Category: General

Newton Mail – Shutting Down End Of September

Several of us here at Coolsmartphone (including myself) are paid subscribers to the cross platform mail client Newton Mail by Cloud Magic. I for one loved the the way the client would integrate all my mail accounts in one easy interface and sync across all my devices from …

Vodafone – Watch out when you Roam Further

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to be in the USA. As it was a quick visit, I’d not really organised any local SIM and took my normal Vodafone handset. When the plane touched down I received the usual text message from Vodafone advising on …

International roaming with SMARTY. Tested.

As we mentioned earlier, SMARTY, the simple SIM only network, are backed by Three. Travelling within the EU, as you would expect, is included in your normal usage. You can head to Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, where-ever. Just use your phone as you would back in the UK. Further …

Blogging for 16 years, and counting..

Over the weekend I got chatting with an old friend. The subject of my “strange hobby” came up they asked if I was still doing “that website thing”. Well, yes. Yes I am. The conversation went on for a while and it made me realise just how long …

The best ways to minimize your battery usage

We have all now accepted the unrivaled role of smartphones in our lives. There is rarely a moment they are not accompanying us through the various different activities of our day; at work, during our commute, out with friends and even at the gym. Giving us direct access …

NOW AVAILABLE. Fortnite for Android. We go in! (VIDEO)

I know. I didn’t believe it either. Head straight to the video if you want the quick hit. So, this evening, as I was busy typing up details of the Galaxy Note9 launch, my son happened to say… Hey, Dad, you do know that Fortnite is available on …

EE confirm Note 9 and Galaxy Watch

EE have just got in touch with news that they will not only be stocking the Note 9, but they will be the exclusive network for the 4G Galaxy Watch too. The big news is the 4G version of the watch, which is exclusive in the UK to …

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 coming to Sky Mobile

Alright, so you watched our live coverage and now you want one. I guess you’re going to have to go to one of the big four major networks, right? Well, no actually. Sky Mobile, who use O2 masts, are going to have both the Note 9 and the …

SMARTY goes roaming.

The simple SIM only network from Three (covered earlier here) has a straightforward offering. There’s three packages – either a 2GB one for £7.50 per month, a 4GB one for £10 or an 8GB for £15. All have unlimited calls and unlimited texts. You just need to find …

Your insulation could be killing your mobile signal

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 …

IonBank 5K Portable Battery

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 …

How to pick the right smartphone

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 …

Update on Three UK Net Neutrality

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 …

Huawei P20 – Review

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 …

The Lyric Speaker Canvas

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, …

It’s so funny, how we don’t talk any more

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 …

OK I’ve got a fiver a month. What can I get?

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 …

New Stylus Pens from Adonit

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, …

VOXI adds triple data

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 …

Brexit, Trump and disinformation. Democracy is being controlled.

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 …

Galaxy Note 9 with improved battery life.

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 …

Nokia Steel HR – Unboxing

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 …

I feel the need, the need for speed!

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 …

Mobile Phone Signal Booster. It’s arrived.

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 …

The coolest Twitter apps for Bloggers

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 …

Airtame. Give monitor cables the boot.

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 …

IPTV – Streaming from an Android box. Part 1

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 …

Mobile-Friendly Point of Sales Solutions: What you need to know

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 …

Rocketbook Wave – Review

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 announce press event for IFA 2018

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 team up with easyJet for stress-free travelling

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 …

Yes, you can now buy yourself a camera for your fridge.

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 …

The Internet of Things arrives with Vodafone

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 …

Vodafone crank it up – 1 Gigabit Broadband being delivered to homes

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, …

Signal boosting – an update

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 …

Vodafone WiFi Calling – Not on all plans, yet. A response.

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 …

EE announce new MiFi devices

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) …