Orange World

If you’ve been dying for O2’s iPhone monopoly to come to an end, the wait is almost over – Orange has announced that it will stock the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS from 10 November, with most monthly deals cheekily undercutting 02 by 1p and 2p.

But there are a few additions to sweeten the Orange deal – if you choose the iPhone 3G 16GB on the cheapest tariff you’ll save £59.98 on O2’s handset pricing. And if you go for the 32GB model, you’ll save £49.23.

Orange is also offering more minutes and messages – O2 gives you 72 minutes and 125 messages while Orange will sling 150 minutes and 250 messages your way.

Orange has also added a 24-month contract for super-users. The £122.34 a month deal gives you unlimited texts and unlimited calls as well as the 750MB of monthly data which all the packages include.

If you fancy a PAYG model, the 3G can be yours for a hefty £333, if you promise to top up £50 per month. All PAYG accounts have 250MB data allowance per month and a year’s access to BT Openzone WiFi spots.

If your fancy’s still not tickled by any of these deals, then it’s also worth noting that Vodafdafone will also carry the iPhone in early 2010.

This string of 50 LED orange Halloween pumpkin lights is appropriate for indoor or outdoor use. Orange LED lights last ten times longer than traditional incandescent, are cool to the touch, and great for saving energy.

Use Orange Halloween Pumpkin LED Lights for great Halloween!

You are a leader if someone is following you. This could be as simple as one person watching you and following your example and encouragement, to being a leader in your home, your community, your workplace or even your nation. Leadership can take many forms, but typically it often involves managing people- one of the most difficult of all tasks. It means coordinating and motivating the actions of others to achieve a common goal. A leader has to establish that goal, and gain the willing agreement of others to be governed by and work together towards that goal.

The style of leadership taken by any leader is usually predetermined by the personality and motivational values of that person. They are who they are, as a personality, and that has a strong influence on the way they lead and communicate with others.

The study of personality traits has been on going for centuries, and there is a great deal of agreement in the conclusions and findings of personality characteristics.

Every personality type has particular talents and skills that lend themselves to good leadership. Any form of leadership however, is greatly enriched and enhanced if it is able to draw on the strengths and characteristics of the other styles.

A leader who has a strong Gold personality type is personally committed and dedicated to the goal. They work hard, and expect their team to do the same. They lead from a place of belief that the work is important, and has to be done right. Gold leaders value tradition- the ways of the past are proven ways, and so do not take well to new ideas unless they are well proven to have potential.

Leaders with a strong Blue personality are motivated by their commitment to the people involved, and a strong sense of community. They have a democratic style of management, valuing the input of employees and team workers. Blue leaders tend to see the big picture, and have the ability to inspire others with the vision.

The strong Green leadership style also sees the big picture as well as the complexity of detail. Green leaders excel in strategy. They bring intellect, ingenuity and design into the leadership role. They research and analyze facts and concepts, constantly looking for improvements for working smarter rather than harder. Facts and information are all important to the Green leader, and they pay little attention to the value of feelings and relationships.

Action is the focus of the Orange leader. Administration and organization exist to make action possible. They are great troubleshooters. The Orange leader leads by example, setting the standard to follow. Orange management style can be quite authoritarian and abrupt as they are impatient with opposition, and expect their directions to be followed. Above all Orange leaders welcome change believing that the old ways can always be improved on. A new project represents, adventure, a challenge and potential fun, all of which the Orange personality thrives on.

Every leader has a combination of all four personalities, but one will always be the stronger, more natural way to operate in. A leader’s style may also be a blend of their main strength, combined with their second strongest style. A wise leader will understand the strengths and weaknesses of their personal leadership style and use those team members with different styles to bring balance and greater efficiency in meeting the shared goal.

Tonight I did this Little Orange House story with the kids. It involves reading a story along with making some cuts in orange paper. When you open the house you get to see a surprise. The kids liked this story so much they each wanted their own. Ruben is now in his room making his own out of red paper.

I love vintage phones, especially when used to add decor to the guest book table. I’m in love with this bright orange phone!

Images that are made up of a primarily, or at least predominantly, singular selected color. As we move down inspirational spectrum, lands us on the color orange. Inspiration in Orange, features another awesome collection of imaginative and emotive works from all around the design world with two distinct purposes. The first, of course, is to inspire you, but also to see whether or not that inspiration tends to manifest elements that are associated with the color of choice. Happiness, energy, balance, enthusiasm, flamboyance, playfulness, arrogance, warning, danger, are generally associated with the color orange. Who knows where this inspiration will take you, but you will be the only one that can tell…

Orange Art

Orange Product & Packaging Design

Source: flickr.com

Much has been written about what the workplace of the future will look like.

Two years ago, I found a blog about looking at future workplace trends in a PricewaterhouseCoopers report, Managing Tomorrow’s People. In that report, PwC foreshadowed big corporates turning into mini states, specialist workers and companies joining forces in networks, and environmental issues taking over the agenda. Now PwC has done an update in the wake of the global financial crisis. Let’s take a look to see what’s changed.

Like the earlier report, the updated version envisages three worlds, or three different types of companies: green, blue and orange. The Australian version of the report is here. The Orange world comprises businesses that are fragmented, small, lean and nimble, companies that have skeleton staff but which rely on an extensive network of suppliers. Blue types of companies are big corporations with solid size, talent, technology and leadership. These sorts of companies pay oversized bonuses to great performers. The Green world is filled with companies that have a powerful social conscience with “green” policies. There are many energy, automotive and financial service companies in that space. In the wake of the financial crisis, they are also very focused on reducing risk.

