14 DAY TRIAL // Orange and BIC, the company best known for stationery products, lighters and razors, have partnered to bring a new affordable mobile phone, simply named the "BIC phone."
Presented as a basic handset that's "100% ready to go," the BIC phone comes packed just like a razor and includes a SIM card, 60 free minutes and a fully-charged battery. This makes the new handset ready to be used right after you buy it, hence it could be a perfect secondary or emergency phone.
The pre-paid 60 minutes card included in the BIC phone is valid for 2 months after the first call made with it. Moreover, users will be able to recharge it if they so wish, since the phone number that comes with the BIC handset is valid for more than one year.
The BIC phone measures 98 x 44 x 12.6 millimeters, weighs only 61 grams and has a battery capable of providing up to 4 hours of talk-time and up to 240 hours of stand-by time. Built by Alcatel, the French manufacturer that lately seems to produce only entry-level handsets, the BIC phone also brings, besides the ability to make calls and send text messages, an USB port and even FM radio.
Starting with August 7, the BIC phone will become available across France in two colors (citrus orange and lime green), for a retail price of 49 Euros (77 USD). The handset will be sold over the counter in lots of supermarkets, as well as in convenience stores, like tobacco shops or stores from train stations and airports.
Founded back in 1945, Soci?t? Bic has become famous all over the world for its one-time-use pens and razors. The venturing into the mobile world (with Alcatel's help) will probably mean more publicity for BIC and, if this new handset proves to be a good one, perhaps we'll be seeing more BIC phones in the future.
