Category: Gadgets & Tech

Nexus 9 Keyboard Folio Review

The Question: How do you make a lightweight and portable tablet productive? Well apart from adding the appropriate software like MS Office or Google Docs, the other way is to add a keyboard case/dock. That is exactly what I have done with the Nexus 9; I have added …

Arctic P614BT Bluetooth Headphones – Review

Headphones or earphones, which are best? Surely that’s one of the big unresolved questions in modern day life, I for one can’t decide which to go with and because of that I have piles of headphones and earphones at home. I’ve been hankering after a pair of Bluetooth …

MS Office Comes to Android

Who out there uses their Android tablet for Work? Not that many I guess, and there is one huge reason for this and until very recently the this would be the case if you were to ask iPad users the same question. Finally Microsoft have stopped suing Google for …

HTC M8 Developer & Unlocked Editions Receiving Lollipop Update

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 …

Waytools Textblade the multitouch keyboard goes on sale

This popped into my mailbox yesterday evening and I was instantly intrigued by it, as surely a small keyboard could not actually be productive. So I dug a bit deeper and then discovered that this board will use multi-touch in its 8 keys. Yep you read that right …

Encase Flexishield for Nexus 6

It’s case review time again. Now that I have got myself a shiny new Nexus 6 it would be silly not to keep it in a case and protect the phone in some way shape or form. This is where the Encase Flexisheild comes in. The case is …

CES – Triby – A kitchen noticeboard and more

I’m on the fence with this one, so I’d love to know your thoughts. Called the “Triby” it’s a Bluetooth speaker, Bluetooth speakerphone, notification system, internet radio and communication system. It’ll stick via a magnet to your fridge and then lets you make calls or play music. When …

CES – Day one. Terrible carpets.

You’ll find every tech blog in the world following the endless announcements and reveals in Las Vegas right now. Yes, we’re following the crowd a little too, but in the midst of all the emails and new innovations I almost forgot that I don’t like being part of …

CES – Asus unveil the new Chi lineup

Asus have been busy out in the desert today, not just with the announcement of the new Zenfone Zoom and Zenfone 2,:) but with the announcement of the new Transformer Book Chi range. The range will come in three sizes and with differing specs for each size. The …

CES – Nokia 215 announced. Welcome back, Microsoft smartphone

Anyone remember Microsoft Smartphone 2002? How about the Orange SPV? It was a honest-to-goodness phone, with a numeric keypad and a colour screen running a Microsoft mobile OS. Now, just 13 years later, Microsoft have announced their most affordable internet-ready smartphone which runs… err.. the Nokia Series 30+ …

Welcome back, here’s what you’ve missed

This week is going to be pretty busy, that’s for sure. International CES, the Consumer Electronics Show, kicked off yesterday. Over the years it’s been the launch-pad for devices like the HD TV, DVD, OLED TV and driverless car tech. As usual we’ll be bringing you all the …

Phones 4u stock getting auctioned off again online

If you’re after a PlayStation 3 console or some Beats headphones then the stock of the now-defunct Phones 4u is a good place to start. Starting tomorrow with viewings at 10AM, the bidding starts now on the auctioneers website. There’s also Bluetooth headsets, smartwatches and tablets with pretty …

First all stainless-steel smartwatch from Burg to launch at CES

  Dutch lifestyle designer and trendsetter, Hermen van den Burg announced yesterday that as part of the BURG Smatwatch Collection 2015 they are launching the worlds first all stainless steel smartwatch, the BURG® 27, at CES in January. Available in Stainless Steel, Rose Gold Stainless Steel IP, and Black Stainless Steel IP, …

Creating a low-level smartphone strap-on for your car

We’ve featured the READYACTION mount a number of times here. It’s basically a low-cost system for strapping your smartphone to your bike, yourself, your windscreen or anything else you fancy. Initially I showed how it could hold onto a digital camera via a chest-harness mount to film some …

Mobile phones are the most lost items on TfL

A revealing BBC article shows some of the weird and wonderful items lost on the transport network in London. The TfL Baker Street lost property office has been open for 80 years and houses breast implants, wedding dresses and huge amounts of umbrellas and keys. The top three …

Google pushes Android 5.0.2 factory images for 2012 Nexus 7

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 …

Nexus 9 Keyboard Folio now available in the UK

The wait is over the Nexus 9 Keyboard Folio. It is now on the Play store along with the Magic Cover. They are available for £110 and £35 respectively. I have not had hands on with the keyboard but it does sound like it could genuinely make the …

Nexus 9 LTE available in the UK

Finally we are able to purchase a Nexus 9 LTE in the UK, but not from where you think. Amazon are currently showing that they have some Nexus 9 LTE variants in Black in stock.. Unfortunately since this screenshot was taken the price has gone back up to …

MiPow PlayBulb Candle review

In keeping with the theme of Christmas gifts, some more presents have arrived from the elves workshop. This time around it’s a candle that should bring some festive cheer to the cold dark days of winter. We recently reviewed the MiPow Playbulb Rainbow and we liked what we saw. …

Useless Christmas present ideas or a stroke of genius?

