Category: Gadgets & Tech
Our daily dose of Kickstarter pleas usually go into a box marked “meh”. Some are pretty dull, and they almost make us want to add our Kickstarter Campaign for the “Coolsmartphone Readers Beer Bus”. This one, though, jumped out of our crowded mailbox and has caught the imagination …
The weather is quite varied these days, you may have noticed! Keeping on top of what the weather is doing is achievable through a variety of methods, be it looking out of the window, actually going outside, using a forecast app or using the Archos Weather Station (other …
From the Google Play Store that is. If you either love Android Wear (me) or hate it (James) it appears that one of the first Android Wear devices, the Samsung Galaxy Gear Live has now disappeared from the Google Play Store, no fire sale, nada, nothing, just gone …
Last year we took a look at a company called iMend who repair tablets and phones. We gave them a rather poorly iPad to look at which had a broken button surround and cracked screen. However, they don’t just do iPads. They do iPhones, Samsung and other devices …
We heard about this gadget a short while ago. It is, in effect, a really long smartphone holder. Imagine the holder in your car, but with an almost 65cm reach. First of all, don’t try sticking this in your car. It’s far too long at it’d stick out …
You young kids might call it “bantz” now, but I was having a “discussion” on Twitter with a few people about the in-building penetration provided by networks operating on 900MHz. The likes of O2 and Vodafone both seem to get through the walls of my home but, using …
Those of you who follow the site ay remember me reviewing the Enerplex Packr Solar Rucksack. It was the bag I took to MWC 2015 with my and it proved to be very useful as it was able to carry a ridiculous amount of gear and was still …
Hey, wanna know something? If you’ve ever been in the passenger seat of a car when it’s raining heavily on the motorway, try holding your phone up and take a picture. You’ll probably find that the preview screen affords you a better view of the road than your …
I have a small child and he can be a handful at times. Back when he was younger we were able to pop him into the car and I could guarantee the motion of driving would send him to sleep. Ahh those were magical days…. However now he …
Back in the old days, when I used to construct this site on a daily basis using Microsoft Frontpage (yes, feel my pain), I used to make the odd mistake. Now I’m all professional and dat. It’s rare for you to find me spilling anything inkorrectly. However, sometimes …
I reviewed the Google Cardboard some time ago. It was £2 and is (obviously) made from cardboard. It’s a virtual reality headset which uses your phone as the screen. This one, which isn’t made of cardboard but has a similar design, is £29.95. You buy this, slap your …
In a time when every news site and blogger wants to be first out the door with news, having the right equipment is more important than ever. As a mobile blogger myself and someone who likes to share news, I normally take a mobile phone for tethering use …
Beyond accessing radio stations through apps on my iPhone, internet radio was a new concept that I had never really considered. So, when I was given to opportunity to test the Grace Digital Mondo Internet Radio, I was keen to see what it offered. Complete with a catalogue …
I’ve become a bit of a fan of the Rock Jaw headphones. They’re premium quality build, excellent sound and yet they don’t cost the earth. We’ve already reviewed their Hydra headphones, the Arcana ones and the Alfa Genius set. All of them received glowing reviews and they delivered …
Following on from the announcement of the latest flagship from LG, two of the largest UK independent retailers have today started taking pre-orders for device. The G4 appeared just yesterday, with the launch attended by our very own Leigh. You can catch up on his LG G4 overview …
A few years ago I was a big online gamer (ooooohh yes, I remember the days of online gaming with a 56k modem. Quake and Unreal Tournament come to mind..). Anyway, my gaming came to a halt about 6 years ago, which funnily coincides with the birth of …
Some time ago I carried out a review of the Inateck iPad sleeve. Inateck have contacted me this morning to let me know of a deal they currently have running on their Amazon Paperwhite Sleeve Case. The sleeve is made from a soft grey felt type material with …
The stylish LG Urbane smartwatch is also on sale from Clove. Earlier today we saw it appear on Google Play. Clove Technology has the watch in stock now ready for delivery. Retailing at £260 you will receive the luxurious Android Wear-powered smartwatch from LG with the following specs.. …
You’ve got £259.99, right? You don’t need that new TV. No, you need a watch my friend. A smartwatch. This is one we got the full sweaty hands-on with (or should that be ”wrist-on”?) In Barcelona at Mobile World Congress. It’s available in silver or gold (and I …
The Phone Buddy is a simple idea that caught my eye recently at The Gadget Show Live 2015 event. One of the problems I frequently encounter is horrendously tangled headphone wires. Whenever I put (ok throw) my headphones into my bag they always come out in a knotted mess, …
