Category: Android

Five reasons to buy a Chromecast (or another one)

Unbelievably, I’ve had my Chromecast for a couple of years now. Despite my TV and a set-top box having the ability to show stuff from my phone, I still default to the Chromecast. It sits wedged into a random HDMI port on the back of my TV and …

Acer Predator 8 tablet – Hands on & Gaming demo

The Acer Predator 8 is a device we have seen a few times now, but up until now I have not really had a good chance to have a play with it. That all changes today as I am in Belfast with #acerliveblog2016 and they have let me …

Android Pay Entering the UK – Soon

There’s been signs & symptoms of the impending intro of Android Pay into the UK. It’s been in the US for some time and iPhone users have been treated with their phone pay system since last July in the UK. There have been reports of sticky signs popping …

Huawei add the P9 Lite to their portfolio

As you can see in the review we are pretty big fans of the Huawei P9. It now seems that Huawei is going to be making a bigger push into the UK market than we first thought. Coming very soon to a network near you is the P9 …

Win with Honor

Honor have a competition on right now. Perhaps it’s to find the letter “U” from their name. Who knows. What I can tell you is that they’re giving away some limited edition flip cases (they look a bit like this but more .. errr.. limited edition-ee) and some …

Vodafone announce Prime 7 and First 7

These days networks are producing their own devices to go on sale at a more affordable price. Vodafone is a key example of this with their great value devices already on sale such as the Ultra and Prime 6. Today the network announce two upgrades to the range …

Xiaomi’s Mi Max launched

I am a fan of big screened phones this is something that I don’t try to hide at all. One of my favourite devices of all time was the Xperia Z Ultra from Sony, I have owned 3 of them in the past. I just really liked the size …

EE launch the Jay

Back in the 90’s there was a group called Jamiroquai headed up by Jay Kay. He used to date Denise Van Outen too. Oh, and he owns loads of sports cars. Lucky, lucky blighter. Anyhoo. EE have named a tablet after him and, somehow, I though that the …

Upcoming modular handset from Moto too?

Rumours have been floating around cyber space regarding the 2016 versions of the Moto G. However, a new leak is pointing at a modular Moto X. Yes, another modular phone on the horizon. We are hoping to see this one released over the sunny part of the year. …

Possible Oneplus 3 images leaked

Yes I was one of those people that jumped on the invitation merry-go-round to buy the OnePlus One. Oh, and guess what. I did there same a year later for the OnePlus Two. I love OnePlus devices so, when here at Coolsmartphone towers we had a sniff of …

Swytch now offers a weekly mobile deal

You may have already heard about Swytch. Just grab the app and you can instantly have additional mobile numbers piped through to your phone. You can have a line for your business or one for friends. There’s no commitment and, provided you have a fast data connection or …

HTC announces first quarter loss

I’ve got a HTC 10 in my hands right now and, I must say, it’s a strong bit of kit. Whether this phone knows just how much is riding on it is another question though, as the HTC figures (released today) put a lot of emphasis on this …

Three change their mind – The LG G5 arrives

When we were in Barcelona ogling over the LG G5, we were contacted by most of the usual networks to say that they were ranging it. However… we noticed someone who wasn’t coming to the LG party. Three. We got in touch, and they told us that they …

Vodafone now selling the Huawei P9 on the cheap too

Consider, for a moment, the fact that the Huawei P9 (unlocked) is £449 to buy on the Huawei store. Now, if you head across to the Vodafone site, you can get the phone on Pay as you go for just £300! Don’t forget that that giffgaff are also selling …

Huawei P9 now available at giffgaff

How does £17.06 per month sound for a top-end phone on a 2 year deal? Well, even with the addition of a £10 monthly goodybag on giffgaff it’s still pretty good. The Huawei P9, which we’ve already looked at in detail, is available to buy out-right on the …

Is HTC finally about to release a smartwatch?

This has got to be one of the longest-running rumours of the tech world. The first suggestions that HTC were working on some sort of smart wearable surfaced back in 2014, when a picture of this appeared online: Even by 2014 standards it wasn’t the most glamorous of …

Minecraft on Gear VR

  Minecraft. Everyone in the world seems to be on it. It’s getting more interesting now, especially for the ones looking at a more immersive ways of playing the game. How does it sound to be in the middle of the world you’ve just built, or exploring a …

Google’s making Android Wear Mode straps

    Google has recently announced that it is making straps for nearly all the Android Wear variants out there. It’s called ‘Mode’. Not sure why. Not happy with providing only software for the Wear devices, Google has now ventured out into the hardware side of things for …

Player FM update brings cool new functionality

Podcasts have exploded in popularity since they first came onto the scene in the early 2000’s. The move to smartphones and busy lifestyles with commuting, has only increased this popularity to the extent that phones seem to have become the main medium for consuming them. In such an environment, a good …

Blocking nuisance calls – CPR Call Blocker now in an app

Remember the CPR Call Blocker that we reviewed some months back? That gadget plugs into your home phone and, with the help of an in-build database and a one-button blocking system, you could get rid of nuisance callers. However, it’s not just your home phone that gets those …

