Orange UK to launch BlackBerry Curve 9320

Orange UK is pleased to announce that it will shortly be offering the BlackBerry 9320. It will be available free from £10.50 per month on a 24 month plan, or for £139.99 on pay as you go. For more information, please see www.orange.co.uk/shop

Orange and Barclaycard to launch Quick Tap contactless payments on Android handsets, as well as extending the service UK credit and debit card holders from all UK banks

Orange and Barclaycard have announced that the UK’s first contactless mobile payment service, Quick Tap, will shortly be available on select handsets which use the Android operating system, as well as to credit and debit customers of all UK banks. The move is part of the on-going evolution of the Quick Tap payment service and will allow even more consumers to benefit from easy, quick and convenient payments on the high street.
Orange will be announcing the first Quick Tap compatible payment handset that uses the popular Android operating system in the forthcoming weeks, with a series of further devices from a variety of manufacturers planned for launch throughout the year.
In addition, Barclaycard is introducing a new functionality, which will allow credit or debit card holders from any UK bank to connect to the Quick Tap service. This will be the first time that Quick Tap will be available to those without accounts with Barclaycard, Barclays or the Orange credit card. Customers can transfer up to a limit of £150 simply and securely directly from their account onto the Quick Tap app.
Once loaded with money, the mobile is then ready to make single payments of up to £15 (rising to £20 in June), by simply tapping their phone on a contactless terminal. The user friendly Barclaycard payment app, which sits on the home screen of all Quick Tap compatible handsets, contains information such as electronic statements detailing Quick Tap purchases so customers can keep an eye on their spending and manage finances easily on the go.
To date, over 100,000  payment  terminals have been enabled with contactless technology and contactless payments are already accepted at Prêt a Manger, EAT., Subway and McDonalds. By the end of 2012 it is predicted there will be over 130,000 places across the UK where people can make contactless payments, including household names such as Tesco, Waitrose, Boots, and Co-Op.
Commenting on the announcement, David Chan, CEO of Barclaycard Consumer Europe, said: “Barclaycard and Orange have led the industry by introducing the first mobile contactless system in the UK, and with today’s announcement we have reached another milestone with Barclaycard giving customers of any bank the opportunity to make quick and easy payments with their phone. We strongly believe that mobile contactless will change the way we pay and that is why we’re opening the technology up so that everyone can choose to join the payments’ revolution.”
He adds: “Now available to all UK customers, and soon to be to be available on a range of the most advanced mobiles in the market, Quick Tap will help consumers monitor what they’re spending, make simple payments and, as a result of the 100% fraud guarantee on all contactless products, ensure that if you lose your phone, you won’t lose your money.”
Jason Rees, Director of Mobile Payments and Ticketing, Orange UK, said: “We’re continually looking for ways to go that extra mile for our customers, and so are really pleased that we will be offering the Quick Tap payments service on the UK’s fastest growing mobile operating system.”
“When combined with the ability to use it with credit or debit cards from all the major UK banks, then even more people will be able to experience the simplicity and convenience of shopping with their mobile.”
Quick Tap has been developed and rigorously tested to ensure customers’ transactions are protected and secure, with users having the option to enter a PIN on their handset before each transaction providing an additional layer of security.   Quick Tap uses a secure SIM-based approach to mobile payments, providing a single point of contact for customer care as well as ensuring enhanced payment security for customers.
Contactless transactions using Quick Tap also benefit from the same 100% fraud guarantee as standard card transactions.
Quick Tap payments are currently available on the Samsung Tocco and Samsung Wave 578. For more information on Quick Tap, please see www.orange.co.uk/quicktap  

Orange and RIM launch BlackBerry Curve 9360 in Poland

Poland - PTK Centertel (Orange) and Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) announced availability of the new BlackBerry® Curve™ 9360 smartphone in Poland. Powered by the new BlackBerry® 7 Operating System (OS), the new BlackBerry Curve extends the range of BlackBerry 7 smartphones from Orange, all available on the Orange dla Firm offer.

Orange will offer the BlackBerry Curve 9360 from 1 PLN + VAT (with the “Optymalny” and “Optymalny z Internetem” service plans). In addition, customers choosing the recently launched BlackBerry® Torch™ 9810 or BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900 (which are also powered by the BlackBerry 7 OS) can benefit from a special promotion that gives customers free use of Orange Navigation for 24 months.

“The new BlackBerry Curve 9360 smartphone builds on the incredible success of the BlackBerry Curve line,” said Paul Lucier, Managing Director at Research In Motion. “This new Curve model is absolutely stunning and provides an ideal choice for customers who are looking to upgrade their existing feature phone or existing BlackBerry Curve with an affordable, easy-to-use, full-featured and socially-connected smartphone.”

Everything You Need
The new BlackBerry Curve 9360 smartphone is slim, stylish and simply beautiful. It is ergonomically designed with a comfortable and iconic keyboard for fast, accurate typing and an optical trackpad for easy, one-handed navigation. GPS and Wi-Fi® support are also included, as well as a 5MP camera with flash and video recording so that memories can be captured and instantly shared on social networks. The microSD/SDHC slot supports up to 32 GB memory cards for additional media storage.

In addition to supporting the new BlackBerry 7 OS, the new BlackBerry Curve smartphones feature a range of powerful hardware enhancements including upgraded processors, displays and memory, and built-in support for NFC (Near Field Communications), a new technology that is enabling many exciting capabilities, including the ability to pair accessories or read SmartPoster tags with a simple tap of the smartphone.

