Gizmodo: Orange

Dance Charge Prototype Powers Phones By Your Furious Robot Moves

Jason Chen — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 13:45:00 EDT

Orange, a cellphone provider in the UK, has just developed a couple prototypes of this Dance Charge cellphone charger. You wrap this thing around your arm while you're dancing and your kinetic energy will translate into electricity to power your phone. It's like those flashlights that you have to shake before use, but much, much nerdier. Combine this with the fictional breast charger and you'll be able to power the entire DJ booth with just your flailing limbs. How they got that one chubby doctor from Grey's Anatomy to pose for promo pics is anyone's guess. [Reg Hardware via Tech Digest]

Ferris Bueller Wannabe Faces 38 Years in Prison After Changing Grades

Jesus Diaz — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 07:35:00 EDT

The Orange County District Attorney has charged 18-year-old student Omar Khan with 69 felony counts—including identity theft, computer fraud, falsifying a public record, second degree burglary and watching Ferris Bueller's Day Off and War Games 5,405 times—after allegedly getting into Tesoro High School's computers to change his grades. The pseudo-Matthew Broderick was not very subtle, though, leaving a trail the size of the Exxon Valdez's oil spill.

According to the DA and the Orange County Sheriff, Khan and fellow student Tanvir Singh committed their crimes between January and May 2008, breaking into the school on numerous times using a stolen key. The brilliant Khan also attempted to steal a teacher's password to push his grades and those of 12 other students. All of this while both were exchanging text messages discussing their activities the whole time.

Apparently, the smartymorons pushed their C, D and F grades to As and Bs, hoping that nobody would notice. However, when Khan was denied admission to the University of California, he went back to school to ask for a new transcript. It was then when all his crude plan went to hell.

Being a bad student, the school administrators noticed the new stellar grade record, starting the investigation that has ended in this court case, and Khan's potential 38-year degree in laundry systems, cooking and inter-personal communication, with a second major in shower plumbing, sponsored by California's state prison system. [CRN via The Inquirer]

iPhone Keeps Invading the World

Kit Eaton — Fri, 16 May 2008 06:12:39 EDT

Orange, which already has the iPhone in France, has issued a press release announcing it'll also be on sale in Austria, Belgium, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Jordan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Switzerland and its African markets, sometime "later this year." Swisscom has also announced they'll be selling the iPhone in Switzerland. [Orange and Pocket-Lint]

HTC Touch Diamond: the Blurb, Specs and Official Pics

AddyDugdale — Tue, 06 May 2008 08:45:00 EDT

We came, we saw, we blogged, or Venimus, Vidimus, Blogimus, as they used to say in Roman times. HTC's press release for the Touch Diamond is after the gallery.

A NEW AGE FOR MOBILE PHONES BEGINS; HTC UNVEILS 'TOUCH DIAMOND'
Debut brings breakthroughs in size, style connectivity and overall user experience, leaves compromise at the door.
 LONDON — May 6, 2008 — Born from a unique heritage of innovation and a deep desire to blend design with simplicity, HTC Corp., a global leader in mobile phone innovation and design, today unveiled its new flagship phone, the HTC Touch Diamond. Delivering unmistakable style and meticulous craftsmanship the HTC Touch Diamond is defined by its compact size, game-changing Internet and its new captivating 3D touch interface called TouchFLO™ 3D. The result is an uncompromising mobile phone that sets a new benchmark for phone sophistication and shapes consumer expectations for how a phone can be used.

"Today we mark a new era in mobile phone evolution, an era where beauty and size integrate with uncompromising innovation at broadband speeds," said Peter Chou, president and CEO, HTC Corp. "The HTC Touch Diamond will make browsing the Web and using Web-enabled applications just as practical and easy to use as making calls."

A New Dimension To Touch
HTC has taken a great leap forward in touch screen innovation with the introduction of its new 3D touch interface called TouchFLO 3D. TouchFLO 3D provides animated access to people, messaging, email, photos, music, weather and more. In addition, HTC is introducing a new innovative touch-sensitive control for interacting with Touch Diamond.

