U.K

Invention to help Brits stop 'glassing' each other

There are many theories as to why some Brits like to drink many pints of beer, smash the glasses, and then jab the jagged edges into each other's faces.

Some blame "glassing" on the disappearance of the Colonial Empire. Some point to the limited licensing hours, which have traditionally encouraged little Englanders to down 10 pints in three hours, until their legs have left them for another paradigm. But what has always been clear is that beer glasses made from glass have led far too often to glass eyes.

Now, however, scientists have discovered a way to … Read more

Google Street View welcomes me to the U.K.

WINDSOR, U.K.--How opportune.

Just as I arrived as a transplant to England for a spell, Google added tours of 20 National Trust historic sites to Google Maps Street View.

I've long been a proponent of virtual tourism over the Internet, whether for planning an actual visit or just exploring other places virtually, so I'm happy about Google's partnership with the National Trust. The organization takes care of many historic sites in the United Kingdom, including assorted stately homes, the prehistoric stone circle at Avebury, and Lindisfarne Castle, where I was assaulted by territorial terns as a boy.

Google said 20 National Trust sites are now on Street View, and the National Trust said that more are coming, including a personal favorite, the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland. The tours let virtual visitors click linearly through the sites--a plodding and limited way to explore compared with roaming freely around the actual sites, but still good enough to be useful. … Read more

Video games outsell movies in U.K.

In the last year, consumers spent more money on video games in Britain than on films, including both trips to movie theaters and films on DVD, new figures compiled for U.K.'s Daily Telegraph indicate.

In the 12 months leading up to the end of September, 1.73 billion British pounds (about $2.8 billion) were spent on video games, according to data-monitoring company GFK Chart-Track. The U.K. Film Council said 1 billion British pounds ($1.6 billion) were spent at the British box office during the same period, with an additional 198 million British pounds ($320 million) … Read more

Orange sells 30,000 iPhones in U.K. on first day

U.K. wireless carrier Orange just started selling the iPhone, and it is trumpeting first-day sales numbers for the device.

The carrier signed up 30,000 people with a new iPhone contract on Tuesday, its first day selling Apple's smartphone, according to a post on Twitter from a member of Orange's marketing department.

While 30,000 isn't necessarily a lot, compared to the "hundreds of thousands" of iPhones AT&T sold in its first weekend selling the iPhone 3GS in the United States, it's not bad for being the second carrier in a … Read more

Vodafone, too, will sell iPhone in U.K.

Vodafone will begin selling the iPhone in the U.K. early next year, the operator said Tuesday.

The news follows Orange's announcement Monday that it will start selling the iPhone. Unlike Vodafone, however, Orange will begin stocking the iPhone before year's end.

The announcements mark the end of O2's two-year exclusivity on Apple's popular handset.

Vodafone Group already sells the iPhone through 13 of its operators around the world, while Orange stocks the handset in 28 countries and territories. Neither Vodafone nor Orange has announced details of their iPhone pricing plans for the U.K. market. … Read more

Climate change supercomputer a top U.K. polluter

It always happens when you try to do some good, doesn't it?

You try to help an old lady cross the road, and she looks at you harshly and says, "So I look old to you?" You tell that special someone that you love her, and she tells you that she's actually enjoying the company of your best friend.

Such is the painful, ironic circumstance at the United Kingdom's Met Office. ("Met" is short for "meteorological.")

You see, according to the Daily Mail, the agency's large weather brains decided to … Read more

U.K. government eyes sanctions for file sharers

The U.K. government has made new proposals that would see Internet users disconnected if they are suspected of illicit file-sharing.

The proposals (PDF) were announced on Tuesday by Lord Mandelson's Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). They arrive in the middle of the department's own public consultation on legislation on the misuse of peer-to-peer (P2P) technology, which is scheduled to end in September.

"Our thinking on the process supporting the objectives and the obligations [of the consultation] has developed, and we thought it would be helpful to share these thoughts with stakeholders at this point, … Read more

LG GD910 watch phone in U.K.: Cheaper, still ludicrously expensive

That LG Watch Phone--which has our mobile reviewer Flora in hot flushes--goes on sale in a week in the U.K. (it's not for sale yet in the U.S.). The GD910 is on Orange, and we can confirm it will only be available on a pay-as-you-go basis, for a whopping 500 pounds (about $825). That might be eye-watering, but it's half as much as we were expecting.

You'll need to haul ass to the Orange shop in London's Bond Street Station starting at 9 a.m. on Thursday, August 27, if you want one. Orange believes so many people will want to drop 500 squids on the gadget that it's limiting sales to one per customer.

But fear not, rich gadget posers. If you can't get to London, you'll be able to buy online from the Orange Web site starting in mid-September. Though once again there's a limited number available--Orange is being sensibly cautious over the unavoidable fact that it's fundamentally an enormous watch costing half a grand.

Check out our previous coverage for more info on the watch itself, and don't miss our hands-on video after the jump. … Read more

Orange, T-Mobile could get iPhone in the U.K.

Like it does in most countries, Apple has a preferred wireless carrier in the United Kingdom. In this case the carrier is O2, but that may not be the case for long, at least for the iPhone 3G.

According to a report on Mobile Today, Apple may open up iPhone 3G sales to other wireless carriers in the U.K., namely O2 competitors Orange and T-Mobile. O2's exclusive with Apple reportedly ends in September, giving Apple a couple of months to set up other deals.

T-Mobile is so sure that they will get the contract for the iPhone 3G … Read more

U.K. cybersecurity office to have attack role

The U.K. government plans to form a cybersecurity agency, with functions including cyberattack capability.

The Office of Cyber Security (OCS), dedicated to protecting Britain's IT infrastructure, will be created with a model proposed--and in part practiced by--the U.S. The U.K. government said Thursday that the OCS will have charge of a cross-government program, while a multi-agency Cyber Security Operations Centre (CSOC) will coordinate the protection of critical IT systems.

The OCS will also act as a conduit for information security collaboration between government and industry experts. Robert Hannigan, the prime minister's security adviser, said the … Read more