Orange and HMV launch mobile games Tweet

* 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

Labels:

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

* 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.

Labels:

Orange Prize for Fiction announces 2010 longlist Tweet

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

Labels:

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

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

Labels:

Orange signs three MVNOs on Orange Partner Platform with Transatel Tweet

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.”

Labels:

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

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.

Labels:

The next frontier for mobile business applications Tweet

Touch screen technology and voice activation were once the subject of science fiction films but are now common place in many businesses across the world. With even translator phones soon to appear in our offices, it is hard to imagine where mobile devices will take us next.

Anthony Keyworth, Director of Product Marketing, Orange UK predicts which business mobile applications could be the next big thing in the forthcoming five years.

“The mobile industry has a tradition of innovation and now new applications in particular have the potential to continue to change the way the business world operates. Technologies we had only dreamt of are now a reality and play a vital role in our everyday working lives. These developments are testimony to the future potential of the mobile industry and applications in the business world moving forward,” said Anthony Keyworth, Director of Products Marketing, Orange UK.

The future four:

* Augmented reality – Have you stared at your computer screen in confusion when faced with an error message or gazed blankly at the printer manual? Well, here’s where augmented reality holds the potential to come to the rescue. For instance, by scanning the error notice using your mobile, this application will analyse the message then provide a visual step-by-step guide on how to solve the problem. Businesses, especially those without dedicated IT teams can use augmented reality to save time and money by acting as a virtual stand-in.
* Personal health monitoring – Businesses across the UK could save up to £13.2 billion1 by keeping their workforce healthy and happy. A personal health monitoring application could give staff the power to check their own health, ensuring they receive any early warning signs of potential illness. Though this is no replacement for a fully qualified medical professional check-up, it could help employees better manage certain aspects of their health such as blood pressure. The application also holds the potential to ensure the safety of lone workers by reducing their risk of falling ill in isolated situations. By continually monitoring their vital statistics, any health alerts can be immediately transmitted to emergency services and reported to their place of work.
* Mobile / Office synchronisation – Cutting carbon emissions and reducing energy costs is a priority for most businesses. However, ensuring that all staff turn off their computers or switch off the lights when they leave work can be difficult to enforce. The synchronisation application will link your mobile device with your office and by determining your location and activity, alter your work environment accordingly. This means that it will be possible to switch on the computer when you are nearby, turn it to standby when you leave, activate the printer, and maybe even boil the kettle when it’s time for tea.
* Personal Identification – The days of carrying multiple wallets and personnel documents, especially when travelling for business could soon be over with the advent of personal identification applications. We’re already on our way with the ability to conduct monetary transactions via your mobile; in five years time, we could even be boarding a plane with a mobile passport.

As the above clearly shows, the lines between the physical and digital worlds will continue to blur with the mobile industry able to use its unique position to encompass this growing trend through mobile devices and applications – all of which will go a long way in continuing to shape the business world.

Labels: