Like a lot of people, I started off with a Nokia 3310. Things were built like a brick shithouse.
Then I got a Siemens C45. It didn't have any redeeming features, other than being really cheap and well built.
I had this phone for ages. It wasn't bad, in fairness - as sturdy as the Nokia 3310. I had it so long, and I was so bored of it, that I started to get slightly careless. I noticed it spun really well if it was sat on a table. So I skimmed it across wet grass, and it worked really well. I skimmed it across puddles, fine. And once I skimmed it across a local pond. Didn't have any ill effects. I was too poor to replace it, really. Until I noticed a deal offer in the window - sign up to the new "3" network, top up with ?10, and a phone could be yours for ?30. So I got an NEC e228 (the C45 I gave away to a phone recycling charity).
I loved it. It had 2 cameras - one pointing front, one pointing back. It had internet access. The keypad was comfortable. It's only flaws were it's size - it was quite big - and it's lack of bluetooth or infrared, meaning to get photos off it you had to email them. It even had a memory stick slot, which a few years ago was rare for a cheap phone. I still long after it today - it was really comfortable to use.
However, I decided it was time to move on, so I went back to Siemens, as they were pretty rare. So I got a Siemens CX65, and gave the NEC to charity.
It was almost entirely forgettable - I'd forgotten I had it 'til someone above mentioned it. The few things I remember is that the front was very flimsy, and if someone called you two tiny strobe lights on the front started causing you epilepsy. And since I liked having the latest tech, when I saw the Carphone Warehouse had decent phones in it's january sale, well, I had to get one. A Siemens S65 (with the CX65 going to a company that paid you to take old phones off your hands, netting me ?15).
It was designed for businessmen, but it'd flopped a bit, hence it being available for ?50, SIM-less, in the sales. I had to go to 6 different CPWH shops to get it, all over Glasgow, but in the end I got it. I was over the moon. It could play games, it could connect to IRC, it had a 1 megapixel camera, it had bluetooth, it was great all round. It looked good in your hand, too.
Then, in September 06 I started uni. Nothing odd there. However, on Tuesdays I had 2 hours of lectures at 9am then nothing 'til 4pm. So I had a big gap, which I usually wasted by window shopping. And during one of those window shopping breaks, I saw that CPWH had an offer on, where by you got ?50 free if you signed up to a contract. And free money is always good.
Being young and naive, I signed up. By some coincidence I had proof of address in my bag. And I got a Sony Ericsson W850i (the S65 I eBayed, for ?25. I was gutted when it went).
Really like this phone. With a 4gig memory card in it, it replaces my mp3 player. I like it's 2mp camera. And I love the fact that 18 months on I still stumble across a new feature now and then. It took me 3 months to realise there were 2 extra buttons on the top of the phone. A couple months back I learnt that the on/off button flashed red if you were out of battery. Stuff like that.
Sadly though common sense didn't bear out. When I signed up for the contract (an 18 month contract), I forgot for at least 6 of those months I'd be in France, rendering the ?25 a month contract useless. Oops.
Anyway, I'm a couple weeks from the end of that 18 month period, and when it's over I'm hoping to haggle myself a new Nokia N95, or LG Viewty. Not sure which yet. (or a K850i, if they're out yet).
Oh, one addendum :
My French phone.
It's very small, and that's it's only advantage. Oh, it also has su doku on it. Other than that, it calls, it texts, and that's it. It is very very basic. It also likes to turn itself off every 5 minutes or so, which is a pain. I wish I'd shelled out an extra ?10 or so to get a camera, at least.
Yes, I have 2 phones at the moment. They're a pain to carry about simultaneously though, so the French one goes about with me whilst the UK one stays in my flat. Which is a pain since I found the phone camera really useful.