Making The Mobile Internet Fun
With the introduction of the Touch Diamond, HTC delivers an entirely new mobile Internet experience that utilizes broadband-like speeds with HSDPA 7.2 Mbps and HSUPA wireless connectivity. Committed to improving Web browsing, HTC provides a new customized mobile Web browser that enables easy viewing and effortless navigation of Websites in the way they were designed. As part of this browsing experience users can zoom and pan Websites with one-hand and automatically view optimized content that has been specially created to fit the display. Turning the device sideways automatically rotates the web page view from a portrait to landscape view.

In addition to Web browsing, the Touch Diamond includes a customized new, HTC-developed, YouTube application for watching a variety of user generated video content as well as utilizing Google Maps for mobile for mapping and traffic data.

Unmatched Style and Size
The Touch Diamond is crafted with precision to fit comfortably in a user's hand without compromising on features or functionality. Blending contrasting design elements of metal and unique geometric facets, the Touch Diamond complements a user's personal style.

Bursting with Innovation
The Touch Diamond delivers an unrivalled combination of features and functionality that set a new standard for integrating mobile phone innovation into a small package. The 2.8 inch display provides near-print quality viewing that enables beautiful Web browsing and viewing of photographs. The built-in camera includes an optical auto-focus lens that ensures the photos you take will be clear and consistent. Advanced wireless and auto sensor screen pivoting are just a few of the features that make the Touch Diamond experience a stand out.

Availability
The HTC Touch Diamond™ will be available to customers across all major European carriers in June. It will be available later this quarter in Asia and the Middle East. The North American and Latin American versions of the Touch Diamond will be available in the second half of 2008.

"Our long-standing relationship with HTC meant they shared their phone concept and worked with us from the earliest stage. This early collaboration is important to us because at Orange, we know that the right multimedia experience is about more than just the phone," said Olaf Swantee, EVP of Orange's global mobile operations. "Our approach is to select and test the best phones and integrate our applications, combining them with access to the Orange World portal, the best tariffs, integrated billing, a user-friendly interface and excellent customer support. With the Touch Diamond from Orange we have created a unique phone which has taken advantage of our latest service innovation to build upon the consistently rich experience customers expect from Orange."

HTC Touch Diamond Key Specifications
Size: 102 x 51 x 11.33mm
Weight: 110 g
Connectivity: WCDMA / HSPA: 900/2100MHz. HSDPA 7.2 Mbps and HSUPA
Operating system: Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional
Display: 2.8-inch VGA touch screen
Camera: 3.2MP, with video calling
Internal memory: 4 GB Internal Storage, 256 MB flash, 192 MB RAM,
Bluetooth: 2.0 with EDR
Wireless: WiFi 802.11b/g
GPS: GPS/AGPS
Interface: HTC ExtUSB™ (mini-USB and audio jack in one; USB 2.0 High-Speed)
Battery: 900 mAh
Talk time: GSM: up to 4 hours
Standby time: GSM: up to 300 hours/100 hours with push email
Chipset: Qualcomm® MSM 7201A™ 528MHz

HTC Launches the Diamond—Small and Very iPhone-esque

AddyDugdale — Tue, 06 May 2008 07:40:00 EDT

So, this is the Touch Diamond. It's small, slim, "a holistic experience," according to Horace Luke, HTC's Chief Innovations Officer, and "just like your life." Out in Europe and Asia next month, we should get our hands on it later on this year, and it's the closest thing so far to an iPhone that hasn't come out of Cupertino. Not surprising, since Luke and his team wanted the design to be worthy of MoMA. I'm just not sure about the diamond design on the back. Here is a gallery, the specs and some of the choice quotes from the presentation:

• Windows Mobile 6.1
• VGA Screen
• Quad-band HSDPA 7.2
• One-touch navigation, single-finger dialing
• The accelerometer rotates pictures as you rotate the phone
• One-touch music playback
• An animated weather forecast app
• Full web browser—Opera—with zoom-in
• Microsoft promises IE 6 coming soon
• Youtube app
• Available June in Europe on Orange and the rest of the world TBD
• Orange mobile TV
• No price yet

According to HTC boss Peter Chou, the Touch Diamond is "simplified user experience with fun usability." The word innovation has been bandied around by just about everyone who's got up on stage at the launch.

"In 2008, Vista will make mobile internet fun."
Chou said that HTC is the first company in the world to do a 3-D animated touchscreen interface, and reiterated his desire to make browser and web-based applications as easy as a phone call. "Just a touch. Just one hand. We don't need too many fingers, just one touch." Speak for yourself, mate.

