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Alcatel Mandarina Duck

Author Sandra Vogel
Published 10th Feb 2008
Manufacturer Alcatel Mobile Phones
Supplier Carphone Warehouse
Price From Free on Contract
Latest Price Click here
Features Score 5 for Features
Usability Score 6 for Usability
Value Score 5 for Value
Overall Score 5 for Overall
Alcatel Mandarina Duck
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On the front fascia is a tiny screen which is a tall, thin, black lozenge in the otherwise lilac (or red or green) front of the phone. When tunes are being played, this front screen flicks between showing the tune name and delivering a sort of equaliser-type display that's pretty meaningless. When no music is playing the display shows you the current time, battery status and signal strength. If a call comes in it shows the number of the caller. Beneath this screen are three controls for music playback.


Inside the clamshell the keypad is large and the number keys easy to hit. As the keys are not raised it took a little time to get used to the non-uniform sizing of the shortcut keys, though. The main screen is disappointing. At just 1.8 inches corner to corner it is small, and its resolution is low at just 128 x 160 pixels.

The Mandarina Duck logo sits on the back of the phone with more branding back and front. The logo also features large on the two accessories. One of these is a ‘charm'. This is possibly the silliest item I've ever seen accompany a mobile phone. Charms in general don't do it for me, though I realise that with some sections of the population they are popular. But this one, a plastic purple sphere with a diameter of about 15mm is ridiculous in my view. And it doesn't have a shred of style about it.


The other extra is a bag clip. This is designed to help keep your mobile within easy reach when it is stowed in your (presumably Mandarina Duck) bag. Whatever happened to putting it into a pocket of your bag - or into a clothing pocket, I wonder? It rivals the charm for pointlessness.

The handset itself has two covered slots, one each on the left and right edges. The slot on the right swallows the provided 1GB microSD card, which expands on the built in 10MB of memory. The slot on the left is a mini USB connecter that's used to charge the battery, attach the provided headset and attach the provided USB cable.

 

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