Orange enhances phones with sentimental shortcuts

A touching gesture

MWC 2011 Orange has boosted its range of Android smartphones with an app that triggers shortcuts when symbols are drawn on the screen.

Orange Gestures means that rather than clogging up the homescreen with shortcut widgets, users can activate them by marking out a symbol instead. The app recognises 27 gestures which customers can assign to different functions.

For example, drawing a heart might trigger a call to your missus. Sketching a circle might open up the handset's messaging app with a message pre-set to be sent to your mum. You get the picture.

Orange Gestures will be available on all the company's signature smartphones, except for HTC models, from Q2 2011. ®