Best In Class Communications and Social Experiences
The BlackBerry Curve 9360 delivers the world’s best mobile communications and social experiences with a highly refined and integrated suite of phone, email, messaging and social apps to keep users connected and productive throughout the day:

The latest release of BBM™ (BlackBerry® Messenger) is pre-loaded and now extends the real time BBM experience to a range of other apps, allowing users to easily interact with each other from within the ‘BBM connected’ app.
The updated Social Feeds (2.0) app has been extended to capture updates from media and favorites all in one consolidated view.
The new Facebook® for BlackBerry smartphones (2.0) app introduces features like Facebook chat and BBM integration that makes it easier for users to connect with their Facebook friends in real time utilizing push notifications.
Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones also delivers a deeply integrated experience including use of real time push notifications and Social Feeds integration.
Next-Generation BlackBerry 7 OS
BlackBerry 7 introduces a next generation BlackBerry browser which combines the dramatically improved performance of the advanced WebKit browser engine with the hardware enhancements in the new BlackBerry Curve smartphones to deliver a significantly faster, more fluid web browsing experience. Additional enhancements to this next generation BlackBerry browser have also enabled smoother navigation and optimized HTML5 performance for incredible gaming and video experiences.

BlackBerry 7 also includes a number of other pre-loaded applications and integrated functionality for increased productivity and collaboration right out of the box:

The Premium version of Documents To Go is included free of charge, offering users powerful document editing features as well as a native PDF document viewer.
BlackBerry® Protect is pre-loaded, offering customers the peace of mind that personal data can be backed up and secured in the cloud. With BlackBerry Protect, users can locate their misplaced BlackBerry smartphone using GPS or remotely turn up the ringer for an audible notification if their handset is close-by.
BlackBerry® Balance is integrated in BlackBerry 7, allowing users to enjoy the full BlackBerry smartphone experience for both work and personal purposes without compromising the IT department’s need for advanced security and IT controls.
The popular universal search capability has also been enhanced with support for voice-activated search, so users can now simply speak to begin searching their device and the web for information.
About Research In Motion
Research In Motion (RIM), a global leader in wireless innovation, revolutionized the mobile industry with the introduction of the BlackBerry® solution in 1999. Today, BlackBerry products and services are used by millions of customers around the world to stay connected to the people and content that matter most throughout their day. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. RIM is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market (NASDAQ: RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RIM). For more information, visit www.rim.com or www.blackberry.com.

Orange Announces Availability of Next Generation San Francisco II Smartphone

Orange to exclusively offer the Orange San Francisco II, the successor to the award winning San Francisco, across all its direct retail channels
The San Francisco II will continue to offer an innovative smartphone experience at an affordable price point
The San Francisco II will be available on pay as you go and pay monthly plans, making it the ideal present for all budgets this Christmas
London, UK: 17th November, 2011 – Orange today announced it will launch the Orange San Francisco II, the successor to the award-winning San Francisco smartphone, through Orange shops, Orange telesales and the Orange online shop in late November.
Offering outstanding value innovation, the 3G+ Orange San Francisco II offers everything customers expect from a high-end smartphone.
Building on the success of the Orange San Francisco, the San Francisco II adds a number of innovative features, including HD Voice for clear, crisp call quality, Signal Boost allowing users to benefit from enhanced indoor coverage and Orange Mobile Mail. The handset also features the latest Android gingerbread 2.3 operating system, providing users access to Android Market Place, so they can access thousands of the latest new apps.

The new San Francisco II also includes an improved 800 MHz processor and a 5MP camera - for snapping and sharing quality shots on the move. It also contains a bright, clear 3.5” WVGA capacitive TFT touch screen, 512 MB of internal memory and a slimmer and more lightweight body - set to build upon the fan base of its popular predecessor.
In addition, several key apps are pre-loaded onto the handset, including: Orange Wednesdays; offering 2-4-1 cinema tickets; Your Orange, allowing you to keep up to date and manage your account, and Orange Contacts Back-up.
The handset also features AGPS, an MP3 player and an inbuilt FM radio to complete the line-up of essentials.

Paul Jevons, Director of Products and Devices, Orange UK said: "The Orange San Francisco II is a fitting successor to the award-winning first model, and offers the latest developments in data, voice and design. We are delighted to be following up on the success of the award winning original with such a full-featured product we expect it to be really popular with consumers in the run up to Christmas”

