Tag: smartphone

Can a smartphone really make you fitter? A look at My Fitness Pal

Smartphones are becoming an integral part of our life, and the phrase companion is frequently used to to describe how we interact with them. The barrier between what a phone can and can’t do is reducing all the time as apps and technology becomes more sophisticated, and the …

Is this the thinnest smartphone ever ?

Remember the Gionee Elife S5.5? (Me neither!) Well that device was a ridiculously thin handset at just 5.5 mm thick. Now China has certified an upcoming Android handset from the same company, codenamed the GN9005,. It reportedly measures only 5mm (0.2in) thick; that’s half a millimetre less than …

Lumia 930 offered up across the UK

We’ve had a number of companies in touch about this handset and the offers they’re running on it. If you’re following us on Twitter or checking the site regularly, you’ll already know about the EE deal, but here’s a run-down .. EE For a limited time, EE is …

Harness the power of the sun via your smartphone

The press release on this one starts off with quite a positive vibe… In case you hadn’t heard, it’s currently hotter than Barbados outside Well, yes. According to the news this morning it is, but I’d still rather be in Barbados. Never mind though, you’ve got my attention …

A big-screen solution for any smartphone

Smartphones are great, no argument there, but there’s a bit of a problem. Most people like a phones with a screen between 4″ and 4.7″, then you’re edging into phablet and then tablet territory. Devices of this size are great too, but you end up with a bigger …

Drive down the cost of your next smartphone

I’ve probably mentioned this before in passing, but if you’re in the market for a new phone or SIM-only plan then you’ll probably be getting a bit dizzy by now. There’s stacks of options out there and finding the best one can be a bit time consuming to …

Saving a few quid on your purchases

Getting yourself a good deal, it’s always a bit of a minefield. You’ll no doubt have seen people in supermarkets, clothes and electronics stores using their phones to get a better deal on items they’re looking at in store. What apps are they using? How are they comparing …

Remote kill order initialised!

Thought that might get your attention 😉 Imagine the scene, you are on a bus /train/aeroplane/horse drawn cart or other mode of transport. You are minding your own business and get off without a care in the world. A while later you go to get your phone and …

Controlling Pandora’s box

I know I’ve mentioned it before, and yes, I’m guilty of repeating myself. However, it’s something I’d like to bang my drum about because, for the most part, people tend to switch off when the words “online safety” are mentioned. Still there? Good, because a recent survey of …

Amazon reveal the Fire Phone

We knew it was coming, but the announcement has still been a bit of a surprise for many. Details are still emerging currently, but we do know that there’s be “unlimited” storage via the Amazon Cloud Drive system and it comes with a 4.7″ screen and 13 megapixel …

Amazon to reveal Smartphone on 18th June?

Anyone who keeps their ear close to the ground in the tech world may have heard the speculation with regards the new Amazon Phone which is due to be launched on June 18th. Amazon have released a video which is real teaser; you see a group of individuals …

Oppo Find 7 Pre Orders Open Now! Go Go Go!

We’ve been waiting for what seems like a lifetime for this phone, but finally after all this time it’s avaliable to pre order. The Oppo Find 7 is avaliable from the Oppo Store and priced at 479 Euros.  It’s avaliable in the Astro Black or the White. The phone …

Top tips to help you afford the latest gadgets

Here at Coolsmartphone we’ve already had a look at the cheaper smartphones and we’re always quick to let you guys know if there’s a good deal online. However, let’s be honest, for the most part phones are an expensive habit. The old way of getting a handset used …

The Luckies Smartphone Projector

You may remember us talking about a smartphone projector some months ago. For really not-that-much-money you it’ll project the image from your smartphone screen onto your wall. Just before I went on my little bike ride the buys from Luckies of London delivered us a review unit, so …

The READYACTION in … err.. action

Those posh sports cameras are good, but they do tend to cost quite a bit. The Garmin Virb I looked at a short while ago can be around £200+ and, whilst it produces excellent footage, it’s quite a bit of cash. This then is READYACTION – a body …

Voda dishes up some cheap smartphones

Smartphones. Usually high powered. Usually pretty pricey. Usually they tie you into a long contract where you’re paying a bit more per month for the latest shiny thing. Vodafone got in touch with us to promote their “Affordable Smartphone Campaign”. They didn’t send us any money. They didn’t …

How much tech can you put into cycling?

In just a few days time I’m planning to do a cycle ride for charity. It’s in aid of the the Douglas Macmillan Hospice. I have a grand total of £0 in sponsorship on my JustGiving page. I’m dedicating it and doing it in memory of my father. …

I’m troubled by what we’ve created

Friday. I think something is happening to me. At work, during my lunch hour, I did my usual trip to the supermarket to get a sandwich. Like many, I filled the period of “dead time” by faffing about with my phone. Twitter, Facebook, the news, checking email. The …

The Cat B15 gets some SERIOUS abuse

Cat (who, incidentally, have a rather massive presence about 2 miles from here), asked me to “properly test” their Cat B15 smartphone I decided to put it through what I thought was the ultimate test. I gave it to my son and, after explaining that it was a …

Amazon smartphone rendered

This,  if BGR is to be believed,  is the new Amazon smartphone. The image comes straight out of Amazon and has apparently been confirmed by “trusted sources”. Rumoured details include a 3D gesture and eye tracking control system and six compact camera modules of which four will be …

