Multimedia messaging comes to Twitter in the U.K. thanks to Orange
Is this the beginning of the end for photo-sharing services TwitPic and YFrog?
U.K. Twitter users can now send multimedia messages and photos directly to Twitter with help from mobile operator Orange. If you’re a Orange U.K. user, just text the shortcode number ‘86444′ with the phrase ‘START’ to initiate the service.
Then you can take a picture with your phone, send it to that shortcode, and it will be posted on an Orange-hosted site called Snapshot…. Continue Reading
Blyk and Vodafone: Possible partners of convenience in mobile ads?
Some business models are so implausible that it’s only a matter of time before they implode, or search for a crutch — as is the case for British company Blyk, a “free” mobile virtual network operator (basically a reseller of minutes bought wholesale from long distance companies) with an advertising-only revenue model. Today, reports emerged that the company is planning to shutter its retail operations in favor of offering its service through other mobile operators… Continue Reading
T-Mobile’s runs into trouble in the U.K.
Deutsche Telekom’s T-Mobile has banked on being the first operator to launch the much-hyped Google Android phone. But that strategy’s falling short for at least one of its subsidiaries. Today, Deutsche Telekom reported that its mobile division lost $849 million, including a write-down of $2.4 billion in assets at T-Mobile U.K.
This performance does nothing to dispel rumors that T-Mobile U.K. may be put up for sale. The operator has yet to confirm anything, but sources… Continue Reading
Orange and Wikimedia join forces for mobile information portals
European telecom company Orange has struck a deal with the Wikimedia Foundation to expand mobile access to a broad range of information and content in the U.K., Spain, Poland and France. After a short pilot period, the plan is to roll out these services, and several new ones, to the rest of Orange’s European user base — covering up to 30 countries. No financial terms have been released.
Starting after the deal finalizes, Orange customers will… Continue Reading
CES: Does the future of TV lie in gesture-based control?
Gesture recognition is one of the most exciting new technologies at the International Consumer Electronics Show this week. A variety of companies — inspired by the Nintendo Wii’s gesture control and the iPhone’s multi-touch screen — developing new ways to interact with gadgets. Hand, arm or finger gestures — like waving your arms around in circles to make something happen on the screen — are being used in everything from phones to game consoles.
TV is… Continue Reading
France now selling Freedom iPhones…for around $1,200
If you live in France and want to buy an iPhone but refuse to sign a long term commitment with the French carrier Orange, there’s good news today: You don’t have to. A recent government ruling in that country threw a wrench in Apple’s exclusive deal with Orange to sell the device, and the French store Fnac is taking advantage of that ruling by selling the phone online without a contract, as MacNN points out.
The… Continue Reading
iPhone expansion continues: Europe, Mideast, Africa, Atlantis…
Okay, the last one hasn’t actually been added to the roster…yet.
The list of countries where the iPhone isn’t available in or coming to may soon be the easier list to write. Austria, Belgium, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Jordan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Switzerland and select African markets were all added to the lineup today thanks to a new agreement between Apple and Orange, one of the world’s leading mobile operators.
This follows an earlier rumor of Orange… Continue Reading