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Alcatel OT-980 with Android hands-on, we feel frugal just looking at it
This is arguably one of the cheesiest Android devices we've ever handled -- and yes, we're including KIRFs in that observation -- but you've got to give Alcatel some credit here for taking the platform to a form factor that's entirely under-served and doing so with an affordable price point in mind. The company plans to aggressively target HTC's Tattoo when the OT-980 launches in its usual non-US markets later this year with Android 2.1, full HSPA, WiFi, AGPS, compass, and a 2.8-inch display. The thing is a straight-up fingerprint magnet (and the harsh lighting certainly wasn't doing it any favors), but that's not really any different from the Pre that it vaguely apes. The only prototype Alcatel had on hand had a busted display -- if you look closely, you can make out the UI, so it seems the backlight may have passed on to the giant circuitboard in the sky. That doesn't speak very highly of the build quality here, but then again, this is an homage to the Pre, right? %Gallery-85911%
Alcatel's Pre-alike OT-980 with Android seeks to undercut HTC Tattoo
North Americans are about as familiar with Alcatel as Europeans are with baseball, but the brand -- owned by China's TCT -- actually does a decent amount of low- to mid-end handset business around the world. One thing Alcatel isn't known for, though, is venturing into the smartphone fray, so it comes as a bit of a surprise that they're taking a swing at the Android market here with the OT-980 slider. Even more surprising, perhaps, is the fact that it basically looks like a cheesy Pre with red accents, but stay with us: TCT wants to undercut HTC's ultra low-cost Tattoo when it brings the 980 to market, so you might be able to find this one for peanuts. Apart from the fact that it runs Donut, the spec sheet reads pretty nicely, too, with 192MB of RAM, Qualcomm's relatively new 600MHz MSM7227 core, WiFi, 3G, and a magnetic compass, but you'll have to wait a bit -- it's not expected to hit the market for another few months, it seems.
