Author: Leigh Geary
Getting 4G is one thing, but turning that ultra-fast 4G speed into a WiFi hotspot is another. Today EE have revealed a number of options for getting yourself a mobile WiFi cloud to hop onto. The first is something called “Buzzard”. It’s a little widget that basically plugs …
In March we told you how O2 were rolling out 4G for free to selected customers. Now it looks like they’re taking it one stage further, with texts rolling out to further customers to offer free 4G upgrades. The odd phone call to O2 also seems to be …
Was my previous post just a cheap way to get donations to the Douglas Macmillan Hospice? Well yes, it probably was a bit, but they provide care for those with progressive diseases and a limited life expectancy. It’s a bloody good cause and I’ve only had 11 donations, …
Head down to Soho this Bank Holiday Sunday and Monday and you can watch some pretty interesting things. Phones 4u, along with a stack of Sony Xperia Z2 handsets, will be showing films like Anchorman 2, Gravity and Frozen on the handsets with some clever noise-cancelling headphones. They’re …
Don’t fancy spending too much on a smartphone? If Windows Phone tickles your fancy then the Lumia 630 will be right up your street. In a press announcement from Microsoft Devices (that only mentions the word “Nokia” twice) it’s revealed that the handset will only cost £89.95 and …
The recently refreshed TuneIn Radio app introduced us to a brand new UI and a clean design, however it also brought with it some additional “features” which weren’t well received. First was the lack of an exit button, which had been available before, whilst the second annoyance was …
You can now run Apple apps on Android. Sure, that’s the headline but in reality the solution isn’t a retail boxed product as yet. The software is called “Cider” and, well, let’s just get this out of the way and show it in action shall we? Researchers at …
We all know how this story starts. Patent spat. Lawsuit. Courtroom drama. Huge amounts of money changing hands. Customer ends up getting penalised somewhere along the way. However, today Apple and Google have agreed to dismiss any lawsuits they’d raised surrounding technology patents. had brought against each other …
Whilst EE have got the exclusive on the gold HTC One mini 2, Three have the Samsung Galaxy S5 in gold on their network. It’s available on one of three 24 month plans or you can choose a Pay As You Go plan and pay £549. If you …
Google Maps is something we’ve all used daily. The initial thrill of viewing our homes in the “satellite view” changed recently to the popular “street view”. However, actually getting those initial satellite views (many of which are actually supplemented with shots from planes) takes time. So step forward …
Heading somewhere nice over the next couple of weeks? Well, if you’re passing through LHR you’ll find that Terminal 5 has had a rather massive makeover. The Heathrow terminal is to be converted into a rather large advert for the Samsung Galaxy S5. There’ll be branding and promotion …
Roadchef want us to mention their app. Roadchef, if you weren’t aware, are one of the UK’s leading “Motorway Service Area operators”. If you, like me, live in the UK you’ll have no doubt encountered the motorway services. They’re a place where you meet mortgage advisors in order …
Following this mornings’ announcement, Phones 4u and Mobile Fun have announced SIM-free pricing. Phones 4u will be offering the handset for £359.95 whilst Mobile Fun will be trying to get £399.99 off you. The pricing is a little close to the bigger brother – the HTC One (M8) …
We get asked to review a lot of apps here at Coolsmartphone. When I say a lot, I mean A LOT. Some of them aren’t up to much, and when you try to explain that an app that makes a noise when you press a button doesn’t warrant …
The HTC One mini 2 (which we’ll call the mini M8 for sanity) is already coming to Three, but now we’re hearing that EE will be taking it also. EE however, will have an exclusive on the “amber gold” version. Available in June, you can pre-order the gold …
Parrot have really improved their AR Drone and this is the new Bebop flying machine. It comes equipped with a fisheye lens and uses clever software to chop out bits of video to give you a lovely stable image. A controller can work with an Oculus Rift headset, …
Will Carphone Warehouse now change to a more modern name? Or will the two companies merge names? DixPhone? DixWarehouse? Well no, actually. Dixons, who own Currys and PC World, are to merge with Carphone Warehouse in a £3.8bn deal and they’ll be known as… (drum roll please..) Dixons …
Samsung have, according to the co-CEO of the company, off-loaded 11 million Galaxy S5 handsets so far. It proves that, despite the doubters, the Galaxy range is doing very well indeed. Since going on sale early last month, J.K. Shin can also see the company grabbing a higher …
The Nokia half-nine (aka the Lumia 930) is, according to the Vodafone blog, going to be available on the network very soon indeed. Their coming soon post states.. The Lumia 930 will offer Nokia’s trademark design prowess and PureView camera know-how. That’s alongside the new Windows Phone 8.1 …
Blimey. I think I’ve been writing for this site far too long now. I’m getting press releases about how you can control and talk to your household appliances via a smartphone. Yes, you can actually control and monitor devices like a washing machine and fridge using the new …
