Category: iOS

giffgaff knock down iPhone prices

Get an iPhone from giffgaff and you get a contract-free and network-free handset. Not only that, but until Wednesday you’ll be getting the iPhone for less than normal too. They’ve reduced prices but, as with any January sale, you’ve got to be quick to get them at this …

Something about the new Star Wars movie and BB8 ringtones

Warning – Someone told us that there were some Star Wars BB8 iPhone ringtones available to download (plus the Android ones here). That’s all there is to it really, but we couldn’t really write a news post that was just one paragraph, so I was asked to “pad …

New Year, new iPhone 7 rumours

While the tech world has been rather obsessed with CES this week, fresh rumours have emerged from China about the iPhone 7.  Apple normally adopts a 2 year cycle of introducing new handsets, with the years in between saved for iterative updates.  If that pattern is to be …

Strava user has his bikes stolen as home address is revealed

It’s something we’ve reported on before, but sadly someone else has fallen victim after having his bikes pinched. It’s a double-edged sword at times, with people wanting to challenge each other and share their achievements, but you do need to protect yourself. Strava, the activity tracking app and …

What can parents do to save their kids from Cyber Bullying?

I’m conscious that, as my kids hit their teenage years, it becomes a pretty complicated phase in life. As parents we didn’t really have many of the problems that children have today. They’re now connected to the web and a lot of interaction is done online. We didn’t …

A few apps to keep you busy over the Christmas break

It’s Christmas, so that will probably mean that you’re heading off to see relatives. Amongst the gifts, the food and the TV, there’s definitely going to be a period where everyone will sit down and generally fall asleep on the sofa. Although we do tend to concentrate on …

A little extra Christmas cash is always welcome

Yes, it’s that time of year again and we’re all a little bit short on cash right now. I think this year I’ve been a little too sensible and I’ve actually bought all my gifts already, meaning that my bank balance – and any cash set aside for …

It’s Christmas! We road test SwiftGift

I tend to leave the whole present-buying stuff a little late, so shopping online is definitely my preferred way of buying gifts. However, if you’ve forgotten the address of the person you’re buying for, you don’t really know where they’re going to be, or you’ve plain just forgotten …

Duet Display updated to support the iPad Pro

First launched a year ago and designed by Ex-Apple Engineers, Duet Display is an iOS App you need if you require dual monitor support, especially whilst on the move. Simply purchase the App for £7.99 from Apple’s App Store in addition to downloading the free desktop client (Windows …

Google Play Music family plan now available in the UK too.

If you like your tunes and the rest of your family does, have a look at this. Right here in the UK you can now get the Google Play Music family plan. You become the “family manager” and basically become responsible for the billing. Then everyone in your …

Cortana is bridging the OS gap UPDATE

Those of us who use Siri and Google Now will be familiar with the difficulties and idiosyncrasies of using a voice assistant. They sometime work and sometimes….. they don’t. They struggle with regional accents (if you are a Brummie or Glaswegian, you get me). Sometimes they are just …

iPhone 6 users get VoLTE on Three

iPhone 6 handsets are currently receiving the new iOS 9.2 update, but it’s not just a new font or a patch. There’s also a little surprise inside in the shape of a carrier settings update. This will let Three users access VoLTE via a new setting in the …

Apple releases iPhone battery case

The achillies heel of the modern smartphone is battery life, hence the multitude of battery packs and third-party battery boosting cases flooding onto the market. It’s solved a problem, but you’ve had to get that solution from elsewhere. Now Apple has finally decided to step into the battery …

Whats the point of launch events?

It probably hasn’t escaped your attention that there have been multiple events in the last few months. Apple started the rollercoaster unveiling the new iPhones & iPads. This was closely followed by a Google event unveiling its new Nexus phones (Nexii?) Chromecasts etc. There was also an LG …

Christmas Tree Lights Slow Down Your WiFi

Double checking the date to ensure its not April the 1st, today Ofcom warns Christmas Tree Lights can slow down your home WiFi and have released a smartphone App that allows you to check your connection. The app tests WiFi signals to ensure data flows uninterrupted between your …

Want to test a new type of bank?

This is new. Mondo is a new bank. A new type of bank and a new way of banking too. It’s designed more to help you with your life rather than controlling it, and they’re anti-fees, anti-tech clunkiness and anti-the legacy banks. Instead of most banks, where austere …

How has the release of the iPhone 6S affected shares?

