Applications
Orange, Nokia to extend Ovi across the UK, France
MUMBAI: Orange, France Telecom‘s brand, and Nokia have announced a new integrated Ovi service that widens the developer ecosystem and gives Orange customers using Nokia handsets easier access to more content.
Orange is integrating Ovi content with the best of its apps from the Orange Application Shop to give customers simpler, more secure access to a wider range of content and services, creating one easy and seamless experience. Nokia’s Ovi Store with Orange will be accessible by Orange customers in the UK and France in 2011.
Orange is working with Nokia to create a single sign-on for customers on a range of new handsets that simplifies the registration and purchasing process. Customers that purchase a Nokia device in the Orange Signature range will enjoy a wider range of local content and apps, sourced through the Orange developer community, and accessible through the Ovi Store with Orange.
Access is simple, not requiring any additional registrations. For simplicity and convenience, customers will be able to buy any app from the Ovi Store on their Orange bill.
Orange executive VP, net services Paul Francois Fournier says, “Orange is always striving to create a great mobile multimedia experience for customers. To be successful, access to content must be simple, seamless and secure. That is why we are extending our partnership with Nokia, combining innovation to create an intelligent platform that brings an enhanced experience to our customers. By joining the best of both worlds and creating this new service, we believe Orange and Nokia together will bring significant benefits to both our customers and developers.”
Nokia VP media Marco Argenti says, “Our data shows that two out of every three Ovi Store users choose the simplicity of operator billing when purchasing content. By offering more locally relevant content and the most convenient way to pay for it, we believe Nokia’s Ovi Store with Orange will be a hit with consumers and provide developers with additional revenue opportunities.”
Nokia and Orange will be engaging with third party developers on content creation for the Ovi Store during an Orange Partner Developer Day on September 17th in London.
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
