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Alcatel Onetouch 990 coming to O2 this August, wants to be held (even just once)
When you previously met the Alcatel Onetouch 990 at MWC, it frankly wasn't behaving very well. Still, we were mildly pleased to see a phone aimed squarely at the prepaid market that featured a 3.5-inch screen and a 5 megapixel camera with flash. Apparently O2 agreed, because it's bringing the 600MHz handset to market in August for £99. This value menu option is expected to ship with vanilla Froyo, but the carrier promises to serve up helpings of plain Gingerbread during Q4. Meanwhile, Electric Pig got its hands on a pre-production unit, and their early impression seems positive. Apparently the poor load times and unresponsive interface that we experienced are resolved -- it's said the phone is now quite zippy. So, how's this OT-990 striking you as a worthy adversary to the £129 Samsung Galaxy Mini? Yea? Nay? Meh?
Alcatel Onetouch lineup hands-on
Alcatel's on hand at MWC this year with a good pile of sets so we took a few minutes to checkout the Android offerings and a lower-end feature phone. The Onetouch 908 (dark gray set in gallery below) brings Android 2.2 to the world in a very inexpensive package with quad-band GSM, 3G in the Euro range, a 2 megapixel camera and we were told could move to Android 2.3. Also on hand was the Onetouch 890 loaded with Android 2.1, a 2 megapixel camera, and lowly quad-band EDGE -- positioned for a very entry level market, of course. Alcatel also demoed the flagship Onetouch 990 (pictured above) device, featuring Android 2.2, a 5 megapixel shooter with autofocus, WiFi, 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen, and everything else you'd expect in a vanilla Android set. Unfortunately, the device we used had some severe issues with load times, starting apps, and generally moving about through the UI. It felt a bit like something was hanging on to everything we tried to do and slowing the whole device down. Last set we peeked at was the Onetouch (beginning to notice the theme here?) 903, a small dual-band QWERTY feature phone with a 2 megapixel cam, Alcatel's own UI, and -- while likely targeted at the pay as you go market -- had a really great look and feel and a top notch keyboard. These sets should be shipping between March and May of this year. %Gallery-116564%
Transcend introduces 1.5TB StoreJet 35T external hard drive
It ain't flashy, but so long as you don't ever plan on having more than 1.5TB of junk to store on an external hard drive, Transcend's latest should do the trick. The StoreJet 35T promises average write speeds of 42MB/s, and the one-touch backup feature enables your mind to be at ease with the simplest of gestures. You'll also get intelligent backup scheduling, StoreJet Elite software that offers 256-bit AES file and folder encryption and... well, little else. Mum's the word on pricing and availability, but for those who find this one too rich for their blood, a 1TB model should be landing soon as well.
Magellan intros 4.7-inch RoadMate 1475T PND for $299
Magellan's been on somewhat of a hiatus since being taken away by MiTAC, and while an unassuming FCC find has shown that it's still alive and well, we're thrilled to see the company's second actual product announcement in over half a year. The RoadMate 1475T is, for all intents and purposes, a refreshed RoadMate 1470 with a traffic receiver, though said traffic receiver works without any monthly fees. It features a 4.7-inch WQVGA anti-glare display, AAA TourBook listings, six million POIs, spoken street name guidance, highway lane assist, QuickSpell and NAVTEQ maps of the US, Canada and Puerto Rico. Not too shabby for just $299, wouldn't you say?
Magellan introduces 4.3-inch Maestro 4370 navigator
It's been a solid tick since we've seen a new Maestro, but the latest and greatest from Magellan is here to help navigate you into the nearest body of water, bridge or narrow lane. The unit offers up a 4.3-inch WVGA display, Bluetooth (and thus, handsfree calling), a built-in AAA TourBook, QuickSpell, rechargeable battery, integrated MP3 player, live traffic support and an FM transmitter. We don't really see anything super special here, but Magellan is mighty proud of this thing -- or, at least that's the impression we get from the $599.99 MSRP.[Via GPSTracklog]
Seagate intros Maxtor OneTouch 4 line
Seagate has updated its line of Maxtor OneTouch external drives, making the new set the fourth iteration of its cheapo hard drive solution. The new models heading out are the OneTouch 4, OneTouch 4 Plus, and OneTouch Mini, all wrapped in black plastic and metal (which Seagate likes to refer to as "vault-like"). The OneTouch 4 can rock your storage world in 250GB, 500GB , or 750GB varieties, ranging in price from $99.99 to $269.99, the OneTouch 4 Plus is available in 250GB, 500GB, 750GB, or 1TB, from $129.99 to $359.99, and the OneTouch Mini comes 80GB, 120GB, and 160GB, running you an affordable $99.99 to $149.99. All of the drives offer the famous OneTouch backup, which should give you at least a sliver of peace of mind. The whole line is available right this second, so get the credit card out.[Via Crave]
Maxtor expands options in Shared Storage, OneTouch lineup
It looks like Western Digital isn't the only hard drive firm broadening the horizons of its oh-so-popular external lineup, as Maxtor has announced today a trio of revamped devices sporting the same technologies (and less-than-sexy enclosures) we've come to expect, but also gain welcome upgrades in the file space department. The company's flagship unit, the OneTouch III Turbo Edition, now tips the scales at 1.5TB, and still touts the same "user-configurable RAID," automatic backup scheduling, "System Rollback," USB 2.0 connectivity, and DriveLock software to protect your precious information (or priceless game saves) from the grimey hands of data thieves; meanwhile, the non-Turbo edition now comes in a 750GB single-drive flavor, while the Mini tops out at 160GB. Rather than cramming more space into its Shared Storage II drives, Maxtor now offers single-drive versions in 320GB and half-terabyte sizes, and includes software to facilitate "easy backup scheduling between networked computers," detailed storage status to all connected users, and a pair of USB 2.0 ports. If you're just too occupied to schedule your own backups, or just need a less expensive alternative to an in-home NAS, Maxtor's refreshed offerings will have you covered later this month.[Via eHomeUpgrade]
USB to SATA/IDE Universal Kit with One Touch Backup
Just get a shiny new hard drive and need to transfer your files over? Or maybe you're just doing your duty and backing up information on a regular basis; whatever the reasons, and we're sure there's more, getting files onto your bare drive gets simple with this driver-less USB to SATA/IDE Universal Kit with One Touch Backup. This kit works its magic by providing the best of both worlds: portability and one-touch simplicity are wrapped into one marvel of functionality. You'll get support for 3.5-inch SATA/SATA II drives up to 750GB and all IDE/EIDE drives up to 500GB -- a fancy "bisynchronous mode" copies data onto two drives simultaneously. Just plug it in, give the button a press, and you're set -- and although time is money, be aware that this modern-day convenience will run you $42.
