Author: Ronnie Whelan
A (rather difficult to read) shipping note has been spotted showing that a Samsung SM-V700 watch has made its way from Korea to Bangalore, “For R & D purpose”. Unfortunately there are no specs, but surely it will be an extension of their “life companion” ethic, so expect …
It’s Coolsmartphone competition time again! Yay! This week we’re giving away the two Sony Xperia Tablet Z cases that we’ve recently reviewed. Seeing as I’m in in charge of this competition it has to be really simple, so all you have to do is read the reviews of …
No I don’t mean Bruce Springstien, I’m talking about Sundar Pichai. Now, he’s has been around the block. He didn’t become the senior vice president of Google without encountering journalists. He really should know that journalists can’t keep secrets, especially when the secret is the manufacturer of the …
The Tabletwear Advanced Case for the Xperia Tablet Z is a budget stand style case to clad and protect the slender lines of Sony’s finest bit of Android gear. This is my second featured review of cases for the Sony Xperia Tablet Z, the first was of the …
The latest beta version of Swiftkey is now available, and it brings cloud support to spread predictions between all your devices. Swiftkey is a third-party keyboard that predicts what you type, as most Android users will know by now. The way it does this is by analysing what’s …
Popular video and text messaging app Tango has been hacked by the Syrian Electronic Army. You remember the SEA, they’re the ones who hacked the Sky apps so you couldn’t control your Sky Plus box from your garden. We reported earlier that Viber – an app for making …
Excitement over a new Motorola phone is something the world hasn’t experienced for many a year, but the Moto X is causing quite a stir. This is made all the more curious as it’s not exactly well specced. Unlike the impressive 3300mAh battery from the RAZR Maxx, the …
The LG Optimus L3 was part of the surprisingly successful L-Series of budget Android phones. So successful that there is a second series now available. I’ve had the entry level Optimus L3 II for a couple of weeks to see what all the fuss is about. Tech Specs …
WhatsApp is one of the worlds most popular apps for messaging over data networks, yet the Windows Phone 8 version has been lacking, and a little flaky recently. Luckily it’s now had an update to address all of that. I message via WhatsApp on a daily basis, without …
OK, not really, but if you want a phone to match your suntan then nip down to Phones 4U, because this weekend the ‘Glamour Red’ version is finally available. We first heard that the UK release would be in mid-July, then pre-orders became available with no official date, …
The Sony Xperia Tablet Z is a gorgeous bit of kit that will survive a dunk in a bath, but it’s far less likely to survive a drop on the floor. This is why any owner should be looking at cases. I have a couple of cases that …
If you’re thinking about treating yourself to the wonderful OPPO Find 5 (like I did!) you may want to get in quick, because if you order one between now and the 31st July you will get a case and screen protector thrown in for free (unlike me!). If …
The LG L3 II is part of the second generation of the quirky L-Series smartphones. The range is characterised by its almost square screen. It’s certainly an individual look, and because/despite of this they have sold millions worldwide. LG have been kind enough to loan us one, and …
The Sony Xperia Tablet Z is just as much about the hardware underneath the seals and gaskets as the waterproofing itself, so in the second of our series on this £500 beast I’m going to take a look at the hardware and how it performs on dry land. …
The eagerly anticipated Motorola Moto X smartphone is going to something designed by you! Wow, sounds cool huh? Tell me more… Well, all we can tell you is that there’s an advert that’s been leaked that says just that. See below if you don’t believe me (click for …
The Parrot Minikit Smart car kit is more than just a mobile phone car dock. It’s intelligent, doing the same job as a Bluetooth enabled car. Will the £49.99 price tag save me the hassle of buying that Mercedes with the fancy stereo? Let’s hope so! Good Looks …
Windows Phone is slowly catching up with apps, and another of the big names has come on board – Tapatalk. For those who don’t know, Tapatalk is an app for reading and posting on compatible social forums (including the Coolsmartphone forum and XDA Developers). It’s been available for …
So you’ve read my OPPO find 5 review, watched the videos and your mouse is hovering above the add to basket button, but before you check-out you may want to think about a case. The problem is that there are no third party cases and the only place …
The OPPO find 5 is unknown to some, a curiosity to others and an item of desire to others (James). For me it’s been all three and is now my daily driver. To be clear, this isn’t a review unit that I’ve been sent, it’s my phone bought …
OPPO are having a fair bit of niche success in Europe at the moment, so much so that rumours are abound of new devices. Last week we reported that there would be a Find 5 Mini. Unfortunately this turns out to be spurious, according to an “OPPO representative” …
