Category: Android

Blackberry KEY2 LE announced at IFA

TCL have today announced a new version of their KEY2 family – the KEY2 LE Available from September at a RRP of £349, the LE is a great alternative to anyone wanting a keyboard powered smartphone without needing the power from the older brother version. Along with the …

IFA2018 – Gamers rejoice, it’s the Honor Play

Let’s go with the price on this one first shall we? It’s £279.99. Boom. That’s probably enough to get you buying it already. A cheap phone for gamers? Can there be such a thing? Well, yes there can. Go buy one. Go get one right now on HiHonor.com. …

Sony Xperia XZ3 goes official at IFA2018

It only seems a few minutes since we reviewed the XZ2 but now, here it is, the Xperia XZ3. It might “just” look like a small upgrade, but there’s actually a lot more to appreciate about this one. Specs include a 6″ 2880 x 1440 screen – that’s …

HTC launch the U12 life. Great specs, equally great price.

Whenever anybody puts “Life” in the name of their product, I somehow think of a Vauxhall Corsa Life. It’s a typically entry-level car with eco credentials. Here though, the new HTC U12 life (with a lower-case “L”) offers a high-end spec for a midrange price. Available in Moonlight …

Wear OS to get new experience

Google have been in the smart watch business for a while now, however it is no secret they have had a tough time when compared to their Apple rival. Android Wear rebranded into Wear OS in a bid to bring a better experience, however there was still a …

So, there was an incident…

I’ve been on holiday recently. I had a lovely Huawei Mate 10 Pro with me. It was the very one that I was using when I showed you the Huawei Desktop Mode and you can see our full Mate 10 Pro review if you’re looking to buy one. …

OnePlus 6 performance – 3 months on

With the excitement on new phones due out before Christmas such as the new Pixel range, the new iPhone’s and the just released Galaxy Note 9, these often come with a hefty price tag and people often overlook the current range of flagships that can give better value …

EE announce super fast delivery and setup service

EE have today announced a new delivery service available on certain flagship devices. Super fast delivery will enable customers to get their new device the same day, with a timeslot and location best suited to you. Staying in all day for a delivery can be not only frustrating, …

Motorola P30 is a dead-ringer for the iPhone X

They say that imitation is the best form of flatery, well if that’s true Lenovo-owned Motorola must really love Apple. The latest device from the Chinese owned phone manufacturer hasn’t just pulled “inspiration” from the latest Apple flagship device – the iPhone X – it looks like they …

Samsung Galaxy Note9 – Also available from…

Last week we gave you all the details of the new Samsung Galaxy Note9. We also told you that it is available on Sky Mobile, Three and from EE (along with the Galaxy Watch). However, there’s other places you can get it too, and we’ve had a few …

Vodafone add 29 locations to free roaming

Vodafone have today added a further 29 destinations to their free roaming offer called Global Roaming Plus. Vodafone have won many awards for their roaming offers which include 4G speeds and being able to use all your data abroad. The good news is popular destinations such as USA, …

Nokia 7 Plus wins EISA award

Nokia are a brand that are loved all around the world, and whilst the Windows Phone era was a bit of a flop, the HMD era using Android has been much better. We just had the news through that the impressive Nokia 7 Plus has won an award …

Michael Kors launches Runway

In 2018 the Smartwatch is something many people are still getting used to using, and some still have no interest in owning one. Designers are getting involved to help bring out the fashion loving audience and having that special big of bling on their wrist to show off …

Google Pixel 3 Leak video

Afternoon all. Hope you’re Monday is treating you well. So, over the weekend this YouTube video appeared. Many YouTubers have lifted the content and worked it into their own videos for the clicks, but this appears to be the original – from /leaks via this Telegram link. It …

NOW AVAILABLE. Fortnite for Android. We go in! (VIDEO)

I know. I didn’t believe it either. Head straight to the video if you want the quick hit. So, this evening, as I was busy typing up details of the Galaxy Note9 launch, my son happened to say… Hey, Dad, you do know that Fortnite is available on …

Three confirm Note 9 pricing

UK network Three, who are known for their data plans, have just confirmed pricing for the newly-announced Galaxy Note 9. All plans mentioned feature an up-front price of £79, so getting one won’t break the bank. Unlimited calls, texts and 4GB will cost £48 a month. Unlimited calls, …

Samsung Galaxy Note9 – Everything you need to know.

Here it is then, the new Galaxy Note9. Yes, no space between “Note” and “9”. That’s going to trip us up for months to come. First, that “all day battery” has been confirmed.  This will be a 4,000mAh unit which will let you work and play all day …

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 coming to Sky Mobile

Alright, so you watched our live coverage and now you want one. I guess you’re going to have to go to one of the big four major networks, right? Well, no actually. Sky Mobile, who use O2 masts, are going to have both the Note 9 and the …

Galaxy Unpacked – LIVE

Are you ready for another big Samsung launch event? Watch the action unfold live by tuning in to the stream below from 4PM BST. We are all expecting to see the Galaxy Note 9, with perhaps 6GB of RAM and a much longer battery life. We are also …

Ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, BANANA PHONE

Hello 2018. We’ve got something for you. It’s a phone from 1996. Back then touch-screens were a fantasy. You had a numeric keypad and a tiny screen. On the Nokia 8110 the numeric keypad was tucked behind a sliding panel, and the phone was shaped a little bit …

Huawei Desktop Mode – In depth

A few days ago I took a look at Huawei Desktop Mode. It’s part of EMUI 8.0 and it’s available on the Mate 10 Series handset I’ve got at the moment. It gives you a larger desktop experience which is almost like my Chromebook, but everything is powered by …

Android 9 Pie starts baking

The long wait is over, Android 9 has been confirmed as ‘Pie’ and best of all, it is rolling out right now! Owners of the Pixel range have started to receive a notification their update is ready to be downloaded, and we are hoping that other devices like …

Fortnite for Android. It continues.

