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September 2007 |
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hello ...
Welcome to the September edition of the Orange Partner newsletter.
The big news this month is that the WAP version of the Application Shop is now live in the UK and we're looking for your applications right now! Read on to find out everything you need to know about the Shop and what you need to do get your applications to our customers.
Also, from Orange Partner – we've ventured into China. Learn about what we're doing there and if you're based in China find out how you can get local technical and commercial support. Plus check out the new Chinese web pages on our site.
If you're interested in Web 2.0 then find out how you can access tools to help you start developing widgets and mash-ups. We also take a look at the world of Mobile Browsing and bring you the latest from the Mobile Web Initiative. |
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Don't forget to enrol for our free virtual seminar, check out the latest 'Challenges' and find out where to meet us at forthcoming industry events.
Steve Glagow
VP - Orange Marketing Operations |
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Mash-up and develop with Orange right now – find out how
We'll help you develop your widgets for Bubbletop and mash-ups using Pikeo right now!
Orange recently extended its reach into the area of web 2.0 with the launch of Bubbletop (our webtop product) and Pikeo (our photo sharing product).
To help you – our members – understand this entire area, last month we held a 'mashing up and developing with Orange' event in San Francisco, which produced some 14 finished widgets (and some great mash-up ideas) which were created and presented to a judging panel at the end of the day.
The event went down very well, and provided a great platform for widget and API development. We learned some lessons too, and have made some changes to the Bubbletop Foundry platform as a result.
As so much interest has been shown in this area by our members, we'll be holding events in London, Paris and Barcelona between now and the end of the year, to help (and learn from!) our European members.
We're putting the details together now, so why not let us know what you want from us through an event such as this, by sending an email to developers@orange.com with 'mash-up' in the subject line. In the body of the email let us know what you'd want to come away with, either in a commercial capacity, developer capacity or both. If you send us an email, we'll – of course – let you know as soon as the dates have been confirmed.
Find out what happened at the San Francisco event, and access the Bubbletop Foundry >
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The Orange Application Shop has launched in the UK – submit your apps now!
Find out all you need to know about the Shop and submit your applications to us.
The Orange Application Shop WAP site has launched on a range of devices in the UK, and the WEB site launch will follow soon.
Right now we're looking for Microsoft and Blackberry applications across ALL categories and also Communications and Travel apps on Microsoft, Blackberry, Java or Symbian Operating Systems.
Getting your applications into the Shop
- You must be a premium member or a contracted partner for your applications to be considered for the Application Shop. This level of membership will then enable you to submit your applications to us.
You must then submit your product to us for consideration and – if appropriate - your product will enter the Orange Internal Product Catalogue. Here products are 'aggregated' ready to be reviewed for 'best fit' against a variety of routes to market across our business.
- It's here – from the Internal Product Catalogue - that products will be selected for the Application Shop (if they're deemed suitable).
If you already have a product in the Internal Product Catalogue that we think is suitable for the Application Shop then we'll have either contacted you already or we'll be contacting you in the coming weeks to discuss how this can happen.
- Once your product has been selected for the Application Shop, we'll put you in touch with Cellmania – our Shop provider - asking you to sign a 'Mutual Confidentiality Agreement' and return it to them.
After signing the necessary documentation, you will then be able to submit your application direct to the Application Shop via a web interface. At this stage you will receive more information on how exactly to do this.
Take a look at what the shop looks like and read through the complete FAQs to find out more >
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Orange Partner is now in China! – what does this mean for you?
We launched the Developer Centre and are now offering even more support to Chinese developers.
Back in June 2007, we were proud to open our sixth world-wide Developer Centre, located inside the France Telecom Orange Labs offices in Beijing, China.
Find out more about the Orange Developer Centre, Beijing >
We were delighted to be able to launch this venture with our colleagues in Beijing, and the Developer Centre is now being used by Orange Partner members based in China to develop and test applications for possible commercialisation to Orange customers worldwide.
