Acer CloudMobile now available for pre-order in the UK, expected to be released on September 5th

Acer CloudMobile now available for preorder in the UK, expected to be released on September 5th

Acer took the gadget world by surprise with its award-winning CloudMobile handset, and now it looks like the company’s finally ready to let consumers get their eager palms on that 4.3-inch, 720p slab. Per online retailer Expansys, Acer’s CloudMobile will be released in the United Kingdom on September 5th, with the site already taking pre-orders for the SIM-free smartphone at £285 — or about $447 in Yankee currency. Speaking of which, Expansys’ also taking early orders for the unlocked device on its US site, though it’s not listing a specific release date or even pricing info on that front. At any rate, parties interested can check out our hands-on, and see if it’s enough to get you to shell out some cash.

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Acer CloudMobile now available for pre-order in the UK, expected to be released on September 5th originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 02:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 hits the UK on August 22nd, starts at £300 for WiFi-only model

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 hits the UK on August 22nd, starts at £300 for WiFi-only model

It’s ’bout time, right? Having been up for grabs here in the US since way back in May, it’s now looking like Sammy’s second-gen Tab 10.1 is finally ready to make its official retail debut across the pond. According to Carphone Warehouse, the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1’s “expected” to be in stock as early as next week — or, August 22nd to be exact — in the United Kingdom, with the base 16GB, WiFi-only flavor set to be priced at a mere £300, while £100 more gets you the model that’s also sporting 3G connectivity. Better yet, the retailer’s taking pre-orders as we speak, so click on either of the source links below and choose the Tab 2 10.1 variant best suited for your slate needs.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 hits the UK on August 22nd, starts at £300 for WiFi-only model originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Aug 2012 13:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceCarphone Warehouse (1), (2)  | Email this | Comments

T-Mobile UK confirms unlimited tethering won’t be available to new Full Monty customers

T-Mobile UK confirms unlimited tethering won't be available to new Full Monty customers

Well, well, so much for being “truly unlimited,” right? As TechRadar adequately reports, T-Mobile UK’s confirmed that any new customer looking to snag the Full Monty data plan won’t be offered an unlimited tethering feature on their all-you-can-have bundle. Effective immediately, the change is a sudden move from the carrier and it wasn’t quite clear as to what made it backpedal on its initial “unlimited” promise, only saying, “From 8th August, tethering is not permitted for new customers under the terms and conditions of the Full Monty.” Surely this is a small blow to UKers hoping to grab the Full Monty for the all-out tethering alone — but hey, at least you’ve still got the data, texts and calls.

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T-Mobile UK confirms unlimited tethering won’t be available to new Full Monty customers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 03:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gartner reports Western Europe desktop shipments down, portable PCs up in Q2 2012

Gartner reports Western Europe desktop shipments down, portable PCs up in Q2 2012

When it comes to technology and the end of a financial quarter, you can bet your wage there’ll be an analyst report or two letting you what’s what. And according to Gartner’s latest estimates for Western Europe, PCs didn’t fare too well in Q2 of this year, with a 2.4 percent decrease in shipments compared with the same period in 2011. Consignments of mobile PCs (read: not tablets) grew by 4 percent, while desktops floundered, dropping 12.8 percent. Of this, a minor growth of 0.4 percent was recorded in consumer PCs, while the professional market decreased by 5.3 percent. Among the big hitters, HP remained at the top of the pile despite losing some market share, and Acer remained in second position with a mild increase in the same. ASUS put in a healthy performance, moving the company up to bronze medal position, while Dell dropped off the podium to fourth. The vendor statistics for the whole region were echoed in France in Germany, but during the quarter Apple managed to break into the top five in the UK market. Meike Escherich, principal analyst at Gartner, attributes the overall performance to economic uncertainty in the region, as well as lackluster demand in the wait for Windows 8 machines. We don’t want to spoil all the fun, so a comprehensive breakdown of the numbers awaits you at the source link.

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Gartner reports Western Europe desktop shipments down, portable PCs up in Q2 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 14:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TechCrunch  |  sourceGartner  | Email this | Comments

Radio astronomy pioneer Sir Bernard Lovell dies at 98

Radio astronomy pioneer Sir Bernard Lovell dies at 98

Astronomy just lost one of its vanguards, as Sir Bernard Lovell has died at 98. The UK-born scientist was best known as a cornerstone of radio telescope development. While he wasn’t the first to leap into the field, he established the University of Manchester’s Jodrell Bank Observatory to study cosmic rays in 1945 and organized the construction of what would ultimately be called the Lovell Telescope — a radio telescope so large and useful that it’s still the third-largest steerable example in the world, 55 years after it was first put into action. His work helped track some of the earliest spacecraft and was instrumental in confirming the first discovered pulsars and quasars. On top of his most conspicuous achievements, Sir Lovell played an important role in developing airborne radar during World War II and was lauded for having scientific curiosity long after he hung up his Jodrell director’s hat in 1980. Science will be poorer without him.

