Intel on Monday detailed a number new products and partnerships during the company’s Mobile World Congress press event. “We are very pleased to add new, important customers and capabilities to our phone offerings today. We remain focused on delivering exciting new features and outstanding performance to smartphone customers around the world.” said Intel CEO Paul Otellini. UK service provider Orange will launch an Atom-powered smartphone based on the Z2460 reference design. The device will feature a sleek body that will enable “rich entertainment experiences [to] Orange services, including Orange TV, Daily Motion, Deezer, Orange Wednesdays and Orange Gestures.” The handset is scheduled for a late summer launch and will be available in the United Kingdom and France. Read on for more.

Intel has partnered with Lava International to offer smartphones in India. Like Orange’s device, the XOLO X900 is based on Intel’s reference design and will be the first Atom-powered smartphone to reach the Indian market. The device will be available in the second quarter and will support major Indian cellular networks. In an agreement similar to the previously announced partnership with Motorola, Intel also announced a multi-year partnership for smartphones and tablets with ZTE. The Chinese manufacturer’s first Intel-powered device is scheduled to debut in the second half of 2012.

In addition to Intel’s Atom Z2460 “Medfield” processor, the company announced the Atom Z2580 CPU that will feature an advanced multi-mode LTE/3G/2G solution and will double the performance of the Z2640. To address the growing low-end market, Intel revealed plans for the Atom Z2000 processor as well. The company will begin testing both chipsets in the second half of 2012, with consumer products carrying the Z2580 and Z2000 expected to launch in first half of 2013.

Lastly, Intel has entered into a multi-year alliance with Visa to “develop mobile commerce solutions tailored to consumers in developed and developing countries.” Intel’s smartphone reference design has been named the first handset to be certified for Visa payWave mobile payment system.

Intel Expands Smartphone Portfolio: New Customers, Products, Software and Services

Announces Smartphone Device Engagements with Orange*, Lava*, ZTE* and Visa*

Discloses Range of New Smartphone SoCs and Communications Products

MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS, Barcelona, Spain, Feb. 27, 2012 – Intel Corporation President and CEO Paul Otellini today detailed a number of announcements and plans aimed at expanding the company’s smartphone product portfolio and customer ecosystem, including strategic new engagements with Orange*, Lava International Ltd.*, ZTE*, and Visa*.

“We are very pleased to add new, important customers and capabilities to our phone offerings today. We remain focused on delivering exciting new features and outstanding performance to smartphone customers around the world.” said Otellini.

Otellini made the announcements during an Intel news conference at Mobile World Congress. He also highlighted the company’s plans to expand its smartphone SoC and communications product roadmaps for the performance and value smartphone market segments.

New Smartphone Customer Engagements
Building on strategic engagements with Motorola Mobility Inc.* and Lenovo*, Intel detailed new device relationships with Orange, Lava International Ltd. and ZTE.

Yves Maitre, Orange senior vice president of Mobile Multimedia and Devices, joined Otellini to discuss a new Orange smartphone based on the Intel® Atom™ processor Z2460 reference design. Housed in a sleek body, the design enables rich entertainment experiences and Orange services, including Orange TV, Daily Motion, Deezer, Orange Wednesdays and Orange Gestures. The Orange smartphone will be available in the United Kingdom and France later this summer.

Intel also announced plans to enter the high-growth market for smartphones in India through an alliance with Lava International Ltd., one of the fastest-growing Indian mobile handset companies.Vishal Sehgal, Lava co-founder and board director, announced the launch of XOLO Smartphone by Lava. The XOLO X900 is based on Intel’s smartphone reference design and will be the first Intel technology-based smartphone in the India market. The device will be available from top retail outlets early in the second quarter of 2012 and will support major Indian cellular networks.

Similar to its previously announced partnership with Motorola Mobility, Intel also announced a multi-year mobile device collaboration across smartphones and tablets with global handset maker ZTE. Mr. He Shiyou, executive vice president and head of the Terminal Division of ZTE, discussed how his company’s alliance with Intel will enable ZTE to move faster and create unique and differentiated products for wireless operators. He also announced that ZTE’s first Intel-powered mobile device is scheduled to debut in the second half of 2012.

