Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

If you’re wondering why you don’t have an AT&T-branded BlackBerry Bold in your hand at this very second, the answer might lie a couple thousand miles away where Orange has allegedly pulled all units off the shelves to hammer out some “software issues” that have plagued early devices in subscribers’ hands. The whole situation leaves us to wonder whether carriers jumped the gun on validating early builds of the Bold’s firmware in an effort to get it out into the market in a non-ridiculous amount of time, while AT&T may have chosen to play it safe with a longer, more excruciating battery of tests — leading to RIM’s swipe that the October 2 miss was all AT&T’s fault. It’s just a theory, and probably a pretty meaningless one since this Orange fiasco should apparently take a couple weeks to clear up at most, and we’re still hearing occasional whispers out of the AT&T camp that they’re still pushing for an October release over there. Chop chop, guys.

[Via Mobile Tech Addicts]

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Filed under: Laptops, Wireless

Laptops with built-in WWAN modems aren’t anything new, but there’s a hodgepodge of hardware and services available — a situaton the GSM Association is trying to simplify with the new Mobile Broadband standardization initiative. Sure, it’s mostly an excuse to get another sticker on your gear, but companies like Microsoft, Dell, Lenovo, ASUS, Toshiba, Qualcomm and a bunch of carriers are on board to ensure that Mobile Broadband-certified machines will be ready and able to connect in some 91 countries around the world — and what’s more, they’re committed to spending a cool billion dollars in the next year promoting MB as a “compelling alternative” to WiFi and WiMAX. That should be an interesting dilemma for the carriers that also run hotspot networks, but we’ve got a feeling everyone’s happy as long as the sub fees keep rolling in.

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Filed under: Cellphones

The iPhone 3G hits 20 more countries tomorrow, and while we doubt the hype will match the craziness of launch day, that’s not stopping Orange from trying to re-create the madness in Poland — it’s hiring “dozens” of actors to line up at 20 stores around the country to “drum up interest.” Yeah, that’s just sad — especially since there aren’t any real customers in line at Polish T-Mobile stores, which is also carrying the phone. Good luck selling phones to your own actors, fools — when will these companies ever learn?

PS.- That’s a pic from launch day in Chicago — any Polish readers have a shot of the actors for us? Send ‘em in!

Update: Yep, there they are, from appleblog.pl — and check a video after the break from Gazeta.

[Thanks to GreenToad and Yorick_Rise]

Continue reading Orange paying actors to line up for the iPhone 3G in Poland

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Filed under: Cellphones

Without much fanfare, the Samsung i800 was canned at the tail end of last month. When asked why, Orange simply noted that it was pulled in order to “prepare a more competitive Linux mobile.” A recent writeup at Ostatic takes a hard look at whether this simple withdrawal is really a sign of things to come, and it suggests that ALP could see support fade as the major players in Linux (and maybe even Nokia) step to the plate. One analyst was even quoted as saying that “having Google’s brand behind Symbian could very well mean ‘game over’ for mobile Linux in the mobile phone market,” and we honestly can’t disagree too vehemently with that assertion. Of course, the LiMo Foundation has stated its intentions to not back down from the mighty Google, but sometimes, even the best intentions fall through. Guess time will tell, huh?

[Via jkOnTheRun]

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Filed under: Laptops

It’s not exactly the first company to try to entice customers with the promise of a free or cheap Eee PC (or other netbook), but Orange apparently isn’t about to let a bandwagon pass it by, with it now offering an Eee PC 900 16G as part of its “Internet Everywhere” bundle. That includes the Eee PC, a mobile broadband dongle and, of course, mobile broadband service, which apparently tops out at just 3GB of data per month. At £25 (or $46) a month on a two-year contract, it’s also far from a free ride. If it sounds alright to you though, you can sign up in the UK starting tomorrow.

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Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals

For those fortunate enough to be planning a trip to this year’s Glastonbury, you can rest assured that forgetting your mobile charger won’t be the worst thing that could possibly happen. Reportedly, Orange will erect a seven-meter high recharge Pod tent in which patrons can stop by and reinvigorate their winded handset. Said tent will boast 500-watt solar panels and a 500-watt wind turbine in order to generate electricity for the lifeless phones, and Orange is hoping to juice up 100 devices per hour. If only such conveniences were everywhere…

[Thanks, Adam]

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Filed under: Cellphones

When it comes to subsidy rumors for Apple’s 3G iPhone, some are more believable than others. In this case, we’ll leave the likelihood judgments up to you. Readers of French tech site PCInpact say that they are getting calls from Orange with offers of an upgrade to the upcoming Apple wonderphone. For only 50€, readers say they have been told they can swap out their current-gen iPhone for the new one. Or, say the French, the upgrade will be offered at a “generous” discount. With Orange’s recent 3G iPhone distro deal in the books, we had to give this rumor some airtime. Either way, this could mean everything — or absolutely nothing — for those of you residing stateside and looking to bump your iPhone this summer.

[Via AppleInsider]

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Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio, Portable Video

France Telecom just announced that the iPhone will go on sale tonight at 6:30pm (18.30) at a dozen of its Orange stores across France. It will charge between €49 ($72) and €119 ($175) per month in addition to the €399 cost of the iPhone itself. After 6 months, Orange customers can unlock their iPhone for another €100 euro. The iPhone will also be sold unlocked for €649 ($957) without an Orange contract or €549 ($809) with an Orange plan, but not one of the four “Orange for iPhone” plans. Got it? Yeah, we’re a bit confused too, but then again, it’s definitely cheaper than the unlocked German iPhone.