The already strong Samsung tablet range has expanded today with the addition of the ATIV Tab 3, a Window 8, 10.1 inch device with an Intel ATOM processor and 64GB hard disk. Samsung boast that this is the world thinnest tablet at only 8.2mm. ATIV Tab 3 Product …
Samsung’s launch event is throwing up some surprises; one of which is the Galaxy NX, an Android powered smart camera with 3G, 4G LTE and wi-fi connectivity. Big deal, I hear you cry, sounds like an updated Galaxy camera, right? Oh no, this one’s gone truly pro with …
If you’re a regular reader of Coolsmartphone you’ll have heard of the OPPO Find 5, if not then I suggest you: a) check it out and b) become a regular reader! The newly released handset is blessed with what is arguably the best 5-inch, full HD screen on …
Beauty is worth waiting for, according to Huawei who announced their new Ascend P6 Android phone yesterday in London. I was there to represent Coolsmartphone, which meant that I got to have a play! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, is a more common term. I …
The Vodafone Smart III is a budget Android phone (real name Alcatel 975), designed to introduce the world of smartphones to those who haven’t discovered it yet. It’s fun, colourful and comes with some innovative thinking behind it. However, does it justify its £95 price point on pay …
The Motorola X Phone seems to be a mythical beast. Ever since Google bought Motorola Mobility early last year there have been rumours of some sort of amazing Google phone being produced by Motorola. Would it be a Nexus? Will it be the most powerful phone ever? Will …
Asus look to be building on the success of their original Nexus tablet, if newly published FCC test results are to be trusted. They’ve been playing about with a tablet that’s referred to as the Nexus K900. Tech specs aren’t quite high-end, but still pretty juicy, pointing towards …
The Vodafone Smart III (aka Alcatel 975) is an entry level Android smartphone with an eye on those who want something a little different; something fun, functional and funky (you can have that one, Apple, if you’re after a tag-line for iOS7!). I’ve got one for a week, …
OK, lets try again! Ebay daily deals have served up a bit of a bargain in the form of Samsung 32GB Class 10 SDHC Pro Memory Cards for only £14.99 instead of their RRP of £49.99! We’ve heard rumours that the normally reliable Sandisk cards have been a …
OPPO aren’t a household name, but they’re starting a bit of a stir in the world of Android with the OPPO Find 5. Well, now it seems that there’s a little’n on the way – the Find 5 Mini. We’re still at the rumour stage with this one, but …
The BBC Weather app is the latest in a growing arsenal of high quality Android tools from the Big British Castle. I’ve had many weather apps over the years. Many have been terrible and most concentrate any premium features on the States. The BBC have kept things simple …
OPPO are an unkown quantity to many in the UK. It’s no surprise then that the launch of their latest flagship, the Find 5, was virtually undetected. I saw it on their web store and was so intrigued that I spent my own hard earned 399 Euros (about …
The OPPO Find 5 is the Android phone with a 5″ full HD screen that costs only 399 Euros. It has the potential to be a giant killer, but it wasn’t available in Europe until last week, and it crept in beneath the radar of most people even …
What do you do if you share a car with someone who has a different phone to you, but you both want to use a car kit when driving? Get a universal phone mount, of course, Einstein! But which one? Ah, now that’s a little more tricky. The …
The Vice President of Android Product Management at Google, Hugo Barra, has been revealing some secrets about the HTC One Google Edition (the One running stock Android rather than the HTC Sense skin). Whilst speaking with Nilay Patel from fellow tech site The Verge, Hugo slipped the as …
Huawei have always done budget phones well, and as of next week Talk Talk will be boosting their choice of entry level Androids with the Ascend Y210 and Ascend G510. They’ve also bagged Huawei’s MediaPad 7 Lite budget tablet. The G510 comes in at £10 per month, and …
The Huawei Ascend W2 has been a long time coming, but there’s now pictorial evidence to say that it’s imminent. Serial leaker @evleaks has posted a press render of the phone, which looks rather funky. It’s got the obligatory brightly coloured back, and standard Windows Phone layout, but …
If ever there was a business in need of an analyst it’s HTC right now. It seems that the one who’s taken on the role this time has a rather big gob and has leaked their plans for the next couple of quarters. She’s very positive though! Laura …
OPPO Style are the new kids on the European block, but it seems like they’re making the right impression, because only two days after they launched their European web store they’ve already doubled their warranty period to two years. In a press release (below) they state that customers …
OK, which butterfingers in the Samsung UK web team put the S4 Mini image live on the site before the announcement? Yes, Samsung have inadvertently published a picture of a Galaxy S4 Mini on their own app store. It’s been taken down now, but when browsing apps and …