Expanding Smartphone SoC and Communications Roadmaps
Building on its ecosystem engagements, Intel announced plans for three new smartphone SoC products that expand the company’s portfolio from the performance-to-value market segments.

Extending the leading performance and energy efficiency of the Intel™ Atom® processor Z2460, formerly codenamed “Medfield,” Intel announced that the platform will now support speeds up to 2GHz.

Intel also announced the Atom™ Z2580 processor that doubles the performance of the Atom processor Z2460, and features an advanced multimode LTE/3G/2G solution. Intel will sample the Z2580 in the second half of the year with customer products scheduled in the first half of 2013.

Addressing the growing handset opportunity in emerging markets where consumers look for more value at lower prices, Intel disclosed plans for the Intel® Atom™ processor Z2000.

The Z2000 is aimed squarely at the value smartphone market segment, which industry sources predict could reach up to 500 million units by 20151.The platform includes a 1.0 GHz Atom CPU offering great graphics and video performance, and the ability to access the Web and play Google Android* games. It also supports the Intel® XMM 6265 3G HSPA+ modem with Dual-SIM 2G/3G, offering flexibility on data/voice calling plans to save on costs. Intel will sample the Z2000 in mid-2012 with customer products scheduled by early 2013.

Building on these 32nm announcements, Otellini discussed how the Atom™ processor will outpace Moore’s Law and announced that Intel will ship 22nm SoCs for carrier certification next year, and is already in development on 14nm SoC technology.

In 2011, Intel shipped in more than 400 million cellular platforms. Building on this market segment position, Intel announced the XMM 7160, an advanced multimode LTE/3G/2G platform with support for 100Mbps downlink and 50Mbps uplink, and support for HSPA+ 42Mbps. Intel will sample the product in the second quarter with customer designs scheduled to launch by the end of 2012.

Intel also announced that it is sampling the XMM 6360 platform, a new slim modem 3G HSPA+ solution supporting 42Mbps downlink and 11.5Mbps uplink for small form factors.

Building Better Experiences on Intel Architecture
Intel’s strategy is to create and enable engaging, consistent, aware and secure user experiences across a range of mobile devices.

An emerging trend is the use of mobile devices to enable secure online and retail commerce. Otellini welcomed John Partridge, President, Visa Inc., who announced a strategic multi-year alliance to develop mobile commerce solutions tailored to consumers in developed and developing countries.

The effort includes collaboration across a range of Visa mobile services and Intel® Atom™-based smartphones and tablets to deliver compelling and secure user services. As a first step, Partridge announced that Intel’s smartphone reference design is now certified for Visa payWave* mobile financial transactions. This means that customer products based on Intel’s smartphone reference design will have time-to-market support of Visa mobile services.

Building on its collaboration with Google, Intel continues to work closely with ISVs to help ensure the majority of Android apps run on Intel Atom processor-based devices. Otellini discussed how Intel has all the right tools and expertise to support the robust mobile application developer ecosystem.

Apple’s iPhone 5 will launch on Orange in Europe on October 15th according to comments from the CEO of the carrier’s parent company, France Telecom. FT chief executive Stéphane Richard, who has openly discussed Apple’s plans for the iPhone ahead of announcement in the past, told the French press that the iPhone 5 will launch on Orange in mid-October, TechRadar reports. “If we believe what we have been told, the iPhone 5 will be released on 15 October,” the CEO said without elaborating. Apple’s iPhone 5 has previously been rumored to be set for an October 7th release, which may still be the case in some markets. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 5 alongside an updated iPhone 4 model at a press event later this month or early in October.

