Category: Android

Samsung rumoured to be reducing workforce

When you think of the most successful and the most popular Android manufacturer, you invariably think of Samsung. Their Galaxy handsets are usually lined up against the iPhones when newspapers and magazines do comparisons between Android and iOS as they’ve become so well known.  Many other Android smartphone …

WoWee MiPosaur unboxing

It’s coming up to Christmas – apparently there are only seven weeks left until the day. Because of this, here at Coolsmartphone Towers, we are getting lots of emails about Christmas gifts. This one stuck out for me as it looked pretty cool (I posted a story about …

Lumia 950XL now to include a free Continuum Display Dock

Last week we posted a story about how the new flagship Microsoft phones had been reduced in price even before their release.  If that wasn’t enough to tempt you, Microsoft are now offering a free Display Dock to anyone purchasing a Lumia 950XL through its website before the …

Moto X Force released

Did anyone else notice that Motorola had released a new phone in the USA over the last few days? Well they did and it was called the Droid Turbo 2. Now Motorola have decided that we UK buyers are also worthy of such a powerful device too, albeit …

OnePlus have a new device… The OnePlus X

OnePlus have been busy as of late and have just launched the OnePlus 2. They have just closed off the reservation list and are busy sending invites out to the millions of people who had registered. Not only that, but there’s flash sales to appease the masses of …

Nexus 5X also available from Expansys

I had the familiar ping of my inbox this morning as I awoke. In amongst all the usual detritus I had an email from our friends at Expansys. It seems that they have managed to secure some stock of the Nexus 5X. The are carrying the 32GB version …

WileyFox Storm, available today!

Our review of the WileyFox Swift is coming soon (I promise!!) but in the mean time, you can now get your hands on their other device, the Storm! Going on sale today for £199, the Storm is their premium handset. Rocking the Snapdragon 615 Octa-core processor, 3GB of …

18,000 Android Apps spy on your SMS messages

Not something we usually consider as mobile phone owners, is that question of “Where did my application come from? What platforms does it use?” Both questions tie into: “What permissions does my applications require?” Sadly we rarely think of any of these questions, therefore we put our trust …

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. …

Leo Privacy Guard for Mobile Devices – A quick overview

The Leo privacy guard for mobile devices is built for individuals who want to keep their mobile use private. Some of us don’t mind sharing our phones, but there’s probably a number of you who’d rather keep those personal photos and messages away from prying eyes. Sure, a …

Gift idea? How about an unlocked smartphone for less than £65

I know what you’re after a random smartphone that you’ve never heard of for less than £65. Well, we already know that the network-locked Vodafone Smart speed 6 is just £50, but how about an unlocked smartphone for £64.42 ($98.92)? Meet the good ‘ole iNew U5. Nope, we’ve …

Burger. Gimme burger. Me want burger. TGI Fridays app now updated

So, the restaurant emailed me and asked me to promote their app. They didn’t give me the link to the UK version, so accidentally found the American version of the apps first (iPhone one here and Android one here). Trouble is, what bothered me was the fact that …

Musical drum loops – App review!

The developer of this game asked me to review it. However, you’ll notice that I don’t often review apps here on Coolsmartphone. Developer Divyesh Dungrani wants to tell you about his free Musical Drum Loops app. What he tells us is that it’ll let you “make your own …

LG G4 – Get the gold version for a lot, lot less

I need to go out this afternoon and buy a sander. A sander. Sheesh. What happened to me eh? If I didn’t have to get one of those, I’d probably upgrade my rather battered LG G3 for an LG G4 because, well, just check out these prices. At …

Asus X550 pre-order for just over £180

I’ve got to be honest, it’s Monday morning and here in the UK the clocks have gone back so it’ll be getting dark in about 5 hours. Bagghh .. rubbish. It’s that time of year when we’ve got to properly start saving for Christmas, so I’m (as usual) …

Sony set to buy Toshiba’s camera sensor business

Mobile image sensors embedded in smartphones are revolutionising journalism and photography. Ever taken a selfie or a picture of your pizza? Or maybe a high quality image of the Eiffel Tower or the Taj Mahal for bragging purposes? Yep, we’ve all been there. There’s no doubt image sensor …

Microsoft Lumia 950 and 950XL already reduced

They’re not even out yet and already the flagship Lumia handsets have been reduced in price. Crisis!! Actually, that comes across as a little unfair, particularly coming from someone chomping at the bit to get their hands on one of these shiny new phones.  The 950 had originally …

Bluetooth enabled coffee cup available at a bargain price

   Like everyone who reads these pages, I’m into gadgets in a big way.  Anything that can be digitised or connected to the internet is alright by me, but sometimes there are some gadgets that even push us hardy folk at CSP Towers to the limit.  Enter Ember, …

Can your smartphone really improve your maths?

