Category: General

Revonext RX8 Earphones

Back in February, RevoNext from Sweden launched a series of earphones including the RX8 range. We have had the pleasure of testing them out over the past couple of months and the verdict is in but first a little bit of background. What the Press Release Said… With …

giffgaff celebrates award by… increasing prices

This is awkward timing. On the very same day that giffgaff won the Which? Best Network award for the 7th year running, they’ve also announced that their £5 and £7.50 goodybags will be going up in price. The £5 goodybag will be increasing to £6 and the £7.50 …

giffgaff wins recommended Which? Provider yet again

It’s the 7th year running for the network, which is only 10 years old, and they’ve won the “the Best Mobile Network” award. A lot of “virtual” network operators have claimed the top spots, with Utility Warehouse and Plusnet Mobile coming second and third respectively. They’re closely followed …

The TicWatch S2 and now the AI-powered TicPods. Dive in!

You may have heard of Mobvoi and their TicWatch S2. It’s powered by Wear OS and has a 1.39″ AMOLED 400 x 400 display. Inside, it’s powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 CPU and comes with 4GB of storage with 512MB of RAM. Plus, it looks bloody …

Ekster – Trackable smart wallets

These are sold in shops like Macy’s and Selfridges and are crafted from the highest grade leather available in Europe. Basically, they’re high-end but they’re also clever too. These are ultra-slim smart wallets which can be tracked and actually run via solar power. Yes, solar power. This means …

Strategies for referral SEO

So, you’ve spent hours, days, weeks and months developing your mobile app. You’ve carefully crafted it. You’ve made a beautiful interface, and it’s really, truly useful. You’re rightfully proud of your creation but you’re about to hit your biggest problem. After uploading, adding a graphic, a video and …

Smartphone usage is on the up, but people are cutting back

Are you showing signs of addiction? Well, even if you class yourself as a “moderate” user, you’re probably using you phone more than you think. Recent research has shown that those classed as a “moderate” user will touch their phones on average 2,617 times per day. I know, …

Vodafone to range the Xiaomi Mi 9 and Huawei P30 Lite

Two new phones have been confirmed by the Vodafone network here in the UK. First, the Xiaomi Mi 9 is coming. This runs Android 9 and has a 6.39″ 19.5:9 Full HD+ OLED display. It’s powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 CPU and an Adreno 640 GPU. There’s …

Vodafone add 4G to phone boxes across Cornwall

The boys from Vodafone have recently tried some new and interesting ways to expand their coverage. First we saw their mini 4G masts and then they went ahead and put a mast inside a manhole. Now they’re adding 4G to phone boxes, and let’s be honest – I …

Vodafone Gigafast ads get into trouble

As a techy geek, whenever I hear the word “Giga”, I think of “Gigabit”. Indeed, the word itself actually denotes a billion, and it’s got Vodafone into a spot of bother as they roll out their direct fibre solution – Gigafast. The offering is a FTTP (Fibre to …

Unboxing the Huawei P30 Pro

Normally when we get a phone to review, one of the first things that we do is an unboxing. However, with the P30 Pro we decided to mix things up a bit. Dan was able to use the phone for a short period of time before he departed …

The Coolsmartphone Podcast – Now on Spotify too!

We published our first ever podcast, unbelievably, way back in 2012. On Tuesday we’ll be publishing Episode 244. The number 244, as you may be aware, is the dialling code for Angola. It’s also the year that Philip the Arab became the new Roman Emperor. So… ermm.. to …

New mobile phone detectors deployed by police

Using your phone whilst driving? Perhaps you have a cheeky look at it when you’re stuck in traffic or in a long tail-back? Well, beware, because the police are now starting to roll out automatic systems which will attempt to spot your phone usage and then flash a …

Three 5G Update – Second live site now online

Way back in the day, a new network called “Three” appeared on the scene. They were the first 3G network at the time and, if you had a rather bulky 3G video phone, you could do video calls and browse the internet on the move. At the time …

New study reveals big increase in phone usage

It goes without saying that, right now, you’re using your phone. After all, you’re reading this. I’ll be honest, it doesn’t seem that long ago that people used laptops and – yes – desktop PCs. Web designers only spent a small amount of time actually creating a “mobile …

IKEA releases Sonos-integrated furniture

You know Sonos? Right? Yeah. They’re the go-to people if you want some serious sound in your home. Now IKEA have release Sonos speakers which are integrated with their furniture. Called “SYMFONISK”, it includes a table lamp with sound and light in one place, plus a book-shelf speaker …

Free chocolate for Vodafone and VOXI customers!

Afternoon. Hope you’re well. I’ve just been charged £100 for a parking fine. Nice huh? Thanks Euro Car Parks! 🙁 I’m going to eat chocolate to try and feel better. Plus, right now, if you’re a Vodafone or VOXI customer, you can join me. Let’s start with Voda, …

Join VOXI – Even if you’re over 30!

