Category: General

Peli Case for your​ S8/S8+

The new Galaxy S8 and the S8+ handsets are gorgeous. There is no denying that. There are countless blogs and reviews attesting to this. However, this beauty does come at a cost. In testing by the fine people over at SquareTrade it was discovered that the S8 and …

Vodafone to stop advertising on hate speech and fake news outlets

We’re currently trying to get a list of the outlets involved in this press announcement. Whether it’ll involve tabloid websites is unclear at the moment, however the network has stated that new global rules are now in operation to stop Vodafone adverts appearing “within outlets focused on creating …

EE offer dedicated Welsh customer services

EE have become the first network to offer customers dedicated Welsh customer service support in their language. Customers will be able to request a call from a Welsh speaking adviser to help with any issues they may have and help resolve with ease. Marc Allera, EE CEO, states… …

HTC U11 now available on giffgaff

Want the squeezy HTC U11 network unlocked, on the giffgaff where you can adjust your monthly cost as you require? Head to giffgaff where they’re stocking the “Amazing Silver” or “Sapphire Blue” version right now. We’ve got full details on the HTC U11 so, when you’ve checked the …

2021 – EE and BT to get beefy

We spoke to EE CEO Marc Allegra back in March and we were intrigued to know whether the recent BT acquisition would mean any EE branding changes. At the time, it was a definite no, and BT seemed content to run EE as a separate brand. After all, …

Roaming – It’s all about to change

Unbelievably, it’s nearly June. That means that big sporting events like Wimbledon are now only a month away. Before that though, there’s the Epsom Derby, the Champions League final, a couple of World Cup qualifiers, Argentina v England in the Rugby Union, the US Open, Royal Ascot and …

VR – Will it succeed or suffer the same fate as 3D TV’s?

Somebody mentioned eSports to me recently and, whilst I write about smartphones daily, I’ll confess to not knowing a great deal about it. Last week, in Copenhagen, the Unibet Copenhagen Open gave visitors the chance to play against these eSports stars. VR played a big role, with the evolution …

The evolution of bunny rabbit ears

During my twelve years of using smartphones, I’ve never felt the need to use a case. I’ve instead kept my phone in good condition by ensuring that it gets a pocket to itself alongside nothing else such as keys to scratch it. I also ensure that I handle …

Sony Xperia XZ Premium now on pre-order with Three

Want to get a shiny new Qualcomm 835-powered Sony Xperia XZ Premium? If you’re looking to get one with Three, you can pre-order it right now. It’s available to buy from June 2nd. Three are offering the handset on their  “Advanced Plans”, which means that you can get the …

Amazon TV Channels service launches in the UK

I have both Amazon Prime and Netflix at home and one of the things that drives me mad with the former is that you need to filter its content to see what is and is not included with your Amazon Prime subscription.  Almost without fail the film that …

Amazon Prime Reading launched

In addition to the new Amazon Channels service that has recently been launched in the UK comes ‘Prime Reading’.  Subsciribing to Amazon Prime already includes something called Kindle Unlimited, which provides access to a vast library of e-books but restricts the number of downloads per user to one …

Nokia 3310 – Buy now on Vodafone

The Nokia 3310, even with its slightly newer skin, might seem a bit “old tech” for some. However, it could be just the thing for your summer holiday. For just £39 (when purchased with £10 “Big Value Bundle”), you won’t mind losing it on the beach or out …

Got rubbish broadband speeds? Try the Three Home-Fi. New plan announced.

You’re at home. You’re struggling with slow broadband. The reality of “Superfast internet” is either a flaky ADSL connection or, if you’re properly unlucky, old-school dial-up access. Some are lucky. Some can get fibre to the cabinet or cable broadband access, but for the rest it’s a super-slow …

Switching networks could soon get easier

From what I can pick up amongst friends and relatives, there seems to be a growing freedom to switch networks. Some, though, still renew year after year with the same provider and grab a newly upgraded phone. Some still perceive the cancellation process – that phone call the …

Pre-order for the HTC U11 right now

Both EE and Mobiles.co.uk have got in touch because the all-new HTC U11 (full details here) is now available to pre-order. First, and EE is obviously bigging-up their 4G network. The U11 is available on a range of 4GEE plans, and we’ve picked out a deal giving an …

Living life through a screen

For those who aren’t based on the UK, the artist simply known as “Banksy” is an anonymous activist who displays street art and political messages in graffiti across the country. His stenciled images usually attract high valuations too. Just a few hours ago, Banksy shared this tweet. He’s …

EE announced as exclusive network partner for Google Home

We review one of these home helpers recently and, although it still has a little way to go (I still find I have to rephrase the odd request), it impressed me greatly. Now, although the magical Google Home speaker will sit on your fridge and connect to your …

Latest Netflix update won’t install on rooted devices

Here at the Coolsmartphone newsroom (which to be honest is normally a kitchen) we’ve heard rumours that the latest version of the Netflix app is showing as incompatible with rooted devices. Netflix has just confirmed that with the v5.0 update adds some special.. ahem .. “new features”. They’ve …

Virgin Media just announced something you should all buy

A few days ago I was logging into my Virgin Media account. However, I got a bit distracted by an advert and ended up on the Virgin Business website instead. Why was I distracted? Well, I’ll show you… Yes. £30 a month for an internet connection which goes …

FaceApp – Another few minutes of fun

We were big fans of the MSQRD app when it first came out. It’s quite a fun little gadget which, with the aid of your phone camera, puts masks and hats on your face via augmented reality cleverness. Now there’s another one to add to the collection, it’s …

