Remember how your curiosity level shot through the roof when Pioneer abruptly discontinued the BDP-LX70A Blu-ray player in the UK? We're willing to bet this is why. Announced over on Pioneer's European website, we're being treated to three fresh faces -- the Profile 2.0-compliant BDP-LX91, Designer BDP-LX08 and BDP-LX71 -- along with one familiar face (the BDP-51FD). All of the new units will feature 1080p24 support, HDMI 12-Bit Deep Color support, KURO LINK, DTS-HD Master Audio / Dolby True HD compatibility and professional-quality Wolfson Digital Audio Converters (DACs). As for pricing and availability other than Europe, your guess is as good as ours, but we are told to expect the BDP-LX71 in September, the BDP-51FD / BDP-LX08 in October and the BDP-LX91 "later on in the winter." For more on Pioneer's European onslaught, head on over to Engadget HD.

Though it once appeared as if DVB-SH was headed for high times in Europe, DVB-H eventually won out as the nationwide standard, but that certainly doesn't mean other standards can't compete within the region. Reportedly, Alcatel-Lucent has agreed to launch the first trial of the technology in Italy with RAI and 3 Italia, and while DVB-SH would likely be more costly to implement due to its position in the spectrum, European telecoms are grasping for options to satisfy the growing desire for mobile TV. If all goes as planned, the trials will take place in Turin over the next few months, but it wasn't clear when Jane / John Doe would be called in to participate. Also of note, a cellphone provider has yet to be selected, but it sounds like Samsung and Sagem both made it onto the short list.

[Via mocoNews]

We've seen a number of driverless vehicles in our day, but we're still not entirely confident with hopping in one and hoping for the best. Nevertheless, the oh-so-independent CyberCar is being demonstrated in a Northamptonshire town, reportedly utilizing " lasers to avoid obstacles" as it rolls about. Apparently, the idea is to "increase the use of public transport and reduce reliance on cars," as the vehicle is only designed for "short trips at low speeds in an urban environment." The installation will remain in operation until October 5th, after which the future of these wee whips is seemingly still up in the air.

LG's LN800, which is already available in certain locales such as Australia, is reportedly headed to Europe. Word on the street claims that this LN700 successor will feature a four-inch 320 x 240 resolution display, a SiRFstarIII GPS chipset, NAVTEQ maps, a 276MHz Centrality Atlas 2 processor, 64MB of RAM, an SD expansion slot, integrated speaker, three hours of battery life, text-to-speech, and a built-in image viewer / audio player. Additionally, the LN800T (which includes a RDS-TMC traffic receiver) should land right alongside its lesser-spec'd sibling later this month, and while the LN800 can purportedly be had for €200 ($277), the LN800T will require €100 ($139) more. Click on for a shot of the back.

As we quickly approach Apple's "mums the word" event in London, the reports have been flying in concerning all sorts of carriers rocking the iPhone in the very near future. Now, we've got France's Orange joining O2's supposed UK deal and Germany's Vodafone / T-Mobile juggle. The rumors are saying we can expect a €300 French iPhone (sans 3G and unlimited data plans) on November 29th, with an announcement during the Apple Expo in Paris on September 24th, though the picture we're seeing clearly shows the blurry-as-all-get-out phone touting the T-Mobile carrier name. They say it's roaming, we say; don't sign anything yet.

[Via TechCrunch]

Those paying attention should know full well by now that Samsung's SGH-F700 (you know, the Croix) is set to make everyone not a Vodafone customer uber-envious here soon, but just in case you missed it, Sammy is making sure you're up to speed. The handset will boast a three-megapixel camera, a 3.2-inch 432 x 240 resolution touchscreen, QWERTY keypad, Bluetooth 2.0, USB, a microSD expansion slot, HSDPA, and an integrated media player that handles H.263 / H.264, MP3, and AAC formats. We know what you're really after, so check out a bit more eye candy after the jump.

Ever since (and perhaps before) the iPhone hit the US market, we've been hearing rumors of an imminent European release, which was confirmed by the company many, many months ago. Of course, there's been no movement besides rampant speculation and high-school style gossiping... but that may all be changing. According to the ridiculously-respected Reuters in an article published today, the German telephone giant Deutsche Telekom (T-Mobile to you and me), has inked a deal with Apple to release the iPhone in the Fatherland (AKA Germany), with an official announcement to be made next week. The report (which is still considered rumor) claims that the phones will go on sale for the initial price of €399 ($554), and that Apple and T-Mobile will split voice and data revenue generated by the phones. Additionally, Reuters says that Apple will make similar arrangements with O2 for the UK, and Orange in France. If this news is accurate, it all but squashes the Vodafone deal rumors, but still leaves questions as to whether Apple will introduce a 3G version of the iPhone when it makes its announcements. Only El-Jobso knows for sure.

