Category: Reviews

Coolsmartphone Awards 2015 and Podcast

Welcome to the Coolsmartphone Award Ceremony and Podcast, coming to you, prerecorded from Coolsmartphone Towers. Our team of experts got together yesterday and decided on the best and worst bits of 2015 in order to entertain you and reward/shame those responsible. As with all good awards ceremonies we’re …

Winner Gear Reversible Micro USB cable – Review

This is a cable which is going to solve that daily charging problem. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a massive problem, but it’s one of those repetitive and annoying little niggles. You’re about to plug in your phone and… doah… the micro USB cable is upside down. …

JerryCan – The Smartest Mileage Tracker for iOS – Review

JerryCan does many things – and many things well. When I hear the word “mileage tracker” I start to fall asleep, but JerryCan’s stunning UI, smooth animations, and array of features make it the best of its kind. Of course, JerryCan can help you track your gas mileage, …

Oppo Digital Unboxing HA-2 and PM-3

Christmas is coming and you need that knock-out present – well we’re here to save the day. Back in November, we looked at Oppo Digital’s new HA-2 portable amplifier and PM-3 headphones (Come in Major Tom? New Christmas Presents from Oppo), which boasted some great specifications. We have …

Can a £139 Windows Tablet replace your Laptop? – Part 2

Part 2 – The Lenovo Miix 3 Review (Read Part 1 here) Which Device? So, the scene having been set, how did I proceed? There were a variety of other options. First the size issue, 8 inch or 10 inch. There were 8 inch tablets by Linx, Lenovo …

Huawei Watch – Review

It’s the first time that I’ve properly tried Android Wear, and this is the watch I’m doing it with. The Huawei Watch. Truth be told, when I got it out of the rather lovely box, I thought it was a bit fat, but after wearing it for the …

Plemo LG G4 Heavy Duty Case – Review

I recently received a Plemo LG G4 heavy duty case from Avantek UK for review. So here is a run down of the case and my thoughts on it. The case comes in three parts, the first two of which are required and form the main case, the third …

Review – Elivebuy External Battery

We get a lot of these. Basically, when you’re walking around or away from a mains socket or far away from that cigarette lighter in you car, you can get a boost with a portable battery like this. Yes, it’s a bit heavy and a bit clunky but …

Can a £139 Windows Tablet replace your Laptop? – Part 1

Part 1 – Setting the Scene Come around the winter fire kids! Let me tell you a story, this particular story is about my search for a work device without breaking the bank. I am an unashamed tech geek, I love things all bright and shiny. I love …

OnePlus X – Unboxing

Have you been thinking to yourself, “It would nice to have a handset that didn’t require a backpack or a monolithic battery”? I had the thought occur to me the other day but then instantly dismissed it as nonsense and told my brain to behave itself. Of course bigger …

ZTE Axon Elite – Review

This is the ZTE Axon Elite. It’s a big phone, with a 5.5” inch screen, and it doesn’t feel small in the hand. It shouldn’t either – there’s a lot packed under the hood of this ‘Ion Gold’ coloured beast. I’ve never had serious hands-on time with a …

Remix Mini – Unboxing

You may recall a little while ago I was raving about an Android PC Box that came from the Far East. China to be precise. Well, the time has come for the unboxing to happen and I’m of course talking about the Remix Mini. I have already had …

Nexus 6P – Review

Google’s latest handset has been garnering a lot of interest from the tech world over the last few weeks. In between all the reports of people not getting their orders delivered on time and Google delaying the launch, I managed to secure one for this review. With the …

iClever 6-port USB Charger – Review

Charging your devices can lead to tangled wires and multiple chargers dotted around the house. During the last few months we’ve seen a lot of chargers with multiple USB sockets because, quite simply, people have more gadgets. This one is from iClever. It’s the 6-Port USB Travel Wall …

CPR Call Blocker – Review

You know how it goes. You get home from a long day at work and, just as you sit down for your evening meal, the home phone rings. If you’ve got caller ID then you’ll either see a withheld number or an international number flashing up. The next …

Capturing Family Memories with Technology

The set-up. The days of relying on traditional (and expensive) photography film are long gone. Now precious memories can be captured using consumer device in high-quality video and pictures. To put some of the latest devices to the test, I set out with my son, his go kart, …

Mini Amp Speaker review

Simple one this. It’s a small speaker which you can attach to anything with a 3.5mm audio port and amplify your tunes. It’s shaped just like an amplifier too, so should prove popular with anyone who like rock ‘n roll or guitars. There’s no Bluetooth here, no FM …

TravelCard Plus Mobile Charger Review

Last year I was sent through the TravelCard portable charger for review. It’s a super slim battery pack designed to fit in your wallet and give your mobile device that all important boost when you need it. I loved the TravelCard charger and it sits happily in my wallet with …

Myfox Home Alarm – Review

An alarm system, fitted, can cost you around £500. However, for £249 you could try this Myfox Home Alarm and set it up yourself. It’s got bags of extra goodies for us smartphone lovers. It’ll work with Nest too, because this has a key fob and smartphone app …