ProBox 2 Air PLUS Android TV Box – Review

Last year I carried out a review of a new Android TV streaming box called the Probox 2 Air. You can view it here, which in summary, I was truly impressed with. Well, I’ve been asked if I wanted to review the latest version of this streaming box – …

ICZI 6 Port USB Hub – Review

  It may be that I’m that sort of person, but I’ve always had cables hanging around. Even before I was messing about with computers or mobile phones, there were scart leads and coax cables, RCA cables, speaker cable and the list would probably go on if I …

O2 announce inclusive European roaming too

Wanna know what’s good? The fact that, on June 15th, you don’t need to worry about using your mobile when you travel out of the UK and into the rest of Europe. Now sure, we don’t know what is truly going to happen when Brexit kicks in, but …

Three add two new destinations to their Feel at Home network

You know Three. They’re the network who are exclusively ranging the Lenovo P2. We reviewed the P2 and were properly impressed. Three are also the network covering 98% of the population and carry 35% of the UK’s mobile data. They’re also famous for their Feel At Home offering. …

The Kitvision Immerse 360 Duo 360 Degree Camera – Review

Last November I reviewed the Kitvision Immerse 360 Action Camera for Coolsmartphone.com, and whilst generally my experience was positive, there was still plenty of room for improvement. The Kitvision Immerse 360 Duo is the latest version in the Duo range but does it improve on the original?? Let’s …

Realtime internet monitoring rumoured to be on the way

I’ve used the internet for quite a number of years now. In fact, I remember BBS (Bulletin Board Systems) before that and the noisy, clunky, temperamental modems that got us connected. Fast-forward a few years and I remember working on an IT contract in Lancashire which involved installing …

EE scrap roaming fees in tariff refresh

EE have today become the latest UK network to announce roaming changes in Europe just in time for summer. It comes just after Vodafone did the same thing in April and about 9 months after EE launched an inclusive EU roaming package. The UK’s largest network has confirmed …

Pay for fuel from the comfort of your car

I have a local Shell garage which has just been built​. There are screens mounted on each pump to sell you stuff but what it doesn’t have is a pay at the pump system. Some of their stations do though, and many are now finding it strange to …

Microsoft reveal a Chromebook competitor (almost)

Here at the Coolsmartphone hive of activity, a number of our writers use Chromebooks. I and the editor-in-chief Leigh use them predominately – I must use my Asus Flip easily 95% of the time. The Chromebook has been a runaway success, with it being an inexpensive device with a …

Want the fastest download speeds? Head to Stoke, duck.

I work in Stoke. It gets a bad reputation but there’s some very friendly people there and they do oatcakes. Lovely oatcakes. There’s even a oatcake boat on the canal which sells them. Stick some bacon and eggs in one of those, wrap it up – boom! Anyhow, …

Nissan release a phone killer

You’re driving. The phone beeps. You know you’ve received a notification. It could be something important. It could be about those jeans you ordered, or it could be a Facebook update from someone about a burger they’ve just eaten. You’ll never know, because you’re driving…. ..but you just …

The Echo Look – An outfit decider

My wife can change into several different outfits before deciding in the right one. I’m usually the one who’s asked to help in this decision making, bit despite my advice she’ll change another few times anyway. However, Amazon are looking to replace me with this, the “Echo Look” …

Samsung Galaxy S8 – Get one on Vodafone or giffgaff too

Right, you want one of these shiny new Galaxy S8 handsets, yes? The Samsung Galaxy S8 is available on giffgaff, as is the S8+. Price-wise you’re looking at £689 for the SIM-free S8 or £779 for the S8+. Looking at the monthly prices, the network is offering the …

Samsung Galaxy S8+ and S8 – most Android pre-orders on EE to date

Well, this is impressive. It was a no-brainer that the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ were going to rack up some amazing numbers when placed for pre-orders. EE has announced that these current two smartphones have broken records for them, outselling last year’s incumbents (The Samsung Galaxy S7, …

Getting a Galaxy S8/S8+ we have you covered – Case reviews

For some, today (Friday) will herald new phone day – that is of course if you are planning on picking up the latest device from Samsung in the form of the Samsung Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+. While the phone is truly gorgeous and a sight to behold, …

eBook sales on the slide as people switch back to paper

Want to read a book? You might head to Google Play, Amazon Kindle or the iTunes Book Store, right? Well, according to the Publishers Association, less of us are doing this. Although digital sales have increased by 6% to £1.7bn and account for 35% of total revenues, the …

Fitbit activity tracker explodes on users wrist.

ABC News  is reporting on a woman in Wisconsin who’s been the victim of another exploding device. This time it’s a fitness tracker, and happened whilst the wearer – Dina Mitchell – was sitting reading a book. The Fitbit Flex 2 caught fire and explode, causing burns to her …

Get yourself £20 off your shopping if you’re on Tesco Mobile

If you are a current or prospective customer of Tesco Mobile, listen up. They seem to be pushing hard (and, by that, I mean that they’re emailing me a lot) to promote their network and are now dishing up extra Clubcard points on selected mobile phones. If you …

A quick look at the favourite top apps according to App Annie

I get quite a few emails from App Annie. They’re an analyst firm which produces business intelligence tools and market reports, and on their site you can have a look at the most popular games and apps for different mobile operating systems. Advertising is definitely a big driver, …

How to make your family car sound like a V8

You may remember my indestructible Audi A4. She’s an old girl now and has been on the road for a decade. I bought a Bluetooth OBD gadget to plug into it just so that I could find out what all those error lights on the dashboard are. Yes, …