Alcatel One Touch Tribe

My daughter is only 10, but still, in today’s day and age I feel to know she has a mobile phone, and like her to take it with her if she is at friend’s houses or even just taking the dog for a walk. At an age when children are wanting that little bit more independence, many parents are reluctant to give it (yes, including me) but I feel much more confident knowing that I can get hold of her if necessary.

It was important to choose a phone rthat fulfilled certain criteria – it had to work well, look good and most importantly for me, not cost a fortune. Jackpot!

Look and feel

The Alcatel Touch looks fabulous. It is quite small, slim, and slightly wider than the average mobile phone. It has a reasonably large screen at the top with a full qwerty keyboard direct underneath. The phone is very similar to a Blackberry but without a price tag to match. This particular one is white with a pink back and the menu buttons pink also. It is available in several different bright colours, particularly appealing to the younger generation.
The phone is lovely and light and fits snugly into a trouser/jacket pocket without creating a bulge. The buttons are clear, easily pressed without fear of pressing the wrong key.

Reception and battery life

Reception is generally good. The odd area has seen it struggle for any reception, but these areas are generally the same with most mobile phones. My daughter doesn’t stray too far away on her own anyway so this has never caused any problem.
Battery power is unbelievable. This phone can sit in her bedroom for about 4 days without needing to be charged. When it is charged a simple 2 hour plug into the mains and it’s ready to go again for a few more days. There is an indicator on the display screen that allows you to see how much of the battery power remains.

Features

My daughter’s is mainly used for texting, the odd phone call and for playing games. However, there is plenty more available on this phone.
There is a 2mg built in camera, video recorder, voice recorder, email facility, phonebook, shortcuts to social networking sites, web access, music player, radio, weather reports and built in games.
It is also possible to change the background of the phone, select a ringtone from the various supplied tones and use a calendar, calculator, converter, alarm and Bluetooth facilities.
There is plenty on the phone to simply entertain my daughter whilst we’re out and about, withpout actually using it for calls and texts!

And all at a great cost

The Alcatel Touch cost £40 from a mobile phone shop on a pay as you go basis. This was exactly the kind of money I was hoping to spend, and on a phone that ticked all the right boxes for me. Admittedly, the camera is not 100% wonderful, but it is ideal for my daughter to use and to be honest, unless you’re used to a high quality phone camera, you wouldn’t even notice its slight lack of picture quality.

In summary a fantastic phone – why pay more.