Category: General
A few years ago we had cavity wall insulation put into the walls. It makes sense really – keeping the heat in during the winter and ensuring that your home is nice and cool during the summer months. I know lately, with the UK going through a prolonged …
Recently, I was sent the Moshi IonBank 5K Portable battery unit for testing, which retails at £100.00 (yes, this is not a typo) for the 5150 mAh unit. There is the cheaper 3K unit at £69.95 and 10k which costs £89.95. The 5K unit looks like a metal business …
Updated 08/08/2018 It’s safe to say that we get a fair amount of Bluetooth speakers sent to us here at Coolsmartphone. Whether waterproof, rugged or portable they all have one fairly similar thing in common. The sound. Sure, you can turn them up and they’ll make a noise, …
Source: Pixabay It can be difficult picking the right smartphone for you. After all, here’s so much choice on the market. Most models now can do everything you need. They can make calls, browse the internet, play video and stream music. So how can you successfully decide on …
Net Neutrality has been a big topic of discussion when it comes to data, and how it can be used one way or another by customers. Here in the UK, Three and Vodafone were spoken to by regulator Ofcom on certain restrictions when it came to roaming, or …
The introduction Huawei are no longer a company who are sitting on the sidelines letting everyone else steal the show. Since the P9 their devices have really been impressive and put them on the map. Now everyone is sitting up and watching as the company are producing some …
Before Christmas, tech company COTODAMA released the Lyric Speaker, which was lots of fun at Coolsmartphone Towers. Well, they are back with the Lyric Speaker Canvas, which is a picture canvas for your wall which displays lyrics from songs being played from your favourite music service. Karim Fanous, …
I started off with a Spectrum 48k. That’s how I walked into the world of geek. Then, after I’d worn down the keys by playing “Daley Thompson’s Decathlon” I managed to save and got an Amiga 500. Just look at it. 512KB of RAM (yes, KB, not MB!) …
I remember when mobile phones first started being a “thing”. I was at college and got this, the Nokia 5.1. It was also known as the Nokia 2110. Strangely the 5.1 name has now re-appeared on the Nokia site, albeit under a completely new design.. and no pull-out …
Hello you beautiful Coolsmartphone reader you. Now, I know that spending £40-£60 per month for a phone and a contract seems like “situation normal” now, but what if you’ve got yourself a second-hand or reconditioned phone and you just want a low-cost monthly plan? Well, over at HotUKDeals …
Adonit has been very busy recently launching numerous stylus pens for different devices and occasions. Firstly, let’s talk about the new Mini 4 which was launched in the UK in June. A pocket-sized stylus for use with any touchscreen, the Mini 4 is available in Olive Green, Royal Blue, …
A giffgaff survey recently found that less than 1 in 4 students have any mobile phone insurance. Not only that, but 17% of female students had suffered a smashed screen and not had it repaired for over a year. As we head towards a new term, it’s shocking …
The network for the under 30’s has added, for a limited time, triple data. This comes on top of their endless social data, plus endless calls, texts and picture messages plus endless roaming in Europe. There’s no contracts – you just choose how much data you need for …
Whether you’re voting for a new US President or you’re deciding to be part of the EU, in 2016 something new happened. Social media giants allowed a “Wild West” to be created in the digital world. Unregulated and targeted adverts to be pushed hard into the psyche of …
In just two week’s time, Samsung will release the new Galaxy Note 9, and the latest rumours point to a huge 4,000 mAh battery in the Galaxy Note 9. That will be a 20 per cent boost over the Galaxy Note 8’s 3,300 mAh model, indicating that the …
Smartwatches are dime a dozen these days. Almost every manufacturer is dipping their toe into the market. We have seen some come and go (aka Pebble) and we have seen some stay the course. However, it is the lesser known brands for this area who sometimes prove to …
It was a throwaway remark. A passing comment on Twitter. Last night I did a quick speed test and got 365Mbps down. Insane. However, I got a few questions about how it was achieved, so here goes. The speed was the result of me combining my Vodafone 4G …
We’ve now taken delivery of our mobile phone booster. It’s a big day but also a strange one. As I type, we’re sitting in a barn in a field. There’s nothing but cows and sheep all around me yet we’ve got 1Gbps fibre connectivity. The fibre optic cables …
Despite some recent criticism, Facebook now has more than 900 million users. Twitter has over 500 million, LinkedIn more than 161 million, Google+ almost 400 million, and Instagram with over 80 million. These figures aren’t just numbers, but are concrete proof that social media really is stealing the …
On Friday I spent a good ten minutes running around to try and find a VGA cable. The reason? A client informed me, just before I headed out of the door, that their projector only had a VGA input. This, in 2018, seemed a little strange. In my …
