Having tried a good number of cell phones — including a QWERTY-one from Spice Mobile! — since the demise of my built-like-a-tank Nokia 6681, I’ve found the one that I was looking for: the Nokia E52.

Here’s the top three things that I love about the E52:

• Call quality is exceptionally good.
• The battery has exceptional stamina. I charge my E52 roughly once every four days.
• Skype runs flawless over Wi-Fi. I’ve had hour long work-related calls (where I need to dial an international landline) without the slightest hitch.

At 12k, it’s a steal.

But I had a real hard time convincing D when I wanted to purchase the E52 (especially after the HTC Touch 3G, the Nokia 5030, and the Spice Mobile QT44). It’s not easy being the CFO especially when you need approval for capital expenditures from the Board of Directors. :-)