In a press release this morning Sony Ericsson announced its plans to release the W705 and W705u Walkman phones and Wireless Home Audio System MBS-900. The WiFi equipped W705 is focused on broadband hotspots to allow users to go online for the best songs or most popular YouTube clips and stream their content wirelessly to their MBS-900 speakers via Bluetooth. With the same superior sound quality found on the W980 Walkman phone, the W705 features the music recognition application TrackID, SensMe, for matching your mood to the music and Shake Control to change tracks with the flick of your hand.
The W705 features a 2.4 inch screen, 3.2-megapixel camera, FM Radio, WiFi, GoogleMaps, and a 4GB memory card which can store up to 3900 songs. The W705 and W705u (exclusive to Orange) support GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 and UMTS/HSPA 900/2100. W705 will be available in selected markets from Q1 2009 in the colours Luxury Silver and Passionate Red. W705u (exclusive to Orange) will be available from Q1 2009 in the colour.
The Wireless Home Audio System MBS-900 features 2.1 channel audio with the ability to stream music wirelessly thanks to support for Bluetooth A2DP and AVRCP profiles. You can also transfer music from additional sources using the 3.5mm line-in function or use the built-in FM transmitter to listen to the radio independent of your phone. Another unique feature to the MBS-900 is the ability to control your music settings with your mobile phone or the speaker touch keys. When a call comes into your phone the music mutes and you can view your music or call details on the Monochrome OLED display. Continue reading
The exclusive launch of the HTC Touch HD is now confirmed, Orange UK will be the sole owner of this beautiful device until 2009. During this time the device will be available from £79.99 on an 18 month, £40 per month contact which includes an inclusive option of anytime mobile Internet browsing (subject to 250MB per month). After a bit of rumors and now an official press release, in early November the Touch HD will begin sales via Orange Stores, Orange Telesales and Orange’s online shop, followed by launches from Orange in France and Romania.
In case you’ve missed our extensive Touch HD coverage, let’s refresh with some quick specs. The Touch HD features 3G / HSDPA and WiFi capability on board. The HD packs a 3.8 inch WVGA screen, 5 megapixel auto-focus camera (with second VGA cam), 512MB flash; 288MB RAM, microSD slot, GPS and 1350 mAh battery. It’s powered by a Qualcomm MSM7201a 528 MHz CPU and runs Windows Mobile 6.1. Continue reading
The rumors that Orange UK would be pulling the BlackBerry Bold off shelves now seem a bit more real thanks to an internal memo leak this afternoon. According to the memo, the BlackBerry Bold has seen reports of software issues across various mobile operators and Orange UK is taking the necessary steps to stop the madness. All shipments of the device in the UK by Orange will now be suspended until they receive feedback from RIM. I guess At&t’s BlackBerry Bold delays are a little bit of a relief despite the agonizing wait.
“Following reports of software issues with the BlackBerry Bold handset across a variety of mobile operators, Orange has decided to act in the interest of its customers by suspending shipments of the device in the UK. We are currently awaiting feed back from RIM as to when an industry wide fix for these issues will be in place, and expect this suspension to be an interim measure.We apologise for any inconvenience this issue may cause you.”
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Let the envy build At&t customers, Romanians are now able to pickup the highly coveted BlackBerry Bold 9000 Series on the Orange network. The Bold is available for 349EUR to 439 EUR depending on plan. This is not exactly the bargain we hoped for, but being able to walk into a local Orange store and walk out with the Bold has its own value. At&t customers don’t have much longer to wait until their October launch, but days are months in the world of high-end smartphones.
Order the BlackBerry Bold 9000 Series from Orange Romania
Orange UK subscribers, get ready to download the latest update to the HTC Touch Diamond. Software version 1.93 is now live on Orange UK’s website and it packs all the same functionality seen on the latest update rolled out to other carriers. As previously mentioned, the main improvements are in the performance and stability department as well as the quality of voice calls.
If you have been one of the many patiently waiting to speed up your TouchFLO 3D interface, this update is a must download. You can download the update directly for all Orange-branded Touch Diamond’s, but as always make sure you have at least 50% battery, a usb sync cable and Activesync or Mobile Device Center installed.
Download Orange UK Touch Diamond 1.93 Software
Packing a 2.4 inch screen, 3G connectivity and a partnership that brings YouTube compatibility to Sony Ericsson devices, the G705 and G705u were announced earlier today. The main difference between the two devices is that the G705u is the first UMA enabled phone from Sony Ericsson and it will be exclusive to Orange and its territories. Both devices come complete with a full HTML browser, 3.2 megapixel camera with video capabilities, email support, desktop RSS feeds, and built in aGPS to work directly with Google Maps.