The San Francisco II will be available exclusively from Orange shops, Orange telesales and orange.co.uk/shop from late November and will be £99 on Orange pay as you go with a £10 top-up and free on 24 month plans of £10.50 per month.
Notes to editors
Full specification list:
• Talk Time: 4.5 hours
• Standby Time: 10 days
• Weight: 120g
• Dimensions: 117 x 58.5 x 10.6
• Camera Features: 5 megapixel
• Connectivity: WiFi / Signal Boost / Bluetooth / USB / SatNav
• Music: MP3 / FM Radio
• Network Band: Tri band
• Video: Calling
• Memory: 512 MB / 16Gb Micro SD card supported
• Email: POP3 / IMAP4 / Mobile Mail
• Data Speed: 3G + (HDSPA)
• Operating System: Android
• Version: Gingerbread 2.3
• Other: HD Voice, MobileMail, Orange WiFi, Your Account
• Applications and Features: Orange Maps, Your Orange, Contact Back Up, Mobile Mail, Orange App Store
Review units will be available on request
About Orange UK
Orange is the key brand of the France Telecom Group, one of the world's leading telecommunications operators. With almost 131 million customers, the Orange brand now covers Internet, television and mobile services in the majority of countries where the Group operates.
In the UK, Orange provides high quality GSM coverage to 99% of the UK population, and 3G coverage to more than 93%. Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trade marks of Orange Brand Services Limited.
On July 1 2010, the company became part of Everything Everywhere, one company that runs two of Britain's most famous brands - Orange UK and T-Mobile UK - with plans to transform the industry by giving customers instant access to everything, everywhere, offering them the best value, best choice and best network coverage in the country. Everything Everywhere Limited is the UK’s biggest communications company, with a combined customer base of almost 28 million people and more than 720 retail stores across the country. Everything Everywhere Limited is registered at Hatfield Business Park, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 9BW under the registered company number 02382161.

San Francisco II from Orange UK

Orange announced it will launch the Orange San Francisco II, the successor to the award-winning San Francisco smartphone, through Orange shops, Orange telesales and the Orange online shop in late November.

Offering outstanding value innovation, the 3G+ Orange San Francisco II offers everything customers expect from a high-end smartphone.

More information: http://www.orange.co.uk/shop

Orange unveiled a new smartphone - San Francisco II

Transnational mobile operator Orange announced the exclusive availability of its new model of network Android smartphone - San Francisco II, which goes on sale later this month at a price of £ 99.

In comparison with the first of San Francisco, offers a second version of their owners to take advantage of new features, including support for the codec HD Voice, a function of increasing signal level Signal Boost, as well as a new version of the OS - Android 2.3.

In addition, San Francisco II is equipped with a 800 MHz processor, 5 megapixel camera, 3.5-inch touch screen (capacitive) TFT display, resolution WVGA, 512MB of internal memory, FM-radio, MP3-player, AGPS receiver, and a number of operator applications and services .

Other technical features San Francisco II:

Support for communications standards: 3G HDSPA, GSM 900/1800/1900 MHz
Dimensions: 117x58, 5x10, 6 mm
Weight: 120 gr.
Platform: Android 2.3 Gingerbread
Processor: 800 MHz, ARM11
Display: 3.5 inch, TFT, 800x480 pixels
Camera: 5 megapixel CMOS sensor with autofocus
Memory: 512 MB built, slot for microSD memory cards
FM-radio
Communications: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB, AGPS

Orange Barcelona: Android-smartphone form factor, QWERTY-candybar

Operator Orange has prepared to release a new smart phone under its own brand. It will be sold, at least in the UK (the page is already available on the UK site Orange), and possibly in other regions, where the operator provides its services. The smartphone called Orange Barcelona, ??it is based on the software platform Android 2.2. The apparatus is a candy bar, equipped with a 2.6-inch touchscreen and a QWERTY-keyboard - it is easy for text messaging.

Orange Barcelona works over cellular networks, both second-and third-generation (GPRS and HSDPA). He also has a 3.2-megapixel camera, a wireless module Wi-Fi, GPS-receiver, MP3-player and FM-radio. The dimensions of the device are 115h63h99 mm (stands out a little thick), and weight - 115 grams. Without charging your smartphone will be able to work up to 7 hours of talk time and up to 12 days in standby mode. Model will be sold without a contract for around £ 120 and with the contract - "free".

Barcelona from Orange

Brighten up your life with the Barcelona from Orange. Equipped with the powerful Android 2.2 operating system and a 2.6-inch TFT touch screen, this phone makes communication easy and fun. And it really looks the part with its sleek, ergonomic design. With a 3.2-megapixel camera to play with, you'll always be able to capture life’s moments as well as listening to your favourite music using the FM radio.

Android 2.2 (Froyo)
HD Voice
Signal Boost (UMA)
Orange App Store
touch screen
video calling

Wretch 32 gets down and dirty for Orange Rockcorps

Rapper Wretch 32 joined 100 local volunteers in London, getting his hands dirty to help regenerate The Willington Youth Centre as part of the Orange RockCorps initiative.

The Willington Youth Centre is a treasured local facility in the heart of Lambeth, aimed at 12 – 19 year olds. As a vital part of the local community, the centre provides children and young adults with a safe environment and facilities for sports and hundreds of classes including dance, drama and media production. However, over time the centre has become run down, requiring some much needed care and attention. This year a new initiative called ‘You Decide’ allows people to get involved in Orange RockCorps by voting for the issues that matter to them most. As a result of the vote, Orange RockCorps sent in its army of volunteers in to help.

Rapper and local hero to many of the volunteers on site, Wretch 32 visited The Wilmington Youth Centre to roll his sleeves up and get involved in helping regenerate the facility. Several meet and greets took place with 100 volunteers on site, and locals were thrilled to have one of their idols help to make their community a nicer place. Wretch 32 also treated fans to an exclusive performance after their four hours volunteer work.

Since its launch in 2008, Orange RockCorps has increased its volunteer base from 20,000 to more than 90,000 gaining an unparalleled reputation for encouraging people to get involved in volunteering. By giving just four hours of their time, volunteers can earn tickets to exclusive music events.

So far over 300 charities in Britain have benefited from the help of Orange RockCorps, a figure that continues to grow year upon year. This year’s concert will take place at Wembley Arena on 12 July, with performances by headliners Primal Scream, as well as Jessie J and Eliza Doolittle, with many more exciting additions to be announced soon.

Britain's next generation of entrepreneurs in pursuit of happiness, not profit

New research from Orange and YouGov has found that, despite the impact of the recession, entrepreneurialism is alive and well across Britain. However money and commercial success are not the primary drivers behind entrepreneurs starting their own business. Over half (51%) of the respondents to the YouGov survey of workers aged 18 - 501 have considered setting up or have already established their own business, but only 28% of those named making money as a main motivating factor for doing so. 60% of respondents who had already set up their own company or would consider it, did so to become their own boss, and 55% did so to obtain a flexible lifestyle. The research suggests that in future measures of business success may need to be widened to incorporate founding objectives, such as a better work life balance, due to the motivations of today’s entrepreneurs.


The research was commissioned as part of the Orange Entreprenation Report, which examines the profile, location and key drivers behind entrepreneurialism in Great Britain.

“With some companies being established to fit founders lifestyles, only using financial results to measure success may only tell half the story,” says Martin Stiven, VP of Business at Orange.“Some companies with small annual growth could be viewed as the most successful because they are enabling their founders and workers to maintain the lifestyle they set out to achieve at the start. It seems increasingly important that we measure more traditional targets such as sales, profit and growth alongside indicators such as meeting founding objectives and the lifestyle balance achieved by staff and bosses alike.

“It is likely that technology will play a key part in supporting companies in achieving these ambitions. An overwhelming majority (85%) believe that communications technology, such as the internet and mobiles, has made starting or running a business from home easier, which is typically the first step towards a more flexible lifestyle,” adds Stiven.

Orange also undertook additional research to identify potential hot spots of entrepreneurial activity, and found that while traditional hubs, such as London and the South East still exist, a successful business is just as likely to be founded in Aberdeen as it is in Bristol.2

Contributor to the report, René Carayol, UK business guru and CEO of Inspired Leaders Network, comments, “The 80s, 90s, and naughties [were characterised] by a feeling that making money was the thing to do. Entrepreneurs over the next 25 years will be less about making money and more about financial independence, where money plays a supporting role. Entrepreneurialism is changing; it’s legitimising itself as a profession.”

Orange’s Entreprenation Report also reveals that people believe that communications technology and universal connectivity has played a critical role in levelling the entrepreneurial playing field. 77% of those surveyed agreed or strongly agreed that the advent of the internet and mobile communications has resulted in location being less important in determining the success of a business than ten years ago. And 79% agree that technology makes it easier to run a successful business.

Being master of your own destiny also appears to be as important irrespective of gender. While male workers are more vocal about their desire to set up their own company (48% versus 35% of female workers), when it comes to actually doing it the numbers are the same irrespective of gender (9%). But female workers did rate obtaining a flexible lifestyle (61%) and pursuing a passion (31%) more important than making lots of money (19%). This compares to 51%, 27% and 34% of men respectively.

Martin Stiven concludes, “The research highlighted a positive attitude to entrepreneurialism across the country, whether you live in a rural hamlet or a major city. Mobile communication tools, such as broadband, mobile phones, laptops and Wi-Fi, now provide access to new contacts, new ways of thinking and new customers, so that you don’t have to live in the traditional heartlands of British commerce to be a success.”

Orange Entreprenation Report - Interview with Rene Carayol by Orange Newsroom

Orange announces it will offer dedicated iPad price plans

Orange announced that it will offer dedicated iPad price plans for all models from the end of May in four countries at this stage (France, UK, Spain, Switzerland). The iPad lets users browse the web, read and send email, enjoy and share photos, watch HD videos, listen to music, play games, read ebooks and much more, all using iPad’s revolutionary Multi-Touch user interface. For more information about iPad please visit www.apple.com/ipad

Orange Award for New Writers Announces 2010 Shortlist

Orange Prize for Fiction shortlist: 20 April 2010
Awards Ceremony: 9 June 2010

The Orange Award for New Writers, launched in 2005, announces this year’s shortlist today. All first works of fiction, including novels, short story collections and novellas, written in English by a woman of any age or nationality and published as a book in the UK, are eligible. The emphasis of the award is on emerging talent and the evidence of future potential. The winner will receive a £10,000 bursary funded by Arts Council England which is intended to help the winning writer pursue their work with greater freedom.

The 2010 shortlist is:

Author Title Publisher Nationality
Jane Borodale The Book of Fires Harper Press British Novel
Irene Sabatini The Boy Next Door Sceptre Zimbabwean Novel
Evie Wyld After the Fire, a Still Small Voice Jonathan Cape British/Australian Novel

The judges for the 2010 Orange Award for New Writers are:

* Di Speirs (Chair), Editor - Readings, BBC Radio 4
* Rachel Cooke, Writer and Columnist, The Observer
* Bernardine Evaristo, Novelist, critic and winner of the 2009 Orange Prize Youth Panel award for Blonde Roots

“Judging this year's Orange Award for New Writers has been a fascinating process and uncovered considerable raw talent and passion,” said Di Spiers, Editor of Readings at BBC Radio 4 and Chair of judges. “Amongst the many debut novels with real merit, the maturity of these three shortlisted writers set them apart; their story telling is seasoned and beguiling, their characters memorable, their vision arresting. Each of the three conjures an entirely different world and all immerse their readers in time and place effortlessly. Curl up with them - they are a real treat.”
The Award was launched in 2005 in partnership with Arts Council England. Renewing their commitment to the partnership with Orange in 2008, Arts Council England committed a further £30,000 over three years (£10,000 per year) for bursary awards for the winners of the Orange Award for New Writers. By offering a bursary to a novelist or short story writer for her first publication, the Arts Council is able to support the professional development of a writer at a crucial stage in her career.

