Category: General

My Phone History – James Eley

Being one of the babies of the Coolsmartphone team my phone history is considerably less impressive than Jamie’s museum of mobile tech!!! The first phone I ever owned had a colour screen and if I remember correctly I saved up my £2 a week pocket money for ages …

Will HTC slash its prices?

HTC devices have always had a premium cost, the quality of the craftsmanship has always made this mandatory when buying a HTC. This may no longer be the case if those Chinese sources are to be believed. It’s being talked about that HTC are planning to lower the …

My Phone History – Jamie Ryan

A few months ago I figured out that since 1999 I’ve owned more than 170 phones. I’m going to tell you a little about some of the ones that stick out most for me. The chronology might be a little wonky. This is the first phone I ever …

4G – What and Why….

Over the last couple of  days you may have heard and read alot of coverage regarding 4G and the fact that Everything Everywhere have been granted a license for Britain’s first 4G network. When discussing this with people who love their smartphone but aren’t really followers of the …

Mobile Banking – Do YOU Dare??

The number of smartphones in use around the world is growing everyday and the functionality that they offer is growing with it.  Things that previously could only be done at home or on a visit to the local high street can now be done on the move, be …

Ask us a question for our podcast

We are approaching episode 11 of our Podcast, so far it has been an enjoyable challenge for most of us,  although hearing your own voice is always a bit odd for the first time. If all goes to plan we will be recording it tonight for publishing tomorrow …

Spigen SGP Ultra Capsule Samsung Galaxy Nexus case review

The second case we have to review today is the Spigen SGP Ultra Capsule case. The Ultra Capsule is a TPU case. TPU stands for Thermoplastic polyurethane which is a flexible, hard wearing, strong and transparent material. That makes it ideal for phone cases. The case is well …

Spigen SGP Neo Hybrid Samsung Galaxy Nexus case review

Choosing a phone case is almost as hard a choice to make as the initial choice over the phone. You can buy cheap soft rubbery silicone ones, harder flexible TPU ones, two part cases that make your phone look like a piece of military equipment and then you …

Orange-T Finally Semi-Official; Branding Confusion Begins

Six months ago, Everything Everywhere said it would never happen. Now, the day after OFCOM gave approval for EE to use its existing 1800 MHz spectrum for 4G use ahead of the long awaited 4G Spectrum auction, the cat has been let out of the bag. In a …

My Phone History – By Simon Allum

So after the chat about old phones in the most recent podcast it got us all talking (behind the scenes) about all the phones we have had through the years. So, inspired by that, a few of us have put together our phone history! So, here we go… Motorola M3188 …

My Phone History – By Stephen Murray

Today it is the turn of Stephen Murray to share with us his phone history. Panasonic GD30 This, as far as I can remember, was my first phone. Battery life was pretty good, and it did everything I needed it to. How times have changed! Nokia 3210 Ahhh, …

Ofcom approve Everthing Everywhere to deliver 4G very soon

Ofcom have today approved Everything Everywhere to deliver 4G from September this year. Which means T-Mobile and Orange will be able to offer super fast mobile broadband very soon. Obviously you will need a compatible handset, but this is great news for the consumer. What it means for …

Galaxy Note 10.1 now on sale

CarphoneWarehouse and Expansys are now selling the Galaxy Note 10.1 Expansys models start at £404.99 for the Wifi only version (including delivery), whilst at CarphoneWarehouse the base 16gb model is £399.99 with free delivery. Expansys also have the 3G model for £484.99 including delivery. Links – CarphoneWarehouse and …

My Phone History – by Nick Plain

Continuing last weeks theme of “My Phone History”, today we go with Nick Plain. Who wins the award for owning the worst looking phone ever with that Alcatel. Here is Nicks history. Nokia 5146 I spent a lot of time choosing my first phone and contract. My two …

Spigen SGP Linear EX Case for iPhone 4/4S Review

The Linear EX series from Spigen SGP is a 2 part bumper case available in a variety colours, allowing you to mix and match your styles. I’ve been using them for the last few days and this is my review. The first thing you have to do when …

What I hope Nokia announce on the 5th of September

The 5th of September is going to be make or break time for Nokia. They are due to announce their new range of Windows Phone 8 powered Lumias. A lot of people will be watching this event with great interest. We have most corners of the tech world …

My Phone History – by Neil Deadman

It was 1997. I was 18 (soon to be 19) and had no real interest in getting a mobile phone. That all changed when my brother came home with a Nokia 5110. The very next day I went out and got my first mobile phone, so as not to …

