Orange App Shop client officially launched

Rating: Maybe they’ll get the shop client in time for Xmas

Perhaps just in time for Xmas, the new Orange App Shop has been launched. A special shop client has just been introduced and the company claims, ” ‘One-click’ access to useful services, information and entertainment across a wide range of mobile devices and platforms – all on one Orange bill.”

It is claimed that the Orange App Shop will give millions of consumers simple, direct access plus improved search and browsing to over 5,000 applications, games, ringtones and wallpapers.

Orange seems unsure whether it really has made it in time for Xmas. Firstly is says, “As the first stage of the large roll-out plan, the Orange App Shop client has initially been pre-installed on [three] devices, which have already been shipped and will hit the shops in January 2010.”

Yet, “Customers who already have the following [eight] Orange signature devices in France and the UK will receive an automatic over-the-air update by end of Dec 2009 adding the Orange App Shop onto their devices.” Just in time, then?

The first three handsets to ship with the shop client are: – the Nokia 6700, plus the Sony Ericsson W995 and Yari [France only]. The signature handsets which should get the update are: – Nokia 6303 and 6700; plus the Sony Ericsson C510, C905, W595, W910i, W995, and Yari.

That should bring a total of some 1.3 million orange customers with direct access to the shop. The big benefit being that app purchases can be billed directly to an Orange phone.

In an obvious dig at iTunes, Orange says, “Developers get cross-platform access to more customers globally and a faster route to market.”

Details of how the Orange App shop works and how to submit applications are available on the orange partner site here.

You’re supposed to be able to see how the Orange app shop will look on a typical WAP enabled phone via a Yospace powered WAP emulator here. Sadly, it didn’t work for GoMo News. Something wrong with our browser, perhaps?

Tony is based in Surrey and is a veteran comms journalist. Tony also writes on the UK market… contact him here tony@mobileinsight.co.uk.