Whilst browsing around YouTube last night I had yet another “Fortnite for Android” video pop up. It’s this one below, and if you watch it on YouTube itself you’ll notice that the comments hidden. It’s yet another classic stitch-up. The video promotes a website where you side-load an …

Huawei Desktop Mode – In action

OK, so this is how the story goes. I was reading the excellent review of the Huawei P20 that Dan had written. Garry had written an equally brilliant P20 Pro review and I was keen to learn more about this whole “Huawei Desktop Mode” thing. So, I had …

Huawei P20 – Review

The introduction Huawei are no longer a company who are sitting on the sidelines letting everyone else steal the show. Since the P9 their devices have really been impressive and put them on the map. Now everyone is sitting up and watching as the company are producing some …

OnePlus 3 & 3T to get Android P

OnePlus have a motto of ‘Never Settle’ and this also includes when it comes to offering the best software experiance possible to customers. Whilst a lot of manufacturers leave older devices behind when it comes to software updates, OnePlus is not one of them, especially after the news …

Avoiding common mobile phone scams

Online scammers and criminals are always waiting for the right moment to pounce. To trap you into revealing your personal data. Into sharing something you shouldn’t. The increasing use of mobile devices paves the way for mobile phone scams, and those scammers can cost their targets more than …

How your smartphone can help with your assignments

Struggle with getting your assignments written on time? Don’t know how to organise your daily routine? Can’t finish a research paper before the deadline? Actually, your smartphone can help a lot.  Gone are the days of hiding away in the school library, when all the students were hunting …

Galaxy Note 9 with improved battery life.

In just two week’s time, Samsung will release the new Galaxy Note 9, and the latest rumours point to a huge 4,000 mAh battery in the Galaxy Note 9. That will be a 20 per cent boost over the Galaxy Note 8’s 3,300 mAh model, indicating that the …

VLC pulls the plug on Huawei / Honor handsets

The battle for battery life isn’t a very complex one. You either leave your GPS, Bluetooth and WiFi on all the time, with background apps ticking along, or you start cleverly shutting stuff down to conserve battery life. A lot of manufacturers have added on board systems to …

Nokia Steel HR – Unboxing

Smartwatches are dime a dozen these days. Almost every manufacturer is dipping their toe into the market. We have seen some come and go (aka Pebble) and we have seen some stay the course. However, it is the lesser known brands for this area who sometimes prove to …

Do you really need Anti-Virus Software on your Android smartphone?

“Android Phone” (CC BY 2.0) by microsiervos The connected age has opened up endless possibilities, just as smartphones have put those possibilities into the palm of our hands. And, with every piece of technology hooked up to the internet, there is the opportunity for nefarious hackers to wield their malicious intent. …

Noreve Saint-Tropez Tab S2 Case – Review

There are a couple of sayings which are used in everyday life that come true when you use a case from Noreve: 1. You get what you pay for 2 You buy cheap, you buy twice   Good points Made from premium real leather Top build quality Feels …

The coolest Twitter apps for Bloggers

Despite some recent criticism, Facebook now has more than 900 million users. Twitter has over 500 million, LinkedIn more than 161 million, Google+ almost 400 million, and Instagram with over 80 million. These figures aren’t just numbers, but are concrete proof that social media really is stealing the …

How long can Android remain free?

As you may have read here on Coolsmartphone recently, Google Android was given a huge fine by the EU after exploiting their control over the Android OS. They were, it seems, reducing the appearance of rivals. However, with another huge fine being pushed through the door, people are …

Building a mobile app. Off-the-shelf or tailored?

Everything is “going” mobile at the moment. If you have your own shop or a business, it not only means that you have to be online, but you must have a website which works on mobile devices of all shapes and sizes. If you want to take things …

Sony Xperia XZ3 leaks early

With IFA just around the corner, one phone expected to grab a lot of attention is the flagship from Sony – the Xperia XZ3. Following on from the Sony Xperia XZ2, which launched at MWC this year, there have been lots of rumours what the latest model will …

Huawei announce press event for IFA 2018

Huawei has formally set its plans for IFA 2018 in motion. Today they’ve started sending out an invites to their keynote on August 31st. The great news is that we will be there to see exactly what Richard Yu will have to share with us. In fact, I’ll …

Smash your phone up. Right now. Go on. Huawei want you to.

So, this is a bit mental, but believe me, it’ll be worth it. Today, in Soho, Huawei have setup a popup store. However, things are a bit .. different in this particular store. They’re offering the rather excellent Huawei P20 Pro. It’s the one we raved about in …