Category: General

Is the death knell sounding for Google Play Music ?

On 30th April this year, Google is planning to close down the “Artist Hub” of the Google Play Music service. “What’s the Artist Hub?” I hear those of you who use Google Play Music ask. The Artist Hub is a tool that allows smaller/independent artists to stream and …

Vodafone 5G trials at New Street

Trying out 5G is a little tricky because, put simply, none of us have 5G phones just yet. Now though, if you’re in and around Birmingham, you can try out 5G at Grand Central. Vodafone have invited people travellers to test 5G speeds as part of live trial …

MobileManDan…..signing off

This is a post I was holding off for a while, but feel today is the right day to make it official. After an incredible 9 years at CoolSmartPhone, today is the final post by me and it seems only fitting that it be a thank you and …

Huawei P30 Pro – My first week

Intro So it’s been just over a week now since I got back from Paris, and more importantly the Huawei P30 Pro launch I was invited along too with Huawei and some other journalists/bloggers. Having been using a Mate 20 Pro since the launch event at the end …

Pixel 2 & 2 XL official sales cease

If you are hankering after last year’s Google flagship from official channels i.e. Google’s own page, well it appears this can longer be done. If you pop over to the Google Store and search for either the Pixel 2 or the Pixel 2 XL, the devices are no …

More scarily good robots

Every now and again I take a look at the rather brilliant robots that are created by the teams at Boston Dynamics. This time they have some interesting industrial robots that counterbalance using a weight between their two wheeled legs. This is just a test of the automated …

The Wallet Slayer!

I’m perhaps a bit “old-school” because I still have a wallet. In recent years I’ve seen more and more people using a flip cases which has their debit and credit cards on the inside. With people using real cash less, they’re now just merrily tapping away with either …

When a mobile number for your business isn’t enough

Want to get your floor tiled? Or your bedroom wallpapered? Perhaps you want to have some other work done around the house? If so, you can look out for a local trader. There’s plenty advertised online, in local leaflets and – if you see van outside a neighbour’s …

New rural EE masts in North Yorkshire

Getting a mast put up is relatively easy if you’re in a major town or city. The biggest problem, as always, is planning consent and getting the land to build on. However, once you’ve done that it’s just a matter of getting some power, some clever kit and …

BT want to get into your lamp post

When 5G really starts rolling, you’re going to see a growth in smaller masts which cover high-usage areas. Because of this, and the need to also remove the not-spots of existing 4G coverage, BT want operators to have access to council-owned “street furniture”, such as lamp posts and …

An afternoon with a Tesla Model X

I was very lucky today that, thanks to David Wildman of Btekt, I was able to spend the afternoon with a Tesla Model X in stunning blue. The car is a true technological marvel, and it’s fair to say that I was very impressed with all the gadgetry and …

Get yourself a virtual personal trainer

Wanna get fit? Well, you could join a gym, but that can be pricey (I’m looking at you David Lloyd Leisure.. £100 a month!? Waahh??). So today marks the launch of, according to Kaia Health the “world’s first virtual personal trainer”. It uses unique motion tracking technology to …

Brexit – A quick editorial

Things are moving uncomfortably quickly here in Britain. It doesn’t matter whether you voted to Leave or to Remain, this mess is not what anybody was promised or expected. The situation, as I type, is that the “Theresa May Deal” is to come back, for a third time, …

Getting calls from 0300 200 3842 today?

It really wasn’t that long ago that we posted an article about scammers and how easily they can trick you into parting with your money. Last time it was a London number masquerading as HMRC, and in June last year we captured the recording of the call in …

Over a half of Brits getting disturbed at night by cold-calls

Having trouble sleeping? Well, I’ve recently had a few calls at night. It does tend to make you jump out of your skin at first. A call, in the middle of the night, is usually a sign that something is wrong – perhaps a member of the family …

Skoda testing deliveries direct to your boot

OK, this one sounds a little weird, but let’s have a look anyway. Getting deliveries can always be a bit of a hit-and-miss affair, especially if you’re at work or on the toilet. Despite you waiting around, you’ll probably find that the delivery driver turns up just when …

A fun way to get your kids brushing properly.

Kids love sweets, so ensuring that they’re brushing their teeth regularly is key. You can’t always monitor this, so PlayBrush is a great way to create a solid dental cleaning routine. Instead of making brushing teeth a chore, the 2 minutes task can now be made fun thanks …

More time with the Mate X and 5G news

I have been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to get a little bit more hands-on time with the Huawei Mate X. I thought I would take some time to give you my initial thoughts. Before I dive into that first thoughts I must remind you that …

On-demand VR Theatre – LIVR

Watching a theatre performance is always best when you’re actually there, but – despite shows now being on TV – a lot of people find that they have to travel to the West End to get the proper theatre experience. Now a London-startup has launch LIVR, the world’s …

Heading abroad this year? Get a local SIM.. again

I think it’s fair to say that, if you can afford it, you’ll have a bit more confidence travelling to the USA for your holiday this year. With a Hard Brexit, Soft Brexit or No Brexit still being discussed, there’s a huge amount of confusion over whether flights …

Why aren’t more Swiss watchmakers embracing smartwatches?

