Mobile Phone and Mobile Network Reviews:iPhone Reviews and Apps

Moto G5 User/Owners Video Review

2017-04-10T13:39:00.000-07:00

I've owned my Motorola Moto G5 for just over a week now and am very pleased with it. I have the 16Gb version with 3GB Ram and dual SIM slots.
The Moto G5 has a smaller capacity battery and smaller screen at 5" than the G4 it replaces but this does not impact everyday use at all. The battery still lasts a full day even with very heavy navigation maps use and constant application use during a 2 hour train journey.

The Next Big Thing for Mobile Phones?

2016-04-27T05:20:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you read an article about technology and think it's the realm of science fiction that will never happen, probably the reaction you'd have got about 15 years ago if you'd said a device smaller than a pack of cards could take photos and video, share them instantly with all your friends as well as view any information anywhere online and pay for items in a shop.

The device discussed in the link below is a new 3D radar imaging chip that can be incorporated into phones and other small devices and "see" through walls or solid objects to detect changes. Possible uses mentioned are for health monitoring to spot when someone alone has fallen over, being able to warn of collisions based on distance between cars and for spotting leaking pipes.

Although the article refers to mobile phones it sounds as if it could have more uses including many things that may be of huge benefit to the water industry. It sounded freaky initially but reading through we may have some uses for level detection in reservoirs, leaks on pipes, lone workers etc.

The possibilities look endless so watch out for the first device that incorporates this technology!

http://www.techrepublic.com/article/the-pocket-radar-get-ready-for-phones-that-can-look-through-walls/

The site for the company that produce the tech is http://walabot.com/

iPhone Battery Expands Case

2015-02-16T09:49:00.001-08:00

These are photos of the battery and case from my iPhone 3GS where the battery has expanded so much it has started to crack the case. You can see how thin the new battery is in comparison.

iPhone Battery Expands Case

Google Nexus 4 and Nexus 5 Compared - Android Lollipop 5.01

2014-12-23T06:45:00.000-08:00

My Google Nexus has just arrived so I'll write up a comparison against my existing Nexus 4 that I've owned for the last couple of years.

I bought the Nexus 5 from Ebay having seen that the prices were around half the amount of a new one from the Google Play store and more importantly were actually available for delivery.

Google Nexus 4 and Nexus 5 Compared

Nexus 4 Android 5.0 Lollipop SMS Message Send/Receive Failure

2014-12-02T05:01:00.002-08:00

After I upgraded my Google Nexus 4 to Android 5.0 Lollipop I had problems sending and receiving SMS text messages and the phone didn't sync for any emails either.

Google Play wouldn't work to update any apps and Gmail was in a continuous loop asking to setup an account but crashing when you tried to do so.

Nexus 4 Android 5.0 Lollipop SMS Message Send/Receive Failure

The cause seemed to be Google Play not installing correctly as part of the Android Lollipop upgrade. Every time it was installing it was complaining about running out of space yet there was sufficient available. Eventually the installation failed and Google Play was left in an unusable state along with most of the features of the phone.

The solution was to install a replacement version of Google Play store from an APK file. I copied this to my Onedrive but the same could be done with Dropbox or Google Drive and ran the file from there.

The installation took many hours, possibly as many as 12 hours and eventually the phone ran out of charge. Once it was restarted the Google Play store was now working and that seemed to fix the problems with SMS text messages and emails as well as being able to add new apps correctly.

Fortunately the SMS messages I'd missed over the last few days still got delivered so I was able to respond to them.

EE PDP authentication error APN Settings Incorrect for 3G - Mobile Internet Problems - 13 August 2014

2014-08-13T03:39:00.002-07:00

13 August 2014 - Mobile Internet Problems

There is a general EE error with users getting both PDP authentication error and APN settings incorrect when trying to use mobile internet data connections on 3G.

This has been reported to EE and they are investigating.

EE PDP authentication error APN Problems on mobile internet

Whos On Heart Second Correct Answer

2014-06-27T01:02:00.001-07:00

Whos on Heart 2014 - Listen to the voices on YouTube. First two names already guessed winning £10,000 and £20000, who is the last voice for Whose on Heart 2014 to win a massive £100,000!

