Author: Garry Clark

Sony announce the new SmartBand 2

It’s that time again. We’re building up to IFA in Berlin. Sony, like many other tech companies, are wanting to get on the “hype train”. They have been doing that very well with rumours of the Z5 range, however today I bring you news of an actual thing …

Pebble Time – Review.

It has been a while since I mentioned the Pebble Time. To be honest this is intentional. I had an issue with the first one they gave me, which was resolved by a replacement (more on that later). Now that I have had some time to use it in the …

Moto X Play is now available via Motomaker

Didn’t take the plunge on the Moto G (3rd Gen)? Then your patience may well have paid off as the Moto X Play just became available on the MotoMaker service on Motorola’s website. What is really surprising is the price that this device will cost. The 16GB version …

Huawei to unveil new devices at IFA

The rumour mill in the build up to IFA has officially started. In the Sony camp we have already seen the earlier gossip, but now we’re hearing from Huawei too. They have a busy schedule lined up over the next few months. First they’ll be working with Alphabet …

OnePlus Two goes on sale… you still can’t buy one though!!!

The day has come. The OnePlus Two has now gone on sale on the OnePlus website. However if you don’t have an invite, and it is unlikely that you will, you still can’t buy one. I have been following the development of the Oneplus Two and the build …

Etymotic HF3 headphones – Review.

I am going to start this by getting something out of the way. I’m not an audiophile in any way at all. I like my music for when I am working as a background thing, but that’s about it. I do however watch a lot of media whilst …

Fancy winning a new phone?

Do you fancy cheering yourself up over the next few days? If so, then we have a wee contest for you to check out. Our friends at Skyscanner, Honor and Three have all collaborated to put a prize fund together. The prize fund will include an Honor 6+ …

Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 5.5″ Unboxing

Time for another unboxing and it is another mid-tier champ. This time from the boys and girls at Alcatel. Wait did I just say Alcatel? Surely they don’t have anything that I as a Coolsmartphone reader would be interested in? Well let me show you what we have …

Meizu MX4 Ubuntu Edition – Unboxing

It feels like it’s taken a long time to get to this place, but finally I have a Meizu MX4. I was very impressed with this when I first had a hands on with it at MWC earlier this year. Since then I have had more of a chance …

Remix Mini breaks $1million mark

Some good news for those of you who backed the Remix Mini. It has now achieved more than $1million and as a result two cool things have happened. The early bird $40 tier for the 2gb ram 16GB storage version has been reopened. In addition to that anyone …

Nokia N1 coming to the UK and Ireland

Hands up who remembers Nokia? Good, a few virtual hands were seen there. For those of you who are itching for some Nokia goodies, your wait is nearly over. The N1 will actually be available to buy here in the UK very soon. I had a good hands-on …

Skyscanner Flights – A real world test

What with the delightful weather we are having here in the UK, you may not have noticed that it is, in fact… summer. Do you feel that you need to get a bit of sun on your bones, or you fancy whisking your loved one away on a …

OnePlus 2 now official

Late last night in China there was a phone announcement. 3AM to be exact. Luckily we had pizza and an internet connection, so here’s what you may have missed from the wee small hours… The OnePlus 2 (notice the number, instead of a word?) is upon us and so …

BQ Aquarius E5 Ubuntu Edition – Review

For the last few weeks I have been using an unusual phone. It’s this, the BQ Aquarius E5 Ubuntu Edtion. Now, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if you weren’t aware of this device as it’s not a widely known manufacturer in the UK. Add to that the fact …

Pebble Time gets new update

For those of us who are sporting Pebble’s latest E-ink wonder, Thursday morning heralded a little surprise. Pebble’s app for Android prompted me to download and install a new update for my watch. Here is what Pebble have to say about the new software… Today’s update makes vibration intensity …

Vodafone Smart Ultra 6 now available in Silver

About a week ago Leigh reviewed the Vodafone Smart Ultra 6 and was extremely impressed with it. Well we have just had news that it is now available in silver as well. Huzzah!!! I have had a chance to see one of these today and I have to …

Remix Mini launches on Kickstarter UPADATE

This is the one Kickstarter that in my humble opinion you cannot afford to miss. Do you fancy a PC for $20 with $20 for  shipping(£25.60 on todays exchange rate)? Interest piqued well I though it might be. There are of course some caveats to this. Numerou Uno …

Sandisk Wireless Flash Drive – Review

    I have been looking for a way to a carry more media on my trips without having to overload the storage of my devices. There have been various ways of doing this around for a while, including the standard-for-Android solution of USB On the Go. Now …

BQ Aquarius E5 – Unboxing

I’m going to start with a brief bit of background. Those of you who visit the site regularly will be aware that I have had the chance to test the BQ Aquarius E4.5 Ubuntu Edition. I was using the phone for a short time and something with it …

