My Cellphone Saga: AmitL

Hey, Vishesh, I waited for a week for you to come up with the first post. So, now you need to post on both topics together to make up.*smiles*

The cellphone I carry and how/why you love it:

Two years back, when I returned to Dubai on my second job, I decided to change the traditional Nokia phone I had and got the Samsung I320, after a lot of deliberation on whether to move away from Nokia’s familiar keypad and functions.

Initially, it was really confusing- when I picked up the phone, I’d switch off an incoming call, since the button was in a different location, I’d dial a number and press disconnect. But, the phone’s been worth all the teething troubles.

Why?

- It’s ultraslim, exactly like I always wanted my phone to be.

- It’s lightweight-just 95 grams, so I don’t even know I’m carrying it(That's a drawback, in a way, since I tend to forget things if I've not got them in my pockets/on the waist in a case. Touchwood, it hasn't happened yet).

- And, it’s got a QWERTY keypad, which is perfect for sending smses quickly. Can’t imagine how I used to sit and go through the ‘press same key thrice to type C’, for example, in the routine phones.

- Amongst other features, it can play mp3 songs on it's built in features, it's got Windows mobile 5...but, I can't wax eloquent about them since I hardly use them. In fact, even today, I keep it on silent most of the time. (Why, you ask? Well, that's a topic for another post. Those who read my blog,would remember my talk sagas from previous posts. Rest assured, I still consider it something like what they call men's ties in slang- a 'kanth langot'(tight diaper for the neck). Or, the proverbial bell around the neck. heh heh)

Yes, the phone’s been about to die on me two-three times. Once when it got too affected by humidity, another time when the battery decided to die out, and I thought there was something wrong with the charger.( Purchased three of them in the bargain, since even the repair shop people would say that the charger was not working. Hehe).

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Now,a bit on my cellphone saga of the last few years:

Cellphones-that extreme luxury item of the nineties. People would flaunt it like it was the most wanted gadget in the world. Even though the phone would weight half a kilo or more, they would still be carrying it in their pockets or in their hands. Kids would not be allowed to touch it, a slight scratch would lead to the person’s mood being off for the rest of the day. Even I remember looking at my cell-phone owning relatives with awe, wondering how they decided to fritter away 25000 rupees or more on a frivolous object.

When I landed in Dubai in 2002, I was astonished to see that even our building watchman would be busy most of the time, chatting away on his cellphone. Still, for the first three months, I kept avoiding buying what I termed the equivalent of the proverbial ‘tying a bell around the cow’s neck’ so that it’s owners could find it easily. One of the Brit bosses in the office was quite astonished that I had not purchased a cell even after three months. And, his frustration was all the more so, because he loved to contact project people only after 9 PM, to discuss, followup, check, et al. Finally, during one of the internal company meetings, he put it down as one of the Minutes Of Meeting points as ‘ AL to buy cell phone’. Arghhh!! And, the rest, as they say, is history.

I started with the very basic model, the 3310. I used to hate it, and would glare angrily whenever it rang after (Forget after, even during) office hours. But, the stone was cast, the deed was done. I was trapped in the ‘cell phone vicious circle’. The next phone was a 6610, I think. Compulsorily purchased, again, because the 3310 had very less memory, and I couldn’t store all the suppliers’ phone numbers in it.

So, I gave the 3310 for a nominal sum to a poor worker in our company who had just come to Dubai. And, the next one was the Nokia smartphone of the slider type. Don’t even remember the model- I think it was the 7650 . It became obsolete pretty soon, but, I loved the way I could stylishly slide the screen up and dial.(Still have the phone stashed away somewhere for emergency use or for one of those exchange schemes) A fatso of a gadget, which I now wonder how I ever handled. This worked for a year or so.

And, I got the 6680, which was being sold in India with the lively song ‘Saamne Yeh Kaun Aaya’ playing in the background. This one was quite a fascinating phone, and, I’d spend quite a bit of spare time adding wallpapers and themes to it. It also had two cameras, but, I soon realized their futility because that’s useful only if the opposite person also has a similar gadget.

And, now, the moot point- except the 3310, I never purchased a new cellphone. I still think there’s no point in spending a fortune on a phone. There’s this former Boss I had, who loves cellphones. So, each time a new one comes out and he buys it, he lets me know that his former one is ‘for sale’ at a great special price for me(usually about 30% less than the market price) LOL. But, I don’t think I want to change from the I320 to another in the near future. After all, bells around the neck are always the same, whatever shape or colour they come in, na!!