[Image credit: NASA; thanks, Darren]

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Radio astronomy pioneer Sir Bernard Lovell dies at 98 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 14:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Omnia M with Windows Phone makes UK debut on August 1st, exclusively at Phones4U

Samsung Omnia M with Windows Phone makes its UK debut August 1st, exclusively at Phones4U

We’re well aware that a relatively large portion of the UK (and the world) is highly focused on this Olympic event at this very moment, though something tells us a few of you might take some time from the 2012 Games to properly welcome Samsung’s Omnia M. The Mango-flavored device will be making its official debut across the pond in a couple of days, coming as an exclusive to the renowned Phones4U — at least for the time being. As far as pricing goes, Sammy’s 4-inch Windows Phone handset is set to be up for grabs for as much as £290 SIM-free or, if you’re looking to go the monthly route, it’ll be a freebie with a modest £20.50 plan. Best of all, Phones4U’s taking orders right now, so anyone interested can pop one in at the source link below.

Continue reading Samsung Omnia M with Windows Phone makes UK debut on August 1st, exclusively at Phones4U

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Samsung Omnia M with Windows Phone makes UK debut on August 1st, exclusively at Phones4U originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Jul 2012 13:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ZTE Grand X reaches UK shops a tad early through Phones4U

ZTE Grand X reaches UK shops a tad early through Phones4U

Virgin Mobile had originally promised the UK version of the ZTE Grand X for early August. The carrier just can’t contain its enthusiasm: it’s letting retail partner Phones4U sell the budget smartphone as of today. While you’re busy skipping the start of the Olympics, the store will give you a Grand X for free if you’re willing to spend at least £20.50 ($32) per month on a tariff instead of opting for the £190 ($299) pay-as-you-go hardware price. As we saw in China, the appeal of the Grand X is in those numbers — it’s more the temptation of stock Android 4.0 in a low-priced (if capable) suit than the hardware. Phones4U does hope to sweeten the pot through a contest. We hope you like the musical styles of Professor Green, as the British retailer is giving early Grand X adopters a chance to win both a custom Professor Green case as well as tickets to a private concert.

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ZTE Grand X reaches UK shops a tad early through Phones4U originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jul 2012 17:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ARM forms UK group to foster an Internet of Things, put 50 billion devices online by 2020

ARM forms UK group to foster an Internet of Things, put 50 billion devices online by 2020

ARM isn’t content with dominating the mobile space. It’s been by the far the most vocal about an Internet of Things where everything is connected — and to make that happen, it just established an industry forum in the UK that it hopes will establish common ground for all those internet-linked light bulbs, refrigerators and thermostats. Home energy firm Alertme, cloud-aware sensing outfit AquaMW, lighting maker EnLight and white space wireless guru Neul will start meeting with ARM from August 24th onwards to hash out our automated, eco-friendly future. There’s a certain urgency in this for the chip designer: it expects 50 billion devices on the grid by 2020. With IDC estimating a billion new connected devices just in 2011, the clock on that connected device transition is ticking very loudly.

Continue reading ARM forms UK group to foster an Internet of Things, put 50 billion devices online by 2020

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ARM forms UK group to foster an Internet of Things, put 50 billion devices online by 2020 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jul 2012 19:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceThe Next Web  | Email this | Comments

Apple wins stay on having to post ‘Samsung did not copy’ notice

Apple wins stay on having to post 'Samsung did not copy' notice

Apple’s pride can stay intact for at least a little while longer: the company successfully won a stay on a UK ruling that would have it post notices clearing Samsung’s name in the wake of the two tech giants’ patent dispute in the country. Apple now won’t have to face any kind of public flogging unless it loses an appeal on the non-infringement verdict, which is due to be heard in October. Not surprisingly, the iPad creator doesn’t want its own site to become a billboard promoting someone else’s work. The decision makes Samsung’s victory that much more bittersweet — along with losing that instant satisfaction from a humbled Apple, it still has to accept a verdict that claims the Galaxy Tab supposedly isn’t cool enough to have been an imitation.

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Apple wins stay on having to post ‘Samsung did not copy’ notice originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jul 2012 16:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fire Shadow missile can remain aloft for six hours before obliterating a moving target (video)

Fire Shadow missile can remain aloft for six hours before obliterating a moving target video

If we were making a list of terrifying airborne war machines, this would probably rank near the top. You certainly won’t want to be targeted by the Fire Shadow, but from the safety of a web browser, it’s impossible not to marvel at the craft’s versatility. Manufactured by French developer MBDA, the Fire Shadow missile is designed to strike a stationary or moving object on command. But unlike some other UAVs, this ingenious rig can remain airborne for up to six hours before it’s assigned to destroy a large vehicle (and its occupants) from a nearly vertical angle of attack. Tipping the scale at less than 440 pounds (about 200 kilograms), it has a range of approximately 62 miles (100 kilometers) and is described by MBDA as being “low cost.” The British Army is said to have taken delivery of the missile in March, and will begin testing in Sweden later this year, but you can see it action today in the demo video after the break.

Continue reading Fire Shadow missile can remain aloft for six hours before obliterating a moving target (video)

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Fire Shadow missile can remain aloft for six hours before obliterating a moving target (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Jul 2012 01:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Flightglobal, Gizmodo  |  sourceMBDA  | Email this | Comments