Category Archives: orange
Orange launches new brand SOSH
Orange has launched a new mobile service called Sosh. It is a 100% digial offer aimed at the “ultra-connected” 18-35 year olds.
It will be pushed as an Orange sub-brand and targetted at the mobile digital community. Basically this means that it is for any one that loves to surf on the mobile.
The service will launch on October 6th with three tariffs one for 2 hours of surfing a day – 5 hours and then 25×7. All hotspots and other goodies are available… see below.
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UK Dog walkers clean up streets with mobile app and Orange
Today Orange launches its latest mobile volunteering ‘action’* on its Do Some Good app, which allows people to snap and geotag everything from dog poo to graffiti and litter via their mobile phone to help clean up the streets of Britain.
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Some handsets still missing from UK shelves
Rating: HP’s Pre 3 and Huawei’s Blaze for starters
The gaps between product announcements and actual shipping dates are becoming very frustrating for mobile phone enthusiasts in the UK. Currently, there is a great deal of buzz surrounding HP‘s Pre 3 handset because it uses the latest version (3) of Palm’s old OS – namely webOS. However, if you try to buy a Pre 3 on the Orange network, for example, you can’t do so at present. You’ll have to try one of the online handset sales stores. Much the same applies to the new Android handset from Huawei – the Blaze. Lots of stores list it but none seem to have a price or availability. Unless you’re in India where the Blaze seems to have a price tag of around 12,000 rupees (about £160). Huawei seems to be copying its arch rival, ZTE, and is hoping to start selling handsets in the UK under its own brand. The Chinese manufacturer certainly seems to have picked the right person to set the operation up – Mark Mitchinson. Continue reading
New GSMA head is French woman
Rating: Anne Bouverot takes over from Rob Conway. Remember him?
Given the spectacular gaff GoMo News made over the succession of power at the GSMA see here, we can make immediate amends by revealing that the new ‘director general’ of the GSMA is Ms Anne Bouverot. She most recently acted as an executive vp for mobile services with France Telecom Orange. She will assume leadership of the GSMA as from September 1st [2011]. Strange, however, that the official announcement makes absolutely no mention of the GSMA’s previous CEO (notice the different title), Rob Conway. His departure was officially announced on June 7th [2011]. Of course, Ms Bouverot, is ideally place for the GSMA as she’d appreciate that GSM actually stands for Groupe Spécial Mobile not Global System for Mobile communications. Continue reading
Unlocking the iphone is as easy as 1-2-3
Rating: How T-Mobile has acquired one million unlockers
Discovering that T-Mobile USA has some one million iPhone users on its network even though it doesn’t officially sell Apple’s smartphones (see here) got us thinking. How did so many iPhones get unlocked. Then we received a flier from iPhone Unlockers here which indicated that its unlocking or ‘jailbreaking’ software is available in the UK for £19.99. And this software can be used anywhere in the world (including the USA, obviously) on any iPhone. GoMo News was initially sceptical about this but the site calims it can even jailbreak iPhones running the latest firmware version – 2.0. The list of ‘extra’ facilities it offers is intriguing. Continue reading
How the UK’s only rock promo ringback tone escaped into wild
Rating: GoMo News finally solves the mystery
GoMo News has always agreed with Cool Tones from Cooltonesblog that in the UK there’s an enormous gap in the market for ringback tones (RBTs). As he says here,”One of the most obvious uses for a ringback tone which we’ve identified is to promote an unsigned (rock) band. Our research has shown that at least one UK act – Craig Custance Starman – did this very thing back in April 2010.” Sadly the trail went cold there and GoMo News was unable to discover how on Earth Starman had managed to produce its ringback tone. Until last night! GoMo News can exclusively reveal that it was actually an inside job. Continue reading
Orange Mobile Exposure fuses with TGI Surveys
Rating: This means more effective mobile advertising for everyone
From July 21st [2011], Orange Mobile Exposure‘s data will be fused with the TGI database. The pair claims this will provide the advertising industry with more insight than has been previously been available. They argue that until now advertisers have not been able to gain clear insight into how consumers are engaging with mobile. Certainly not in the way they do for older, established media types. By fusing with the traditional media, brand and product consumption information, available in the TGI study, advertisers and brands will be able to more deeply analyse audiences and target mobile marketing campaigns more effectively, the companies claim Continue reading
UK 3G data survey powered by Android app
Rating: Thanks to the BBC, your TV licence will pay for this
