Author: Matteo Doni

IFA Berlin 2016 – Acer Press Conference

It’s all kicking off here in Berlin and Matteo will be covering as much as possible for Coolsmartphone.com. Today we start off with the Acer Press Conference. The coffee is good, the stage wrapped by a massive curved screen is set and we are ready to go. Jason …

Honor 8 – Camera Sample Gallery

Earlier this week I was a guest of Honor at the European launch of the Honor 8, their new flagship. In this article I’ll let you see some Honor 8 camera sample shots thanks to the magic of the internets. The Honor 8 has an impressive spec sheet …

Android Super Mid-Rangers 2015-2016

The Android ecosystem has changed dramatically in the last couple of years. Since the launch of the OnePlus One in 2014, many Chinese device manufacturers have been releasing Android Super Mid-Ranger devices which have 5.5″ full HD screens and deliver incredible value for money. Over the last year …

Big Android BBQ Europe 2016

Last week I had the privilege of attending Big Android BBQ Europe in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Big Android BBQ Europe is a developer focused conference which this year was opened on Sunday with the Code Kitchen and followed by two days of talks with a real BBQ on …

Google Duo coming soon, maybe…

Google have just announced that their new video calling app, Google Duo, will start a phased release globally as of today. Google Duo is a video calling app which the Mountain View headquartered company teased at their Google IO developer conference in May. Until now Google Duo still …

Big Android BBQ Europe 2016 – Code Kitchen

Sunday August 14th 2016. Today it’s Code Kitchen day, part of Big Android BBQ Europe 2016 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Code Kitchen is a hackathon event where developers or people who would like to learn more about development come for the day and complete challenges. Said challenges can be …

New Virgin Media TiVo box teased

Virgin Media, the UK cable TV/phone/broadband provider, has just teased us with a new TiVo powered set top box which will be made available to its cable TV customers later this year. Current details of the Virgin Media TiVo V6 are scarce, but we do have a pretty …

Coolsmartphone will be at Big Android BBQ Europe 2016

Big Android BBQ Europe is happening next week in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and Coolsmartphone will be there covering it for you. While we won’t be able to use Three’s Feel At Home benefits there yet, we’ll still be bringing you the news and views from Europe’s Big Android BBQ …

Meizu announce the Meizu M3E

One of our favourite Chinese smartphone makers just announced a new device in China today. At a funky event in Beijing, Meizu presented the Meizu M3E to the world and we are looking at another super midranger. The M3E spec sheet is strikingly similar to the M3 Note, …

Android distribution numbers for the week to August 1st

Google announces distribution numbers for the Android devices that connect to the Play Store on a monthly basis. The Android distribution numbers for the week up to August 1st are now out, and they make for interesting reading if you like that sort of geeky number subject. Android …

Samsung Unpacks the Note 7

At a glitzy event today Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Note 7 smartphone at its Unpacked event. The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 we will see in the UK will have a Samsung Exynos octa-core chipset, 4GB RAM and 64GB storage which will be expandable via MicroSD. The screen on the …

Xiaomi announces the Redmi Pro

At a press event in Beijing yesterday Xiaomi, the Chinese tech company, officially unveiled the Redmi Pro smartphone. Redmi is the affordable range of smartphones Xiaomi has been manufacturing and selling since 2013. The brand new Redmi Pro is Xiaomi’s first Redmi device to sport a 13MP dual-camera …

Amazon Fire tablets updated to Fire OS 5.3.1

The Amazon Fire tablet range is being updated to Fire OS 5.3.1. This release of Amazon’s Android based distribution adds some new features to the Fire tablets and adds the On Deck feature to older fourth generation Fire tablets. There is now an option for encryption of your …

The Moto E 3rd Generation goes on sale in September

This week Lenovo announced the Moto E 3rd Generation which will go on sale in September globally. The budget Moto E line has reached its 3rd generation. What we now refer to as Lenovorola seems to be almost overlapping the entry level Moto E 3rd Generation, an entry …

Honor 5X now £139.99 at Amazon

Prime Day has been and gone. I made the most of Prime Day and ordered a magenta coloured Fire tablet for my better half and 168 pouches of cat food. Great deals! On that note, you may have not missed out on all the deals yesterday: the Honor …

Amazon Prime Day is today

Amazon Prime Day, the day of deals exclusively for members of Amazon Prime, is today. Amazon Prime already gives you great benefits, like Amazon Prime Music streaming service, Amazon Instant Video with quite a selection of movies and TV shows as well as free next day delivery on …

OnePlus 3 – Review

OnePlus seem to have been in the news quite a lot recently, and this time it seems to be for all the right reasons. No over the top, morally and ethically questionable campaigns or events this time. It’s all about the OnePlus 3, the third flagship from the …

Facebook Messenger Now Does SMS

Are you someone who lives in Facebook Messenger? Would you like to spend even more time in the app? Well after the latest app update, you can now set Facebook Messenger to be your default SMS app (if you are on Android). For now iOS users can’t set …

Apple WWDC 2016

Apple are currently holding their World Wide Developer Conference for 2016 on the West Coast of the US of A at the moment. Yesterday was when the opening Keynote was held, so let’s have a look at the main announcements at Apple WWDC 2016. iOS The Apple Photos …

Twitter for Android goes Material Design

The Twitter app for Android has gone Material Design (and we really do like it). In case you don’t know, Material Design is Google’s design language for web and native applications. Since Android 5.0 (Lollipop), Material Design has also been the design language of Android. Google’s own apps …

