europe

Best cheap laptops for £499 and under

Reviews Laptops are now so popular they outsell desktop PCs in Western Europe. It's not difficult to see why -- a few years ago, if you were looking for a new machine, you'd expect to spend well over a grand, but these days you can pick up a decent model...

4 May 2007, 12:07

GSM (Groupe Speciale Mobile or Global System for Mobile Communications)

Reviews This digital cellular system is widely used in Europe. It allows eight simultaneous calls on the same radio frequency. The audio encoding subset of the GSM standard is well known to computer users because its data compression and decompression...

21 December 2006, 10:28

Features to consider

Reviews A tri-band phone lets you access the 900MHz, 1800MHz and 1900MHz GSM networks used in Europe. A quad-band phone also gives you access to networks in countries like the USA, which operate at 850MHz. Both these features let you wirelessly connect...

10 May 2005, 10:22

Toshiba Libretto U100 review

Reviews The Libretto arrived in Europe in 1997, but was subsequently dropped from Toshiba's product line-up. The name Libretto might ring a few bells. Toshiba introduced a miniature range of portable computers with this name back in 1996, initially in Japan.

Editor's rating   7.9

Tags: toshiba, ports, ultra, module

3 August 2005, 16:13

3G (third-generation wireless technology)

Reviews Within the IMT-2000 global framework, 3G has various regional implementations: UMTS in Europe, CDMA2000 in North America and DS-CDMA in Japan. This up-and-coming digital wireless technology delivers high-speed data, voice, audio and video through...

3 January 2007, 15:25

Zepto Nox A15 review

Reviews This Danish laptop-maker has grown since 2002 to become the self-proclaimed largest local manufacturer of laptop PCs in Europe, supplying machines to 19 countries. Don't worry if you haven't heard of Zepto -- most people haven't.

Editor's rating   8

Tags: zepto, battery life, fans, pixel

6 November 2008, 11:47

Garmin nuvi 250W review

Reviews The slim nuvi 250W works straight from the box, with full UK and western Europe street-level maps accessed through an impressively simple graphical touchscreen interface. The Garmin nuvi 250W is an entry-level model offering UK and European mapping...

Editor's rating   7.5

Tags: garmin, maps, gps, stations

3 August 2007, 14:55

Mio P560 review

Reviews Mio's parent company Mitac bought navigation specialist Navman early this year, and the new combination has a strong share of the GPS market in Europe. Mio produced the first Pocket PC handheld with a built-in GPS receiver back in 2004, and has...

Editor's rating   7.2

Tags: mio, handhelds, jack, handheld

22 January 2008, 11:44

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin iPod speaker review

Reviews So sure, it's one of the most expensive iPod speakers you can buy, but it may well be worth it, especially if you fall in love with the Zeppelin's looks.The Zeppelin is currently available in the US, but will be available in Europe and the UK in...

Editor's rating   7.7

Tags: bowers & wilkins, speakers, stereo, speaker

19 November 2007, 13:23

Oppo DV-980H review

Reviews In Europe, Oppo DVD players are supplied by opposhop.com, and are fitted with a Scart socket, which you wouldn't get if you imported one from the US. If you were to ask someone if £155 was a reasonable sum of money for a DVD player, they would...

Editor's rating   8.5

Tags: oppo, cable, cd dvd, hdmi

6 October 2008, 15:22

Siemens AX72 review

Reviews It's a tri-band phone so it will work in Europe, the US, Canada, the Caribbean and South America. The Siemens AX72 is an entry level, GPRS candybar phone with a simple design and a 65k-colour screen. Indeed, this is no superstar mobile, it doesn't...

Editor's rating   5.8

Tags: siemens, sms, colour, handset

15 May 2006, 11:48

Do you need 3G?

Reviews The 850MHz frequency is not used in Europe. 3G stands for third generation and is a network communication standard. The first generation (1G) standard, also known as AMPS, was voice only and worked over an analogue connection.

26 July 2006, 16:50

Acer p610 Portable Navigator review

Reviews If you want Europe-wide coverage then you'll need to consider the high-end p630 and p660 models. Acer's portable navigation range includes both Windows Mobile Pocket PCs with GPS built in and standalone navigation devices such as the p610.

Editor's rating   7

Tags: acer, listening, street, road

7 March 2007, 16:35

Samsung X820 review

Reviews Other features include tri-band and EDGE connectivity (so you can use the phone almost everywhere in Europe and some parts of the US), a speakerphone for hands-free calls, a voice recorder for memos, a Web browser for browsing the Internet on the...

Editor's rating   7.9

Tags: samsung, slot, ultra, talk

4 September 2006, 16:41

Archos Gmini 402 (20GB) review

Reviews FeaturesThe Archos Gmini 402's impressive video features include support for near-DVD-quality video, up to 720x480-pixel, 30fps images for the US-based NTSC video standard and 720x576-pixel, 25fps for Europe's PAL standard.

Editor's rating   8

Tags: archos technology, digital camera, watching, pixel

13 October 2005, 15:21