Following last year’s Gadget Show (2014), I was sent a Qi wireless charging car kit and charging pad from Mobile Solar Chargers, which really impressed me. The review can be read here. A short while ago, Tim from the site contacted me again with a multitude of goodies …
I’m sitting in my happy place at the minute, because I’ve read this press release a few times now and I’m still not entirely sure what Liquidmorphium is. Part of me believes that it’s something Superman is allergic to, or perhaps it’s something that the Pengiun used against …
It’s another day and the review kit is coming thick and fast. Today we have the ZTE Blade S6 4G, an affordable Android Lollipop phone sitting in the mid level price bracket (currently £189 on Amazon). The phone is available now, and we had a brief hands on …
This entire site started way back in 2002 when Orange launched the SPV. It was an own-branded smartphone manufactured by a little known (and little-mentioned) company called “HTC”. Now EE, who have swallowed up Orange (and T-Mobile), are launching two new smartphones – the Harrier and Harrier Mini. …
A short time ago, we reported that network provider EE were giving away a power bar to customers, and would exchange a “empty” one with a “topped up” in store. Well, it appears that the promotional idea has been taken up by the bargain hunting British public, with the …
On the 23rd of April 2015 the OnePlus One is one year old (to many ones there), and today OnePlus announced that the hoop jumping invite system ( I know I was a hoop jumper, but to be fair I love my OnePlus one) to buy the device …
We had a bit of a dig into the Terms and Conditions of the free EE Power Bars and, well, it’s all a little strange. The PDF actually states that… A Power Bar is made available to you on a free to hire basis, under the terms of …
If you’ve followed us for a while then you’ll already know that EE are giving away free portable chargers to their customers. Yesterday was “go” day and queues formed in EE stores around the UK as customers. At this point I’m going to do a classic “local newspaper” …
There are a vast number of fitness products available on the market, each trying to stand out from the crowd with its own target audience. I’ve tried a number of products in the past and had some success, but ultimately having to use a mix of ecosystems and …
A couple of weeks ago we revealed that EE were to dish out powerbanks for nothing. If you’re an EE customer today is the day to get texting if you want one. All you need to do is text “POWER” to 365 to receive a promotional code, then …
Last year I was sent through the TravelCard portable charger for review, which is a super slim battery pack designed to fit in your wallet and give your mobile device that all important boost when you need it. I loved the TravelCard charger and it sits happily in …
That’s right. A million. On day one. There are always going to be some people who aren’t into wearables, and there will be others who can’t quite buy into the Apple way of doing things, but there are enough people who think differently. In a report from Sllice …
After somewhat of a delay, Cyanogen have finally began the roll out of Cyanogen OS 12 the Android 5.0 based update for the OnePlus One. The update has all of Google’s features introduced in Android 5.0 including Google’s new Material Design. As always the Cyanogen team, have included tweaks …
The quality of camera phones is generally very good, especially on high end models. However, with a few exceptions, significant changes in magnification normally requires software-based image manipulation when on a smartphone. There are a few options available for altering lenses on phones, and one that impressed me …
Remember that new Chromebook Pixel we talked about recently? The one with the updated processor and also 2 x USB C ports? Well if the techlust takes ahold of you and you decide you can’t live without having that 3:2 ratio, 12.85” screen, 2560 x 1700 pixel at …
Following my visit to this years Gadget Show Live show, I’m going to share my views on those products that impressed me the most. As listeners to our podcast will be aware my favourite product came in the unexpected form of a smartphone case. Traditionally I’ve always preferred …
Over recent years The Gadget Show Live Exhibition has become one of major consumer technology shows on the calendar, attracting thousands of visitors through its doors. The appeal of the show is obvious – a great venue in the Birmingham NEC, access to the TV shows presenters and …
Home automation is something that is only really limited by your imagination, possibly what accessories you can buy and possibly also by how much money you have. You get the idea though…. One of the more intriguing things I saw at MWC was the Piper NV, it is …
I do get some very odd emails here at Coolsmartphone, and daily you’ll find an email from some random Chinese manufacturer sitting in my inbox. Usually these are to sell Bluetooth speakers, keyboards or GPS trackers. For some reason they think I’m a buyer for a UK store, …
iFit is one of the most popular fitness brands, and today they have formally announced that their services will be integrated into the Sony SmartWatch 3. iFit provides a complete fitness ecosystem to try and mentor you to a healthier lifestyle and they partner with well-known companies such as …
