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Alcatel's Idol 5S is a bargain if you can stomach Amazon ads
Alcatel's Idol 4S phone was a good value at $350, but its emphasis on virtual reality support (such as a box that doubled as a headset) may have held it back. Unless you're a big VR fan, wouldn't you rather spend less on a no-frills device? You're getting that opportunity soon. Amazon is including Alcatel's new Idol 5S in its latest wave of Prime Exclusive phones, and it's clear that you're getting a solid deal. If you're an Amazon Prime subscriber, the unlocked handset will ship on July 10th for $200 -- you'll have to put up with Amazon's offers and ads, but that's a low price for what looks to be a well-rounded device. It's also available in a standard $280 version if you'd rather not turn your phone into a tiny billboard.
Alcatel doubles down on cheap-good phones with two new Idols
Alcatel OneTouch had a surprise hit on its hands with the Idol 3, a reversible smartphone seated at the crucial corner of cheap and good. Is it any surprise, then, that the Idol 4S popped here at Mobile World Congress? (In a word: no.) We don't have a price to go with the phone yet, but it seems poised to keep the company's mobile momentum rolling along nicely.
T-Mobile's first Windows 10 Mobile phone is big and cheap
Say whatever you want about Windows 10 Mobile, but the folks over at T-Mobile reckon there's still a demand for this relatively niche player, which is why it's partnered with Alcatel OneTouch to deliver something "affordably priced" to begin with. In fact, if you recall the $139 Android-powered Fierce XL from a couple of months ago, it's basically that but running on Windows 10 with all the Office and Cortana goodies; and oddly enough, it's keeping the same name. Spec-wise, you still get a 5.5-inch 720p display, Qualcomm's quad-core 1.1GHz Snapdragon 210 chipset, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, microSD expansion of up to 32GB, a 2,500 mAh battery, Cat 4 LTE and VoLTE. As for cameras, it's 8 megapixels on the back and 2 megapixels on the front. There's no word on the actual pricing just yet, but this new Fierce XL will be hitting T-Mobile stores in the coming weeks. Update: A T-Mobile rep has confirmed that the phone will be available for $139.99 in one payment, or $0 downpayment and less than $6 per month.
Alcatel OneTouch unveils its first Windows 10 tablet
Alcatel OneTouch is primarily focusing on Android phones these days, but it's not averse to showing Microsoft some affection. The company is coming to CES with the Pixi 3 tablet, its first slate running Windows 10 Mobile (or any mobile version of Windows, for that matter). There's not much to say about the 8-inch device's specs just yet, but Alcatel is promising GPS, TV remote control and voice call support in an "entry level" design. In short, you won't pay much to get a fairly complete Windows experience -- the only unknowns for the Pixi 3 are its exact price and when it ships.Update 1/5: The tablet will sell for the equivalent of $199 in Europe and Latin America. There's no mention of a US release, but Alcatel OneTouch is open to the possibility if there's enough demand.
Alcatel OneTouch Watch review: No beginner's luck here
The Alcatel OneTouch name doesn't exactly conjure up images of premium, fashion-forward devices, but that hasn't stopped the company from dreaming big with its first smartwatch. To add steam to the Alcatel OneTouch Watch hype train, the company's design brass went as far as telling our own Richard Lai that the company's gunning to be the Zara of the wearable world. Not a style guru? Essentially, Alcatel's been trying to cook up a fashion-forward smartwatch without a price tag that'll make your wallet groan. At $150, I'd argue the end result fulfilled the latter half of that equation more than the former, but the bigger question is whether Alcatel's first attempt at a wearable (running its own homebrew software, no less) is actually worth a damn. Well, after having spent a full week with the Watch lashed to my wrist, I'm unconvinced.
Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 can take phone calls even when upside down
Yes, that's me holding a phone upside down while pretending to make a phone call. It may look silly, but that's exactly what the folks over at Alcatel OneTouch want to see going viral on the streets soon. What we have here is the new "orientation-free" Idol 3 smartphone series, which lets users quickly pick up phone calls without having to check whether they are holding the device -- either the 4.7-inch version or the larger 5.5-inch model -- the right way up. The trick? It's all down to the symmetrical design consisting of a speaker and a mic at each end of the phone; and yes, you do get to use the two front-facing speakers in stereo mode for entertainment purposes.
