Filed under: Displays, HDTV

While Evesham’s 47-inch LCD TV may have a long list of niceties that would surely bring a smile to any HD addict’s face, the rather hefty pricetag might just scare a few folks away. Apparently making sure that its got the low and mid-range customers covered as well, Evesham is busting out a bevy of new displays at much lower price points. The Alqemi lineups boasts 32-, 37-, and 42-inch panels, with all five sporting WXGA resolutions, 8-millisecond response time, 500 cd/m2 brightness, 1000:1 contrast ratio (save for the bottom-end’s curiously high 1200:1 spec), and integrated stereo speakers. Evesham further segregates the models by offering a low-end 32-inch version (peep a pic after the jump) with the bare necessities (HDMI, component / S-Video / composite, VGA, and an analog tuner) for £499 ($970), while offering mid-range units with DVB-T / analog hybrid tuners (with Digital Tick support), and a 42-inch flagship (Alqemi SX; pictured after the break) that boasts PIP and Virtual Dolby surround sound. Evesham’s budget lineup tops at £1,399 ($2,718), with the mid-range units ranging from £599 ($1,164) to £899 ($1,747), and can be picked up now on the other side of the pond.

Read – Evesham 32-inch Alqemi LCD TV
Read – Evesham 32-inch Alqemi SX LCD TV
Read – Evesham 37-inch Alqemi S LCD TV
Read – Evesham 37-inch Alqemi SX LCD TV
Read – Evesham 42-inch Alqemi SX LCD TV

Continue reading Evesham unveils budget lineup of Alqemi LCD HDTVs

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Pretty much every time we glance over at our friends in the UK, they seem to be implementing surveillance technology that surely wouldn’t make George Orwell too thrilled. In the last two months alone we’ve seen those CCTV cams with accompanying loudspeakers debut in Middlesbrough, which was more recently followed by a handful of London cops getting some head-mounted cams. Sure, it’s easy to invoke the spectre of Big Brother into any conversation about the expansion of the watchful eye of government, but the new discussions afoot have even us Yanks a little concerned for our British brethren. According to The Times, UK police are considering using high-powered microphones that will home in on a particular public conversation, if “aggressive tones” are detected, based on decibel level, pitch and the speed of the speaker’s voice. Three hundred such microphones are already installed in cities around The Netherlands, including Groningen, Utrecht and Rotterdam, in locations such as government offices, city centers, and our favorite: “T-Mobile shops.” We had no idea T-Mobile shops caused Dutch people to get so ornery — maybe their highly-ranked customer service department didn’t make it across the Atlantic yet.

[Via The Inquirer]

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Networking

Back in February, we told you about how Lakehead University in Canada was restricting WiFi usage for health concerns. Well, not to be outdone by a former colony, similar issues have cropped up in the UK at a handful of schools in Chichester, Carmarthenshire, and Buckinghamshire, which have turned off their WiFi citing parental lobbying. One parent, Judith Davies, whose daughter attends a school in Carmarthenshire, told The Times: “Many people campaign against mobile phone masts near schools, but there is a great deal of ignorance about wireless computer networks. Yet they are like having a phone mast in the classroom and the transmitters are placed very close to the children.” Ms. Davies, we don’t mean to be rude, but have you ever seen a WiFi router? They’re really small, use much less power, have a much shorter range, and give off way less radio frequency radiation than your average cell phone tower. Put into technical terms, most WiFi routers have a peak power output of 100 mW (compared to most cellphones, which output at around 2 W). So, assuming that your child isn’t sitting right on top of said router, she’ll most likely be perfectly fine. And even if she is sitting on top of a router, aside from being somewhat uncomfortable she’ll still probably be perfectly fine.