Those looking to ditch the u-turn blues in Europe now have yet another option in the oh-so-crowded 3.5-inch GPS market, as Prestigio has just unveiled its GeoVision 350. Specs wise, you'll find a SiRFstarIII chipset, a 320 x 240 resolution touchscreen, 300MHz Intel CPU, 1GB of built-in storage, Windows CE 4.2, and a rechargeable Li-ion that promises three hours of life on a full charge. The device ships with maps of "Western / Eastern Europe and Russia," provides voice guidance in 26 languages, touts USB connectivity, and comes bundled with all the necessary mounting hardware, too. Unfortunately, there's no word yet on pricing or availability.

Judging by a product page over at Amazon, it looks like the S70 from Navman has not only been launched, but it's ready to ship to eager European customers. The 4.3-inch widescreen GPS includes pre-installed maps of Western Europe, integrated Bluetooth, handsfree capabilities, optional traffic information, and the obligatory charging / in-car mounting hardware. Not a bad lookin' navigator for £199.99 ($406), and if you need more proof, click on for one more angle.

[Via NaviGadget]

If a couple of new HD DVD players weren't enough for you, Toshiba is also launching an ultrathin, highly portable HD DVD burner for playing back high-definition flicks and writing massive amounts of data to single or dual-layer HD DVD-Rs whilst on the go. The simply titled HD DVD-Writer is reportedly the brother of the HD DVD Super-Multi, which only supports CD, DVD+/-RW, and HD DVD-ROM. Both units supposedly measure in at just 5.04- x 4.96- x 0.51-inches and weigh 5.82 ounces, and best of all, they're said to be available right now across the pond for £200 ($403).

[Thanks, nfinity]

While there's certainly been quite a few new Blu-ray players to emerge from IFA, Toshiba is making sure the HD DVD faithful (at least those in Europe) aren't slighted by launching a new duo for that crowd. The standalone HD-EP30 and HD-EP35 players will both tout "REGZA-Link (HDMI, CEC-Link) connectivity and native 24 frames per second playback support," and moreover, the HD-EP35 also supports High Bit Rate Audio and Deep Color via HDMI. Additionally, both October-bound units play nice with Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby True HD, and DTS HD formats, and while the lower-end iteration is set to launch between €349 ($477) and €399 ($545), the EP35 will demand between €449 ($613) and €499 ($682).

[Via TechDigest]

Not wanting to be outdone by all those other guys loosing LCDs at IFA, Sharp has stepped up and unveiled two new lineups of AQUOS sets in Berlin. The XL2E series, which includes models 42-, 46-, and 52-inches in size, will all offer up 100Hz technology, be Full HD ready, and will even support 24p. Moreover, the trio will tout a 10,000:1 contrast ratio, a built-in DVB-T tuner (and an analog one, too), VGA input, integrated speakers, and three HDMI connectors to boot. As for the X20E series, you'll find 32-, 37-, 42-, 46-, and 52-inch flavors, all of which support 1080p24, feature three HDCP-compliant HDMI ports, and "a slot for CI cards to receive pay TV." The new AQUOS members are slated to land in Europe sometime before the year's end, but pricing details look to still be up in the air.

[Via Pocket-Lint]

Merely days after we caught wind of Apple's rumored discussions with Vodafone, three other European carriers became the ones to reportedly agree to Apple's terms. According to FinancialTimes, "Apple has succeeded in committing European mobile phone operators that want exclusively to sell its new iPhone to share parts of their revenues with the technology group." The contract, which was signed by T-Mobile Germany, Orange, and O2, "requires that the operators hand over to Apple ten-percent of the revenues made from calls and data transfers by customers over iPhones" -- the same chunk required of those wanting to slap that Made for iPod logo on their accessories. Unfortunately, there's no word just yet on pricing, a launch timeframe, or any other lingering deals with overseas carriers, but we could very well hear more from all sides during IFA.

[Via The Boy Genius Report]

As the flood of new gizmos continues to pour out of IFA, a new GPS handheld has emerged for the European market. Merian's Scout Navigator touts a 3.7-inch VGA touchscreen, four to eight hours of battery life, NAVTEQ maps of Europe, and traffic notification support. Most notable, however, are the built in AudioGuides, which "automatically play when you pass by any one of more than 800 places of interest in Germany, be it in a vehicle or on foot." For those intrigued, watch for it to land next month for a staggering €779 ($1,047).

[Via Messe-Berlin]

Closely following the Traffic Assist Highspeed 7934 GPS, it looks like Becker may be readying yet another PND for release at IFA. The so-called Traffic Assist 7927 will reportedly boast a 3.5-inch touchscreen display, SIRFstarIII GPS chipset, RDS-TMC support, a 400MHz processor, 128MB of RAM, European maps on a 2GB memory card, USB connectivity, and a built-in media player for good measure. Beyond that, we've simply got to wait and see what details await us at IFA, but feel free to peep a few more angles after the break.

[Via NaviGadget]