Category: Gadgets & Tech

Hër, the Stylish On-Ear Bluetooth Stereo Headphones

Lightweight, good looking headphones are not as common as you may think. European audio specialist, Hër, has launched a very stylish on-ear Bluetooth headphone design in partnership with the retailer, Selfridges. As well as a stylish look and great quality sound, the company also donates 3% of its profits …

Samsung releases a new high end flip phone.

Nearly a year ago, Samsung revealed a high-end, premium flip phone called the W2018. Well, it appears the company is about to release the next generation: the imaginatively-named W2019. The W2019 has an aluminium body and a Gorilla Glass back, but we unsure if the front and internal screens …

Brainwavz M2 – Video Review

It has been a while since my last post from Coolsmartphone Towers but we have had so much to review! I have been on my travels around the UK and Europe wearing my new Brainwavz M2 earbuds, so they have had a thorough beating through lots of airports …

What to do with your old mobile phone

I don’t like to change much. I get used to the way that my phone feels and how it operates. I love having a phone that I can use one-handed and I get used to where all the icons are. I’m a creature of habit and like everything …

Unveiled. The Zap i300 fully electric scooter.

Earlier we saw the sneaky peek of the all-electric i300 scooter from British brand Zapp. Ideal for commuting in cities, this has a range of 35 miles and you can fully charge the removable 5kg battery in less than three hours. Prices start at £5,250 prior to the …

Roav Viva by Anker – Review

The Roav Viva from Anker is a Bluetooth enabled smart speaker charger that would charge for car accessories such as mobile phone or tablet whilst you are out and about but it will also allow you to utilise the power of Amazon Alexa for search. The actual unit …

Curve introduces fee-free card spending abroad

If you read my earlier post then you’ll already know that I like this whole Curve thing. It’s a card which you control via a smartphone app. The app lets you add your other cards (debit, credit, business etc) and then you simply choose which one you want …

Say hello to our new disco dog overlords

Apologies, I’ve dived yet again into the fantastic robotic world that is Boston Dynamics. Only a couple of days ago we mentioned the Parkour-Powered robot that they’d created. Now though, Spot the robotic dog appears to have learned how to dance. A dancing robotic dog. Yes, they’ve made …

Stop it. Stop it now. This is just plain scary.

What are these robots going to be used for? Is this the start of the Terminator? Are Boston Dynamics looking for world domination? Does Britain need to replace lots of hard-working EU people soon or something? Whatever the reason, these robots are getting very nimble and human-like in …

Zapp i300 electric scooter to be unveiled later this month

So, this is a British company and they’ve nudged me quite a few times. They’re called Zapp and they’re working to launch the UK’s first electric scooter. We’ve managed to get a teaser video to show you a sneak peek… They tell me that the i300 “re-thinks how …

Smart bike lighting. Get Blinkers

Cycling at any time can be a bit risky. I do tend to bore my family about the charity bike rides I do, but the more you cycle, the more you realise that you have to share the road and everybody should take a bit of time. As …

Gladius Mini – For when you want an underwater drone

I’ve just been watching the utterly disastrous Donald Trump saying how Hurricane Florence has been one of the wettest from the standpoint of water. He also, amazingly, tells the world that the Hurricane was “not good”. Wow. So, after I’d finished laughing at the utter fool, I received …

OnePlus 6T to abandon the headphone jack

I have had every OnePlus device, since the very beginning was the OnePlus One, and like with many others I was eagerly awaiting the latest “Flagship Killer”. We’re talking about the OnePlus 6T which rumoured to be heading our way in October. Well, it is with a heavy …

A scary new world of holographic companions. It’s here now.

Before I say anything, watch this video. Soak it in. Look at the grin on the face of the guy.. It’s more than a little creepy, however this virtual lady seems to be proving quite popular. They call it / her, the “Gatebox” in the PR email. “She’ll …

Add walkie-talkie capability to your iPhone

This one hasn’t even gone fully live on Indigogo as yet but, from what I can see, this is a case, an extra battery for your iPhone and a walkie-talkie, all in one. Cheap data, better coverage and apps like WhatsApp, which has an inbuilt audio recording / …

Mobike stops operating in Manchester due to crime

Remember how this bike-rental was experiencing a crime-wave in Manchester? Well, it’s now hitting their margins enough for them to totally quit to city. Anti-social behaviour, dumped, smashed and lost bikes have now meant that the cycle-sharing firm has pulled out of Manchester. Some 10% of bikes were …

Mi Mix 3 ‘leaked’ by Xiaomi CEO

Xiaomi CEO Lin Bin posted an image on the social network Weibo, which is believed to be the Mi Mix 3. This was a much clearer image than those blurry cam pics that had been leaked previously. If this is the Mi Mix 3, we can see that there …

Jump on my USB-powered hot seat.

Right, short version. This is on Kickstarter right now and you can (if you’re really very quick), pledge just $69 to get one. It’s basically a comfortable, portable, self-supporting seat which has a heat pad to warm your bottom. The power for this is provided via any portable …

Now Xiaomi work with Yeelight to launch latest smart lighting

Remember how Xiaomi helped bring us the ROIDMI cordless vacuum? Well, they’re now branching out into light strips too. Light strips can be placed into or under cupboards, on walls, skirting boards or on ceilings. They’re flexible and can be cut and pasted onto objects around your home …

Look at my twanger!

