Easy to use - and throw :(. Review on Alcatel One Touch Easy db

When I first decided to go cellular - phones were expensive - very expensive. The grey and 'box piece' markets had staggeringly different pricing - and so

I settled for what seemed like a cheaper phone with great features.

No other phone (grey market) offered a vibrating alert for just over 4K!! With the bill and a warranty - I'd need to shell out nearly twice that amount!

Features and ease of use

The Easy db was exactly that - within a few minutes - though I must confess I'm better than most people at figuring out keys/options without the help of manuals - I'd discovered almost every feature this phone had to offer. And the inital euphoria of going mobile was awesome. Yes it was heavy - but still fitted into my pocket very easily. The vibrating alert was really cool - especially since I'd already got used to discreetness at meetings when I used the pager earlier (BTW - are those still alive?)

The honeymoon was well - over

'Software problem' : 6ish months Cost me 800/- :(

----ditto-------- : 10ish months cost me 500+

And gradually - the phone's reception decreased - I first tried to get Airtel to increase signal strength in what I thought were 'black spots' - but they erected a tower next door and still I couldn't respond to most calls (though the ringer worked). Everyone else's phones still worked....

So I traded this in for a Nokia 3310 - and have lived happily since.

Isolated Case ? No way..

My bro's Alcatel (also grey) went the same route - and

he's almost given up on it.

One of my friend's Alcatel - and this was an 'original' with a bill and warranty - has recently died on him similarly - with signal reception fading initially and then going kaput completely.

Verdict

I'd buy something else. Today - you have a multitude of choices and prices have dropped like crazy. A sturdy Nokia or fancy Ericsson would be smarter choices, I feel. (Somehow the other brands mostly look 'delicate').