orange

Apple iPhone Exclusive Orange Distribution Deal in France Ends

Apple has been ordered to cancel its exclusive iPhone 3G distribution agreement with France Telecom's Orange. Apple is now required to allow other local carriers in France to sell the iPhone 3G to their customers. The order comes from a complaint filed last September by Bouygues Telecom, which is one of France's smaller mobile operators. The complaint was filed with the French Competition Council. The complaint pointed to the fact that the agreement between Apple and Orange violates local French laws regarding competition and pricing.

The decision (PDF link French) by the Council was released this week and … Read more

Orange UK halts BlackBerry Bold sales

Orange UK has temporarily stopped selling Research In Motion's BlackBerry Bold while it tries to figure out a solution to unspecified 3G-related problems on the handset.

The operator halted sales of the popular handset on Friday. According to a spokesperson, sales will resume when a software fix becomes available, though no date was given.

"Orange UK is committed to providing the BlackBerry Bold to its customers in the U.K.; however, Orange UK and (BlackBerry manufacturer) RIM are currently working on providing a maintenance release of software to address some reported 3G-related concerns," a statement from Orange … Read more

Report: Orange backs off iPhone 3G throttling

French owners of the iPhone 3G are irate over Orange's practice of capping their 3G download speeds at a rate far slower than what their neighbors can access, but are in for a speed boost.

The carrier has apparently backed off its decision to cap iPhone 3G downloading speeds at 384Kbps, according to a report from France-Info. AppleInsider tracked the furor that arose after French iPhone 3G owners started comparing the speeds of their iPhones with their German neighbors, and discovered that iPhone 3G users on T-Mobile's German network were seeing speeds far greater, up to almost 2Mbps.… Read more

The 404 149: Where you can call us now for your free reading

After one of our listeners calls us out on our truly awful Jamaican impression, we try, try, try again--unsuccessfully. It doesn't work out so well, and we slowly start to sound like a Jamaican extradited from Ireland. Anyway...today's episode finally reveals the secret pre-show juice that powers the enthusiasm we bring you everyday: crunk juice! And, by crunk juice we mean orange juice! All this segues into our first story, where we lay the smackdown on 50 Cent for getting a little trigger happy south of the border. Jeff decides to change 50's name to "… Read more

Move your body, charge your phone

There are several ways one can harness natural energy. In addition to the sun, wind, tides, and geothermal activities, the human body itself is increasingly being used to produce energy charge all sorts of electricity-hungry devices.

Music company Orange and GotWind, a firm specializing in renewable energy, have teamed up to create a device called the Dance Charge. Weighing 180 grams (about 6.3 ounces), you strap it around your arm. Dance Charge then uses the kinetic energy generated by your body in motion to juice up your phone.

It also uses a system of weights and magnets to produce … Read more

Details scarce ahead of iPhone 3G launch

A few tidbits about the upcoming iPhone 3G launch have trickled out this week, though unfortunately, none of them are particularly illuminating, taken individually.

Perhaps the most interesting one--if only for its lack of details--is the memo distributed to Apple Retail employees this week in FAQ-style concerning the July 11 launch of the iPhone 3G.

Employees are being instructed to answer "I don't know" to any number of pertinent questions surrounding the launch, such as how the in-store activation process will work, any upgrade offers from the original iPhone, or any planned price cuts to the iPod … Read more

Why the attacks on Broadcom's founder may be misguided

While so many pundits and otherwise wise people have expounded at great and critical length on the allegations of drug-fueled friendsy leveled at Broadcom founder, Henry Nicholas, has anyone stopped to consider just what a dedicated CEO he might have been?

It is easy to mount one's 18-hands stallion and scoff at his methods.

Supposedly, he showered clients with chemical and human pleasure providers to close deals.

Some say he openly authorized cash to be paid to drug couriers as well as pizza delivery boys. And, most bizarrely, he is accused of smoking so much marijuana on a plane … Read more

Xbox 360 and PS3 graphics go head to head

It's a debate that spawned well before the next-generation of gaming even began. Fast-forward to present day, and you'll find that jury still seems to be out on which console provides the better graphical experience.

While console fanboys would have you believing otherwise, the truth is that there really is no dramatic difference in the majority of multiplatform games on either the Xbox 360 or the PlayStation 3.

That said, CNET sister site Gamespot has re-examined the controversy in their third look at comparing the graphics on both consoles. Quite possibly the most in-depth comparison to date, Gamespot … Read more

Orange rolling out iPhone 2.0 upgrade path?

French iPhone carrier Orange might have an upgrade plan in the works when Apple ships the next generation of the iPhone.

Anyone with a pulse and even a passing interest in consumer electronics knows that the 3G iPhone is perhaps weeks away from making its debut, probably at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference on June 9. Those with longer memories will recall the outcry over Apple's decision to cut the price of the iPhone by $200 in September, forcing the company to issue $100 credits to iPhone early adopters to stem the criticism.

Perhaps this time around, Apple and … Read more