Category: Gadgets & Tech

A multi-view phone stand with magnetic ring holder – phonetag

I do like to be hustled some times. Today it’s an email from Barry, who wants us to take a look at his phonetag gadget. The UK inventor has managed to combine a secure ring holder with a portrait and landscape phone stand. It’s got a drink-can-style tag-shaped …

Spotify podcasts now available through Alexa

Got yourself an Alexa speaker? Getting an Echo or Echo Dot for Christmas? Well, good news. You can now listen to the Coolsmartphone Podcast or any other podcast through Spotify on your shiny Echo device. Just link Spotify in the Alexa app and you’re away. Once enabled, you …

Play “Santa Claws” via webcam and grab some cash for the NHS

Those “grabber” machines that you’ve probably seen at the motorway service stations and local arcades? Usually you don’t win that often, but that’s generally because the games are altered so that the grabber only grips firmly every now and then. For most of the time, it’ll just loosely …

New from Huawei. A toothbrush!

Huawei are big. We’ve covered their size and capacity when we headed to their Chinese HQ. Inside of Huawei you’ll find other companies selling a lot more than just smartphone kit, and you’ll perhaps see some of the additional kit in Huawei stores too. LEBOOO is one of …

5 Ways technology can boost business productivity

Who doesn’t want to become more productive in their business? Whether you work in sales, administration, property management, or finance, technology can be used to make us better employees and better business owners. Up to 85% of workers lack the technological resources to deal with their daily tasks …

Solving hearing loss problems through tech innovations  

Our senses are a vital part of our life. Without them, we lose our abilities to perceive the world. For instance, hearing helps you acquire knowledge, communicate, and appreciate pleasant sounds, such as music. Unfortunately, circumstances may affect our ability to hear correctly, which is why we should …

Honor Kicks of the pre “Black Friday” sales

It’s that time of year again where we start to see pre-“Black Friday” deals pop up. This year Honor is going big and they are starting things early. They are dropping prices on a load of their kit, from phones to wearables. It’s not just all their old …

RoWrite2 – A cool smart notepad you didn’t know you needed

This looks pretty cool and, coming from the people that brought use the Flexpai smartphone, it should be. This is basically a writing pad. Sheets of paper, a pen, a nicely presented folder. Everything you expect. However, whatever you jot down will instantly get digitally scanned and stored. …

Milo – On-the-go comms

I very rarely do articles about Kickstarter projects, but – as a cyclist – this one looked like a good idea. It’s basically a tiny little communicator which allows group chats when you’re riding, surfing, running, walking, rowing or whatever else. No push-to-talk, no faffing. No need for …

Honor Watch ES – Review

So its that time again where we put a device under the microscope to find out if it is any good. This time around it is the turn of the Honor Watch ES. I want to get one thing out of the way first though. Even though this …

Honor Watch ES – Unboxing

Its time for another unboxing and this time around it is a Fitness Band/Smartwatch – the Honor Watch ES. The reason I say that this fits into both the camps of wearables is that I feel it’s a crossover device. At least, that is my first impressions of …

TicWatch Pro 3 GPS launched

I have a soft spot for TicWatch and Mobvoi, they make some really nice gear and I was a particular fan of their TicWatch Pro that I reviewed here. I have also been using the TicWatch S2 for nearly a year and it has been used and abused …

Zepp E Smartwatch Unboxing

Today I received a new smartwatch to unbox. However, I should mention that there’s a couple of versions – a round model and this, the square version. You can see the difference between the two on Zepp.com. So, ahead of the full review, here’s a look at this …

Honor announce Back to School event

This time of year in tech is traditionally the time when companies start to try and get buyers excited with deals on tech that is aimed at people going to Universities and Colleges. It is an idea that has come about from the way the term times fall …

Xiaomi launch new E-Scooter range

Today Xiaomi has launched the update to their E-Scooters range with three new models, Mi Electric Scooter Pro 2, Mi Electric Scooter 1S and Mi Electric Scooter Essential. These E-Scooters are developments to the previous Mi Electric M365 E-Scooter and bring a lower price point and increased range …

Tribit Flybuds 1 – Review

Good Points :-  Price. Feature Packed. Qi Wireless Charging For The Carry Case. Lightweight. Waterproof IPX8 Rated. Bluetooth 5.0.   Bad Points :- Carry Case Hinge A Little Fragile. USB Charging Port A Little Small. Mid Range Sound Missing Some Presence. No Volume Control. I have reviewed a …

Comparing mobile phone insurance. Get it right!

It’s got to the point where I now have the cheapest mobile deal in the house. My wife, however, is spending nearly £58 per month on her two-year contract. It’s a crazy amount for a Galaxy S9, however there’s a few “additions” to the package she’s got. The …

Old Skool FM and AM to continue for another decade at least in the UK

Despite the growth of DAB and the increasing choice of radio stations, the government here in the UK has reversed plans to close down analogue stations by extending licenses for another 10 years. It means that older car radio equipment will still receive signals until at least 2032. …

How smartphones are changing the way we buy

With a number of challenges for high-street retailers right now, taking money from customers really shouldn’t be one of them. Let’s face it, with coronavirus concerns and high rent, you don’t want to be spending cash on extra staff to keep your stock in check and then accepting …

Seedbox vs. VPN: Which one is the better option?

