Alcatel OneTouch used 2016’s CES as a launchpad for their new family of Go products – a rugged smartphone named Go Play and the Go Watch smartwatch.
We actually first saw the products revealed on their stand at IFA last September, but we now have confirmation that Alcatel intends to bring them to Australia.
The Go range is aimed at active users with both products IP67-rated (dustproof and waterproof) and also offering shockproof features in case of accidental bumps and knocks (or as the company’s said in their press release, in case you drop your phone while crowd-surfing).
Alcatel OneTouch is offering Go Play in 8 bright and attractive colour schemes (dark grey, dark red, dark green, orange blue, pink, lime green, blue and orange with a stippled effect on their rear covers) with matching waterproof headsets. You can shoot pictures underwater using the volume keys to control the shutter, but you should keep in mind the caveats around which bodies of water you can use IP67-rated hardware and for how long. It’s got a 1.2 Ghz quad core CPU running the show behind a 5-inch HD screen, with an 8MP camera on the back and 5MP on the front, powered by a decent-sized 2,500 mAh battery.
The Go Watch is a rugged version of Alcatel’s Watch product that we saw demonstrated early last year. It’s no Android Wear device, but it’s not trying to be. Go Watch will carry your social network updates, incoming calls and texts, emails and more. You can use it to remote control the camera on your phone, and it’s unique “Go” button allows you to share emotions to your social networks. It’s available in similar colour schemes, and you can switch the case parts out to make your watch a little more personal.
At CES we saw the Go Play phones paired up with similarly coloured Go Watches. It’s possible that they’ll come to market in such a pairing, although the company is wary of price and wants to keep the products affordable. We should information about the Australian release come up soon.
You can find out more about the products at Alcatel OneTouch’s mini-sites for both: Go Play and Go Watch.
Ausdroid attended CES 2016 in Las Vegas with support from Alcatel OneTouch