Chromecast Audio, back again for £15

Hey you Coolsmartphoners! If you guys and gals have been out in the wilderness over the Bank Holiday weekend partying, here’s a great deal that might not have caught your bleary eyes. The ever-fantastic Chromecast Audio is out there for a mere 15 quid again, if you missed …

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge – Case reviews

Choosing your next smartphone is a big decision. With different storage options, colours and sizes now available it can be no easy choice to make. However, protecting your phone can be just as important, and this gets even more complicated with the hundreds of options available to keep …

LG Stylus 2 first DAB radio equipped smartphone coming to O2

UK carrier O2 has announced they are going to exclusively carry the new LG Stylus 2, which is the first smartphone with DAB radio support*, meaning you’ll be able to enjoy your favorite radio stations without using your data allowance. The device is available right now on O2 …

Will.i.am adds totally free music to his new dial watch

Want music but don’t want to pay for it? If you get a dial watch from Three then that’s exactly what you can get. Now, before we start, be prepared for some names and references that musical mad-man will.i.am has made up. The “dial” watch, from “i.am+” runs …

ChatSim Review

I saw these guys at Mobile World Congress and their offering is certainly an interesting one, and remarkably simple too.. Start with the ChatSim chat plan. It’s €10 a year and this will let you send unlimited and free text messages and emoji anywhere in the world. Wait …

It’s the random next Nexus maker guessing game

Wow. That’s a headline isn’t it. As I sit back and re-read it, it almost hurts my head. Anyhow, rumour has it (#Adele) that HTC will be making a couple of Nexus handsets which are currently known as the M1 and S1. They’ll run Google N. The rumour …

Get the S7 for the right price

If you’re thinking about getting the Samsung Galaxy S7 and want to see some of the best deals available, head across to MobilePhones Direct. You can get the handset on networks like Vodafone for £34 with 2GB data (unlimited for the first couple of months) and unlimited texts …

Nexus 6P now £70 off

OK, weird one this. If you want to get yourself a brand new Google Nexus 6P, just head to the Google Play Store. It’s easy. It’s marked up at £449 for the 32GB version, £499 for the 64GB one and £579 for the 128GB version. Trouble is, all …

Huawei P9 now up for pre-order on EE

Did you like the look of the new Huawei P9? Did you see our video review? Are you ready to order it? Good news people, because it you’re aiming for EE, you can get the 32GB P9 for absolutely nothing on £30.99 plans. That’ll get you 1GB of …

EE announce white S7 and edge exclusive

UK network EE has just sent out a press release confirming they will be exclusively offering the Samsung S7 and S7 Edge in white starting in May. These two devices are some of the most powerful and popular on the market today. Now, with the introduction of a …

DEWALT announce a tough phone too

Creating a tough smartphone is something a number of companies have already tried. Over the years we’ve seen Energizer, JCB and CAT have all released smartphones which can survive the bumps and knocks of working life. Now DEWALT are having a go at it too, and the dual-SIM …

Bitcasa shuts their cloud storage offering

See? This is what gets me about cloud storage. You can spend hours, days, months and years uploading your treasured memories to an online drive, only for the provider in question to shut up shop. You’re then left scrambling around trying to find a new provider, or buying …

WiFi Calling on unlocked Galaxy S7 handsets

We love your mails. We love them. Lee Taylor has just got in touch because he’s got himself a Samsung Galaxy S7 edge from Amazon. Lucky him. He’s got £580 washing about and he’s bought himself a very swish smartphone indeed. Anyhoo.. once you’ve got one of these …

A “More Playful” interface for your LG G5

I don’t know about you, but the one thing I want more than anything is a playful interface. I mean, an interface alone is great, but let’s make it a playful one eh? Let’s make it fun. Let’s make it lively, cheerful, impish and a little bit frisky …

Choetech 3 port charger with Type C – Review

  The thing with new types of power standards and connectors is that you soon realise you need more than one charger, because all your old ones don’t fit your new phone or tablet. This is exactly the case with the switchover to USB type C socket for me, …

Android apps finally heading to Chrome OS?

When we cover live events you’ll usually find that a Chromebook is involved. We do pretty much everything on the web now, and the little Samsung we tend to take has a battery life which will see us through even really long launches. Getting Android apps to work …

ZUK Z2 Pro announced, some really great specs too

I like the look of this one and, despite the fact that we don’t have all the pricing just yet, Lenovo’s ZUK have justv created a quite a tasty looking flagship. They revealed the 5.2″ 1080p Super AMOLED handset at an event in China and it’s powered by …

OnePlus having a spring sale

Here at Coolsmartphone Towers we love a good bargain or two, and we have just had this land across our desk. If you an owner of a OnePlus device be it a OnePlus One, Two or X, head over to the OnePlus store. There’s discounts to be had …

New data reveals contrast between Google Play and iOS app stores

Statistics can often be skewed to serve a particular purpose, but new data just released about the relative numbers of downloads and amount of money generated by the Google Play and Apple iOS app stores make for interesting reading.  The most obvious points from the above graphs, which …