Alcatel's Go Play smartphone is built for underwater photos and could be great for social gamers

BERLIN -- The best kinds of phones are the ones that forgive being dropped on the floor, plunged into the toilet, or buried in sand at the beach. Alcatel's new Go Play smartphone may be one such device.

Unlike most smartphones, the Go Play is built with being dropped in mind. Alcatel says its new toy can survive a fall from a height of 1.5 metres, which hopefully means it won't shatter into a million tiny pieces if you lose your grip on it while you're out walking or knock it off the edge of a sink.

Apart from locking horns with gravity, the Go Play is dustproof. This means it can roll around in the sand without grit getting into its sensitive parts. But watch for the screen: I've found nothing scratches up a display faster than loose sand in a pocket. It's waterproof too, and -- in a nice touch -- you'll still be able to take photos using the phone's 8-megapixel rear camera while it's submerged. Surviving underwater is one thing, but taking underwater photos on a phone is loads of fun, so I'm happy to see this feature on board.

Alcatel is also boasting that you'll be able to record what's happening on the phone's screen and add your own voice-over to the video. I can see that appealing to social types who fancy uploading and sharing footage of themselves playing games.

Alcatel is also claiming that the Go Play will muster 20 days of standby time, 8.3 hours of talk time and 55 hours of music playback. That's a healthy amount of battery life on paper, but I'll be interested to learn if the phone lives up to these claims in practise.

Outlook

Alcatel isn't the biggest name when it comes to smartphones, so I'm pleased to see the company taking strides to stand out with underwater photography and some interesting software. There's no word on pricing or release dates just yet, so keep your eye on Alcatel for further updates.

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