[Via TechDirt]

Read – The Times

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Portable Video

If you didn’t bite when Elgato released its pocket-friendly EyeTV Hybrid, you may be interested in its supercharged successor, the EyeTV Diversity. The USB 2.0 stick makes for easy travel, and this rendition sports dual attachable antennas and a DSP, “which uses information from both tuners to generate the best signal possible.” Designed to work with DTT / DVB-T signals, the device supports dual tuner functionality, PIP, scheduled recordings via the included EveTV 2 software, and a one-year subscription to the “tvtv” program guide. It touts seamless integration with Toast 7, and even provides easy converting for use on video-playing iPods. The company also notes that 1080i and 720p viewing / recording is possible on Macs housing “dual PowerPC G5 or Intel Core Duo” processors, and the dual-tuner USB stick can be picked up now on the other side of the pond for €149.95 ($191).

[Via digg]

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Either cable channel FX reads Engadget, pays attention to USPTO filings, and/or is genuinely concerned that it’s wasting away (along with other American TV advertisers) an estimated total of $8 billion annually. On September 22 and only in the UK (for now), FX will use its 30-second ad slot to display a single still image hawking its new drama “Brotherhood,” so that the estimated one-third of its British audience using a PVR device (like this Sky box shown at right) will be able to follow FX’s sales pitch even after thrice hitting the fast forward button. We wonder if this may actually be more effective than those “interactive and on-demand” ads that have been showing up on TiVo over the last few months. Apparently the US PVR audience isn’t quite yet ready for the sheer awesome power of low-tech advertising (no, not this one) that has existed for well over a century in print magazines.

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Wearables

As we all know by now, getting a flight out of the UK has been a tad difficult the past few days, but new security measures have enforced a dreadful new restriction that bans books and magazines from accompanying you on your voyage. Unless you’re a well-regarded dignitary or just plain lucky when passing through those checkpoints, chances are you won’t have any good ‘ole fashioned entertainment to keep your brain busy while cruising in the clouds — but the oh-so-clever minds over at Boing Boing have found a perfectly legal and boldly fashionable (or not) way to circumvent the system. Dubbed the scarf-book, the book / article of clothing is crafted by printing text (your own masterpiece or other works released under a creative commons license, of course) onto iron-on transfer paper and then afixing it to a lengthy piece of cloth. Your new text-covered wardrobe accessory can then be safely worn as a scarf, headwrap, belt, or whatever else you can imagine, leaving little doubt that you mean no harm while boarding your flight. Although these heightened security precautions are likely to relax as time goes on, there are those of you with impending reservations that may go stir crazy without reading material to pass the time, and hey, there’s nothing wrong with getting all wrapped up in a good book, eh?

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Filed under: Peripherals, Portable Audio

Filed under: Portable Audio

Filed under: Orange, MVNOs, Misc

Obviously the Netherlands is not a country you want to fire up a cell phone service in and try a “let’s please everyone” approach; with over 40 virtual operators (including mobile giant Orange) battling for business, it’s a tough nut to crack. easyMobile found out the hard way; launched just last year, the company consistently missed sales targets and simply couldn’t attract customers away from other providers. Maybe it was because the easyGroup was too busy focusing on their empire of other startups, or maybe easyMobile just tried to be something they weren’t by mimicking Orange. Either way, a notice on their official website has informed current subscribers that service will be halted on August 1, 2006 and for them to be seeking another carrier. While they’re still striving in Germany and the UK, there’s no doubt the markets are saturated, and we’re fairly certain this won’t be the last MVNO shuttering in 2006.

[Via The Register]

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Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio

Oh, just in case you weren't following along super closely this last week, the SlingPlayer update we covered that has some expanded PAL support options? Yeah, looks like that corresponds to the new UK PAL SlingBox we were expecting at some point, which according to SlingBox manual version 1.1.0.153 (PDF) will include broadcast DVB-T support, and is apparently due any time now. We'd like to take this opportunity to complain about not having integrated ATSC in our SlingBoxes, but we know it won't do us a ton of good until we get some more channels digitally broadcast anyway -- so to Europe we tip our hats, and say congratulations on your new gadget.

