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Pre-orders for a 'reversible' Android phone open April 21st (updated)
Wondering when you could get your hands on the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3? You know, the Android smartphone that can take calls upside down? Well, it shouldn't be too much longer. Pre-orders start April 21st with a $249 asking price for the 5.5-inch version (pictured above, left). As Android Central notes, that's a $30 break if you lay money down now as opposed to later on down the road. The official launch date is still rather ambiguous, but a press release over on 9to5Google says that the unlocked Lollipop devices start shipping sometime in May. Update: Slight change of plan: Alcatel OneTouch is now doing a "limited time early pre-sale" ahead of the original April 21st pre-order launch. Better yet, the phone will cost just $199.99 during this period, which translates to a $50 discount.
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.
