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Welcome to the September edition of the Orange Partner newsletter.

The autumn kicks-off with lots of exciting news from the Orange Partner programme, to be found here, in the September newsletter.

The full schedule is being finalised for our fifth Partner Camp (23-25 October, Cadiz Spain). This camp promises to be bigger and better than ever before. Registration is open and already places are going fast! With less then seven weeks to go, I recommend you register today so you won't be disappointed.

Find out where and who you can meet from the Orange Partner team at the forthcoming CTIA Wireless and Symbian Smartphone events.

Also get the latest on why the ACCESS Linux platform has been named an approved platform, which member company is the first to receive Orange Compatible, and what 'mobileOK' is.

We'll also give you the latest on the Java de-fragmentation issue, the new Orange brand, and the Orange Partner website. Plus, don't forget to download part two from the series on mobile music!

With kind regards,.

Steve Glagow
Orange Partner - Director

ACCESS Linux platform – an Orange approved platform
ACCESS Linux Platform (ALP) has been named an Orange approved platform and a new Orange Application Package for ALP has been announced.

Orange has selected ACCESS as one of the suppliers of LINUX operating systems for handsets, which forms the basis for the Orange next generation of Linux phones.

What does this mean for you? We'll be discussing our plans with you at the next Partner Camp, and more information and tools will be available for you to use shortly afterwards.

More specifically, Orange and ACCESS are working together to develop the Orange Application Package for ACCESS Linux Platform - based mobile phones, which is designed to accelerate time to market for ALP based mobile phones and devices.

This package (containing applications optimised to deliver the Orange experience), will provide handset and mobile device manufacturers with a turnkey mobile Linux platform.

This platform will then be used to easily and quickly develop ALP-based Orange Signature Devices.

Find out more – read the full press release >

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'mobileOK' a new machine-readable content label – the latest from the MWI
Content authors, tools developers and content providers - your comments are required on the Mobile Web Initiative's (MWI) Best Practices Working Group draft on 'mobileOK'.

'mobileOK' is a new machine-readable content label which can be applied to content and its delivery.

It's a measure of the extent to which content and its delivery enhance the user-experience for mobile users.

'mobileOK' will be applied to content which has passed a suite of tests based on the guidelines detailed in the Mobile Web Best Practices document.

Content and delivery will be submitted for two levels of testing, and there will be a 'mobileOK' mark available after passing each level.

Find out more, read the working draft, and submit your comments >

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Orange Compatible endorsement - roll-out has started
We've awarded our first Orange Compatible endorsement; an Orange seal of approval for products in our Orange Partner catalogue

We've now started rolling-out the Orange Compatible endorsement to products within the Orange Catalogue. And OnePIN was the first company to achieve it.

Premium members who have relevant products in the catalogue will now start to receive notification from us, awarding you the endorsement. Look out for the emails!

We've issued a press release about the first recipient – take a look and read the full press release >

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New 'Orange' brand – for France Telecom Group's Internet, TV and mobile offerings
The new Orange brand is a major step toward fulfilling our promise of simplicity and convergence for our customers - at work and at home.

You may have already spotted that on 1 June 2006 Orange became the single brand for France Telecom Group's Internet, TV and mobile offerings, and Orange Business Services became the Group's business brand name in 220 countries and territories.

This is part of the France Telecom Group 'integrated operator strategy' (New Experiences in Telecoms Services).

At the end of April 2006, France Telecom Group had 86.5 million mobile subscribers, and Orange is the largest broadband provider in Europe, with over 8.1 million broadband customers.

We will be explaining more about what this means for you, our members, at the forthcoming Orange Partner Camp, Cadiz >

We'll explain how you can work with us to continue delivering innovative products and services to our customer using Internet, TV and mobile.

Read more about the new Orange brand >

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Java de-fragmentation – new guidelines and toolkit
New guidelines, to be launched at Orange Partner Camp, Cadiz will help in the short term whilst the Java fragmentation issue is being resolved.

It's in the interests of all of us to decrease the cost of testing, and to make it easier for more people to run Java applications on their devices, thereby increasing the number of applications downloaded and run.

Following your feedback, Orange Partner are working with Sun to put together a solution which you can use immediately to help reduce the number of versions required, while the de-fragmentation issue is being resolved.

We're also working on the standards and looking into what can change longer term, to help avoid further fragmentation...

In the short-term we're coming up with a set of guidelines to help you develop applications that cope with the existing device base, without the need for you to generate hundreds of different versions. These guidelines will be available for you at Orange Partner Camp, Cadiz.

We're also developing a tool kit with Sun (a version of NetBeans IDE), which will incorporate the NetBeans mobility pack, and will be based on our set of guidelines.