Arcade OrbitCAM XL Drone review

One of my other hobbies, apart from writing for this fantastic site, is flying drones. These are also known as unmanned aerial vehicles or UAV’s. My current setup is able to hold a GoPro camera on a 3 axis gimbal which gives excellent super smooth clear footage. The drone …

AVANTEK BC-L6 Bluetooth Stereo audio receiver

Your phone will no doubt have all your tunes on it, but when you get in your car there’s just a few methods of getting those tunes pumping out of the powerful speakers in your car. First, you could perhaps use one of those FM transmitters. They’re usually …

Xperia Z5 & Xperia Z5 Compact Comparison – Review

The time has come to put Sony’s finest under a microscope and to see what you are getting when you plonk down £610* on the counter. We know that the camera is meant to be the best thing since they made the camera obscura back in the early …

EasGear Qi Wireless car charger and phone holder review

I’m terrible with the whole car mount / phone holder situation. I get to my car, open the door, then throw my wallet and phone onto the passenger seat. If the phone is lucky, it’ll be plugged in and will perhaps reach the destination without sliding off the …

Meizu M2 Note – Review

Meizu is a brand not particularly well known here in the UK. Leigh recently reviewed the Meizu M1 Note, and I have been using a Meizu M2 Note for a few months now. This is my review of the Meizu M2 Note, a device purchased from Shenzhen Chigon …

Big discount on iPhone and Android spy solution – XNSPY

Monitoring a phone might sound like a slightly strange idea, especially when people talk of “spy software”. However, there’s perfectly legitimate reasons for doing it, such as keeping an eye on your kids. XNSPY, which is available for both Android and iPhone, will let you know where your …

Scream for me Coolsmartphone!

Here is a game very close to my heart, as it combines smartphones and tablets with heavy metal! TeamRock are usually known for the Internet radio station and collection of music magazines from Metal Hammer, Classic Rock to Prog, covering every genre of rock music. Now they have …

Boomtube – Review

  The Boomtube speaker is definitely larger than the majority of units we get here at Coolsmartphone, although it does pack a 4″ subwoofer and looks like a proper piece of camping equipment. Inside there’s actually a few speakers, including a “horn” which kicks out 2W and the …

A look at the Kit Executive Power Bank

Some times a little bit of style goes along way in the consumer tech industry, and the new Executive Power Bank from Kit certainly has plenty of style but does it have the substance to go with it?   Styled to look like an iDevice, the Power Bank …

Almost Impossible! for iOS [Review]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtSGcPZLSA4 Dan Counsell is the man who brought us Realmac Software, an amazing software company out of England that currently makes RapidWeaver, Clear, and Typed.com. This time around he decided to create a personal project: a game available for iOS, Mac, and Apple TV. I took the iPhone version …

HTC One A9 – Review

A bit of history first, and perhaps a personal viewpoint from myself. Back in 2002 I handled my first HTC smartphone. It was branded up as an Orange SPV and it kick-started this entire website. HTC had a meteoric rise in the years following, releasing phones under their …

Filofax iPad Case – Review

Filofax is a well-known brand name associated with traditional paper-based diaries and personal organisers. Filofax products were always high-quality but there may be a natural assumption that their target audience shrank due to electronic portable replacements. But in order to remain relevant, Filofax have diversified into tech cases. …

Vodafone Smart speed 6 – Review

You’ve really got to mention the price in the introductory paragraph for this particular device. For just £50 on Vodafone Pay As You Go it’s insanely cheap. Some of you probably pay more than that per month on a contract. This is the Vodafone Smart speed 6, a …

Inateck 4-Port USB 3.0 Hub – Review

Good Points: Well made and lightweight. Ability to transfer data and charge devices. Solves the issue of of small number of USB inputs in your laptop. Plug and play no drivers needed. Bad Points: Not a powered hub. Short cable to plug into computer. Design: Made out of high …

Xperia Z5 – Unboxing

That time of year has come. It’s the time that all geeks look forward to every year. It is, of course, upgrade time. Those of you who are frequent readers will no doubt be aware that I am currently using the Xperia Z3 as my daily driver. Although I …

Honor 7 – Review

Hmm.. The Honor 7. I’m sure someone told me this was a “mid-range” handset. It was almost as if they didn’t want me to get to excited about it. Let’s have a look at the specs first then.. Screen – 5.2″ 1080×1920 (424 ppi) CPU – HiSilicon Kirin …

Vodafone Call+ in action

Following a quick demo from the team at Vodafone on their new Call+ features, I thought it would be useful to do a short write up before a full review in the coming weeks (should the loaner phone arrive soon). If you aren’t familiar with Call+, it’s a …

Huawei Mate S – Review

Huawei released their new flagship phablet last month – The Huawei Mate S. I was lucky enough to attend the launch event and got a hold of one of the devices. I have been using it over the last few weeks to see how good it was, and …