Category: Features
Each year I tend to sign off for a couple of days over Christmas to unwind. This year, for all of us, has been one to remember – and perhaps not for the right reasons. Things started off quite well at Coolsmartphone HQ. We’d put the final touches …
I do have to kick myself at times. Sitting in this hospital, I’ve got a gloriously fast 5G connection on Vodafone and unlimited data to enjoy. The speeds massively outclass the WiFi in here and it’s all just so straightforward and worry-free. Back in the late ’90s, phones …
A few weeks ago even more Starlink satellites were launched. It’s part of an internet connectivity solution provided by the Elon Must SpaceX company. Even though space-delivered internet has been done before, the reduced height of the satellites means a faster and better experience. A recent batch of …
Here in the UK it’s very rare for people to switch their bank. Likewise, people have in the past been quite loyal to their mobile network too. However, this has changed lately and it’s become much easier to switch. Not only that, but there’s also a great deal …
It’s Christmas, and mobile phones are high on a lot of gift lists. However, unless you’re going to take on the monthly payments and enter into a contract for someone else, it’s definitely quite an expensive gift. So how do you afford a phone and pay for it …
I come from a different world. A world where, if you wanted to get your own music in your car, you had to buy a CD and put it in your car CD player. Heck, who am I kidding? I come from a world even earlier than that. …
You may have accidentally left your phone on during a flight and, if you’re a geek like me, you may have spotted that sometimes – for a brief moment – you get a mobile signal. Even 7 miles up, your phone can lock onto the odd network mast …
Just a few days ago I ran out of data. Stuck in hospital, and with only a relatively slow WiFi connection, I’d basically nailed all my allowance and was a bit “stuck”. Luckily though, a lot of phones now have dual SIM trays, so – even if you …
Earlier in the year I sat in the garden and watched the string of Elon Musk Starlink satellites fly by in the night sky. They’re relatively easy to see because they’re quite low and there’s a lot of them. In fact, there’s now even more. A launch today …
My son and I headed to Wembley a year ago and, while I was in the area, I decided to check out the new 5G connection that had popped up on my phone. Getting 5G back then was a hit-and-miss affair, and it was really only to be …
I’ve spent a couple of hours looking for a new SIM-only deal. I had one requirement – it had to be with Vodafone or one of the virtual networks (like Voxi) running on the Vodafone masts. This is because, in the areas I’ll be needing it, Vodafone is …
If you’ve got kids, chances are that you’ve watched the Lego Movie or one of the spin-offs. They’ve been created to look as if everything is filmed in traditional “stop motion”, however in reality it was done on a computer. Anyways, stop motion filming has long been used …
With a second coronavirus spike now sliding into view, the idea of “going back to the office” is fading into the background. Remote working is rapidly becoming the “new normal” and the idea of cramming ourselves onto public transport in order to spend time in an expensive office …
With 5G masts being thrown up at a rapid rate and concerns over signal or safety, there’s always been a keen interest in where local mobile masts actually are. Back in 2011 we started looking into this, and back then the mobile networks were reporting where all their …
I don’t like spending money. Some might call me “tight”, but I’d rather call it “sensible”. My wife, for example, somehow ended up with a £59 per-month package for her Samsung phone. She had far too much data included and she somehow got Spotify plus mobile phone insurance …
Watch a movie and, if a phone number is ever given out, you’ll always hear and see that fake area code… It’s used in nearly every US-made movie because, if you try calling it, nothing happens. However, did you know that here in the UK there’s something very …
Don’t get me wrong, this situation is utterly rubbish. Huawei / Honor make totally brilliant phones. They’re well designed and – especially the Honor brand – extremely well priced. However, America won’t let Huawei (or Honor) work with American companies – and that includes Google. So, no “Gapps” …
We mentioned in April how, during lockdown, the various TV streaming services have become increasingly popular. It was so popular that, as more and more people were furloughed or sat inside during the coronavirus lockdown, streaming quality had to be reduced in order to keep the internet pipes …
You’ll have probably seen this one in the news recently. Today we’ve decided to dig deeper and find out how much money was being made from this. Recommended in a report prepared for Glastonbury Town Council, and mentioned heavily in the 5G conspiracy forums / Facebook groups, 5GBioShield …
I’m redecorating right now. We’ve had to wait quite a while due to the coronavirus lockdown, but now things are finally moving forward. A new cupboard has been constructed, I’ve ripped all the skirting board off and the plasterer has been in. Last night I moved onto installing …
