But some people who don’t need a dual SIM phone look for other features, like being able to watch TV on their phone.

We previously featured a dual SIM phone from China with TV capability about a year ago (The CECT D2000 if I’m not mistaken) and many people started calling in asking about its availability. Eventually, phones of the same make were sold locally and people curious about were able to get some.

Out of curiosity, I, too, purchased one. What I got was a phone with the brand "Holiday" and the model was A688.

What makes this one different from the CECT D2000 is that the A688 has a full-touchscreen LCD display like that of the iPhone, LG Viewty, etc. It is equipped with a stylus pen too. But I think the similarity ends there.

Despite having a full-touchscreen display, it’s not as accurate as it seems. Even when using the pen stylus, you won't hit the right spot all the time. If you think the pen calibration would solve this problem, forget about it.

So, with the touchscreen not being accurate, handwriting recognition would also be a problem. I just wonder if this case is the same when writing down Pin Yin characters (after all, the phone is made in China).

The TV function on these phones are unlike that of Nokia or Samsung; they function similarly to analog TVs, hence only being able to receive VHF and UHF signals so it’s totally free. The good thing about it is that it is guaranteed to work on other countries using analog TV signals.

Choosing "area" in the options of the TV feature gives you a small list of countries where it can be used.

Apart from being a TV phone, the A688 is equipped with multimedia functions. It has a music player that can play digital audio files. But I must admit that the sound quality of the built-in speakers is below average.

Don’t be fooled by the "3D surround label." It may give a loud sound but not as clear as that of the N95. And at high volume levels, whether using the mp3 player, video player, FM radio or the TV function, the phone tends to vibrate.

Speaking of the FM radio, this feature can be used even without attaching a headset. Most mobile phones with FM radio would require you to connect the headset simply because it will act as the antenna. The A688's built-in antenna solves this dilemma.

Even without retracting the antenna, the FM radio will work as long as it picks up radio frequencies.

Now that’s two points for the A688 (one is the TV function).

The camera? Well, the label says "1.3-Megapixels" but it also says "digital VGA camera" on top of the camera lens. I believe the

latter tells the truth since taking sample shots with the camera gave VGA-quality photos.

Viewing the photo is more of a hassle because you can’t even zoom in to closely look at a portion of it.

Don’t even think it would record good quality videos. Using the A688’s video recording feature would be enough in terms of documenting email-sized clips (won’t even be good for any scandal in my opinion).

With regards to the call features and SMS messaging, well, the former fairs average. Creating text messages would be frustrating if you are not used to its keypad layout since each key is quite small. Some of the keys are not that responsive so you have to press it hard.

I’m just glad the sole reason for me getting this cellphone TV is because of the TV function. That way, I’m still able to watch the late night news in bed after work or during blackouts.