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Apple has reportedly submitted a proposal for a new industry stand for SIM cards that would drastically reduce their size. According to Reuters, Apple’s new SIM design is even smaller than the micro-SIM the company currently uses in its iPhone 4 smartphone and iPad tablets. The new SIM card, which has already been backed by France’s Orange and other carriers, would allow cell phone manufacturers to build devices that are much thinner as a result of the smaller, thinner SIM readers that could be included in phones and tablets. “We were quite happy to see last week that Apple has submitted a new requirement to (European telecoms standards body) ETSI for a smaller SIM form factor — smaller than the one that goes in iPhone 4 and iPad,” Orange’s head of mobile told Reuters. “They have done that through the standardization route, through ETSI, with the sponsorship of some major mobile operators, Orange being one of them.” Neither Apple or ETSI have commented on the the proposed SIM.

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As rumors of iPad subsidies becoming available from U.S. carriers this year gain momentum, The Times reports that similar strategies in the U.K. do not appear to be paying off in the short term. Orange, T-Mobile and Three each recently began offering discounts on the iPad Wi-Fi + 3G when purchased alongside a new service contract. The 16 GB iPad model, which typically costs £529 in the U.K., is available for just £199 when purchased with a £25-per-month data plan. While sales performance at T-Mobile and Three is still a bit of a mystery, The Times reports that Orange sold just 1,000 subsidized iPads during the first week of availability. The sales figure has not been confirmed by Orange, but if it is anywhere near accurate it could indicate that customers don’t have much interest in signing up for yet another data contract — especially one tied to a device that is anything but a commodity at this point.

[Via paidContent:UK]

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Are you still reeling from last week’s Windows Phone 7 press event? Ballmer and Co. announced a staggering 10 handsets (and counting) right out of the gate, sporting their latest mobile OS. HTC, Samsung, Dell, LG among others, have pledged their alliance and announced handsets that will grace the world’s stage over the coming months. We have simplified things for our discerning readers, hit the jump for BGR’s definitive guide to Windows Phone 7 hardware.

HTC

HTC HD7

• 1 GHz Qualcomm QSD8250 CPU
• 4.3″ WVGA LCD, 480×800 resolution
• 512 MB ROM, 576 MB RAM
• Internal Storage: 8 GB in Europe and 16GB in Asia
• 5 MP camera, Auto-focus, dual LED
• 720 video recording
• Sensors: G-sensor, digital compass, proximity sensor, light sensor
• Connectivity: 3G 7.2 Mbps, WiFi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 (A2DP support)
• HTC Hub
• Input method: Touch screen only
• Unique Feature: Boasts the largest screen real estate amongst the WP7 handsets
• Carriers and Availability: The HTC HD7 will launch in the U.S. on the 8th of November on T-Mobile. For UK customers, the phone is currently available on O2

HTC Surround

• 1 GHz Qualcomm QSD8250 CPU
• 3.8″ WVGA LCD, 480×800 resolution
• 512 MB ROM, 576 MB RAM
• Internal Storage: 16 GB on-board
• 5 MP camera, Auto-focus, LED flash
• 720p HD video recording
• Sensors: G-sensor, digital compass, proximity sensor, light sensor
• Connectivity: 3G 7.2 Mbps, WiFi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 (A2DP support)
• HTC Hub
• Input method: Touch screen only
• Unique Feature: Slide-out integrated stereo speakers, Dolby Mobile and SRS surround sound
• Carriers and Availability: HTC Surround will be available on AT&T in the U.S., and Telus in Canada by the end of 2010

HTC 7 Mozart

• 1 GHz Qualcomm QSD8250 CPU
• 3.7″ WVGA LCD, 480×800 resolution
• 512 MB ROM, 576 MB RAM
• Internal Storage: 8 GB on-board
• 8 MP camera, Auto-focus, Xenon flash
• 720p HD video recording
• Sensors: G-sensor, digital compass, proximity sensor, light sensor
• Connectivity: 3G 7.2 Mbps, WiFi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 (A2DP support)
• HTC Hub
• Input method: Touch screen only
• Unique Feature: Best Camera in it’s class, brushed aluminium unibody construction, SRS ‘WOW HD’ sound and boasts a Xenon flash
• Carriers and Availability: Currently available to order on Orange UK

