17 May 2005

Recyled Old Handphone

I spend most of my time working in Kedah and spend weekends with my wife and kid in KL. My parents stay in Kota Baru, Kelantan and I do contact them several times a week. As a result my phone bill is killing me. RM50 lasts only about a week. This is because I am still using my old Celcom number, which was registered in KL. So all calls I make here is treated as outstation.

In the end I finally got myself a Digi prepaid card, which only cost me RM18. No I can stretch RM30 for about a month. I was also pleasantly surprised when I discovered that International calls made using Digi were also considerably cheaper. For example, a few minutes call to Norway cost me only about RM2. However, the only problem was when I had to change sim cards. I would have to shut off the phone, disassemble everything and then exchange cards. I had an impulse to buy a cheap phone from the several handphone shops around here but put it off.

Last week while going through my storeroom, I noticed my old handphones in a box. The last one I had used was a very tough Siemens M35i, which was a present from my wife before we got married. It been with me through thick and thin and had even survived a dunking in water after it slipped from my hands into a drain once. Eventually like most handphones, it outlived its fashionable life. And I finally joined the rest of the crowd by buying a Nokia.

I suddenly had a thought – why not use this phone for the Digi sim card. I checked it and it was still working but the battery even when fully charged ran out after about half an hour. Yesterday, I went around a bit, going from one handphone shop to another searching for a replacement battery. I finally bought a lithium-ion battery (the original was nickel-hydride) for RM25. I was delighted. The phone still works fine. Now I have two phones - one to make calls in Kedah and the other for use in KL. However, I leave the Siemens in the office as I don't want to go around lugging two phones.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mr Adam, I'm using 2 simcards too (celcom & maxis). Why don't you get 'double place' for your simcards in 1 hp. 2 in 1, like I do.

But, you cannot use 2 simcards at the same time. By using that, no need to change the simcards anymore. Only to shut off the phone. When you 'on' it back, the network (celcom @ maxis) will change automatically.

chics said...

digi..yeah, they r cheap..

but i used to have them as my client.they drove me nuts. so bebab tu tanak pakai digi.

logik tak logik?hehe

Dilip Mutum said...

Laili: I thought of that but would hve to go to a shop to get my phone modified. SO I thought that reviving my still working phone would be a better idea. Plus I still receive calls from people back in KL on my old Celcom number.

Chics: Logic. ;-)

Anonymous said...

err Adam, kindly to inform you that my old old old blog Tulip - Anekdot has been abandoned by err me for a very long period. Thanx for still linking it. :-)

kepala_angin said...

wooo, rajin nya you travel every weekend up n down the peninsular. i think it it was me, dah lama padam kot.hehehe

narrowband said...

Whoah. Spam ker? Old handphones can sometimes work like wonder. Some phones very difficult to spoil one - some don't even get spoilt. We change for so many reasons but usually not because of a malfunction. My super tough nokia still alive and working wonderfully although a having it broken may get me a new model.... hehe.

BabyPink said...

looks like the old ones are really better and sturdier than the new ones we have now, huh? good for you, adam.:)

Dilip Mutum said...

Narrowband: I don't think kepala_angin did it intentionally. I have deleted the rest anyway.
Babypink: Yes I just hope the battery lasts. Finidng a replacement was rquite tough. I had to go around several shops before I found one made in China.

OuiOui said...

Your story reminds me of one story I've read somewhere, a married man with 2 handphones. One for calling wife and the other for calling the mistress. This is to safekeep all sms received , supaya tak pecah tembelang..

Lrong Lim said...

How long have you been shooting up and down AS and KL? Strong stamina lah, you... Oui Oui's comment on the use of two phones... clever man, that is, in using technology for 'pleasure'...

Dilip Mutum said...

Oui Oui: Well I got mine with good intentions ;-)
Lrong: Well its been 2 and half years now. Even before I got married. Well I have no choice but I may look for a job in KL in the future.

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