Author: Ian Furlong

Groov-e Air Buds – Review

Specs  Up to 3 hours music playback and up to an additional 7 hours using the changing case Music controls and answer/reject calls Bluetooth profiles: A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSPSPP Wireless range up to 10m Standby time 20 hours Charging Case: Box recharge capacity: 350mA Charging time for case …

OnePlus 6T to abandon the headphone jack

I have had every OnePlus device, since the very beginning was the OnePlus One, and like with many others I was eagerly awaiting the latest “Flagship Killer”. We’re talking about the OnePlus 6T which rumoured to be heading our way in October. Well, it is with a heavy …

Mi Mix 3 ‘leaked’ by Xiaomi CEO

Xiaomi CEO Lin Bin posted an image on the social network Weibo, which is believed to be the Mi Mix 3. This was a much clearer image than those blurry cam pics that had been leaked previously. If this is the Mi Mix 3, we can see that there …

Groov–e Connect Wireless Headphones – Review

Good Points: Lightweight Ability Pair to 2 devices Magnetic clasp Up to 9 hours playback Price Excellent sound quality Bad Points: Range suffered as the battery got low Design: The Connect Wireless headphones are Bluetooth headphones that are of the neckband type, with magnetism holding the earbuds in …

Motorola P30 is a dead-ringer for the iPhone X

They say that imitation is the best form of flatery, well if that’s true Lenovo-owned Motorola must really love Apple. The latest device from the Chinese owned phone manufacturer hasn’t just pulled “inspiration” from the latest Apple flagship device – the iPhone X – it looks like they …

Newton Mail – Shutting Down End Of September

Several of us here at Coolsmartphone (including myself) are paid subscribers to the cross platform mail client Newton Mail by Cloud Magic. I for one loved the the way the client would integrate all my mail accounts in one easy interface and sync across all my devices from …

Galaxy Note 9 with improved battery life.

In just two week’s time, Samsung will release the new Galaxy Note 9, and the latest rumours point to a huge 4,000 mAh battery in the Galaxy Note 9. That will be a 20 per cent boost over the Galaxy Note 8’s 3,300 mAh model, indicating that the …

Noreve Saint-Tropez Tab S2 Case – Review

There are a couple of sayings which are used in everyday life that come true when you use a case from Noreve: 1. You get what you pay for 2 You buy cheap, you buy twice   Good points Made from premium real leather Top build quality Feels …

Iceworks 7000mAh USB Type-C power bank – Review

Good Points: Slimline design Cable included USB Type-C input/output Fast charging for some devices Charge Level LEDs USB Type-C Out Price Bad Points: Fingerprint Magnetic Need to purchase further cables for other device’s. As we use our smartphones more and more each day, we demand more and more …

Chris – The Digital Assistant for Drivers Announced

It is a proven fact that using for mobile phone whilst driving is a distraction, and is one of the four major causes of fatal accidents on the UK roads today. Not only that if you’re caught using your device, you can be fined £200 and have your …

Groov-e Wave II Bluetooth Speaker – Review

Summer has finally arrived here in the UK. It’s nearly 32 degrees as I type this and now everyone is moaning that it’s too hot! This all means lots of time outdoors, and as such I’ve been reviewing the Groov-e Wave II Outdoor Bluetooth speaker. Good Points: Price. …

Anchor Premium Charge & Sync Cable – Revew

“The Last Cable You’ll Ever Need “ Good Points: Lifetime Warranty. Build quality. Interchangeability. Allows both fast charging and data syncing. Super strong. Tangle Free. Oh did I mention the build quality. Bad Points: The strong magnets have a mind of there own. The tips have to stay …

Filofax eniTAB360 Tablet Stand – Review

Getting your tablet to stand on its own normally requires some sort of folio type case. You know the sort – those ones that fold back onto themselves. However, they only hold your device at one angle, which typically isn’t “just right” to view content. Plus, if you …

Mixcder E7 active noise cancelling headphones – Review.

Back in December I carried out a review of the Mixcder MS301 Premium Bluetooth headphones. I was extremely pleased with them. Both the sound and build quality was excellent, and I gave them an overall score of 92%. You can read that review here. Well now I’ve been sent …

Mixcder Introduces its E7 active noise cancelling headphones

Back in December last year I carried out a review of the Mixcder MS301 Premium Bluetooth headphones, which I was extremely pleased with. Both the sound and build quality of the units were excellent, and I gave them an overall score of 92% (you can read that review …

Xiaomi Bargains

Here at Coolsmartphone we love a good bargain, and we have just been told of a few that’s starting now which last for 2 days on AliExpress. The deal is for Xiaomi phones, which are highly acclaimed midrange devices that offer good specifications for mid range prices. Now, …

Samsung Galaxy S8 still outselling the S9

According to Business Korea, despite heavily advertising its latest flagship sales of the Galaxy S9 in its home market, Samsung has failed to reach the expected levels as the previous Galaxy flagship the S8, which is currently outselling is successor. Samsung states that consumers don’t believe there is enough …

Wileyfox thrown a lifeline

Back in the start of February, British phone manufacturer Wileyfox stated that the company was entering into administration, and possibly sounding the death knell for this much-loved and well received mid-range manufacturer. But today March 19th, another British firm (STK) has agreed on a licensing deal with the Wileyfox …

Smart Stand 360 – Review

Good points: Price Build quality Can be fitted to a multitude of devices Lots of stand combinations Choice of colours Bad Points: Adds some bulk Doesn’t adhere to all cases I really like products that are simple in nature, simple to use and do a good job, and …

PayPal no longer eBay’s first payment choice

In a move that says it will be a benefit to both sellers and buyers alike, eBay is going to drop PayPal as the site’s main payments processor, the online giant stated in a blog post. People buying items on eBay will be able to pay without leaving …