Do you ever worry about your privacy when you’re online? If you’re not concerned, you should be. Did you know that Binance Exchange, one of the largest companies dealing with crypto-currencies and Bitcoin, lost $41 million in just a single hack? If you’re just browsing the internet then …

Tribit XBoom becomes the Tribit StormBox

Before the world fell apart we did our top gadget awards and the “Best Bluetooth Speaker” gong went to the Tribit XBoom. We reviewed it here and it was quite pricey at the time. Don’t let that put you off though, because it’s still an utterly brilliant bit …

Cool little timer – Ticktime

Asking Alexa to set a timer is one thing, but what if you had a gadget that took less time to set and went with you everywhere? This is Ticktime. The makers tell me that it’s “more than just a timer” and they’ve reinvented how timer looks and …

Coronavirus – Will tech will save us?!

With the UK just moments away from crazed panic-buying and a full lock-down thanks to endless click-bait hype-tastic news stories, there’s no shortage of “opportunities” for those wanting to make a swift profit from it. This week we’ve had online stores doing Flash Deals on face masks (which …

We might see the Surface Duo sooner than expected

In October last year Microsoft released to the world its dual-screen, Android-powered phone, the Surface Duo. It was stated that this device would be officially unveiled during this October’s Surface event and hit the market during the 2020 shopping season. Well, we are hearing rumblings that we might …

Fancy getting to work in a drone?

We all know that drones are becoming more useful. The police are using them now and they’re continuing to grow in popularity, even with the increase in regulation. But, what about building one big enough to sit in? You could get to work in that in no time. …

Two-way translation – Pocketalk S

Yes, you can use the Google Translate app or, if you’re heading around Europe and you have yourself £259, you can get the Pocketalk S. It’s got a built-in SIM, a text-to-translate camera, a bigger touch screen, noise-cancelling microphones and two high-quality speakers plus a useful conversion feature. …

Keeping your old router will cost you dear on BT, EE and Plusnet

Our very own BT has announced that customers will now face a £50 charge if they choose not to return the supplied broadband router once the contract ends. It comes as the company tried to reduce waste and mirrors a similar scheme by Virgin. BT have added a …

Chargeasap launches the world’s most powerful 150W USB-C powerbank

Sydney based consumer electronics brand, Chargeasap, has announced its latest innovation. It’s called “Flash” and is a 20,000mAh powerbank. This has already busted their funding goal on Indiegogo. It’s touted to be the world’s most powerful, most versatile and fastest charging powerbank. If you want to be part …

Moshi Digits Touchscreen Gloves- Review

There’s nothing like the approaching winter to remind you that you need to cover your fingers in a touchscreen-driven world. Upon writing this, here in the UK, we are being warned of a “cold snap” – so time to warm those hands up. In a world where people …

Groov-e Zen ANC Headphones – Review

Good Points: Price Battery life Active Noise Cancelling Good mid-range sound quality Lightweight Bad Points: Plastic build quality Sound distortion at high volume Bluetooth 4.1 Design: The Zen Wireless ANC (active noise cancelling) headphones are the latest in the budget range from Groov-e. Coming in at an MSRP …

Kygo XENON headphones – with memory foam for your ears.

We’ve reviewed some of the Kygo headphones in the past and we’ve always been impressed with them. Check out our review of the Kygo A9/600 headphones as an example. Now they’re launching “XENON” – some new noise-canceling headphones which have been approved and developed by Kygo himself. These …

Unboxing the Asus ROG Phone 2

So I have been doing this for a while now and in that time I have seen some very cool and very powerful phone’s come across my desk. However, today is a big day as this is the day that I get the chance to unbox one of …

Kippy Evo (V-Pet Tracker) now down in price

Down to just £49.50 (instead of £99), the V-Pet Tracker also includes 12 months of free tracking service so that you can see exactly where your furry friend is, even when they’re out of sight. Not only that, but the WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS-capable tracker will keep up …

Chromebooks – Now showing Bluetooth device battery level

Here at Coolsmartphone towers, a number of writers use Chromebooks as our primary devices. But one thing thing I find annoying when using my Chromebook is guessing at the battery level of my headphones, keyboard and mouse, but a few months back, it was discovered that Google was …

I bought a car that I’d never even sat in

In the last year we’ve continued to see changes in our shopping habits. However, based on the recent Black Friday sales and a range of recent surveys, we’ve seen thing change far more than ever.. Payment Methods The traditional high-street has seen a huge amount of transformation of …

How about sticking a floppy drive in your smartphone?

Over the years I’ve put some interesting things into my Android phone. Wow, that’s an opening line isn’t it? It all started when I stuck a mouse into the USB port, just to prove that Android does indeed support a number of peripherals. Things moved on with the …

Microsoft’s anti-trust case was the reason it lost the OS race.

According to Bill Gates that is…. The Microsoft founder today stated he believed Microsoft’s antitrust issues in the early 2000s was the reason for Windows Mobile not being the OS that people use today. When asked about the impact of the Justice Department’s antitrust case. He came out …

Curve now integrates with Google Pay

I’ve used the Curve card for quite a while now. It’s one card that, with the aid of an app, acts as many different cards. Use the app to add your credit, debit or businss cards, then use the app to switch between them and simply use the …