Authors who have written their first work of fiction can be entered for both the Orange Prize for Fiction and the Orange Award for New Writers in any given year.

Diana Evans took the first ever Orange Award for New Writers in 2005 for her debut novel, 26A. She subsequently went on to win the Decibel Award 2006 at the British Book Awards and was shortlisted for the Whitbread First Novel Award 2005. Naomi Alderman won the Orange Award for New Writers in 2006 and has since gone on to win The Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year (2007) for her first novel, Disobedience.

Canadian writer, Karen Connelly, took the Award in 2007 for her novel, The Lizard Cage and Joanna Kavenna won the Award in 2008 for her debut novel, Inglorious. Most recently, Francesca Kay took the Award in 2009 for her first work, An Equal Stillness.

Stuart Jackson, Director of Corporate Communications at Orange, said: "The Orange Award for New Writers was established to encourage diversity and promise evident in first works of fiction and this year’s shortlist is an excellent reflection of what is yet to come from these three fantastic authors.”
The winner will be announced at the Orange Prize for Fiction award ceremony which will take place on 9 June 2010 in The Ballroom, Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, central London.

Orange TwitFlix calls on UK cinema-goers to describe film classics via a single tweet

Struggling to remember who’s related to whom in The Godfather, or who gets off the island alive in Jurassic Park? Orange TwitFlix should come as welcome relief to Brits, as Orange asks film-fans to offer ‘cheat-tweets’ for some of the greatest works of cinema – each summed-up in 140 Twitter characters or less.

Recent research by Orange Wednesdays revealed nearly half of UK film fans (46 per cent) have lied about seeing a classic film to impress their mates and work colleagues: Orange TwitFlix has been launched as a new bluffers film guide, offering a concise précis of classic films everyone should know.

Entries that have already been submitted to Orange TwitFlix:

“Not for the fainthearted, or easily confused. 1940s Mafia at their best despite the dodgy bedfellows & cheekpads!” @Vertigo_1
The Godfather: Part One

“Young clownfish gets poached, needs kelp, fins can only get batter as long as they don’t flounder or shrimp on effort.” @muckykisses
Finding Nemo

“Shrimp lovin’, ping-pong playin’, superfast runnin’ Vietnam hero Forrest loves Jenny lots. She dies though ” @thequeenosheba
Forrest Gump

“Boy meets girl. Girl is Boy’s sister. Boy meets baddie. Baddie is boys father plus we meet Yoda we do” @misstreatz
Star Wars

“Likeable Swinging Sixties cockney chancers attempt Milan bank hoist in Mini cavalcade, ending is a cliff hanger” @morphic43
The Italian Job

“Mummy murdering male motel manager masks as mental mom to murder moneythief Marion. Massacres many” @muckykisses
Psycho

Each weekday Orange will announce a new film via the @orangefilm Twitter feed for fans to submit entries to. A panel of Orange film experts will then select their favourite entry of the day, with the author of the week’s best Orange TwitFlix tweet winning a new Blackberry 9700 smartphone. The panel is judging entries on their humour, originality and aptness. Daily and weekly favourites will be uploaded to the Orange TwitFlix page for the whole nation to enjoy and reference.

To get involved in Orange TwitFlix, all film fans need to do is sign-up to Twitter (if they haven’t already) and start following @orangefilm for inspiration. To submit an entry, followers simply tweet it as an @reply or direct message to the feed.

Orange reveals male/female insight into mobile usage with the sixth Digital Media Index

* Nearly 2 million Orange customers use social networking on their handsets, with men viewing on average 33% more pages then women
* Those aged 60+ are the second largest age group to text from abroad, with women in this age group sending 48% more MMS than men
* 75% of mobile videos downloaded from Orange are by men, with males also the predominant users of Orange’s mobile internet portal

Orange unveiled its sixth Digital Media Index (ODMI), a detailed report offering insight into how digital media is consumed across its mobile network. The latest findings reveal that whilst the consumption of mobile data continues to increase, there are interesting differences between men and women on what they use their handsets for.

Key findings from the April 2010 report include:

Mobile Social Networking
The popularity of social networking sites continues to soar, with men more likely to spend time, and view more pages, to keep up-to-date with friends’ news, status updates and pictures. As well as accounting for 64% of unique users, men also view 33% more pages than women on social networking sites overall.

The report also reveals that:

* Nearly two million Orange customers now use their handsets for social networking
* Over one billion page impressions on social networking sites are made via mobile each month

Mobile Internet
Men use their mobile phones more regularly than women to keep up-to-date with the latest sporting news. This explains why Saturday is the most popular day for customers to use the mobile internet, with handsets now the modern day Curry’s shop window as men check out the latest football scores on their mobile whilst on-the-move. Sport updates are also driving mobile internet traffic with men accounting for 57% of customers accessing Orange World.