More Galaxy S9 and S9+ details

Samsung is now gearing up to launch the 2018 versions of its flagship Galaxy series, the S9 and the S9+. They have an unpacked event scheduled for the 25th February, which is just prior to this years Mobile World Congress, in Barcelona. Both handsets will be powered by …

Sudio Regent Bluetooth Headphones – Review

Just recently I have been sent through some Sudio Regent Bluetooth wireless headphones for review. Who are Sudio I hear you ask ? Well, they are a Scandinavian audio company based in Stockholm, and their name stems from an incident when one of the founders spotted the musician Phil …

Turn any smartphone into a VR camera

Lebanese digital image technology experts, Dermander, have launched a VR solution for your smartphone. Cunningly named “theVRkit”, it makes your smartphone a high resolution Virtual Reality camera. The kit comprises of a fish eye clip-on lens, a Bluetooth controlled smartphone mount and a pair of VR glasses. To …

Mixcder MS301 wireless Bluetooth headphones – Review

Just recently I have been sent through the Mixcder premium MS301 wireless Bluetooth headphones for review, and to be honest the offer couldn’t have come at a better time, as I was just about to embark on a holiday to the USA, and therefore I could use them predominantly …

OPPO Launches the F5, complete with Expert Selfie AI

Chinese phone manufacturer OPPO has unveiled the Oppo F5. This new device is turning mobile photography on its head, with a 16 MP shooter on the rear and a 20 MP shooter on the front. The F5 features what the company are calling “groundbreaking A.I. Beauty Recognition technology”. Yes, a technology apparently designed to personalise …

Three receive criticism over £117 iPhone contract.

Think about what you could actually buy for £117 per month. Well, I’ve had my eye on this Citroen C4 lease agreement. Sure, you’re not going to end up fully owning the thing unless you pay a big balloon payment later, but for this sort of money, you …

Thinkware F800 Dash Cam – Review

Back in August last year (oh how time flies) I reviewed the amazing Thinkware F770 Dashcam. Since then I’ve been contacted and asked to review the latest iteration – the Thinkware F800 Pro. Good Points: This is a feature-packed device (see main body of the review) 140 degree …

Cyngn takes a new road.. literally

Those of you that have ever dabbled in changing the OS on an Android phone will no doubt will have heard of Cyanogenmod. This group of enthusiasts built operating systems for a myriad of Android phones compiled from the base AOSP. At one time things were going well, …

Three – Free in-store sign language for customers.

UK mobile provider Three have launched an innovative service to for deaf customers thanks to a partnership with Sign Solutions. The company will now be able to provide sign language to deaf and hard of hearing customers to who seek in-store support. This is something that is initially …

US cellular Apple Watch 3 won’t work in the UK

In just a couple of weeks I’m heading off Stateside for my annual hols. So, as I normally visit the Apple shop, I thought I’d pick up a bargain. I had devised, in the famous words of Baldrick, “a cunning plan”. I was to buy a new Series …

New Chromebook by Google leaked – The Pixelbook

Google have an event planned for October 4th this year. It’s believed that the next Flagship phone is due to be announced along with a number of other devices. One of those is a new high-end Chromebook. Well, as is now the norm, nothing is kept a secret …

Vodafone release iPhone X contract prices

Update – We’re starting to see prices from other networks too. Head here to see the iPhone X deals. In the early hours of this morning here at Coolsmartphone towers, we had a piece of paper pushed under the portcullis door. It had some very interesting information from …

Google Drive App for PC/Mac to shut down next March

Google has announced via a blog post that the Google Drive app for desktop both PC and Mac will cease to be supported from December 11th this year, and the app will shut down completely on March 12th, 2018. Users who are still running the Drive app will start …

Google in talks to buy HTC

If you have been a smartphone user over the past few years there’s a good chance you have used a device made by Taiwanese manufacturer HTC. For many years the company made many devices under different brand names. Remember XDA, MDA, SPV? Even HP branded devices were made …

Huawei now above Apple in market share

Huawei are now the second-largest smartphone manufacturer in the world. The latest data from market research firm Counterpoint Research shows Huawei overtaking Apple to become even bigger. This result is from strong sales in June and July, which have allowed the Chinese manufacturer to inch past Apple into …

SanDisk to release a whopping 400GB SD Card.

Western Digital has announced the world’s largest capacity microSD card: the whopping 400GB SanDisk Ultra. Priced at $249.99, or £193, this new card should theoretically work with all major flagship Android devices which feature a microSD card, (although a number of manufacturers are moving to sealed storage options). …

First Snapdragon 845 chips bagged by Samsung

At the beginning of this year, Samsung managed to broker a deal with Qualcomm to reserve the first batch of the Snapdragon 835 chips for their latest flagship device – the Galaxy S8. This gave the Korean mobile giant the jump on other OEMs for releasing devices with …

Somfy Security Camera – Review

I have been recently sent through the Somfy indoor security camera for review. Good Points: Design. Ease of Setup. Picture Quality. Ability to digital pan and zoom Built-in in alarm. (Very loud alarm) Motion alerts. Ability to talk back to the camera. Key fob arm/disarm. Door and window …

OnePlus 3/3T: No updates after Android O

Those of you that are regular readers of this site know I am a OnePlus fanboy. I have had every device the company has produced; my favourite still is my ceramic OnePlus X. (despite there not being any support for this device, i,e, no more OS updates). My …

Vaux – Amazon Echo Dot Powered Speaker – Review

Like many households here in the UK, or in fact all over the world now, we have an Amazon Echo… hey it’s the future, it’s… like talking to your house …and it answers back. Our Echo sits in our kitchen and now has replaced our radio, our kitchen …