Xelos A42: I'm a Loewe, not a fighter

Just in case anyone doesn't understand our brilliant headline -- 'Loewe' is pronounced 'Lurve-er'. And unless you buy your suits from Saville Row and your furniture from Harrods, any lack of knowledge about this German uber-manufacturer would be completely forgiven. Along with Bang & Olufsen, the company has let Europe claim the world's most gorgeous plasmas. If you read the glossy style bibles like Wallpaper*, you'll often see a Loewe adorning the world's grooviest apartments.

While this sort of style usually costs you more than the GDP of a sub-Saharan nation, the Xelos A42 is probably the closest Loewe has come to a mainstream television -- at £3,200 it's not much more than Pioneer's latest. If the gorgeous design flourishes aren't enough to convince you to sell your children for this TV, then consider that it's also a gadget fetishist's dream. It has full support for high-definition TV, an integrated Freeview tuner and even a slot for a TopUp TV card.

While this is all very promising, there are a couple of niggles with the Xelos A42. Freeview integration is half-hearted, supporting neither digital text nor the full seven-day electronic programme guide. That's like Apple not offering the MP3 format on its latest iPod. It also only has one RGB Scart socket, and none of the upgrade slots usually found on Loewe TVs for hard-drive recording.

Is the Loewe Xelos A42 so beautiful its design can conquer these drawbacks? Find out in our upcoming review. -GC

Update: this review is now live here.