Orange is adding new features to its Android devices. Orange Gestures – developed in-house by the Orange Group Devices business unit - lets users draw gestures on their homescreen to give fast access to applications or services. IThe company is also introducing ‘smart’ wallpapers with built-in apps for its  Android-powered Orange Signature smartphones.

Orange Gestures offers a choice of 27 gestures that can be drawn on-screen and assigned to an action, such as speed dialling, sending a text to a specific contact or launching an application. For example, drawing a square could open a text message pre-addressed to a specific contact, while drawing a heart could make a phone call to another.

Orange Live Wallpapers are an extension of the ‘live wallpaper’ already available within Android. The first will be Orange Candles; an on-screen candle that indicates battery life as it burns down.

Yves Maitre, senior vice president of Orange Group Devices and Mobile Multimedia, said “ We are continually looking at ways to bring added value to our customers through the Orange Homescreen, offering simple, differentiating services and improved functionality. The homescreen plays a fundamental role in our Signature strategy, introducing both new and relevant Orange and third party services to our customers. Orange Gestures and Orange Live Wallpapers are our latest offerings to harness the innovation capabilities of the Android platform on our Signature phones. We make sure every pixel counts in order to deliver Orange customers with a sophisticated, stylish and simple experience.”

Orange Gestures and Live Wallpapers will be available on all new Orange Android Signature smartphones from Q2 2011.