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Welcome to the June edition of the Orange Partner newsletter.

You'll know from previous newsletters about the imminent launch of the Orange Application Shop – a brand new route to market for your applications. This month we tell you about two forthcoming virtual seminarsto help you get your applications in to the Shop.

Also, learn about the latest announcements from Java One last month and find out how you can have your say on Java de-fragmentation via the Orange Partner programme.

If you're a keen developer then find out about a forthcoming challenge in which you can compete for cash prizes, plus get the latest device specs from the Orange Partner website.

Don't forget to check out the industry events where you can catch up with the Orange Partner team!

Steve Glagow
VP – Orange Marketing Operations

New devices – check out the specifications
Read through the latest device specs published on the website this month

The device specification page is one of the most visited pages of our website which we regularly update to help you develop for the latest and most popular devices across our footprint.

• LG KE850
  An advanced touchscreen-only phone with sleek understated looks which has been designed in conjunction with PRADA.
  
  
• Motorola W510
  This clamshell phone combines RAZR features and styling. Key features include quad-band GSM, a memory card slot, 1.3 megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, EDGE data, advanced voice dialling, and dual colour displays
  
  
• Samsung E390
  The Samsung E390 features MP3/AAC/AAC+ Music player with a micro SD card slot, 256K TFT display, Bluetooth v2.0, USB port, 1.3 Megapix camera, EDGE, 64 channels Polyphonic, Java MIDP 2 support and class 10 GPRS.
  
  
• Sony Ericsson K550i
  The K550i is similar to the K750i , however there are some fundamental differences which include a 2 megapixel camera, autofocus and flash, 1.9" 176x220 pixel display, Bluetooth, FM radio and expandable memory.  
  
  
• Sony Ericsson W610i
  The Sony Ericsson W610i is a slim monoblock phone with a thickness of just 14mm and comes with a 1.9" 176x220 pixel display, 2 megapixel digital camera, an FM radio and expandable memory using Memory Stick Micro cards.

Check out the full list of device specifications available >

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Nokia Open C Challenge – launching soon
Developers - this is your chance to learn how to develop on the Nokia Open C environment and win some fantastic cash prizes!

We're delighted to announce the forthcoming Nokia Open C Challenge for all software developers in US, EMEA and Asia.

The challenge will be to develop a mobile application by porting existing code into the Nokia Open C environment.

Whether you're new to S60 development or already familiar with C++ programming, the Nokia Open C environment allows you to easily port existing solutions to S60.

Entrants will be judged on the quality, usability, creativity, innovation and porting difficulty of their application.

The challenge will allow you to benefit from the latest SDKs and free technical training, plus you will have the chance to win cash prizes which include $10,000 for the grand prize, $5,000 for the 1st Runner-Up, $3,000 for the 2nd and $2000 for the 3rd.

The challenge will run between mid June and the end of August and the winners will be announced at the Symbian Smartphone Show in October.

If you're interested in participating, send us an email to developers@orange-ftgroup.com with 'open_c_challenge' in the subject line and we'll let you know once registration is open.

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France Telecom Group – 6th largest integrated operator worldwide
France Telecom Group revenue has - for the first time - topped ˆ50 billion and the company is currently ranked the 6th largest integrated operator.

The attached comparison between several integrated operators indicates that France Telecom Group is also the one which has decreased its debt the most rapidly in 2006.

Verizon and NTT continue to invest the most, with CAPEX of over 20% of turnover, partly as a result of their heavy investment in fixed broadband (fibre optics) and mobile broadband (EV-DO and W-CDMA networks respectively).

Read through this article and find out where the world's largest integrated operators rank in terms of margins, turnover, investment and debt >

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Whitepaper download – Easy mobile web content using conditional CSS
Read through this whitepaper by Orange Labs, Boston and find out why serving out customised mobile web content doesn't have to be difficult and doesn't have to rely on technologies not already in wide use.

The mobile web shows every sign of the 'next big thing'. Web-enabled mobile handsets now out number desktop and laptop PCs. Analysts predict that well over a billion people will use them to connect to the web by 2008, with double-digit growth in mobile advertising revenue expected over the next few years.

However, only about 10 percent of web-enabled handsets host full-featured non-WAP browsers and as yet few people are using them or are even aware they exist, and for good reason. If you ever try to surf the web with a mobile browser you run across a lot of poorly rendering content.

To address this situation, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has outlined a series of Mobile Web Best Practices. These are recommendations that provide a starting point to educate web content providers on giving their sites a baseline of mobile accessibility. Ultimately the W3C will address more difficult questions such as how to serve content to devices with much different sets of characteristics and features.

