Category: Gadgets & Tech

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 …

The Green Cross Code Man makes a comeback, and you better listen son.

Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod. How good is this eh? This man played Darth Vader. I mean sure, they got James Earl Jones to do the voice (y’know, with great lines such as “The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the force”). Anyhooo.. This, my friends, …

Inateck TPB-IM iPad mini Sleeve Case Review

Do you use your iPad naked (ooooo missus, the iPad, not you) or do hide all of the Apple design inside a case ? I recently took my iPad mini out of its case and instantly remembered how thin and light the device was. I decided that’s how …

Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact review. Greatness delivered

Here we are folks, the long awaited Xperia Z3 Tablet Review. First things first, why has it taken so long to get this review done? It’s simple really. The first tablet developed a dead pixel line from top to bottom and needed to be replaced. I also decided …

Inateck BR1001 Bluetooth receiver review.

Like most people nowadays I love listening to media from my phone. Be it either music, podcasts or audio books, I love it. I would say 90% of the time my listening is done through headphones. Now, I mainly use two sets of headphones. The first are my …

EE releases new version of their in-car WiFi solution

In May EE announced a new in-car WiFi solution called Buzzard. Plop it into your cigarette lighter and it’ll beam out a WiFi hotspot for the kids to connect their tablets / phones / iPods to in the back of the car on a long journey. Now EE …

Upload your entire cat photo collection to Amazon

I mentioned fairly recently that you could get some pretty sizeable online storage from a variety of places but Amazon wasn’t included. It’s worth considering though, because they’ve now added the ability to upload an unlimited amount of photos if you’re using their Prime service. Unlimited? Is that …

Want to view your NHS records from your smartphone?

Our National Heath Service (NHS), love it hate it, it’s still the envy of the world. As we move ever closer to the digital edge, it appears that the NHS is following too (abeit slowly). The NHS today outlined a number of new digital improvements that include making …

Google wallet to cease third party digital purchases.

Google have announced that they will shut down the Google Wallet API for third-party digital goods purchases from March 2nd 2015. Google Wallet will continue to function, however, for Google Play purchases. Google Wallet will still exist and consumers will be able to make purchases for goods in …

Fancy a Blue HTC One M8?

Today UK independent phone retailer Carphone Warehouse announced that it would be exclusively stocking the flagship handset, the HTC One (M8), in blue for the first time in the UK. This striking coloured version of the phone will be available exclusively from the Carphone Warehouse, for those who …

Nexus 9 First impressions

Every once in a while a tablet comes along that you think is going to really up the ante and raise the bar. This is what I was hoping the Nexus 9 was going to be. Now is the time where we start to find out. Those of …

Lenovo Tab S8 review

Today we have a wealth of tablets in all shapes and sizes. You can choose between Windows 8, Android or iOS 8. There’s pretty much a flavour for anyone. I’m a fan of the smaller form factor and as a result I have swung toward the iPad Mini …

Doodle, scribble, colour in. It’s no problem on these new cases

There’s a wide range of cases out there but this one is definitely geared towards the kids, or perhaps those who want a canvas for quickly doodling ideas. The tablet cover, available in 7″ (£19.99) and 10″ (£24.99) sizes lets you or your children doodle all over the front of …

One Plus hope to sell 1 million One’s by year end.

  Having already sold over half a million devices to date, through an invite only system, the Chinese startup company OnePlus have stated they now hope to have one million of their “One” phones sold by years end. Speaking to a Forbes reporter at Dublin’s Web Summit, Director …

Nexus 9 Unboxing

It’s here my very own brand new Nexus 9 32gb Wifi. I have been looking forward to this day for a wee while as I loved my Nexus 7 (2013) edition and it was in desperate need of a successor. I have been reviewing a lot of tablets …

Encase Bluetooth keyboard folio review

What is the main sticking point when trying to use an Android device for productivity? Simple. The keyboard. Sure, an onscreen keyboard is great for short notes and maybe the odd email or two, but for me it’s not a replacement for a physical keyboard. Although we have …

STK Cuboid 2 4000 mAh battery pack – Review

Mobile battery packs are a way of life these days, a kind of safety blanket that you keep in your rucksack, laptop bag, briefcase or handbag. It just sits there waiting to be pulled out and expected to charge your phone or tablet as fast as possible. Choosing …

Get yourself a pussy tracker

You know those loving, soft cats that come and sit on your lap, wanting some fuss? Yeah, our cat isn’t one of those. If she does see fit to come near you she’ll either just meow or she’ll suddenly pounce on you for no good reason and rip …

Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact unboxing and initial impressions

It is here. The day I’ve been waiting for. My newly acquired Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact has arrived. Although I had to wait a little longer than I would’ve liked (due to issues with the shipping companies), it’s here now. So, let’s find out if it was worth …

