We knew it was coming, and after waiting for quite some time for FreeSat to go from concept to reality, television viewers across the UK can finally indulge. If you'll recall, a recent survey found that just 5-percent of Europe's HDTV owners actually bothered to tune into HD programming, but now that number is likely to change. Effective today, 98-percent of the UK can fork out a one-time fee of £49 ($96) to £120 ($234) in order to acquire a FreeSat set-top-box, and after an £80 ($156) installation, users will have subscription-free access to BBC HD, ITV HD (coming soon), Channel 4's digital service and around 70 other TV / radio channels. Better still, that number is slated to rise to 200 before the year's end, and unsurprisingly, the launch is expected to boost available high-def offerings in the region. Anyone across the pond have their equipment set up already? How's the service?

[Thanks, Ivan]

No surprises here -- particularly since LG's Vu has been on sale through a number of AT&T retail outlets since late last month (whoops!). Today, however, the carrier is officially listing LG's latest for sale, and the Mobile TV-supporting handset is going for a stiff $549.99 sans contract, or $299.99 after giving away your cellular soul for two years and waiting anxiously for a $100 mail-in rebate to arrive. Check out our hands-on gallery to see if you're really ready to make this kind of commitment.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Get this: the first North American carrier to offer up Nokia's 8GB N95 isn't AT&T. Heck, it's not even a US-based operator. No friends, it's Canada's own Rogers Wireless. Just as we had heard late last month, the N95 8GB has officially landed in the Great North, and starting on May 6th, consumers up that way will be able to secure one for a hefty $399.99 with a three-year activation on the Rogers Vision Unlimited On-Device Mobile Browsing Plan. Don't weep too heavily, AT&T users -- your time should be coming soon.

Startup ZeeVee isn't out to flood the market with yet another ho hum media streamer, it's out to change the way you look at 'em. The June-bound ZvBox ($499) plugs into one's computer (VGA) and sends on-screen content to every TV in the house over existing coaxial cabling. Put simply, the unit enables users to view any kind of internet media right on their television with no subscription fees or wireless dropouts. Aside from bringing internet video over, users can also access any other computer application (web browser, built-in DVD player, etc.) right from their set. In order to handle said tasks, the box comes bundled with a wireless ZvRemote / Zviewer, but those comfortable with managing their own desktop won't be bothered with any fancy interfaces. Suffice to say, those looking to easily pipe their Media PC recordings to the family TV will certainly find reason to take notice. Head on the past the break for a few more details.

Just months after Alcatel Lucent and SFR hosted DVB-SH trials across the pond comes word that the mobile TV technology is headed Stateside. ICO Global Communications is donning the party hats and going through buckets upon buckets of ice cream in celebration of a successful satellite launch that will eventually bring those yearned-after mobile television goods to the US, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. The ICO G1 was placed into its initial geosynchronous transfer orbit yesterday afternoon, and now the company is eagerly awaiting certification that the bird is fully operational (and can pass the final FCC milestone) by May 15th. If all goes to plan, Las Vegas, Nevada and Raleigh / Durham, North Carolina will be gifted with ICO mim (mobile interactive media) service trials "later this summer," though a commercial launch isn't slated to occur until "later in 2009."

[Via phonemag], image courtesy of WESH]

Brace yourself, US-based Touch Dual lovers -- the handset that your Japanese / European friends have been taunting you with for months is finally making the trip stateside. Slated to launch "later this quarter" (at Best Buy initially, of all places), the US Touch Dual will come rocking Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, TouchFLO, Office Mobile, Live HTC Home, a 2-megapixel camera, quad-band GSM support and HSDPA connectivity. Sadly, HTC didn't give us the pleasure of knowing a price, but we'll be keeping an ear to the ground for more exact details surrounding the release.

It's been a solid tick since we've heard any rustling in the bushes from Phase One, but the company's striking back with a vengeance with the 645 (also known as the Mamiya 645AFDIII). Hailed as the "world's most flexible, open medium format digital camera platform," the unit plays nice with a smorgasbord of high-end lenses (Mamiya's 645 family, Hasselblad V-lenses and Pentacon Six lenses, for starters), and can achieve shutter speeds from 1/4000 second to 60 minutes. Unfortunately, that's about all the details we're given for now, and while pre-production units are sneaking out at this week's Photo Imaging Expo, we'll be forced to hang tight until Q2 before indulging in full technical specifications. No worries -- we figure most folks will need a quarter or so to save up, anyway. [Warning: PDF read link]

[Thanks, Harsh A.]