[Thanks, Dave]

Filed under: Portable Audio

In another Pyrrhic victory for fair use rights, Australia’s government is set to legalize CD ripping. The revision to the country’s copyright law, like proposed changes being mulled in the UK, will legalize activities that are already fairly widespread, including “format shifting” of music you legally own from CDs to digital audio players. While blessing common practices, the new law cracks down on file sharing and piracy, allowing police to issue on-the-spot fines to anyone caught in the act of piracy. The Australian law may also apply to ebooks, which could require companies like Adobe and Microsoft to allow protected ebooks to be printed or saved in other formats for use on non-supported devices.

[Via Techdirt]

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Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

We know there are a ton of Brits anxiously waiting to hear whether Acer's 32-inch AT3205-DTV LCD, at only $1,888 dollars, is really such a bargain, so we won't keep you in suspense: according to Trusted Reviews, it most certainly is. Truth be told, the picture actually sounds like it leaves something to be desired -- black levels and fine detail aren't the best -- but they seem to fall in the acceptable range, and the 1366 x 768 screen apparently delivers vibrant colors and good brightness levels. Other plusses include the built-in Freeview tuner (no CI slot for adding subscription content, though), powerful-for-a-flat-panel sound system, and a plethora of connection options, including HDMI and DVI, component, three SCART ports, and digital audio out. So, if you can deal with some slightly gray blacks and a bit of a, um, bold design, then fear not, British friends, because your quid will be well spent on the Acer.

Filed under: Portable Audio

While Americans continue to bemoan the loss of fair-use rights via DRM, the Broadcast Flag and other new legislation, Brits may find themselves with new rights via an unlikely source: the BPI, the country's equivalent of the RIAA, which is recommending some changes to the UK's copyright laws. However, the new rights will really only legalize something that both Brits and Americans have been doing for years: ripping music from CDs to digital audio players, which is currently illegal in the UK. As one industry exec said, "this is about the UK music industry responding effectively to the changing way music is consumed." But just because the BPI is willing to bless the idea of ripping CDs you've already purchased, don't think they've gone all soft. When it comes to file sharing, they're in sync with their US counterparts, and will continue hunting down suspected copyright thieves wherever they lurk.

Filed under: Handsets, Multimedia, Motorola, O2

We already learned just about everything we needed to know about Motorola’s colorful V3im model at CTIA — except for one thing: whether this phone — which is now available in the UK from O2 for free with a contract — would be iTunes-capable. Turns out it is, so podsters can start plotting out which playlists they want to put on their phones. Oh, and before you ask: yes, the 100-song limit is still in place — though we all know what to do about that, right?

[Thanks, Arne]

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Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

border="1" src="http://www.engadget.com/media/2006/05/medionlcd.jpg" alt="" />

While we can’t vouch for
the quality of a 32-inch LCD making its debut at Toys ‘R Us locations around the UK for under $1,100, the specs on
Medion’s upcoming MD 20099 don’t look half bad. The Medion offers a 1,366 x 768 pixel display, 1000:1 contrast ratio,
550cd/m² brightness, and even an HDCP-capable HDMI input, along
with dual-tuner PIP, split-screen text, and built-in 20-watt sound system with five-band equalizer. Again, we’re not
sure what to expect from the performance of this model, but if you happen to be in a British Toys ‘R Us at the end of
the month when this model is debuted, make sure to leave your impressions in the comments.

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Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds, Networking

Although neither device has a true VoIP option yet, UK tech site T3 is reporting that "a source close to...Vonage" (i.e. a friend of a friend of a friend) has confirmed that the VoIP provider is developing WiFi calling solutions for both the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS. We've known for awhile that both systems were capable of implementing the ol' VoIP, but other than a random blog musing we reported on last year, this is the first indication we've seen of a major player making moves in this direction. Even for a rumor, the details here are pretty thin, such as how Vonage plans to actually implement VoIP in the disparate devices -- the possibilities include a firmware update for the PSP, and either DSpeak-like software or an Opera-like cartridge for the DS -- or even a hint of when we can expect to see any products come to market. As you might expect, Vonage itself declined to comment on the matter when contacted by T3.

Filed under: Handsets, HTC, O2, Windows Mobile, GSM, GPRS, EDGE

src="http://www.engadgetmobile.com/media/2006/05/xdaiq.jpg" />As of today, Brits have access to one of the hottest
Windows Mobile 5.0 smartphones on the market, thanks to o2′s much-anticipated release of the href="http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2006/04/10/o2-announces-xda-iq/">Xda IQ. Better known as the href="http://www.engadget.com/search/?q=tornado">HTC Tornado (or the href="http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2006/01/18/cingular-debuts-2125-windows-mobile-smartphone/">Cingular
2125 / T-Mobile SDA / href="http://www.engadget.com/2005/08/16/hands-on-with-the-qtek-8310-htc-tornado/">Qtek 8310 / href="http://www.engadget.com/2005/07/25/the-orange-c600/">Orange SPV C600), this quad-band GSM worldphone sports
both Bluetooth and WiFi, a 200MHz processor, 2.2-inch QVGA screen, 1.3 megapixel cam, miniSD slot, and EDGE data
capabilities. The best part is that AKU2, with its sweet, sweet MSFP, will be available for download at launch, so
customers can get their push email-on right away — and even their A2DP, thanks to the godsend of a href="http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2006/04/25/a2dp-finally-available-on-winmo-5-0-aku2/">.cab assembled by the good
folks over at the xda-developers forum. Even though this handset is already available, our best efforts have been
for naught when it comes to finding a price — a little help, UK readers?

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

While we're eagerly awaiting the day that we can lounge around while armies of nanobots perform their magical alchemy on our garbage and turn it into hot cellphones and delicious Big Macs, one British scientist is warning that the medical implications of nanotechnology have yet to be properly explored, despite numerous products already finding their way to market. Specifically, Edinburgh University Professor and environmental health expert Anthony Seaton argues that almost nothing is known about the potential effect of inhaling nanoparticles, likening the situation to the dangerous particle-emitting asbestos that was installed in buildings prior to 1970 without a second thought. According to some estimates, there are already 200 products containing nanoparticles available to consumers, with hundreds more expected to hit shelves this year -- but Seaton claims that so far, recommended nano testing "simply hasn't happened." Damn, way to ruin our nanobot fantasies, Professor Letdown.

Filed under: GPS, Handhelds, Portable Audio, Transportation

Brits looking for an in-car GPS solution that they can also throw in a sack and take along on a constitution will soon have a new option from Chinese manufacturer Shinco. The Voyager GPS 400 is a PDA-size receiver in white with a 4-inch, 480 x 272 color touchscreen, birds-eye view mapping, SD slot for MP3 playback, and preloaded maps covering the two million hottest destinations on the British Isles. You seem to get a pretty solid accessory pack in the box as well, with a windshield mount, extension antenna, decent carrying case, and both car and wall chargers standard. E-tailer Firebox is currently taking pre-orders for the Voyager, which is supposed to arrive on the 11th, for a very reasonable $420.

[Via Tech Digest]

Filed under: GPS, Transportation

We've heard reports before about the dangers of driving while under the influence of GPS, but it looks like drivers in the UK have taken trust of their navigation units to the extreme. Twice in the space of the last two weeks, we've seen reports of British drivers taking serious risks because they trust the info displayed on the small screen more than what they see through their windshield. In the most recent case, drivers passing through the village of Luckington have found themselves landing in the River Avon, by following a GPS-recommended route that pointed to a bridge that has been closed for a week. Despite warning signs on both sides of the road, and nothing but water straight ahead, local villagers have found themselves pulling an average of two cars a day out of the river for the past week. "When you ask what happened, they say, ‘My sat-nav told me it was this way,'" one resident told The Times. Meanwhile, the  village of Crackpot (yes, that's really its name) has had to deal with drivers whose navigation systems have directed them to the edge of a cliff with a hundred-foot drop. So far, there have been no serious injuries, but drivers have found themselves stranded on a rocky path. "It's only a matter of time before something happens," said one resident. Listen, we like GPS as much as the next sense-of-direction-impaired driver. But we also do our best to use our eyes, as well. And if you don't, well, there's a village in England named for you, and it ain't Luckington.

