Be trendy with a slim phone

Jul 12, 2007

AT one time it was the big phones that attracted attention. But most of those phone brands like the Ericsson 628, 888 and the brick-sized Nokia now pass for defensive weapons.

By A. Balimwikungu

AT one time it was the big phones that attracted attention. But most of those phone brands like the Ericsson 628, 888 and the brick-sized Nokia now pass for defensive weapons.

But today, the light weight and slim phones have taken over the phone market and the demand for them is very high, according to K.S. Kim of Ugasung, dealers in Samsung phones.

“Today’s mobile phone has to look good for the fashionable consumers who are very particular, which is why Samsung recently launched a sleek new range of phones to answer this demand,” Kim says.

He says Samsung’s GSM motto: “Big globe into my small hand”, tells the popularity of the slim phones. He jokes that slim phones can fit anywhere, even under one’s trouser hem, making you an unlikely target for phone thieves.

He brags that Samsung recently announced the current world’s slimmest phone, the Samsung X828, a 6.9 mm phone with lost of features.

“With a 2-megapixel camera, video recording capabilities, a media player, Bluetooth connectivity and an in-built 82 MB memory, people who love class are buying it. No one can beat that,” Kim says.

The phone costs sh1m, although he projects the price will reduce soon. He mentions the Samsung X520, the SGH-X820 and C140 as popular phones. The X520 goes for sh350,000, while the X820 costs sh700,000.

With almost all other manufacturers bringing out sleek, slim phones, won’t Nokia be left behind?

Akash Kumar of Midcom, dealers of original Nokia phones in Uganda, reckons that with increased market sensitivity, customers are at the forefront in looking for originality, brand name, warranty and make.

He says today’s customers love slim, sophisticated phones, which is why the slim Nokia 6126 flip phone has become an overnight big seller.

A major advantage of the phones is that they are light and comfortable.
He, however, points out that slim phones should not be slim on features.

For instance, the Nokia 6126 display includes a 128x160 pixel screen, is equipped with a unique dual keypad which allows for a large key size.

The dedicated button allows the phone to glide into open position, making it easy for one-handed operation and weighs only 112 grammes. From sh1.2m when it first hit the market, the phone’s price reduced to sh850,000.

Paul Kanyesigye of Tel Choice, major dealers in the Motorola brands, believes slim is beautiful. He says that even after the MotoKrzr and MotoRizr phones, Motorola recently unveiled its slimmest phone, the Motorola MotoFone. It measures only 9mm thick.

“This ultra-slim handset comes with a host of winning features including a flat keypad; large, clear and high-contrast screen; speakerphone icon-based user interface; and polyphonic ringtones.

“The MotoFone 3 is for users who place high value on style, functionality, durability and low cost of a modern communication gadget,” Kanyesige says. The phone, branded Kino Kika, goes for just sh64,000.

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