Category: Reviews
The Vodafone Smart III (aka Alcatel 975) is an entry level Android smartphone with an eye on those who want something a little different; something fun, functional and funky (you can have that one, Apple, if you’re after a tag-line for iOS7!). I’ve got one for a week, …
Another month and you know what that means, it is time for me to get a new case for my Xperia Z. Those of you who have read my precious reviews will know that I have been using a Leather book style case for my phone up until …
The LG Optimus L5 II is an interesting little phone, plasticy, lightweight and covered in fingerprints yet still it is an appealing little phone. Introduced as the middle device in the 2nd generation of budget “Optimus L” phones, there is also an L3 and a L7 which are …
The Lumia 720 is one of the latest smartphones in the Windows Phone 8 range and packs an amazing amount of features into such a small and thin design. Whilst it’s not 4G ready, doesn’t have DC-HSDPA capability, and has a lower resolution camera than the 920; the …
OPPO are an unkown quantity to many in the UK. It’s no surprise then that the launch of their latest flagship, the Find 5, was virtually undetected. I saw it on their web store and was so intrigued that I spent my own hard earned 399 Euros (about …
What do you do if you share a car with someone who has a different phone to you, but you both want to use a car kit when driving? Get a universal phone mount, of course, Einstein! But which one? Ah, now that’s a little more tricky. The …
Now and again a company gets it right when designing a phone. Like Apple did with the iPhone 4s, Nokia with the Lumia 800, Sony with the Xperia Z and now HTC with the One. When the HTC One arrived I knew that I wouldn’t be that shocked …
Another month and another Otterbox case it is for me, I just can’t help myself. I get an expensive phone, I just want to look after it from then on in. Which in my world means buying an Otterbox case. So onto the review, starting with a few …
LG and their phones have pretty much passed me by during my time on this planet. In fact I don’t think I’ve ever even touched one. Here is my history if you’re interested, (according to that I did once have an LG). So getting my hands on the Optimus …
For training purposes or just to be generally nosey….. Here at Coolsmartphone we’ve been contacted by copluk. They wanted us to review their call recording app – “Free Call Recorder – ACR“. It is available for free from the Play Store, then you have the option to pay …
Someone has sent us a Samsung Galaxy Y. If I’m honest I have absolutely no idea. The bag was ripped and this popped out. This is the slightly older Y, aka the “Young”, and not the one announced last week. You can get a locked one from Tesco …
If, like me, you got yourself a bargain Samsung Ativ S Windows phone recently you’ll know what a great handset it is and, like me, you’ll be wanting a decent case to protect it with. I scoured the internet and finally decided on the Covert Low Profile Flip …
I’ve had the BlackBerry Q10 for a couple of weeks now and I’ve grown to love like it quite a bit. The Q10 is the new age Bold, with premium materials, high end specs and a new ish OS. This in theory is the device that would persuade …
When I was contacted by Three about reviewing Sony Xperia SP device I was really looking forward to trying it out. The reason? Well, I already use the Sony Xperia Z as my own phone and wanted to see how it compared. At time of writing this review …
I’m sitting outside right now. I’m sitting in the sunshine on a beanbag. It’s not something I do very often but I think I’ll start to make a habit of it. There’s a back-story to this though, and sadly it involves my rusty garden furniture getting thrown away. …
The Cygnett SoundWave Bluetooth speaker is a compact mains or battery powered wireless sound system that comes with the added bonus of a phone stand. I’ve had one on test for a couple of weeks, so here’s how it stacks up. Good Price Phone stand Big sound from …
So, in the time after my original First Impressions post on the Gemini Devices JoyTab Duo 7 3G, a few things have happened. North Korea decided to try and bluff the world into a nuclear war, Margaret Thatcher died, I began revising for exams and the document that …
It’s fair to say that Samsung’s success with the Galaxy S3 has been nothing short of astonishing. The handset even gave the lauded iPhone 5 a run for it’s money in terms of pure numbers, and for good reason. Great performance, a slim plastic (sorry Samsung, polycarbonate) shell …
It’s a sad fact that, if you choose to go for a traditional “tough” or “rugged” phone, people have often pointed and laughed at you. Oh, come on, don’t pretend. It’s true. Deep down you also know that you’ve cut some corners too. The screen is rubbish, the …
I’m one of those people that always has to have a case on my phone. I usually go through several for each phone I have, as I like the change it brings, and most cases have a flaw of some kind or other. To go with my new …