Keeping your kids safe – Children Tracker updated

There’s a tricky line that most parents have to walk every day. When do you buy your child a mobile phone? Are you buying it for safety reasons? If you are, and you want to be able to call them and keep track of them, that’s good; but …

A smartphone for just £50. The Vodafone Smart 4 mini

Voda want you to spend less money on your next smartphone and have today come out with this, the Smart 4 mini. It runs a dual-core 1.3GHz CPU and has a 4″ capacitive screen with 512MB RAM and Android 4.2.2. The price? A mere £50. It’s part of …

The Coolsmartphone Podcast – Episode 88

Yes, it’s me, Gears. Podcast number 88 and I’m at the helm while James is on a break. This week I’m joined by Garry Clark and Ronnie Whelan. It’s an hour-long show, which you can download here. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed here, listen via iTunes here or just use …

Samsung Galaxy S5 goes Mini (SM-G800) , Specs leaked

We had the S3 Mini, the S4 Mini and now we will have the S5 Mini.  As confirmed by SamMobile not long back, but now we have a few more details in the regards to specification for the phone.  Many were slightly disappointed with the S4 Mini with its …

Monitor your car from your phone with Carlock

I’m sure there’s some of you out there who know exactly where the diagnostic port on your car is. That OBD connector might’ve been used by yourself with one of those cables you bought off eBay (and that “iffy software” that “fell off the internet”) or the brilliantly …

A smartphone projector on the cheap

The Samsung Galaxy Beam is quite a cool phone. It’s got a built-in projector so you can project your favourite football match, TV show or movie onto the wall. However, if you want that functionality you’re going to have to switch phones, and that’s a whole expensive business …

Lenovo launch new S-Series smartphones

Just minutes ago Lenovo announced even more kit here at Mobile World Congress. Three news smartphones have arrived – the Lenovo S860, S850 and S660. The S860, below, has a quad-core CPU and 5.3″ screen with “ultra-long” battery life. It’s powered by a MediaTek 1.3GHz CPU and runs …

Let’s face it, batteries are rubbish

At Mobile World Congress I’d love to see someone announce a phone battery that actually lasts more than a day. I mean, Duracell have the Powermat and we all have chargers in the car… at home.. at the office. Now we’re even seeing more of these mobile device …

Samsung’s new Windows Phone packing a quad-core Snapdragon CPU.

A short while ago I posted an article about a rumoured new Samsung Windows Phone. It was named SM-W750V and, at the time, details were pretty sparse. The name has now changed and it’s known under the code name “Huron”, plus even more specs have now leaked out. …

Sony Xperia Z1 Compact lands in store

The Sony Xperia Z1 Compact (to give it its full name) has arrived on our shores. We’ve had info from O2 that they will be stocking it in its full technicolour rainbow of options. It’ll be be free from £32 per month on the Refresh plan. If you …

Kensington EVAP Rescue Pouch review

I’ll be honest, Kensington sent me this a long while ago and it sat in a drawer for far too long. I’d forgotten about it until this last weekend, when “something” happened. The EVAP Rescue Pouch is a step up from the “bag of rice” solution should your …

Smartphone shipments hit new high

One billion. It’s a big number. It’s like the APR on a Wonga loan. IDC reckon that just over one billion smartphones were shipped last year – the first time this many smartphones have ever been shipped in a single year. Ryan Reith, programme director at IDC, stated …

Get off that phone!!

We’ve all either been on the receiving end of that line, or said it to someone else, you hear it all the time. It’s often used as a reason that our society is getting more unsociable, or cited as reasons young relationships break down! I know I’ve been …

The Coolsmartphone Podcast – Episode 75

The Coolsmartphone Podcast is back, we’ve all had our annual Christmas break and we’re here to mumble and um and er for an hour. Joining me this week was Ronnie Whelan and our topics this week were as follows. Our favourite phones, tablets and manufacturers for 2013. The …

LG announce the marriage of Smartphone and Smart TV

Let’s talk Smart TV’s shall we? They’re pretty rubbish aren’t they? I bought one of these, thinking I’d be sitting there with my 3D glasses on watching some movies on Netflix or videos on YouTube. However, by the time the clunky interface has booted and you’ve sat through …

ASUS PadFone mini arrives officially

Earlier in the week we covered the leaked Asus Padfone Mini and now, according Engadget China it’s now official. It’s the marriage of a 4.3″ (960×540) Android handset with a 7″ (1280×800) dock and comes with a Snapdragon MSM8226 quad-core CPU running at 1.4GHz. Running on Android 4.3 …

Accept card payments, using your smartphone

I like to show my family just how rich and successful I am, so just last week I was making use of a discount voucher in Pizza Hut. After gorging myself on large amounts of “endless salad” and “unlimited soft drinks” I was sadly too fat to walk …

The Coolsmartphone Podcast – Episode 72

It’s Friday, and you know what happens on Friday – we publish the single greatest podcast on the internet. This week James is sunning himself on holiday, so I’m in the hot seat. Yes, me. If you’ve followed the podcast over the years you may remember the very …

Testing my sobriety .. with a smartphone

With the festive season fast approaching it’s important to remember that drinking and driving really don’t mix. For those that have had a few the night before, or who’s job requires regular testing, there’s now a new breathalyser which is small enough to hang off your keys. Not …