HTC 7 Trophy

• 1 GHz Qualcomm QSD8250 CPU
• 3.8″ WVGA LCD, 480×800 resolution
• 512 MB ROM, 576 MB RAM
• Internal Storage: 8 GB on-board
• 5 MP camera, Auto-focus, LED flash
• 720p HD video recording
• Sensors: G-sensor, digital compass, proximity sensor, light sensor
• Connectivity: 3G 7.2 Mbps, WiFi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 (A2DP support)
• HTC Hub
• Input method: Touch screen only
• Unique Feature: No-frills HTC WP7 handset
• Carriers and Availability: Coming soon to Orange, Vodafone and O2 in the UK

HTC 7 Pro

• 1 GHz Qualcomm QSD8250 CPU
• 3.6″ WVGA LCD, 480×800 resolution
• 512 MB ROM, 448 MB RAM
• Internal Storage: 8 GB on-board
• 5 MP camera, Auto-focus, LED flash
• 720p HD video recording
• Sensors: G-sensor, digital compass, proximity sensor, light sensor
• Connectivity: 3G 7.2 Mbps, WiFi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 (A2DP support)
• HTC Hub
• Input method: Touch screen and slide-out QWERTY keyboard
• Unique Feature: The only HTC WP7 phone to sport a physical QWERTY keyboard
• Carriers and Availability: First half of 2011 on Sprint

Samsung

Samsung Focus

• 1 GHz Qualcomm QSD8250 CPU
• 4.0″ Super AMOLED, 480×800 resolution
• 512 MB ROM, 512 MB RAM
• Internal Storage: 8 GB microSD, not hot swappable without a hard reset
• 5 MP camera, Auto-focus, LED flash
• 720p HD video recording (23fps)
• Sensors: G-sensor, digital compass, proximity sensor, light sensor
• Connectivity: 3G 7.2 Mbps, WiFi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 (A2DP support)
• Input method: Touch screen only
• Unique Feature: Vibrant screen, added camera functionality and front facing camera
• Carriers and Availability: U.S. exclusive, launching on November 8th on AT&T

Samsung Omnia 7

• 1 GHz Qualcomm QSD8250 CPU
• 4.0″ Super AMOLED, 480×800 resolution
• 512 MB ROM, 512 MB RAM
• Internal Storage: 8 GB microSD, not hot swappable without a hard reset
• 5 MP camera, Auto-focus, LED flash
• 720p HD video recording (25fps)
• Sensors: G-sensor, digital compass, proximity sensor, light sensor
• Connectivity: 3G 7.2 Mbps, WiFi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 (A2DP support)
• Input method: Touch screen only
• Unique Feature: Vibrant screen, added camera functionality and front facing camera
• Carriers and Availability: Currently available on Orange and 3 in the UK

Dell

Dell Venue Pro

• 1 GHz Qualcomm QSD8250 CPU
• 4.1″ WVGA AMOLED, 480×800 resolution
• Internal Storage: 8 GB microSD, not hot swappable without a hard reset
• 5 MP camera, Auto-focus, LED flash
• 720p HD video recording
• Sensors: G-sensor, digital compass, proximity sensor, light sensor
• Connectivity: 3G 7.2 Mbps, WiFi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 (A2DP support)
• Input method: Touch screen and hardware keyboard
• Unique Feature: Scratch-resistant screen (Corning Gorilla Glass), physical QWERTY keyboard
• Carriers and Availability: Available end of 2010 on T-Mobile U.S.

