When I accidentally dropped my Siemens C35i at the dentist in June 2002 and cracked the face, I never thought I would end up choosing a different model phone to replace it. It was my third different Mobile phone handset. My previous models were a Siemens S6 (contract one2one) and Mitsubishi Trium (pay&go BT cellnet). I upgraded BOTH to Siemens C35i (on my contract phone at yearly intervals - the second C35i being an "unlocked" handset from Carphone Warehouse into which I placed my BTcellnet SIM).

The problem is this: mobile phone preferences are SO personal. It took me nearly THREE months to finally give up the search for a C35i and accept a new model - a PAYG MT50 (£30 off retail price at Tesco with voucher from August Clubcard Statement) to put my chip in while I sent my broken C35i to have the screen mended.

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(The "History of Phones" section is now at the bottom)

As a dyslexic, I could never remember the SIM's PIN or PUK (a bit like bankcard PINs ~ another story) - in fact, I have never used it and haven't a clue what it is - I should have changed it while I had a chance - too late now. BUT - the MT50 has a "phonecode" controlled screensaver and security features locked into the PHONE, not the SIM. And YOU set your OWN memorable pass code - which only is required when you want to use the appropriate features which you have security locked ~ such as screensaver and private notes.

Not only can you set diary items (like the C35i) to ring the alarm to a tune of your choice, you have the option to set the same alarm weekly for SPECIFIED days of the week - not just "weekly", "daily", "yearly" or just "once". And if you use the "Greetings" feature of the diary it gives you a day's warning as well as the actual day.

You can have up to 8 fastkeys set up (plus "1" for voicemail) to dial directly a favourite number or activity. I miss the ability to use the calculator (on the C35i) when I pressed "5" as this handset has no "calculator" facility - now I go to "Greetings" when I press "5" instead, so I can double-check what events are coming up soon.

You can add pictures and tunes to your SMS but they can really only be appreciated by someone with a compatible ~ Siemens ~ phone ~ in common with many phones (Nokia, LG) which also send "own brand only" compatible features. Incompatible features either do not show up or show up as gibberish.

And the phone has integrated very well with the SIM card - so much so that I hesitated to remove the SIM for any reason. It is one of the easiest phones to use I have ever tried.

ps: Why do they discontinue models just when you are enjoying using them?

I NEED TO START AT THE BEGINNING (this makes sense to me!).

By February, I had added "Mobile e-mail" to my options - receiving up-to-9-segments of SMS-length (160 char) e-mails from family and friends over the world. (Of course, the first 9 sections of a 36-section e-mail from my sister once included mainly the forwarding addresses of all her friends... with only a snippet of the actual story she was forwarding - and she never DID manage to send the remainder by snail-mail as promised . . . I finally received the story ~ Easter 2006 ~ from someone else in another e-mail).

By February 2001, I was tired of the weight of the S6 and, having been informed that I could apply for a handset upgrade for the contract phone, looked at the available options. The C35i stood out head and shoulders above the opposition. It was compact, the number pads were easy to press; it had multiple alarms [essential for one who forgets to eat and needs reminding what day and what time it is!]; the battery charged quickly and then lasted for hours even when talking; you could continue to talk while the battery was on charge; it was comfortable to hold, and above all, when it was hung around my neck in a specially knitted holder, it did not drag my head off my shoulders.