Mobile Phone Blog:

Y’know, I may have had a bit of a whinge over how long it took for the Jelly Bean update to hit the UK version of the HTC One X, but I do like the fact that when new software-y type stuff hits their newer phones, us existing HTC owners usually get an update with the new stuff. One case in point is, of course, the Jelly Bean update I mentioned within this very paragraph.

Another case in point is the Sense 5 UI found on the new HTC One, because according to a post on HTC’s own Facebook page, Sense 5 will be coming to their existing phones!

Well, okay; some of their existing phones, and there’s also a bit of a caveat… (more…)

Well, it’s been coming for ages (and believe me, it’s felt longer for me, ‘cos I’ve been sat there staring at my phone, waiting for it to ping at me), but Jelly Bean has finally landed on the HTC One X, over here in Blighty. Well, it’s landed on unlocked phones, at least, ‘cos network-branded versions always take longer to update, but still, the point stands.

So, basically, the upshot is that I’ve finally got my grubby paws on Jelly Bean, so I can actually do an actual proper post about what it’s actually like to actually use.

You can tell I’m excited by how many times I wrote ‘actually’ in that sentence, right? So, what new stuff has come with the update? (more…)

D’ye know something weird? Considering how big an advocate of smartphones I am, it always surprises me how rarely I check my emails on my phone. Ye’d think I’d synchronise everything up to use it all in my HTC One X, right, but in fact, if you thought that, you’d be wrong. I mean sure, I do have my email accounts added to my phone, but how often do I use ‘em?

Not very, as it happens. Despite that, I recently found out that both Yahoo and Microsoft have put new email apps (or a new version of their email app) onto the Android Market, so I figured I’d check ‘em out, since I’ve never been a fan of the standard email app in Android phones (although the HTC version is nicer). So, which is best? (more…)

I’ve spoken about my utter adoration of the Swype keyboard many times before; it’s brilliant to use, and with that finger swiping motion, I find that when I’m using it, I can even type faster than I would on a dedicated hardware keyboard. However, I’m always open to there being a better way of doing things, so with that in mind, I signed up to try out the SwiftKey Flow beta, as soon as it was advertised.

The beta’s now available to be tested by those who signed up, so naturally, I’ve downloaded it and given it a try on my HTC One X.

So, here’s the big question: is Swype still the king of the finger-slidy-swipy keyboard thingies, or has it been usurped by SwiftKey Flow? (more…)

Angry Birds Star Wars may well be the most shameless cash-in in the entire history of shameless cash-ins, but I don’t care, because it’s fun as hell, and I love it. I love launching my little Han Solo-bird, and firing away with his blaster, to try and bounce the lasers of three walls, and nail that little green bleeder that’s hiding behind a wall. When that fails, I love launching my Obi-Wan Kenobird, to Force push the wall away. And when that fails, I just launch Chewbacca-bird, to nut the wall into oblivion.

Well, now, I love it a little bit more, because there’s a new update out, and I finally got round to playing it on my HTC One X. We’re now onto The Empire Strikes Back, and that means that, glory be, we can now fling birds at AT-ATs on Hoth! Win! (more…)

Right then, if you’ve been a long time reader of this blog, you’ll know that before I got myself an HTC One X, the phone I used every day (and in fact, still use, as my second phone) was the HTC HD2. You may also know that the HTC HD2 has turned out to be one of the single most versatile phones in the entire history of mobile phones, ‘cos it can run just about any OS that you care to put on it.

Well, apart from iOS, obviously.

According to WPCentral, the latest news is that, in addition to being able to run every version of Android (including Jelly Bean), the HD2 can now also run Windows Phone 8, the brand new version that ye find in the Nokia Lumia 920… (more…)

Well, that’s a bit of a downer, innit? I got all excited when HTC announced the HTC Droid DNA, based on the fact that it’d most likely land in Europe, too, and then, I got even more excited when I heard that it was rumoured to be coming to the rest of the world as the HTC Deluxe DLX; now, though, it seems like my hopes may have been misplaced, ‘cos according to GSMArena, that phone will not be coming to Europe.

Well, that’s what HTC Germany says on their Facebook page, anyway, when someone asked them about it. Of course, it doesn’t preclude the phone coming to Europe under a different name, but the question is this: should I keep getting my hopes up, or should I accept it’s not happening…? (more…)

Cogs is a weird game. It’s not weird because of the content or anything, ‘cos it’s essentially just a virtual version of those old sliding block puzzles that everyone, everywhere, played when they were kids. No, it’s weird in how it affects the player, ‘cos it managed to affect in a way that I honestly don’t think I’ve ever experienced before. Y’see, Cogs is an incredibly calming experience, that makes you feel all chilled out, but, at the exact same time, it’s also an incredibly frustrating experience, that’ll make ye pull your hair out.

I have no clue how that’s even possible, but anyway, I shall be reviewing this, as always, on my HTC One X (and therein lies a tale that I’ll get to in a minute)… (more…)

See that title, up there? That, right, is pretty much what I keep screaming every time I play Canabalt HD on me phone. I got it as part of the most recent Humble Bundle, and quite frankly, I’m glad I’m not going for a blood pressure check with the doctor today, because I swear, it’d be stupidly high after playing this thing. And d’ya know why? ‘Cos it’s evil, that’s why.

As always, I’ll be reviewing the Android version on my trusty HTC One X, but never fear, you can play it if you’ve got a spangly new iPhone 5, ‘cos it’s also available on iOS, and the original non-HD Flash version’s available, ooh, all over the shop.

So, why is it evil? (more…)

Time for the second of today’s reviews, from the collection of games I grabbed in the last Humble Bundle, and it’s a game called Eufloria HD. I’m not going to beat about the bush here, either; although I’m only about five levels in, I absolutely bleedin’ love it, so far. Seriously, I think it’s awesome, and that’s doubly impressive when you consider that Eufloria HD is an RTS (Real-Time Strategy game, in case you were wondering), and I usually hate RTS games.

I suppose I’d better tell you why I love it so much, eh? Before I do, though, a quick reminder that I’m testing it out on my trusty HTC One X, and for once, the phone I’m testing it on is going to be an important consideration. More on that in a second, after I’ve gushed a bit… (more…)