Category: Gadgets & Tech

Three receive criticism over £117 iPhone contract.

Think about what you could actually buy for £117 per month. Well, I’ve had my eye on this Citroen C4 lease agreement. Sure, you’re not going to end up fully owning the thing unless you pay a big balloon payment later, but for this sort of money, you …

Avanca TrueWireless – Review

We recently covered the launch of the Avanca TrueWireless earphone system using Bluetooth 4.0, well, they have arrived at Coolsmartphone Towers for the test. They came in a tidy little box which contained the earbuds, charging dock, USB cable and three different earbuds for your ears. Thankfully the …

The KitSound Voice One Smart Speaker – A Review

Ok Google, tell Siri to request that Alexa plays my Comedy Show Tune Playlist Smart, voice-driven devices are becoming commonplace in the modern life, whether it be through our smartphones, watches, connected TVs or smart speakers, they are becoming ever more integrated into our lives. We are at …

Are we doing just a bit too much online?

I’ve been meaning to write this for a while but it kept slipping off my radar. On Saturday, whilst at the local Tesco, it popped up in my head again as I spotted a lengthy queue at the lottery counter. There’s still a fair amount of people who, …

Thinkware F800 Dash Cam – Review

Back in August last year (oh how time flies) I reviewed the amazing Thinkware F770 Dashcam. Since then I’ve been contacted and asked to review the latest iteration – the Thinkware F800 Pro. Good Points: This is a feature-packed device (see main body of the review) 140 degree …

Avanca D1 Bluetooth 4.0 Earbuds

Recently we covered the new Avanca True Wireless earbuds, and Avanca has launched earbuds for the sporty types out there called the Avanca D1 earbuds. The earbuds have been designed not to fall out of your ears during sweaty exercise because that can drive you mad during an …

Why you should invest in a dash cam

Because I’m a tight-wad, I paid a mere £8.46 for a dash cam. The resulting product, unsurprisingly, is a piece of crap. The low-light performance is appalling, the build quality is flaky, the rear LCD panel doesn’t always illuminate and despite the “HD” promise, the 640×480 video reproduction …

A look at the Porsche Design Huawei Mate 10 Pro

In addition to the main event yesterday, we also saw two more phones being launched by Huawei. One of these is the Porsche Design version. This is the continuation of what Huawei did last year with the Mate 9. I was able to get a very brief hands-on …

Get yourself something that looks a bit like a Nintendo Classic Mini

Back in the day we’d all either owned or played on a NES. Now, if you want to relive those times there’s a miniature version.. Yes, you can travel back to mid-80’s, when the Nintendo Entertainment System first appeared on our shores, and play games like Super Mario …

Huawei Mate 10 Pro Launch

Huawei has always had two mainstream phone lineups, the P series and the Mate Series. We have seen the P series for this year and we were pretty impressed by the offering. The Mate series traditionally launches later in the year and tends to be aimed at the …

Home on the range: a range of Google Homes

Earlier on, we covered what we think was the most important part of this year’s Google hardware 2017 event – the new Pixel 2 and Pixel 2XL. Next up, we’re covering Mountain View’s home hardware kit – namely, the Google Home range. This Home range wasn’t so much …

Confused about VPN? Invisbox 2 makes it easy.

We all use the web, and we all see the horror stories associated with data and the privacy of it. Cybercrime is, unfortunately, a real thing these days and keeping you and your family safe online is very important. Here is a quote that sums it all up, …

Avanca introduce the True Wireless Minim Earbuds

Avanca is a Dutch manufacturer of a wide range of earbud systems and they have announced today the UK launch of the True Wireless Minim Earbuds which cost a very reasonable £89. The earbuds use CSR Bluetooth 4.2 which is part of the design to drive better sound …

Introducing the Freefly FF3

Last year, we managed to get hold the Freefly VR headset from the Gadget Show. Well, those lovely people at Proteus VR have announced the next headset called Freefly FF3 which is a hybrid mix between augmented reality and virtual reality in one device. Mixed Reality is expected …

MadeByGoogle event is streaming now.

If you want to get the latest info on what Google have in store for us then you can now tune into their live stream below. We will be keeping our eyes peeled to see what they have instore and we will report back to you once we …

Hello Nest Hello

If you’ve bought into the Nest gadgets, this next big gadget from Google is definitely going to be on your shopping list. This is a doorbell, and like all doorbells it’ll sit right alongside your knockers to alert you to visitors. Called the “Hello”, it is a bit …

Three – Free in-store sign language for customers.

UK mobile provider Three have launched an innovative service to for deaf customers thanks to a partnership with Sign Solutions. The company will now be able to provide sign language to deaf and hard of hearing customers to who seek in-store support. This is something that is initially …

nCube – Making your Smart Home, Simple!

The nCube hub, is a very simple looking hub which can help control all your smart devices in your home including heating, lighting, security, entertainment and other smart devices into just one App using ZWave, Wi-Fi, LAN and Bluetooth communication. It also fully compatible with Alexa, but no …

NTONPOWER Charging station and organiser – Review

Having lots of gadgets is seemingly the norm nowadays. Likewise, we’re seeing more and more solutions for charging them. Most of you will probably have one charger per device, which is great until you start getting a second phone, a tablet or you’ve got other members of your …

Modobag – Motorized, Rideable … err… luggage

I don’t know about you, but having a small carry-on suitcase with wheels on, one that glides effortlessly around an airport, can be a very, very, very, very .. minor irritation. So, welcome to crowdfunded item number 25251613. The Modobag. A motorized suitcase that’ll make you look like …

AmpliFi – The unboxing

Well, I don’t normally get excited about wireless extension system, but there was something cool and futuristic about AmpliFi that certainly caught our interest at Coolsmartphone Towers. We covered the unit’s release not so long ago, and now we have one to review. The box was huge and …

Oh happy days! Self-serve beer!