Not only is the Developer Centre available for our premium members to use, but our team of Orange Partner representatives located in the Orange Labs Beijing offices are available to take interested parties through the process to become a member or a premium member and then provide product development feedback.
Find out more and check out the 'walk through the programme' section of the website in Chinese >
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Latest from MWI - create your own mobileOK compliance checker
Find out how you can create a reference, open-source implementation of the mobileOK Basic Tests 1.0.
Recently staff from several organisations that are members of the W3C Mobile Web Initiative - including W3C, Google, Dotmobi and Fundación CTIC - decided to create a reference, open-source implementation of the mobileOK Basic Tests 1.0.
This community effort aims to provide developers with actual code to help create their own version of a mobileOK compliance checker.
The open-source reference implementation is now available in CVS (Concurrent Versioning System).
Currently about 75% of the tests are complete and stable, but there are still some pending issues - e.g., caching behavior of checker and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) related enhancements.
You can access the CVS, check out existing compliance checkers, read further documentation and feedback your comments by joining the Mobile Web Initiative right now.
Find out more>
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SMS – the biggest revenue earner for operators in emerging markets
Read through this article by Orange Badim and find out how about how much revenue SMS accounts for and the current global predictions for the future.
Some analysts estimate that messaging revenues are estimated to be nearing US$80bn worldwide, with SMS accounting for US$60bn.
Current global predictions for the growth of SMS messaging by 2010 range from 2.316 trillion (by Gartner), to 2.827 trillion (by Ovum) and 3.173 trillion (by Portio Research).
A key industry trend is that in the mature markets, mobile networks are acknowledging the importance of wireless applications service providers (WASPs) and aggregators in growing the Application-to-person (A2P) market.
In the experience of mobile operators the higher the percentage paid out to WASPs, the greater the revenue made by the mobile operator from messaging. In the UK, mobile operators currently pay out the highest in the global messaging market.
Read the full article and get a breakdown of current global SMS traffic and revenues plus what's predicted for the future.
Read now >
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Mobile browsers – let the battle of the three begin
Following the launch of Opera's mobile browser (Opera Mini) in 2006 it's now the turn of Microsoft and Mozilla to take an interest in this market. Read through this article by Orange Badim.
The recent take off of Web 'n' Walk type offerings indicates that there is potential for a Web access from mobiles – and not only on top-of-the-range smartphones.
The issues at stake is to find the means of developing usage on the customer lambda terminal, keeping access as simple as possible and content as rich as on a PC. It's in this context that browser publishers are tending to base their tools and business models.
It is evident that, whatever the browser (Opera Mini, Minimo, Pocket IE, Mobile Safari, JavaFX Mobile, Symbian or Thunderhawk…), the mobile Internet world is increasingly stimulating the appetites of 'fixed' players with the aim of imposing their solutions.
In the background another battle is also being waged (to become established as the reference mobile phone home page search engine). In this respect, Opera initially chose Google in 2000 (sharing revenue to boot) before its alliance last January with Yahoo! to put One Search as the new home page search engine.
The attitude of operators in light of these manoeuvres remains to be seen and finally whether customers and use will follow suit.
Read through this article brought to you by Orange Badim and understand the issues at stake - which go beyond mobile.
Read now >
If you have an interest in the mobile web, become a member of our Mobile Web Imitative and we'll keep you updated with the latest developments in this area. To find out more click here>
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Nokia Open C Challenge: deadline is looming - enter by 14 September 2007!
Developers, this is your chance to learn how to develop on the Nokia Open C environment and win some fantastic cash prizes!
Forum Nokia, in conjunction with Orange and Symbian, is encouraging developers to design and build applications that deliver the greatest value to customers.
Participate in the Open C Challenge for a chance to win over $20,000 in prizes and an opportunity to showcase your winning application at the Symbian Smartshow in London.