Ever wanted to try archery? Now, with the help of £31.95 virtual archer, you can do it anywhere. OK, so it’s not carved out of walnut, but the plastic device adds a smartphone holder which, when paired with Bluetooth and used with the relevant app, gives you a …

An alternative to Amazon Echo and Google Home. Meet Volareo.

There seems to be quite a buzz about this thing. It’s a fully crowdfunded smart speaker. They guys behind it want to make the whole process more simple, and everything is open source. This clever gadget will let you access your audio, video, entertainment and information available with …

QT3 quad driver ear buds from RevoNext

RevoNext, a Swedish company built by audio engineers have launched the QT3 quad driver in-ear earphones. The QT3 earphones feature double balanced armatures and double dynamic drivers to deliver an apparent superior sound quality, hopefully, we can get a set to test in the coming months. The QT3 are …

Groov–e Connect Wireless Headphones – Review

Good Points: Lightweight Ability Pair to 2 devices Magnetic clasp Up to 9 hours playback Price Excellent sound quality Bad Points: Range suffered as the battery got low Design: The Connect Wireless headphones are Bluetooth headphones that are of the neckband type, with magnetism holding the earbuds in …

The Lyric Speaker Canvas

Before Christmas, tech company COTODAMA released the Lyric Speaker, which was lots of fun at Coolsmartphone Towers. Well, they are back with the Lyric Speaker Canvas, which is a picture canvas for your wall which displays lyrics from songs being played from your favourite music service. Karim Fanous, …

Airtame. Give monitor cables the boot.

On Friday I spent a good ten minutes running around to try and find a VGA cable. The reason? A client informed me, just before I headed out of the door, that their projector only had a VGA input. This, in 2018, seemed a little strange. In my …

IPTV – Streaming from an Android box. Part 1

OK, let’s be honest. After all, it’s an open secret really. People don’t really purchase those Android TV boxes just so they can watch local media, do they? Sure, they can install TV and on-demand TV apps from the likes of BBC, Netflix, NOW TV and others. That’ll …

Rocketbook Wave – Review

Note-taking is dying art form now. Most use digital forms of transcription for almost everything. I honestly cannot remember the last time I spent handwriting notes! It had been so long that I start to get a cramp in my wrist even after a short stint of writing! This …

Yes, you can now buy yourself a camera for your fridge.

Before I started writing this, I headed to my own fridge for a healthy snack. This is what I found inside. Cadbury seems to have exploded in there. It’s mad. The problem is, I think, that when we head to the local supermarket, it’s when we’re hungry. So …

The Internet of Things arrives with Vodafone

We’ve seen quite a few devices from Vodafone lately which aren’t phones. Whilst some of these gadgets are definitely aimed at businesses (automotive tracking, smart cameras and the like), we’ve felt a definite push for gadgets that you could use at home too. Three years ago we took …

Iceworks 7000mAh USB Type-C power bank – Review

Good Points: Slimline design Cable included USB Type-C input/output Fast charging for some devices Charge Level LEDs USB Type-C Out Price Bad Points: Fingerprint Magnetic Need to purchase further cables for other device’s. As we use our smartphones more and more each day, we demand more and more …

nuraphone G2 with Active Noise Cancelling and the Social Mode

Following the success of nura’s first generation of the self-learning headphones that adapts to match your hearing, nura has announced its latest G2 software update to the nuraphone hardware in an on-going effort to continually improve the music listening experience. Even better news is that the nuraphones will be …

Brainwavz introduces its M2 IEM

Personally, I am a big fan of Brainwavz, they never fail to bring musical joy to my ears. Now they have announced the M2 IEM earphones and headphones to their range. The M2 IEM in-ear noise isolating earphone with a deep and powerful bass, which is exciting for …

Chris – The Digital Assistant for Drivers Announced

It is a proven fact that using for mobile phone whilst driving is a distraction, and is one of the four major causes of fatal accidents on the UK roads today. Not only that if you’re caught using your device, you can be fined £200 and have your …

SOLO 500X-EQ and Primordial Radio app review

We were asked to review the Studio19 London’s SOLO 500X-EQ Bluetooth Speaker, which we covered its release back in February this year. Studio19 successfully crowdfunded the new speaker using the IndieGoGo platform. We have used the Primordial Radio application to test the speaker and we talk about their platform …

Groov-e Wave II Bluetooth Speaker – Review

Summer has finally arrived here in the UK. It’s nearly 32 degrees as I type this and now everyone is moaning that it’s too hot! This all means lots of time outdoors, and as such I’ve been reviewing the Groov-e Wave II Outdoor Bluetooth speaker. Good Points: Price. …

Thinnest Portable Charger – Iceworks 7000

The Iceworks 7000 is a fast charge, ultra slim portable charger with built-in type C cable. More importantly it’s only 8mm thick, 15.5cm length and 7.8cm width. Yup! No longer will you have a massive bulky charger pack in the bottom of your bag. Following in the steps of …

Anchor Premium Charge & Sync Cable – Revew

“The Last Cable You’ll Ever Need “ Good Points: Lifetime Warranty. Build quality. Interchangeability. Allows both fast charging and data syncing. Super strong. Tangle Free. Oh did I mention the build quality. Bad Points: The strong magnets have a mind of there own. The tips have to stay …

Offline translator now hits the UK. Meet ili

The whole premise of this product, which is £199 from Selfridges, is the fact that you can do quick one-way translations without the need for an internet connection. It’s already proved successful in Japan and the US, with 10,000 orders received in the first three days. It’s a …