Tag: remote

Couple save over £500,000 by NOT using wired internet

It’s doubtful that mindsets will change overnight, but getting broadband into your home or business no longer means sticking to a wired provider. With 5G on the horizon, the mobile networks are poised to take a substantial slice of the market – potentially delivering faster speeds in more …

The new normal has been forced upon us, but it’s here to stay.

With a second coronavirus spike now sliding into view, the idea of “going back to the office” is fading into the background. Remote working is rapidly becoming the “new normal” and the idea of cramming ourselves onto public transport in order to spend time in an expensive office …

Another Shared Rural Network mast goes up.

The Peak District is, without doubt, a beautiful place. However, getting a phone signal in such a scenic and protected area is pretty tricky. However, with to government pushing for mobile networks to work together more, 4G mobile coverage in rural Longnor is now available via Vodafone. As …

Why you should never film in portrait

I always flinch when I see “mobile phone footage” on news channels filmed in horrific portrait style. People tend to forget, then when they get home and want to watch their holiday videos on the TV it appears in a tower-thin strip in the middle of their wide-screen …

Working from home could last for a lot longer

Good morning lockdown crew. Hope you’re well. Yesterday, and for the first time in a while, I found myself in a couple of local shops. There’s a mixture of coronavirus changes, with the local Co-op implementing a “one way only” and “one in, one out” system and keeping …

Honor Band 5 – Now even better

Remember our Honor Band 5 review? Like it? Bought it? Well, good news! There’s now remote music and blood oxygen monitoring too. All you need to do in order to get the update is head to the Health app on your phone. Oh, and don’t forget that the …

The benefits of using a VPN on your smartphone

OK, so you’re a bit worried browsing to certain places on your phone. If you’re using the work WiFi then they’ll be tracking you. If you’re using the free WiFi at the local coffee shop then, yes, they might be snooping. You can’t be sure that the information …

Get a Nest thermostat without the big upfront cost

One of those clever Nest thermostats, complete with professional installation, is £279. That, even for an intelligent gadget that’ll reduce your heating bills, is a big initial outlay. We reviewed the thermostat back in 2014 and it’s still going strong now, saving cash by turning off the heating …

A geeky way to control those Christmas lights

This weekend I horrified anybody with any electrical knowledge by plugging the Christmas lights into an extension, which was then plugged into an extension … plugged into an extension. I won’t go into the finer details, but there was a minor explosion and I blew three fuses. I …

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 …

Doro 8020X Overview

If you’re of a certain age the Doro handsets will definitely appeal. They’re simple to understand, easy to use and have an intuitive method of getting tasks done. Some of their line-up, like the 6050 we looked at yesterday, are more simplistic. Other handsets pack further features, such …

Etekcity Wireless Remote Control Sockets – Review

You remember when we were just a smartphone site, right? Now we’re getting asked to review lots of gadgets and this time it’s this, a set of remote control sockets. Why would you want these? Well, there’s a number of reasons really. First of all, they’re just £26.99 …

Get a personalised Sky remote or phone skin, for free

OK, not quite free. You’ll have to pay postage. However, if you want a personal skin on your Sky remote control or your phone, just put FREESKIN in during the checkout process on the Wrappz website. Apple, HTC, Google, Nokia and other skins are available so you should …

Excuse me, but my dog is calling

So. I’m not totally sure where to begin with this one. I’ll sum it up in one sentence if I can. It’s a camera that you stick fairly low down on your wall that will let you video call your dog. Yeah. Not only that, but if you …

Festive Feature – LOPOO Christmas Decoration Kit

About 14 years ago I started reviewing phones. Now I’m reviewing Christmas tree decorations and, if I’m honest, I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not. Either way, it’s the time to get festive. If you’ve just been up to the loft and grabbed your decorations …

Has TeamViewer Been Hacked?

The popular remote desktop app TeamViewer has apparently been hacked. However, TeamViewer claim the issue lies with its users reusing the same password across multiple sites which makes sense…. until reports started to surface users with 2FA were also affected. It appears hackers gained control of victims’ TeamViewer …

Annke SP3 960P HD Wireless IP Camera – Review

We’ve head quite a few security cameras cropping up here at Coolsmartphone. This one is from Annke and you can control and move it from anywhere via your smartphone. First up, the plus points. Although you’ll spot an ethernet port on this, it connects very easily via WiFi …

Difficulty seeing a doctor? Get an online one instead

Last year my son ended up in hospital with meningococcal septicaemia. It was a scary time, and I’ll admit that I completely lost my rag with the local GP surgery. Our town had seen the closure of a local surgery, and we’d been shipped across to another surgery …

Pronto – Smart Remote from Peel – Review

Many of the higher-end phones now have IR blasters. It’s not a new thing though, as IR ports were actually found in phones many years ago. Back then there wasn’t such a thing as “Bluetooth” and you’d never find WiFi in your handset, so data was transferred over …

Let me take a Selfie

Yes, that great song of our time, “Selfie”, has got us saying “Selfie” quite a bit. The camera on the front of a phone is no longer a “front facing camera”, it’s a “selfie cam”. Personally I think the lyrics are deep and meaningful, especially the following.. That …

Android Device Manager gets Remote Lock Feature

Google were late in the game in bringing remote find and wipe options to Android but now that they are finally with us it would seem that Google are not resting upon their laurels. Added today is the new Remote Lock feature which enables you to remotely lock …

Zeebox – Now controls your TV too (Update)

Got a Sky+ HD box? A Virgin Media Tivo box? Perhaps you have one of those clever Smart TV’s that lets you play those “backed up movies” on your NAS drive? Said yes to any of that? Good, because we need to talk about Zeebox. The app, if …

3CX Mobile Device Manager Review

In recent years we’ve seen a shift in the way that mobile devices are used in the workplace. Previously you may have had a Blackberry or Microsoft Pocket PC dropped on your desk. Things were locked down, secure and managed. Now, with the advent of “Bring Your Own …

Twonky Mobile – Making my life a bit easier

We had a lovely chat with the people from Twonky during Mobile World Congress. The service and software lets you enjoy your media anywhere you want, plus there’s now some interesting extra features. Many handset manufacturers and TV companies are already making it easy to beam your music, …

Control your browser, from your phone

Have you heard of Clik? Tried it? We have, and it’s pretty amazing. Currently it’ll let you play and control YouTube videos on you PC or any device with a browser from an iPhone or Android phone. Plug your laptop into your TV, fire up the app, snap …