Nexus One in the Philippines
After I learned about the rumors regarding the Google phone, I really got excited. It even grew worse when it was finally announced last January. It was a big disappointment though when Google announced that “the” Nexus One will only be available in United States and a few other first world countries. Hong Kong and Singapore are among the nearest choices but having the phone shipped would be troublesome since I don’t have any relatives or friends from these countries.
My itch in getting the Nexus One did not stop there. Last month, I was able to test Ate Aileen’s and Kuya Andrew’s Nexus One handsets. Both of them (or Ate Aileen for most part) were convincing me to get my own Nexus. Kuya Jay also offered his US address so I can use it as the destination address for my purchase.
After a week, I decided to get myself my own Nexus One. Ordering a Nexus One from the Philippines is not a walk in the park. First, Google disabled the shopping cart for non-supported countries like Philippines. I had to use a US IP address in order to place my order. I used Kuya Jay’s US address instead of my Philippine address. Since I opted for the engraving option, it says that it will take around 72 hours before my phone will be shipped. It didn’t take that long though. The US address destination received the parcel 36 after it was shipped from Google.
I bought the phone for $529 plus an additional $50 (or somewhere near that amount) for the California State tax.
The next problem I encountered is with the courier service that will ship the phone from US to the Philippines. Shipping a gadget to the Philippines has its risks. First is the risk of your phone getting any damage during the transfer period and the risk of getting charged with high custom duties by our government. I didn’t encounter either of the two but I experienced a long delay after the shipment got stuck in China (according to my courier).
After two weeks of waiting, I finally got my Google Nexus One. The entire package (including the boxes) only weighs three quarters of a kilogram. The actual phone box does not look like it contains a phone at all.
The box contains the HTC Google Nexus One handset, the 1400 mAh battery, Nexus One sleeve, USB cable, USB charger and a pair of 3.5mm headsets. Unlike any other phone packages, the Nexus One package does not include detailed instruction manual except for a little piece of paper with instructions on charging, answering calls and unlocking the phone.
I’m still on the process of exploring the other features of the phone. I have purchased 1 month credit of Smart’s UNLI Surf for P1200 so I can maximize the use of my new Android handset.
You can also see more of my unboxing experience at Batang Yagit : The Google Nexus One .
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About the Author
Techie Kid is a multi-niche blogger, photography enthusiast, WordCamp 2008 organizer, Philippine Blog Awards 2009 organizer, and Philippine Blog Awards 2008 Bloggers’ Choice Awardee.
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