Interestingly, it was also revealed that:

* Orange’s mobile internet portal, Orange World, receives over 3.4 million users per month
* Celebrities are the most searched for term by customers, with Cheryl Cole being the no.1 searched for celebrity

Mobile TV and Video
Sport is the main driver for mobile TV viewing and is more popular with men than women. In total, sports accounts for 50% of mobile TV content consumed, with Sky Sports 1 being the most popular mobile TV channel, attracting 24% of users.

With the increasing adoption of smartphone technology, more people than ever before are experimenting with new services. It seems that men are leading the way – accounting for 75% of mobile videos and 71% of mobile TV clips purchased. This content, usually quirky or comical (such as ‘South Park’ or ‘Angry Kid’ clips) is often viewed to pass the time whilst traveling. Also of interest:

* Cheryl Cole’s Fight For This Love is the number one downloaded video

Mobile Gaming
Whilst mobile gaming is enjoyed by both genders, the findings reveal that men like time-related challenges such as Tetris, whereas women prefer strategic games with less time pressure such as SIMS and Monopoly. Interestingly:

* Sunday is the most popular day for downloading games
* Orange customers downloaded nearly 650,000 games in three months


SMS / MMS and Mobile Data
With on average 63 million SMS messages sent every day - texting is still as popular as ever. The latest report reveals that women send more text and picture messages than men to keep in touch with friends and family. Also the difference between the numbers of picture messages sent between men and women increases with age – with women over 60 years old sending 48% more than men in the same age group.

The consumption of mobile data also continues to grow, with over 5.34 million customers now using Orange 3G mobile handsets and/or dongles, and over 435,000 gigabytes of data being used per month.

Deborah Tonroe, Head of Entertainment and Information, Orange UK said: “As this is the sixth issue of our Digital Media Index report, we were keen to delve deeper and offer an insight into how customers use their mobile handsets. The report really does reveal some interesting results and shows that users really are using their mobile handsets for more than just voice and text.”

To view the full version of the sixth Orange Digital Media Index, please visit orange.co.uk/newsroom

- Ends -

About The Orange Digital Media Index
The Orange Digital Media Index provides insight into the behaviour of consumers in the digital world by utilising statistics from Orange’s 17.4 million customers in the UK. The report looks at usage patterns across Orange’s entertainment and communications services to show how consumer habits are changing.

Figures in this report cover between October 2009-December 2009, as compared to the fifth Orange Digital Media Index which covered December 2008-February 2009. To review the full report please visit the Orange newsroom: http://newsroom.orange.co.uk/

Orange and HMV launch mobile games

* New mobile gaming service called hmv mobile games, powered by Orange
* Available to all customers on the major UK networks
* Customers can buy and download games directly onto their mobile phone
* Available on over 1,000 handsets and free access for Orange customers

Orange announced that it will launch a mobile gaming service with HMV. Hmv mobile games, powered by Orange, will be available next week to customers across any network and on over 1,000 Java enabled handsets. It is the first service of its kind from a mobile operator.

Customers will be able to access the service simply by following a weblink to an online portal. All customers have to do is text ‘HMV’ to 87010 and they will be sent an SMS with a link which says hmv mobile. When they click on this they will then be able to access the site. Here customers can enjoy reviews and previews of the latest games, download demos for free and purchase their favourite games, as seen in HMV stores and online at hmv.com.

Hmv mobile games will provide customers with access to a library of over 400 games, with new titles available every week. They will have access to their favourite games including some of the more popular titles such as Fifa Manager 10, Call of Duty MW2, Tetris® and PAC-MAN. Games will be priced starting from £1, while new releases and premium games will cost between £3 and £5. The service will also include free demos.

Orange customers will be billed directly for their mobile game-play, while customers on other networks can use a ‘Pay For It’ billing system, where they will be charged for the individual cost of each game.

As the mobile market evolves and the popularity of digital and mobile media continues to increase, new and innovative services such as hmv mobile games are becoming an essential part of consumers’ everyday lives.

Stephen Harris, Business Development Director, Orange UK, said: “Orange is proud to be introducing this new service in strategic partnership with HMV, which will enable both parties to deliver greater value, products and services to our customers. It will also allow us to increase our reach in mobile gaming and build on our success as the number one mobile gaming operator in the UK. Our partnership with HMV is a key part of our strategy to grow and evolve our business, while giving consumers even more convenient ways to play games on their mobile phone.”

Tim Ellis, Head of Games at HMV, said: “We’re delighted to be launching this new mobile offer to get them closer to games content in a way that’s relevant to them. It also demonstrates the kind of added-value benefit that we can deliver to our customers by working in partnership with Orange.”

Orange and HMV continue to develop their partnership, following last year’s announcement that HMV would install concessions in up to 100 stores.

HMV mobile games goes live from Friday 26th March. For more information, visit www.hmv.com/mobilegames

Orange secures exclusive on Sony Ericsson’s first Android device, the Xperia X10

* Orange to exclusively retail the white Xperia X10, offering it free to consumers and small business customers on selected pay monthly contracts
* X10 available in black and in white on Orange from early April, with consumers able to register their interest immediately at http://shop.orange.co.uk/shop/xperia-x10

Orange announced it will shortly launch the much anticipated Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, the first Android device to be unveiled by Sony Ericsson. Available from early April across all Orange retail channels, the X10 will be free on select pay monthly price plans and is exclusive to Orange in white.

