Author: Leigh Geary
Tonight, during the Brit Awards, you’ll be seeing Mr Kevin Bacon turning up at the home of two “reality TV stars” that I’ve quite frankly never heard of. EE, which looks set to become BT pretty soon, are pushing their BT YouView EE TV system, which is no …
Holy hell. I think something just happened in the trouser department. These are Bluetooth speakers like I’ve never seen or heard before. I mean sure, you know deep down that the wood enclosing these speakers is 100% MDF, but it looks lovely and these speakers would sit beautifully …
It’s been just a few days since the Sony Xperia E4 was announced but, just ahead of Mobile World Congress, they’ve now slipped out the 4G variant. Available from April for “around €129” (£94.60) the Xperia E4g, as it’s known, will be appearing in Carphone Warehouse, plus networks …
The new YouTube Kids app we mentioned yesterday is now here and, in a pleasant surprise, it’s available for both Android and iOS. Whether kids or parents will actively download this instead of using the current YouTube app (complete with rather dodgy content that may or may not …
It’s fair to say that KAZAM are the new boys on the block. We were almost buried in their range of handsets at MWC last year but they’ve since got Tulisa promoting their ultra-thin Tornado 348 which, we have to say, is rather nice. Today they’ve introduced six …
These are either hot new handsets that LG wants to highlight several days before Mobile World Congress kicks off, or just some mid-range handsets that LG want to get out of the way. I’ll leave it up to you to guess which one it is, because LG have …
You’ve got to give it to Samsung really. They know how to whip us up in to hysterical blobs of feverish tech-hungry panic. They’ve released another preview video for the Samsung Galaxy S6, which will be revealed in full this coming Sunday. It gives a tantalising glimpse of …
Acer Aspire Switch 11 Intel Atom Quad-core 1.33GHz CPU, 2GB RAM, microSD reader, 32GB flash memory and 500GB drive in the keyboard “base” section. Windows 8.1 (32 bit), 11.6″ Active Matrix LCD IPS LED back-lit multi-touch / touchscreen at 1366×768. WiFi IEEE 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, 8550mAh battery. I’ve …
The Coolsmartphone crew are a pretty organised bunch, it must be said. Planning and preparation is key, so getting bags packed and ready a week before Mobile World Congress starts is a good thing. At least, this is what they told me. Although most of the team are …
Sitting a kid in front of YouTube is a recipe for disaster. I’ve already mentioned this and the safety concerns surrounding it. The trouble with YouTube is that it’s “reactively moderated” and, even if a video contains scenes that disturb kids, a lot of people either don’t bother …
Fancy a bit of a stroll? Get out and walk around the block then you plonker. If, however, you want to pretend to be a gerbil you can try out the Sony Wheel. It’s going to be coming to a shopping centre near you soon and is currently …
You may have noticed a little countdown timer on the side of the site. You may have even wondered what Mobile World Congress, or “MWC” for short, is. The event website details it as being the “very best exhibition for the mobile industry”, and around this time most …
For those who have been living under a rock for the last decade or so, I just need to bring you some breaking news. Smartphone and tablet batteries really aren’t as good as we’d like them to be. Right, now on with the show. This is yet another …
Remember the long-running TV show “Friends”? Well, if you do then I’m here to completely ruin your day and tell you that Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe Buffet) is now 51. Now, if you’re a fan of the show, which was last aired over a decade ago (May 2004), then …
For Christmas my son managed to upgrade his old Nintendo Wii to a new Nintendo Wii U. Thanks Santa, very good of you. He’s been enjoying the new higher-resolution games and is a big Mario fan. Somehow I’ve lost quite a few races against him on Mario Kart …
Usually here at Coolsmartphone we’ll do a full in-depth review of a phone. It’ll include specs, video, pictures and all the geeky information you need to form your decision. We’ll start this review with a bit of that. This Sony Xperia M2 Aqua has a 1.2 GHz quad-core …
When we get an external battery in for test it’s usually, well, a battery. Not much thought goes into the design of the thing usually and you basically just get a chunky phone battery cell wrapped in a case that matches the dimensions. Consider this though. This is the …
Creating your own app is hard enough. Learning to code, getting it right, making something popular and then hoping it’ll be downloaded lots is a long and bumpy road to travel. However, if you’ve got a thoroughly enjoyable and addictive game, or a useful and interesting app, it …
It’s a problem I’ve battled for many years now and still haven’t really resolved. Cables, everywhere. Not only that, but I seem to have chargers everywhere too, and they’re all plugged in – all the time. There’s one in the bedroom, one in the lounge and a couple …
After my rather long bike ride yesterday morning I suddenly felt the need for a bit of a chill-out in the afternoon. Luckily, after a quick check on the Chomecast app on the phone, I found that yet another free movie is available. This time they’re giving away …