In co-operation with the BBC, independent broadband analyst, Epitiro is to conduct a survey to map where 3G speeds are highest across Britain. In a remarkable display of pragmatism, this app is only available for Android handsets – no iPhone version in sight. The results will be on the BBC website in due course. You can download the app from the Android Market right now from here. The BBC points out that mobile operators (like O2) carry out their own coverage tests but no independent survey exists. Significantly, the BBC survey won’t measure speeds – it will just collect data on what level of data coverage is available. Continue reading
Orange UK actually promotes Summer ringback tones
Rating: Offers subscribers the chance to win £500
In the UK, marketing and promotions for ringback tones (RBTs) have been pretty thin on the ground. Orange UK does at least have a viral video promo for its RingTagz RBT service using a dancing sock. The Bhangra version is the best example, of course. Now – timed to co-incide with most Brits holidays, the UK operator is running a competition to ‘win £500 holiday cash with RingTagz‘. To enter the competition, subscribers have to pick one of 14 Summer-themed ringback tones. The trick is that in order to play this ringback tune to callers, orange subscribers will actually have to sign up for the RingTagz service. Continue reading
Orange reacts to EU data edict with bundles
Rating: Keep reading your emails in Europe for £15
It’s interesting to see how one UK mobile operator – Orange – has reacted to the new EU edict on data roaming which came into place on July 1st. From that date Orange has added a data limit of 16MB per month (pay monthly and mobile broadband) or 12MB per month (pay as you go) to subscribers’ accounts. That means its customers won’t break the ‘never pay more than €50 (approximately £44 inc VAT) for sending data in the EU’ ruling. In the meantime – presumably to stop users simply turning their phones off while on holiday abroad – Orange has launched a set of mobile internet travel bundles. Continue reading
Orange UK offers free Windows Phone apps – we think
Rating: You have to be set properly up to see ‘em
What a nice gesture. Orange UK has decided to give away a free app a day to those owning Windows Phone handsets on its network during July [2011]. It claims that customers will able to download a total of 31 individual apps worth more than £70. Great. But what are these apps? Ah, there’s the rub. Only those with Windows Phone handsets connected to the Orange network – and with the Orange App shop app downloaded – are able to see them. So we can’t tell you whether they’re great or naff. Continue reading
Orange wants young Nokia owners to volunteer
Rating: But only if they have a fancy new phone
UK mobile operator, Orange, has decided to buck the trend and actually launch a version of its mobile volunteering app – Do Some Good – for Nokia handsets. The app has been available on the iPhone since March 2011 and a Blackberry version followed that. The only snag is that – instead of targeting the vast pool of youngsters that still own a Nokia handset, this app appears to run only on the latest generation of smartphones. Orange has place the Do Some Good onto the Nokia Ovi Store and it’s not clear exactly which handsets are compatible. However, the app couldn’t be described as small. It is 1.42 Mb and there’s a warning it could download a 13 Mb update. Adding to the impression that this app is aimed at kids with posh parents who give them the latest phones, the Android version isn’t out yet. Continue reading
Festivals apps are all the rave
Rating: What you really need is a tent finder
Everywhere you look, there seem to be apps appearing to coincide with all the major music festivals in the UK. A really obvious candidate is an iPhone app for the iTunes festival (which takes place from July 1st 2011 ). Naturally, that app is being heavily promoted on the iTunes App Store. Of course, Glastonbury had its fair share of apps, too. Orange launched the official Glastonbury 2011 app for iPhone and Android users, and even had a version for Nokia handsets (on Ovi) out before the festival started. There’s one big snag to all these festival apps – battery life. Music festivals usually last at least four days and most smartphones struggle to reach 24 hours. That’s probably why Orange decided to test the Sound Charge T-Shirt at Glastonbury. Continue reading
Everything Everywhere internal turmoil spills out into open
Rating: We’re not paranoid, they’re out to get us
We all know that times are tough in the mobile and cellular industry, but GoMo News has just received an email from a very distressed T-Mobile UK retail employee, alleging a deliberate policy to reduce staff. He claims the new company – Everything Everywhere – which emerged when T-Mobile UK and Orange both officially merged together as one in 2010 – is setting impossible targets for its staff in the smaller retail branches. This comes on the back of news that Everything Everywhere has just added 160,000 contract customers during Q1 2011. See the report in Mobile Magazine here. Continue reading
