Z1010
I stayed away from digital cam mobiles, instead, chose to stick with my trusty Sony Ericsson T68i. I never felt the wow-factor when camera phones first introduced, never understood why our next mobile has to have a built-in camera. I watched as people I know switched to these phones one-by-one, getting excited and snapping pictures left and right, then happily showing them to others. The mediocre quality of the picstures are the worst since digital photographs came into our lives, but it doesn't matter, for the novelty is too great. Then a week or so passed, and the same folks weren't taking pictures anymore, rather, they were using their mobile as it was intended, to talk to the person on the other line.
I remember years ago in Tokyo I saw prototypes of these camera phones by NTT DoCoMo. But the camera wasn't for taking pictures, it was for video conferencing, and it made perfect sense. That's what a camera on a mobile is meant for, to see the person on the other line. I was immensely excited, couldn't wait to get my hands on a set. Alas, the long wait only led to disappointment, as mobile makers one after another came out with camera phones that I consider crippled, a gadget to fill the gaps until 3G comes along.
Earlier in the year 3G finally arrived in Hong Kong, albeit through only one mobile carrier. I wanted to wait for it to be more widely available, as any smart consumer might do. Then in May I dropped my T68i several times in Haimen City, to where I had to take it in for service as soon as I got back to Hong Kong. Forward to a week ago and my mobile was still in the shop. I was ready to get a new mobile and switch to 3G. The Sony Ericsson Z1010 is still listed as "coming soon" on its website, but already I saw it on display at a 3 Hong Kong shop. I was sold on the spot. I bought two--because it's no fun playing videophone by yourself--and hopped on the 3G bandwagon, despite the Z1010 is a bulky beast, and the numerous horror stories of 3G instability. They are the price we pay to be the 1st generation users of a 3rd generation mobile technology.
The day after I bought the pair of Z1010s, I called the Sony Ericsson service center and was told they couldn't fix my mobile, so they're replacing it with another, T68i.