Ananova cans email alerts

NEWS Ananova has ditched its email alerts service as it focuses resources on Orange's mobile customers. Orange customers will be able to receive news alerts from Ananova via text message, WAP or interactive voice, and service for PDA users will launch soon. A spokeswoman for the company explained that the company needed to focus its editorial resources on Orange customers, and couldn't continue to provide the email service for free. She said: "We're a mobile company and we need to focus our resources on providing a unique experience for our mobile customers." In July 2000 Orange bought the website fronted by the green-haired newscaster from the Press Association for the staggering sum of £95m. Fair enough - but why not use the email alerts to provide a unique service for users of Freeserve, which together with Orange is part of the France Telecom group? Or supply email alerts as a freebie to Orange mobile customers? Charge for them, perhaps? And, if the group is focusing resources on keeping mobile users happy, why carry on providing the excellent Ananova news service to all and sundry for free with no advertising? The spokeswoman said that the website is important as a home for Ananova's virtual newscaster, and Orange has no plans to close it down.