Author: Ian Furlong
Right let start with talking about the elephant in the room, the Kitvision Escape HD5W action camera, that I have been sent through to review, is the spitting image of the current class leader, but I’m not going to go pro there. Now that’s done…… The action camera market …
Let me start by saying this: I have been an Android user from the very beginnings. My first Android phone was the T-Mobile G1 way back in 2008. So I haven’t really used any other operating systems. Yes, I have had a little play with iOS and Windows Phones …
Today Microsoft announced that the Lumia 535 will be available here in the UK. The device will be available from the following retailers: Amazon, Tesco, O2, Carphone Warehouse and Virgin, and in a striking range of colours including green, orange, white, dark grey, cyan and black. The spec’s of the …
The super-popular WhatsApp multi-platform messaging app looks to be rolling out of their highly-anticipated voice calling feature. A WhatsApp user from India has posted some screenshots of the new UI and explained how the whole procedure works. According to him, the voice calling option will only show up once …
Following its launch in the US, the “Send Money” feature in Gmail is finally on the way over here too. To be honest this does exactly what the name suggests and will let people to sign into their Gmail account and send money from right there in the …
Rumours have been floating around the internet for quite sometime about Samsung dropping Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processor in favour for its own Exynos chips. However, with Samsung and Qualcomm both keeping schtum on this matter, the authenticity of the report could not be confirmed. Now though. at its fourth …
UK supermarket giant Tesco is to kick out rival networks and only sell contracts to Tesco Mobile, which hops on the back of the O2 network. The Tesco Phone Shop will eventually stop selling contracts on all networks but its own, in a move designed to streamline its …
Samsung today announced that the first smartphones in its Galaxy A-Series range, the A3 and A5, will available to buy in UK stores on Thursday 12th February. The devices will be available to buy from selected high street retailers and networks including Carphone Warehouse, EE and O2, and Three. …
According to @upleaks Taiwanese phone manufacturer HTC is working on a mid-range handset dubbed the Desire 626. From the leaked images, the Desire 626 looks very similar to HTC’s current mid-range Desire handset the 826. However, the Desire 626 will sport considerably less powerful internals, which includes :- 5-inch …
When Google released Android 5.0 Lollipop in October last year, HTC boldly announced that they would update their flagship device within 90 days (oh how we sniggered). Well it appears we shouldn’t have laughed so hard as HTC was able to keep that plan in tact. According to a …
In December last year Samsung began rolling out their Lollipop update the Galaxy S5, starting in Poland, which those of us that love to hack, soon started shoe horning into our devices. Well if you’re not a hacker the wait appears to be over with the update now officially landing on …
If you’re a listener to our fantastic podcast (if not you should be) this week you will hear me stating that the Android 5.0 lollipop update had ruined my 2012 Nexus 7. Performance-wise the device became really laggy. Well, it appears that Google has acknowledged the issues as …
I have been sent through the Inateck card reader and hub with USB on the go support, for review. Lets start with the good and bad points. Good Points Small lightweight form factor. Soft plastic feel. loads of ports giving versatility. Powered/None Powered option. Bad Points Attached USB …
Stuffed with three, yes three, 8 Megapixel cameras, Huawei today unveiled its latest smartphone under the new Honor branding. Following on from the reasonably priced Honor 6, meet the new imaginatively named Honor 6 Plus. The new device’s unique selling point is it’s three 8 megapixel cameras. There’s two in …
Google has confirmed that the Nexus 5 production has stopped, and… once they are gone, they’re gone, so we’d suggest people get them while they can. It was only yesterday that Google removed the listing of the the Red and White variants of the Nexus 5 from Google Play. The …
Today Google revealed the latest update to their own messaging app, Hangouts. The update sees the addition of 16 sticker packs, new video filters for calls, the ability to add contacts with their phone number, smart location suggestions and a “last seen” timestamp that shows you when your contact …
There is a 25GB limit though. UK TV/Phone/Broadband supplier Sky has announced a new broadband package. For those interested, it’ll cost just £10 a month for up to 38Mbps fibre internet. However, it’s really for those who don’t use too much data as it is capped to a limit …
Recently I moved to using my Nexus 5 as my daily driver again (just to use the pure Lollipop Android experience).. Thing is, with it being a 16GB version, space is at a premium, as it is with a number of handsets that haven’t got microSD slots. I …
It looks like Google are pushing out a point release to the latest version of their operating system Android 5 Lollipop, up to 5.0.1. Google has also released the factory images for the Nexus 7 (2013, Wi-Fi), Nexus 9 and the Nexus 10. Google has not provided any …
In an unusually speedy move for Samsung, it has been reported that they’ve started rolling out the Android 5.0 Lollipop update for the G900F variant of the Galaxy S5 in Poland. Although not confirmed by Samsung itself, the rumour has been released by the folks over at Sam-mobile. …
