Orange does another budget Android
Carriers are hoping that the open source nature of these OSs will help bring handset prices down
Published: 14 July, 2010
READ MORE: Orange | Handset | Android
It looks certain that Orange is planning release of another Android smartphone targeted at budget conscious consumers. The device, which has not been officially confirmed by Orange, is rumoured to have been developed under the 'Project JAL' codename and was thought to be a low-spec Android device. However, according to information received by TechRadar, the handset has a slim form factor and supports a capacitive OLED display and appears to be based on the ZTE Blade which the Chinese manufacturer announced back in February at Mobile World Congress.
This wouldn't be Orange's first foray with an Android phone - in April, the mobile operator announced the Orange Boston, which was launched in Spain. The Boston is manufactured by Foxconn , and is pretty much free on a service contract or $150 on pay-as-you-go.
Orange has made no secret of its intention to aggressively support Android, bringing a range of cost competitive smartphones to its European markets. Of the two phones which have been revealed so far, both are customised for the carrier, with Orange-flavoured icons to launch the menu, dialler, address book and messaging applications. There's also Orange's sat-nav app and the operator is promising a streaming TV app this summer.
Most importantly, these devices are customised with the Orange app store, underscoring the primary motivation behind these carrier-branded smartphones. The app store has become a key battle ground for mobile carriers in their fight to retain a value position in the booming smartphone market. According to ARCchart almost 300 million smartphones are expected to ship this year, and these operator-branded initiatives are a significant catalyst.
Vodafone has also been rolling out low cost smartphones under its own label, running Symbian, LiMO or Android. Carriers are hoping that the open source nature of these OSs will help bring handset prices down, and other operator-branded Android models are already available at mass market rates, including the Huawei Pulse for T-Mobile and the HTC Tattoo.
More ORANGE News
More FEMTOCELL News
More ANDROID News
COMMENTS
Carrier Broadband Performance: Africa & Middle East
Carriers are using mobile broadband as their weapon of choice in the fight against the commoditization of voice and falling ARPU. This...
Voice over LTE: Market Analysis and Forecasts
VoLTE offer unique advantages in lowering a carrier's voice infrastructure economics and promises to improve voice quality, device...
Satellite Phones: Will Dual Mode Help the Phoenix Rise from the Ashes?
Satellite phones have followed an arduous path since their much-hyped launch more than a decade ago. The hype was followed by an e...