Mozilla is bringing Firefox OS to flip-phones and sliders
Mozilla has always positioned Firefox OS as an alternative platform for entry-level smartphones, but now it's targeting the feature phone market too. At Mobile World Congress, the company announced a new partnership with LG and carriers Verizon, Telefónica, KDDI and U+ to create a fresh range of flip-phones, sliders and touchscreen "slate" handsets. Firefox OS will look a little different on these devices -- Mozilla says the group is developing a "more intuitive and easy-to-use" software experience for their planned launch in 2016. It promises to balance the simplicity of feature phones with basic smartphone functionality, such as email, web browsing and music playback.
Year of the Goat: 11 Chinese smartphone brands to watch
2014 had been a wonderful year for the ever-competitive Chinese smartphone market. We saw the birth of new brands, the record of world's thinnest phone broken three times, and a couple of companies entering India with great reception (although not without some struggle). So with MWC following right after Chinese New Year, what better way to celebrate both than to look at the top Chinese smartphone brands? Granted, not all of these companies will be on the show floor next week (not Xiaomi or Oppo, for instance), but there's no stopping us from saying "ni hao" to them, anyway.
Alcatel OneTouch wants to be the Zara of smartwatches
Alcatel OneTouch wouldn't be the first company to bring us a round smartwatch (well, near-circular, in this case), but with its eyes set on the sub-€100 and sub-$150 price points in Europe and North America, respectively, the company clearly has ambitious plans. Previously known as the "Wave," this device is now simply dubbed the Watch and features a much prettier UI than what we saw back in September. In addition to the aforementioned updates, Alcatel's added two slightly different designs to go alongside the original sporty black-and-red look: a feminine all-white version and a premium all-metallic version. While these two will cost a little more, we understand that they likely won't exceed €150 (about $180), which should still encourage more folks to give them a spin.
Alcatel OneTouch's Fierce 2 and Evolve 2 are now available on T-Mobile
Alcatel OneTouch may have displayed a number of new devices last week at IFA, but it turns out the company is not quite done showing off its goods just yet. Here at CTIA, the company showed us two more handsets -- the Fierce 2 and the Evolve 2 -- both of which were actually announced a couple of weeks ago but are only just going on sale today. The Fierce 2 is the slightly nicer mid-level model while the Evolve 2 is meant to be a budget entry-level smartphone.
Alcatel introduces Pop S series of budget-friendly LTE phones
After seeing Alcatel OneTouch announce a series of mid-range Idol phones and a lower-cost fitness-centric phone yesterday, a family of budget devices may not seem quite as... cool. Regardless, the company is pushing out a new trio of Pop smartphones known as "Pop S" (the 'S' stands for -- you got it -- speed) that throw in Cat 4 LTE connectivity while keeping down the price. First, there's the Pop S7 (pictured above), which features a 5-inch qHD display as well as MediaTek's new quad-core 1.3GHz LTE chip, Android 4.4 KitKat, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, a 5MP rear camera and VGA front-facing camera, microSD support and a 3,000mAh battery. It'll come in two flavors of LTE, depending on where you live, and will be making its way to Europe and Asia first. The device will go for 189 euro ($260). If you want something bigger, the S9 might be a better fit -- it's a 6-inch 720p handset with a 3,400mAh battery and comes in at 8.5mm thick. It features a quad-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm 8926 processor, 8MP rear camera, 2MP front-facing camera, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and 8GB internal storage (along with a microSD slot that takes up to 32GB). The device should launch in March in Europe and Asia, but we expect to see it on Tracfone in the US sometime in the second half of this year. All this can be yours for 219 euro ($300). Lastly, there's the Pop S3, which is a much more petite size and comes with a variety of swappable back covers in the box. The specs are pretty minimal in certain places, but impressive in others: 4-inch WVGA display, Android 4.3 and 2,000mAh battery aren't nothing worth talking about, but it offers a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, the same high-speed LTE connectivity, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, a 5MP rear camera and VGA front-facing cam, 4GB internal storage and microSD that supports up to 32GB. This particular device should head to the UK sometime around May, and it'll eventually make it to the US, we're told. All in all, it's a fairly impressive stack of phones that'll bring solid speed to emerging markets and developing countries, but the big question will be if the price is right.