LG

LG Optimus 7 (E900)

• 1 GHz Qualcomm QSD8650 CPU
• 3.8″ WVGA LCD, 480×800 resolution
• Internal Storage: 16 GB
• 5 MP camera, Auto-focus, LED flash
• 720p HD video recording (24fps)
• Sensors: G-sensor, digital compass, proximity sensor, light sensor
• Connectivity: 3G 7.2 Mbps, WiFi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 (A2DP support)
• Input method: Touch screen
• Unique Feature: Wireless media transfer to DLNA DMR enabled devices
• Carriers and Availability: Coming to Telus (Canada) end of 2010, and currently available on Vodafone-UK

LG Quantum

• 1 GHz Qualcomm QSD8650 CPU
• 3.5″ WVGA LCD, 480×800 resolution
• Internal Storage: 16 GB
• 5 MP camera, Auto-focus, LED flash
• 720p HD video recording
• Sensors: G-sensor, digital compass, proximity sensor, light sensor
• Connectivity: 3G 7.2 Mbps, WiFi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 (A2DP support)
• Input method: Touch screen and physical QWERTY keyboard
• Unique Feature: Wireless media transfer to DLNA DMR enabled devices, and QWERTY keyboard
• Carriers and Availability: Coming to AT&T on the 8th of November

Are you planning on ditching your iDevice/BlackBerry/Android for a Windows Phone 7? If so, let us know which one you’re leaning toward — there are a lot of options!

Image credit: George Joseph

Today is D-Day for Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 mobile operating system. The desktop software giants [A1] are launching their highly-anticipated and revamped mobile OS through various carriers across most of Europe, and boy do they mean business. Remember that $1 billion WP7 and Kinect marketing blitz we told you about? Well, Microsoft is giving away all sorts of freebies, in an effort to drum up sales. Earlier today, the Redmond outfit was spotted giving away Microsoft-branded Skull Candy headphones to customers at the Orange outlet on Oxford Street in London. Spain’s Movistar and Austria’s A1 carriers are reportedly giving away free XBox 360s to early adopters of WP7 (subject to signing a 2-year mobile contract). Windows Phone 7 launches in the U.S. on November 8, will all the marketing hype pay-off?

UK carrier Orange announced Wednesday that its first two Windows Phone 7 handsets, the HTC 7 Mozart and Samsung Omnia 7, will become available Thursday morning. Orange’s Oxford Street store in the heart of London will open its doors at 7:00 a.m. local time tomorrow, giving Londoners first crack at these highly anticipated Windows Phone 7-powered devices. As Microsoft fans are likely well aware, the HTC 7 Mozart features a 3.7-inch WVGA resolution, Super LCD Display, 8-megapixel camera, Dolby sound and a 1GHz processor. Samsung’s Omnia 7 touts a 4.0-inch Super-AMOLED touchscreen and a 1 GHz processor. Each phone will be available for free with a new contract starting at £35 per month for the 7 Mozart and £40 per month for the Omnia 7. Hit the jump for Orange’s full press release.

UK’S FIRST WINDOWS® PHONE 7s GO ON SALE AT ORANGE’S OXFORD STREET STORE TOMORROW AT 7:00AM

20th October 2010: The HTC 7 Mozart, available only on Orange, and the stylish HD Voice enabled Samsung Omnia 7 will go on sale from 7am tomorrow morning in Orange’s Oxford Street shop (155-157 Oxford Street) – offering customers the opportunity to be the first to get their hands on a Windows® Phone 7 in the UK.

To help support the launch, Capital FM Breakfast Show presenters Johnny Vaughan and Lisa Snowdon, will head to the store following their morning breakfast show and will be offering prizes to those in store from 10am. Furthermore, anyone who buys a Windows Phone in the Oxford Street store tomorrow will receive a free Bluetooth headset whilst stocks last.

As Microsoft’s key UK partner, Orange last week announced it is exclusively offering UK customers the sleek HTC 7 Mozart, as well as ranging the stylish Samsung Omnia 7 with Windows Phone 7.

