New Toy

I finally got tired of carrying two cellphones everyday.

Two phones? Yes, one for business calls (an SE-S500i) and one for personal calls/SMSs (SE-K800i). I do a lot of personal SMSs, close to about 1000 a month and I don't think my boss will appreciate that if I do it on company account. Morever, I finally has finished with my phase of playing with the latest cell phones.

So I went and bought a Samsung SGH-D880 DuoS. It is the only cellphone currently available that can hold two SIM cards. Yes I know you can buy such dual SIM phones in China but I just couldn't see myself using a phone with a brand name like "Bird" or "Red Flower".

Basically the D880 can hold two SIM cards thus enabling me to make/receive calls and SMSs on either of the two phone numbers, without having to swap SIM cards manually. Switching SIM cards involves pressing a button on the side of the phone and there is no need to reboot the phone to the sim card you wanted. I discovered this undocumented feature tonight after reading some reviews of the D880 on the 'Net. You only need to reboot if you want to specify which sim card to be the primary line. I am not surprised about this undocumented feature because the Samsung phone manual that came with the phone is hopelessly small and thin. 

The phone is a slider and has a large screen which is very handy for browsing the 'Net. It is not a 3G phone (up to 2.5G) but has most of the features commonly found in phones today except for wifi and infrared.

The menu system is almost the same as Sony-Ericsson's but require a bit of retraining. Sound is okay but will never be able to beat SE's. The only beef I have is that the four preset midi SMS alert tones cannot be replaced at all.

The T9 predictive text input is not as good as SE's but miles better as Motorola's crap T9 system. 

I have been using this phone for the past two weeks and so far I would say I am happy with it. I just need a phone to make calls and do SMSs. I don't need it to play music, make a epic movie, tell me where I am on planet Earth or cook me fish and chips.

I think the D880 will suit me just fine. For now.

Until Apple releases the next new model of the iPhone.

New toy

Those who read my gadgets posting last year will remember me listing all the mobile phones I have ever used, right down to the two that I was using at that time. They were the Sony Ericsson K700i and the Motorola V3i:




Well, I have replaced the SE-K700i in April this year with the SE-K800i, as the keys and joystick on the K700i were causing me a lot of grief. Anyway, the K700i has served me faithfully for 2 years which is about the normal lifespan of a cellphone that suffers a lot of usage and abuse.

The K800i is a tremendous improvement on the K700i. Being a 3.2 MP CyberShot camera phone, needless to say it takes really good photos. Construction is robust and the keys can withstand abuse from my fingers (I do a lot of text messages).


The K800i has now even been superseded by the K810i and K850i but I can live with it. I have outgrown that "Must have the latest model of phone" mania so I think the K800i will serve me for at least 2 years more.

As for the 1 1/2 year old Motorola V3i, I have no choice but to replace it because it simply cannot last a day on normal usage when it used to last 3 days when brand new. I have changed the battery but problem remained. Was told that the phone's electronics is consuming too much power as it ages.

So yesterday I junked it and bought the Sony Ericsson S500i. As I was using the Moto V3i mainly for business calls, I don't need Walkman functions, high tech cameras and other bells and whistles normally associated with the latest cellphones. All I wanted is a phone that looks cool, long battery life, clear reception and does not break the bank, and it has to be a slider. I have never owned a slider phone.


The S500i suits me just fine. It is a slider, 2MP camera, BT etc. It is 14 mm thick, same as the Moto V3i, and thinness is also my requirement since I keep this phone in my shirt's pocket.

Hopefully this one will last another 2 years too.

Hello? Is it me you're looking for?

These are mobile phones I have used or owned since 1987. My, they sure don't make them like they used to anymore.

1. Mobira TalkMan :

An ancient NMT 450 mobile phone the size of a small car battery, and it was the state of the art in 1988. Great for street brawls too.






2. Ericsson HotLine :

Another ancient NMT 450 mobile phone the size of a small UPS. Cool design but cockroaches tend to like chewing the orange keys off.




3. Dancall Logic:
The NMT 450 mobile phone that looked like a normal desktop phone, and you probably could not tell the difference unless you asked: "What's that huge finned heat sink doing at the back???"


4. Benefon TDP-10 450i:
Finally an NMT 450 hand phone the size of a brick but was real cool in the early 90s. The antenna alone has been classified as a lethal weapon against eye balls. This phone has gone places with me: city, jungle, rivers, mountains etc. Only problem is that it gets real hot after a long call. Hmmm, I have always wondered about the right side of my head....


5. Benefon Dragon:
The NMT 450 phone the size of a Nokia handphone, and you need not hide it in public in a fit of inferiority complex. Costing RM 4,000.00, it is the most expensive handphone on the market then, even though it is still analogue so people around always wonder why you are screaming. As long as you can climb a tree, you will never be out of reach for a signal.


6. Ericsson GF768:
My first GSM cell phone. Commonly known as the "GRO (Guest Relations Officer a.k.a. hostesses in night clubs) phone" in Lahad Datu, because all of them seemed to own one. Very tiny. Nice colours too. Mine's green.


7. Motorola cd928:
My second GSM cell phone. Bought it the day I destroyed my GF768 while trying to changed its grey casing to yellow and my screwdriver accidentally pry loose a tiny chip on the circuit board.


8. Sony-Ericsson T100:My first Sony-Ericsson phone. For RM300, a lot of people was surprised such a small phone can be sooooo low in price.


9. Sony Ericsson T105:
My second SE phone after I gave the T100 to Little Wombat as a reward for good Primary 6 exam results.

10. Sony Ericsson Z600:

My first clam shell phone. Don't know why I bought it except that it seems to be a good idea at the time. Gave it to the missus later.


11. Sony-Ericsson T610:
My first colour screen phone. Best phone during its time. The speaker's sound quality alone kills every other phone in the cell phone shops.


12. Sony-Ericsson K700i:
My current personal phone. Need to junk it soon. Joystick and keypad getting sticky. This phone is my longest serving phone : almost 2 years.


13. Motorola V66:
This phone is responsible for maintaining my sanity when I was admitted to hospital during my 2002 heart crisis. Doc Liew should know very well.


14. Motorola V3:
I used it for 2 weeks then hog it off to my sister because.... (see below)


15. Motorola V3i :... I found this to be even better looking. My current company phone.


Other phones I have used.....

16. Nokia 8850:
Businessman phone. Good idea for a while but the B&W screen is crap. No longer using.


17. Nokia 8855:Also businessman phone but in titanium blue colour. Good idea for a while but the B&W screen is also crap. I bought this after I sold the V66. No longer using.

Kacing!!!

This morning....

*PC dealer's handphone RINGING*

PC dealer : Hello?

Wombie : Wake up! The day has started!

PC : Are you nuts? It's 6.00am!

Wombie : Who cares? I want to place an order. One set Windows XP Pro, one unit Palm TX complete with a 1GB SD card. And I wanted it yesterday.

PC : *Kacing! Kacing! Kacing!* Wah, the IRB sent you your tax refund cheque ah?

Wombie : You wish. All I got was a receipt for compound fine. When do I get the stuff?

PC : 3 to 4 days tops.

Wombie : Good. Make it so.

(A million thanks to SM2 for his advice on not buying the 4GB Life Drive, and the T3 and the T5.)