If you want a mobile phone just to talk and send SMS, it is available for less than Rs 500. Of course, it is not branded. With cheap phones available everywhere, you have to look at the radiation levels these phones expose you to. There is no point in saving a few bucks and then spending thousands as hospital fees.

There are a few other things too that merit attention. The first is imitation mobiles. The phone that looks exactly like the iPhone will look like that only in the advertisement. I managed to lay hands on one such clone. I touched a few icons. Nothing happened. Persevering, I tried to open a couple of apps when the phone crashed. The shopkeeper said it was selling like hot cakes because it cost less than Rs 3,000.

Then there are branded phones that cost the same. They are slightly better. They have better apps and screens, but the radiation levels are still suspect. One such branded phone I saw heated up within a few minutes of use. A couple of ‘service centres' listed in the ‘manual' had shut shop and my friend now uses a headset to talk. Also, he ensures he never talks for more than two minutes at a stretch.

You can also get original phones far below the market price. These are of three kinds: Imported - carrier locked, carrier unlocked and without carrier lock. Imported carrier locked phones can be used only with the telephone network they are locked to, such as Sprint or AT&T. You have to get them unlocked before you can use them. The carrier unlocked phones have been already modified for you for use in any network. Phones without carrier lock are those that have been released by the manufacturers without any network lock. All these phones come without warranty, which explains their low price.

Next time you see an ad for a mobile with a low price, investigate fully before you buy it.

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