Best Buy to open online store in U.K.

The US electricals giant Best Buy will launch an online shop in the UK within the next fortnight to take the fight to its rivals Currys, Comet and Argos on to the web.

Best Buy, which opened its first UK store in May and now has five, will deliver across the UK, but not in the Channel Island or the Isle of Man. The electricals retailer will offer thousands of products online, including all those available in its stores, as well as additional lines.

The online move by Best Buy – which first revealed its intention to enter the UK market with the £1.1bn acquisition of 50 per centof Carphone Warehouse in May 2008 – will shake up the lucrative online consumer electronics market which is populated by the high street stalwarts, as well as the online specialists, such as Amazon, Dixons and Play.com.

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Babelgum Mobile launches FREE TV services with Vodafone Customers

A free Web TV service, Babelgum Mobile combines the full-screen video quality of traditional television with the interactive and social networking capabilities of the Internet.

Immediately launching a 6 month trial, Babelgum Mobile, a new Internet Mobile TV service allows Vodafone UK contract customers with mobile internet bundles to enjoy a wide range of video clips including film, music, comedy, animation, nature, travel and sports FREE of charge.

This mobile application is available to download from Vodafone live!, initially for contract customers with data bundles for the popular Nokia N96, N95 and 6210.

Known for its innovative, original programming, Babelgum Mobile's customers can access content that’s clearly Webinspired with the accent on interactive entertainment. Clips are short, fun, and unconventional and include viral videos.

Integrated with social networks and streaming via Vodafone's 3G Network, Babelgum Mobile allows users to share videos, vote for favorites, and participate in competitions.

For more information, visit http://www.babelgum.com/ .

CONNECTIONS Sponsor, ProVision Communications unveils in-home wireless video division

ProVision Communications, the Bristol, UK based specialists in video over wireless technology, has announced the establishment of its new division focused on consumer products delivering HD video over wireless throughout the home. To support the division, Ian Walsh has been appointed as VP of business development.

ProVision Communications, a wireless and HD video company, have been delivering innovative products to leading broadcast operators and set top box manufacturers including Thomson, Pace, the BBC, and BSkyB since 2001. Recent developments have included real time video transmission over Wi-Fi to portable devices at outside broadcasting events, along with HD and wireless innovations for set top boxes and media home gateways.

ProVision’s expertise lies in its end-to-end understanding of wireless networks and video systems: this includes MPEG4/H.264 Advanced Video Codecs, radio propagation, antenna design, wireless networking, and reliable interoperation between HD video and wireless standards. ProVision is now strongly placed to deliver its world-leading HD video networking products and technologies to cable and satellite TV operators.

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iPhone in Europe

iPhone Comments in Europe

The iPhone launch in Europe was not as successful as in the U.S.

O2 reportedly activated 8,000 iPhones on the launch day, and T-Mobile claims it sold 10,000 by the afternoon on the launch day. Germany and the UK have a combined population of approximately 143 million, meaning 0.01% of people bought an iPhone on the opening day, a percentage significantly lower than that in the U.S. Some of the reasons for the lackluster performance include the following:

High price tag: iPhone prices have been slashed by 1/3 since launch in the U.S. whereas it’s still sold at more than $500 in Europe.
Lack of 3G support
A more competitive handset market
Lower iPod market share in the MP3 market

In the long term, we expect iPhone’s sales in Europe to continuously under-perform that in the U.S.