Alcatel shows off new Firefox OS devices, including its first with LTE
It's been a year since we first got a glimpse of Firefox OS at MWC 2013, and unsurprisingly we're already seeing some more models show up once again in Barcelona. This time around, Alcatel is making a strong statement to Mozilla about its commitment level; the company's showing off a grand total of four devices, including a tablet concept. All still under the Fire brand, the trio of smartphones range from a budget-minded 3.5-inch device to a nicer quad-core model with 4.5-inch qHD display and LTE. First, let's tackle the latter. The Fire S (which stands for 'speed') is the company's first Firefox device with LTE built-in, and while we're not looking at top-of-the-line specs here, they're certainly better than most we've seen on a smartphone bearing Mozilla's B2G project. The handset features OS 1.3, a 4.5-inch qHD display, 8MP rear camera with a 2MP front-facing cam, a quad-core 1.2GHz CPU and even NFC. The other two in the trio aren't especially drool-worthy, but they're still notable for potential users in emerging markets -- obviously a rather large demographic for Mozilla. The Fire E (which stands for 'elegant') has the same 4.5-inch qHD display as the S, but it uses a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, 5MP rear camera and VGA front-facing cam. It also doesn't feature LTE, as the S does. The C (which stands for 'cost-conscious') has a 3.5-inch HVGA display, dual-core 1.2GHz processor, VGA camera and other basic goodies.
Alcatel introduces Idol 2 series to take on midrange competition
Alcatel OneTouch is slowly but surely climbing the ranks of the smartphone world, having evolved from a line of low-end featurephones and smartphones just a couple years ago to a more established brand with good quality hardware. It's not slowing down the pace at which it introduces new devices, either -- this week, it's launching roughly a dozen or so handsets. Two of them are the first devices in the company's new Idol 2 family (a successor to this lineup) -- the self-titled 5-inch Idol 2 (shown above) and its smaller friend, the 4.5-inch Idol 2 Mini -- and each one comes with a 3G option as well as an "S"-branded LTE variant. The Mini, which measures 8.5mm thick, will come out first, with an estimated launch in the first week of March. The devices will feature a qHD display, a quad core 1.2GHz processor, Android 4.3 (upgradeable to 4.4), NFC, an 8MP rear camera and 2MP front camera. The 3G model will be available for 169 euro ($232), while its LTE sibling will go for 209 euro ($287). The former choice also offers a plastic build, while the higher-speed handset has been bestowed with a metal back and plastic at the top and bottom for attenuation. Each model comes in your choice of four colors, although the Idol S Mini includes a chocolate hue instead of hot pink. As for the larger Idol 2, it should be inbound by April or May at a cost of 199 euro ($274) for 3G and 249 ($342) euro for LTE. The duo will be around 7.3mm thick and offer improved HD Audio, as well as Android 4.3 (upgradeable to 4.4 KitKat), a 720p IPS display with nice viewing angles, Cat 4 LTE, a quad core 1.2GHz processor, NFC, 8MP rear camera and 1.3 MP front-facing camera. Fortunately, all of the above devices fit pretty well into the Idol family, as most of them all have the same feel, texture and genuinely decent build. They're also comfortable to hold. Overall, Alcatel OneTouch hopes that the Idol 2 series will compete well in the midrange market against legions of similar phones, but given its steady growth and increased marketing budget in 2014, we believe that they're doing something right.
Alcatel's 4-inch Bluetooth e-reader will offer a more portable reading experience
Alcatel doesn't just show up to trade shows with phones, it also likes to come with a handful of clever accessories (regardless of whether they're final products or just prototypes) as well. At this year's CES, the TCL-owned manufacturer showed off a 4-inch e-reader called the Magic Flip, which connects to your smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth. It's incredibly small, thin and light, and is meant to be a companion to your daily driver -- as long as it's made by Alcatel, that is. The Magic Flip is exactly what you'd expect it to be: a pocket-friendly e-book reader capable of receiving notifications from your phone. The E Ink reader, company reps tell us, is supposed accept every standard e-book format, which theoretically should make it pretty easy to transfer books back and forth. In terms of hardware, it offers three capacitive buttons underneath the display, consisting of backwards, forwards and home buttons. Since the demo unit we played with did not feature final firmware and was prone to quite a few bugs, we weren't able to navigate the user interface outside a basic demo page. Still, the Magic Flip makes its way to the market in the next few months, and even though it will likely appeal to only a small number of people, we appreciate a smartphone maker that's at least thinking outside the box and taking risks.
