Category: Hardware Reviews
I know what most of you guys are thinking. “Why do I need a MiFi?” or perhaps even, “What is a MiFi?” Put simply, it’s a gadget you stick your SIM card in. It’ll connect to the internet through the mobile network and then beam out a WiFi …
The Gamepad is a unique device, it is like nothing I have ever used before. In the past my mobile gaming had been done on a Nexus 7 or a Galaxy Note, so using real buttons was going to be something new for me. with the Gamepad I …
Last week you’ll remember we announced the winners of our Kindle Fire Accessories give-away. To make sure you guys with the older Kindles aren’t left out MobileFun sent me a case for my Kindle Keyboard to show to you guys. Press play, sit back and enjoy the video. I’ve had this for …
The trouble with phone cases are that its long been disputed which is better for protection. Hard cases, or softer silicon/TPU cases. The solution may be hybrid cases which is where the Slim Armor for the iPhone 5 comes in. The Slim Armor is a 2 part case …
Today we’re having a look at a gun. Now, before you call the police, this is a toy gun. I’ve actually got one of these for my 9-year-old nephew and he loved it, so I figured it was worth a review. We all know that kids love iPhones, …
Just in case you’re wondering why we’re running an article on Samsung Galaxy Note accessories, then you need to remember that the original generation Samsung Galaxy Note may have been replaced, but the trusty old behemoth is still selling by the oversized bucket load on some of the …
We’ve already seen the Pong iPhone 4 / 4S case and recently had a nose around the iPad case too. A case, you might think, doesn’t take a great deal of explanation or reviewing. However, the people at Pong are quite clever. All of their cases, including this …
The popular budget Huawei Ascend G300 has now been replaced with the G330, and I have one for a fortnight to see how it fairs. Huawei are dragging their reputation from cheap ‘n’ cheerful to serious contender in impressive style, not least because the G300 was such good …
Samsung ATIV Tab, a Windows RT based tablet, is this to be an Apple or Google competitor? My personal opinion, no. Purely because I believe that a full blown version of Windows needs to be on a desktop machine, not a tablet. Anyway… Good Points Well Built Excellent …
Tech21 are somewhat famous in the case industry both for their cases and for their appearance on Dragons Den showing off their D3O technology. This case has that very tech included as you can see in the picture, its the orange stuff. Essentially what d30 technology does is …
Do you have a bad mobile signal in the one place you want to use it most? It’s a more common problem than you may think. Whilst networks do their utmost to provide the best service they can, it’s hard for them to legislate for people with basement …
What can you get for £80 these days? The surprising answer is an Android Ice Cream Sandwich tablet with Play store compatibility from a British brand. Sub £100 tablets are nothing new, but on the whole they’re poorly built, slow and sold under a name nobody’s has ever …
Exactly a year ago, thanks to the lovely team at Nokia Connects I’ve had an opportunity to review the Nokia Lumia 800 – the first Nokia-designed smartphone running the Windows Phone operating system. Putting all ramblings whether Nokia’s sudden strategy switch was right or not, the Lumia 800 …
It's hard to ignore the iPad juggernaut. Apple launched their version of the tablet computer back in 2010 and since then it's gone from strength to strength in almost every way. Others have joined the market since but have never really managed to replicate Apples success. A couple …
Recently, I’ve found myself needing to replace my ageing bluetooth headphones. The pads are wearing out, and Sony don’t make them any more. Whilst there have been quite a few pairs of headphones that have caught my eye recently, my requirements dictated that I wanted something with Excellent …
The Archos Gamepad was mentioned earlier on in the year and to tell you the truth I never thought it would ever appear. Archos were true to their word and actually got the product to market, without their trademark delays. So mine arrived a few days ago I …
I’ve been a follower of Nokia for years now. At one time I actually ran my very own Nokia dedicated website and attended many launches. Their hardware was top quality and phones like the N95 were market-leading in terms of specifications and features. Slowly they began to find …
Tablets have come a long way since they first appeared. No-one can argue that the iPad has played a massive part and every other manufacturer is now trying to play catchup. With competition comes innovation and that has helped to bring screen sizes down. The 10″ tablets are …
The Nokia Lumia 920 has been heralded as the ultimate Windows Phone 8 device. When it was announced I was excited the range of colours and accessories. It captivated my imagination and made my wallet area hurt with anticipation of the upcoming cost. When it came to it, …
The HTC 8S was a phone I wanted to be good, REALLY REALLY good. I wanted it to be the phone that showed those LG Nexus 4 toting people that you didn’t need a huge great quad core CPU or 2GB of RAM to have a damn good …