Microsoft announce the Microsoft Band

The rumours surrounding Microsoft making a wearable of some sort have been floating around the web for a while now. Last night Microsoft finally announced it, the Microsoft Band which is a fitness and sleep tracker for Windows Phone 8.1, iOS 7 or 8 and Android 4.3 and …

The Shanda Geak 2 smartwatch boasts crazy battery life

Shanda are a well known Chinese company, who have a watch hardware division called Geak. So it makes sense that their 2nd smartwatch will be called the Shanda Geak 2. So far nothing of any huge interest to us UK residents, but there are two things of interest …

Lenovo Tab S8 unboxing

  Well here we have my first Intel powered Android device, in the form of the brand New Lenovo Tab S8. I picked this little beauty up in PC World for £149.99. It pretty much went on sale a few days ago. The device is so new they …

Nexus 9 Amazon preorders pushed back

Those of you who listen to our weekly podcast will undoubtable know that I have a Nexus 9 on order with Amazon for delivery in the 4th November. Well just to keep things interesting I received an email today informing me that this preorder is now being pushed …

LG announce availability of the G Watch R

The original LG G Watch was a great “mark 1” device for Android Wear, it just showed the world how Android Wear works and didn’t get bogged down with the design or anything like fancy buttons. I liked the original, but I ditched mine for a Pebble Steel, …

Hauppauge mySelfie review

Are you a selfie fan? Want more control? Well, this weird little gadget should suit you. Or should it? The mySelfie is a Bluetooth remote for your smartphone or tablet. Not only that but it’ll work as an anti-theft key ring to locate your phone or your keys. …

My new toy – The Pressy

Some months ago I ordered this cheap physical button for my phone. It plugs into the audio port and gives you an additional button which you can program to open certain apps or run certain tasks. The cheap button was just £1 but this, the “proper” Pressy button, …

Nexus 9 available for pre-order now from Play Store

Google finally seems to be getting their shipping act together as the Nexus 9, the first tablet to come with Android Lollipop installed, is now available for pre-order at the play store. The only caveat is that the wait time is currently standing at 2-3 weeks. I know …

Charge more than just your credit card with SEYVR

This is a pretty interesting idea for those of us suffering with LBW (low battery worries). Yes, you can buy a battery pack to charge your smartphone battery on the go, but remembering it and carrying it around is another thing. Even if it’s small it’s another item …

Nexus 9 announced

The new Nexus tablet is here and it looks brilliant. Is it enough to compete on the market as it stands?  Well lets dig in and try to find out. I have owned and used both the previous Nexus 7 tablets amongst others, so I have been keen …

Oppo N3 to have the swivel camera like the N1

Phone manufacturer Oppo has released the above photo of their rumoured next device the Oppo N3, with what appears to be a rotating rear camera module at the top of the device, which we first saw the N1, enabling the high quality selfie, which seems to be the …

Example footage from the new HTC RE camera

Yes, the new pipe camera that HTC launched just the other day doesn’t have an in-built viewfinder. Although you can use your phone as a viewfinder and although it has a 146 degree wide-angle lens, some are questioning just how accurate the “point and hope” shooting will actually …

Sony Xperia Z3 Review

Oooh it is thinner and ….. um … lighter. That is what most people who pick up the new Z3 will say. Beyond that there are few visible cues to the fact that they are holding a newer phone. For the phone aficionados (like us) we will pick …

HTC RE Launched – An innovative handheld camera

Back in September we noticed this, and James guessed it to be an add-on camera. I thought it would be a selfie-camera of some kind but now we’ve got the full details – it’s called the RE. Instantly I’m taken back to Religious Education lessons from school, but …

Hey, phone manufacturers. You need to have a chat with Elliptic Labs

Back in February we took a look at a rather fantastic touchless interface from Elliptic Labs. Not many sites covered the technology, and if you’re following one of those lesser sites then they’ll probably only be covering them for the first time today. Tskk. Anyways, eight months ago …

Backbone iPhone 5s Wireless Charging Case Review

We see a lot of cases here at Coolsmartphone but we’ve been seeing an increasing profile from the people at Dog and Bone. This one is a bit special because it’s a case which makes your phone charge wirelessly and it comes with a clever charging base too. …

My coverage of Bart’s Bash 2014

Well the event is done and now it’s time to review how the event went and how once again mobile tech helped me during the event. As those of you who read my previous article will know I was planning on covering the event for the site by …

Pocket-Casts web based podcast player now in beta.

I absolutely love the PocketCasts app, I must use everyday and I have installed it on every device I own both iOS and Android, to be honest it’s one of the few app’s I can’t do without. If you don’t know what PocketCasts is, it’s a podcast aggregator …

Gigaset Tablet 8″ Review

I have been sent a new tablet through for review, this being The Gigaset Tablet 8 QV830 ( black version ). Never heard  of Gigaset ? well neither had I prior to hearing from them regarding this review. Gigaset is a German company that is one of the …