I’m overflowing with emails at the minute. However, when one pops up with a trigger word, I suddenly sit up and take notice. This time, the word is “beer”, and when I took a look at the email it actually tells me about a “self-serve beer” system. This …

Belkin BoostUp Wireless Charging Pad

Belkin continues to embrace the iPhone moves towards wireless charging with the BoostUp Wireless Charging Pad, which will support the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X (probably other products that were not included in the press release!). “Customers around the world love iPhone and we believe wireless …

Charge Rockstar for all your charging iPhone needs

Got a shiny new iPhone? Still missing your 3.5mm connector? You want to charge the phone and listen to music through a 3.5mm jack? Well, you are in luck dear reader! Belkin has launched the Charge Rockstar, the 3.5 mm Audio + Charge RockStar adapter for the iPhone …

US cellular Apple Watch 3 won’t work in the UK

In just a couple of weeks I’m heading off Stateside for my annual hols. So, as I normally visit the Apple shop, I thought I’d pick up a bargain. I had devised, in the famous words of Baldrick, “a cunning plan”. I was to buy a new Series …

Say hello to Samantha, the AI robot that you can make love to.

She comes equipped with artificial intelligence and has a stack of sensors embedded inside too. This new sex robot can also listen to you and will reply back. However, the “human feeling skin”, as ITV presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield comment in the video below, is cold …

Google in talks to buy HTC

If you have been a smartphone user over the past few years there’s a good chance you have used a device made by Taiwanese manufacturer HTC. For many years the company made many devices under different brand names. Remember XDA, MDA, SPV? Even HP branded devices were made …

Huawei now above Apple in market share

Huawei are now the second-largest smartphone manufacturer in the world. The latest data from market research firm Counterpoint Research shows Huawei overtaking Apple to become even bigger. This result is from strong sales in June and July, which have allowed the Chinese manufacturer to inch past Apple into …

Peugeot announce new car dealership… in a phone box

The local Audi dealership I recently visited has the usual “showroom stuff” inside. Salesmen wearing sharp suits, mechanics wearing super-clean overalls, a TV, a free coffee machine, a masseur, a steam room and an open bar. It also has cars. However, as a company called “Daewoo” (remember them?) …

Lindy noise cancelling NC-60 Headphones

LINDY Electronics have announced the NC-60 Noise Cancelling headphones in line with their wired equivalent of the BNX-60. The NC-60 headphones feature a 1.5m audio cable terminated with a 3.5mm stereo jack plug. They are powered by x 2 AAA batteries allowing up to 72 hours of noise-cancelling operation at …

Grab a Bargain! Chromecast and O2 deals!

We do love a good deal at Coolsmartphone Towers and sometimes they come around like buses. First up comes through the money saving platform, Quidco. Save £15 per month with O2’s latest sim only deal which is 15GB for £20 per month, reduced from £35. You have to make …

1MORE H1707 Headphone – Review

We have been waiting for the 1MORE H1707 Headphones at Coolsmartphone Towers with quite a lot of excitement since we covered their launch this summer. The first impression was again very impressive and premium in looks, which we have come to expect since we review the 1MORE earbuds. …

Chromebook ‘Eve’ likely to be uncovered at Pixel Event, Oct 5.

OK, those of us at Coolsmartphone towers have an unreasonable level of fascination with Chromebooks. Yes, they’re a browser wrapped around a Linux based OS. But paradoxically, they’re also so much more than they should be, to the level where both Garry and Leigh use them as daily …

Fitbit launches first ever smartwatch and sports headphones

Say “Fitbit” to anyone and they’ll instantly think of an activity tracker. Usually the name conjures up an image of a wrist-worn strap that’ll keep an eye on how mobile you are. However, Fibit have just announced their very own health and fitness smartwatch, called the the Fitbit …

First Snapdragon 845 chips bagged by Samsung

At the beginning of this year, Samsung managed to broker a deal with Qualcomm to reserve the first batch of the Snapdragon 835 chips for their latest flagship device – the Galaxy S8. This gave the Korean mobile giant the jump on other OEMs for releasing devices with …

Somfy Security Camera – Review

I have been recently sent through the Somfy indoor security camera for review. Good Points: Design. Ease of Setup. Picture Quality. Ability to digital pan and zoom Built-in in alarm. (Very loud alarm) Motion alerts. Ability to talk back to the camera. Key fob arm/disarm. Door and window …

How hackers are getting into our smartphones

Remember when a briefcase or a stack of paperwork left on a train or in a taxi would be in the daily news? Private data, secure notes and plans for changes in government or a major company could oh-so-easily fall into the hands of others.  Shortly after, it …

Nokia 8 official!

The time has come. Nokia have returned the to flagship party! At least, this is what we are being told. We’ve got details from all the material released during the press event, held yesterday. The more obvious question is, why should we care that Nokia are back in …

Fancy owning shares in Pump Audio?

If you cast your minds back to last year’s Gadget Show, we review Pump Audio’s V2 earbuds and even gave a pair away to a lucky reader. One year on, they are still my personal go to ear buds for the quality and the bass but not for the …