Get 20% Off Selected Kindle eReaders

It’s that time of year again: you’re looking forward to spending some relaxing time outdoors reading while the weather is half-decent. Amazon must be mind readers (as well as purveyors of fine Kindle eReaders), so they have launched Summer Deals which has 20% of selected Kindle eReaders.   …

Android Distribution Numbers For June 2016

Google has released the Android distribution numbers for June 2016, and the breakdown makes for interesting reading. Every month Google releases the stats which indicate the percentages of users running a version of Android and using the Google Play Store. This is useful to developers (and testers) because …

FireOS 5.1.4 Rolling Out

My trusty Amazon Fire tablet updated over the air this week and the new version number of FireOS is 5.1.4. FireOS is Amazon’s operating system, based on Android, which is built to run on the range of Amazon Fire tablets. It definitely has a different look and feel …

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (Mediatek) – Review

Last year I reviewed the Xiaomi Redmi Note 2, a great value device with excellent specs. Just over three months after the launch of the Redmi Note 2 Xiaomi announced the Redmi Note 3. I spent some pocket money recently and purchased one to see if it is …

Android N Developer Preview 2 Is Out

Today those with compatible Nexus devices are being treated to the option to upgrade to the Android N Developer Preview 2. I’ve already upgraded my Nexus 6P and will do the same with my Nexus 9 this evening. This is an incremental update to the Android N Developer …

Meizu M3 Note Officially Launches

Meizu, the Chinese smartphone brand, has launched the M3 Note. Some of you may recall Leigh’s impressions of the M1 Note, or my own take on the M2 Note. Well, the M3 Note is here and will be officially available from April 11th in China. No details are …

Amazon Fire 7 (2015) – Review

This is the Coolsmartphone.com review of the Amazon Fire (2015). I’ve been testing this for a while now, and after many months of heavy use, here is my review of Amazon’s inexpensive tablet computer. The device reviewed was purchased with my own pocket money, from Amazon, and has …

Honor 5X – Review

Recently I was at the Honor 5X European launch in Munich, Germany. Since then, as well as recovering from a Red Bull Cola high, I’ve been working on the review of the Honor 5X. In this article I’ll give you my review of the hardware and my impressions. …

Honor 5X Launch – LIVE

We’re here, live in Germany, for the announcement of another well-priced marvel from Honor. All the latest news and our thoughts will be added to the live blog below, so keep an eye on the updates. Be warned: Matteo may make a few comments about mockodile too…

Lenovo K4 Note Teasers

Lenovo, the parent company of Lenovorola Motorola, have been teasing their upcoming release of the K4 Note quite a lot recently. The K4 Note is the successor to the popular Lenovo K3 Note, which sits in the same market segment as the Meizu M1/M2 Note and the Xiaomi …

Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 – Review

This is the review of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 2, an affordable 5.5” smartphone which hails from the largest smartphone vendor in China (third largest smartphone vendor… in the World…). The Redmi Note 2 was announced and released in August 2015, and as with all other Redmi branded …

Xiaomi announces more lifestyle products

Yesterday Xiaomi officially unveiled the Redmi Note 3, but this wasn’t all the company had to announce. During the same event Xiaomi announced the Mi Pad 2 and the Mi Air Purifier 2. Lets start with the Xiaomi Mi Pad 2, which as the name suggests is the …

Xiaomi announce the Redmi Note 3

Today Xiaomi have announced the Redmi Note 3, a 5.5″ screened affordable handset which packs some serious specs for the price. The Redmi Note 3 is the third iteration of the popular and affordable Redmi Note series of devices. Coming hot on the heels of the Redmi Note …

Android runtime on Windows Phone dead?

Say what you will about Windows Phone / Windows mobile, it’s still struggling to gain serious traction despite several reboots. Hopefully the new Windows 10 mobile will turn that around. Details of Windows 10 for your mobile are already available, and the new OS will be rolling out …

Big Android BBQ Europe – Editorial

This week I am attending The Big Android BBQ Europe in Amsterdam. Today I am blogging live from the Code Kitchen where some very clever people are engaging in code challenges. The Big Android BBQ has been a two day Android focused conference. Opened with a Keynote delivered …

Meizu M2 Note – Review

Meizu is a brand not particularly well known here in the UK. Leigh recently reviewed the Meizu M1 Note, and I have been using a Meizu M2 Note for a few months now. This is my review of the Meizu M2 Note, a device purchased from Shenzhen Chigon …

LG G Flex2 – Now less than £215!

Oh now, this is like shooting fish in a barrel. Yet another great deal on what is a very good smartphone. This one is from LG, and it’s the curved G2. This is a handset that was £459, but they’re now knocking it out for just £214.99 at Expansys. …

M&M – Motorola & Marshmallow

Motorola have announced which devices in its product portfolio will get the Android 6.0 update in a blog post. All the most recent devices are included, apart from the 2nd generation Moto E (the one with the bigger screen and 4G). The complete list is as follows: 2015 …

Google Nexus 9 (16GB) now £179.99 at Argos

Argos have dropped the price of the HTC made Nexus 9 16GB to £179.99 online. The Nexus 9 32GB has had its price cut to £299.99 as well. The Nexus 9 is last year’s Nexus tablet which brought the 4:3 aspect ratio to Google’s Nexus range. As of …

Amazon Fire 7″ (2015) – Unboxing

Today Amazon started delivering their new tablet models to customers who had pre-ordered in the UK. I received my £49 Amazon Fire 7″ (2015), and this is my unboxing. Yes, you did read that correctly, it’s just £49. Specifications: quad-core processor and 1GB RAM 7″ 1024×600 display 8GB …