A dual personality

MANILA, Philippines - The dual SIM cell phones are making a killing at the suking cell phone stores, I hear. Why? Well, I am told that with the wonky weather we experience every so often the telco signals fluctuate just as quickly as the change of weather.

The solution of many a cell phone user, who needs to stay in touch with family, work people and friends as well is to have a gadget that can make the connection — using either of the telco companies hereabouts.

I was even told that there are people who have made it to shops that are open to get a low-budget cell phone for use with a different telco from their regular one just to make sure that every one in the family is safe. And, with the weather we have been having, who can blame them?

In the recent past, several more cell phone manufacturers have come out with dual SIM cell phones. Two-in-one, who can go wrong with that?

I recently got a chance to play with a Nokia C2-O3 unit. Nokia recently launched this low-budget C2-03 dual SIM, touch and type cell phone. This slider is a little bulky and might be considered too small for bigger hands. But, I have to add that it fit perfectly in my little hands. Bulky is good, and since I throw everything I have into my bag it is easier to locate a thicker phone amid all the junk.

I have to confess that I am very fond of touchscreen cell phones. I like it when I can type with a keypad and then touch the screen when I am in a rush to read a message.  I must add that the touch screen is quick to respond, although it’s a screen that is bit smaller than I am used to. What is important is that it gets the job done, and quickly.

It is also great because it is loaded with everything Nokia that we have come to appreciate through the years. The quickest steps to get to texting and to personalize and transfer contacts from another cell phone have always been easiest for me on a Nokia.

All my contacts are loaded on to a MicroSD so all I had to do with the C2-03 was to load the MicroSD and save all my contacts in the directory. Easy. Transferring the illustrations of my fave artist Igan D’Bayan, which I have been using as my wallpaper, was also a breeze. So, too, loading all my ’80s ringtones and message tones.

IT’S SIMPLE

I loaded Smart and Globe SIMs into the unit, and knowing that I had two SIMs served as a safety blanket for me.

Although I have never used a dual SIM before, it took little time for me to get used to switching between SIMs. As soon as I chose which SIM I wanted to use, based on the strength of the signal in the area, it was easy enough to switch from one to the other. It was fun doing switching. In places where the Smart signal was a bit hazy, I used Globe and vice versa. 

Since this is one of the basic cell phones, there is no Wi-Fi connection. That can be a downer in an age where we like to connect when we sit in a hotspot. I guess a cell phone can’t have it all, can it?   

Let me share with you 10 reasons why the Nokia C2-03 is a good buy:

1) There are a lot of good savings that come from being able to switch from one telco provider to another. It seems that Nokia has tried to make sure that we optimize costs and coverage conveniently with the Easy Swap Dual SIM. That savings might not be on the load we put in our SIM cards, but it saves us a lot of stress, and many times that is the biggest savings of all.

2) Personalize, personalize, personalize is what I love about the Nokia. It is also good that this unit can save up to five SIM cards with unique information.

3) The best of both worlds — touch and type functionality.

4) Getting connected to Twitter, Facebook or another site is fast with the GPRS/EDGE connectivity because of the preloaded apps on the C2-03.

5) It is easy to get to the directory, messages or even games on the phone with one swipe on the screen.

6) The photos I took with the two-megapixel camera were good enough for me.

7) It has good memory support as it can handle up to a 32 GB microSD.

8) I found it easy to navigate between apps and menus because the touchscreen is really easy to use.

 9) The phone comes with a 1020 mAh Lithium-ion battery. Battery life is quite good as it lasted for three hours talk time.

10) I like the design of the Nokia C2-03. A bulky slider that is cute. I really prefer cell phones that are not too thin and sleek — the ones that are easy to find when we sort of “misplace” them.