Apple to stop Mac Pro sales in much of Europe on March 1

Apple today told retailers and distributors in most European countries that it will stop selling the Mac Pro on March 1 because the desktop system doesn't meet electrical regulations.
The Mac Pro's ports and fans don't comply with a new amendment -- which goes into effect at the beginning of March -- addressing safety and electrical standards for electronics, according to Macworld. An Apple spokesman confirmed the decision to CNET. The regulation affects the 27 countries of the European Union, which includes the U.K., Germany and France, and the four countries in the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) -- Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Although Apple itself will stop its sales of the Mac Pro, Apple resellers will be able to sell any remaining inventory after March 1.

Acer officially unveils the stylish Liquid E1 mid-ranger

Today Acer announced a new member of its lineup of mid-range
Android smartphones. The smartphone is called Liquid E1 and is basically a trimmed down version of the CloudMobile S500.

Powered by a 1GHz dual-core processor with 1GB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage, the Acer Liquid E1 runs with Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean out of box. It's sporting a 4.5-inch display of qHD resolution (960 x 540 pixels) and boasts an 5MP auto-focus primary camera with LED flash at the back and a 0.3MP video-chat camera at the front.

The Liquid E1 dimensions are spot on for a midranger at 132 x 68.5 x 9.9 mm with a weight of 130 grams. Popping the stylishly designed back cover open reveals a somewhat underwhelming battery with a capacity of 1760mAh. Acer says that it should be good for up to 8 hours of talk time and around 400 hours of waiting patiently in standby.
The Liquid E1 also features an FM receiver, microSD card slot and the usual array of sensors. Judging from those official shots, we really like the Liquid E1 design, particularly on the dark grey version with red accents.

Annoyingly, pricing and availability are still only known to Acer.

Recall roundup: Hyundai Veloster in Australia

Hyundai has recently announced a recall for the Veloster in Austria because of a problem with the model’s panoramic glass sunroof.

After announcing a recall back in December 2012 for the Hyundai Veloster in the United States because of a problem with the panoramic glass roof, time has come for the carmaker to expand the recall to Australia too, because of the same problem. According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), a total of 882 units of the Hyundai Veloster will be affected by this recall, and their owners will have to take a trip back to the dealers.

“The panoramic sunroof glass may have been damaged when fitted to the vehicle. A damaged sunroof glass may fracture unexpectedly when the vehicle is parked or being driven. If the defect occurs, it may pose a laceration hazard to occupants of the vehicle”, as the ACCC’s official website is explaining.

A total of 882 units of the Hyundai Veloster sold in Australia between the 1st of November 2011 and the 17th of April 2012 will be affected by this problem. The recall is expected to start soon but Hyundai Australia didn’t announce an exact date for the moment. We advise you to contact your local Hyundai dealer if you own a Hyundai Veloster equipped with the panoramic glass sunroof.

Safaricom announces the Yolo, Africa's first Intel-powered smartphone

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Intel is finally opening its wings and spreading its mobile influence to Africa, as Kenya's Safaricom has officially introduced the Yolo phone. The device, which will be the very first Intel-powered smartphone on the continent, will be priced at Kshs 10,999 ($126) and bundled with 500MB of data. The handset supports HSPA+ network connectivity and packs a Z2420 Atom processor that reaches speeds of up to 1.2GHz. If that CPU sounds familiar, it should, because it's the same "Lexington" chip that we sampled a few weeks back at CES. As for the rest of the Yolo's specs, you'll be looking at Android 4.0 on a 3.5-inch display and snapping pictures with a 5-megapixel shooter capable of recording 1080p HD video. Not looking to compete with top-shelf handsets, Safaricom hopes to catch the eye of frugal first-time buyers with this budget-friendly device. If you fit the bill, you may want to check out the Yolo as soon as possible -- after all, your phone only lives once.