Do you use your iPad naked (ooooo missus, the iPad, not you) or do hide all of the Apple design inside a case ? I recently took my iPad mini out of its case and instantly remembered how thin and light the device was. I decided that’s how …
A couple of us writers here in Coolsmartphone towers use Chromebooks. I for one love my HP11. In the past, when you purchased a new Chromebook, Google would give you 100GB of Google Drive storage free. This would last for two years and would act as a little …
Like most people nowadays I love listening to media from my phone. Be it either music, podcasts or audio books, I love it. I would say 90% of the time my listening is done through headphones. Now, I mainly use two sets of headphones. The first are my …
The mid-range Ascend P7 launched six months ago and our very own Gary reviewed it here. Now it’s rumoured that the next phone in the Ascend series, the P8, is currently undergoing internal testing at Huawei HQ. Rumours are that the new device could make a appearance as …
It appears that phone manufacturers are moving away from the camera megapixel race and instead onto who’s got the higest resolution screen. A screen resolution is measured by pixel density, or Pixels Per Inch “PPI” (not payment protection insurance). Now the human eye struggles to see anything more than …
Our National Heath Service (NHS), love it hate it, it’s still the envy of the world. As we move ever closer to the digital edge, it appears that the NHS is following too (abeit slowly). The NHS today outlined a number of new digital improvements that include making …
Google have announced that they will shut down the Google Wallet API for third-party digital goods purchases from March 2nd 2015. Google Wallet will continue to function, however, for Google Play purchases. Google Wallet will still exist and consumers will be able to make purchases for goods in …
I recently managed to pry my iPad Mini from my little boy’s hands, meaning I could finally use it for myself. I’ve been sent the Tactus Buckuva for review, so now was the perfect time to test it out. Good Points The case has a quality premium feel …
Today UK independent phone retailer Carphone Warehouse announced that it would be exclusively stocking the flagship handset, the HTC One (M8), in blue for the first time in the UK. This striking coloured version of the phone will be available exclusively from the Carphone Warehouse, for those who …
Having already sold over half a million devices to date, through an invite only system, the Chinese startup company OnePlus have stated they now hope to have one million of their “One” phones sold by years end. Speaking to a Forbes reporter at Dublin’s Web Summit, Director …
Chinese phone manufacturer OnePlus is believed to be releasing another device – possibly the OnePlus Two in early 2015. Following a recent meeting with Microsoft, it’s rumoured that they could be considering using the Windows Phone operating system. In a recent interview with India’s Economic Times they stated …
Phone manufacturer Oppo has released the above photo of their rumoured next device the Oppo N3, with what appears to be a rotating rear camera module at the top of the device, which we first saw the N1, enabling the high quality selfie, which seems to be the …
I absolutely love the PocketCasts app, I must use everyday and I have installed it on every device I own both iOS and Android, to be honest it’s one of the few app’s I can’t do without. If you don’t know what PocketCasts is, it’s a podcast aggregator …
I have been sent a new tablet through for review, this being The Gigaset Tablet 8 QV830 ( black version ). Never heard of Gigaset ? well neither had I prior to hearing from them regarding this review. Gigaset is a German company that is one of the …
Are you a user of Amazon’s own app store? I am, and if you didn’t know Amazon give away a free paid app everyday. I make sure that I check at least once per day as sometimes you can get a real gem every once in a while. …
Reports are hitting the internet quoting a Samsung spokesperson saying the company plans to stop selling its laptops, including Chromebooks in European markets. We quickly adapt to market needs and demands. In Europe, we will be discontinuing sales of laptops including Chromebooks for now. This is specific to the …
The popularity of large screen phones is growing, take the recent sales figures of the iPhone 6 plus for example (as a side note the 6 plus is bigger than my Note 3 and I’ve got a bigger screen. Just saying). Anyway this large screen malarkey in the …
Following on from my other Inateck speaker review I have been sent a further bluetooth speaker to review, this one being the entry level BP1002B portable speaker. Features : Bluetooth v2.1 and EDRAux-inBuilt-in-mic for handsfree calling. Charge via micro-USBBuilt in Li-Ion battery1 x 3W speakerDimensions: 61.5 x 61.5 x 71.5 …
Today at the Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin (or as we know it, IFA) Huawei launched Ascend Mate7 alongside the Ascend G7. The Mate7 features.. – A 6″ screen with FHD display for enhanced entertainment viewing. – A Slim 7.9mm body. – A octa-core chipset for superior performance. – Massive 4100 …
The HTC mid-range 4G Desire 610 looks set to arrive exclusively to UK network Three in a stunning new Coral colour. The specs of the device remain the same, with its 144.1 x 70.5 x 9.6mm frame, 4.7 inch qHD screen, Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 1.2 GHz quad-core CPU …
