Alcatel OT 511

Technical specifications

I had this phone. I bought it in perfect condition. I have very fond memories of it. Despite its very small size, the sound from the speaker was very loud. It had quite interesting built-in games. The battery lasted a long time. It fell to the ground very often, and nothing happened.

I had this device as soon as it appeared on the market. I was attracted by the battery life. This phone genuinely lasted over 10 days. I even weighed it; I could not believe it weighed 75 g, and it actually did. Why did such a good phone lose to Nokia (and it lost completely)? The menu! The operation was terrible, unfortunately. Writing a text message on it quickly and without errors was nearly impossible. The reason? A very hard and loud keyboard (compared to, for example, the Nokia 6510/8210/8310). And the menu? The menu known from all Alcatel devices, which was extremely convoluted. And that unfortunate joystick. If it had been replaced with four buttons and a fifth (OK) in the middle, the operation would have been excellent. Alcatel would have been very successful if it had changed the keyboard and the menu; it would have been an excellent small phone. Then came its successor, the OT512 (blue keyboard backlight). Generally speaking, apart from the above, there was nothing to criticize. The battery was excellent (a modest 700 mAh), the weight was exceptional, as were the dimensions; that was a remarkable period, it could be carried anywhere, whereas today's 5, 6, or 7-inch bulky devices are a source of distress. However, my opinion is positive; I remember this small device very fondly even after more than 20 years.