A new Cell Phone

I bought a new cell phone! It is a Samsung SGH-D600E that I got off eBay for a song. It is “reconditioned” but like all the reconditioned items I have bought, is indistinguishable from the brand new product. They retail in Canada for around $300 and I got it for $66. It arrived in the mail yesterday from Hong Kong. It will replace my six year old Nokia flip phone whose screen suddenly went dead.

It is a “Slider” style which means the keypad remains hidden behind the body of the phone until you slide it down to make a call. I have had “Flip” style and “Candy Bar” style phones in the past. I think I prefer the flip style as it cannot make phone calls from your pocket. This Samsung has an auto locking feature that prevents this but the downside is, you have to unlock it before taking a call. I have not given it a fair chance yet and will probably get to like it. I ordered screen guards to keep it from getting scratched by keys in my pocket so I will have to take care until they arrive.

The most important features are that it is 1) Quad Band which means it will work anywhere in the world and 2) it is unlocked so I can use it with all three of my cell phone plans simply by changing the SIM card as I cross borders. I have the 7-11 plan here in Canada which is affiliated with Rogers, T-Mobile in the USA and Telcel in Mexico. They are all pay-as-you-go plans and I just buy more time as required. The Canadian and USA plans let you keep your time for 12 months. The Telcel plan is only good for 3 months but the refills in Mexico are only $100 Pesos. I seldom use my cell phone so this works out well for me and only costs a total of around $70 per year.

I wonder if the good looking "friends" pictured on the phone come with it?