Whos On Heart Competition Listen to 3 Voices 2014

2014-01-31T09:20:00.001-08:00

Whos on Heart 2014 - Listen to the voices on YouTube. First name already guessed winning £10,000, who are the other voices for Whose on Heart 2014?

iPhone 6 Rumours

2013-08-13T06:07:00.001-07:00

Will the iPhone 6 be announced soon?

Rumours seem to be about that a new iPhone will be released with fingerprint scanner as well as a low end iPhone.

Apple seem to be struggling to keep pace with the innovation of companies like Samsung, Nokia and Google in the Android and Windows Phone arenas where new features are constantly being added from auto scrolling of text to 41 Mp cameras in the latest Nokia phones.

Will Apple step up to release an iPhone 6 or just refresh as an iPhone 5S?

debt written off SMS Scam

2013-06-13T13:54:00.003-07:00

Due to existing legislation you may be entitled to have 70% of debt written off

Fake Pension Claim SMS Text Message Scams

2013-06-13T13:53:00.001-07:00

Fake Pension Claim SMS Text Message Scams

URGENT: Your pension is under performing and you have lost thousands on your pension. For a free review reply REVIEW.

This message is totally fake and a complete scam. They have no knowledge of whether the recipient actually has a pension or not.

Met police and the Fraud squad recently raided offices in London linked to pension scams allegedly ripping people off by transferring pensions into fake companies and pocketing huge commissions in the process.

Scam SMS text messages sent out from the following numbers.

+447738732792 07738732792
+447799667184 07799667184
+447881567248 07881567248
+447596312398 07596312398

Whos on Heart Second Name Guessed

2013-04-25T05:58:00.001-07:00

The second name for Whos on Heart has been guessed today and the listener won £20,000. The next person who names all 3 celebrities will win a massive £125,000!

The correct names are David Duchovny and Jamie Bell

You can check all the names already guessed here

iPhone 6 / iPhone 5S Release Date

2013-03-22T06:57:00.001-07:00

The latest rumours from the Apple camp are all about an iPhone 6. The new iPad 4 has been released with a 128Gb capacity so it is suggested that this will also be the largest model in the new iPhone 6 range.

The suggested release date for the iPhone 6 is Spring 2013 which would be somewhat earlier that the more usual release times of June each year.

With the success of the Google Nexus 4 and recent announcement of the Samsung Galaxy 4, Apple have some catching up to do to bring the iPhone 6 back to the best in class and to introduce some unique features now that Google and Samsung seem to be leading the smartphone innovation battle.

Flyer for the iPhone 5 announcement. When will we know the iPhone 6 / iPhone 5S Release Date?

First Winning name for Whos on Heart 2013 is David Duchovny

2013-02-07T05:35:00.002-08:00

What was the first winning name on Whos on heart 2013?

The first correct name has now been guessed for Whos On Heart competition 2013. By a process of deduction the correct answer for one of the Whos On Heart 2013 voices is:

David Duchovny
The listener who guessed the first Whos On Heart winning name has won £10,000! If you guess the next correct voice as well as David Duchovny then you will win £20,000!

I've created a list of guesses already made for Whos on Heart 2013 so you can check before you call.
Click here to Search List of 2013 Whos On Heart Guesses

First winning name answer for 2013 Whos On Heart Guesses

I might post the name that I'm convinced one of the celebrity voices is - the person saying Whos! I've even found an interview where they say the word Whos!

First Winning name for Whos on Heart 2013

The first person to name one of the celebrities wins £10,000, second gets £20k and the one naming all 3 gets £125,000.

Using Google Play to Install Android Apps Direct to Nexus4

2013-01-11T13:10:00.003-08:00

Using Google Play to wirelessly push Android Apps from PC to phone

The Google LG Nexus 4 is my first Android phone so I am just getting used to the features that come from a Google connected device. All my online & cloud apps are with Google and I was one of the first to have a Gmail account in early 2004 when the service was invitation only and still in Beta.

Using Google Play to wirelessly push Android Apps from PC to phone

The integration of the phone and Google Apps is brilliant and one feature that I'm loving is the ability to push apps to the phone from your PC without any wired connection. Choose an App in the Google Play store on your PC, select the install option and it will be sent directly to your phone with no further intervention - FANTASTIC!

If only other phones were as easy to use!