Horace Luke says his team studied the fashion industry as well as the design industry when coming up with the Diamond Touch. He reckons the design is iconic enough to be recognized by people from across the street, and cited the "meticulous craftsmanship like a Swiss watch." The phone's UI is so like the iPhone it's uncanny. You can flick through your contacts rather like a Rolodex, calling is one-click, and your messages are "like beautiful words dancing in the air."

Andy Lees, one of the Senior VPs at Microsoft was playing with his Diamond Touch yesterday. "It makes me smile, but it enables me to get things done that need to be done. With one finger." [HTC]

2Juicy Orange Squeezer Too Rockin' For One Hand

AddyDugdale — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 09:00:00 EDT

Anyone who likes their, um, oranges, um, freshly-squeezed by hand in the morning should, perhaps, think about buying 2Juicy, a manual juicer from SuckUK. Anyone who doesn't should stick with their Braun automatic one—then at least you'll have one hand free for whatever else you like to do when you're squeezing oranges. [SuckUK]

We Dump Coffee, Coke, OJ and Milk All Over a Shiny New Toughbook: Did It Survive?

Benny Goldman — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 16:40:00 EST

On Tuesday we asked you about the one thing you wouldn't want spilled on your keyboard, and we were surprised how much you had to tell us. We have a brand new Y7 Toughbook laying around the apartment, which Panasonic claims can handle six ounces of liquid poured right into the keyboard. We decided to put some of your answers to the test.

We didn't have the time, resources, or lack of shame to put some of your better ideas to work [See: here, here, and here], but we managed to try all of the choices in the poll. We cheated a bit on the puke, but our mix was pretty gross. The results—lucky for us—were inconclusive. Of the five liquids we put in the Toughbook, none made it explode or even slow down. After flushing the whole keyboard out with water, it wasn't even sticky the next day. So when it comes to the Y7 our answer to that Question of the Day is "none of the above." But please folks, don't try this at home. [Panasonic Toughbook]

[Thanks to Sam Mindel for the video help, and Communication Corporation for their song "Slimey"!!]

Orange Shows Off Gesture Based Interaction Screen, Touch Screens Look On in Horror

Haroon Malik — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 10:10:00 EST

Orange has unveiled a gesture based interaction screen that has been produced by a UK agency on their behalf. The agency, known as The Alternative, said it was the first time such a display had been on show to the general public. The purpose of the technology is mainly as an advertising opportunity for Orange, but selecting your favorite music clips have never been so fun. Check out the clip to see what all the fuss is about.

The futuristic device makes the touch UI revolution look like something from the era of the Flinstones. The gesture controls work by implementing a large projection screen and a "highly advanced piece of motion capture technology." What exactly is going on behind the scenes is not clear, but you can be assured I shall be going along for a hands-on waiving session soon. With tiny projectors in the making, it can't be too long before the gesture controlled iPhone comes out. Steve, that would be the best keynote, ever...you can't stop us from dreaming. [New Launches]

Spy Pen Writes with Invisible Ink, Illuminates with Ultraviol, Then Shreds Messages

Charlie White — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 15:00:00 EST

Ever get caught passing a note in class? Instead of swallowing the evidence, you droogs can just shred that little piece of your personal life, and your privacy will be intact with this ultraviolet spy pen with a message shredder built in. Ultraviolet? Yes, the pen also writes messages with special ink that can only be read with an ultraviolet light, conveniently nestled within this useful $9 instrument. [Spycatcher, via Oh Gizmo]

iPhone Prices Compared in Four Countries (Verdict: We're Doing Alright)

Jason Chen — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 13:14:13 EST

setteB.IT took it upon themselves to chart up the four different iPhone providers in four different countries and see who's getting the best deal. Apparently, it's Orange (France) if you're looking at the cheapest overall price, but their plan only includes about 240 minutes and limits both Wi-Fi and EDGE data. In comparison, AT&T's got the most full-featured plan at unlimited Wi-Fi, EDGE, and 450 minutes of talk time—some good news in a time when our dollar's crumbling faster than an osteoporotic old man who got hit in the knee. [setteb.it]

Iqua Sun, World's First Solar-Powered Bluetooth Headset

Matt Buchanan — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 16:20:37 EST