BlackBerry are in an interesting position these days, the Z10 and Q10 are what some may see as their last ditch attempt to remain relevant. We had the Z10 in for review a few months ago (which you can read here) I ended up liking the hardware and …
One of the phrases I seem to be using more and more is “…and you paid how much for it??”. Despite nobody appearing to have any money, it seems we are big fans of those ‘Premium’ products. I mean, why else would people be buying the BMW 1 …
The Veho 360 degree M3 Bluetooth speaker is a highly compact piece of personal pocket PA. It’s all very well being small and wireless, but I wanted to know if it’s any better than the speaker on my phone. Likes Compact Loud for its size Robust feel Dislikes …
For me the Nokia Lumia 920 has sort of become a fabled device, it is one of those devices that I had basically come to terms with that I’d never get to own. I briefly had one last year and it just wasn’t long enough. This all changed …
Some would have you believe that if you want a tablet that you have to have an iPad, some would also say you have to have a Nexus 7 but my take on things is that sometimes in life you need to take the Red Pill and try …
Another month has passed and I’ve gone and bought another Otterbox. This time it was for my HTC 8X which I have felt is increasingly becoming likely to be dropped. Only because I’ve had it for a few months now without much protection. Otterbox cases are pretty cool …
The Leicke Sharon Bluetooth keyboard case is designed especially for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1. I had never heard of Leicke Sharon before this case appeared in my Amazon search, but it looked good, so I decided to wing it. Likes Case feels high quality Strong Velcro …
Right, let’s make this punchy shall we? You’re driving around. You do either one of two things. You either dump the phone on the passenger seat or strap it into some sort of car holder. The first option will probably see your phone getting wedged between the door …
I was alerted to the DMZmusic Bluetooth dongle by a comment on Leigh’s recent review of the StreamPort Universal. In it, Graham Eastham suggested that it wasn’t worth spending £59.99 on the StreamPort and instead suggested the DMZmusic Bluetooth dongle for just over a fiver! Having an eye …
The Nokia Lumia 520 was released a couple of weeks ago, so I rushed out and bought one so that I could review it for you lovely people (how selfless, right?). I set it up, gave it a first impressions review, then turned my Nexus 4 off. How …
There are some people who are able to have their phone totally unprotected and show it off in the way manufacturers intended, in all their ‘industrial design’ glory. I’m not one of those people. Having some sort of protection on my phone is a prerequisite, especially since I’ve seen the …
Orphaned files and folders aren’t a new phenomenon. For hundreds of many years people have been uninstalling apps only to find that the uninstaller hasn’t quite done it’s job properly. I’ve seen this bug in umpteen versions of Windows on my desktop PC, I’ve seen on every version …
I use the phone on my camera a lot, capturing moments in time to share with others at a later date. With Windows Phone Camera Lenses you can do a lot more with your photos. I’ve tried lots of different lenses out some just make pictures look rubbish …
Momax have taken a fresh look at the case/stand hybrid concept with The Core Smart Case, which uses an origami inspired design for the stand coupled with a traditional gel casing. Good Fits perfectly Magnetic fasteners Screen protector and cloth included Bad Stand angle is too upright Unstable …
Batteries are a contentious issue when it comes to smartphones. It seems that no matter how much the phone technology advances, batteries can only just keep up. One day on a full charge is normal but, quite frankly, unacceptable. There are various options available to ease your power …
Gemini Devices are one of those companies that keep releasing decent products at decent prices. The latest products in their line-up are a selection of Jelly Bean tablets. Over the years we have had reviewed a few different tablets from them, most recently I used the JoyTab Pro …
My Lockscreen on my Windows Phones is the one place you can truly express yourself and have pretty much any picture you want displayed. This in itself isn’t anything new and nor are the new features that Windows Phone 8 brought to the Lockscreen either. I like wallpapers …
I remember in the olden days probably the first mobile game I ever played was Snake. I loved it, being able to play an actual game on a phone was just mind blowing. Fast forward fifteen years and we have a drastically different world, almost everything imaginable is …
A cable is a cable. One of those things you leave on the floor, at the back of the sofa, under the bed. However, if you want a cable that’s just a big more special, then consider this Snugg Live Wire charging cable. From the instant I unpackaged …
We reviewed the Nokia Lumia 820 a while back, but as part of my Windows Phone experiment I thought I’d give it a go. So thanks to the nice people at Vodafone I got to have a play with one. I’m not going to review it again so …
