This was my first ever cell phone:
It was an Alcatel One Touch Easy. I’ll never forget walking into school with it and feeling so awfully proud. While everyone had their Nokia 3310s I got to stand out and be different (I think that was my folks brainwashing, the real reason they got me that phone is that I’m renowned, even now, for losing stuff and it was a fraction of the price of its Nokia counterpart). It was my best friend for two years and I loved it.
But with the subsequent introduction of Blackberry, the fading Nokia sun and the rise of the smartphone superpowers that we know as Apple and Samsung… What happened to Alcatel?
I think it is safe to say that more than ten years on the smartphone market is extremely different. Apple and Samsung may brag bigger market shares but their counterparts like Hauwei and LG are catching up. Nokia has reclaimed their spot with the big boys and HTC is throwing out gorgeous devices as well. The time of superpowers and limited selections are done. Now we have a multitude of fantastic devices in a range of prices to suit any lifestyle.
You’re probably still asking what happened to Alcatel. They’re still here. First off, they’re now known as ALCATEL ONE TOUCH. They’ve had a few phones in the market for the past year but last week saw the unveiling of the ALCATEL ONE TOUCH Idol Alpha into the South African market. The company’s country manager, Ernst Wittmann says the manufacturer hopes to take the market by storm with the new offering.
I think he may be right. For starters the phone’s price tag is only R5 999. It runs on Android 4.2 and has a 4.7 inch screen. It also offers up a 13.1 megapixel camera. Clearly the Alcatel folk took design into account when they put the Idol Alpha together. It’s a gorgeous sleek looking phone that looks sexy. Something that I think is becoming more important in the market. Phones are fashion accessories just as much as they are gadgets and we want them to look the part.
So what happened to Alcatel? They’re back in South Africa with a new sexy offering. In my opinion, this is a good thing. The more competition between the phone brands, the more they’re pushed to think outside their boxes and deliver better phones. It can only benefit you and I, the consumers.