On a daily basis you’ll find that, like many people, I’m wearing a fitness band. It doubles as a watch / notification device and the battery lasts for quite some time. You’ll no doubt be familiar with devices like this – they’ll keep track of your step count, …

6 months of Amazon Prime Video on EE… for FREE!

It’s OK, I’ve just popped into the local pub. There’s a guy in there who started drinking at 7AM and he’s pretty far gone, but he said he’ll run the country for a bit and, in all honesty, I’ve got more confidence in him that any MP right …

Three roll out their own Brexit bus

OOoohh… bit dangerous this. Driving a bus round with promises written on the side. How much do we believe that ? 🙂 So, whilst Parliament goes into a full-on meltdown about a Brexit which nobody can agree on, Three have driven up and down the road outside to …

You’re being lied to.

It’s true. With Tim Berners-Lee recently stating that the world-wide web is in a “downward plunge to a dysfunctional future”, there’s doubts about how much we can trust what we read. Data can be manipulated, misinformation can spread easily and it’s skewing the results of elections and referendums. …

VOXI launch freebies and offers

The “youth” Vodafone network, called VOXI, is now dishing out some goodies to customers. These range from food, fashion to music, entertainment and festivals. They’re called a VOXI “Drop” and the first one is a free Time Out More card worth £29.99. The card means that you can …

Stricter rules for smartphone gambling introduced

It’s that time of year again when the Cheltenham Festival comes to town. This, like the Grand National, marks the time when people will be tempted to take a cheeky flutter on the horses. Indeed, if you’re using an Android phone, you’ll have no doubt seen an uptick …

Sky Mobile offer unlimited streaming from all Sky apps

Do you use Sky Go? Or Sky Sports? Perhaps Sky Cinema or Sky Kids? If you do, then you’ll know that streaming all the great football and TV content can impact your data allowance. However, if you’re a Sky Mobile customer then you can use the new “Watch” …

You’re spending longer on the toilet because of your phone

Are you reading this on the toilet? Right now? Chances are, you’re not alone. It’s something we don’t discuss, but in reality we all take a bit of “time out” and browse on our phones while we’re “making a delivery”. Now, here at Coolsmartphone we do get a …

Mobile Bingo – Where To Play?

I was sitting down this morning, straight from the school run, being subjected to the car-crash TV that is the “Jeremy Kyle” show. It’s sponsored by a Bingo website and it got me pondering, because it’s making bingo a more approachable and acceptable pastime due to it being …

Mixcder E9 active noise cancelling headphones

We have covered Mixcder’s excellent headphones before, especially for their noise cancelling features. Today, they have launched the E9 headphones in their range. The next generation headphones feature the latest advancement in ANC technology. The Mixcder E9 headphones are available now for £59.99/$69.99 from Amazon UK and Amazon.com. Mixcder has increased …

Kitvision Observer DashCam – Review

This review has been a long time in the making. I have never really been one for using a dashcam, however when the opportunity to review one came up I figured I would give it a shot. Here we have the Kitvision Observer 1080p Dashcam with GPS and Wifi. …

Instagram is a child grooming hotspot

The NSPCC has today revealed that sex offenders are grooming more children on Instagram more than any other online platform. In 32% of the recorded police incidents, Instagram was used to send sexual communication. It was closely followed by Facebook, which was used in 23% of the tim. …

The Momo Challenge. Yep, here we go again.

I’ll jump into this once more, but in reality I’m fighting a losing battle. As we’ve seen in recent years, people have started to believe any old crap. Facebook and other social media sites now seem to be the font of all knowledge, despite them usually being a …

MWC -3MK have new cases to show us

So we know that 3MK make some awesome screen protectors that we saw last year whilst we were here. Since then I have been using their screen protection for my various phones since then. They have not let me down and survived the various trails and tribulations that …

MWC – HTC unveil their 5G hub

There was a time when HTC were doing big phone launches here in Barcelona. No longer. Instead this morning they’ve unveiled a new HTC 5G Hub. There wasn’t a big event or a launch here this morning. Instead it’s just a few pictures and a press release. No …

Huawei StorySign investment continues

Kids are the future and we need to keep developing technology that will allow them to develop. This case is even more poignant if children have a disability that will impede their learning. Examples of this include deafness, and this is an area where technology can be particularly …

OnePlus 6T – Review

  Review device specs Price: £529 Mirror Black 8GB RAM 128 GB Storage Snapdragon 845 chipset 16 and 20-megapixel dual cameras Android 9 pie running oxygen OS 9.0.11 December 2018 security patch Good Points: Lightening fast Great battery life Oxygen OS close to stock Android Gorgeous screen Specs …