November 29, 2010 – Getting a line formerly known as Zain was seen as much of a necessity a few months back and the matter is still going strong.

Even though the mobile phone service provider’s name has changed to Airtel, the fact remains that it is almost dirt cheap to call and send text messages from this network.

Now people who design dual sim phones are practical but seem not to have much of an aesthetic eye, so when looking for a new gadget for my stand alone Airtel line recently I stumbled onto a Nokia E52 – release date July 2009.

I had decided the line was going to be my social connect, so it helped that the E52 is a mere 98 grams and would be no hassle carrying around.

My version is metal gray and its grainy skin at the back helps with grip.

It’s easy to get your gmail or other mail on this phone, which also has Microsoft Active Sync. I could check it every minute if I wanted to and unlike my other phone (Samsung Omnia Pro B7610), it takes just minutes and not a whole day to respond to emails from the phone.

And though it takes a moment to remember the E52 does not have a touch screen, it’s nice to be able to send text messages without having to look at the keypad.

The way the phone is designed makes it extremely interactive and it was easy to attach pictures and other files onto my skype chat. The skype calls are unbelievably loud and so I would advise that you use it in private so that nobody gets to intrude in your business.

You can silence the phone by simply turning it upside down, and though you can’t use it as a torch when KPLC forgets to ‘meta’ in your neighbourhood, the E52 has a powerful flash on its 3.2MP camera that helps you find your way to the candles.

Using candlelight you can play the games already on the memory to pass time. Please note that these are not games you can teach your 7-year-old nephew, and good luck if you fit the bill to win some of the card games without trying at least 20 times.

My Airtel line is still not as active as I would like so I can forget to charge it for three or so days.

Not bad for roughly Sh18,000 yes? Just make sure your dealer is legit and be keen with the Mokia that kind of looks like a Nokia.