While Bluetooth headsets are a dime a dozen, ones powered by the sun like Nuclear Man from Superman IV aren't. Orange claims that its Iqua Sun is "the worlds first" [sic, italics theirs] solar-powered Bluetooth headset. Fancy! The green half-ouncer gets 200 hours of life on standby and nine hours of talk time in darkness, like in an elevator on the moon. It'll run you £49.99, which is about 105 American clams. [Orange via Reg Hardware via Gadget Lab]

Rumor Smashed: French iPhone's Unlock Status Still Unknown

Jason Chen — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 15:47:05 EDT

Although many sites are reporting that the iPhone is coming unlocked in France, quoting an INH article, Apple told us that the piece was based solely off of reading French Law, not from statements by Orange or Apple. The particulars of pricing plans and whether the iPhone will or won't be unlocked is still up in the air, so don't start pulling out your credit cards for a French iPhone just yet. However, because there is such a law that "forbids bundling the sale of a mobile phone and a mobile operator", there still may be hope for an unlocked iPhone. [IHT]

The French iPhone Comes Unlocked

Mark Wilson — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 10:00:28 EDT

We told you yesterday that Orange would be the exclusive iPhone provider in France, but that's only half the story. The other half is that since French law prohibits the exclusive sale of phones locked to a provider, Orange will be selling both a locked and an unlocked version of the iPhone as a compromise. The unlocked version doesn't have a finalized price at this time, but we do know it will be more expensive than the €399 bundled version.

With all of the efforts all over the world to unlock iPhones, it's almost a slap in the face (or just a step in the right direction?) that Apple/Orange will be offering an unlocked version to France. Guess it's time to import if you don't like AT&T. [iht]

UPDATE: Apple's official response to our inquiry is that the IHT was only citing French law, not Orange's intentions, and that this matter, along with the particulars of pricing plans, etc., will be addressed before the French iPhone launch.

It's Official: iPhone in France Will Be an Apples and Oranges Deal

Charlie White — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 12:09:24 EDT

Apple officially announced that French wireless carrier Orange will be the exclusive provider of the iPhone in France. Set to roll out on November 29, Apple CEO Steve Jobs crowed about how excited he was to partner with Orange, just in time for the holidays. So now French Apple fanboys won't have to hack that iPhone any more, and they can actually buy one legit for €399, a whopping $565.98 in good ol' US dollars. Click through for the Orange/Apple press propaganda.

PARIS, Oct. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Apple(R) and Orange today announced that Orange, the leading wireless carrier in France, will be the exclusive French carrier partner for the revolutionary iPhone(TM) when it makes its debut in France on Thursday, November 29. iPhone combines three devices into one — a mobile phone, a widescreen iPod(R), and the best mobile Internet device ever — all based on Apple's revolutionary multi-touch interface and pioneering software that allows users to control iPhone with just a tap, flick or pinch of their fingers. Apple sold its one millionth iPhone just 74 days after it went on sale in the US on June 29. "We are excited to partner with Orange and bring iPhone to France in time for the holidays," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "iPhone is an amazing product and we hope mobile users in France will love it as much as we do."
"The iPhone is a marvelous product and will change how people think about mobile. I'm delighted that it is launching in France through Orange, and I'm sure that our customers share my excitement. Our partnership with Apple is a natural fit because we are two global brands who share the same values of simplicity and innovation. It's going to be a very merry Christmas for Orange customers all over the country!" said Didier Lombard, CEO, France Telecom. In addition to all the revolutionary features that made iPhone so popular in the US, iPhone users in France will have access to Apple's latest music offerings on iPhone including the iTunes(R) Wi-Fi Music Store. The iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store offers customers the ability to browse, search, preview, purchase and download songs and albums from iTunes over the built-in Wi-Fi on their iPhone. Music fans can start enjoying their music purchases immediately on their iPhone with no computer required. Once they connect their iPhone back to their PC or Mac(R), downloaded music will automatically sync back into their iTunes library.

Pricing & Availability
iPhone is scheduled to go on sale on November 29 and will be sold in France through Orange's online and direct retail stores. iPhone will be available in an 8GB model for euro 399 including V.A.T. for any subscription to one of the dedicated rate plans and will work with either a PC or Mac. iPhone activation will require an Internet connection; an iTunes Store account; the latest version of iTunes available at http://www.itunes.fr and a PC or Mac with a USB 2.0 port and one of the following operating systems: Mac OS(R) X v10.4.10 or later; Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 2 or later; or Windows Vista Home Premium, Business, Enterprise or Ultimate Edition.

