(always a topic sure to generate discussion...)

My current cel phone, an Ericsson T39m, is almost two years old and is failing in a large number of ways. It's time to be replaced. I originally bought the phone because, at the time, it was the only lightweight phone (~80g) that could synchronize calendar, contacts, and all that with Microsoft Outlook. Even though my phone has Bluetooth, I think I've only ever used it once, and that was to play "tennis" (Pong) with a guy who happened to have the same phone.

I've been looking at all the shiny new cel phones, and I'd thought that the Nokia 6200 (tri-band, but has two U.S. GSM bands and only one European band) was going to be the right answer: nice Nokia GUI, light weight, and who knows, maybe I'd use the whizzy EDGE high-speed data support. My father got one. I played with it. The GUI was great, but the build quality wasn't there. You squeeze, it squeaks. I doubt it could survive a three-foot fall onto concrete.

Then, a few weeks ago, I ran into a friend with a Nokia 5100. While it has the same basic electronics as other Nokia Series-40 phones, it has this crazy rubber case that makes it somewhat water resistant and drop-proof. My friend was demonstrating by happily tossing the thing onto the ground. It's around 100g, which is slightly bigger than my current phone, but not a tank like the various "smart" phones. Another unique feature is its two-LED flashlight. While it doesn't have Bluetooth, it does have Nokia's new "pop-port" which gives you USB for your computer. Right now, it's running around $280 at GSMPhoneSource. I decided to go for it. It's currently back-ordered, but I'll probably have it soon.

This also means that you guys have a day or two to possibly talk me out of this phone. As far as I'm concerned, the things that matter to me are:

- durability (my last phone has suffered several problems resulting from dropping it)

- light weight (fitting in my pocket)

- calendar synchronization (buzz -- you've got a meeting in five minutes)

I could care less about having a camera-phone, I doubt I'll ever surf the net from it, and I don't need my phone to sing the star spangled banner to me when it rings. It is nice, however, to be able to receive calls in Europe (where I may go once a year on business), although I could see myself jumping ship to one of the CDMA services if the phone was right.

Thoughts?