Even though many Chinese and network operator-based phones are plunging into the cell phone market with dual SIM funct-ions, it’s not too late for Nokia.  The company’s recent release of its own dual SIM services, with global SIM support (i.e., it can be used with any SIM card worldwide), has been met with critical enthusiasm.

You may not think much of the Nokia X1-01: it’s just a simple phone at a reasonable price.  In my opinion, though, it stands out because of its exceptionally long battery life (13 hours of talk time,  40 days of stand-by time) and impressively large speaker.

This phone was built to make calls, and lots of them.

It also allows for 36 hours of music playback, perfect for enjoying your favourite tunes on its surround-sound speakers.

During a test performed by LIFT, the sound from the phone’s speakers was able to fill a large room easily without any static.  Don’t believe me?  Try it out: I bet you’ll love it as much as we did.  With a standard 35mm headset jack, you can connect the headphones of your preference.  And, if you want to store more music, you can add as much as 6GB to the 2GB memory card     that is included with the phone.

Although this phone has many strong points, it’s not perfect.  For example, it seems too bulky to be a pocket-size device, and it lacks the ability to transfer music wirelessly with other devices.

But with its very affordable price and cool features, such as games and a flashlight, these shortcomings are easily overlooked.  I’ll admit there’s no perfect phone on the market today.

On seeing a picture of the phone, you may find its screen too small. Don’t worry, just wait one more month and a bigger screen will be available with the new Nokia C2-03, a phone that is sure not to disappoint, especially with its Khmer Unicode-supported web viewing capabilities.

Still, there are better dual-SIM phones on the market now, and Nokia should be more cautious in charging such a lot for the operator network.  Even if the cost of the phone doesn’t concern you, the cost of making calls can wear down your credit easily when you are using multiple SIM cards.