I have a very mad belief that there’s a direct correlation between the quality of a car and the sound of a car horn. Get in a Fiat Cinquecento and sound the horn. You’re gonna hear a “meep”. However, get yourself in a big Merc and you’ll gear …
We spoke about the wild rumours connecting 5G to coronavirus cases over a month ago and, well, we got some “interesting” emails after that (mainly threats). Over the weekend, in the midst of a global pandemic and a lockdown here in the UK, some people have taken it …
I’ve been guilty of this myself. Mainly because it’s easy. Let’s imagine you’ve been out with a group of people (imagining is all we can do right now due to social distancing). You could’ve nipped to the pub, had a day out, a camping trip or a party …
On Monday Ofcom published the results of 5G testing which proved that radiation levels in the UK were at “tiny fractions” of safe limits. However, this testing comes against a backdrop of conspiracy theories, critical stories on click-driven newspaper websites and totally unsubstantiated claims on Facebook. The latter is …
Update – We’ve recently posted an additional update to this story here. Many years ago, mobile networks gave the location of their masts to Ofcom. That was back in 2011 though, and after a bit they ditched it. Mobile companies didn’t have to map the location of masts, …
Some 9 years ago I performed a test of radio streaming over the internet. I was fed up with the slim choice of very “samey” FM radio station so, with the aid of some cabling (or a smartphone FM transmitter) I fed the audio output of my smartphone …
There’s quite a few geeky things that interest me still. Making music is one. Today it’s so much easier to make a track and you can get it out to eardrums throughout the world in seconds. However, back in 1998 things were decidedly different. Fatboy Slim released his …
Whilst browsing through my tweets I noticed this exchange between Phones Show producer Steve Litchfield and the Vodafone Twitter account. It relates to a Pay As You Go handset / SIM and the fact that it’s been unexpectedly disconnected… The disconnection of an apparently unused line might seem …
I’ve gotta admit, I’d love a Google Pixelbook. It’s got an Intel Core i7, either 8GB or 16GB of RAM (depending on the model), a big hard drive and a 12.3″ 2400×1600 (235ppi) panel. Trouble is, despite all my saving, I’m not getting close to affording one. Even …
A couple of years ago I decided to bin Sky TV, bin my phone line rental and effectively remove most of my “broadcast” TV. The plan was to switch across to just an internet feed and nothing else. I then went ultra-geeky and changed our existing home phone …
I’ve covered the rather rubbish state of affairs with DAB (digital) radio here in the UK before. In an effort to reduce the “entry price” to stations and to increase the choice, you tend to get a lower bitrate audio stream, which is in mono quite a lot …
Smartphones and technology, as we’ve mentioned before, are stopping us talking to each other. My nephew looked at me in horror at the weekend after I told him that he’d have to actually talk to another human being in order to approve the Apple Pay connection to his …
Geez I’m old now. I mean, proper old. When I was at school, if our class was given an essay to write or a book to review, there was no easy way. No simple research option. No, you had to read the book, you had to go to …
You’ll see me writing about SIM only deals quite a bit here. My journey with SIM only started a few years ago, when I reached the end of my contract. I was, like many, fairly comfortable with renewing my contract after 24 months and getting a new phone. …
Today marks the start of a new method of changing networks. For all too long people here in the UK have had to call the infamous “Retentions Team”. They will try lots of things to keep hold of you as a customer. Sometimes this process has a good …
Have a look at most UK homes and there is normally an alarm box situated at the front with the blinking LED. Let’s be honest though, how many of us actually go and investigate if the alarm starts blaring? Truth be told, not many. “Well my alarm sends …
Over the weekend you may have seen my post about the new Google speedometer. It started me talking about the fact that the speed shown on GPS apps is usually different than the speed reported by your car. The reason? Well, here in the UK at least, cars …
We have, for quite some time, covered a lot of the new and interesting ways to enjoy music and other types of media. Over the years we’ve featured the start of internet radio, streaming internet radio in the car and even the Virgin Mobile Lobster TV phone. Remember …
There’s no doubt about it, 5G is going to make an amazing difference to your data speeds. The throughput is astonishing and we’ve seen examples of entire movies being downloaded in seconds. There is, though, two very important changes that 5G will cause. The first, rather obviously, is …
I was pretty puzzled by the Which? investigation into fitness trackers last week. With the London Marathon happening today, they decided to run a check on the trackers, which can record your distance, pace, heart-rate and location. Some 118 trackers were tested over a marathon distance – 26.2 …
