racoma.com.phJ. Angelo Racoma on technology, economics, writing, problogging, and getting things done

I arrived home with a flat cellphone battery the other night, and as I was turning it on while charging yesterday morning, the SIM got blocked (perhaps the phone’s “enter” button suddenly got stuck and keyed in blank PINs thrice in succession. Unfortunately, I seem to have lost my PUK slip, and my only recourse was to try those cellphone shops in the malls (or the Greenhills bazaars) if they could retrieve the PUK.

Unfortunately, no one was able to do that. I decided, instead to get myself a new SIM and a new phone to come with it, and visited Memo Express (an official distributor of various brands like Nokia, Motorola, SonEricsson, Samsung). I was thinking about getting a Motorola SLVR L7, but it would cost me PHP 10,000. Even if I could pay for that on zero-percent interest installments, I decided against it, since I’m no longer much for higher-end phones these days.

I just need something with basic functionalities, since I now rely on iCal and Google calendar for my scheduling needs. My ToDo lists are mostly in iCal and web-based apps, too. And I especially need something that I wouldn’t have to fumble with while driving (easy-to-activate/one-touch built-in speakerphone is good).

The Nokia 1112. Basic, but Decent

So I decided to get a Nokia 1112 for PhP 2,300 (with Globe SIM and one-year warranty). It’s small, easy to use, has a week-long battery life and won’t break the bank. I point out on bCellphones some key reasons why I think this one is a cool phone, despite the lack of capabilities or features that its more expensive brethren can offer.

Here are some shots of the 1112

Out of the box.

Simple, but it does the job!

New Mobile Number, Too!

I have to update all my calling cards and web contact details, since I’ll probably won’t be able to have my old SIM unblocked. My new number is +639275360123.