The 3G+ enabled X10 is the latest device to feature Google’s Android operating system, and sees the introduction of Sony Ericsson’s new User Experience (UX) interface. The interface features great new applications including Timescape™ and Mediascape which allow users to organise the content in their phone in an intuitive way:

* Timescape™ manages all your communication with one person in one place. Browse through your conversations the bright way to check out your Facebook, Twitter, photos, emails, and texts all in one go
* Mediascape is the smart way to get all the music, photos and videos you want from your favourite friends and artists.

What’s more, intelligence capabilities integrated into Timescape™ and Mediascape can automatically recognise connections between contacts, content and media. By recommending alternative ways to communicate or guiding to new media experiences, consumers can discover more in a truly open way. For example:

* Pressing the new “infinite button” guides users through the connected world, aggregating all interactions with one person into one view
* Intelligent face recognition features recognise up to five faces in any picture, automatically connecting them with users social phonebook and all other related communications with that person

The handset also comes with an integrated 8.1 mega-pixel, auto-focus camera, featuring camcorder capability, a 4 inch WVGA touchscreen, A-GPS and 1Gb of internal memory with a 8Gb MicroSD card. All this is supported by a superfast 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.

Francois Mahieu, Director of Devices, Orange UK said “We’re really pleased to be working with Sony Ericsson to help bring their first Android device to UK customers. The exclusive white Xperia X10 allows users to make the most from their social relationships, whether over a call or online and is a great addition to our ever expanding range of Android devices”.

The X10 will be available in black and in white from Orange shops and www.orange.co.uk/shop in April, as well as on Orange from Phones4U.

Orange Prize for Fiction announces 2010 longlist

Orange Award for New Writers shortlist announcement: 13 April

Orange Prize for Fiction shortlist announcement: 20 April

Orange Prize for Fiction shortlist readings: 8 June

Awards ceremony: 9 June

The Orange Prize for Fiction, the UK’s only annual book award for fiction written by a woman, announces the 2010 longlist. Celebrating its fifteenth anniversary this year, the Prize celebrates excellence, originality and accessibility in women’s writing throughout the world.

The judges for the 2010 Orange Prize for Fiction are:

* Daisy Goodwin (Chair), Author and TV Producer
* Baroness Neuberger DBE, Rabbi, Author and Broadcaster
* Michèle Roberts, Novelist and Critic
* Miranda Sawyer, Journalist and Broadcaster
* Alexandra Shulman, Editor of British Vogue

“It was a tough judging process as there was a particularly strong range of books submitted from all over the world in this, the 15th year of the Orange Prize,” commented Daisy Goodwin, Chair of Judges, “but in the end we have chosen a muscular, original and pleasurable longlist that will appeal to all kinds of readers.”

The Prize was set up in 1996 to celebrate and promote fiction by women throughout the world to the widest range of readers possible and is awarded for the best novel of the year written by a woman in the English language.

“This year’s longlist reflects the exceptional diversity and calibre of international women’s fiction that the Orange Prize has championed since it began in 1996,” said Stuart Jackson, Director of Corporate Communications at Orange. “This is an exciting list in a year which has been notably strong for fiction by women and marks a great start to our 15th anniversary year.”

This year’s longlist honours both new and well-established writers, featuring seven first novels alongside previous Orange Prize and Orange Best of the Best winner, Andrea Levy, who is longlisted for her fifth novel and Man Booker 2009 winner, Hilary Mantel who is longlisted for her tenth novel. Five authors appearing on this year’s list have previously been longlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction, and a further four authors have been previously shortlisted.1

Any woman writing in English, whatever her nationality, country of residence, age or subject matter, is eligible. The winner will receive a cheque for £30,000 and a limited edition bronze known as a ‘Bessie’, created and donated by the artist Grizel Niven. Both are anonymously endowed.

The winner will be announced at an awards ceremony to be held in The Ballroom at the Royal Festival Hall on 9 June 2010.

Previous winners are Marilynne Robinson for Home (2009), Rose Tremain for The Road Home (2008), Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie for Half of a Yellow Sun (2007), Zadie Smith for On Beauty (2006), Lionel Shriver for We Need to Talk About Kevin (2005), Andrea Levy for Small Island (2004), Valerie Martin for Property (2003), Ann Patchett for Bel Canto (2002), Kate Grenville for The Idea of Perfection (2001), Linda Grant for When I Lived in Modern Times (2000), Suzanne Berne for A Crime in the Neighbourhood (1999), Carol Shields for Larry’s Party (1998), Anne Michaels for Fugitive Pieces (1997), and Helen Dunmore for A Spell of Winter (1996).

www.orangeprize.co.uk

Less than one in five male workers would take all proposed paternity leave

Orange calls for businesses to act now and help new fathers to find the right work / life balance.

Only 18% of working men would take all of the proposed six month paternity leave, according to a YouGov survey[1] commissioned by Orange. With the advent of new paternity legislation enabling new mothers to transfer the second half of their year-long maternity leave to the father proposed to come into effect next year, Orange is calling on businesses to see the benefits of more flexible working options to help new dads juggle busy work and family lives.

The research found that money concerns were the main factor preventing those who would not take all the leave from taking it (47%), with a quarter (27%) claiming that they wouldn’t take any time off when it comes into effect from April 2011.

