Philippine Cell Phones

In Manila, Philippines and looking for a simple and affordable cell phone? You could grab a Nokia110i from a Complink Shop in SM City. Complink is known for computers and gadgets. In this case, they also opted to sell some Nokia Phones. SM city is a popular mall up at the north end of EDSA.

The phone itself doesn’t have a cam, GPRS, bluetooth, wifi or any of those bells and whistles. It’s just a simple cellphone for calls and SMS.The phone Features include:

• General Network GSM 900 / GSM 1800
• Size Dimensions 104 x 44 x 17 mm
• Weight 80 g
• Display Type Monochrome graphic
• Size 96 x 68 pixels
• Built-in handsfree
• Changeable Xpress-on covers
• Picture messaging
• Speaking alarm and clock
• RemindersStopwatch
• Battery Standard battery, Li-Ion 900 mAh (BL-5C)
• Stand-by Up to 380 h
• Talk time Up to 5 h 20 min

I just bought one for my brother.

Two interesting articles on communities on mobile and mobile activism which say the following:

In the Philippines, dubbed the “text capital of the world,” mobile phones were used to help bring about political change. Beyond the reach of state surveillance, cell phones were used to organize citizen protests in the 2001 uprising that forced then Philippine President Joseph Estrada out of office.

…network-centric techniques allow people to act in concert even if they do not know each other. Unlike the CRM wheel, where all communication is initiated by the central NGO hub, network-centric models connect the spokes to one another, allowing information to flow freely without any central arbitration necessary.

It all indicates the mobile communication can used to bring about a real change in society. It is, in fact, now a political tool.