T-Mobile launches trio of budget Android smartphones and an LTE hotspot
T-Mobile USA doesn't do anything by half measures, apparently -- it just launched four devices that address many of its budget- and data-conscious subscribers in one fell swoop. We'll break it down for you. To start, the company is now shipping its promised Alcatel One Touch Evolve, a 4-inch Android smartphone that costs a mere $100 at full price. The handset's 4.5-inch cousin, the Fierce, will arrive on October 23rd for $164. Samsung will offer a rough parallel to these devices through its upcoming Galaxy Light. While there are no launch details for the Light so far, it will be one of T-Mobile's cheaper LTE phones thanks to its 4-inch WVGA screen and 5-megapixel camera. Wireless internet mavens will also want to look at Samsung's LTE Mobile HotSpot Pro, which is available now for $170. We can't guarantee that everyone will like the carrier's expanded lineup, but curious customers will find more details at the source links.
Alcatel One Touch Evolve and Fierce coming to T-Mobile this October
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.
Alcatel One Touch's Pop C-series line of budget phones hands-on
Alcatel One Touch (that's all part of the company's full name, incidentally) clearly intended on making a big splash at this year's IFA. The company announced a number of relatively high-end handsets in Berlin this week, including the flashy Idol Alpha and the massive Idol Hero. But let's face it, not everyone is able to shell out big bucks for handsets. Thankfully, the company also used the show to take the wraps off of four new budget Android 4.2 entries in its C-Series of handsets. The company had three on-hand at tonight's Pepcom event: the C1, C3 and C5. The biggest of the bunch, the five-inch C7 was here in spirit, making an appearance as a dummy unit. Thankfully, the company's got a bit more time to perfect that one, seeing as how the handset isn't due out until some time before the end of the year. The C5, which is set to start shipping in November, was on-hand in all of its final production glory. All said, it's not a bad looking piece of hardware. Granted, it loses a bit of its luster placed up against the likes of the Alpha and Hero, but again, this is a budget device we're talking about here. The handset's got a 4.5-inch display and a white face that's at least somewhat reminiscent of Galaxy devices, with the usual trio of touch Android buttons on the bottom. The device we handled had a metallic red backing, with a prominent five-megapixel camera up top and a speaker grille along the bottom. Inside is a quad-core 1.3 GHz processor -- a step down from the C7's quad-core version. Follow all of our IFA 2013 coverage by heading to our event hub!
Alcatel OneTouch Idol Alpha hands-on
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. Follow all of our IFA 2013 coverage by heading to our event hub!
Alcatel OneTouch reveals prototype E Ink flip cover (video)
E Ink -- the tech behind a large number of e-readers on the market today -- is starting to make its way onto smartphones. We've seen it on reference phones as well as devices like the YotaPhone and even the iPhone and Galaxy Note II (in the form of a case), and now a largely unknown company is rather unexpectedly seeking to harness E Ink tech for its latest flagship. That manufacturer, interestingly enough, is Alcatel OneTouch. Taking advantage of the magnetic docking ports on the back of the brand new 6-inch Hero, the company has designed a prototype flip cover with an E Ink screen on top. This offers the obvious functionality of reading e-books in traditional fashion without having the display drain massive amounts of power, but as you can see in the image above, its engineers are exploring other use cases such as a full lock screen with a dynamically changing weather widget, and we figure the sky's the limit. While press releases seemed to indicate that the accessory will see the light of day, company reps told us that it is still just a prototype and they're not certain if it will make it out to the market. Whatever may happen down the road, it's great to see E Ink coming alive on smartphones in different ways. Check out our gallery and a brief video below. Follow all of our IFA 2013 coverage by heading to our event hub!
Alcatel OneTouch intros prototype pico projector docking port (hands-on)
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. Follow all of our IFA 2013 coverage by heading to our event hub!