Xperia Z4 Tablet – Unboxing

Another year has gone by and another Sony Tablet has arrived on our desk at Coolsmartphone towers. Today I have the real pleasure of unboxing the new Xperia Z4 Tablet. We first saw this stunning device at MWC, which we covered live. It was here that we were …

Jide Remix Mini PC coming soon to Kickstarter

Just when you thought that I couldn’t talk about Jide Technology any more, this little gem appears. Remix OS is an adaptable OS that can be used on a variety of platforms, with one example being a Mini PC. This is a very active market right now so …

Xperia Z4 Tablet missing USB OTG support – UPDATE

News is starting to trickle in that the new Xperia Z4 Tablet is missing a very important productivity tool. It seems like Sony have made the omission of USB OTG support. It also seems to be that this is the case on the M4 Aqua and the Z3+. …

A touchless smartwatch… it’s happening

Deus Ex Technology have had a good week. They launched their project on Kickstarter on the 18th and within 6 days they have achieved their goal of $100k. Awesome. But why should I care? If you own a smartwatch then this will be very interesting. They have made …

Meizu unveil MX4 Pro Ubuntu Edition

Today Meizu are unveiling the brand new Meizu MX4 Pro Ubuntu edition. No those eagle eyed readers will no doubt be thinking this isn’t new and you would be in part correct. The reason that you are is that this is the European launch. The phone has been …

Remix Ultra Tablet – Review

I have now had this tablet for a few weeks now and I was holding back on the review until a few software updates had been delivered. Since I did the unboxing video back in April it has been a very busy time for the Remix as it …

BQ Aquarius E4.5 Ubuntu Edition – Unboxing

I mentioned a few days ago that I was going to be playing with the Ubuntu Phones. Now after a small wait I have the first of these phones in for review. it will be an interesting journey and one that I hope you join me on as …

Pebble Time – Hands-on

I have one. That is all see you later! Only joking… 🙂 I am now a proud owner of the brand new Pebble Time and I thought I would share some of my thoughts about it. I’ve now had it for a couple of days. Bear with me …

Android M overview on Nexus 5

Last week Google I/O happened and Google announced Android M to the world. This week I have been testing Android M on the Nexus 5 and I am actually using it as my daily driver (brave/stupid time will tell).  Here is a brief overview of the big changes …

Sony Xperia Z3+ – Photo Special

Today we were lucky enough to get hands on with Sony’s new flagship the Xepria Z3+. This is a really nice evolution of the Z3 and one that would make a nice upgrade from anyone who is using a Xperia Z or Xperia Z2. It is also a …

WowWee Reveal MiPosaur and REV robots with apps

This is just plain cool and for that reason and no other (well I kinda want to play with one) I am going to post something about it. Anyway moving on. WowWee have just announced that they are going to be making and selling some “next robotic innovations”. …

Looking for something a bit different? BQ Aquarius E5

Today the smartphone market has 3 main player’s, iOS, Android and Windows Phone. Of course we also have BlackBerry sitting on the edge looking in but they are loosing relevance to be fair. In the last year or so we have started to see the emergence of some …

Google I/O 2015 – Now on Tap

There for me was one feature of Android M that stood out above and beyond the rest – Now on Tap. Why is it so amazing? Well, let’s have a look. We all know that Android can support Google Now which is all well and good, but is …

Google I/O 2015 – Android M Preview and Wear update

Here is a brief overview of what went down in the Moscone Centre last night at Google I/O 2015. The conference started with a massive Pong game stretching across the panoramic screen around the venue. Some guy won a giant fluffy Android toy! Last year 8 out of …

Microsoft Band – Review

A few weeks ago you may remember that I was able to get hold of the Microsoft Band briefly at its launch event. I have now had some time with the device and thought I would share my thoughts with you. I am not the fittest guy in …

Pebble Time update.

For a moment yesterday we were concerned that Pebble Time, a device we were waiting patiently for, was going to be nothing but vapourware. This morning there was a collective sigh of relief as, in our inboxes, we were greeted with an email from Kickstarter with an update …

Yotaphone 2 price cut and update

If you remember back a few months we were very fond of the Yotaphone 2 when we tested it, however there were a few things that really stuck in our throat’s. The news today is that these issues may have been negated. Yota have announced that they will …

Enerplex Jumpr Slate 5k Battery pack – Review

Those of you who follow the site ay remember me reviewing the Enerplex Packr Solar Rucksack. It was the bag I took to MWC 2015 with my and it proved to be very useful as it was able to carry a ridiculous amount of gear and was still …

Olixar Universal Tablet Car Headrest Mount Pro – Review

I have a small child and he can be a handful at times. Back when he was younger we were able to pop him into the car and I could guarantee the motion of driving would send him to sleep.  Ahh those were magical days…. However now he …

Sony reveal the Xperia C4 proSelfie phone

There’s been rumours for a while that the C3 would come to a more international market last year, but alas this did not happen in the EU. Today Sony launched the replacement for that device in the form of the Xperia C4. Again, whether this will be an …