Have a read of this:

1 in 3 Australians will snoop in the phones of their partners (according to a Virgin Mobile survey).

60% of them do it when their partner is in the shower. 41% do it with their partner in view.

(quote from Tomi Ahonen’s presentation at Future of Mobile 2008.)

Principally I suspect the ‘snooping’ is looking at text messages and recent call lists.

Now if it’s that bad without sticking ‘location’ into the mix, how is it going to be when the masses take a look at Google Latitude?

How many relationships — business and personal — are about to get absolutely nailed by the fact that your friends and partners can *SEE* where you are. Or where you were?

Witness the following frequently used explanations that I often overhear:

Chap: I’m still in the office
Google Latitude: He’s over the other side of London. With friends Graham, Paul. And, er — if you check out that Kate girl’s blog, you’ll see her Latitude puts her within 100m of him.

Chap: I’m just at the shops buying you something in that underwear shop!
Google Latitude: He’s at PC World, about a mile away from any shops that might sell underwear.

Chap: (Text message) I’m just getting on the train.
Google Latitude: He hasn’t left the office.

Chap: NO? I’m not out with the guys. I’m just getting a sandwich then I’m on my way home.
Google Latitude: Before he switched me off, he was sitting next to ‘the guys’. And that bitch girl Kate was heading this year. That was an hour ago. That’s all I know, right?

Chap: Sorry boss, I’m stuck in the snow and I won’t be able to get into work.
Google Latitude: Rubbish! He’s at the leisure park near work — next to the cinema!

Teenager: I’m, er, just going to the shops to get a can of Coke. Back in 20.
Google Latitude: He’s round that Vicky-girl’s house again.

Teenager: Yeah I’m at school. So what, mum?
Google Latitude: He’s not in school. He’s not in the same town actually. Ask him how he got to the next town?

And so on.

Despite the fact that Latitude has bucketloads of privacy goodness, the use of this technology is going to take quite a while to get a hang of…

Here’s a good indication why. I’ve just got confirmation through about their new range of laptops.

Yes, every UK operator is jumping on the we-do-laptops-too bandwaggon and Orange are one of those lagging behind. They’ve finally vomitted out a range — good news. I have the details. I was just hunting for some pictures.

I hit the orange.co.uk site … and…

Can you see any laptops for sale?

Can you see any pictures of phones, for that matter?

This is the *frontpage* of Orange.co.uk.

Surely they’d have at least ONE picture of a Nokia or something? To draw you in, get you to click?

Let’s assume, for a moment, I’m on the hunt for one of these new laptops I’ve heard about.

Where do I click?

On the left, I’ve got the little menu:

No mention of laptops.

Ok, so let’s scan right…

No mention of laptops again.

Ok. Now it’s time for pot luck.

I’ll..er…

I’ll just click, shall I?

Let’s go for ‘pay monthly’.

I actually second guessed myself. I actually thought, ‘shit maybe the laptops don’t come out today’ and I went back to look at the press release text:

Orange today launches its new mobile broadband and laptop offer targeted specifically at the business market. Small and medium business customers can now sign up to a new Orange Business Everywhere mobile broadband package and come away with a laptop as well.

Ok.

No mention of laptops. Let’s look down the expanded shop menu:

Nope.

Maybe I should click in the ‘business shop’?

Oooh!

Oh look!

Result!

Now we’re talking.

I clicked on that banner.

Woosh.

Here we go:

No prices.

No indications.

Nothing to draw the eye to purchase yet.

Except the OUT OF STOCK label at the bottom is rather off-putting.

Ah dear.

Since the Orange website does such a shit job of it, I’ll post the details from the release shortly.

And if you want the direct link to look at the laptop page, it’s here.