Author: Leigh Geary
A lot of you may have received a text message from your network recently. I know I have. On my Vodafone plan I’ve received this text which pushes my bill up by 3.2%. This, if you check your payslip, will probably be way higher than your most recent …
The Samsung Galaxy S8 has been leaking all over the internet in the last few weeks but, finally, we now know all about it. There’s two handsets – the £689 S8 with a 5.8″ screen and the £779 S8+ with a 6.2″ display. Both of them have the …
In London it was cold. In New York it was cold too. However, despite our efforts Samsung wouldn’t let us attend the launch events. We have instead seen the very strange “live in London” TV advert featuring some extremely eager people watching the “unboxing”. So, what’s the big …
There’s just over an hour to go until we see the actual, real, official shots of the new Samsung Galaxy S8. However, up and down the land there’s marketing material rolling out and, thanks to some lovely leakers, we can tell you a few things based on the …
We’ve previously seen Doro delivering easy-to-use-yet-clever smartphones for the elderly. I like them because it’s not just a matter of big buttons and a big screen – it’s the remote access that friendly and family can have to the phone. Now a company called amplicomms are getting in …
Well, how do I start this one exactly? Quite some time ago, the people at Cubot sent me a phone to review. It was the Cubot X17. Now you may not have heard of them, but they do a range of smartphones but this particular one is over …
The Samsung Galaxy S8 is quickly becoming the most leaked phone in history. As Mobile World Congress was drawing to a close, an official image leaked out and we’ve since had specs leaking out too. We’re expecting a Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, and @evleaks has revealed …
Our coverage at Barcelona brought a raft of mobile phones, but no – Sony have another one for us. Available in black, white or pink, it’s the Xperia L1. This has 2GB of RAM and runs on a MediaTek Quad-core 64-bit CPU running at 1.45GHz. There’s also 16GB …
We’ve got a couple of good deals on those clever sticks that sit in your HDMI port today. First up, it’s the Roku TV stick. This is now down to just £27.99 with free delivery, plus they’re also giving you “The Judge” as part of the offer. The …
Pah, modern technology. Who needs that eh? The guys at Elretron want you to take a journey back to the age of typewriters, when we had mechanical keyboards that went “Clack, Clack, Clack”. They’re just about to put their idea on Kickstarter and pricing is said to be …
Going for a bike ride? Taking a shower? A bath? Perhaps you’re on a boat or you’re taking a holiday? Want some music for your travels? Well, check this new speaker out from Polk Audio. It’s the Swimmer Duo speaker and, although it’ll work fine on it’s own, …
The internet, in our modern world, has become essential. It’s no longer a “nice to have” thing so that you can look things up. Now we’re watching live IPTV, downloading movies, conducting video calls and working from home. And, also, if you are a student you have a …
After the insanity of the Mobile World Congress, a lot of my colleagues have collapsed with exhaustion. So, with time at a premium and a distinct lack of coffee or holiday time, I’ve decided to record a special edition of the Coolsmartphone Podcast. Long-time listeners may remember how …
OK, normal-looking Bluetooth speaker, right? Pretty standard, right? Well no. Not at all my digital friend. Dangle the Edifier MP280 off your back-pack, stick it in the middle of your camp site, put it in the bathroom while you take a shower and .. woah.. there’s a fine …
The thing with Bluetooth headphones, usually, is that the battery life isn’t all that great. People want a light in-ear heaphone but they also don’t want a hefty battery hanging off their head. Here, that’s solved as the battery equipment is stored in a neckband. This slips around …
That sold quickly didn’t it? They’ve only just sent us the press release (below) and, by the time I click on the link, there’s none left! Well, for £59 for an Android phone with a completely free mobile service, I guess it would sell rather well wouldn’t it …
Before we got on a plane to Barcelona, Matteo hosted a live podcast. Trouble is, this never got converted into an MP3 until just now, so we’re slightly out of date here. That said, this is a great pre-event podcast for anyone with a time machine or someone …
OK, you know the deal by now. It looks like Huawei has hit the ground running with the P10 as it’s also available to pre-order with Vodafone. Again, we can’t see any of those funky lush colours mentioned at the launch event but, if you head to Vodafone …
Yesterday we told you about EE offering up the P10 and P10 Lite. Today it’s the turn of Three, who’ve informed us that their pre-orders will begin on March 23rd – this coming Thursday. They’ll be ranging the Huawei P10 and P10 Plus, with the P10 priced up …
As we mentioned during the launch, EE are to carry the new Huawei P10 and the P10 lite. If you’ve drooled over the photos and you’re itching to get yourself one, EE now have a pre-order page available on ee.co.uk/p10. WiFi Calling and 4G Calling will be offered …