Both phones feature quick-link access to the following Orange applications and services, which are integrated into Windows Phone’s unique Start screen:

• Orange Wednesdays: 2-4-1 cinema ticket app – allowing you to read reviews, watch trailers as well as redeem 2-4-1 vouchers all from your handset
• Orange Maps: Your personal navigation system, offering turn-by-turn GPS guidance
• Your Orange: To help you keep up-to-date and manage your Orange account – access help articles and get the latest info on your Magic Numbers
• Orange Daily: Bringing you a selection of at-a-glance news, sport and weather content as well as extras such as Wikipedia

For more information on the HTC 7 Mozart or Samsung Omnia 7, go to www.orange.co.uk

T-Mobile UK has jumped the gun and revealed pricing for the, BlackBerry OS 6-toting Bold 9780. The  Bold 9780 is the successor to the aging, but wildly popular Bold 9700. According to Electricpig, the new BlackBerry will be available before Christmas. The handset will be available for £0 ($0, if you convert) if you sign 2 years of your life away for a £30/month. Reasonable, no? However, we still don’t have any info on tariff details.

The three other major carriers in Blighty – O2, Orange and 3, have remained tight-lipped on availability. With the festive shopping season around the corner, you can expect all the major carriers to jump on-board

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Today, Microsoft announced that all five major UK wireless carriers — Orange, O2, T-Mobile, Three, and Vodafone — will be carrying handsets that run the Windows Phone 7 operating system. “It is wonderful now to have all of the UK’s network operators supporting the launch of Windows Phone 7,” said Alex Reeve, Microsoft UK’s director of the Mobile Business Group. We know plenty about the “who,” what we really want to know is the “when.”

ALL UK MOBILE NETWORK OPERATORS BACK WINDOWS® PHONE 7

LONDON, UK: 22 SEPTEMBER 2010: Today, Microsoft has announced that all
five of the mobile network operators in the UK – Orange, O2, Vodafone,
T-Mobile and Three – will be ranging phones running Windows® Phone 7
when it launches later this year. In addition, Windows Phone 7 will be
ranged by the leading UK retailers The Carphone Warehouse and Phones
4u.

Windows Phone 7 is a different kind of phone, designed to bring
together the things people care about most. Featuring an innovative
and beautiful user interface and integrated experiences, it simplifies
what you do every day. Plus, for the first time ever, Microsoft will
bring together the Xbox LIVE® games and the Zune® music and video
experience exclusively to Windows Phone.

Alex Reeve, Director, Mobile Business Group, Microsoft UK, said:
“Following our announcement at Mobile World Congress that Orange will
be our lead partner, it is wonderful now to have all of the UK’s
network operators supporting the launch of Windows Phone 7. This means
we can provide network choice and also a range of phones across
networks for customers to choose from, all with the power of Windows
Phone 7. We are thrilled to be working in partnership with these major
industry players.”

For more information and see a demonstration of the phone, please
visit www.windowsphone7.com

Apple’s iPhone 4 is a undeniably selling like wildfire both here in the States and overseas. Similar to the U.S., the UK iPhone is experiencing delayed availability with the ship by date now pushed back to July 14th. If you missed the June 24th and the July 2nd pre-order window, your only option now is to try to score an iPhone 4 from your local Apple store or your favorite wireless carrier at launch next week. Thankfully, many opportunities exist for the UK iPhone customer as, unlike the U.S. where exclusivity reigns, the UK iPhone 4 will be sold by O2, Orange, Vodafone, Tesco Mobile, and T-Mobile with the the first three carriers announcing their iPhone 4 pricing and associated tariffs earlier this week. Hit the jump for a full roundup of each carrier’s pricing and best of luck in snagging the latest and greatest handset Apple has to offer.

Read (Apple UK store)

Read (O2 iPhone 4)

Read (Vodafone iPhone 4)

Read (Orange iPhone 4)

Although there’s still 21 days to go before the Apple iPad is goes on sale in the UK, that hasn’t stopped Orange from whetting people’s appetites for the 3G model with its announcing its iPad-specific data plans. If casual 3G data is what you’re after, £2 a day will get you the iPad Daily plan which is good for 200MB until midnight on the day of purchase. Other than than that, £7.50 nets the iPad Weekly plan which offers 1GB of data, whilst the iPad Monthly plans go for £15 and £25 and offer 3GB and 10GB of data alongside  browsing at Orange and BT Openzone Wi-Fi hotspots (although a 750MB fair use cap applies) . If all of this is too much fuss, there’s always the option of paying 5p per megabyte. Both Orange and Apple will be providing Micro SIMs free of charge with orders being accepted starting May 10th.

