Get rugged, get a Cat case

Those of you who are lovely enough, smart enough, handsome enough and intelligent enough to read our site regularly will know about the Cat B15 smartphone. It’s a rough, tough and solid Android smartphone by the people who make those big yellow diggers. Now, if you’re not ready …

More channels added to Sky Go

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been writing several furious letters to those people at Sky TV about the lack of TV channels such as Eden, Alibi and Animal Planet on their mobile TV platform – Sky Go. The system lets you watch a range of channels …

Samsung ad ends up being a bit pants

Samsung don’t appear to share my huge dislike of that media-hungry do-anything-for-fame “artist” called Miley Cyrus. They’ve recently mentioned her in an advert for their Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch. The picture, as you can see below, shows a pair of pants and relates to Miley and her semi-clad …

Qualcomm Toq – Slip it onto your wrist on December 2nd

A device that is light, easy to carry around with you. It’ll tell you the time. It’s thin and has a touch screen that’s bright enough to use in direct sunlight. Not only that, but you can see calls, texts and emails coming in. What is it? Well, …

Problems with Samsung 4.3 updates

We are seeing reports that Samsung and networks are pulling the Android 4.3 update for the Galaxy S3 and S4, due to the update causing severe problems. The S3 seems most affected and that is the update that is has currently been pulled by Samsung, but Sky are …

Electric, water, what could go wrong?

Ahh wait, it’s not real water. However, it is real electric. Sure, you could buy any old charger, but you wouldn’t be getting one that looks like a tap now would you? This, my friends is, well… there’s no other way of saying this.. a charger that looks …

Nokia music heading cross platform [rumour]

Nokia music is a free music streaming service that allows users to either choose a pre-created playlist from a wide range of themes and musical styles. You can also create one of your own by selecting up to 3 artists and letting the app then choose similar artists …

Google Search for Windows Phone gets an update

Google made Windows Phone apps are a little rare, the one that has been around for a while is Google Search, it basically lets you search the web and do a little bit of browsing too. The latest update has basically improved the search functionality. Here is what …

Driverless cars that work with your smartphone

If you drive up the M6 between Junction 11 and 14 you’ll see how this particular stretch of motorway is being converted to a “managed” road. What this means is that cameras will be fitted along the motorway and your speed will be tightly monitored and controlled. It …

Bluetooth speakers, but with a whole lot more

Bluetooth is OK, but you might still want FM radio and that utterly rubbish “DAB” system that sometimes decides to work. Now a British-based developer has released a couple of rather beautiful radio systems. They have Bluetooth connectivity, FM radio, DAB and and dual alarm. Not only that, …

The Brick – Review

I’m old enough to come from a different world. A world before mobile phones. When they did appear, phones like this one were expensive and bulky. Children never had mobile phones. A mobile phone was used by successful professionals in the city. Bankers and traders used to lug …

AirDroid – Manage your Android from a browser

An app I use far too much is AirDroid. It basically offers a friendly and easy web interface into your Android handset. You can transfer files, send and receive texts easily, plus you can even activate and use the camera on your phone without being near it. You …

Google Play Music available for iOS

Yes you read that right! Google have FINALLY released their Google Play Music app for Apple’s iOS! For any iPhone user who doesn’t know, Google recently launched their “All Access” service which allows subscribers to stream music in a similar way to Spotify and Deezer but the free …

Thinking of buying an OPPO phone? Wait a fortnight

If an OPPO phone is top of your list of handsets, you may want to hold fire on that buy button. You see, they’ve sent out an email today saying that they’ll be doing a “Black Friday surprise” offer! Wooh! Black Friday, the last Friday in November, is …

4.4 KitKat Nexus Factory Images now live

If you’re anything like me you’ve been refreshing the official Google Stock Images page since the announcement of KitKat, well the wait is over. If you head over to the developer pages you’ll find all you need to update your Nexus 10, 7 (2012 and 2013 model) and 4 …

Jolla phone launch date announced

Jolla, the Finish company formed from ex-Nokia employees, has announced the launch date for the first ever Sailfish phone. The launch will happen in Helsinki on the 27th November and they will have 450 devices ready to buy for those who pre-ordered. Marc Dillon, one of the founding …

Just give me five minutes..

Hello. I’m going to borrow your eyes for a minute. Don’t worry, I’ll keep it brief, but today it’s Children in Need. If you’re not aware, this is the BBC’s big charity event and it supports disadvantaged children all across the UK. As an example, just up the …

BWC 7″ Kidi-Value Tablet Review

So these days it seems that every man and their dog is making an Android slate. Now although this is a very good place to be as it give the consumer a multitude of options, it is also a potential minefield for the 1st time buyer. This buyer …

Flipboard is released for Windows 8

Flipboard is possibly the most gorgeous news reader app EVER. It originated on iOS, eventually moved over to Android and it is now coming to Windows. If you’ve never heard of Flipboard and you have a Windows 8 computer or tablet then you are in for a treat today. This …

The Coolsmartphone Podcast – Episode 70

Episode 70 of the Coolsmartphone Podcast is here, it’s basically week two of our Nexus 5 based discussions. Sorry about the delay, you can thank ancient wiring in my house for that. This week I was joined by Ian and Mark and this weeks topics were as follows: …