I’m currently spending quite a lot of my evening helping my son with his homework. Part of that is maths, and things have either changed a lot since I was at school or I’m just incredibly rusty. I’m perhaps the lazy one, not my son. I pick up …

Ultra-thin KAZAM Tornado 552L cancelled

During Mobile World Congress we paid a visit to the KAZAM stand. The UK company had grown quite substantially, and had a rather grand display of handsets plus a much larger presence at the exhibition. We attended just a few days after reviewing their super-slim (and rather nice) …

Want a Huawei Mate S? Pre-orders now open

If you were impressed with the Huawei Mate S we reviewed a few weeks ago, then your wait is nearly over. Carphone Warehouse announced today that they are taking preorders for a release next Tuesday. The prices start at £31 per month or £419.99 for a SIM-free unit. …

Exotic Tales from the East: Mobile Phone Scene in India

Being married to an Indian woman has advantages and disadvantages. One of the advantages is that the mother-in-law is about 8000 miles away (sorry couldn’t resist a mother-in-law joke!). Another advantage is that when we do have to go meet her I get to experience the assault on …

Tesco Hudl – It’s all over

If you bought a tablet from Tesco then chances are, it could’ve been the Hudl. We reviewed the original Hudl and the Hudl 2. They were good, well-priced tablets. The last one was … Yes. I used the word “was”. Sadly, after spotting it on MoDaCo we’ve had …

Google App – Become a beta tester

Google seems to have stuck out a beta app for itself recently. I only noticed initially when this was offered through the Google Now cards interface. There is a link below which will take you to a page where you can accept to become a beta tester to …

HTC One A9 – The details

You’ve seen the launch, you’ve heard the rumours and now it’s here – the very latest member of the HTC One family. Meet the HTC One A9.. Boasting an “evolution” of the original HTC One design, there’s a new “metalmorphics” approach to the design and finish of the …

HTC Launch Event – Watch LIVE

There had been a fair amount of leaks for the HTC One A9. Orange France gave us our most recent and clearest look at the new HTC handset, as you can see here.. Today we’re not in London or even New York (where the feed below seems to …

Motorola wants to make you think

We just received this rather bizzare email from the Motorola PR team. Here is the first line from the email… Motorola has created a video with comedian Alfie Brown and a member of the public for the #PhonyJob challenge to see how tough a day in the life …

Blackberry Priv official!

Who’d have thought it, a desirable Blackberry? Well, that is exactly what has happened with the newly announced Blackberry Priv. This one has been in the pipeline for some time now, and it’s got a few of us at CoolSmartPhone Towers rather flustered. We have written about it …

Lollipop, now pounding on a quarter of Androids

The release of a new version of Android always means a good look into how the versions are distributed. The ‘good’ news first: Android Lollipop is now up to 22.9% – almost a quarter of current handsets. Next up is KitKat (which is specifically Android 4.4) at a …

Xperia Z5 – Unboxing

That time of year has come. It’s the time that all geeks look forward to every year. It is, of course, upgrade time. Those of you who are frequent readers will no doubt be aware that I am currently using the Xperia Z3 as my daily driver. Although I …

Vodafone offers up the Nexus 6P complete with free tablet

If you are a Vodafone customer or intend to be, have a look at their site right now. The Nexus 6P is available to pre-order and, if you’re quick and put your name down now, you’ll also receive a free Huawei 7” T1 tablet. A free tablet? Which …

OnePlus X to be revealed on 29th October

  Despite the launch of the first two phones from OnePlus being, shall we say, less than smooth, (I know I had to jump through the invite hoops for both my OnePlus One and Two) the company are still struggling to to get the Two into customer’s hands. …

Honor 7 – Review

Hmm.. The Honor 7. I’m sure someone told me this was a “mid-range” handset. It was almost as if they didn’t want me to get to excited about it. Let’s have a look at the specs first then.. Screen – 5.2″ 1080×1920 (424 ppi) CPU – HiSilicon Kirin …

Windows 10 Mobile updates to be pushed out from Microsoft directly

One of the great differences between Apple on the one hand, and Google and Microsoft on the other, is that Apple controls all aspects of its hardware and software. This means it pushes out OS updates quickly and without having to wait for approval from carriers and manufacturers. Android …

Misfit Shine – A quick overview

Just last year Gears reviewed the Misfit Shine, a personal tracker that also, if you want, can double as a necklace. Now we have the Misfit Flash and, ahead of the full review, here’s a quick look at how this one works. It’s a small device around the …

Vodafone Call+ in action

Following a quick demo from the team at Vodafone on their new Call+ features, I thought it would be useful to do a short write up before a full review in the coming weeks (should the loaner phone arrive soon). If you aren’t familiar with Call+, it’s a …

Nexus 6P – Horrible unavailable message for UK

I get it Google. You’re busy creating new software and working with fantastic ideas and getting your current new stock out the door, as well as buying domains that nobody in their right minds will want to say out loud. Oh, you haven’t heard? Google bought abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz.com. No, …