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Lucent and Alcatel merge to form... wait for it... Alcatel Lucent
In a recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Lucent Technologies has disclosed the new name of their mega telco-tech merger with Alcatel they announced in April. The newly formed $25 billion company will be formally known as Alcatel Lucent, ending intense rounds of speculation by nobody at all. Everything should be sealed up by the end of year, and Lucent investors will own around 40 percent of combined company, with Alcatel types holding the rest.[Via The Wireless Report]
Alcatel's "GlamPhone ELLE" slated for US release
If showing your allegiance to ELLE Magazine ranks high on your list of priorities when cross-shopping phones, you may not be alone -- if Alcatel did any market research on this one, that is. We first told you about their "GlamPhone ELLE" last year, but at the time, we thought the uninspiring clamshell would only be finding its way to GSM 900 / 1800 networks; a new version sports 850 / 1900, though, and will be dropping stateside on September 1 in your choice of red or black for $180. Unfortunately, the phone's 3MB of internal memory, VGA shooter, and GPRS data leave a bad taste in our mouth that no mirrored display or free year of ELLE Magazine can overcome, but we're guessing they'll manage to push a few through in-mag advertising.[Via paidContent]
Alcatel's OT-635a "she" phone earns FCC approval
Apparently looking to reach nooks and crannies of the market that haven't yet been fully saturated, a handful of recent handsets seem to be developing genders; Alcatel's the latest manufacturer to join the party with their "she mobile by Alcatel" OT-635a clamshell. We're not sure whether "she mobile" is a single model or a new series of phones, but for the sake of tech-savvy women everywhere, we're hoping it's a series -- the glossy white 635a is a bit thin in the specs, featuring GSM 850 / 1900, a VGA cam, no external display, and seemingly no Bluetooth. Personally we'll pass, but then again, that's exactly what Alcatel wants the men of Engadget to do.
New budget slider from Alcatel
We don't talk much about Alcatels on this side of the pond, but that doesn't mean they aren't holding down the low to mid range, with a full 14 cellphones in their current lineup. Latest among them is the OT E260, a GSM 900/1800 no-frills slider that lacks a camera (gasp!). For its lowly market segment, the E260 is a looker, sporting a simple glossy black face and weighing in at a svelte 90 grams. Besides a straight-outta-2002 102 x 80 color screen, you'll get 16-channel polyphonic ringtones, and that's about it. [Via Mobilewhack]