Apple and Orange Fight Over iPhone, Comparisons to Each Other

Jason Chen — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 19:00:42 EDT

French cellphone provider Orange (owned by France Telecom) and Apple are having troubles coming to an agreement about the iPhone distribution in France, which may lead to delays—or even worse, going to another cellphone provider entirely. There's not much else we can say about Apple and Orange fighting that would be funnier than the fact that Apple and Orange are fighting. So savour this moment while you can. This juicy, citrusy moment. [Reuters - Image Credit]

HTC TyTN II Becomes Official in Europe

Jason Chen — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 12:16:35 EDT

The phone we've previously known as the HTC Kaiser or the 8925 has just been named the HTC TyTN II for the European market. The Windows Mobile 6 phone will be available under T-Mobile, Orange, Vodafone and Telefonica (includes O2), and will have the standard 3.5G connectivity, Windows Mobile 6, HTC's Home screen, GPS, TomTom Navigator 6, 3-megapixel camera, 802.11b/g, Bluetooth 2.0, microSD card and the flip-up screen. No price was specified, but if the first TyTN was any indication, this will be expensive. [HTC Europe]

Intel and Orange County Choppers Create Satan's Motorcycle

Jason Chen — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 14:20:23 EDT

Intel and Orange County Choppers combined their mutual know-how and created this monstrosity of a motorcycle—also known as Satan's ride. This isn't the Satan you know, this is the bad-ass futuristic Satan from 2046. The bike has four dual V-twin motors and multiple Intel quad-core processors. What are they for? To power two rearview camera displays, the speedometer, various virtual gauges, a web browser and StreetDeck Infotainment. Jesus is jealous.

That's not all. To start up the bike, all you have to do is put your finger on the fingerprint reader, then punch the virtual ignition button. Oh, and there's an on-screen kickstand control too. If you thought Ghost Rider's hog was nice, well, you're right. But this is even better, despite its lack of flaming tires. [Intel via Mystic Gadgets]

Wind-Powered Cellphone Charger, Plus an Energy Joke

blongo3 — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 13:47:31 EDT

Since we're all such gadget freaks here, we're guessing that you use just a bit more electricity than the average Joe. So take a look at what wireless provider Orange is coming out with, a wind-powered cellphone charger. Best of all, it's really light (150g) and tiny so it should be very easy to take with you. Although there's no word yet on the exact energy specs.

And now with this final piece of the puzzle, our dream to be able to blog all day from the park is complete. EV-DO? Check. Solar-powered laptop charger? Check. Now all we need is this wind-powered cellphone charger and we will be unstoppable. Too bad it's only a prototype for now. Now for the joke.

What Did the Wind-Powered Charger Say to the Cellphone? Blow me. Badump, bump, tish!.– Ben Longo

Orange Harnesses Wind to Power Charger [UberGizmo]

Dealzmodo: Refurbished Apple TV, $250

Travis Hudson — Tue, 22 May 2007 16:40:42 EDT

Apple's ~~fixed crap~~ Special Deals store has been stocked to the brim with refurbished Apple TV units. They are selling for a cool $250, which is $50 off the regular price and includes free shipping. If you want to get out the statistics calculator, it is a savings of 17 percent. Refurbished gadgets need love too. –Travis Hudson

Product Page [Via Bargainist]

Brionvega Alpha TV is more Future Classic than Retro-Chic

Addy Dugdale — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 08:35:02 EDT

Brionvega has been making TVs for over 60 years now and some of its retro models are still available, albeit on the expensive side. The Italian company has just come out with the Alpha TV—which is still at the concept phase, so no prices, sorry—with a smidgen of retro styling (most of which is in the shiny remote control that is chunkier than Burt Reynold's moustache was—mmmmmm, dreamy) but which, on the whole, is very forward-looking.

The Brionvega was designed by V12 design, has a built-in DVD player and comes in orange, black and silver. Although they say it's still just a concept (maaaaaaan), there are hopes that the thing will go on sale around September time. There's a couple more pics after the jump.

