Hello friends,
I have got my new mobile phone today. I made my decision today after I have skimmed through tons of mobile phone reviews online. I had set my heart on Nokia 2650, of which there are pictures down there on your left side. I got the brown color because I love the brown color. Red is too bright and striking for me, and silver is too common. Almost everyone has a silver phone.
I went into to Fono, gave in my old phone and exchanged it for the new one. The guy was looking at me. "Sir, why are you changing this higherr brand phone with a lower one." You see, I am going from a 7250i down to 2650. It's like being demoted. Being downsized. My new phone has no camera. It has no radio. It has no applications. It has only three games. It has no bluetooth. So, why did I take this phone?
This phone has a very classy and expensive look on the outside. Once opened, it looks like as if it came from outer space. It is a very basic phone and I am happy with that. It allows me to send and receive calls. it allows me to receive and send messages. it allows me to receive multi media messages as well. I don't need the radio because I have my iPod with me. I don't need the bluetooth, because frankly I never used bluetooth since it came into invention and I don't see what I am missing out on. I also don't need the MMS thing because since I paid Dhs30 for registering with the MMS thing, I had sent only two pictures. I rarely used the camera on my phone. Plus I have my digital camera with me anyway. This new phone has a 300 hour battery life. I can personalize it with the many wallpapers and sounds in it. It also vibrates. The coolest thing is that it is a flip-phone. Gosh, I had been meaning to get a flip-phone for the longest of time. I think flip-phones are better than the standard non flip phones. Also, when I receive a message or a call, blue lights go on along the edge of the phone. Ultra-cool.
I cannot wait to go out in public, have someone call me and take my phone out to have people look at me in a weird way using my new phone! No doubt, people will not like my phone. I am anticipating comments like "WHAT? You got a phone with no camera?" kind of talk, which is cool because I prefer simplicity over complexity anyways!
A phone is a phone, and why add all these excess stuff to it? Some of these phones are so sophisticated they look like digital cameras instead! I read somewhere that soon all non-camera phones will be eliminated. I don't think they should that. Yes, you may find it funny that one day back in Saudi I was arguing for the lifting of ban on camera phones in the Kingdom, and here I am, in love with a non-camera phone!
I am so in love with it I want to marry it!
Mansur
7 comments:
mansur....this is why i love you...when everyone is out there to get the latest phone with all the cool cameras, applications, radio etc etc...you come in here and show to me that you don't really need all that to make a statement. You come in here and go the other way from where everyone else are going to.
I too wish I could be more like you but since I am in such a competitive field where everyone spies on what latest clothes I am wearing right down to what brand of cell phone I carry, I find it difficult to be who I am: a simple human being. Do you think you can share with us your ideas on simplicity, because I know you are a simple person, with simple ideas, all the while being a street-smart person. Is it too late to take in another request? :-)
Urs
HS
Oh my gawd, HS, finally you leave a comment! I knew you mentioned to me time and again how much you enjoyed reading my blog, and I would wonder why there was no comment from you. I guess I must have struck a chord with you on this phone post. In any case, I am excited you left a comment here.
It's not to late to take in another request, so Reader's Request #6: Simplicity over Complexity. How's that?
Mansur
congratulation...its a good mobile i guess from the pic but i still prefer samsung
Unwelcoming tourist spots of Saudi Arabia
I didn't know where to post this to you, having assumed you have many saudi audience, i am writing about this matter to you.
Last week i made a trip to Al Baha (via the tourist road) through Taif from Jeddah. Okay the scenery was good and all that. After reaching Albaha, we couldn't find any sign board that would say anything to foreign tourist (non arab speaking) Every sign board was in arabic. Remember i am speaking from a tourist's point of view, not talking about the signboards of a shop or road directions of major cities. We didn't find any terribly attractive place in al baha and thought of moving further down the south towards Abha. I had a vague memory that there is a chair lift somewhere in abha or albaha, in any case I asked a few pakistanis and they said there is one on this road going to albaha but don't know how many km it is from here. We kept moving and asking, there was no sign board till we reached a big sign board saying something in arabic, we stopped there and asked one indian man. He confired that yes, if you turn right from here, there is a chairlift. We entered "muntaza" which i think means forest (although it looked like a plain to me. Crossing a 3 km curvy road we reached the chairlift spot. It was marvelous, very attractive place for tourists - although it was not working, but I am sure the way it was set up, it must be of great fascination.
My point is that, the outlook of this area is clearly saying "non arabs not welcomed".
Regards,
then marry it :P
Hi Anonymous,
thanks for sharing about your experience. You have to understand that Saudi Arabia only recently has ventured into opening up its borders to foreign tourists. Prior to this, KSA would not really be a hot bed for tourists to come in. I think Saudi would also have a lot of people from other Gulf countries, which would explain why they would not mark out the places in English.
I am sorry you had a difficult time finding your places around. I have been more fortunate in the sense that these places that I have visited had friends there, so they showed me around.
The best bet for you would be to pick up the Lonely Planet guidebook for Middle East, and browse through the section on Saudi Arabia.
I think they will have to have dual languages signboards from now on since they have embarked on a tourism thing.
Mansur
LOL! If it were a living thing, I would have married it! Just like I would have married my Apple Macintosh powerbook! =)=)=)
M
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