The report looks at some potential trends that will emerge out of the financial crisis.

In the Green space, companies will be looking at ways to motivate staff beyond salary. It sees them introducing initiatives where employees can earn bonus credits that could earn them gigs like being seconded to an overseas office, government department or non-government organisation, learning a new vocation or language, getting paid sabbaticals or extended maternity and paternity leave, or receiving subsidies for green improvements to the home. Following the financial meltdown, employees are rewarded for not taking excessive risks.

Orange companies have only a handful of staff and instead rely extensively on contractors, known as “team workers”. In response to the lay off, these sorts of companies would track layoffs at competitor firms and created social networking sites for the jobless to share experiences and advice. This gave rise to a new social networking system called Workbook where candidates could post their information for a small fee. What these radical innovations did was provide these companies with an enormous pool of potential talent, perfect for dealing with the skills shortage.

Companies in the Blue space are committed to turning human resources into a competitive advantage to build up teams of talented and motivated employees.

The report identifies a number of issues that are going to make the world of work look very different in the next few years. First, they will have to accept that Generation Y has a completely different take on work. Many millennials would be comfortable with an employer providing personal services such as housing/food/regular doctor and dentist appointments. Secondly, environmental issues will change the way companies operate, not only in terms of legislation but also as opportunities that could provide them with a competitive advantage. They will also have to work hard to restore the trust that was shattered in the financial crisis. And also, the health and well being of the workforce will be a key focus because unhealthy or unhappy workers will result in reduced productivity.

That’s PwC’s take on the future, What do you think the workplace of the future will look like? And how will the financial crisis reshape it? Have you noticed any changes coming in now?

Source: flickr.com

It’s been a long time coming, we’ve heard hushed tones, rumours and unofficial confirmations, but finally the Orange iPhone has become a reality!

Aside from the obvious fact that it’ll mean more of Apple’s slick mobiles will end up in consumer’s hands by breaking up O2’s two year love affair, there are plenty of other side effects of the iPhone getting together with what is soon to be the UK’s largest mobile provider…

1. Price War!

Orange may not have divulged a price or release date for the 3G and 3GS (in a surprise move, they have also secured Apple’s latest model of the iPhone), but it is fair to say that the entrance of a new challenger into the ring could spell curtains for O2’s premium price point.

A bloody high street battle is bound to ensue, with a new-found choice of provider driving iPhone prices down and resulting in a turf war between the two networks for the attention (and signatures) of cash-conscious shoppers.

Prepare to see shorter contracts, sweetened upgrade deals and cheaper handset costs for the coveted smart phone from both O2 and Orange, as they vie for supremacy over a cash-strapped public.

All signs point to Orange releasing the handset this side of Xmas, which could lead to the iPhone becoming this year’s must have present…if the price is right.

2. Better 3G coverage.

One thing that O2 has been in the media a lot about in recent months is their patchy 3G coverage. Many consumers found that their shiny new iPhone 3G was a lot less impressive at surfing the web, as high speed data signals remained elusive.

Earlier in the year, Ofcom released UK coverage maps, highlighting the degree of 3G reception across the country for the major networks. The maps spoke for themselves, as well as explaining the reason for some people’s reception issues…

Exactly. Now that the iPhone will made be available on another network which can claim further reaching 3G reception, it might force O2’s hand to improve network coverage as well as service…if Ofcom being on their case about it wasn’t enough.

3. Stronger competition from exclusive handsets.

Nothing stimulates innovation like a bit of healthy competition, and the iPhone no longer being an exclusive might force networks to drive consumer interest in other handsets on their respective rosters…

The Motorola DEXT is Orange’s latest acquisition, a socially-savvy communicator that links up to Twitter, Facebook and all manner of sites, and will definitely be priced to scoop up those teens not quite ready for the iPhone.

O2 are already directing attention to the forthcoming ‘iPhone killer’, the Palm Pre, and a response on their blog to Orange’s announcement makes them sound proud of the million-odd new sign ups that the iPhone has brought, but still determined to forge ahead with exclusive devices.

Without a monopoly on the world’s most hyped handset, people who aren’t swayed by the iPhone will still need to get the next best thing. It is up to the carriers to convince of what that is, and rest assured they will be spending a lot of money on advertising in the coming months letting us know.

4. Network-specific apps.

Without the shackles of a single network, even more people will be making impulse purchases on the App Store, but also networks can develop applications that allow customers to get more from their mobile.

The My O2 iPhone app currently enables users to check their remaining minutes, texts and charges, whilst also allowing them to see their current Bolt-Ons and view recent bills. All very useful, and a great piece of optional functionality that the iPhone can bring specifically to users for a particular network.

Does this mean that Orange World functionality can finally arrive as an app as opposed to being hard-coded into the handset? We maintain our candlelight vigil in hope…

5. iPhone on T-Mobile?

Well, it’s no secret that just last month Orange and T-Mobile inked a deal seeing the two merge and become the nation’s biggest mobile network, with over 28.4 million customers.

As this merger is in the early stages, the two networks are still maintaining distinct branding and retail outlets at present.

However, how much overlap might there be in the future, and will we see the iPhone available on T-Mobile as well as Orange as a consequence?

When the join between these two providers is a little difficult to distinguish, it is not a huge leap of the imagination to see cross-promotion of the iPhone 3G/3GS in T-Mobile stores, or sign-ups to a network with can boast better 3G coverage than even Orange.

Time will tell, but now that the bubble of iPhone exclusivity has burst, all bets are off on which network will be next to sell this generation’s hottest mobile phone.