Author: John M

Apple Announce the iPhone SE and a Smaller iPad Pro

So size does seem to matter in Apple’s world after all it seems. Following a couple of years increasing their screen sizes, they have now announced a couple of downsized versions of their most popular devices. They are the new iPhone SE and an iPad Pro with a smaller …

Play Gameboy games on your iPhone without jailbreak

Do you long to play classic Gameboy games on your iPhone or other iOS device? Do you want to experience classic games from a simpler time for the first time? Then here’s a solution for you! In comparison to Android, due to Apple’s strict App store guidelines, emulation on …

Android N, HTC M10, MOTD – It’s the Coolsmartphone Podcast 168

Welcome to the Coolsmartphone Podcast Episode 168. In this episode John is joined by Majid and Matteo to discuss the latest technology and smartphone news including: The developer preview of Android N, it’s features and the know issues with it. The HTC M10 and our thoughts on how …

Kitvision Escape 4KW – A Review of the 4K Action Cam

I love it when I get to review Action Cams and enter the Kitvision Escape 4KW. Action Cams are great, they allow us to capture our must rugged of family adventures, and as technology advances the price has dropped making them readily available to a wider audience.  Yes I …

MWC – The Special Report Podcast

Welcome to the Coolsmartphone Podcast Episode 166 – The Special MWC Road Trip Report. This is the first of this weeks special Mobile World Congress Podcasts and our roaming reporters Gary and Leigh have sent in their initial reports. In this episode along with their MWC thoughts,  Leigh …

Virtual Reality and the Fight against Depression

If you have listened to this week’s podcast, (if not, stop right now and listen here) you will be aware that we are currently trying to raise awareness of mental well-being issues after the experiences of our man Dan. Virtual Reality  is a bit of a buzzword in …

Coolsmartphone Competition – Win an Honor6+ Cover

Update – The Competition is now closed guys – Honor will be in touch with the winners in the very near future. The 10 winners are:  J Boshell, D Martin, J Begum, P Miranda, D Thornton, I Gregson , R Toms, W Spendlove, P Alfano, K Subashov  – enjoy your prize guys. We all love the Honor …

Linx 1010 Leather Edition – The Review

The first Linx tablets shook up the market place when they were first released, they were available in 3 screen sizes, offering good Windows performance at a very reasonable price, they were also easily upgradable to Windows 10. Consumers no longer had to spend a fortune on Windows …

A Review of the Kitsound Trail Wireless Earbuds 

Here’s a neat option of those who like to listen their music whilst they exercise; the Trail Sports Wireless Earbuds from KitSound. The Age Old Problem I was cautious when approaching this review as I generally don’t get on well with earbuds, but in for a penny, in for a …

The BLU Win 4.5″ JR – The £40 smartphone, reviewed.

As Microsoft launch the new flagship Lumia 950 XL, it’s easy to forget the other end of the smartphone market, for example the BLU Win 4.5″ JR which was recently available for just under £40 from Amazon, but what do you actually get for your money a decent …

Star Wars Battlefront Review

Here at CoolSmartPhone Towers, most of us enjoy a spot of gaming, but as the mobile gaming arena is a bit dull at the moment and as remote gaming is becoming more popular, we are going to start looking at mainstream console and PC games that make an …

Coolsmartphone Podcast 163 – March of The Droids 2016

Welcome to the Cool Smartphone Podcast Episode 163, the first episode of 2016 following our Christmas break. In this episode John is joined by Majid and Gary Weldon from March of the Droids. In this episode we discuss: March of the Droids 2016 – one of the most …

David Haye Boxing Match to be Recorded in VR and 360 Degree Video

Update 15/01/16 – You can download the Android App to watch the David Haye fight in VR and 360 Degree video here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.im360.davidhaye Whilst recording this weeks Podcast we became aware of some Breaking News that just been announced by top British boxer David Haye. Tonight David Haye …

How to fix the iStick on iOS9

When I reviewed the iStick back in June, while the software needed a little refining, I could clearly see the benefit of being able to copy media from an iOS device to a USB-equipped memory stick. However, the recent Apple update to iOS9 stopped the iStick from working with no …

The Coolsmartphone Personal Highlights of 2015

With the start of every new year comes a time for reflection, so a number of the Coolsmartphone team and a couple of friends of the site have taken this opportunity to provide a personal insight into their favourite technology of 2015. So the Camera Apps came out and we each …

CoolSmartPhone Podcast 161 – An Interview with Honor

Welcome to the Cool Smartphone Podcast Episode 161. In this special episode John, Matteo & Gary are joined by Wilkin and our old friend James from Honor UK. In the Interview Honor discuss how they have set up their brand in the uk and also give a little …

