Category: Accessory Reviews
Back in January, Leigh reviewed devolo’s dLAN 1200+ WiFi ac Powerline adapter and now I got the chance to review the 550 starter pack. The dLAN 500 WiFi is an upgrade of devolo’s current mid-high range offering, the dLAN 500 WiFi. While continuing to offer Powerline transmission speeds of …
Your iPhone can connect to the iCloud to backup, but what if you want to backup your photos yourself? What if you want to put files ont your own personal USB stick? Or you want to quickly transfer them? Well, heres the SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive – and …
When I read the press release for this Kickstarter campaign for udoq it was hard to get excited about a docking station. However, I was impressed (from the video at least) of the build quality and it didn’t look like just another Chinese plastic stand. The docking station is designed …
The holy grail are headphones that are truly wireless - the Vereones + are the latest in line to truly free you from cables completely.
I’ve been sent a doorbell. It’s at this point that I’m honestly questioning whether my “skill” as a blogger / reporter / writer or whatever you want call it are fading. A doorbell? You want me to review a doorbell? OK, it’s wireless sure, and in the box …
Back in March at Gadget Show live, I met up with the guys from Dog & Bone, who had an array of convenient accessories for those who like adventure and technology. Well, the lovely people at Dog & Bone sent us two of their Bluetooth locks, namely LockSmart …
Out of the box this looks no different to any other USB stick. It’s got a little cap on to cover the USB port itself and there’s a very tiny switch on the other end. Turn it on and it’ll start recording. Turn it off and it’ll stop, …
I know what you need. What you need is another power bank. People, if I’m honest, don’t know what to call these things. Not really. Are they power banks? Are they portable chargers? Should we just call them batteries? Portable batteries? Here TP-Link calls it a Power Bank, …
I’ve got another portable battery for review. This time it’s the Lumsig Grand Series A1 Plus charger. This costs £18.99 from Amazon or $23.99 on Amazon US. It’s available in this silver shade along with black and gold. Inside is a rather chunky 13,400mAh battery. I say chunky …
Strap yourself in people, because we’re going to be reviewing a headlamp. Nope, not a headlight on your car – but one that you strap to your head for seeing in the dark. This is a pretty big one – it has a 8cm diameter on the lamp …
I always start reviews like this by saying, “There’s lots of Bluetooth speakers to choose from”. You’ll find them in electronics shops and supermarkets and it’s very hard to know which ones are good. Here, we’ve got another one from iClever. This will set you back (at the …
Perhaps it’s just me. I’m not sure, but I’ve reviewed quite a number of Bluetooth headphones over my time and they usually fall into two distinct categories. Category one is usually the sort that go flat after just an hour, but the sound and the bass response is …
Good Points: Easy Setup. Control from Android/iOS app. Dim-able. Used alone or in a group of bulbs. Innovative hidden way to increase WiFi coverage. Bad Points: Large Unit Size No ability to program on/off times Need to connected to same WiFi nerwork for app control. In today’s wireless …
Over the past month, Swedish outfit launched two new products called Seattle and San Francisco. The Seattle series are a range of headphones in different colours whilst the San Francisco range are earbuds in a unique mosaic pattern. Well, we (the wife and I) have been testing both …
We recently became aware that STIL were about to launch their first range of fashion cases in the UK and exclusively to O2. It’s the first time that I’ve personally heard of a network have an exclusivity deal on cases so I though I would check them out. …
So, you’ve got yourself one of the newest phones on the market with all the fancy pants features that you want. It is all going swimmingly. You’re downloading apps, getting it all just so. Then, without warning, up pops the all too familiar sign on the screen saying …
So, everything connects via WiFi now. There was a time, not too long ago, when an ethernet connection was needed by quite a bit of stuff in your house. Your TV, for example. Your Sky TV box, your console game etc. Now though, most of that kit is …
You don’t necessarily have to live in a mansion to have WiFi coverage problems. Even “normal” houses will have patchy areas where the WiFi coverage isn’t brilliant. Most internet providers will give you a free router now, and the WiFi range can be questionable at best, especially if …
The boys from BT.. sorry, EE.. sent me one of their clever TV boxes recently. You can’t just go out and buy one of these things, you have to have an EE Broadband package too. There’s full details here. You basically plug this into your rooftop aerial and …
The Mi Band 2 is comfortable to wear and easy to forget about. I mean that in a good way because it doesn’t feel heavy or awkward thanks to the silicon strap and the easy but flush fitting of the Mi unit itself. It’s clever too – not …
