Alcatel
Mandarina Duck Phone

The Mandarina Duck phone resulted from a partnership between Chinese phone maker TCL Communications (best known for Alcatel-branded mobile phones) and luxury handbag maker, Mandarina Duck. At the time, tie-ups between mobile phone makers and fashion brands were popular with LG working with Prada and Samsung working with Armani. The phone's design was apparently inspired by the shape of a duck’s bill, however, it did not look that different from other clamshell phones. The Mandarina Duck logo was featured on the rear of the device, with the Mandarina Duck brand name also being printed on the front and back. It was available in three colours: Lilac, Green and Cherry Red (the variant in the Mobile Phone Museum collection). In the UK the phone was available exclusively through the retailer, Carphone Warehouse, and it was also sold in various luxury luggage Mandarina Duck stores across Europe. At the time, Alcatel brand manager, Vittorio Di Mauro, commented that the company was targeting what he considered an “underserved market: women”. He stated that “Fifty per cent of the population are not interested in having the latest features and are more concerned with the way the device looks.” He felt there was an “opportunity to offer this market something with a lifestyle brand”. The front of the phone had a small display that showed the time, battery status and signal strength. When the MP3 player was being used it displayed the name of the tune being played. Below this display were three music control buttons. Key features on the device were an organiser, alarm clock, calculator, currency converter, and voice memo function. There were also two Java games pre-installed.