Author: Iain McLaren
When Vodafone decided not to renew their contract with Phones 4u, it left the independent on thin ice with just EE, Virgin Media and their own (EE provided) network LIFE. However, now EE have decided to pull out of the independent retailer, leaving the chain without any of …
As you may have noticed by the coverage here and on Twitter (we’re @coolsmartphone), pre-orders for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are well under way. In somewhat unsurprising news, some variants have already sold out. The most popular options seem to be all iPhone 6 Plus models …
A few months ago we brought you news that the government wanted the UK networks to band together to eliminate blackspots by sharing their masts and hence network signal in a similar way you roam on another network whilst abroad. However according to the Financial Times, the networks …
Apple are having a conference on Tuesday, which means a new device is imminent. What this also means is a new set of adverts proclaiming why the new device is the best thing since sliced bread (or the last iPhone at least). The success of the adverts has …
Along with a range of Zen phones, Asus also announced their first smartwatch – the Asus ZenWatch. The ZenWatch is an Android Wear device in a similar vein to the recently announced Samsung Gear S and LG G Watch R. The ZenWatch has a 1.63″ 320 x 320 …
Samsung are no strangers to the US courts, with their ongoing case against Apple the most well known. This time round they are defendants with Nvidia taking exception to some of the mobile phones and tablets Samsung sell. The mobiles and tablets in question are those that use …
How much do app developers make? Really? Well, it’s a tricky one to answer. Research by CasinoDailyNews seems to suggest that making a game is your best bet, with 90% of the top grossing apps being games. Currently, at the top of the pile in the Google Play …
Alongside the announcement of the Z3 and Z3 compact, Sony also announced the third part of the Z3 trilogy – the Z3 tablet compact. The Z3 compact tablet has the following key specs: 8″ TRILUMINOS display 1920 x 1200 pixels 8.1 megapixel camera 3GB RAM 2.5GHz quad-core …
It seems like only 6 months ago that Sony announced the Z2, in fact it’s only been out for 4 months but Sony have already announced a follow-up, the Xperia Z3. Spec-wise the phone is as expected with a 5.2″ full HD screen, a 20.7 megapixel rear camera …
If you’ve been following the live coverage here then you’ll know that Samsung have just announced the Galaxy Note 4. Not only that, but they’ve also announced a quirky sibling – the Note Edge. The main specs are listed below.. 2.7 GHz Snapdragon processor (there is also an Exynos …
It has been rumoured for a while that we would see the Lumia 830 at IFA on September 4th, along with a 730. Along with what specs the phone will have, there was also a few rumours flying around as to what sort of branding the phone would …
After the replacement scheme for the iPhone 5 with faulty power buttons, which is still going on, Apple have now announced a similar scheme for iPhone 5’s that have problem with a faulty battery. The scheme at the moment is just America and Canada but will be launching …
Apple have a conference scheduled for September 9th and at least one version of the iPhone 6 is due to launch on 20th September. Two final versions are expected, a 4.7″ and a 5.5″ which may well go up against Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4. Apple usually like to …
Sony today have announced a new phone the M2 Aqua. No, this isn’t just a different colour version of the M2, but rather a waterproof version of the mid-range M2 handset. Spec wise the new M2 Aqua is the same as the M2, a decent mid-range handset …
The Note 4 is set to be announced on Wednesday 3rd September but it seems the complete specs have already leaked, which does somewhat spoil the surprise. Indonesian retailer Erafone accidentally put up a product page for the Note 4 with full specs, before swiftly taking it down again. …
Huawei have sent us a little sneak peek of what the next version of their EMUI software will look like, due to appear on their next phone the Glory 6. The answer is circular. The picture above shows two screen grabs from the clock with a circular appearance …
Trademarks are great, not only do they provide protection for individuals and companies against copies, they also provide news stories when companies disagree on them *cough* Apple and Samsung *cough* but also trademark filings can often provide hints as to what companies have planned as they register names …
Way back when I started in the mobile industry Orange offered Orange Cover on their mobile phones for £5 per month to insure phones against almost any mishap and were often nice enough to let you backdate it if you hadn’t taken it but something had happened to …
Samsung recently sent out invitations for it’s IFA event at the start of September where it is expected for them to announce the Note 4. According to Yon Hap News they may also announce the Gear Solo, a wearable smartwatch that is due to include a SIM card …
With the release of the Samsung Gear Live and the LG G Watch, Android Wear is up and running. The last confirmed device to be released is the Moto 360, pictures of which have now leaked. The images show the round design that Motorola have chosen for their …