If there’s a printer in your office, chances are it’s a Kyocera. If not, there’s going to be one not too far away. Now though, Kyocera are to enter the smartphone market and will be presenting their “ultra-rugged” 4G smartphone at Mobile World Congress in just a few …
Thinking of creating your own app? It’s not as hard as you think, provided you put your mind to it. In our regular feature we take a look at teenage developers, how they got started, what drives them and the challenges they face on the way. This week, …
It’s not going to mean that farmers and remote villages will suddenly be getting high-speed broadband, but a Virgin Media announcement today will increase the size of the cable network in the UK. A massive £3 billion should mean that your fibre-less neighbours will be soon able to …
Looking for a cheap tablet for …err… Valentines day? Argos have quite a selection of refurbished tablets here on eBay for your perusal. These, from what we can make out, are items that have been returned for one reason or another and you still get a 12 month …
A short while ago I put together my ultra-cheap Google Cardboard headset. It’s something you construct yourself, pop on your head and then, using the Google app, you can step into a 3D world. Now, if you’ve got an LG G3 handset, you’ll be getting one free. It’s …
If I ever get my phone out whilst filling up the car, a dull monotone voice usually bellows out across the petrol station PA system… “Pump 4, put your phone away please.” Now though, it seems that some petrol stations actually want you to use your smartphone. A …
We’ve got ourselves another security camera here folks. Quick note before I start, this was once £319.99 but they’ve got it available on Amazon for just £49.99. That’s pretty cheap, and it’ll let you keep an eye on your house or office remotely using your phone. It’s got …
Here’s another gadget I found whilst browsing some random Chinese gadget suppliers. It’s a smartwatch, but not just the usual type that hooks into your smartphone via Bluetooth. No, this one actually has a SIM card and microSD inside so you can make and receive calls on the …
We’ve seen many iPad mounts over the years but having one that sticks onto your fridge? That’s a new one on us. This is the FridgePad 2 and will convert your fridge (or, I guess, washing machine, tumble dryer or dish-washer) into a “smart appliance” by magically holding …
A new year means a new set of plans for Vodafone, who have today launched some new SIM-only deals. £9.50 will get you 250MB of data per month and 300 minutes plus 500 texts on 3G. However, you can also choose to pay £14 per month for 500MB …
When I was looking around for some serious online storage I came up with this list of providers. They range in price and storage. I should’ve also mentioned flickr, as it’ll actually give you 1TB for nothing and you can use the mobile app to back your photos …
Those models you see prancing up and down the catwalk are sometimes pretty thin. Here, KAZAM have decided to do the same with their latest mobile offering – the Tornado 348. It’s a handset which is just 5.15mm thick, which makes it the thinnest smartphone around. Wait though, …
In just a few short weeks we’ve seen the remaining Orange and T-Mobile branding confined to the dustbin and BT have been chatting to EE about a potential buy-out. Tonight it looks like the deal has been sealed, with Reuters and the Financial Times reporting that it’ll be …
After starting in London, the on-demand laundry and dry cleaning app known as Laundrapp has just launched in Edinburgh too. They’re planning to launch in another four cities over the next fortnight. The idea is pretty simple. Instead of having to carry your suit or smalls across town, you instead …
As the man of the household, whatever I say goes. I wear the trousers and I make the decisions… errr..when the wife isn’t there of course. So, with my endless chargers scattered around the kitchen and in the bedroom, I do get “reminded” that they’re messy and annoying. …
Remember the HTC Desire 610? That had a 4.7″ qHD screen, Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 1.2 GHz quad-core CPU and 8GB on-board. The 620, however, has had a bit of an upgrade with a slightly bigger 5″ 720×1280 screen but similar specs everywhere else. The 620 is now available …
Want your phone to look like the all-new G Flex2? First up, you’re going to need a bowl and a blow torch. Get your phone, place it in the bowl. Next, get the blow-torch and heat your phone up until it melts into the shape of the bowl. …
Today looks to mark the end of T-Mobile and Orange here in the UK, or at least the beginning of the end. We’ve had our suspicions since last March when EE stopped Orange and T-Mobile sales on-line. Now, in an interview with Mobile News, EE chief commercial officer …
With the amount of networks here in the UK possibly dropping down to three main players, it’s interesting to see new MVNOs from manjor companies suddenly appearing. Only last week we saw Sky jumping on board the O2 train to set themselves up as a virtual operator. Now …
Tracking your car is possible with just a smartphone. Various apps will let you do it, but it’s a matter of having a spare smartphone with a data plan and GPS, plus you have to leave it plugged into the 12v charger and that alone will probably attract …
