Orange Barcelona heads to UK with Android 2.2
European San Francisco follow-up
Orange is set to unleash another own-branded Android handset in the form of the Orange Barcelona.
Update: We've heard back from Orange, which reveals that the manufacturer behind the Barcelona is Huawei, rather than ZTE which made the San Francisco.
The Orange Barcelona UK price has also been set: it'll set you back £119.99 on pay as you go (plus a £20 top-up, effectively making the price £139.99), or you can nab it for free on 24-month contracts of £15 per month or more.
Following the great success of the 2.1-toting Orange San Fransisco, the Barcelona is taking a step up in the world, launching with Android 2.2 (Froyo).
Unlike the San Francisco, it comes with a full physical QWERTY keyboard and a 2.6-inch TFT touchscreen; like a budget BlackBerry Bold 9900.
Like a jewel in the sun
Also on board are HD voice, a 3.2MP camera, and video calling, presumably via a front-mounted camera but we can't see one on Orange's mock ups at first glance.
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The Barcelona will also be rocking 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity, as well as offering seven hours of talktime from a single charge.
Not much news on the Orange Barcelona UK release date front; all we can tell you is that it's coming to pay monthly and pay as you go 'soon', as the Orange shop site says.
Stay tuned for more details on UK pricing too; we'd expect it to be around the same level as the low-cost ZTE-made San Francisco, but there are no guarantees until we hear back from the tangy network itself.
Via Unwired View
Former UK News Editor for TechRadar, it was a perpetual challenge among the TechRadar staff to send Kate (Twitter, Google+) a link to something interesting on the internet that she hasn't already seen. As TechRadar's News Editor (UK), she was constantly on the hunt for top news and intriguing stories to feed your gadget lust. Kate now enjoys life as a renowned music critic – her words can be found in the i Paper, Guardian, GQ, Metro, Evening Standard and Time Out, and she's also the author of 'Amy Winehouse', a biography of the soul star.