If these come in HD, I reckon there will be a very noisy clamor for them. – Ad Dugdale

Brionvega retrostyled TV is still a concept [New Launches]

Zune Pink and Orange Pics Surface, Red On the Way?

Charlie White — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 11:21:58 EDT

You've probably already read our posts about the pink and orange Zunes that'll be rolling out in May, but the pictures we had at the time left a lot to be desired. Now the guys at Zune Scene have gotten their hands on some great-looking shots, emphasizing the Zune's unique (or is it?) "doubleshot casting" injection molding that gives the edges that uncanny two-tone glow.

Meanwhile, C|Net News says "a watermelon red version is slated for summer." Check out the gallery below for fo-reals pics of the pink and orange variety, and we threw in a simulation of the alleged red Zune by the Photoshoppers at Zune-Online. One thing's for sure, the Zune looks a lot better in these colors than it does in the currently available black, white and brown. – Charlie White

New Zune Colors and Marketing Strategy Coming in May [Zune Scene]
Vibrant Color is Watermelon Red [Zune-Online]

Orange Zune Hits Shelves After Pink?

Jason Chen — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 22:30:06 EDT

Along with the pink Zune, Jason Reindorp, the Zune's marketing director, confirms that there will also be another new color of Microsoft's music player hitting shelves. Our money is firmly on orange, since pink and orange were the two limited-edition runs for people on the Zune team, not to mention the secret limited edition run in stores. We'll have to wait and see if we're right (which we are).

But really? Orange? – Jason Chen

Orange Zune Pics [Zunescene]

Zune Online

An Orange Clockwork

Charlie White — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 10:00:36 EST

Okay my little droogies, your humble narrator brings you a 10-inch timepiece that will remind you that it's time to stop listening to Ludwig Van and get back to the old in-out. You won't have to commit any of the ultra-viol to get one, either, because it's just $15.99. – Charlie White

Product Page [Ironic Sans]

Rumor: Google Phone - Why We're Not Impressed

Jason Chen — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 14:19:05 EST

Rumor has it that Google, Orange (the UK cellphone provider), and HTC (our favorite Windows Mobile cellphone maker) are in talks to make a new Google-branded phone. Thanks to Google's ever-expanding backpack of webapps—Gmail, Google Calendar, RSS Reader, Google maps just to name a few—people are more and more reliant on an all-Google solution to their web needs. Why not have a phone that can do ALL of these things?

If Google Maps Mobile is any indication, Google has a lot of work to do.

Thanks to the fact that Google Maps Mobile uses Java—something it shares with the Windows Mobile version of GMail—the app was pretty slow, buggy, and semi-unusable. This is because of the limitations of J2ME on WM, not the limitations of Google's programmers (we hope).

If Google and HTC plan to make a phone that's Windows Mobile based, Google either needs to make native Windows Mobile versions of its Gmail, Calendar, Search, and Map apps or face the same problem of J2ME being horrifically bad. That's the main reason why Windows Live Search had the heads up in our comparison.

What part will mobile provider Orange play? Well, they'll probably subsidize the phone in order to get it to market. It's hard to get any kind of user-base if you don't have a major cell phone provider carrying your phone.

But if you're interested in trying out what a Google-branded cellphone will look like, download the Google Maps and Gmail mobile onto your WM5 phones now. – Jason Chen

The future for Orange could soon be Google in your pocket [Guardian via Giga OM]

$2.60/Day MacBook With High Speed Access

Mark Wilson — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 14:35:02 EST

Telecom company Orange is teaming up with Apple for a unique offer. For 2 euros a day, or about $2.60 in overworked American dollars, French consumers can get a MacBook with 1 Mbps DSL.

Is this a good idea? I'm not sure. If we were talking about a MacBook Pro and/or a wireless standard, my ears would be perked. But DSL is available in many markets for $20/month. And I'm guessing you could finance a suped-up MB an match this offer, eventually walking away with something you own. What do you think? – Mark Wilson

Apple Makes Deal With Orange [theinquirer]
Photo By Jared Benedict

French Jukebox Lets You Text in Your Song Requests

Louis Ramirez — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 13:10:45 EST

