Alcatel One Touch Shockwave reaches US Cellular, takes your bumps and scrapes for $50

Alcatel One Touch Shockwave reaches US Cellular, takes your bumps and scrapes for $50

Those of us picking budget smartphones in the US seldom have the choice of a toughened smartphone, and it's even more of a challenge when we're not signed on to one of the top four carriers. US Cellular is offering the cost-conscious a (hardened) olive branch by shipping the Alcatel One Touch Shockwave. Skip past the creaky Android 2.3, 800MHz processor, 3.2-megapixel camera and 3.5-inch, 480 x 320 display -- a shock- and water-resistant shell as well as Dragontrail-based glass should keep the smartphone working through most forms of casual abuse. We also don't mind having preloaded Amazon Appstore and media apps, although the frugal 2GB microSD card in the box won't leave much room for any downloading. We'd at least keep the Shockwave on the short list when the $50 price and long-lasting design will leave ample funds for just about everything else.

Continue reading Alcatel One Touch Shockwave reaches US Cellular, takes your bumps and scrapes for $50

Filed under: ,

Alcatel One Touch Shockwave reaches US Cellular, takes your bumps and scrapes for $50 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 15:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceUS Cellular  | Email this | Comments

Corning touts 1 billion Gorilla Glass devices: that’s a lot of face-saving surfaces

Dell Streak Gorilla Glass torture test

You could argue that toughened glass is the cornerstone of the modern mobile industry: without the knowledge that our touchscreen phones and tablets could survive the everyday risks of scratches and minor drops, many of us would be terrified of leaving home with a glass-covered mobile device in our hands. Corning now has evidence to prove just how important that silicate can be. In addition to the mostly upbeat third quarter fiscal results you'll find after the break, the firm brags to us that more than one billion devices have shipped with some variant of Gorilla Glass in place, spread across 33 major brands and 500 individual models that are occasionally very immobile. We can't give Corning all the credit when alternatives like Dragontrail exist, but numbers like these make it hard to dispute that millions of gadgets have been spared an untimely end (or a flimsy plastic display) by some clever primate chemistry.

Continue reading Corning touts 1 billion Gorilla Glass devices: that's a lot of face-saving surfaces

Filed under: , ,

Corning touts 1 billion Gorilla Glass devices: that's a lot of face-saving surfaces originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 14:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments