Tag: phone

Merry Christmas Coolsmartphoners

Have a quick look on the “Whois” for this site and you’ll see the following … Creation Date: 2003-02-14 08:44:29 Yes, in February it’ll have been 14 years since I bought the coolsmartphone.com domain name. Now, while I’m having a quick trip down memory lane, does anyone remember …

More exploding batteries come to light

My wife currently works as a customer service assistant in a local town. While she was working last week, she could hear a commotion outside in the street. A member of the public came running into to her office, screaming for help and requesting a fire extinguisher stating …

Do you have the dropsies? Try the Phone Catcher

Now, I could try and build this up to be something quite clever and inventive. To a degree it is, there’s a strong and quick-retracting cord and a clip which goes onto your pocket. However, I don’t think we can dress up the fact that it’s a bit …

This is worth 10 minutes of your time

OK I’ll fess up. Sometimes I do get distracted by my phone when I’m in the car. It’s all too easy to take a quick glance at the traffic lights and some of us think we can compose complicated messages while we’re driving. You can’t. You just can’t. …

Papa’s got a brand new p BAG

You may have bought yourself a phone cover with a couple of credit card slots in the back recently. It’s becoming a bit of a trend and, thanks to Android and Apple Pay becoming more popular too, we’re carrying more of our life around with us on our …

BT Just killed the phone box

If you’re of a certain age (cough), phone boxes hold a special place in your heart. For some it was perhaps the only access to a phone you had, for others it was simply sheltering out of the rain. There are many reasons to remember the street side communications …

Bush Spira E3X – Review

The lower-end of the smartphone market has become very competitive of late. Not only that, but it’s also got better. The build quality is better. The specs are better. So, when I say, “the lower-end”, I generally only mean the price. Bush isn’t a brand that many today …

Keep in the loop – Back straps for your phone

There’s two types of people in this world. The first type will put a cover on their phone and they’ll keep it in mint condition. Even when they trade the thing in, it’ll look brand new. The second category is reserved for people like myself, who often find …

European roaming law gets update – no 90-day limit

OK, story so far then. We’re all fairly familiar with the “bill shock” that comes with a trip across a local border here in Europe. Take a short trip on the Eurostar and your phone suddenly costs a whole lot more to use than it does back home. …

Turn your mobile phone into a desk phone – the NVX 200

I tell you what you need. You need a desk phone that plugs into your smartphone somehow. Perhaps one that let’s you use those traditional numeric keys to make a call and a normal corded headset too. Sounds a bit bizarre doesn’t it? Well, look at it this …

Driving and using the phone? Fines and points to double

You may have done it yourself. You may see others do it. Perhaps you’ll catch an approaching driver looking down at something and you’ll wonder if they’re really just “tuning the radio” or perhaps browsing the web instead. It’s on the rise and, with the deep cuts in …

Mobile device use while driving is on the increase!

British motoring association, the RAC, has carried out a survey of motorists. It’s revealed some rather worrying results. The number of motorists illegally using mobile phones while at the wheel is rising. After surveying 1,714 UK motorists it found… 31% of motorists says they used a handheld phone …

Pixel Phone!!

No it’s not a phone from the Minecraft community!! During our recent podcast we mentioned that Google are looking to put a stop to the Nexus line. Instead they’ll be launching a Google-branded phone from this Autumn… or this fall if you are stateside. Well, fresh news is …

Using your phone on holiday. Top tips.

Honestly. I’m no good at the Search Engine Optimisation business. I’m writing this during the last few days of August. It’s when most of you guys are returning from holiday but here, here I am writing an article on how to prepare for a holiday. That’s a bit …

Filming a concert? Yeah, don’t go mad with that

If you’ve been to Glastonbury or a big concert recently, you’ll have noticed the eagerness of some to capture the moment. Some go to extremes – filming entire songs and suppressing their own enjoyment so that they can hold their precious phone stock-steady instead. It can look strange …

A blast from the past.. a Gionee Flip Phone – MWC Shanghai

Whilst I was walking through the halls of MWC Shanghai I came across the Gionee booth. We’ve had some dealing with Gionee before on the site including a demo in Barcelona. They also brought a couple of phones to the UK under the Kazam brand. Unfortunately that partnership …

Doosl FM Transmitter – Review

I’ve been sent an FM transmitter again. It’s one of those ones you’ll find on Amazon with a rather long and confusing name. The full description for this £13 gadget is (wait for it)… “FM Transmitter, Doosl® 3.5mm FM Transmitter Radio Adapter Hands-free Calling Wireless Radio Car Kit, …

Apple WWDC 2016

Apple are currently holding their World Wide Developer Conference for 2016 on the West Coast of the US of A at the moment. Yesterday was when the opening Keynote was held, so let’s have a look at the main announcements at Apple WWDC 2016. iOS The Apple Photos …

Microsoft off-load nearly 2000 staff as the smartphone adventure ends

It’s a sad day for hard-working smartphone employees, especially in Finland. Microsoft has just announced that 1,850 jobs will go as they “restructure” their smartphone hardware business. 1,350 of the staff affected will be from the Microsoft Mobile division in Oy, Finland. The remaining 500 will be from …

Unshackled.com launches. Find the best SIM and phone combo

A new website has just launched which compares SIM-free and network-free phone deals. It should, according to the people behind it, ensure that you get the best deal on your next mobile and / or talk plan. They estimate that the average consumer will save £330 buying from …

Motorola unveil the new Moto G series

The Moto G range has always been a stalwart in the budget Android device segment and with their latest release nothing changes on that front. As is expected from my new phone release the specs have taken a bit of a jump, as have the screen sizes. This …

Upcoming modular handset from Moto too?

Rumours have been floating around cyber space regarding the 2016 versions of the Moto G. However, a new leak is pointing at a modular Moto X. Yes, another modular phone on the horizon. We are hoping to see this one released over the sunny part of the year. …

Windows Phone continues to fade away

I’ve called it the death of Windows Phone. We knew it was losing market share but then things started getting worse. In March it was all over for me. Yes, the OS is good. Yes, the phones are good, but there was a lack of love from Microsoft. …

Huawei P9 – Review

Although they’ve probably made dongles that you’ve used, Huawei is a name that relatively few people are properly aware of. This, though, is a company that I’ve spent some time with recently and they’re eager for that to change. They’re already pushing aggressively with their Honor brand, and …

Getting your regular phone fix – it’s a habit

During a recent press day discussing the security of iPhones and the encryption, fingerprint, TouchID and FBI involvement; Apple revealed a simply fascinating bit of data. Whilst mentioning that 89% of their customer use a passcode or fingerprint to protect their iPhones, Apple revealed that on average people …

The death of Windows Phone. Market share sinks further.

Say what you like about my Windows Phone tirade, it’s all sadly true. Call it what you want – Windows 10 mobile, Windows Phone, I’m angry at how easily Microsoft let their lead slip. I’m annoyed at how slowly they realised. I’m frustrated at how they treated the …

Are your kids on the phone too much? Try this, maybe..

I’ve been to America a few times. One of the first times I visited I paid a visit to a shooting range and made some comments on my personal blog about how, for a Brit, it was “different” to see kids with their parents firing live rounds on …

Turn your phone into a microscope.

I’ll be honest. I’ve never really understood what “works” on Twitter. These articles will pop up on @coolsmartphone and some get lots of traction, some don’t. Yesterday though I stumbled on something and now I’ve got some of my followers doing the same. It was raining and my …

Windows Phones – HERE no more

Windows Phone and Windows phone users will, if we’re brutally honest, have got used to developers skipping their platform. Those cool but perhaps not “massively used” applications are nearly always available for Android and iPhone, but when it comes to the Microsoft mobile platform, you simply have to …

Say goodbye to the Xperia Z series

We paid another visit to the Sony stand yesterday but nobody could tell us quite what was happening with the Z series. Sure, the new Xperia X series phones are beautifully designed, but what of the Z series? Well, according to a Sony rep, it’s now dead, so …

A Samsung Galaxy S6 edge with a bit of 007 technology added

Want to buy a Samsung Galaxy S6 edge that’s just a little bit.. different ? Head to Spy Equipment UK where you can pick up a rather special version with in-built spy software. There’s a number of reasons why you’d want to spy on someone, but we won’t …

The BLU Win 4.5″ JR – The £40 smartphone, reviewed.

As Microsoft launch the new flagship Lumia 950 XL, it’s easy to forget the other end of the smartphone market, for example the BLU Win 4.5″ JR which was recently available for just under £40 from Amazon, but what do you actually get for your money a decent …

Giving your business cheaper calls with a professional edge

If you’re prepared to do a bit of work then getting cheap calls is relatively easy. There’s a range of solutions if you have a mobile handset, and when you’ve got an internet connection then everything becomes either extremely cheap or totally free. Having a call package with …

How to – Run your own Minecraft server on a mobile

Last night my son wanted to play Minecraft with his mates. It’s really easy if you’re in the same house or on the same WiFi access point. During New Years Eve he spent an hour with his mates, iPads a-plenty, on the sofa creating new worlds together. They …