Category: Gadgets & Tech

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 …

In the USA, Tesla have recently upgraded some of their vehicles to include a self-driving mechanism. From what I’ve seen of the videos online, it can struggle somewhat with roads with worn-out lane markers or lots of curves but.. it’s still very interesting to watch. Here’s a bit …

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. …

Most kids, unfortunately, end up sat in front of a tablet for a portion of their day. Hopefully it isn’t for that long but, with Christmas on the horizon and more kids wanting to play games and apps, EE have release a child-friendly device called “The Robin” to …

I’ve given some of those Google Chromecast games a try in the past, but last night I stumbled across this – AirConsole. It’s something slightly different and will effectively give you a games console and a controller with a really quick and easy setup. You don’t need any …

Good Points: Well made and lightweight. Ability to transfer data and charge devices. Solves the issue of of small number of USB inputs in your laptop. Plug and play no drivers needed. Bad Points: Not a powered hub. Short cable to plug into computer. Design: Made out of high …

Strange day this. I’ve just written a story about how a watch can track your sexy times and now we’ve got the result – a baby! Now, stick with me for a bit, because I’m going to tell you a story. Some years ago I was sitting in …

  Despite the launch of the first two phones from OnePlus being, shall we say, less than smooth, (I know I had to jump through the invite hoops for both my OnePlus One and Two) the company are still struggling to to get the Two into customer’s hands. …

Right, I’m not going to say anything. I’m not going to say APPLE WATCH or type it in capital letters. I’m not going to mention that this ZGPAX S79 Bluetooth Smartwatch is just $25.74. That’s £16.87. £16.87?! That’s a touch cheaper than the Apple Watch isn’t it? Take …

Simple and easy this. It’s a miniature speaker for £13.99 which you plug into via a 3.5mm audio cable. It’s just like those amplifiers you’ll see on stage at rock concerts, but this mini amp speaker is powered by AA batteries or a USB port instead of directly …

Remember my Google Cardboard review? If I’m honest that headset did, eventually, fall apart. Mostly because of my bad construction. However, on a recent holiday my son went on a new type of ride which featured an Oculus Rift, as you can see above. It’s a gadget which …

Have you got a Nexus 6, 5 , 7, 9, or Nexus Player? If you have, it looks like now is the time for mashing the “check for updates” button. It appears that the latest version of Android is being sent out as an OTA update to those …

Heard about the new Microsoft launches yesterday? Sure, there was a new fitness band and a few new handsets, but it’s those high-powered handsets and the tricks they can do that matter. Microsoft, on the current Windows Phone platform, has a problem. No matter how you dress it …

Do you have a really big house and experience coverage problems from your WiFi unit? Well, invite me round. I’ll quite happily drink your beer and then fall asleep in one of your many bedrooms. You big show-off. If you’d rather not be out of range (and have …

I can feel things slipping now. First this site covered Microsoft smartphones, then Android, Apple and perhaps a few accessories. Now we’re getting all manner of connected gadgets. This particular pitch is from an operation called Response Electronics, who want you to know about all their rather clever …

Here is something a little different. Symetium, which is a Swedish based company, are looking to crowdfund their latest smartphone to get it market. It has been designed to remove the lines between mobile and desktop devices. This is being done by delivering desktop-class performance in a form …

Today Amazon started delivering their new tablet models to customers who had pre-ordered in the UK. I received my £49 Amazon Fire 7″ (2015), and this is my unboxing. Yes, you did read that correctly, it’s just £49. Specifications: quad-core processor and 1GB RAM 7″ 1024×600 display 8GB …

I’ve said this a few times before, but we really are starting to get some new and interesting things in the ‘ole Coolsmartphone inbox now. Today it’s this little magic water reminder thing (that’s my description anyway). It straps onto a water bottle and reminds you to drink …

It’s no secret that Blackberry’s hardware and build quality are second to none, but as of late the manufacturer has lost its “mojo” and sales continue to falter. This has been blamed on Blackberry’s own OS (Now at Blackberry OS 10.3.2), recent devices like the Blackberry Passport won …

