Android and Firefox OS smartphones and tablets added to Alcatel OneTouch ... - ZDNet ~ Electronic Gadgets

Summary: A host of new Alcatel OneTouch smartphones and tablets have been announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

New Android and Firefox OS smartphones and tablets in the Alcatel OneTouch range have been revealed at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona.

A trio of new Alcatel OneTouch smartphones running Mozilla's Firefox OS were announced. The handsets include the entry-level Fire C and the more expensive and higher specification Fire E and Fire S.

The Alcatel OneTouch Fire C. Image: Alcatel

The Fire C has a 3.5-inch display driven by a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, with HSPA mobile broadband connectivity and a VGA camera. It is described as offered Firefox OS features at an "entry-level price".

Specs for both of the Fire E and Fire S handsets are above those of the Fire: the Fire E has a 4.5-inch qHD display and runs on a dual-core 1.2GHz processor. It has a five megapixel camera and VGA front camera.

The Fire S has a 4.5-inch qHD display and a quad-core 1.2GHz processor. The handset has two cameras, a two megapixel front camera and eight megapixel 1080p main camera. It also supports 4G LTE connectivity.

The Alcatel OneTouch Fire S. Image: Alcatel

A seven-inch tablet running Firefox OS, the Fire 7, will also be on show at MWC. The device is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, has VGA front and back cameras and is 9.9mm thick and weighs 285g.

Further addtions to the Acatel OneTouch range were also announced at the show, with new IDOL 2 smartphones.

The handsets are targetted at "style-conscious" buyers, with a "brushed metallic finishing and diamond cut" design.

The IDOL 2 and IDOL 2 S are both five-inch devices, with the IDOL 2 7.3mm thick and the IDOL 2 S 7.4mm.

The IDOL 2 is powered by a quad-core 1.3 GHz processor and runs Android 4.2. It has a qHD IPS display and HSDPA connectivity. The handset has an eight megapixel 1080p main camera and two megapixel front camera.

The IDOL 2 S has a quad-core 1.2 GHz processor and runs Android 4.3. It has a five-inch HD IPS display and 4G connectivity. There is an eight megapixel main camera and 1.3 megapixel front camera. The IDOL 2 and IDOL 2 S also support NFC.

Both the IDOL 2 and IDOL 2 S are available in smaller form factors, as the IDOL 2 MINI and IDOL 2 MINI S. The IDOL MINI handsets have 4.5-inch screens and are slightly wider than their larger counterparts, with the IDOL 2 MINI being 7.9mm thick and the IDOL 2 MINI S 8.5mm.

Alcatel OneTouch and IriTech also unveiled a tablet with integrated iris recognition at MWC. The iris recognition could be used for tasks such as device lock/unlock, application launch control and data encryption. It is claimed that scanning and authenticating the user's iris takes seconds.

The other Alcatel OneTouch device announce at the show was the POP 7S tablet. The entry-level tablet supports LTE connectivity, features a seven-inch 1024 x 600 WSVGA, IPS display, a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor and runs Android 4.4 (KitKat). It has a three megapixel camera on the back and VGA camera on front. It weighs 285g and is 8.9mm thick.