dead men tell no tales...

I've decided to get a new phone.

So, like any good consumer, and especially after almost dealing with shitstains Express Cameras, I did a bunch of research, both on models of phones and on places to buy.

My requirements were thus:

• Unlocked. I don't want a T-Mobile phone, so an unlocked GSM1900 was the only way to go to ensure it will work with my SIM card, and I won't need to lengthen my contract with T-Mobile to get a new one.
• Good speaker and good reception. My current phone is very hard to hear... whether it's reception or just the earpiece speaker, I have to crush it against my ear in order to hear anyone.
• MP3 ringtone capability. It's about time I walked away from fucking polyphonics. Seriously.
• Camera. Because everyone has one these days... even my mother!
• Bluetooth. I'm not sure why. I just know that someday I'll want it.

In addition to all this, the Motorola E398 (pictured above, which I have decided to purchase) comes with a USB cable, a 64MB "TransFlash" card (basically a mini-SD card... 256MB versions are avaialble), stereo speakers (yeah, two speakers, left and right, for ringtons), MP3 player software, and a bigass screen. Fucking sick.

I bought it. $205.98 after shipping, from TigerDirect.com, which got mixed reviews on Reseller Ratings, a 7-out-of-10 lifetime score... not great, but certainly not as bad as those Express Cameras fucknuts, and the price was $50 less than anywhere else.

So yeah, I'm excited. It probably won't get here for a week or two, but that's because I paid for the cheapest shipping possible. I will keep all up-to-date, of course...

posted by Steve  # 4:12 PM