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Yup, AlCatel. I know you know the name. They make great modems and wireless routers. But they barely break the list of top 10 mobile-phone manufacturers. With the new One Touch 890, they are looking to change our perception of their brand.
The phone is cute, small and fashionable. But none of that speaks to what it can (or cannot do). The biggest, most notable feature is the Push WiFi. The handset will automatically alert you when you are in a WiFi Hotspot. If open, like the Flow Unplugged Hotspots, you can then get your data fix over the Internet, rather than a sometimes pricey and sometimes slow mobile network. Hmm. Considering Alcatel is known for their wireless routers, this is a really logical feature.
Outside of the Push WiFi, the OT 890 is an Android-powered mobile phone. What that means is that the whole suite of Google apps work really well on the phone. Google Maps and Latitude are great! I can't tell you how many times I have been lost, searched maps and got turn-by-turn directions to where I needed to go. And yes, it does work in Jamaica for free!
Google Talk, GMail, YouTube and the Android Market all open and operate smoothly on this palm-sized phone, that is clearly more than a phone.
Speaking of phones, if you're like me, you use your 'phone' less to make phone calls and more to network socially. Update your Facebook status, post to Twitter and keep up on all the feeds on the small-but-capable touch screen.
As we move from software to hardware, the powerful little phone has all the, now standard, features like GPS, Bluetooth¨, micro SD card slot and two megapixel camera. It is also Quad-band functionary, meaning you can cross the waters to foreign and still get service.
Young people and others will love the fact that the handset has an FM radio and can play music for a staggering 17 hours. Working people will love the fact that it has native email and a PDF viewer for those pesky attachments.
So, sleek and feature-rich, sure. Expensive? No. Less than 12 grand in some cases. The Alcatel One Touch 810 is an Android 2.1 smartphone with some good features. Sure you could spend more and get more features. But think about what you need versus what you want and you may be happy with just one touch. Tech Glitch: "Why does my BlackBerry have uncaught exception errors so often and how do I fix it?" asks Allison.
Tech Fix: Upgrade. Remove. Restore. This error occurs for a number of different reasons, so there is no easy fix. In some cases, upgrading the OS will eliminate the problem. In others, remove conflicting apps recently installed to prevent the error and in others, restoring from a backup before you had the error will get rid of the virus or the app that creates the frustration.
Got a tech glitch? Get your tech fix at: Facebook.com/carlettedeleon and listen to Tech Time on FAME 95 FM each Tuesday morning at 8.
