOS, this is a simple application which will help you log business journeys. It’s ideal for claiming back your mileage later and lets you concentrate on the road rather than having to fiddle about with paperwork. Using GPS, the app comes in a 10-journey …

Nokia X – Goodbye, we hardly even knew you

The Android-powered Nokia phones, which were meant to be a step onto the Lumia ladder, will no longer be worked on. New handsets and development is being put into “maintenance mode” whilst work shifts onto Windows Phone handsets. This comes just hours after 12,500 Nokia staffers were shown …

Podcast 102 – Live Stream

Welcome to the live edition of our weekly podcast, it’s all back to normal this week as we are all back from our holidays. The topics mainly revolve around what devices were taken on holiday. Tune in about half seven ish tonight to listen to the show or …

Android App permissions. Noticed something?

You may have become fairly numb to the fact that a massive chunks of Android apps have the right to read your texts and look at your photos. The whole system is, if we’re honest, too relaxed. We waive any right to privacy in exchange for an ad-filled …

LG announce the G3 Beat

The LG G3 is a cracking device, it has a great design, it has quite a few innovative features and it is quite big. LG have decided to release a slightly smaller and slightly lower spec model, which confusingly has two names, the LG G3 Beat in Korea …

LG G3 QuickCircle Snap-on case now available

You read our LG G3 review, right? If you liked it, bought one, want to keep it in good condition and you’re looking for a case, give this a whirl. The highly sought after official QuickCircle Snap-on case has arrived at Mobile Fun this morning and this is …

Mini Ninjas, now free

Nope. I’ve never heard of it. Sorry. Apparently though, lots of people have. This thing has had over 6 million downloads. It’s been available for 99c or 69p (yes, yes, I know that 99c is, in fact, 58p, but …) … now it’s free. You can get it …

Motorola Moto G 4G – Review

The Motorola Moto G will go down in history as a genre redefining phone. It was designed to be as fluid and functional as a flagship device and yet cost a portion of one. I’ve owned mine since about last November and absolutely loved it, the review is …

HTC Dot View Case gets clever

We liked it to begin with, but now the HTC Dot View app has now got even better. You can now alter the wallpaper and you can swipe through email, voicemail, text and call notifications. The app can be tailored to your requirements and owners of the HTC …

New Sonic game hits Fever pitch

Apologies in advance for that “local free newspaper”-style headline that crow-bars the word “Fever” from “Sonic Jump Fever” in, it’s still early. 🙂 Sega, who are perhaps best known for this intro sound would like me to mention their new Sonic game. It’s called “Jump Fever” and is …

Getting hold of a OnePlus One. Invites snapped up super quick

Many moons ago I watched a programme about how kids are basically really interested in stuff they can’t have. If it’s in front if them, but they’re told that it’s special and shouldn’t touch, they’ll want whatever it is that they’re not supposed to have. From memory the …

blinkbox music – The new boy on the streaming scene

Tesco have sent me something. I think it’s because I’ve started shopping in Aldi more. Who knows, but they are trying to grab my attention. They own blinkbox music, which is another offering alongside their blinkbox TV and movie streaming service. Considering they’ve not sent the Coolsmartphone team …

Take vocal control of your phone with Commandr

There’s just something about the idea of being able to talk to your phone to make it do stuff which captures the imagination. It’s the sort of thing that makes you want to test all the things which are to do with voice commands… if only it would …

Saving battery power on your Android – LeanDroid

I was going to open this particular story by discussing battery life, and how it’s generally pretty rubbish, but you know all that already. There’s a few ways to fix this. You can get a portable charger, you can plug your phone in every few hours, you can …

More Z3 pictures leak on-line

A few days ago some pictures of the next Sony’s leaked online. The Z3 has now appeared in yet more blurrycam images, this time showing off the design and subtle changes in this new model. Sony appears to be retaining the “OmniBalance” design language, with just some minor tweaks. The sides …

Sammy Galaxy Note 2 gets covered in KitKat chocolate

Got yourself one of these on Three? It’s the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and, if you go searching for updates, you should find that the freshly-baked Android KitKat 4.4.2 has arrived. Download the update and enjoy everything that KitKat has to offer. We have Lee Burnip to thank …

Up-close with the LG G Watch

Packing an always-on display, 400mAh battery (which is enough for a day of activity) and powered by Android Wear, this is the LG G Watch. It’s both dust and water resistant, plus you can just say “OK Google” to ask it questions, such as “Come on KITT buddy, …

Samsung refresh their app store.

I tell you what Android needs. Another app store. That’s what it needs. Yeah. Never mind the fact that there’s already the Amazon App Store, GetJar, AppsLib, F-Droid and various other ones that appear on those “couldn’t quite get Google certification” handsets. We need more. Luckily Samsung are …

Cast your Android screen using the new beta

If you’ve got one of those clever Chromecast devices and you have one of the devices mentioned below, listen up… Nexus 4 Nexus 5 Nexus 7 (2013) Nexus 10 Samsung Galaxy S4 Samsung Galaxy S4 (Google Play Edition) Samsung Galaxy S5 Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Samsung Galaxy Note …

LG announce a kid friendly wristband

It had to happen, but we really didn’t think it would be so soon. A new wearable has been announced by LG which is designed for pre-school and primary school children. It’s designed to help parents keep track of the child’s location at all times, presumably should they …

Samsung announces disappointing Q2 earnings

Samsung have announced that although they still expect to make a profit of $7.1 billion after a revenue of only $51.5 billion, this will be lower than expected. In an unusual step Samsung have released a whole page of Q2 reference material in an effort to reassure the …