Ahh, the Nexus 4, the latest and greatest phone you can’t get hold of. If you are lucky enough to get one, you will soon realise you need protection for it. I prefer bumper cases to full cases, as they don’t add too much bulk to the original …
Windows Phone has had it’s rebirth with a whole host of new features and most importantly a whole host of new devices. All those weeks ago when Microsoft, HTC, Nokia and Samsung were all showing off their new devices the one that stood out to me was the …
I’ve had the Iconia A510 a few weeks now and I’ve used it pretty extensively. Mainly because I took it on holiday with me at the end of November. Now it’s time to bring you the full review. Nut first the good and bad points of the device. …
Today a nice delivery man came to my work and presented me with an Android powered 7-inch wi-fi tablet in a smart looking box. Was it a Nexus 7? No. Was it a Kindle Fire? No. Did it cost over £150? No. Was I impressed? Yes! He had …
As those of you long term readers of Coolsmartphone.com would appreciate we have a history of reviewing Windows and its various different mobile operating system guises. This is a review of one of the upcoming Windows Phone 8 supporting characters. It is not an all singing all dancing …
Having finally got my hands on a Nexus 4 yesterday (massive thanks to Dan!) I wanted to write down some quick first impressions before I do a full review. Screen Wow! What an upgrade. So much sharper than the Gnex. Everything looks crystal clear. The improvement is just …
I’ve been reviewing and using snap on style cases for the last few weeks and decided it was time for a change. So for the last little while I have been using the Gear4 Flipcase, a leather wallet style case for the iPhone 5. Lets start with how …
The 10″ Android tablet market just got dumped on its head recently. As with the other current Nexus devices Google are offering them direct to customers rather cheaply. This move makes selling a tablet difficult as the other OEMs have to cut corners to keep the prices low. …
This box can be a little tricky to explain, but I’ll try my best. It lets you make and receive calls through your mobile phone or phones with any standard home phone. In the most simple setup you merely need to plug your corded or cordless home phone …
Some of the more eagle eyed amongst you may be aware that I’m one of those people who swear by the original Samsung Galaxy Note. I’ve had it for about six or seven months now but I’ve started to become envious of the new Galaxy Note II. I’ve …
Whilst the majority of Britain’s manufacturing industry has disappeared, there is one area where the UK still excels and produces some of the best equipment in the world and that area is audio. With companies such as Cambridge Audio, Roth, Creek, Wharfedale and Meridian to name but a …
I’ve had my Surface tablet for a few weeks now and I’ve tried out basically everything that the Surface has to offer. I am still torn whether I like it or not, over the past few years I have tried out a whole range of Android tablets, an …
I don’t like cases and covers. There, I admit it. The Crystalusion Liquid Glass Protection could be a possible solution. It’ll perhaps not protect your phone from dents or cracks and you’ll not get any extra protection if you drop the thing. However, you will get protection from …
Earlier this year HTC launched the One X. It was generally acknowledged at the time as the best Android handset available, it had a stunning screen and a class leading camera. Unfortunately for HTC along came the Samsung Galaxy SIII which with its aggressive marketing campaign left all …
HTC recently released the HTC One X+, the update to the well received One X. After a small amount of pleading and thanks to the rather lovely guys at HTC, we here at Coolsmartphone have managed to get our grubby mitts on one to have a play with and write …
The whole time I have had the Iconia A110 I keep looking at my Nexus 7 and wondering how it handles what I’m testing. It has been a difficult one to review, but here we go. First of all my good and bad points: Good points Tegra 3 …
Budget phones have a place in the world, as not everyone can afford to have the latest and greatest handset. I find reviewing entry level phones harder than the rest. Quite often with no standout features you are left clutching at straws over what to write. On which …
Fancy protecting your Samsung Galaxy S3 and looking a bit flash at the same time? We tried out this rather bling Glam Case. It’s £24.99 but it’s made by Case Mate and is pretty slim. The case simply clips into place on the handset very easily indeed. The …
I’ve often listened with interest as our own James Pearce waxes lyrical on the Coolsmartphone Podcast about the wonders of having a handset with a large screen. James has often sung the praises of his own Galaxy Note brushing aside all ridicule. Personally I had my doubts, I …
A lot has been said about Windows 8 recently. A lot of it has been negative and mainly about the metro new tiled interface. I didn’t buy into any of the negativity and when the Surface with RT tablets came up for pre-order I went ahead and ordered …