Using Google Play to wirelessly push Android Apps from PC to phone

What are the Cheapest Google Nexus4 Gel Cases? Best cases for LG Nexus4 Phone?

2013-01-11T11:51:00.004-08:00

Are you looking for the cheapest Google Nexus4 gel cases or wanting to find the best case for your new Google LG Nexus 4?

Having just bought my Google Nexus4 Android phone I wanted to make sure that it was properly protected and avoid that lovely glass back from being smashed. I have previously used an Ebay shop called Gadget Hut for chargers so had a look at their offerings.

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/The-Gadget-Hut?_trksid=p2047675.l2563

They have a gel case for the LG Nexus4 at only £1.95 including P&P and in a variety of colours. It has just arrived and is brilliant, fits perfectly and is amazing value for money. I chose the translucent blue case but having seen how good it is I will be ordering a spare too. £1.95 is an excellent price to be able to protect your Nexus4 and I have found gel cases in the past have resisted significant impacts that would have otherwise destroyed the phone.

What are the Cheapest Google Nexus4 Gel Cases? Best cases for LG Nexus4 Phone?

The item is on the link below but depending on their auctions may no longer be available

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/S-LINE-WAVE-GRIP-SERIES-SILICONE-GEL-CASE-COVER-LG-GOOGLE-NEXUS-4-E960-/360547125370?_trksid=p5197.m1992&_trkparms=aid%3D111000%26algo%3DREC.CURRENT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D14%26meid%3D4805247378950037604%26pid%3D100015%26prg%3D1006%26rk%3D1%26sd%3D360547125370%26

Google Nexus4 First Impressions Review

2013-01-11T11:49:00.001-08:00

Luckily I didn't wait for the Google LG Nexus 4 to be available again at the Google Play store. It was out of stock last week and remains so now. No such problems with Phones4U, I ordered the Nexus 4 on Friday and the courier delivered it direct to the house the following Tuesday.

Google Nexus4 First Impressions Review

After using the Nokia Lumia 800 Windows 7 phone recently and the iPhone 3GS before that my first impressions of the Google Nexus 4 is wow! The speed of the phone is amazing with no lag at all between opening apps or switching pages. The 2Gb of memory clearly makes a massive difference along with the quad core Snapdragon processor. Google apparently aimed for a smooth experience like butter and have certainly achieved that.

The Nexus 4 fits well in your hand although not quite as comfortably as the Nokia Lumia 800 which had perfectly positioned buttons for turning the phone on and off when held in one hand.

The screen is excellent and incredibly sharp and crisp with very easy to read text. Despite the larger 4.7" screen size the Nexus 4 is actually lighter than the Lumia 800 at 139g compared to 142g for the 3.7" screened Nokia Lumia 800. The Nokia Lumia 920 with its smaller 4.5" screen actually tips the scales at an incredible 185g.

After a few days the battery is also performing brilliantly; unlike the Lumia and iPhone 5 it seems to be no problem making it through a whole day without needing a recharge. The refreshing change is that a standard mini USB cable can be used to charge it but more importantly plugging the Nexus 4 into your PC allows you to copy music and data directly to it in contrast to the locked down iPhone and Nokia Windows devices.

What are Cheapest Google LG Nexus 4 Phone Available Deals?

2013-01-06T04:21:00.002-08:00

The Nexus 4 smartphone from Google made by LG is still unavailable at the Google Play store but is one of the best value smartphones available for the features at this price.

What are Cheapest Google LG Nexus 4 Phone Available Deals?

The 16Gb Nexus 4 is £279 at Google Play (8Gb version is £239) and available at £379 at Carphone Warehouse.

I've found that the cheapest way to get a Nexus 4 is to buy on contract which actually works out at £100 less than buying direct from Google Play.

I'm currently on a SIM only deal with Vodafone at £20.50 per month. The LG Nexus 4 from Phones4U is available at £29 per month with no upfront cost for the phone for a 24 month contract.

That equates to £8.50 per month to get the Nexus 4, over 24 months that is a total of £204. I'm on a Vodafone Friends and Family deal so get 20% off all monthly bills bringing the total cost of the phone down to £163 over the 2 years.

When is Google Nexus 4 Available to buy?

So buy from Google SIM free at £279 or from Phones4U at £204 (or as low as £163 if you have Vodafone Corporate deal).