OK, let’s be honest. After all, it’s an open secret really. People don’t really purchase those Android TV boxes just so they can watch local media, do they? Sure, they can install TV and on-demand TV apps from the likes of BBC, Netflix, NOW TV and others. That’ll …
We’re now at a point where 27 per cent of all online purchases are made via a mobile device such as a smartphone or a tablet. As this continues to increase in size as well as influence, it is important that business owners keep pace and update their …
Note-taking is dying art form now. Most use digital forms of transcription for almost everything. I honestly cannot remember the last time I spent handwriting notes! It had been so long that I start to get a cramp in my wrist even after a short stint of writing! This …
Huawei has formally set its plans for IFA 2018 in motion. Today they’ve started sending out an invites to their keynote on August 31st. The great news is that we will be there to see exactly what Richard Yu will have to share with us. In fact, I’ll …
Three UK have announced a partnership with easyJet to to give customers a well deserved and time saving upgrade to their travels. No one likes the stress of waiting in line to check in for a flight, only to have to wait ages the other end for your …
Before I started writing this, I headed to my own fridge for a healthy snack. This is what I found inside. Cadbury seems to have exploded in there. It’s mad. The problem is, I think, that when we head to the local supermarket, it’s when we’re hungry. So …
We’ve seen quite a few devices from Vodafone lately which aren’t phones. Whilst some of these gadgets are definitely aimed at businesses (automotive tracking, smart cameras and the like), we’ve felt a definite push for gadgets that you could use at home too. Three years ago we took …
I’m kinda lucky at home. I’ve got 300Mbps broadband from Virgin Media, but although it’s marketed as “fibre broadband” it – and many other “superfast fibre” connections – actually aren’t delivered via fibre all the way. Instead, the last bit, from the local street cabinet to your house, …
Just the other day I mentioned my quest to get a mobile repeater. The reason, as you will have seen from a few of my most recent posts, is because the signal in the area I’m now currently based is a poor and I really need a mobile …
This morning I wrote a story about WiFi Calling. It’s something which is now becoming fairly familiar with users of compatible handsets and means that you can make and receive calls whilst on the Underground in London, in the local Tesco or in the office when there’s no …
The largest 4G network in the UK, EE, have just announced two new mobile WiFi devices along with some new plans. Meet the 4GEE WiFi and 4GEE WiFi Mini. They are now smaller and lighter than previous versions. The 4GEE WiFi is CAT 12 enabled up to 600Mbps) …
A couple of nights ago I got home and noticed that my normally-strong Vodafone signal was down to either zero or 1 bars. I checked their coverage and “known issues” map online but that said that everything was fine. Then, just to ensure that I wasn’t going bonkers, …
UK network Three have just announced an idea to help train customers on the digital world. It’ll help them keep connected and up to date. “Discovery” by Three gives people a chance to learn about social media, online shopping, backups and much more. Plus with 21% of the …
Good Points: Slimline design Cable included USB Type-C input/output Fast charging for some devices Charge Level LEDs USB Type-C Out Price Bad Points: Fingerprint Magnetic Need to purchase further cables for other device’s. As we use our smartphones more and more each day, we demand more and more …
Following the success of nura’s first generation of the self-learning headphones that adapts to match your hearing, nura has announced its latest G2 software update to the nuraphone hardware in an on-going effort to continually improve the music listening experience. Even better news is that the nuraphones will be …
Personally, I am a big fan of Brainwavz, they never fail to bring musical joy to my ears. Now they have announced the M2 IEM earphones and headphones to their range. The M2 IEM in-ear noise isolating earphone with a deep and powerful bass, which is exciting for …
Back in 2014, UK network Three made the bold move of selling all their devices unlocked giving customers freedom to Sim swap O2 have just announced they are to offer the same from this month, with all phones to be unlocked by the end of the month that …
I get it, I really do. I get that a manufacturer will build slightly different products for different markets. There are different LTE bands to consider, and maybe the charger will be different. You may even want to change the packaging, depending on how big of a push …
giffgaff, which sits on the O2 network, have long been the go-to fuss-free solution if you just want a monthly plan with no ties. However, of late other virtual networks have been muscling in, with the likes of Lebara offering 4GB for £8 per month (on the Voda …
My job now sees me based on a farm. The signal there is, let me tell you, non-existent. Strangely, on the drive in, the signal on the country road is fine, but when you’ve gone up the long drive it suddenly drops down. All the networks, and believe …
