We won’t even front: we questioned the value in Toshiba’s super-upscaling XD-E500 DVD player, but the company is making the pill a lot easier to swallow for those on the opposite side of the pond. Starting now, those who purchase the player and register it within seven days are blessed with a full year of DVD rentals from Lovefilm (a British DVD rental company). The year of rentals is technically worth £100, thus making the net cost of the player itself just £20 (£120 minus £100) if you’re keen on twisting your math. So, Tosh — when can we Americans expect a similar deal with Netflix?

[Via CNET]

Pico Media Projector Releases in The UK

I love small gadgets. One of my favorites is the Pico Media Projector that measures a mere 11.5cm x 5cm x 2.2cm and weights at only 160 grams. Its rechargeable battery offers you an hour of juice. However, don’t expect full High Definition resolution from the Pico Media Projector. If you are interested, you can purchase this ultra-portable projector for only £300. [Ubergizmo]

Vodafone's BlackBerry Storm pricing plans eke out

Remember when Vodafone told us to hold our horses a bit on the pricing details when the BlackBerry Storm was made official this month? Believe it or not, the holding period is over, and now we’re staring some actual price tags in the face. Reportedly, Voda will make the touchscreen BlackBerry available with four different pricing plans, so we’ll get right to it. The Perfect Choice Access 100 plan will get you a Storm for €109.99 ($141), while the per-month rate (€49.99; $64) will include 100 minutes (yes, seriously), 100 texts (still for real here, people), 1GB of BlackBerry e-mail, mobile TV and ten music downloads. The Perfect Choice Access 200 / 400 / 600 plans bump up the minutes and texts just as you’d expect for €64.99 / €84.99 / €99.99 per month while netting you the phone for €64.99 / €69.99 / €49.99, respectively. For the full spill, head on down to the read link — meanwhile, here in America, we all sit waiting for Verizon to follow suit…

[Via CrackBerry]

HP's Compaq Mini 700 thinks he's a Mini 1000, only better

Without a single official peep on the matter from HP (that we can find), its Compaq division has apparently announced a Mini 700 netbook in the UK that is a near spec-for-spec equivalent to HP’s Mini 1000 already available in the US. Only get this, it will feature a 10.2-inch, 1,024 x 600 (16:10 aspect ratio) display and optional HSDPA data radio when it ships in mid December for a £299 starting price… that’s 100 Quid less and two months before the UK’s Mini 1000 with 10.1-inch, 1,024 x 576 pixel (16:9 ratio) display hits the UK high street. Hey, that’s the hubbub in the British press. Care to elaborate HP?
[Via Trusted Reviews and Pocket-Lint]

Sony makes it pretty clear: no PS3 price drops this holiday season

There’s no doubt that Microsoft’s Xbox 360 will have the price advantage this holiday season, and if you were hoping to see a bona fide price cut following Sony’s introduction of the $399.99 80GB PlayStation 3, you’ll probably be waiting ’til late 2009. Speaking at the Gamer 3.0 conference in London this week, Sony’s own Ray Maguire was quoted as saying that the pressure for a price drop from consumers was always there, but given that it “has a business to run” and shareholders to please, it probably won’t be decreasing the PS3’s price before the end of 2008. He also stated that “at the moment, there’s a market place for the PS3,” and that “the price of the console [won't] be an issue at all.” In all honesty, he’s probably right — after all, this will be the first holiday season where Blu-ray isn’t competing with some other physical HD format, and c’mon, you know you’ll pay a premium to dabble in Life with PlayStation.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

Nokia's N95 to see Comes With Music on 3 UK

While the 5310 XpressMusic candybar has first rights to the Comes With Music party, Nokia’s old faithful won’t be far behind. Mobile operator 3 UK is gearing up to launch a CwM-edition N95 soon, which will give Nokia fanatics that have somehow managed to avoid the heralded handset this long a chance to redeem themselves. Details beyond that are scant, but we are told that the contract-toting N95 will be available from 3 “next month” for an undisclosed amount.

[Via mocoNews]

Manhunt 2 Released in UK

That’s right! Rockstar Games has announced that Manhunt 2 will be released in the UK on October 31st, 2008. The game will be available on Sony PlayStation2, Sony PSP and Nintendo Wii. FYI, the game release in the UK was delayed due to BBFC denying it a game’s rating. [DigitalBattle]

HANNspree launches 28-inch HT09 1080p LCD HDTV

1080p on a 28-inch panel, huh? HANNspree is evidently hoping you’ll find that proposal quite attractive, as its HT09 offers up just that along with two 5-watt speakers, a 3-millisecond response time, 500 cd/m2 brightness, 800:1 contrast ratio and 160-degree viewing angles. Furthermore, you’ll find a pair of HDMI ports (not to mention component, composite and VGA) and a handy remote, all for £279.99 ($491). It’s available now in the UK.
[engadgetmobile]