Best of all the Nexus 4 is actually in stock and available from Phones4U unlike Google Play and is due for delivery in 2 days time!

Windows Phone WP 7/WP8 Problems & Frustrations

2013-01-04T07:31:00.003-08:00

Having now used the Nokia Lumia 800 Windows phone for 3 months the problems and frustrations of the phone have become more apparent. While I love the People hub and the fact the phone can let you send text messages while you are out of coverage and they will be delivered as soon as a signal becomes available (unlike the iPhone!) there are a number of issues that really let the phone down.

Something that has only become apparent since switching to the Google Nexus 4 is that with the WP7 you are constantly swiping the screen to access things because the icons are much larger and you cannot divide them into different screens. On an Android phone or iPhone you have so much more screen space available and can move across screens.

1) No way to search content on the phone such as SMS text messages.

I get a lot of text messages. Many are not from or to anyone who I have contact details stored for so if I want to find a message I need to search. Except on Windows Phone 7.5 (and also on the new WP8) searching is not something that is possible.

So if I want to find a message from someone about a specific subject I have to search - manually - through all my messages in order to find it. Not good and something that is easy to do on both Android and iPhone so missing it from the latest Windows Phone 8 release is a major mistake Microsoft!

Windows Phone WP 7/WP8 Problems & Frustrations

2) Screen Shots

On WP7 it isn't possible to get a screen shot from anything running on the phone other than by using a camera to take a picture of it. Standard on Android and iPhone and another serious ommission although apparently this is now available in WP8.

3) Status bar - signal & battery

On WP7 and Windows Phone 8 the design theory is to keep the screen clear and uncluttered. Unfortunately that also means not displaying the signal strength unless you are on the home screen and tap the top of the screen. SO being able to check if an app is running slowly due to the poor mobile signal is not possible without switching back to homescreen and back to app again.

4) Apps

As a heavy Facebook user for business and personal, the FB app for WP is poor and way behind the standard of the iOS or Android versions. This might be fixed at a later date but isn't much help now.

Unfortunately despite the benefits from Nokia Lumia Windows Phone I've now decided to switch to Android and a Google Nexus 4 is now on its way to me

Fake 70% Debt Writeoff SMS Text Message Scam

2013-01-04T01:05:00.003-08:00

After the deluge of SMS Text messages claiming you have cash waiting for PPI claims, the latest SMS text scam being sent out says that you can write off 70% of Debt.

Fake Debt Writeoff SMS Text Message Scam

These are spam/scam messages being sent out. There is no connection to the person receiving the message and they have no way of knowing if you are in debt and if any debt could be written off.

The SMS text message reads:

If you are worried abnout paying your monthly bills then don't be, you can write off up to 70% of your debt before you start struggling. For free info reply DEBT.

The message is completely fake - you cannot automatically write off 70% of your debt and if you do so then your credit rating will be severely impacted.

The mobile number being used to send these messages is 07876242169 or +447876242169

You may be report these messages to your provider. The following links may help:

Vodafone – How do I report spam text messages? Forward the spam message to VSPAM (87726).

Orange – Stop spam text messages. If you are on Orange and get spam messages, please forward them to 7726 free from your Orange phone. By doing this you are helping Orange to collate information to help reduce spam messages being sent to you and others.

02 also allow you to report on 7726. See: SPAM and unwanted subscription texts

You could also try forwarding the message onto 7726 if you are with T-Mobile or Three.

When will Nokia Lumia 800 be Upgraded to WP7.8? What Date is Windows Phone 7.8 Upgrade Released?

2012-12-04T05:32:00.001-08:00

When will the Nokia Lumia 800 get the upgrade to Windows Phone 7.8 (WP7.8)?

At the Gadget Show Live in London this weekend Microsoft had a massive stand showing the new Windows 8 software and Surface tablet also including the Nokia Lumia 920 and HTC 8X running Windows Phone 8. It has previously be confirmed that the Nokia Lumia 800 will not get WP8 update.

Unfortunately the Nokia Lumia 920 is currently only available on EE, Orange and T Mobile so Lumia owners on other networks will have to wait for the upgrade to Windows Phone 7.8 that brings most of the Windows Phone 8 (WP8) features to the Lumia 800 with Mango 7.5 Operating System.

