My poor 2year old Dopod (HTC Tytn) is showing signs of severe wear and tear. It's started to exhibit the well known "white screen" at start-up. 2he sliding keyboard is a bit sloppy and the case is looking battered. To be honest, I'm frustrated with WM6 and Palm still haven't got a 3G solution so I've been holding back on swapping phones.

Today I read a review of the Nokia E71 and was impressed. After a wander around looking at handset and playing with a couple I was smitten. Getting deal was not easy, prices varied from S$690 to S$730 a set (no line) but most shops were out of stock. I managed to "negotiate" a deal for the set including carrying case, international warranty and 2Gb microSD for S$680 (cash) in Sim Lim.

I'm not particularly bothered by cameras in phones, except, of course with respect to the Phlog. The Nokia camera is specified at 3.2 megapixels, This is the view from the Schloss, overlooking the pool. It's not a particularly sunny day, but there's plenty of light for a photo.

The colours look okay except for a slight cast. Not bad though for a "quick and dirty", and superb from a phlogging point of view

The photograph illustrates one of the reasons I've done the change - the 2 year old Dopod is looking decidedly battered. The E71 is a tiny bit longer, but the same width.

There is more than a passing resemblance to my old beloved Treo and I think this is what helped make up my mind.

The keyboard is small, but I developed the "nail typing" technique many years ago. So long as I'm not knocking out my magnum opus, the Nokia keys will be fine. One thing I have noticed is how "peppy" the phone is in response to opening applications, typing etc.. The HTC phone always had a slight lag between hitting a key and something happening. It may be a CPU thing, but my suspicion is that Windows Mobile is too convoluted.

No - not really. See how much thinner the Nokia is (the top one) compared to the HTC/Dopod (on the bottom). It's a metal/plastic chassis and it feels decidedly robust, so I'm hoping that it will serve me well for a few years.

Most cameras in phones fall down with interior or low light shots. I wouldn't say it was particularly dark (dim may be) but here's a shot of a disgruntled cat eating her dinner in the kitchen.

Again, not absolutely perfect, but not bad at all.

I haven't been able to properly shake off the tonsilitis reported a week or so ago and didn't sleep well last night because of ear ache. Consequently, I went to see our local friendly GP this morning. The clinic is located at the bottom of South Buona Vista and I was there along with 3 or 4 other people when it opened at just before 9am.

The doc got around to me by 9.15 and after the usual exchange
Me: "How's business?"
Dr Q: "Not bad; haven't seen you for a while"
Me: "That's because I've been well"
Dr Q: paroxysms of laughter
he had me cuffed (blood pressure); mouth full of temperature sensing equipment (well...a thermometer) and was poking around in my ears. By 9.25 I was diagnosed with ear infection (both ears - I don't do things by halves) and was waiting in line to pay. By 9.30 I was S$78 poorer but had my pockets stuffed with a week's worth of Augmentin, Neosporin ear drops and painkillers.

The Augmentin "caplets" are huge, like horse tablets but should do the trick. Of course it means no booze for a week, but that isn't, necessarily, a bad thing.

Today - 25th, finds me en route to Taiwan, Tapei to be precise. I'll be using Taipei as a base for a week of travel around the island in an attempt to drum up business and figure out if a recent slump is due to external, economic factors or (and I hope this is wrong) internal squabbling.

I'm leaving on "SQ" from the new terminal, T3 which after about 6 months of use I've decided is markedly poorer than (the much loved) T2. T3 is long and thin and has as much ambience as a ball bearing factory. Still, beggars can't be choosers and at least it's better than Heathrow (pick any terminal, they're all rubbish).

Pictured is the greeny blue case that replaced the old purple Lojel number that I used for years. This isn't soooo bad, but the blessed wheels have minds of their own.

Despite the lack of ambience and (in my opinion) poorly laid out facilities for travellers, you can't complain about efficiency. I left the schloss at about 11.00am, got to the airport by 11.30 and was checked-in and through immigration by 11.45 ready for my flight at 12.30.

The flight leaves from gate A15 so there's not much of a walk.

The ride to the hotel (the wonderful Westin with the phenomenal beds) is normally around 45mins, but the traffic on the highway into Taipei is awful. It's 5:50 so we've caught the worse of the rush hour. Mr Chen (my jolly driver for this journey) estimates 1.5 to 2 hours! Good job I brought my iPod along.

