u.k

Traditional PCs are in crisis over in the U.K. and France--and Apple and tablets are picking up the slack.

In the fourth quarter of 2011, shipments in the U.K. PC market fell to 2.9 million units, a decline of 19.6 percent compared with the same period in 2010 (see table below). PCs run the Microsoft Windows operating system.

That marked the fifth consecutive quarterly shipment decline, and also the worst decline in five quarters, Gartner said. For the whole year, the U.K. market declined 15.9 percent, shrinking by nearly 2 million units from 2010. … Read more

Pop quiz, tough guy: How do you make VW/Audi's direct-injected, turbodiesel engines better? If you answered "add another turbo," then congratulations. You're now ready to work for Audi's R&D department!

Okay, so I'm sure that Audi's engineers are a bit more qualified than that, but "adding another turbo" is exactly what they did with the advent of the new BiTDI 3.0 V-6 engine. The new engine, which will find its way under the hood of diesel-powered A6 and A7 Sportback models in the U.K. market, features … Read more

Making good on its promise to sell streaming players internationally by the beginning of 2012, California-based Roku announced today that both the Roku LT and Roku 2 XS are for sale in the U.K. and Ireland.

This comes hot on the heels of Netflix's expansion of video streaming in those same countries.

"Roku launched the first ever streaming player to deliver Netflix to consumers in the U.S. and now we are among the first to bring Netflix to residents of the U.K. and Ireland," said Clive Hudson, Roku's vice president and general manager … Read more

Netflix has brought its streaming video to the United Kingdom and Ireland, marking a new challenge to Amazon and its competing Lovefilm service.

The service costs 5.99 pounds ($9.24) per month in the U.K. and 6.99 euros ($8.88) per month in Ireland, Netflix said today.

Expanding internationally is not simple, because content providers such as TV and movie studios require new deals for new geographic regions. Netflix has been bulking up its distribution deals in recent months, and now it's got a sizable list of allies for Ireland and the U.K.: All3Media, the … Read more

Google is no longer the only employer that wants to recruit via tough-to-crack math questions.

Britain's Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) intelligence agency has launched a Web site challenging visitors to crack a code, according to the BBC. The purpose is to find potential candidates to fill its posts dealing with cyberthreats, which the U.K.'s spy chief recently identified as a disturbing threat.

The competition started November 3 via an unbranded Web site at canyoucrackit.co.uk that displays a visual code resembling a grid of random numbers and letters. Visitors have to first crack that code before getting redirected to GCHQ's Web site, which further directs them on the types of jobs that they can apply for. … Read more

Google has acknowledged that Samsung's Galaxy Nexus smartphones, which use the newest version of Android OS, can spontaneously drop volume in the U.K.

"We are aware of the volume issue and have developed a fix," Google said today in a statement. "We will update devices as soon as possible."

The bug causes volume on smartphones with Android 4.0--aka Ice Cream Sandwich--to drop spontaneously. It initially appears that the issue is caused by the 900MHz 2G frequency, which is used by U.K. carriers O2 and Vodafone. Evidence suggests that Nexus owners on Orange, T-Mobile, or Three won't be affected, as these networks use a different frequency.

The Galaxy Nexus launched in Europe last week. No U.S. launch date has been released yet. … Read more

Roku is taking its streams across the pond.

The company announced today it plans to begin selling its set-top boxes to consumers in the U.K. and Canada in early 2012. Roku will also expand its platform to support region-specific channels.

The announcement follows Netflix's expansion in September into 43 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

"This year has been one of many accomplishments for Roku in the U.S.," Roku CEO Anthony Wood said in a statement. "And now we're looking forward to kicking off 2012 by expanding to Europe and Canada to … Read more

Britain's largest police force is using covert surveillance technology that can shut off mobile phones and intercept communications, according to a report in The Guardian.

The article says that the London Metropolitan Police Service bought the technology, which acts like a fake cell tower, from a U.K.-based company called Datong plc. The suitcase-sized receiver reportedly tricks cell phones into thinking they are communicating on a regular cellular network, and this allows authorities to intercept text messages, data, and phone calls. Authorities can also track users within range of the fake cell phone network, the report says. It … Read more

After launching Friday in 25 countries outside the U.S., Apple's iPad 2 was already sold out by Saturday afternoon across major markets, according to several reports.

The long lines of iPad 2 buyers in the United Kingdom apparently scooped up all the available stock from Apple's stores and other retail outlets throughout the country.

Speaking with Apple stores in Regent Street and Covent Garden areas in London, the Web site Pocket-Lint found that supplies were depleted on Saturday with no more stock expected yesterday and no indication of new iPad 2s today. The situation was generally the … Read more