This paper outlines one of those approaches: a simple server script that adapts web pages based on what kind of client is requesting it. Once running, you can dynamically configure how content appears using customized or conditional CSS properties.

Download the whitepaper and find out more >

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Java de-fragmentation initiative – news and updates from Java One
Find out how community participation is driving the evolution of the Java Micro Edition Platform

Last month at the Java One conference Sun announced that they have expanded their Open Source mobile and embedded community with updated source code, new projects and third party participation.

Since its inception in November of 2006, the open source Mobile & Embedded Community has gained traction with mobile developers worldwide. Already, the Mobile & Embedded Community has over 60 active projects.

Orange Partner and its members are already involved in the Mobile Embedded Community via the Java de-fragmentation initiative, having created the Best Practices guidelines in a collaborative effort to openly define and develop best practices for Java Platform Micro Edition application development.

These guidelines are now available for the Mobile & Embedded Community to further collaborate, evolve and extend.

Find out more about how you can get your views on Java de-fragmentation represented and check out the Java guidelines >

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Broad release of UTI Digital Certificate for Java Verified - the latest news
At Java One last month, Sun announced they will facilitate wider access to the Unified Testing Initiative (UTI) digital security certificate for installation in Java technology-based mobile and embedded handsets.

The UTI helps to reduce costs and complexity for developers, ensuring the quality of applications and enhancing security for mobile networks and devices.

With the release of this digital security certificate, non-UTI member companies will now be able to run Java Verified signed applications on their mobile phones.

The UTI is an open industry initiative consisting of LG Electronics, Motorola, Nokia, Orange/France Telecom Group, Samsung, Sun Microsystems, Sony Ericsson and Vodafone that creates testing criteria to address application deployment challenges and facilitate greater network security.

Orange Partner is involved in this initiative and our very own Martin Wrigley - Head of Developers Technology, Orange Partner - was voted in as the Chairman of Java Verified last month.

(Talking of additional responsibilities, you may have noticed from the introduction at the top of this newsletter, that Steve Glagow (formerly director of Orange Partner) has been elevated to Vice President of Marketing Operations. Steve will still ultimately be looking after Orange Partner, but with a few other responsibilities alongside. Congratulations Steve, from all of the Orange Partner team!)

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Virtual seminar: The Orange Application Shop (part 1): 14:00 - 15:00 (UK time), 18 July 2007
A commercial opportunity for your applications

Join this virtual seminar to look at the newly-launched Orange Application Shop web and WAP sites.  Find out exactly what we're looking for, and understand how to get your products into the Shop.

We're looking for applications now!

The Orange Application Shop is an opportunity for you to distribute your downloadable applications direct to Orange consumers in the countries within which Orange operates.

The Shop will allow Orange customers to download applications for personal use, direct from Orange, via Orange World on their phone or from their local Orange consumer website.

Complementing existing web and WAP based routes to market - including the current Orange World and the Orange Applications Showcase for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) - the Orange Application Shop will offer a huge range of applications across all major platforms.

If you're interested in attending please send us an email to developers@orange-ftgroup.com with 'virtual_seminar_app_shop_part1' in the subject line and we'll send you an email once registration has opened.

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Participate in this virtual seminar to understand the industry standard testing requirements and the Orange Compatibility testing process that your products must undergo to be considered for the Shop.

Also, find out about the Orange Compatibility endorsement, how to get it, and what it means for you.

Let us help you through the testing processes - virtually and physically - to achieve the above.

If you're interested in attending please send us an email to developers@orange-ftgroup.com with 'virtual_seminar_app_shop_part2' in the subject line and we'll send you an email once registration has opened.

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MEDC 2007 will be a concentrated two day event consisting of technical training dedicated to mobile and embedded technologies.

The annual event is tailored for developers, IT professionals, and business professionals who are looking to innovate and scale their mobile or embedded development investments, applications, and solutions.

Meet the Orange Partner team…
Come and say hello to us in the exhibition area, find out the latest news from Orange Partner and see what our programme has to offer.

We are also the official sponsors of the ISV speed dating session. You can register at the event to set up an appointment with us to show us your applications, products and solutions, and find out how we can help with development and commercialisation.

Find out more >

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The Orange Partner newsletter is the best way for our members to regularly keep up with the latest market and technology developments from Orange and the mobile industry.

To help you keep up to date we've collated the top 5 stories and articles from the newsletter and website that were of interest to our members last month (compiled using clicks per page analysis).

• Orange Partner Camp post-event website – read about it and download the presentations
• Orange Innovation Contest – and the winner was...
• WiMAX in emerging markets – easy to deploy but where are the devices?
• Mobile handset sales – growth continues
• Average mobile revenue per user – decreases in Europe

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