Not forgetting that around 80 per cent of its customer base does not own a smartphone, Orange has launched a widget-based service that will allow its feature phone users to access popular widgets from leading content providers.
To support this new venture, Orange has agreed to add Netvibes' catalogue of nearly 200,000 apps to its Orange Widgets service, which ships on the majority of its handsets. The widgets will also be available on djinngo mobile, an Orange service open to any mobile phone user in the world - albeit well hidden within parts of the firm's complex web strategy. In addition, the mobile widgets will soon be accessible to Orange customers in its recently launched Orange App Shop.
Paul-François Fournier, exec VP of audience and advertising at Orange, said that Netvibes made a good partner being the largest independent provider of real time widgets across 90 languages. "Our strategy is to make mobile widgets a reality for everyone, not just the mobile multimedia fans with sophisticated smartphones."
Fournier added that the company's approach was to offer diverse local content across many languages, "with an intuitive and simple experience that would appeal to all. Netvibes' catalogue includes widgets from content developers around the world and this was important for us as we will be offering widgets across Europe, Middle East and Africa."
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