The CoolSmartPhone Christmas Tech Gift Guide 2015

It’s that time of year again when we start looking to buy Christmas gifts for our loved ones, and I’m sure for some of you, technology and gadgets will feature heavily. There’s the small chance that some of you haven’t managed to get Christmas presents yet, but over …

Capturing Family Memories with Technology

The set-up. The days of relying on traditional (and expensive) photography film are long gone. Now precious memories can be captured using consumer device in high-quality video and pictures. To put some of the latest devices to the test, I set out with my son, his go kart, …

CoolSmartPhone Podcast 159 – The Big Android BBQ Edition

Welcome to Episode 159 of the CoolSmartPhone Podcast. Is  this Episode Gary & Matteo join John for an early evening discussion and cover several exciting topics including: Matteo’s recent trip to the Big Android BBQ Gary’s opinion on the State on Sony following the release of the Xperia …

EE offer to track your personal items

After raising a serious truck-load of cash on Indiegogo, TrackR was born. It’s a small, coin-shaped device which you can attach to your keys, stick in your wallet or put on your handbag. Working with an app, it shows you where your things are and also works in …

You’re filming it wrong!

When you see someone filming with their smartphone, name the thing that annoys you more than anything. It’s probably this… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt9zSfinwFA Filming stuff the wrong way around. It’s criminal. Worst of all is when someone starts filming in portrait and then turns the phone 90 degrees whilst it’s …

Can an LG G4 covert an iOS Fan Boy?

For those of you that listen to the Coolsmartphone Podcast, you have probably picked up on the less than subtle suggestion that I’m somewhat of an Apple fan boy. Guilty as Charged. I’ve been an iPhone user for a long time, and no device in the past has …

CoolSmartPhone Podcast 158 – The Spying Game

Welcome to the Coolsmartphone Podcast Episode 158. In this ‘As Live‘ Episode John and Gary sit down for an early evening chat about several topics including: Changes to UK legislation requiring service providers to store our on-line activity, and we really want to hear from our listeners and readers what …

A look at the Kit Executive Power Bank

Some times a little bit of style goes along way in the consumer tech industry, and the new Executive Power Bank from Kit certainly has plenty of style but does it have the substance to go with it?   Styled to look like an iDevice, the Power Bank …

Filofax iPad Case – Review

Filofax is a well-known brand name associated with traditional paper-based diaries and personal organisers. Filofax products were always high-quality but there may be a natural assumption that their target audience shrank due to electronic portable replacements. But in order to remain relevant, Filofax have diversified into tech cases. …

Podcast 156 – The New Device and State of Networks Epic Podcast

Welcome to the Coolsmartphone Podcast episode 156. In this hour-long episode of the Podcast, John, Khellan & Matteo  gather to discuss: The HTC One A9 The Honor 7 The Sony Xperia Z5 – with a very special guest appearance by Garry The rumoured Microsoft Distribution model The end of …

A look at the Zing Smartwatch – A different approach

Smartwatches are starting to diversify. Each manufacturer is trying to carve out their niche in the market, and the Zing Smartwatch aims to provide a fashionable, modern, and fun approach to the wearable market. Let’s get Social The Zing is an activity tracker designed for the social generation. …

KitSound Manhattan Headphones in Rose Gold – A Review

I’ve had the opportunity to test several KitSound devices over the past year and generally I’ve always come away with a positive impression. I listen to a lot of music and a good pair of headphones is important to me, so how will the KitSound Manhattan headphones compare …

Podcast 155 – Nexus Event Special and iPhone Sales Figures

Welcome to the Coolsmartphone Podcast episode 155. In this ‘As Live‘ episode John is joined by Gary, and Khellan  on the evening after Google’s Nexus Event as the gang settle down and discuss: The apparently very impressive iPhone sales figures The Pixel C The Nexus 5X The Nexus …

FIFA 16 and true mobile gaming on the iPhone

This week has seen the release of FIFA 16, the annual evolution of the nation’s favourite football game. But this year there is an odd omission – the lack of mobile console versions. Traditionally, FIFA has always been available on as many formats as practically possible but this …

Pebble announce the Pebble Time Round

Traditionally most of us have the expectation that watches are a certain shape – circular. For a while, smartwatches struggled to accommodate this traditional shape until relatively recently when a few Android Wear devices with round faces started to make an appearance. Pebble was an early entry into the …

Control your lights with Playbulb Bluetooth controlled lighting

The ability to remotely control the various gadgets in your home is becoming commonplace. From controlling your DVR from the other side of the world, to perhaps setting your heating to automatically come on when you leave work – there doesn’t seem to be much you can’t control from your smartphone. The …