In just a few days time I’m planning to do a cycle ride for charity. It’s in aid of the the Douglas Macmillan Hospice. I have a grand total of £0 in sponsorship on my JustGiving page. I’m dedicating it and doing it in memory of my father. …
Here in London Motorola have just announced this, the Moto E. Dubbed the “featurephone killer” by some, it’s everything we expected – a well-built, cheap smartphone… http://youtu.be/v5Asedlj2cw Made to Last. Priced for All Powered by Android 4.4.2, KitKat, the E also has a 4.3” display with 256ppi. You …
You’ll no doubt have seen our new look by now but, as we do every few years or so, here’s a quick update on how you can get involved here at Coolsmartphone.. If the video wasn’t enough, here’s the rundown.. Podcast You can get a full listing of …
A new promotional video for the LG G Watch has popped up on the internet. We don’t have a great deal of information on the new Android Wear watch, other than what’s mentioned in the video itself.. No news on pricing as yet, but we do know that …
Nasty price rises. Nobody wants that. Nasty unexpected price rises? They’re even worse. Recently we’ve seen the uproar caused when mobile operators crank up prices mid-way through contracts, and – like utility providers – fixed-price offers could help to reassure potential and existing customers alike. Vodafone have today …
Friday. I think something is happening to me. At work, during my lunch hour, I did my usual trip to the supermarket to get a sandwich. Like many, I filled the period of “dead time” by faffing about with my phone. Twitter, Facebook, the news, checking email. The …
Recent problems with Spotify subscriptions and accounts for Vodafone customers now appear to have been fixed. We ran a story yesterday highlighting the issue and Vodafone have been working hard to resolve the matter. Some customers had seen their inclusive Spotify Premium accounts getting switched down to free …
Beats are perhaps best known for their presence on HTC handsets. The logo, the chunky headphones and the beefy sound quality plus the clever on-board sound technology on many HTC handsets won them plenty of fans, but sadly HTC and Beats went their separate ways. According to multiple …
This, for a mere £69.99, is the ZTE Open C. You may remember how we played with the earlier version back in 2013, but this is the newer model which got shown off at Mobile World Congress this year. Running the very latest version of the Firefox OS, …
Cat (who, incidentally, have a rather massive presence about 2 miles from here), asked me to “properly test” their Cat B15 smartphone I decided to put it through what I thought was the ultimate test. I gave it to my son and, after explaining that it was a …
If you’re looking to get yourself a cab in London then you could just flag one down. However, if there isn’t a rank or cab in sight you can easily book one with apps like Kabbee. The new version now has a fresh look with the entire booking …
If you’ve got one of those Xbox 3DS’s, Microsoft PS4’s or Nintendo Sony Vita gadgets then you’ll know that the games are absolutely chuffin’ expensive. Step forward Jiggster, an app which will let you dive into a trading marketplace where you can sell or buy games. I could …
Sheesh. Networks really get some abuse at times. The EE Facebook page seems to be overflowing with negative feedback, and every time EE post something there seems to be a barrage of complaints and barbed comments. Honestly, check out their Facebook page. To be honest they’d be better …
Confusingly named the Galaxy S5 Dx (obviously “mini” just doesn’t cut it any more), here’s a slightly clearer shot of the smaller brother of the S5.. We have already covered some of the rumoured details this morning and you can probably guess where this newer leak has come …
With the all-new HTC One (M8) version now available, the slightly older (but still award-winning and rather good) HTC One (M7) is getting cheaper all the time. Right now at Asda Direct you can get the handset SIM-free for just £319. It previously sold for £477. The HTC …
Can it really be 20 years since the Channel Tunnel was completed? Already? Well, to celebrate, and better late than never, Eurotunnel have completed the installation of mobile services in the North tunnel. It’s similar to the service offered in the South Tunnel, which the French operators installed …
We’ve seen apps on Windows Phone that have provided file access before, but now Microsoft will be delivering a system to let you fiddle with your files. An “Ask Me Anything” session with Joe Belfiore has shown the new file manager, which is due to be released at …
Your mobile might be a fixed amount per month but, if you look at your bill, you might find yourself exceeding the limits and paying more. Sometimes it’s the other way and you might find yourself stuck on a plan which is costing too much and you might …
Making and selling Android phones can be a tricky business. As part of previous licencing deals you’ll end up paying Microsoft a fee per handset and, especially if you’re Samsung, you’ll be getting sued fairly regularly by Apple. In the latest courtroom battle, the jury has sided with …
Y’know those hiLaRiOus text message conversations you see posted on the t’interweb? The ones that are just TOO FUNNY ? Yeah. Sure, you ignore the fact that a screenshot of each message was handily taken. Come close. I’ve got a secret to tell you. Shh.. this is going …