Read - Luckington
Read - Crackpot

Filed under: Virgin Mobile, China Unicom, MVNOs

Interfax China is reporting that Virgin Mobile is close to signing a partnership with wireless carrier China Unicom that would make the UK-based company the first foreign MVNO in post-WTO China. Although Virgin would still require approval from the Chinese government, which carefully scrutinizes all proposed foreign business presences, the company will benefit from past deals in which Spain's Telefonica and Germany's Vodafone have made invesments in domestic telecom firms. Virgin already has offices in Shanghai, and CEO Richard Branson recently told reporters to expect a Chinese launch this fall, so it would seem pretty likely that this venture, which is well over a year in the making, has the necessary government support to proceed.

Filed under: Culture

While a number of studies have concluded that driving while using a cellphone can be dangerous, and many governments impose fines for driving-while-talking, the number of DWT cases prosecuted in the UK has actually risen by 75% in the past year. However, indications are that the rise may have less to do with chattier motorists than with stepped-up enforcement by police, including the use of tag-reading cameras. UK DWT fines are due to double, from £30 to £60 this year, so prosecutions may actually start to decline -- unless the chattering class of drivers is also price-insensitive.

Filed under: T-Mobile

src="http://www.engadget.com/media/2006/04/virgin_mobile_uk.jpg" alt="" />Through various combinations of offers
involving weird fractions of shares and certain amounts of "pence," NTL has reached an agreement of with the
Independent Board of Virgin Mobile Holdings to buy out the entire Virgin Mobile MVNO. The straight up cash offer is GBP
962.4 million ($1.68 billion USD), 372 pence per share. NTL is also offering 0.23245 shares of their stock for Virgin
Mobile shares, or 0.18596 NTL shares plus 67 pence each. Virgin Mobile, which operates on the T-Mobile network, is the
UK’s largest MVNO, at 4.3 million subscribers. NTL is also entering into an agreement that allows them to brand their
TV and fixed-line phone services as Virgin. We can’t say we’ve exactly crunched all the numbers, so it’s hard to give a
thumbs up or down on the fiscal validity of the offer, but we’re cooking up a sweet graph in Excel right now — drop
shadows and everything.

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Filed under: Handsets

No disrespect towards the fine police of the United Kingdom or their Sherlock Holmsian skills, but we're mighty skeptical of a recent warning by the Cambridgeshire division that thieves are using their cellphones to locate and steal Bluetooth-enabled laptops from the "boots" of cars. So far all of the evidence concerning this new high-tech modus operandi seems to be anecdotal, as police in Royston are also claiming that a recent a spate of laptop thefts can be attributed to Bluetooth-sniffing crooks, but neither department is reporting how they came to these conclusions. Still, it's probably not a bad idea to shutdown your machine instead of putting it sleep when storing it in the car, toggle your Bluetooth setting to "undiscoverable," or just bring the damn thing along if you're going to be away from your ride for awhile.

[Via The Raw Feed]

Filed under: Culture, Studies

Losing reception can be a downright nerve-wracking experience for some of us, but if there’s one place no one wants to hear a ring — much less take a call — we have to believe it’s in live theater. It really comes as no surprise then that a recent poll conducted among theatergoers in London suggests that a full 72 percent would like to see jamming equipment installed to prevent calls from interrupting performances (if anything, we’re surprised it’s not higher). For the record, said equipment is currently illegal in the UK, but support is growing to legalize it for these kinds of environments. If it can all go down without jeopardizing legit signals, we suspect they’d find support for similar measures virtually everywhere in the world.

[Via Techdirt]

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