The Samsung Galaxy Pocket is one smartphone that did not move me when it came on the scene.

Not that I am a chauvinist but its first adverts had women which made it appear feminine. Secondly, my idea of a touch smartphone was a big screen for one to enjoy applications that need a wider view yet the Galaxy Pocket, like its name suggests, has a small screen.

I needed a new smartphone but I was on a tight budget. I only had Shs 350,000 and did not think I would get anything valuable. However, a friend told me to get a Samsung Galaxy Pocket that I once despised. I have had it for three weeks now, and I must say I am not disappointed. It cost me Shs 330,000 and it is worth every penny. The internet interactivity is brilliant, combined with its portability.

It has Google's Android Gingerbread operating system, 3 GB internal memory (micro SD slot up to 32 GB) and a 2.8 inch screen. It has a fairly good 2 mega-pixel camera with a full touch-screen. With internet enabled, I seamlessly interact with my Gmail, Twitter, Facebook, Skype and Whatsapp accounts. I get timely notifications on these accounts too.

In addition, I have applications of major media houses like BBC and Al Jazeera that keep me updated on what is happening around the world. Recently, I had to urgently send documents to someone in town yet I was away in the village with only my laptop and phone. I sent the PDFs, pictures and Word documents to the Galaxy Pocket by Bluetooth from my laptop, attached them to my Gmail and sent them to the other party without a hitch.

The Galaxy Pocket battery life could last 10 hours if heavily used but I charge it once a day, which is not bad at all. Wi-Fi works perfectly well and its music output is lovely. So, if you are looking for a relatively affordable phone that can do most of the basic functions you would require of a smartphone, then it is definitely the Samsung Galaxy Pocket.