MyPhone Q21

 Let’s face it! You have at least two mobile phones competing for your hand space. This is common amongst young professionals like us who keeps the sentimental value of our old sim (Smart/Globe) and still want to take advantage of the lower call and text promo offered by Sun Cellular or Talk ‘n’ Text.

Recently, there is a breakthrough to the cycle with introduction of dual-active-sim capable phones in the Philippine market. Nowadays, there are at least 3 brands that offer dual-active-sim capability in almost all models they release. They are Torque, Myphone, and Cherry. These brands provide at least one year of service warranty for every purchase.


Dua-active-sim phones can have both sim cards active, receive messages simultaneously but can only receive and make one kmncall at a time. The good thing is, after typing your message, you can choose which network to use to send it from. Browse and search phone numbers from two sim cards at once.

Personally, one phone (read: one GSM network subscription) is enough, however, having both subscriptions, I felt the need to be hassle free and welcomed the idea of a dual-active-sim capable phone. Choosing was easy for there are only 3 brands that offer such feature. A timely introduction was made when a friend allowed me to “try-first-buy-later” her new Myphone Q21. (And that’s a friendly deal)

So weighing my options got more interesting as I was doing the full functionality review of Myphone Q21.

Just a heads up on the 4th column:
Yes means it is useful to me everyday
No means it is a function/feature but I won't use it anyway
NE means it is a function/feature but not useful everyday
Na means this phone does not have the feature.

Specifications

Function/ Feature	Detail	What this means to us?	Is it helpful everyday?
2G Network	GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900	This phone can be used in 212 countries embracing GSM	Yes
3G Network	No	High-speed alternative in data transmission for internet connection, enables video call, etc	Na
EDGE	No	alternative method of data transmission	Na
Video Call	No	See the person we talk to over the phone face to face	Na
Dual Sim	Yes	Use 2 sim cards from same or different service provider simultaneously	Yes
Dimensions	112 x 50 x 20.5 (mm)	Comfortable to hold with both hands	No
Keypad	Full QWERTY keyboard	Free your right/left hand from all the texting as you use both	Yes
Navigation	Five-way navigation key	5-directions for easy navigation	Yes
Alert types	Vibration; Downloadable polyphonic, monophonic, MP3 ringtones	Choose several alert types and modes	Yes
Speakerphone	Yes	Share the conversation with everybody with you	Yes
Audio Jack	No	Listen to music or speak on the phone over a headset	Na
Phonebook	Up to 1000 Phonebok Entries	This should be enough space for all your contacts in the next 3 years if you add one entry everyday.	Yes
Call records	Detailed, max ???		Yes
Weight	103.8	Light to carry around, heavy enough to know its there	Yes
Display Size	2.2” 220 x 176 pixels	Already a good size and shape for taking or watching pictures and movies	Yes
GPRS	YES	Surf through your network’s WAP enabled service (almost the Internet)	No
WLAN	No	Unable to hook up to the Internet through WIFI spots	Na
Bluetooth	Yes, with AD2P	Easily share phonebook records, mp3s, videos, and the likes	NE
Infrared	No	Share and communicate with other infrared gadgets	Na
USB	Yes	Through USB, it can be charged, used for file storage, webcam, or modem	Yes
Internal Memory	1MB		Yes
Card slot/External Memory	Micro SD / T-Flash up to 2GB	Not included: An extra 2Gig of memory for music files, movies, pictures, sound recordings.	Yes
Camera	Single 1.3MP	Takes fair snaphots of your next shopping items and wish lists.  In well lit conditions, makes a decent webcam for video conferencing.	NE
Secondary Camera	No	Capture your video while on speakerphone over video call	Na
Flash	No	Lightens up your photo subject	Na
Display Type	TFT	Works well in the dark, but almost invisible under the sun.	Yes
Type	BAR	Easy on the hands when handling.  Requires both hands for fast texting.	Yes
Touch Screen	No	Navigate and launch applications through the touch screen	Na
OS	Basic OS	User friendly enough	Yes
CPU	Basic CPU	Fast enough	Yes
Messaging	SMS, EMS, MMS, Chat, Email	-	Yes
Browser	WAP 2.0	Surf WAP/WEB sites through GPRS, Wifi, EDGE, and 3G	Na
Radio	FM radio	Tune in to local FM radio stations 24x7	NE
Media Support	MP3, WAV and AVI	Listen to music and watch videos in limited formats	Yes
Document editor	Ebook reader	More like a notepad reader.  Only reads text files.	NE
Push to talk	No	Use your mobile phone as a Walkie-Talkie	Na
Voice command	No	Activate functions by voice	Na
Organizer/Calendar	Calendar, To-Do list	Mark your calendar with important dates, appointments, and to do lists	Yes
Printing	No	Print direct from your phone	Na
Battery Type	Standard Li-Ion 1150 mAh	Good battery life. My normal usage would get me to 3 days until Low-bat	Yes
Video	AVI at x frames/sec	Playback captured and downloaded videos	Yes
GPS	No	Use your phone as a dynamic map	Na
Games	Yes	I like the puzzle game, but can be loaded with more Java applications.	NE
Colors	Available in 1 color - Black	-	Na
Java	Yes, MIDP 2.0	Install numerous java applications	NE

Based on my daily mobile phone use, I have 22 Yes’s.  My Q21’s cost-functionality ratio would be 4,500 Pesos divided by 22 functions/features I use everyday is to 204.54 pesos per function/feature.  The smaller the ratio, the more it is both cost-and-functionally effective for its user.  The Q21’s cost-functionality ratio won’t be of too much help until it is compared to another phone of choice.   

 Watch out for the cost-functionality review of another phone of choice. The Nokia E71.