Android Gadget Overview: Alcatel OneTouch Blaze Glory

27.12.11 The Reporter 0 Comments

Remember those phones we still call the "Safeguard" phones? Back when GSM was still an innovative tech breakthrough and when top-of-the-line cellphones were still Nokia and Siemens, and when Bosch still had a phone lineup, there was that phone with the "Safeguard," the soap, form factor.

That was the Alcatel. And even then, they still prefixed their lineup with the "OneTouch" brand.

Who could forget the "Safeguard" phone, eh?

But most of us probably did. Especially when Nokia became THE brand to beat.

Just like Motorola, they experienced a certain degree of being pushed into obscurity for a while. Then in recent years, Alcatel started regaining lost ground with a line of good Dual-SIM and WiFi-capable phones. They also joined the QWERTY phone craze, and their lineup now consists of a strong product line of QWERTY and Dual-SIM offerings.

Today, just like the Motorola, they also moved to up their ante in relevance with the Android. Alcatel Mobile Philippines now has five Android phone models to its name.

The most recent model they've released is the Alcatel OneTouch Blaze Duo 918N, also known as the OneTouch Blaze Glory.

This phone is powered by Gingerbread, 3G, and 650MHz of MediaTek CPU processing speed, 150MB Internal Storage.

Ho-humm. So what else is new?

How about:

• Dual-SIM Standby
• WiFi Hotspot
• HSDPA/HSUPA at 7.2MBPS max download/5.76MBPS max upload

All at Php 5,999?

There has been a clamor for Dual-SIM Androids of late, and the closest competitors to this, as Dual-SIM Androids, are only the Cherry Mobile Stellar and the Lenovo A60.

The closest competitors to this model, in terms of price, would be the single-SIM Samsung Galaxy Y and the Cherry Mobile Cosmo, but both are single-SIM Androids.

Should you want to get a more affordable Dual-SIM Android, there is the Alcatel OneTouch Blaze Duo 890D, at Php 4,399. The only drawback is a smaller, resistive screen. The Alcatel OneTouch Blaze Glory has a Capacitative touchscreen, so there would be a better touch screen experience with this one.

For its price and its specs, the Alcatel OneTouch Blaze Glory is the phone to have. In terms of durability, Alcatel phones do have their record of surviving quite a bit of user misuse. However, you'd have to see tomorrow's Dual-SIM Android specs shootout for a more informed comparison. Also, take note that Alcatel has indicated that this is a PROMO price. Though, Alcatel has been known to keep their phones at "Promo" prices for months.

Things sure are looking awesome on the Android front! Later today, my review of the custom ROM I installed on my Cherry Mobile Nova, the Firetrap Lollipop.

Enjoy this chilly Tuesday!