Granted, most of us here in America would turn our noses up at receiving in-home broadband via satellite -- after all, cable and DSL seem to be treating most of us quite alright -- but Japan is hoping to provide access to more regions in Asia-Pacific with its recently launched Kizuna. The experimental satellite is not yet intended for commercial use, but if all goes well, it will enable data transmissions "of up to 1.2 gigabytes per second" at a low cost across Japan and 19 other locales in Southeast Asia. Unfortunately, we've no idea when it will escape the bondage of testing and actually be put to good use, but at least Japan's well on its way to actually establishing that wireless island, eh?

[Via CNN, thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Just yesterday we learned that Hitachi's Ultra Thin LCD lineup would be gifted with ultra-wideband technology courtesy of Tzero, and now it seems that the family is edging ever closer to hitting storefronts outside of Japan. Reportedly, the series will include the 32-inch UT32MH70, the 37-inch UT37MX70 and the 42-inch UT42MX70, all of which will feature IPS LCD technology. Additionally, a digital tuner for the UT series should be available in October, and while pricing still remains a mystery, the smallest of the three is set to hit Europe in April while the larger two arrive in May and June, respectively.

Earlier this year, we heard that AMD would be unleashing a few triple-core Phenoms in Q1 of next year, and now DigiTimes has a few more details surrounding the forthcoming launch. Reportedly, the B2 stepping Phenom 8400 (2.1GHz) and 8600 (2.3GHz) will be hitting shelves in March, while the B3 stepping 8700 (2.4GHz), 8650 (2.3GHz) and 8450 (2.1GHz) will be loosed sometime in Q2 2008. Beyond that, it looks as if we'll have to wait for more details to emerge, but at least you've got a few more hard numbers to pencil in for next year, right?

In a landmark launch that will supposedly "contribute to bridging the digital divide within Africa and between Africa and the rest of the world," the continent's first satellite successfully made it into orbit aboard a French-made rocket last night. The so-called RASCOM-QAF1 -- named after the Regional African Satellite Communication Organization which is funding the venture -- lifted off from the European space base in Kourou, French Guiana stowed inside an Ariane 5, the sixth such launch this year and 36th overall of that particular model, manufactured by Paris-based Arianespace. The new 3.2-tonne (7,055-pound) satellite is set to serve the large African rural market neglected by traditional cellphone carriers, and will allegedly save hundred of millions of dollars a year currently being paid to foreign operators.

[Via PhysOrg]

Right on cue, the Xbox Live Video Marketplace has indeed launched in Europe today, and our neighbors to the north are being treated, too. Effectively immediately, Xbox Live users in Canada, France, Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom can dip into features made available to Americans last year. More specifically, gamers will be able to rent downloadable flicks in HD and SD forms, and while the former will run folks "as little as 250 Microsoft Points (£2; $4.06)," high-definition versions will cost upwards of 380 Points (£3.20; $6.49). Also of note is the inclusion of additional Warner Bros. films such as Batman Forever, Batman Returns and Analyze That -- all of which will be available by the year's end. Lastly, Microsoft will be offering up a "mystery HD [Warner Bros.] title" to UK users for just £0.99 ($2.00) on December 28th, but we can't say we're brimming with excitement over it.

[Via Pocket-Lint]

If you've been toying with the idea of ordering up one of Dell's XPS 420s, now wouldn't be a bad time to pull the trigger -- particularly if you're into CableCARD. Effectively immediately, users can configure their XPS 420 with single or dual ATI TV Wonder Digital Cable Tuners, and each one will only add $180 to the bottom line. Reportedly, the option will become a mainstay on the model, and if you're cool with the basics, you can snag a CableCARD-equipped tower for just $1,079 right now. Decisions, decisions.

[Via Chris Lanier's Blog]

Shortly after making a splash at the FCC and getting an official name, Wolfking's Warrior Xxtreme is finally available to anyone who thinks their fingers are up to the challenge of conquering this beast. Hailed as the "world's first 2-in-1 PC gamepad and keyboard," this unit is supposedly geared towards MMO players and features a "Blue Moon" backlight for playing after hours, a pair of USB 1.1 ports, built-in volume control and support for both Macs and PCs. Interestingly, the device will be sold exclusively through Dell (at least through the holiday season), and while the press release claims that you can pick one up now for $79.99, it appears that it hasn't been added to the firm's website just yet.

Shortly after being leaked, revealed, unclothed and paraded around in public, Dell's 20-inch XPS ONE is finally available to the masses. Up now on company's webstore are four pre-configured systems, with the high-ender rocking a Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 processor, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, Bluetooth 2.0, an 8-in-1 multicard reader, 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, 256MB ATI Radeon HD 2400 PRO graphics set, and a 500GB 7,200 RPM SATA hard drive. Additionally, you can snag a built-in Blu-ray burner and a hybrid analog / digital TV tuner to keep the TV / film buffs happy, but expect to throw down between $1,499 and $2,399 depending on options.

[Thanks, Joshua]