Here in the US, we've been able to enjoy the benefits of Google Home and Google WiFi for a few months now, but our friends over in the UK haven't had the same opportunity. That's all about to change next month, as Google has announced that both devices will be making their way across the Atlantic at the beginning of April.
The United Kingdom is launching what will end up being the first ever 24/7 police drone unit in all of Great Britain. The finer details about the drone force still need to be ironed out, namely who will be managing the new unit. The unit is being assembled by the Devon and Cornish Police, according to a local publication, and it may be followed soon by a similar unit in Sussex and Surrey.
We recently found ourselves in an interesting situation with the Huawei P10 Lite. Even though retailers over in Europe were posting listings for the device - it was first spotted in The Netherlands at CoolBlue and then at Italy's Monclick earlier this week - Huawei didn't give the device any kind of official reveal. The wait is finally over today, as the Huawei P10 Lite has been officially confirmed for release in the UK.
Bad news for audiophiles who happen to be in the UK: Sonos hardware is about to get significantly more expensive. The company announced these pricing changes today, saying that they'll go into effect on February 23rd. If you've had your eye on some Sonos products, then, it's probably best to buy now instead of later.
The release of the final season of Doctor Who with the Doctor played by Peter Capaldi will start this Spring. According to Doctor Who Magazine, Capaldi's final episode will be the 2017 Doctor Who Christmas Special. They add, "but there's a whole series to enjoy before that!" And, of course, there's plenty of time to start speculating on who the Thirteenth Doctor will be before the end of the year!
Car-maker Nissan has announced that it will be deploying a fleet of its Leaf electric vehicles outfitted with self-driving technology on the streets of London next month. This will mark their first public test of autonomous cars to be held in Europe. Nissan adds that it has received the permission of the necessary local authorities and the modified Leafs will be driving on public roads, however exact routes haven't been decided yet.
Apple's adding another historical landmark to their collection of properties, this time at a rather recognizable London power station. This is Battersea Power Station, and according to the Standard, it'll be "a new Apple campus." This campus will be opening its doors (to employees) in the year 2021.
In addition to formally announcing the All-New Echo Dot today, Amazon also revealed that its lineup of Echo devices will be launching in the UK and Germany. Of course, this means that our friends across the pond will soon be getting Alexa as well, with all the smart home-focused features that come with her. The Echo and the new Echo Dot will be launching in both regions in the coming weeks, though they're available for pre-order today.
The iPhone SE has its fair share of critics, but those negative voices have done little to impact its popularity. According to a new report from Kantar, a research firm, the iPhone SE was Great Britain’s “top selling device” in the quarter that reached its end this past June. The iPhone SE barely beat out the iPhone 6s, holding 9.2-percent of sales in the region versus the iPhone 6s smartphone's 9.1-percent. The EU5 saw iOS growth during the quarter, as well.
UK telecommunications company Vodafone is among the many unhappy with the recent vote to leave the European Union, and has dropped a couple serious hints that it's considering a relocation of its London-based headquarters. While nothing has been made final yet, the firm notes that it won't be abandoning its services or customers in the UK, however most of its earning and operations are found outside England.
OnePlus proudly announced before launching the OnePlus 3 that they were finally doing away with invitations once and for all. The teething pains that necessitated that queuing system no longer exist. Or so OnePlus thought. It seems, however, that OnePlus still has a few lessons to learn in supply and demand. It has just apologized for and explained the delays that its UK customers are going through and offering discounts for their next purchase as compensation for the delay and stress it has caused.
Apple may have scored somewhat of a victory in the name of security and privacy in the UK just as it somewhat did in the US just recently. December last year, Apple voiced out its concerns over the UK's proposed Investigatory Powers Bill that would require companies to have backdoors to encrypted systems so that government access could be granted any time. That bill has now been passed by the UK's House of Commons but removes the sections that make such backdoors necessary, thanks partly to the opposition of companies like Apple, Google, Microsoft, and many others.