Abdul Rashid's Blog

3rd April 2009, Friday – I bought a blue Nokia E63 mobile phone from Deejay Serusop for BND398, on 29th March 2009, Sunday. It was a hard decision because I had to forgo my other choice of gadget that was almost the same price i.e iPod Touch 8GB.

After I got my Nokia E63, I went to Ickebooks, Kiarong to buy a Crumpler Thirsty AI (L) pouch to keep my Nokia E63. The pouch costs BND26.00 (if you pay by credit card). I bought dark brown and oatmeal one. I like the green one, but I choose the dark brown as it matces better with my office attire.

I also bought the screen protector for BND8+ and a silicone case for BND5…May be I need a very good quality of earphone to hear music.

Why I Choose Nokia E63, Not Apple iPod Touch 8GB?

1. Nokia E63 has 3G, wifi, and Bluetooth connections while the iPod Touch only have wifi connection. The good things about 3G connection are you can use Nokia E63 to check latest e-mail, chatting through Instant Messenger, push mail facility through Nokia Messaging service, weather, news, etc on the go without the needs to find a restaurant which provides free wi-fi service.

2. It is easier to get software, especially for the theme and wallpapers, for Nokia E63. You just “Google” for the software.. Its softwares are also available at Symbian.com or Handango.com. The software for Apple iPod Touch is only available at Apple’s AppStore. For Brunei’s credit card holder, such facility is not yet accessible. You need to buy iTunes card from the AV Electronics (at The Mall Gadong or Kiulap). And I find the cards are sold at too higher price than its face value which make me less motivated to get one.

3. The memory capacity for Nokia E63 is upgradable up to 8GB, by using the microSD card. The card is getting cheaper as time goes by. The memory capacity for Apple iPod Touch is not user upgradable. I hope future iPod Touch has a slot for memory expansion, such as a slot for microSD card.

However, I still consider iPod Touch as my wishlist item due to its screen size, very good graphic (the lettering is very readable i.e easy on my eyes), and PLENTIFUL of softwares are available at Apple AppStore. iPod Touch is a good gadget to play around especially to kill the time. A lot of things you can do with iPod Touch, including with the software that could make your life a bit easier. I wish, if I have extra money, I can buy the iPod Touch.

If I want to have 3G and Bluetooth connections in the iPod Touch, I need to buy the Apple iPhone, which is BND800 more expensive. My suggestions is that Apple put the Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR in the iPod Touch so that we can connect to the 3G/3.G enabled phone. A 3G enabled phone (with Bluetooth) may cost me as low as BND69 0r BND99 only. The combination of iPod Touch (with Bluetooth) and a the cheapest 3G phone(with Bluetooth) should costs about BND550 to BND600 i.e half the price of the iPhone.

How about HTC Touch HD, which is in my wishlist? Hmm…I only have about BND400 budget. I really like HTC Touch HD and I hope its successor will be better…And when I can afford one, for a BND1200 items, I hope HTC Touch HD or its successors will be a reliable gadget that make my life more easier. In other words, it works as it is advertised.

Lastly, my purpose buying Nokia E63 is to make me more easier checking my e-mails and the latest news and weather forecasts…And, Nokia E63 has FM radio facility: I need some entertainment while I am doing my work in my workplace (but not in front of my “clients”).

(Photos: Abdul Rashid bin Haji Tahir. Taken on 3rd April 2009)