At the Microsoft stand the date given for the availability of the WP7.8 update to Lumia 800 was January 2013 so we don't have very long to wait. We could of course take the plunge, switch to Orange to get the Lumia 920 or use the HTC 8X instead but that would miss out the fantastic Nokia Drive and Nokia Music applications.

When will the Nokia Lumia 800 get the upgrade to Windows Phone 7.8 (WP7.8)?

Tesco Mobile Down No O2 Network Signal on 15/11/12?

2012-11-15T06:34:00.001-08:00

There seem to be a lot of seaches hitting this blog today (15 November 2012) for Tesco Mobile signal down so it looks like the O2 network may have another fault meaning Tesco Mobile customers have no signal again.

As soon as I find any more info and if there is a widespread problem affecting O2 & Tesco Mobile networks I will post it here

Update on 15/11/12:

Tesco Mobile Down No O2 Network Signal on 15/11/12?

I've checked my O2 mobile and it is showing a full 3G signal so it looks like this is a localised or intermittent problem with O2 signal down - exactly the same situation as occured last month with O2 network and back in July 2012 as well.

Nokia Lumia 800 Windows Phone Review - The Smarter Smartphone?

2012-11-13T15:36:00.001-08:00

Nokia Lumia 800 Windows Phone Review - The Smarter Smartphone?

Having now had my Lumia 800 for over a month as a trial to decide if I should upgrade to the Lumia 920 Windows Phone 8 I am very impressed with the phone and features compared to my previous iPhone 3GS.

Possibly the most useful feature I have found so far is that you can write text messages when you have no signal and they will automatically send as soon as your signal reappears. One of my major annoyances with the iPhone is that if no signal you have to manually resend a message until it goes - a real pain if you are on a train going through many tunnels!
The key features on the Nokia Lumia 800 for me are as below:

Camera - direct button to access
Music - free downloads
Text sending when no signal
Group text - built into message app via people hub (Never available on iPhone!)
Group contacts into logical groups (family, friends etc)
Reject call when locked
Zune vs iTunes, ease of use
Value for money
Pinning apps to home screen
Live tiles
No need to constantly enter password to install free apps
Speed of web

The downsides of the Lumia 800 are:

Lack of apps and support
Text different mobile for a contact (you can only text one number for a person)

The apps will hopefully improve in time but I would like to see the ability to text multiple numbers for a contact to be resolved in WP8 when it is released.

Nokia Lumia 800 Windows Phone Review - The Smarter Smartphone?

How to Forward SMS Text Messages on Nokia Lumia Windows Phone

2012-10-21T02:53:00.002-07:00

I've recently switched from iPhone to Nokia Lumia Windows phone and this week wanted to forward an SMS Text Message from my Nokia Lumia phone to a friend.

At the time I couldn't find any option on the Nokia Lumia phone to be able to edit or forward a text message once it was sent. Having got home I checked online and found the answer.

It is possible to forward an SMS text message on a Nokia Lumia phone but you have to press/hold down on the message you want to forward and a new menu will appear that gives you the option to forward it.

This seems to be one of the big differences between Nokia Lumia phone and iPhone - a lot of the context menus require you to press/hold down on the screen in order to display the new menu. On the iPhone many of these menuy links are visible eg forwarding a message has a tick box next to the SMS text that when selected allowing forwarding.

How to Forward an SMS Text Message on Nokia Lumia Phone

How to Forward an SMS Text Message on Windows Phone

2012-10-21T02:45:00.002-07:00

I've recently switched from iPhone to Nokia Lumia Windows phone and this week wanted to forward an SMS Text Message from my Windows Phone to a friend.

At the time I couldn't find any option on Windows phone to be able to edit or forward a text message once it was sent. Having got home I checked online and found the answer.

It is possible to forward an SMS text message on Windows phone but you have to press/hold down on the message you want to forward and a new menu will appear that gives you the option to forward it.

This seems to be one of the big differences between Windows phone and iPhone - a lot of the context menus require you to press/hold down on the screen in order to display the new menu. On the iPhone many of these menuy links are visible eg forwarding a message has a tick box next to the SMS text that when selected allowing forwarding.

How to Forward an SMS Text Message on Windows Phone