As with all new announcements by Apple, the launch of the iPhone 6s in September generated a great deal of hype among consumers. However, whether you have knowledge of spread betting and trading terms or not, the overall impact on the company’s share price offers us all an …

18 fun little games I’ve tried

Do you love gaming, but are looking for some new games to pass the time? You can get started for free at Grizzly. In the meantime, have a look at 18 of the addictive little games I’ve tried that you may not have heard of. Monsters Ate My …

Additional US numbers and a local presence from flyp

Yesterday I was banging on about making international calls and ways to keep in touch with people that are far away. This is flyp, an app which give you a free US phone number on your smartphone. The app lets you call and text any other American number …

5 Reasons to buy an iPhone 6S over a Samsung Galaxy S6

OK, that’s a massive click-bait title, granted. However, let’s be honest, for many years there has been rivalry between Samsung and Apple. Now that Samsung has now brought us the S6, the battle just got a little more heated. Both tech giants are at the top of their …

Get your HUKD on for Black Friday

While I’m not a firm favourite of the idea of yet another day dedicated to spending money, we’ve got to admit that HotUKDeals (HUKD) has continually saved us some dosh on the things we were already going to have to splash out cash on more than one occasion. …

How to get the iPad Pro experience for £186

This is my iPad 2. It’s quite old now and it’s pretty heavy. It has a 9.7″ LED IPS screen at 1024×768 and 132 ppi. It has a 1GHz dual-core Apple A5 CPU and there’s 16GB of storage on board. You can get one for about £150 on …

Google slips YouTube Music app into stores

Remember Google Play All Access, Mountain Views Competitor to Spotify and Apple Music? Remember that since Google never ever releases just one version of a product, as it always seems to want to compete against itself, that it brought out YouTube Music key? It went one step further …

Apple iPad Pro Smart Keyboard – You can only buy the US layout

Here in the UK our keyboards are slightly different. Indeed, if you travel around the world a bit you’ll notice that keyboard layouts differ depending which country you’re in. Differences between national keyboard layouts are mostly the placements of symbols on the character keys. Between the UK and …

iPad Pro goes on sale. Here’s which network is offering it

Fancy getting the new iPad Pro? It’s big. It’s got a really nice 12.9″ Retina screen but it’s a tad expensive and the keyboard seems to cost a lot too. That said, you’re about to see it popping up in lots of mobile phone stores up and down …

Big discount on iPhone and Android spy solution – XNSPY

Monitoring a phone might sound like a slightly strange idea, especially when people talk of “spy software”. However, there’s perfectly legitimate reasons for doing it, such as keeping an eye on your kids. XNSPY, which is available for both Android and iPhone, will let you know where your …

Scream for me Coolsmartphone!

Here is a game very close to my heart, as it combines smartphones and tablets with heavy metal! TeamRock are usually known for the Internet radio station and collection of music magazines from Metal Hammer, Classic Rock to Prog, covering every genre of rock music. Now they have …

WoWee MiPosaur unboxing

It’s coming up to Christmas – apparently there are only seven weeks left until the day. Because of this, here at Coolsmartphone Towers, we are getting lots of emails about Christmas gifts. This one stuck out for me as it looked pretty cool (I posted a story about …

Leo Privacy Guard for Mobile Devices – A quick overview

The Leo privacy guard for mobile devices is built for individuals who want to keep their mobile use private. Some of us don’t mind sharing our phones, but there’s probably a number of you who’d rather keep those personal photos and messages away from prying eyes. Sure, a …

Burger. Gimme burger. Me want burger. TGI Fridays app now updated

So, the restaurant emailed me and asked me to promote their app. They didn’t give me the link to the UK version, so accidentally found the American version of the apps first (iPhone one here and Android one here). Trouble is, what bothered me was the fact that …

Can your smartphone really improve your maths?

I’m currently spending quite a lot of my evening helping my son with his homework. Part of that is maths, and things have either changed a lot since I was at school or I’m just incredibly rusty. I’m perhaps the lazy one, not my son. I pick up …

iPhone 6S battery life depends on who made the chip.

Not long after the release of the new S variant of the iPhone, someone decided to take it all to pieces to have a looksee what all the hoo- har is about. Well, it appears that the A9 chip in Apple’s new iPhone 6s is manufactured by two …

Traffic Nation: Street Drivers Review

There is an abundance of car racing games available on both Google Play and Apple App Store. Traffic Nation: Street Drivers reminds me of racers who terrorise your Saturday nights in town and a 80s racing classic where you had to dodge cars because your car was faster …

Five reasons why you need a reading app

I’m not a massive fan of this time of year. The nights here in the UK are getting longer and the days are getting shorter, so I usually like to book a winter break – even if it’s a quick weekend away. Whether it’s a skiing holiday, a …

iPhone sales smash expectations

As expected, the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus handsets positively flew off the shelves. Despite reports of slightly smaller queues and perhaps less frenzied activity outside of stores, new sales records were broken and 13 million handsets have been sold just three days after launch. The handset, which …

What can the new iPhone 6S do for you?

Like the models before it, the new iPhone has outdone itself once again. Sure, there might not be a drastic change in the design. However, I for one can guarantee that you won’t be sorry with the phone, the operating system and all the new features. Apple has …

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 …

All the iPhone 6s and 6s deals – Right here

As you know, this weekend people will be rushing out to get the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. It went on sale yesterday so here is a rundown of the offers, pricing and additional value added extras available on the various UK networks. Vodafone If you decide to …

Picpal – Selfie sharing and merging, no matter where you are!

Taking a selfie. It’s a term that seems to have taken the world by surprise and, whether you’re at the beach, in the pub or at a restaurant, you’ll see people grouping together to take that all-important selfie shot. What’s great about this, of course, is that you’ve …