- Large 2.4” screen – view websites and emails with high clarity
- HTML browser – surf the net how it was meant to be
- Automatic rotation – switch from portrait to landscape with just a tilt of the phone
- Google™ shortcut key – Go to Google™ from the idle screen with one key press
- Inbuilt aGPS combined with Google Maps™ for Mobile and Wayfinder™ – never get lost again
- Wi-Fi™ and DLNA certified™ – connect the way you want
- 3.2 megapixel camera – snap and share your favourite images via Bluetooth™
- YouTube™ compatible – upload videos or download favourite clips
For those worried about carrying a big phone, the G705 measures 95 x 47 x 14.3 mm and weighs in at 98 grams. With quadband GSM/GPRS/EDGE support and UMTS/HSDPA, the Sony Ericsson G705 will first be offered throughout Europe and follow with a second version for the US. The G705 will be available in several colors including Silky Gold, Majestic Black and the G705u will come in Luminous Black. A release date is scheduled for Q42008, but no pricing information was given at this time.
The G705 is ideal for those who need a bit of help organising their busy life.” said Catherine Cherry, Global product marketing manager at Sony Ericsson. “This life-enhancing phone has everything you need to keep track of your daily activities and is perfect for keeping in touch with friends. It also allows you to stay fully up-to-date thanks to the full HTML browser, email support, and desktop RSS feeds - all delivered at turbo 3G speeds.
Source: Sony Ericsson
In the US, the world of mobile virtual network operators (MVNO) is a dying bread, but Europeans have widely accepted and enjoyed these networks. Today Orange UK launched a new MVNO, Globalcell, a service for Eastern Europeans living in the UK. The service offers SIM-only prepaid services bundled with all customer services conducted in the customers’ native language. The current list of languages that Orange UK supports include Polish, Russian, Lithuanian, Slovak and English.
The concept is rather revolutionary and Orange UK’s VP of New Business, Wholesale & Strategy commented by saying:
Partnering with exciting MVNO’s such as GlobalCell not only demonstrates our desire to become the network partner of choice for new and existing MVNOs but also extends the Orange reach to much broader segments of the market.
With the launch of Globalcell, Orange UK’s MVNO network now has a customer base of more than 2.5 million. The combined total of Orange UK’s postpaid and MVNO subscribers is now 18.5 million as of August 2008 and with the launch of Globalcell the numbers should continue to pile in for the carrier.
Source: Cellular News
The Samsung INNOV8, also known as the i8510 to some, is the next generation in camera phone imaging. With a 8 megapixel camera and a sleek sliding design, it is one of the first device to post a legitimate threat to Nokia’s reign as king of the camera phone. Today we just heard word that Orange UK is currently listing the Samsung INNOV8 for sale on their website for FREE with a 35 EURO/month plan. To sweeten the deal, Orange UK is even throwing in your choice of 30 EURO cash back, 6 months half off service or a Free Phone Printer.
With the INNOV8 showing inventory as in stock, free Royal Mail Guaranteed Next Day delivery and free Insurance there are not many reasons why you could turn down the chance to be one of the first to own the 8 megapixel phone. If you still need a few reasons why the i8510 might be worth your while just think about the 8GB of internal memory, GPS, Wi-Fi, 120fps QVGA video and SatNav Software.
Mobiles.co.uk Samsung INNOV8 product page
Being the first wireless carrier in the world to launch the BlackBerry Bold is a title reserved for Movistar Chile, but UK BlackBerry fans still have some celebrating ahead. UK Orange has announced that they will begin selling the first ever 3G HSDPA capable BlackBerry starting August 16th for free on certain contracts. To take home the BlackBerry Bold 9000 for free UK Orange subscribers will be forced to sign an 18 month contract and hand over £45 per month (for unlimited data).
While you aren’t the first carrier in the world to launch the BlackBerry Bold, you still beat Rogers Canada’s August 19th release date and every carrier in the USA. We know this isn’t At&t’s slogan, but honestly we are ready for the US BlackBerry Bold 9000 launch, can you hear me now?
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Update: There is a direct link for the Orange HTC Kaiser / TyTN II Windows Mobile 6.1 ROM HERE.
The promise of a Windows Mobile 6.1 Update back in May for Orange’s HTC TyTN II has left many restless nights for those owning the device. To pour salt in the wound left by Orange’s web team failing to release the update to the public, Orange has published a page (link) showing the Windows Mobile 6.1 update in action. Unfortunately there are no links to download this updated ROM and the saga looks to continue for an unforeseeable amount of time.
Thankfully xda-developers have been able to come to the rescue with a test build of the HTC TyTN II update for the Orange UK network. While an official build is always best, at this point anything is a winner and it doesn’t seem like Orange UK is in any rush to deliver on their promise made back in May.
Download the test build of Windows Mobile 6.1 for the Orange UK HTC TyTN II here.
Update: There is a direct link for the Orange HTC Kaiser / TyTN II Windows Mobile 6.1 ROM HERE.