Find out more about Java de-fragmentation and how you can get involved >

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Music: mobiles practice their scales – part two
In the second part of this series we take a look at the services and levers for usage development of Mobile TV.

According to OrangeBadim™, mobile music targets four main goals for mobile operators: To increase data revenue, attract new customers, support mobile broadband services uptake and to ensure cross selling of content (mobile TV, video on demand, etc).

Full-track downloads may well be the mobile cousin of the 'single', while PC/mobile platforms are one of the most innovative models.

Music downloads, radio services, renting music for a given time period (popularized by Napster) and integrated mobile PC services such as "au MusicPod" are just some of the services that are currently available.

In addition, using artists as ambassadors and holding high-profile launch events are just the some of the methods being used to drive take-up.

Premium members - find out more, read the full article >

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Orange Partner website – what's new?
Changes to the Orange Partner programme and the website for Autumn 2006

Over the coming month you will see some new and exciting changes taking place within the programme and the Orange Partner website.

A new level of membership - contracted partner

For those of you who are members or premium members of the Orange Partner programme, and are already contracted to supply France Telecom Group or Orange with products or services, we have now set up a new level of membership just for you – contracted partnership.

Contracted Partners will be able to access all the information available to premium members, plus more.

We'll be in touch with you again shortly to discuss how this will happen.

Discussion forums – upgraded and updated

Many of you have told us how valuable you find the online discussion forums – a key area for peer-to-peer support within the programme.

Based on your feedback we will be making some changes to the forum area within the site to further improve the value of the forums and the information available to you.

These changes will take place in the next few weeks – we'll let you know soon.

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Orange Partner Camp – registration is now open!
23-25 October 2006 in Cadiz, Spain

Our fifth Partner Camp promises to be bigger and better than ever before. Registration has been open for less than four weeks, and already places are going fast!

More information about the sessions will be available very soon at www.orangepartnercamp.com – so keep visiting the website to see how the programme is shaping up.

We're making sure that we'll be covering issues of interest to both commercial and technical attendees, from fixed and mobile areas.

There will be a balance between information about the future, and information and discussions about what's happening in the here-and-now.

Take a look at the new information on the website and don't forget to reserve your place >

We would like to thank both PalmSource for their gold sponsorship, and Texas Instruments for silver sponsorship.

Several more sponsors will be announced shortly.

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CTIA Wireless (Los Angeles) – 12-14 September 2006
Visit our booth No: 1000 and meet with us face-to-face, grab some great goodies and win an Orange Smartphone

CTIA Wireless IT & Entertainment is an event that represents all technologies and platforms for wireless data, focusing on both the enterprise and entertainment sectors.

For those of you attending, don't forget to drop by our booth, and come along and hear our VP Brand and Consumer Marketing in the keynote session.

Click here to find out more about CTIA Wireless >

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Symbian Smartphone Show (London) – 17-18 October 2006
The last chance to meet us before Partner Camp EMEA

In addition to the usual event elements, new to this year's show are the developer zone, developer training courses, developer seminar theatre for all attendees, a developer exhibition and demo area plus CEO Keynote Sessions - open to all attendees.

Drop by our stand and meet us, and don't miss Steve Glagow – Director of Partners and Operations, Orange who will be presenting a Keynote session.

In addition, we've got a couple of sessions there too. More information will follow on our website.

Tuesday 17 October
11:00 Keynote: Mobile User Requirements – An evolution in process
Steve Glagow – Director of Partners and Operations, Orange

Click here to find out more about the Symbian Smartphone Show >

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The International Mobile Gaming Awards – games developers get involved!
Mobile games developers – get involved in the IMG Awards which encourage and reward the creativity of leading international studios as well as talented amateurs.

Orange Partner is once again sponsoring the International Mobile Gaming Awards (IMGA), a yearly contest for the most innovative and creative mobile games in the world.

You can now benefit from an extended entry deadline – which has been moved from the 11th of September to the 25th of September.

The IMGA has acknowledged the growing importance of flash animation in mobile gaming, and has added a brand new category to specifically recognise excellence in this area.

The extended deadline will allow for entrants wishing to enter this new category.

Winners will be selected for each for the following categories:

• Grand Prix
• Most Innovative Game
• Best Interactive Experience
• Excellence in 3D
• Best Use of Connectivity
• Best Use of Flash (new category)

Find out more about the awards, and enter now >

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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 partners 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).

• Mobile Web Initiative (MWI) – the latest from the Device Descriptions Working Group (DDWG) workshop
• Music: mobiles practice their scales – The first part of this special feature
• Orange Partner Camp – registration opens Monday 14 August
• New section with useful articles and reports on the mobile industry
• Devices, devices, devices - check out the devices by country page

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We want to hear your thoughts about the Orange Partner Newsletter. Drop us a line at developers@orange.com