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Orange CEO Delegate, Stéphane Richard, in charge of operations in France, let go a bit of a bombshell when asked by a reporter whether an Apple tablet would be announced before the end of the month he responded, “yes.” Now, our French is a bit rusty, but AppleInsider is reporting a portion of the translation as such:

Elkabbach: According to weekly Le Point, in a couple of days Apple will be launching its tablet computer…
Richard: Yes.
Elkabbach: …equipped with a webcam.
Richard: Yes.
Elkabbach: Are Orange customers going to be able to enjoy it?
Richard: Of course!

Richard hasn’t really admitted to the tablets imminent release, however, by not outright denying the rumored tablets existence he has set off of firestorm amongst Apple fans. For those of you who do speak French we have the video queued up for you after the break. Let us know via the comments if we missed anything.

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Earlier in the year, Orange’s iPhone exclusivity in France was forced to an end by a court decision from the Competition Council following a complaint filed by Bouygues Telecom. This decision and its re-affirmation by the higher courts has opened the floodgates for the iPhone to conquer France with the handset making its appearance on Bouygues Telecom and SFR in addition to Orange. Competition leads to increased sales, increased sales leads to price wars and significant price slashing has hit the iPhone in France. Orange has cut its price on the 16GB iPhone 3GS to a lowly €59 ($48USD) from its original sticker of €149 ($213USD), the iPhone 3G 8GB has fallen to a mere €19 ($27USD), while the iPhone 3GS 32GB retails for€169 ($242USD). Strings are attached as customers must sign up for an Origami Star contract, starting a €40.90 ($48USD) per month. Priced slightly higher is SFR which offers the iPhone 3G 8GB for €29 ($42USD), the iPhone 3GS 16GB for €99 ($ 141USD) and the 3GS 32GB for €199 ($284USD). Not wanting to feel left behind, expect other telecoms in France and perhaps even the surrounding markets to follow suit.

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Here’s a bit of an odd one. The iPhone has been on sale in the UK since November 2007 when O2 began exclusively offering the original iPhone. But it was only today the record for single day sales for a sole handset was shattered as Orange began selling the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS. The specific number sold has yet to come out as the day is not yet done, but as of 4pm local time, nationwide sales surpassed 30,000 units. Why is this? Orange thinks it is all to do with its network which it says offers far greater coverage and reach than its competitors and is the focus of a new multi-million pound ad campaign entitled “You’re Covered,” as well as its Orange Wednesdays app which offers perks like 2-for-1 movie coupons. Of course we’re still waiting for Vodafone to start selling the iPhone as it announced it would in September, so we’re quite interested to see how long this record last. One more thing for UK iPhone users. As of today, O2 will legitimately unlock your phone provided that you adhere to the following conditions: Pay Monthly users can unlock at any time but must continue to pay until O2 for services until their term is up while Pay Go subs must have had their iPhone for 12 months and pay a £15 fee. If anyone is interested in this, just visit http://shop.o2.co.uk/update/unlockmyiphone.html to get this process started.

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With the BlackBerry Storm2 getting nice and official over night, we here at BGR thought that it would be nice for us to take a moment and focus on just what its launch means for our loyal readers that aren’t living in The New World. Earlier this week, UK-based The Guardian proclaimed that the Storm2 would be announced by both RIM and Vodafone this week. Clearly this was the case as we now know it will be arriving on or around the 26th of October, but its report missed out on one huge revelation — Vodafone’s exclusivity on the device will only last “a few weeks”. This of course paves the way for other carriers such as O2, Orange and T-Mobile to get in on the Storm action. While all of the aforementioned Storm2 candidate carriers have remained mom mum on the matter, The Guardian is hedging its bets on Orange carrying the Storm2 in time for Christmas. What does this all mean for the UK? Well, when one considers that every major carrier is going to be offering the iPhone 3GS and has the option of picking up the Storm2, it looks as if a major price war is about to erupt in time for the holidays.

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