Alcatel OneTouch launches affordable smartwatch

Chinese mobile device maker Alcatel OneTouch has unveiled a low-priced smartwatch as part of announcements made just before the CES event kicks off tomorrow. The product launches announced also included another series of its affordable PIXI smartphones, OS-agnostic PIXI 3.

The Alcatel OneTouch Watch series includes four differently styled smartwatches, which the vendor claimed offer a stylish yet attainable device for the market. The watches come with sensors and pre-installed apps enabling users to monitor daily activity. The devices connect to Android smartphones for music, photos, notifications etc.

Price for the OneTouch Watch is yet to be confirmed but perhaps the vendor wanted to save something for the actual CES event. However, one could be justified in expecting the lowest priced smartwatch yet if anything can be counted on Alcatel’s claims it is opening a whole new segment within the smartwatch market.

Alcatel OneTouch is brand for the mid and lower ends of the smartphone market, with its PIXI mobiles heavily targeted at emerging markets. As well as being the first in the series to offer 4G, the new PIXI 3 is also the first to be compatible with three different operating systems: Firefox, Windows and Android, although it’s not yeat clear whether user can switch between them on one device.

“Our users do not want complicated systems – they want something familiar from their work environment in the office, but also on a smartphone,” Alcatel Onetouch CMO Dan Dery said.

According to Alcatel OneTouch, cross-device integration from smartphones to PCs is becoming increasingly important to consumers. It said PIXI 3 builds upon its experience from last year when it collaborated with Mozilla to launch the Firefox OS on the OneTouch FIRE smartphone series.