Hasta La Gadget!

Not only is Alcatel One Touch on a roll in Europe and Asia, it’s starting to make more strides in the US. Sure, this isn’t the company’s first rodeo in this neck of the woods — the Shockwave came to US Cellular last fall, while the Idol has been available online as an unlocked handset for a few months — but it’s refreshing to see it get its foot in the door with one of the big four networks. This morning, Alcatel announced that it has two budget-friendly devices coming to T-Mobile next month: the Evolve (pictured above) and the Fierce (pictured below).

The Fierce is the nicest of the pair, featuring a 4.5-inch qHD display with a 1.2GHz quad-core MediaTek processor, 1,800mAh battery, 5MP rear camera and Android 4.2. The Evolve, on the other hand, has a 4-inch WVGA screen, Android 4.1, 1GHz MT6575 SoC, 4GB total storage, microSD support up to 32GB, a 5MP rear camera and 1,400mAh battery. Certainly prime material for the budget category; the Fierce will come in silver and slate and will retail for $170 off-contract (that’s $20 down with monthly payments of $6), while the Evolve will start at $100 off-contract ($28 down with $3 monthly payments). Alcatel tells us that both phones will be offered for a slightly lower cost during the holiday season, in case you’re looking for a more basic smartphone for the kiddos.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, T-Mobile

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Alcatel OneTouch has turned a new leaf in 2013. In the past, the TCL-affiliated manufacturer has been known to crank out a dozen or more cheap smartphones at European trade shows with no apparent focus on quality, but after a recent adjustment in brand strategy, we’re looking at the company in a completely new light. The frequency of new phones hasn’t changed much, but Alcatel is working hard to change its reputation by adding a few high-end devices to its portfolio, such as the Idol Alpha. Taking the lead as the flagship of the company’s premiere Android lineup, the Alpha is a 5-inch beaut that appears to live up to its name, complete with aluminum build and a new type of transparent material on the top and bottom. It’s a phone that took us a bit off-guard, so join us after the break (and the gallery below) to read more of our first impressions.

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Follow all of our IFA 2013 coverage by heading to our event hub!

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

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Pico projectors are swell, but they’re not wildly popular. Very few smartphone manufacturers can find a way to embed them into devices without making them incredibly thick and expensive, and without sucking the battery dry in no time at all — the Samsung Galaxy Beam comes to mind regarding all of the above concerns — and carrying around a separate accessory is just plain impractical and expensive. (Plus, most devices can wirelessly mirror content onto TVs and monitors anyway, making the actual market even more limited.) But what if you could find a clever way of incorporating it into another useful accessory while keeping it small, simple and inexpensive? Well, we’re not sure about the latter qualification, but Alcatel OneTouch is at least keeping an eye on this niche with a new docking station that doubles as an aforementioned pico projector. It’s a prototype accessory that’s compatible with the OneTouch Hero, thanks to its set of magnetic docking contacts on the back — all you have to do is clip it on and the phone recognizes that it’s been attached. The projector is 12Lm, which is a little dimmer than we’d prefer (we were told that the final product may actually be brighter than this, but they can’t confirm for now), and the company claims it can show a screen larger than 70 inches.

Company reps tell us that this nameless accessory isn’t officially coming onto the market just yet, and they’re trying to determine how best to proceed (the Hero’s press release suggests that this for sure will be available later, however, so we’ll take it with a grain of salt at the moment). It’s a clever idea that could come in handy for a number of business travelers who need to carry on impromptu presentations, but price (of both the projector and the phone itself) will be a key factor in its success. Check out a few images below that show off the prototype in all its miniature glory.

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Follow all of our IFA 2013 coverage by heading to our event hub!

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Mobile

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Those of us picking budget smartphones in the US seldom have the choice of a toughened smartphone, and it’s even more of a challenge when we’re not signed on to one of the top four carriers. US Cellular is offering the cost-conscious a (hardened) olive branch by shipping the Alcatel One Touch Shockwave. Skip past the creaky Android 2.3, 800MHz processor, 3.2-megapixel camera and 3.5-inch, 480 x 320 display — a shock- and water-resistant shell as well as Dragontrail-based glass should keep the smartphone working through most forms of casual abuse. We also don’t mind having preloaded Amazon Appstore and media apps, although the frugal 2GB microSD card in the box won’t leave much room for any downloading. We’d at least keep the Shockwave on the short list when the $50 price and long-lasting design will leave ample funds for just about everything else.

Continue reading Alcatel One Touch Shockwave reaches US Cellular, takes your bumps and scrapes for $50

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Alcatel One Touch Shockwave reaches US Cellular, takes your bumps and scrapes for $50 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 15:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Even though Alcatel does have devices out in the market like that Venture or OT986, the company still isn’t exactly known for its hardware offerings. With the 7-inch (800 x 480) OneTouch T10, Alcatel’s entering the overcrowded Android tablet space, and doing so without much flare — especially when compared side-by-side with, say, Google’s flagship, the Nexus 7. Something also tells us the OneTouch T10 might just be one of those reincarneted slates, but that’s not to say some won’t appreciate the inclusion of Ice Cream Sandwich alongside a 1GHz, single-core Rockchip CPU, 1GB RAM and 4GB of internal storage (expandable up to 32GB via microSD). Details on pricing and availability are still a tad bit scarce, though word on the web is it’ll be priced at €130 (around $170) once it’s up for grabs in the US and Europe.

Filed under: Tablets

Alcatel intros OneTouch T10 tablet with 7-inch display and Ice Cream Sandwich originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Oct 2012 14:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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