It’s well-rumoured that Microsoft have a new handset or two just over the horizon, namely the Lumia 950 and the 950 XL. It’s believed these will be shown to the world at the beginning of next month at an event in New York. Well, on Forever Nokia Latinoamérica’s Facebook, they …

A minor bug-bear for us Brits can be the fact that we have to force technology to speak to us in proper English. If you use Word, you’ll need to fiddle around to switch it to “English UK” and we have to put up with devices called “Honor” …

Boosting your battery back up is a daily task. Here we have a charger from aLLreLi. It’s ideal for travellers as there’s a stack of slot-in interchangeable plugs in the box. Here in the UK I’m obviously using the UK adapter, but you get the EU plug, Australian …

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 …

Locking your house is something you still do with a key. However, when you’re locking your car you’ll probably zap it with a clever fob. Why, then, don’t we have something similar for our homes? Yale, those people who’ve been making locks and keys for quite some time, …

Garmin really don’t you to just go out and buy one of those GoPro cameras. They know a lot of people will, so they’re trying everything to get you to .. errmm.. not. Their new Garmin VIRB XE has something extra. It’s called “G-Metrix”, which adds information into …

Last years Nexus 6 was the first Nexus handset to have a maximum storage capacity of 64 GB. Before that, the maximum storage space that Google offered in a Nexus device was a measly 32 GB. As apps grow in size, (I remember when I though that 12 …

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 …

It looks like the wait is over. Google have sent out invites for their ‘Google Event’ on September 29th, at 9 a.m. PT (Pacific Time – that’s 5 p.m for us folks in Blighty and CSP Towers). We are expected to finally get a good look at the …

4 port USB wall charger. My night time ritual goes something like this.. Put the cat out Lock the doors Make sure all the windows are closed Walk around the house looking like Mr T from the A-Team with a multitude of charger leads and plugs round my …

Back in 2002, when I started this site, I was writing about one smartphone. It was a little tricky because, as you know, I was just a toddler back then and couldn’t type proper good like what I does now. However, times change and now we’re getting emailed …

OK, so you’ve got your clever Nest Thermostat. It’s working great and saving you money, but it can do so much more when it’s hooked into other clever gadgets. One such system is the Myfox Home Alarm. It’ll tie in with the Nest Thermostat and the Nest Protect …

Acer didn’t just have phones to release at the their event during IFA, they also unveiled the Predator Gaming Tablet… This is a very unique proposition. It is a tablet that has been designed primarily for gaming. It runs Android 5.1 on an Intel Atom X7 and is …

The connected fridge-magnet notification system known as Triby has appeared yet again. This time we’ve got some pricing, with Amazon offering it for $199 with deliveries beginning on October 30th. Here in the UK, although that works out at around £132, it’s £159 on Amazon.co.uk, but you can …

A couple of years ago we covered the original iKettle. The WiFi-enabled kettle allowed you to start boiling up a storm from the comfort of your armchair – saving vital minutes of TV viewing-time or basically letting you fire up the kettle for your tea while you’re still …

We’ve all seen those portable chargers. You boost them up from your wall charger, put them in your pocket and then you can transfer the charge to your smartphone to keep those much-needed tweets and Facebook updates rolling in. However, if you stick a solar charger onto one …

Here at IFA there are loads of companies pitching Smart Tech in various different forms. I was able to visit one such company this morning. They are called Tado and they are starting to become very popular in the energy-conscious society that we live in. As we are …

I am sitting writing this whilst waiting for my flight to board to go out to Berlin and I thought I would update you on what kit I am going to be using to bring you coverage of the event’s over the next few days. Here is an …

Watches look best when they’re round. At least, that’s the way Samsung sees it. Their new Gear S2 smartwatch has been unveiled here at IFA. There’s going to be two versions, including one with 3G connectivity baked in. The specs include a 1.2” Super AMOLED 360×360 circular screen …

Paying for goods and services has always been a simple process, but in recent years it’s seemingly become even easier. In the past, options essentially involved either cash or a cheque, yet debit and credit cards have swiftly become commonplace among cash and cheques, paving the way for …

Type C USB cables are a way off from being common and a very long way from being ubiquitous. But the idea, blazing USB 3 speeds with a plug that is reversible – sounds awesome. The McFlip takes you half-way there and, more importantly, it’s available now and uses the …