If this isn't a sign that we're getting way too lazy, then I don't know what is. European phone carrier Orange France has teamed up with YCD Multimedia to create the SMS Jukebox. After making its debut at the Cannes Film Festival, the jukebox is being rolled out in bars, cafes, and restaurants throughout France. Customers find a music "menu" on their table and after selecting the song(s) they want, text in the code. As much as I text (and believe me, I text a lot) I prefer the old fashioned way of walking up to the jukebox and manually selecting the songs I wanna hear. – Louis Ramirez

SMS Jukebox [via The Red Ferret Journal]

Shots Liquor Console: Bedspins Even Before You Imbibe

Charlie White — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 10:10:01 EDT

Okay, my little droogies, get ready for the ultra-viol with this liquor bottle holder by J.P. Meulendijks that can be set on its side as a coffee table or stood up on end as a console. The Shots Liquor Console's 10 oddly-angled recesses are the perfect size for liquor or wine bottles, and will make you feel inebriated before you've even taken your first sip. All this high style doesn't come cheap, though, it'll cost you over a thousand bucks. – Charlie White

Shots Liquor Console by J.P. Meulendijks [Liquor Snob]

Orange SPV M3100 Smartphone: Spiffy Connected PDA

Charlie White — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 09:35:25 EDT

Now here's a smartphone that's getting even smarter, in fact, the Orange SPV M3100 does so much stuff the company's calling it a connected PDA. Running Windows Mobile 5.0, Orange says the phone is the first to support HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access), an offshoot of the 3G wireless protocol that's the latest attempt to bring you wireless broadband-like downlink speeds. It's still able to communicate with conventional networks, too, such as 3G, WiFi, GPRS, and EDGE.

We're digging the looks of this smartphone, with its slide-out keyboard that just might make it a viable alternative to lugging around a laptop. Although we're not that crazy about Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0, Outlook users will like this phone's direct push technology. Now available in the UK for 315 (about $600), no word on when we'll be seeing the SPV M3100 stateside. – Charlie White

Orange Delivers Latest Signature Smartphone [Bios Magazine]

RAZR Deep Violet

johnb — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 08:29:17 EDT

While Deep Violet may seem like an 80s dark metal band, its actually Orange's contribution to our species cultural heritage. Orange will be carrying the Deep Violet RAZR V3i—now it sucks in purple, too!—and the white Nokia 6233. Why should we care, seeing as how Orange rocks the other side of the pond? Well, maybe you'll be over there one day and wonder what these majestic Europeans are talking into. Then you'll think back and say to yourself "Ahh, the Deep Violet RAZR." And then you'll thank us. – John Biggs

Motorola RAZR V3i, Deep Violet and White Nokia 6233 exclusive to Orange [ShinyShiny]

Live in Israel, Get Free Cell Service

Travis Hudson — Fri, 24 Mar 2006 16:08:12 EST

Israeli Orange customers who happen to be using 3G phones will be able to rid themselves of pesky bills by simply watching a few commercials. The program will either offer partial discounts or a complete discount of the monthly bill depending on how many ads are actually watched. Possibly bombarded with ads for free or cheap cell service? Yay or nay, what do you think?

Pay your cell-phone bill by watching ads [picturephoning]

Orange Talks Big SIM Cards

tgrumet — Thu, 16 Feb 2006 09:09:02 EST

With cellphones leaning towards becoming full-fledged media players, it's nice to know someone is trying to come up with something to help us easily store all our stuff. Orange mobile phone group announced plans to launch a SIM card that will hold 8,000 times more data than the SIM you have in your cellphone today.

Called the MegaSIM card, it's meant to be 512MB and could store up to 130 songs, 3&mdasmovies or 80 games. This compared with the measly 64 kilobyte cards we're using now. The company collaborated with M-systems, Oberthur Card Systems and LG Electronics for the MegaSIM and hopes to have out later this year.

Orange plans SIMs with 8,000 times more capacity [Reuters]

Radiator Heat Wave Gives a Warm Look to Your Walls and You, Too

Charlie White — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 16:10:57 EST

Droog Design cranks up the heat with Radiator Heat Wave, a piece of wall art that actually generates radiant heat. Made of concrete and aluminum, the whole thing is held together with glass fiber and is available now. Droog Design says a water version of the Heat Wave is on its way in 2007. There s something pleasing when function follows form. Nice, job, oh my brothers.

Art Work that Creates Actual Radiant Heat [Gadget Review]

Product Page, Droog Design