OK, sitrep. Vodafone launched a virtual network called VOXI but you had to be younger than 26 to get one of their SIMs. Then, a little while later, you could get a SIM if you were under 30. They then added a stack of freebies and started selling …

Vodafone donates another £1,000 to local charity

Each month Vodafone dish out cash to a worthy local charity. The Community Connection Awards are a way to give back to the local communities in and around the towns, cities and villages where Vodafone stores operate. Often in partnership with local newspapers, they invite clubs, causes and …

Give your phone some liquid foundation

Keeping your phone in good condition usually involves a case or cover and a screen protector. Situation normal there, but Invisible Shield have now come up with some foundation for your phone instead. Yes, foundation. It’s basically a liquid protector for your smartphone, smart watch or tablet with …

Is the death knell sounding for Google Play Music ?

On 30th April this year, Google is planning to close down the “Artist Hub” of the Google Play Music service. “What’s the Artist Hub?” I hear those of you who use Google Play Music ask. The Artist Hub is a tool that allows smaller/independent artists to stream and …

Vodafone 5G trials at New Street

Trying out 5G is a little tricky because, put simply, none of us have 5G phones just yet. Now though, if you’re in and around Birmingham, you can try out 5G at Grand Central. Vodafone have invited people travellers to test 5G speeds as part of live trial …

MobileManDan…..signing off

This is a post I was holding off for a while, but feel today is the right day to make it official. After an incredible 9 years at CoolSmartPhone, today is the final post by me and it seems only fitting that it be a thank you and …

Huawei P30 Pro – My first week

Intro So it’s been just over a week now since I got back from Paris, and more importantly the Huawei P30 Pro launch I was invited along too with Huawei and some other journalists/bloggers. Having been using a Mate 20 Pro since the launch event at the end …

Pixel 2 & 2 XL official sales cease

If you are hankering after last year’s Google flagship from official channels i.e. Google’s own page, well it appears this can longer be done. If you pop over to the Google Store and search for either the Pixel 2 or the Pixel 2 XL, the devices are no …

More scarily good robots

Every now and again I take a look at the rather brilliant robots that are created by the teams at Boston Dynamics. This time they have some interesting industrial robots that counterbalance using a weight between their two wheeled legs. This is just a test of the automated …

The Wallet Slayer!

I’m perhaps a bit “old-school” because I still have a wallet. In recent years I’ve seen more and more people using a flip cases which has their debit and credit cards on the inside. With people using real cash less, they’re now just merrily tapping away with either …

When a mobile number for your business isn’t enough

Want to get your floor tiled? Or your bedroom wallpapered? Perhaps you want to have some other work done around the house? If so, you can look out for a local trader. There’s plenty advertised online, in local leaflets and – if you see van outside a neighbour’s …

New rural EE masts in North Yorkshire

Getting a mast put up is relatively easy if you’re in a major town or city. The biggest problem, as always, is planning consent and getting the land to build on. However, once you’ve done that it’s just a matter of getting some power, some clever kit and …

BT want to get into your lamp post

When 5G really starts rolling, you’re going to see a growth in smaller masts which cover high-usage areas. Because of this, and the need to also remove the not-spots of existing 4G coverage, BT want operators to have access to council-owned “street furniture”, such as lamp posts and …

An afternoon with a Tesla Model X

I was very lucky today that, thanks to David Wildman of Btekt, I was able to spend the afternoon with a Tesla Model X in stunning blue. The car is a true technological marvel, and it’s fair to say that I was very impressed with all the gadgetry and …

Get yourself a virtual personal trainer

Wanna get fit? Well, you could join a gym, but that can be pricey (I’m looking at you David Lloyd Leisure.. £100 a month!? Waahh??). So today marks the launch of, according to Kaia Health the “world’s first virtual personal trainer”. It uses unique motion tracking technology to …

Brexit – A quick editorial

Things are moving uncomfortably quickly here in Britain. It doesn’t matter whether you voted to Leave or to Remain, this mess is not what anybody was promised or expected. The situation, as I type, is that the “Theresa May Deal” is to come back, for a third time, …

Getting calls from 0300 200 3842 today?

It really wasn’t that long ago that we posted an article about scammers and how easily they can trick you into parting with your money. Last time it was a London number masquerading as HMRC, and in June last year we captured the recording of the call in …

Over a half of Brits getting disturbed at night by cold-calls

Having trouble sleeping? Well, I’ve recently had a few calls at night. It does tend to make you jump out of your skin at first. A call, in the middle of the night, is usually a sign that something is wrong – perhaps a member of the family …

Skoda testing deliveries direct to your boot

OK, this one sounds a little weird, but let’s have a look anyway. Getting deliveries can always be a bit of a hit-and-miss affair, especially if you’re at work or on the toilet. Despite you waiting around, you’ll probably find that the delivery driver turns up just when …

A fun way to get your kids brushing properly.

Kids love sweets, so ensuring that they’re brushing their teeth regularly is key. You can’t always monitor this, so PlayBrush is a great way to create a solid dental cleaning routine. Instead of making brushing teeth a chore, the 2 minutes task can now be made fun thanks …

More time with the Mate X and 5G news

I have been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to get a little bit more hands-on time with the Huawei Mate X. I thought I would take some time to give you my initial thoughts. Before I dive into that first thoughts I must remind you that …