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Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio, Portable Video

France Telecom just announced that the iPhone will go on sale tonight at 6:30pm (18.30) at a dozen of its Orange stores across France. It will charge between €49 ($72) and €119 ($175) per month in addition to the €399 cost of the iPhone itself. Orange customers can unlock their iPhone for another €100 on the spot or free after 6 months — though they’re still locked into an Orange contract of 1 or 2 years. The iPhone will also be sold unlocked contract free for €649 ($957) or €549 ($809) with an Orange plan without a time commitment. Got it? Yeah, we’re a bit confused too, but then again, it’s definitely cheaper than the unlocked German iPhone.

Update: Ah, clarity: AFP reports that an unlocked iPhone will cost €749 — €649 for phone and €100 for unlocking. See, that wasn’t so hard.

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Filed under: Cellphones

While Orange seems to be holding out until the last minute to announce exactly how much its unlocked iPhone will cost, France Telecom CEO Didier Lombard has apparently dropped a few less-than-specific details on the matter in a recent interview, saying that it’ll cost “over 500 euros, but well below 1,000 euros.” Or, in US dollars, roughly somewhere between $740 and $1,500, but apparently closer to the former. A bit pricey to be sure, but it would certainly be cheaper than the €999 unlocked iPhone that T-Mobile is selling in Germany. As previously announced, a locked iPhone on Orange (complete with a two-year contract) will set you back €399. Look for things to get fleshed out further when Orange gets official with its iPhone offerings on Thursday.

[Thanks, Holger]

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Filed under: Cellphones

Early adopters of Sony Ericsson’s W910i on the Orange network may have noticed that their phones suffer a tiny little flaw — shutting down 10 seconds into a phone call. The bug only wormed its way into a small number of W910s sold by Orange, but the two companies aren’t taking any chances — they’ve recalled every W910i sold thus far for inspection and repair / replacement. Models in stores now are apparently fine, but we’re hearing scattered reports of replacements having the same problem as well. No word on what’s causing the problem, but we can’t seem to get through to SE to get more details — the call keeps ending, for some reason.

[Via TrustedReviews]

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Filed under: Cellphones

Europeans are pretty used to paying through the nose for usage charges, whether it be by-the-minute charges for local calls in the landline days of yore, or per-KB charges for wireless data. The up side is that there are usually some pretty sweet prices on phones, since wireless companies know they can make it up on the back end, but for heavy users things can get expensive fast. And unfortunately, the glorious promises of “unlimited” data usage tacked onto iPhone plans offered by T-Mobile, O2 and Orange in their respective iPhone-exclusive markets aren’t quite the revolution we might’ve hoped for. T-Mobile just posted its rate plans for the November 9th iPhone launch, though it quickly pulled them from the site. Eagle-eyed observers grabbed a screenshot of the rates (pictured), but what’s notable is the fine print: depending on which plan you select — M, L or XL — you’re limited to 200MB, 1GB or 5GB of data, after which your data speeds are limited to 64Kbps, instead of EDGE’s traditional 220Kbps max. O2, whose rates have been up since day one, has a slightly vaguer “fair usage policy” that gives O2 the right to slap you with extra charges or change your rate plan if you exceed 200MB of use, though they claim this rarely happens. Details on Orange’s rate plans for the iPhone haven’t emerged yet, but Orange France has historically some of the priciest unlimited data rates, and has a standing policy to just go ahead and slap per-KB charges once the limit is crossed. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.

[Thanks, Patrick]

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Well, well… looks like Apple has been backed into a corner by French law and will be releasing an unlocked iPhone in France after all. While no one will say precisely how much the unlocked iPhone will cost (the locked Orange-network iPhone will cost €399) those details are expected to be announced sometime before the November 29 launch. Of course, laws forbidding the exclusive bundling of cellphones to carriers are not unique to France. As such, we can expect a glut of unlocked iPhones in the coming months as deals are struck throughout Europe and Asia. Hear that AT&T, O2 and T-Mobile haters? Your nefarious unlocking efforts are about to get a whole lot easier (and more expensive).

[Via Orange]

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After months of basically pulling each other’s hair on the playground, Apple and Orange have finally admitted that they like-like each other and have signed a deal to get the iPhone out in France. No word on how those unlocking laws will affect the deal, but something tells us people in iPhone-less countries who want to get their multi-touch on might want to brush up on their French.

[Image courtesy of TechCruch France]

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Filed under: Cellphones

We’re not exactly up on our French, let alone our French telecommunications law, but we’re hearing that Apple’s supposed launch of the iPhone in that country is being held up by two different regulations that prevent the iPhone from being the locked-down revenue-generating machine Apple wants it to be. The first, a law passed in 1998, requires that carriers unlock any phone upon customer request — for a fee during the first six months of a contract and for free after that. Notably, all three major French carriers — including Orange, which was supposed to get the iPhone — have lost lawsuits challenging this law. The second, which we’re slightly less clear on, apparently requires carriers to sell both locked and unlocked phones. Tensions over the regulations have apparently strained the relationship between the companies to the point where Orange spokespeople are saying things like “the risk we’re evaluating this week is that Apple crosses France off,” but really, who expected Apples and Oranges to mix without someone getting a little bruised?

Read — French unlocking law with unlocking provision at end of Article II
Read — Les Echoes report on Apple / Orange tension

[Via The Unlock iPhone Blog]

Disclaimer: Although this post was written by an attorney, the attorney in question only met his university’s foreign language graduation requirement by reciting an Eddie Izzard routine verbatim, so this post should not be considered legal advice or analysis of any kind.

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