If you carry more than one payment card, you need Curve. Curve combines all your cards into a single card controlled with an app on your smartphone. The London based team behind Curve wanted to transform the way we manage and spend our money and set up at …
You know the drill by now. Your house is filled with chargers. You’ve probably got a couple by your bed, one in the kitchen, perhaps one in the lounge and maybe more besides. They’re all pumping out power but you’ve got cables everywhere and you’ve probably already had …
Yes, I agree with you. That is a weird combination of features. This is indeed a bike light which is also a Bluetooth speaker and … a portable charger for your phone. All those things in one unit isn’t normally something you’ll see wrapped up in one unit, …
I’ve been sent an FM transmitter again. It’s one of those ones you’ll find on Amazon with a rather long and confusing name. The full description for this £13 gadget is (wait for it)… “FM Transmitter, Doosl® 3.5mm FM Transmitter Radio Adapter Hands-free Calling Wireless Radio Car Kit, …
Remember the Wraps Wearable Headphones we mentioned recently? OK, so it was a bitdaft to call them “wearable” because of course, all headphone sare. However, these wrap around your wrist when they’re not in use, so you effectively turn them into a bracelet / bangle when they’re not …
We’ve had security cameras in the past but this one will work outside and you can’t move it around automatically. Yes, it’s a “proper” security camera. Now, many of you will probably think that you need some sort of recording hardware and other bits to make this work, …
iFit introduced a huge array of new gadgets at the Gadget Show Live event last March for keeping tabs on your world of fitness and sleep. We reported directly from the event here and specifically about this watch we have to review the iFit Classic. Here is a video of …
This is video is long overdue, regardless I took a business trip to Malaysia for work reasons and decided to take a road test of a number of gadgets to play with. First up was the BagsByBlack BUDDI bag, then Pump Audio V2, Anker Power Bank 20100, cables from …
Glory, glory. Hallelujah. I had to spell check that last word. Anyhow. We’ve got another battery pack here. This one is a chunky monkey too. Not chunky as in physical size (it’s 123mm long by 69mm wide and 16mm thick. Basically it’s about as thick as a standard …
Well, this is small. I’ll give it that. You can bag one on eBay for $28.99 in the US or £21.99 in the UK. There’s a blue one or this green one. In the box you’ll get a USB-to-microUSB cable for charging and a 3.5mm-to-microUSB cable should you …
On first impressions you have to wonder why. Is this a product that didn’t need inventing? What was wrong with the way we do it now? Noke was founded in 2014 after a very successful Kickstarter campaign when it launched its ‘Smart Padlock’ product rating over $652,828 in …
I for one always have some sort of headphones stuck around my head, to be honest, I can’t even walk to the shop without popping a set on and listening to a podcast or two (the fantastic coolsmartphone podcast is one I happen to listen to). I have been …
These are £55. I thought I’d tell you the price up-front because for that price you expect some quality kit. Indeed they are. The ones we have here are the rose gold and white ones which come with multiple ear buds. I’m always losing the ear buds and …
You know that moment don’t you? When you’re out running or even walking to the shops and, for some inexplicable reason, your headphones start to slide out of your ears. You start to wonder whether you’ve got dirty greasy ears or perhaps you’re sweating somehow. How does sweat …
How do you cover a phone which effectively comes apart? Well, it is possible. The boys from MobileFun.co.uk sent us a few to try and, with the aid of video and some lovely photos, we’re going to have a look at them. First, for those of you who …
My gym bag stinks. There’s no getting around that. Here it is above and yes, it does. As much as I try to separate the wet towel and smelly shoes from the other items, it quickly becomes very whiffy indeed. Then, if you try and stick your tablet …
Are you an Apple iPhone user who keeps on having to buy replacement charging cables because they keep fraying? STOP! Did you know Apple offer a 1 year limited warranty on the cables? I bet you threw away that little bit of paper in the packaging. Don’t worry …
I get a lot of these portable battery packs sent in. Reviewing them isn’t a big deal, but I do find it hard to write more than a couple sentences about it. What can you say really? It’s a device which is about as slim as your smartphone …
Hello Coolsmartphoners. At home I’ve got that “FTTC” gubbins that most people either know as “BT Infinity” or, when it’s sold through other providers, “Fibre broadband” ..which it isn’t quite, not all the way. Anyhoo. I’m pretty lucky. However, if you’re not, you can try this. The idea …
Smartphone photography is increasing at a rapid speed. Just take a look at the number of smartphone apps available to help you capture the perfect shot. In order to utilise the features of your smartphone or app, you first need to start with a quality photograph. That’s where …
