It’s time for another one of my “around £100” phones. This time it’s the XIAOMI RedMi Note 2, which is available in a 16GB version for $168.85 (around £111.35) or a 32GB version for $205.85, which is about £135.75. Available in either black or white this is a …

To people like me, this could be a tough sell. It’s a smartphone which has cloud storage – around 100GB – to keep your files on. No more running out of space on your handset, at least in theory. Yes, there is actually storage on-board, some 32GB of …

Welcome to the Coolsmartphone Podcast episode 153. In this episode John is joined by Gary – live from Berlin for this IFA special. Gary discusses the highlights of the show including: The Tado Smart Thermostat The Sony Xperia Z5 range The Huawei Mate S & Huawei Smart Watch The …

Remember those two affordable handsets we talked about last week? The Swift and the Storm? The manufacturer, WileyFox, today announced a release date for the smaller of the two, the Swift. On the 22nd of September you’ll be able to buy the Swift directly from the WileyFox store …

Here at IFA there are loads of companies pitching Smart Tech in various different forms. I was able to visit one such company this morning. They are called Tado and they are starting to become very popular in the energy-conscious society that we live in. As we are …

Motorola have just announced that in a similar vein to the Moto Maker for their phones, the second generation of the company’s smartwatch, the Moto 360 can be  fully customised in the Moto Maker design studio. Now you can choose from additional bezels, colours, materials, even a new double …

I have been on the Sony booth here at IFA and have had a chance to have a play with their latest devices.  We have seen three new handsets – the Xperia Z5, Xperia Z5 Compact and the Xperia Z5 Premium. The major focus of the visit was …

Fancy the new super-sized Samsung Galaxy S6 edge + on giffgaff? They’ll be selling it from September 4th contract free and completely unlocked. You can then stick one of the giffgaff monthly SIM cards in, and there’s a range of plans to choose from with 3G and 4G ‘goodybags’. …

One of the great things about the big shows like IFA is that it provides the opportunity for OEMs, big and small, to reveal their wares.  Announced today were five new handsets from Haier.  Not heard of them? Me neither, but that’s because they are new to the …

Seriously, right, if there’s tangible evidence that a gadget is about to be updated, it is a price drop of the current model. The Microsoft Band has seen a number of price reductions recently. Now Amazon has dropped the price again, to £145. The Microsoft Band is one …

Google, it seems, is having a big overhaul. First they split their company up to sit under the new Alphabet name, and now they’ve updated their logo. Since it’s launch in 1998, the company logo has been in constant evolution. You’d even be forgiven for not remembering exactly …

Well, although we saw it coming from a mile off, the end product is still pretty sweet. Huawei, who are rising fast in the smartphone world, have just shown their new baby – the Mate S. It comes with a cushioned rear and a “skid resistance” which should …

If talking into a smartwatch feels a little too much like Star Trek, then stop reading now.  The next fashion item to be smartified is the…wait for it, a ring. Really. Apparently, there are lots of us who complain about our sleep but a company called Oura have the …

After far too much alcohol, I’m experiencing a painful ride across Shenzhen in the warm morning heat. The three hours of sleep and my 30-second “panic repacking” of my suitcase hasn’t gone well. I felt a lot like this guy.. After mixing my drinks and visiting a number …

Something I have been seeing across the industry right now is an emergence of lots of low price flagship challengers. These come from various sources, with the most prominent of these being China. Now, the inherent problem with buying from China is what then happens when it goes …

This one has been waiting in the wings for a while, since MWC in fact it has popped up every now and again since but we were always missing one vital clue. The price well that has been announced. It is going to be selling for €399.00 starting …

Hello from Berlin once again, and today a company which is known for producing home DECT telephones had decided to go ahead and release three new smartphones. The ME Pure, ME and ME Pro come to us from GIGASET. All three of the ME smartphones are said to …

The ‘Worlds First True Android PC’ – The Remix Mini – has successfully concluded its KickStarter Campaign, raising $1,647,155 in funding, and is set for an October launch. Unsurprisingly running Jide’s Remix OS, the Remix Mini provides a multi-tasking windowed environment and the ability to connect the PC to …

The Huawei event is one of the first big press events of IFA 2015. I am sitting in the hall and waiting to see what they will announce. Rumours are pointing to a new Mate phablet and a release date for the Huawei Watch. Let show begin…

If It wasn’t such a possibility from the Chocolate Factory, I’d dismiss it as yet another rumour, but it makes a weird type of sense. Whilst we have absolutely no confirmation yet that there is any truth to this, some photos have come online from China that purport …