Like a great many tech fans, I’m always on the look out for interesting, innovative new gadgets.  I just spotted the following two products on the Expansys website but cannot decide if they’re totally pointless or the workings of a crazy genius. I believe we’ve covered then some …

Huawei reveal the Honor 6 Plus

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 …

Now talk to your boiler

I know. We’ve now got to the point where we’re having to have a discussion with our own central heating. Thanks to Google Now working with those Nest thermostats, you can simply pick up your phone and say, “tweak my temperature to 22”. You’ll then hear your boiler …

MFX Glass Screen protector for Nexus 6

You’re sitting there on Christmas morning and you’ve just received a new smartphone. It looks brilliant in that pristine just-out-of-the-box way. You are concerned though, as you’re worried about taking it into the great outdoors without wrapping it up in cotton wool or perhaps oversized bubble wrap. Just …

That’s it, I’m jacking it in

Seriously? I’ve spent about 12 years writing about smartphones. It all started off with the Microsoft Smartphone, then Windows Mobile, then Windows Phone and now it’s all seemingly going around in a big fat circle with Windows 10 Mobile. That’s not my beef though. I’m not even in …

I can see a MIPOW RAINBOW

Remember out MIPOW PLAYBULB Review? Put simply, it’s a light bulb with a Bluetooth speaker inside. Not only that, but you can also control the brightness of the bulb with your phone. Now MIPOW have gone one further, releasing a new product called PLAYBULB Rainbow. This is another …

Olixar BabyBoom Wireless Mini Speaker

It’s that time of year where you start to panic about what to get for the slightly tech savvy people in your inner circle of family or friends. You have trawelled through all the usual shops. You’ve already emptied your wallet/purse and your credit card has melted from …

Drivers fined for snapping photos whilst driving

Picture the scene. You’ve been held up in traffic for ages. You’ve got sunburn from the brake lights of the car in front. Eventually, after shuffling along on the motorway for what seems like hours, you see the cause of your misery. A truck, on it’s side and …

Production of the Nexus 5 finished

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 …

Buy a gift for yourself this Christmas

It’s that time of year again, so we’re on the hunt for deals and bargains on the internet. One that caught my eye, purely as a cheeky gift for myself, was this Hibsan Nano quadcopter. Bigger (and more expensive) versions equipped with cameras have been making the news …

Gaming on the Nexus 6

We’ve got a Nexus 6 into the testbed here at Coolsmartphone and whilst the review is ongoing we thought we would let you have a sneak peak. Well, it is the season of giving and all that jazz. 🙂 The game we have chosen is the old classic …

Sony Smartband Talk available from O2

The latest wearable to come out of the Sony machine has now launched in O2 stores up and down the country. The price is £129.99, however if you get it with a new Android phone then it will cost you just £99.99. The Smartband Talk is the evolution …

Blow the dust off your old box and insert a tiny Android stick

It’s a few weeks before Christmas, which means I’ve got precisely 15 million emails in my inbox from various people wanting me to pimp things. Send me BEER people. I need BEER. My message doesn’t seem to be getting through, but either way this little gadget looks pretty …

Fix that busted phone or tablet. iMend Review

OK, I’m going to talk about it. In London recently I sat at Euston and generally watched the world go by. What was pretty amazing was the amount of people using broken phones. I saw three people with broken iPhones, and they were all cracks or busted glass …

ZAGGkeys Universal Keyboard Review

Using your phone for writing tweets, Facebook updates and brief emails is easy enough. There’s a variety of keyboards available and you can use Swype-style keyboards to improve the speed of your data entry if you wish. You can even use these on-screen keyboards for writing more wordy …

Charge all your kit at once – Anker multi-USB charger on the cheap

Everything seems to charge off a USB port doesn’t it? Your phone, your tablet, your fitness band, your smartwatch, your Bluetooth speakers and more. There you are, with chargers cluttering up the place and every socket dedicated to housing one. There is a better way my friends, and …

Acer Liquid Leap Smart Band in action

I’m still sitting on the fence with smart watches and smart bands if I’m honest. There’s a piece of me that wants a “normal” watch that I don’t have to tap or faff with to check the time and date. However, there’s another part of me that secretly …

Hey, wanna go into space?

Richard Branson is doing his thing with space flights, sure. It’s a nice idea but let’s be honest, I doubt I’ll be able to afford the journey. So, when I get an email telling me that a space flight can be done for less than £135 I’m already …

Black Friday deals from Mobile Fun

That time is nearly upon when the internet goes crazy for one whole day to try an get you buThey the latest products at cut down prices. Now, whilst we won’t see the door buster deals that are present in the States, more and more companies are jumping …