A look inside Orange's Paris labs

A lot of Orange's work addresses the needs of multinational companies and the management of supply chains.

This picture shows a sticker that combines an embedded RFID tag — for tracking the passage of an item through the warehouse and retail outlet — with a data matrix code that can be read by a customer with a cameraphone.

In this picture, an Orange executive demonstrates how a package labelled with an RFID-enabled sticker, shown in the previous shot, can be tracked through the intercontinental supply chain.

Another demonstrator noted that the issue of RFID tracking is very much on the European Commission's agenda, with privacy advocates arguing that tags should be deactivated at the point of sale, to avoid products being tracked once they are personal property.

Orange is also making a big push into the machine-to-machine communications market.

This picture shows the various components of a SIM card and slot. While most people are familiar with the standard SIM card, the version that gets embedded in a machine does not necessarily have to include the plastic parts that make it manoeuvrable by hand. In many applications, the basic components are preferable for their small size.

One application detailed by the demonstrator was a vending machine that sends text messages to the operator when stocks are low, and that can receive text messages from the operator telling it to display discounted prices for stock close to its expiry date.

Unfortunately for the purposes of the demonstration, the actual vending machine was stuck in transit due to a French rail strike.

Embedded SIMs can also be used by devices such as this security robot.

The robot, which automatically patrols premises, identifies unexpected intruders, photographs them and sends the photo via picture message to the security company that operates it.