Yesterday I found a haul of classic smartphones including the SPV E100, E200 and M2000. Not only that, but I dug out the SPV C500 and C600 too. That C600 was, at the time, quite something – it came with an OMAP850 CPU running at 195Mhz and had …
I finally raided my “special cupboard” and look. Look at what greeted me. Anyone remember these? I know some of you might recognise your favourites, but I’m going to start with the oldest one, on the left. It’s the Orange SPV, also known as the HTC Canary. This …
It’s been just two weeks since Mobile World Congress and my post about our truly mobile headquarters has caused a great deal of interest. I got asked on email if my laptop had changed. My first response, of course, was, “Yeah! Have a look at this earlier story!“. …
Got a Kodi box? Just using it to stream personal content like recorded videos to your TV yeah? No, of course you’re not. Kodi boxes, as we mentioned previously, have now become more and more popular for another reason. With very little knowledge, anyone can add plugins to …
Interested in getting unlimited calls, texts and a massive 20GB of 4G data each month, but only paying £11.66 for it? If you’ve already got a phone or want to buy one separately, this rather amazing deal will see you paying a lot less than normal thanks to …
It’s the start of the week. Your boss is still being a tool and you’re wondering where the heck the weekend went. Wasn’t it Friday just a few minutes ago? It was. Don’t worry though, because I see blossom on the trees here in the UK. Sure, our …
I like to think that I’m quite careful with my phone. I have an LG G5 at the moment and, although it’s perhaps not as nice to look at as some smartphones, I still prefer it to be case-free. Until yesterday I was quite proud of the fact …
Usual introduction to this. You know the story. Smartphone batteries aren’t great. We don’t want fat batteries, but at the same time we don’t want to be running back to a power point to juice the thing up every few minutes. So what are you going to do? …
Whilst it will still be owned by BT and it remains to be seen how things will change, Openreach is finally to become a legally separate entity. Telecoms regulator Ofcom has announced they will no longer have to take legal action to split the two companies, and BT …
Somehow, for some odd reason, I appear to have gained a reputation for reviewing random electronic gadgets. Today I present to you …..a torch. Call is the flashlight, call it a torch, it is simply a small battery-powered LED light which you can carry around on your keys. …
O2 MVNO, Tesco Mobile, is offering up a deal for customers buying the Samsung S7 or S7 Edge handset on both pay monthly and pay as you go. Right now, and until March 26th, you can get free gifts worth up to £349. Tesco offers up the Samsung …
After returning from the Barcelona madness, I’ve finally got chance to reflect a little on the experience. It’s somewhere I don’t get to see a great deal, and instead it’s the inside of taxis or the rather excellent Metro system which runs through the city that I see …
So, I’m pretty geeky guy with the home automation gadgets. I started off with a Nest thermostat, which a lot of even my non-geeky friends are getting into. It’s a simple and clever way to save cash on your heating bills. Put simply, it knows when you’re not …
My first ever mobile phone was connected to Orange. I stayed as a customer all through the transitional phase as T-Mobile and Orange joined forces to eventually become EE. The new brand seems to have woven its way into our subconsciousness rather quickly, and they have pushed hard …
Weird headline, granted, but these tail-mounted sensors are connected to the Vodafone network and will help to bring a healthy calf into the world. No, the cow isn’t going to be making any strange phone calls, this is a sensor and it is triggered by labour contractions. When …
If you’re anything like me then, well, I feel sorry for you. Perhaps you’ve got an iPhone, an iPad, an Android phone or two. Perhaps you’ve got a Bluetooth speaker that needs charging. You might even have some Bluetooth headphones. Oh, and guess what? There’s no consistency in …
Direct from Marseille, meet Wiko! They tell me that they’re targeting, “The Wiko Generation”. Smart people who are “not fooled” and appreciated value for money smartphones which are suitable to them. They’re the “Power Generation” who “choose their path freely”. They have, let me tell you, a lot …
This one is still on pre-order but you can get it first in the US for $449.99, then you’ll need to put a SIM card in. It’s a camera that will monitor movement and, if you want, live stream from anywhere with a 3G or 4G signal. Created …
21/02/2020 – The best solution to finding your local mast is now located within this recently updated article. A lot has changed over the years, and this is now the best place to go. This topic seems to pop up time and time again. Our original story from …
It’s going to be a quick one to review this because, in all honesty, it takes seconds to turn on and get going. Let’s face it, WiFi isn’t always good enough. Sky TV have launched their new Sky Q system and, in order to try and solve the …
