Category: How to
Writing about smartphones is kinda my thing, but you’ll find me doing that within the Chrome browser on a laptop. Despite the rather respectable competition (Firefox, Safari, Opera, Edge etc), you’ll find that Chrome is my default choice of browser. It’s by far the most popular way to …
If you’re using a VPN to unblock Sky Sports from anywhere in the world, you might have noticed a slight drop in your original online speeds. Don’t worry – it’s completely normal. VPNs depend on your original speeds, and they will slow them down a bit. Your traffic …
It’s fair to say that I’ve been rather critical of the Huawei and Honor phones of late. The PR teams aren’t happy with me, but sometimes I need to tell it like it is. If you’ve bought yourself an Honor 9X or an Honor 9A (or a Huawei …
I’ve written about this in the past but still get emails about it so, as we’re all on lockdown right now, I thought it’d be a great time to go through the steps of switching networks. Yes, actually switching. It can see like a frightening thing for some, …
It’s been one of those weekends when lots of things decided to break. It started on Friday evening, when I noticed a rusty damp patch in the kitchen ceiling whilst eating dinner. This only meant one thing – a leak. I took a spotlight out of the ceiling …
Been browsing on Chrome recently? If you were trying to find a number or call a business, you probably did the same as me this morning. At the weekend, and with the aid of alcohol, my filling fell out. So, I had to call the dentist this morning. …
As you’ll have no doubt seen here at Coolsmartphone, there’s a definite increase in powerful gaming phones of late. They’re brilliant. There’s enhanced graphics capabilities, a number of faster processors and bigger, faster-charging batteries. However, if you’re trying to play a game on your phone which is both graphic and …
Yesterday we covered the news that Google, thanks to Donald Trump, is now unable to provide all their much-loved apps to upcoming Huawei phones. Current phones will be fine, phones in the shops will be fine, but those being announced in the next few months? Not. It’s put …
As you might have seen from our YouTube channel, I tend to film quite a few hands-on videos. Professional kit isn’t used, but with a bit of cleverness, you can get a professional-looking video. Some of the “tricks” I’ve used in recent years have been stored in my …
As we saw just yesterday, your phone can open you up to scams and other dangers. This is even true if you’ve got a “dumb” mobile without all the clever smartphone extras. Out there, on the other end of your phone, are endless people who want to extract …
We have all now accepted the unrivaled role of smartphones in our lives. There is rarely a moment they are not accompanying us through the various different activities of our day; at work, during our commute, out with friends and even at the gym. Giving us direct access …
Late last year Apple added an excellent new screen record feature to iOS11 which, for many, may have gone unnoticed. Instead of taking a dull screenshot and drawing on it with digital ink, you can now record and describe what’s happening on you iPhone or iPad screen. A …
If you read my epic explanation about how cable broadband works then you may have noticed that, like a lot of people, my phone, the internet router and the TV is all in the corner of the house. In the “old days” the smiley BT engineer would instead …
The iPhone X is £999. We’ve found some deals which will help chop the price up into slightly more comfortable chunks, but the phone is still a lot of money. Today I received a Samsung Galaxy S7 and decided that it was about time to reveal my trademarked …
Fancy getting the Samsung Galaxy S8 this weekend? Perhaps you just want a better deal on your contract? Well, as we always say here at Coolsmartphone, don’t just upgrade with your current provider. That’s bonkers. Go armed. Doing a straight upgrade, just because you want the latest shiny …
At this time of year, it’s safe to say that many of you may be returning, or just about the embark, on a summer holiday. Now, as we mentioned before, if you fly from and to an EU country you can use your phone just as if you …
One of the most frustration issues that mobile bloggers face is the difficulty encountered when trying to record a video of an iOS app in action. There is no built in app to record the on screen activity of your iPhone or iPad and whilst their have been …
There’s no end of VPN solutions on t’interweb. Likewise, if you have a look on iTunes or Google Play there’s a big list of VPN apps for you. However, with the increasing popularity of Kodi TV boxes and the streams and programmes they deliver, it’s worth getting protected. …
Honestly. I’m no good at the Search Engine Optimisation business. I’m writing this during the last few days of August. It’s when most of you guys are returning from holiday but here, here I am writing an article on how to prepare for a holiday. That’s a bit …
Since Facebook’s huge purchase of the WhatsApp platform in 2014 and getting rid of the 99p annual fee, they’ve introduced a voice call facility, a desktop application and end-to-end encryption since. However, they never capitalised on any new revenue streams. Well, as you saw yesterday, Facebook-owned WhatsApp announced upcoming …
Update – Sadly, after thinking this had fixed it, I’ve since had the app crash or force close again. Read my more recent post on the situation. I’m lucky enough to be using the Huawei P9 at the moment. It’s my main device and as part of my …
I’ll be honest. I’ve never really understood what “works” on Twitter. These articles will pop up on @coolsmartphone and some get lots of traction, some don’t. Yesterday though I stumbled on something and now I’ve got some of my followers doing the same. It was raining and my …
Do you long to play classic Gameboy games on your iPhone or other iOS device? Do you want to experience classic games from a simpler time for the first time? Then here’s a solution for you! In comparison to Android, due to Apple’s strict App store guidelines, emulation on …
I’ve posted about this before, but I do get asked quite a bit and I’m really tired of people telling me that it’s strictly “not legal”. In truth, it probably isn’t if you’re using it to download copyrighted music, but then again so many people know about this …
When I reviewed the iStick back in June, while the software needed a little refining, I could clearly see the benefit of being able to copy media from an iOS device to a USB-equipped memory stick. However, the recent Apple update to iOS9 stopped the iStick from working with no …
Last night my son wanted to play Minecraft with his mates. It’s really easy if you’re in the same house or on the same WiFi access point. During New Years Eve he spent an hour with his mates, iPads a-plenty, on the sofa creating new worlds together. They …
I’ve got an Android handset that is gathering dust and, despite the fact that the camera is cracked and the screen only works when it feels like it, I wanted to make some use of it. So, after a little bit of fiddling, I’ve turned it into a …
The Raspberry Pi Zero sold out within hours when it launched on the cover of ‘The MagPi Magazine’ last week. If you were lucky enough to get your hands on an issue or decided to subscribe to the magazine to ensure you received a Pi Zero with the …
Today the BBC has decided to start clamping down on VPNs accessing the iPlayer service. What that basically means, for a lot of the ex-pats out there, is a drop in TV viewing choice. The BBC here in the UK probably has quite a unique setup. Residents have …
The first in a series of “How to” articles begins with the best way to get a good price on your next plan. Now, let’s admit it, we’re creatures of habit. We usually get to the end of our contract and then we’ll call our current network to …
