Orange puts Google on homescreens

Search giant Google got a major boost in the mobile market on Wednesday, when Orange announced a deal to put Google Mobile App on the homescreens of customers in Europe.

The multi-year strategic agreement will see Orange launch Google Mobile App across its footprint in a phased approach across a large range of Orange Signature phones.

Google services will be available from the homescreen on Signature Android handsets, alongside other services such as Orange TV. In the UK and France, Google mobile search results will also include relevant content from Orange’s own mobile portal, combining results from both partners for the first time.

From October, the Orange Signature Android series, including LG Eve (France, Spain), HTC Tattoo (France, UK, Spain) and HTC Hero (France) will also feature specially designed services like the Orange Email Wizard which lets users set up and use their chosen mobile email services – including Google Mail – on the handset.

Google Mobile App will later be made available across a wider range of Signature devices operating on Symbian S60, RIM (BlackBerry) and Microsoft’s Windows Mobile.