Cell Phones

I'm actually quite happy with the cell service here in Hong Kong, in spite of this picture. Calls are very cheap and a $10 USD prepaid card goes quite a long way. I'm using CSL which also offers pretty cheap rates to most of the world's developed countries, but not all. Anyways, usually outgoing calls to the US cost me a dollar or two for 20-30 minutes on the phone.

I was surprised when I arrived in Hong Kong that the market for cell phones was so limited. Most of the reputable stores had only Samsung, Nokia, Ericsson, Blackberry, and a really cheap Chinese brand that I had never heard of. Anyways, I thought that I would see similar phones as are available in Japan, but no such luck. Apple is a pretty small player in Hong Kong and the iPhone doesn't seem to have gotten much traction.

I ended up purchasing a Nokia N79, which has been perfect for me. My favorite feature is the 5 megapixel digital camera. Although I take my point and shoot out sometimes and my digital slr even less frequently, this camera phone has taken some excellent shots and it's always with me.

One aspect of cell service that isn't hot is the fact that 3G data networks are only available on "post-paid" plans, i.e. contracts for 12+ months where you buy a quantity of minutes, data, etc. Like I said, I'm on the prepaid so I can't work w/ any data unless I'm in a wifi hotspot. Well...there is one other exception. I have maps everywhere because of the assisted-GPS linked to the maps program. Unfortunately, all of the preloaded maps are in Chinese. Haha...good luck finding Pennington Street with that!

*Second photo is the HSBC Building photographed from my phone.