After a weekend of rain in Singapore, it's nice to see blue skies at last.


(Note written last Monday ... sadly the Nokia kept this in it's cache and didn't send it!)

I was met in the hotel lobby at 5.55am (IN THE MORNING !!!!) by a local sales guy and his manager who whisked me to the domestic downtown airport for a flight to Hualien. This is a picture of the airport at around 6.15 - it's relatively busy!

Actually, the trip to Hualien only took around 40mins and I was delighted by such a nice town. It's by the coast but has beautiful mountains surrounding.

As you can see, the clouds were moving in when this photo was taken. It's a shame that I didn't have my Nikon - the sky was a picture

I had to go to the Science Park in Hsinchu for a couple of visits. Hsinchu is around 45 mins to and hour from Taipei, but my Taiwanese colleagues like to take a small detour through some small towns so that I can see the "betelnut girls".

These girls sit in kiosks that have bright neon lit exteriors and sell cigareetes, coffee and a betelnut "confection" to the lorry drivers. The betelnut contains natural amphetamine like compounds that promote alertness; hence the attraction to the drivers.

Business is very competitive, so the owners started to employ pretty girls who, in turn, started wearing skimpier and more .. er.. alluring clothing. Sadly this is a terrible photo.

Well, at least you can she her legs...

For some reason, they DO NOT like to have their photos taken (I can't imagine why, other than unsuspecting parents who believe that these lasses work in MAcDonalds or some such). Anyway, this was a triumvirate of pretty girls - if you look closely you'll see them (sadly we were traveling too fast)

An All Nippon Airlines 767 carried me from Taipei to Tokyo on Saturday morning. It's a while since I've been on a 767 and while things were a bit cramped in the back, it was all very jolly and not too busy.

As the capital airport is 100km outside the city, getting from Narita (theoretically Tokyo International Airport), anywhere, is a chore. If you're ever planning to fly to Japan, this is a tip ... DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES USE A TAXI. Taxi fares are so high, and the distance so long, that you'll blow your spending money before you start.

The Narita Express railway is convenient, if you're heading downtown, but the Narita Limo buses are amazing. I'm staying in Hachioji, outside Tokyo, and have the choice of heading to Shinjuku on teh Narita Express, then a local train (Chuo line) to my destination. It's fine and dandy, but navigating across a busy station on a Saturday with luggage is not recommended.

Fortunately there was a bus to my destination at 15:15, so I elected to take it. Here's the busy bus terminal at around 14:45. Each bus arrived within1 minute of its alloted time - amazing, and so efficient.

It's a while since I've done this, actually catch a train somewhere by myself on a non-business "mission". But after yesterday's Taipei to Tokyo journey, I have a Sunday free. After a bit of a calculation yesterday, given that I'm hopping around a bit this week and the outrageously high prices here in Japan, it struck me that I may need a top-up on my "folding" money. Today's mission (should I decide to accept.... Shades of Mission Impossible" is find an HSBC ATM.

Actually the first part was easier than I thought; a quick Google search turned up about 7, though none near. The most accessible is 10mins walk from Tokyo main railway station, near Nihonbashi subway and Takashimaya department store. Piece of cake! All I need to do is get the JR (Japan Railways to the uninitiated) train on the Chuo line, navigate my way through the mammoth station, find the right exit (not as easy as you might think) and yomp to the bank.

Well, stage 1 includes substeps (a) Buy correct ticket (b) go to right pplatform (c) board train heading in appropriate direction.

The ticket board! Hmm how much hiragana/katakana/kanji do I remember? I'm plumping for the station that is at "3 o'clock" on the big loop.

Blood and sand 780 yen - that seems more expensive than my (admittedly increasingly fragmented) memory recalls. Oh well, at least I have a ticket and the illuminated signs (in English - huzzah) are pointing to Platform 2

So far so good with an unexpected bonus. Just as I was heading down the stairs onto Platform 2 a train pulled in, what's more is that it's a limited express. I even had a chance to snap a quick shot witht he Nokia as I leapt, gazelle-like, down the stairs (frightening a lot of unsuspecting locals in the process)

Now here's an indication of the proximity of Hachioji to central downtown - the train is essentially empty. I have no doubts that it'll be stacked out by Tokyo.