Install Flash Even Though It’s Dead with Flash Downloader

This maybe the simplest app you’ll ever use, but use it quick while you still can. As Leigh reported in his post declaring the death of Flash, the Android Play Store no longer contains Flash as an installable app as the final nails were put in its coffin. …

Three offer up some new SIM Free deals

Three have announced a range of new SIM only plans. The most interesting out of their new offering are the Ultimate Internet SIM 200 plan at £12.90 or The One Plan at £25.00 are both available on a one-month rolling contract. Also there is the Essential Internet SIM …

My Phone History – by Tom Ranson

So after the chat about old phones in the most recent podcast it got us all talking (behind the scenes) about all the phones we have had through the years. So, inspired by that, a few of us have put together our phone history! So, here we go… My first …

My Phone History – by James Pearce

Last week on the podcast we touched upon our old phones and how little they did. We decided to document our history of mobiles. Over the next week or so a few of the writers here will publish something similar. Starting with me. My first ever mobile I …

iPad Case Review – The Pong

This week we’ve been given a number of iPad cases to test. This one seems to have stuck to the iPad the most so far – it’s the Pong, or just “Pong”. What’s special about it? Is it the fact that it’s presented in a posh white box? …

Ascend P1 coming to Vodafone on PAYG

No indication on price just yet, but the most recent Vodafone catalogue shows the handset as coming to both Pay As You Go and Contract. Previously we had only seen the phone on contract, and we’re guessing that this slim stock-Android phone will be pretty flippin’ cheap too. …

BBC Top Gear News App Now Available For All Platforms

At the risk of sounding sexist, ask a man what his main interests are and outside of women and beer the answer for the vast majority would be gadgets and cars. Hopefully we here at Coolsmartphone bring you your fill of phone related gadgets and now we can …

Samsung Exynos 5 Dual processor details released!

The Exynos 5  is the new processor from Samsung and this is one very powerful System on Chip! The new chipset features a pair of Cortex-A15 cores for a new level of mobile power. The SoC itself is built on 32nm production techniques and this particular version rocks …

Just how quickly can you text?

This 17-year old chap is called Austin Weirschke from Queens. The New Yorker has received a cheque for $50,000 after becoming the fastest texter in America. Austin won the LG-sponsored competition after having to memorise and type phrases on a sliding QWERTY phone. He also had to type …

A new dawn…

I’ve spent over a decade writing about phones now. However, in the last couple of years we’ve expanded the team here at Coolsmartphone quite significantly. We now have a fantastic weekly Podcast, opinion pieces and talented authors ready to pounce on news as it breaks. But something needs …

Three Euro Internet Pass Review

It has been a while since we reviewed a mobile service however as I am a Three UK customer and jetting off to Madrid and Austria for 11 days, it seems like a good opportunity to review a service that I will be using daily and that is …

Huawei WS320 WLAN Repeater review

A WiFi Extender? Are we really going to review it? Yes we are. Last week I received an email like many others, advertising the Huawei WS320 WLAN Repeater. At first I went to delete it, I really couldn’t be bothered to get one and spend hours banging my …

Help stick a red nose on Mount Everest

Daniel Hughes will be heading up Mount Everest to try and place a red nose on the summit next May. He’s asking a million people to donate £1 each to raise £1 million for Comic Relief. HTC are the lead sponsor, and will be provideding equipment to help …

Lookout Launches Smartphone Family Guide

The mobile security company Lookout have launched a new guide for parents whose children use or want a smartphone. The guide entitled “Generation Smartphone: A Guide for Parents of Tweens and Teens” has been produced in conjunction with The Online Mom and outlines the important steps that parents can take to prepare their …

Tethering removed from Full Monty plans

The T-Mobile “Full Monty” plans were introduced after Three scooped up many data-hungry customers with their “One Plan”. The initial press release from T-Mobile clearly stated that… Customers signing up to the Full Monty 24 month plan … can use their mobile internet for whatever they like – …

Samsung Galaxy Note Vehicle Dock Kit review

We all know quite how big the Samsung Galaxy Note is. A car dock for such a beast is also going to have to be pretty sizeable. When the Vehicle Dock arrived I was shocked, the box was massive, what on earth had I ordered? Luckily upon opening …

Planning a break? Keep an eye on your phone.

I’m just sitting back in the office chair after visiting the Olympic Games in London. It’s a spectacular event, filled with pride and happiness. Down in the London Underground things seemed to be coping well too and it was filled with tourists visiting the various events. However, I …

London 2012 – Can you report using just a smartphone?

Just a few days ago I set myself a challenge. Using only a smartphone, would it be possible to run a website, updating posts, answering emails and responding to tweets? Is it then possible to go mobile, reporting on the biggest event happening right now in London? Snapping …