The Orange survey also found that 15% of working men attributed their decision not to take the leave to believing they’re too vital to the business to be absent for six months, while 3% believe the senior management in their company are actively against it.

An alternative to paternity leave which means that men don’t have to be out of the office for up to six months is flexible working. Managed properly, flexible working can offer the ideal solution to both businesses and fathers of children under 17, who can benefit from working outside the traditional office location and hours. The survey showed that demand for this approach is high, with over three quarters (79%) of working men saying they’d use a flexible working arrangement if their employer encouraged it.

However, an absence of proper flexible working support was revealed by Orange’s survey. It found that nearly a third of working men (30%) lacked the necessary support from their senior managers and colleagues, with only 10% of working men currently practicing flexible working.

“Businesses need to address this demand or they risk losing valuable members of staff and future revenues. It is surprising how few employers encourage flexible working schemes, especially when there is so much technology to enable it. Our survey showed that broadband (57%), laptops (54%) and a mobile / smartphone (32%) were the top three tools working men thought they needed to work flexibly,” said Martin Lyne, Director for small and medium business at Orange UK

“In today’s modern working environment, it is right that businesses [enable] male employees to take their full paternity leave. And it does not have to mean huge sacrifices by either party. The mobile technology which currently exists can empower staff to redress their work / life balance for their staff and enable new fathers to spend time with their families,” continued Martin Lyne, Director for small and medium business at Orange UK

Orange signs three MVNOs on Orange Partner Platform with Transatel

Orange has announced that it has signed three new mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs); Unicom, Catalyst and Axis Telecom. These deals have been secured on the Orange Partner Platform via Transatel, Orange’s mobile virtual network aggregator (MVNA). This demonstrates Orange’s commitment to expanding MVNO opportunities in the UK and builds on the company’s five* existing MVNO partnerships.

These MVNOs will benefit from Orange’s extensive GSM network which reaches 99% of the UK population and Orange’s 3G network which currently covers over 93% of the UK population - more than any other network. This will enable:

* Unicom, the fixed line service provider, to launch as a B2B MVNO selling mobile services, initially to its existing base of some 80,000 customers, and will provide billing for both fixed and mobile services on the same invoice.
* Catalyst to provide mobile services through partners, for niche groups such as students, ethnic minorities and SMEs.
* Axis Telecom, to provide a mobile offering to its current customer base of over 14,000 businesses and residential customers through a number of SIM only deals

All three MVNO’s are expected to launch in the first half of this year.

Furthermore, with Transatel’s speed to market, companies are able to launch as an MVNO in just six weeks – making it quicker, easier and more cost-effective than ever before. This is expected to appeal to telecom resellers targeting both the SME and residential market and companies that have either a brand distribution network or installed customer base that would like to become an MVNO.

Marc Overton, Vice President of Wholesale, Business Development & Partnerships at Orange UK, said:
“Orange has very ambitious plans to become the network partner of choice for new and existing MVNOs. This latest news shows that we are well on our way to achieving this and our ambition to have twenty new MVNO’s on the Orange network by the end of the year.

“It clearly demonstrates that there are untapped opportunities for telecoms services across business and consumer sectors. Through our partnership with Transatel, we are making it even easier for communities and companies of all sizes to enter the exciting mobile market”

Jacques Bonifay, CEO at Transatel also commented: “We are pleased to announce our first three partnerships signed on behalf of Orange UK. For companies looking to launch their own mobile offering in the UK and also in other European countries, we believe we are the right partner as we broaden the availability, ease and speed with which MVNOs can come to market.”

Orange enables Derby City Council to save £200k per year

Orange announced that it has been selected as the sole mobile communications supplier by Derby City Council, enabling the Council to make savings of an estimated £200,000 per year.

The deal will see Orange primarily supply the council with 1,500 voice connections and Orange Wirefree Extension, which allows reduced-rate calls between the Council’s landline and mobile phones through a virtual private network. This will ensure that the Council can keep its employees in touch with one another without worrying about costs.

Orange will also provide the Council with dongles and BlackBerry® devices for its employees who need to stay connected when out of the office, plus telemetry SIMs that will manage its road signage and car parking meters. In addition, Orange has provided 500 3G dongles under the Computers for Pupils and HATUG (Home Access Targeted User Group) schemes, which allow underprivileged children or those who are not in the school system to have access to computer equipment for their studies. This is run via a Managed VPN, which supplies a dedicated, secure and scalable connection to the Council’s network.

Robert Ainger, Director of Corporate, Orange UK said: “We are delighted that the Council has selected Orange for all of its mobile communications needs. Over the last five years, we have built a positive relationship with Derby City Council and we look forward to continuing working closely with the team there to help make continued efficiencies and improve their delivery of services.”

The Council appointed Orange following a reverse eAuction in which the other main mobile operators were involved. There were two main elements to the eAuction; an invitation to tender and closed bids, where operators were asked to provide a quote for all of the services the Council required.

Councillor Mike Carr, Derby City Council said: “Derby City Council is one of the first councils to use an online reverse auction as a method of procurement. We selected Orange as it was the only operator involved in the process that demonstrated that it could deliver against all of our requirements and allow us to make significant savings. Thanks to these savings, we will be able to re-invest and deliver more services to our local community.”

The contract with Derby City Council is set at a fixed price for 24 months and started on 1 February 2010.