The challenge will allow you to compete for cash prizes which include:
$10,000 for the grand prize
$5,000 for the 1st runner-up
$3,000 for the 2nd runner-up
$2000 for the 3rd runner-up
The Open C categories of competition are to:
Port an existing application to S60. Entries to this category will include 3rd Edition applications ported from already existing open source projects or from other mobile platforms.
Or
Native development of an application using S60 and Open C. Entries to this category will consist of brand new applications created using Open C.
You will be judged on the quality, usability, creativity, innovation and porting difficulty of your application.
Find out more and enter now >
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Free virtual seminar: Porting open source applications to Symbian Smartphones
Thursday 27 September 16:30 (UK time)
With a 72% market share and over 126 million Symbian OS phones, the numbers are pretty impressive.
So, if you want to improve your developing skills on the Symbian OS – join us for this free seminar brought to you by Symbian and Orange.
Let Symbian share with you their plans for v9.5 and beyond, what they're doing to help ISVs make mobile applications better and easier to develop and learn how can you port an application using P.I.P.S.
Using a case study you'll be given an illustration of how to port an application using the PIPS (POSIX on Symbian OS) which can significantly reduce the effort required to migrate existing applications from other platforms.
If you're interested in attending please send us an email to developers@orange-ftgroup.com with 'virtual_seminar_symbian_smartphones' in the subject line and your Orange Partner membership username in the email. We'll then send you an email once registration has opened.
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Open Doors 2007 @ the Glasgow Developer Centre – Friday 28th September
Glasgow, UK
Come and meet Orange Partner at the 'Open Doors' exhibition at Hillington Park Innovation Centre.
The event is aimed at Scottish technology companies looking to take their business to a new level. Open Doors is a showcase of the global technology companies – and Orange Partner will be there too!
Not only can you meet with us in the exhibition area, but the Orange Developer Centre will be open to everyone who attends (not just premium members).
Come to the Developer Centre to play with the latest handsets, test your applications and talk to Martin Read and Steve Parrott about the types of applications we're seeking for the Application Shop.
Find out more >
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Mobile Rules! 2008 Annual Business Plan and Application Competition
If you have an idea you think will shake the mobile world, it's time to act now!
Orange Partner is proud to be a sponsor of the Mobile Rules! Annual business plan and application competition.
Would you like to see your business plan come to life or get your mobile application in the hands of millions of Nokia device users? Then here's your chance!
Or perhaps you want to go mobile with your existing service and distribute your content on Nokia devices?
The goal of the competition is to seek out the developers and entrepreneurs (e.g.: individuals, university spin-offs, small companies and start-ups) who are creating new value, new revenue and services for mobile workforces and the mobile lifestyle.
The competition is divided into two tracks; Mobile applications and Mobile business plans. Entries for both tracks must be made online.
Submission for Track 1 - Mobile applications started 1st August 2007
Submission for Track 2 - Mobile business plans starts - 10 September 2007
Find out more and enter now >
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October 2007 industry events – check out where we'll be
Come and meet the Orange Partner team at industry events:
Symbian Smartphone Show - 16 – 17 October 2007
Excel Centre, London
Orange Partner is once again delighted to be a part of the annual Symbian Smartphone Show this October.
Come and meet the team there.
If you're developing and selling applications, then we want to talk to you….
Visit us at the stand and we'll tell you about the brand new commercial opportunities available to you…and you may even win a prize!
Find out more >
CTIA Wireless IT and Entertainment - October 23-25, 2007
The Moscone Center, San Francisco
Orange Partner is again involved in one of the largest wireless data events in the industry: CTIA.
Our presence this year is bigger than ever with so much more to offer. Visit us at booth 1341.
If you've got mobile applications that you want to distribute to Orange customers then come and visit the team to find what we can do for you.
Find out more >
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Are you reading off of the same page as your fellow newsletter subscribers?
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).
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