The Moto G and the follow up 4G model, have made a good impression here at Coolsmartphone, being very affordable and having above average specs for the price range. Therefore, it should come as no great surprise that Motorola have a successor in development – the XT1063. Don’t …
A week ago we reported that the developer preview for Cortana in the UK should be heading to these shores in the next few weeks. It has now been confirmed from two Microsoft employees that when she arrives, she won’t be voiced by Jen Taylor, the actress who …
There is a great conspiracy theory around that Apple have planned obsolescence, ie their iPhones automatically become slower when a new iPhone is about to appear. It is, say the conspiracies, a clever way to get you upgrading. Whilst this would be illegal and would run the risk …
The Apple iPad Air and Mini with retina display have proved to be another hit for the Cupertino company, with most networks offering them as bundled deals with a SIM card with included data. Now O2 have announced they are going to be joining the club announcing they …
Back in 2011 TFL announced plans to put Virgin Media WiFi hotspots in a selection of London Underground stations for the 2012 London Olympics. This was then rolled out to the rest of the network, allowing everyone to use them for a while before then restricting it based on …
A little while back I was emailed asking if I would like to review a leather case for a company. My initial reaction was a bit “Meh”, but then I got sent pictures and I suddenly changed my tune. I jumped at the chance. The Blacksmith Labs cases are beautiful. …
The BlackBerry Passport was always going to be a bit of an oddball with its square screen and 3 row keyboard with space bar in the middle. Whilst mentioned in the latest financial brief, it still hasn’t been officially announced. That hasn’t stopped BlackBerry releasing an official blog …
Samsung have announced that although they still expect to make a profit of $7.1 billion after a revenue of only $51.5 billion, this will be lower than expected. In an unusual step Samsung have released a whole page of Q2 reference material in an effort to reassure the …
Sony have started teasing a new phone announcement for tomorrow with the theme being selfies. Coincidentally leaked images of a new Sony Xperia model, have also hit the internet with the new phone having a forward facing LED flash. This would be the first phone from a big manufacturer to …
A couple of weeks ago we posted an article about the release of a selfie stick and I was lucky enough to be sent one to review. Now I’m not a selfie fan, okay I’ll admit I hate them, so I might not be the best person to review …
If you were lucky enough to order your LG G Watch from MobileFun rather than Google Play directly then you could be receiving a little present through the post in the next day or so a little ahead of schedule. It was set to be released on July …
Samsung have announced 4 new members of the Galaxy range of smartphones. They’re all aimed at the mid to low end of the market. The models are the Galaxy Core II, Galaxy Star 2, Galaxy Ace 4 and the Galaxy Young 2 (we’re not sure why the Core uses …
The LG Nexus 5 was released back in October last year and has become a firm favourite with the team in part due to its cheap price. It originally came in just black and white, before red was added to the line-up earlier this year. Now Google seem to be …
The Connected Home is the ability to connect to various devices in your house. For example, cameras, movement sensors, temperature sensors which can then be controlled remotely. Archos are the latest company to get involved in the connected home scene and are offering up a range of products. At the …
As part of the Google I/O event last night, Google announced some new additions to the Android Wear range. This, the LG G Watch, was one of them. It’s a device we’ve actually already seen and the company announced that they were .. err.. working on it back in March. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0k3KLjVUzF4 …
I’m sure most readers will be aware of Roaming when they go abroad, whereby their phone connects to a foreign network to allow you to make calls, send texts or access the internet when in a different country. But what if you could do it in the UK …
Blackberry announced their quarterly financial results yesterday in a little media streaming event, a smaller than expected loss in case you were wondering. However, what they also snuck in was the announcement of three new phones coming in financial year ’15. The Z3 and Classic look very similar …
BBC Playlister is a service that lets you save the tracks you hear on BBC radio so you can find them with your favourite streaming service. When it launched in October it had support for Deezer, Spotify and YouTube, this has now been expanded with iTunes so the …
A recent survey by Localytics has found that 20% of apps are only used once. This may seem quite high but it is an improvement compared to the last few years with the number steadily decreasing, from 26% in 2011. The graph shows the amount of apps used …
In case you had somehow failed to notice, the World Cup kicks off in Brazil later tonight, with the start of 64 games over a month in 12 different cities across the country. World Cup Scheduler is an app that keeps you up to date with who is …
