Que is "coco de celular"?

[beginthebeguin]

I will explain the context as to why i ask this question later. Perhaps some of the more experienced Colombian hands might know of this phrase "coco de celular". What exactly does it mean. I have not found it any translation engine online. At first I though it referred to a 'boosted' cellphone with a new sim card, something one would be able to buy on the streets of Cali or elsewhere.

[JimD]

Calling a person coco means stupid so I´m guessing it´s something like crappy cel phone. Just a guess.

[beginthebeguin]

Thanks JimD. That explains a lot. Hell we have them here in the EE.UU. as well. 
The perils of long distance realtionships start with cocos de celular. Imagine here in the EE.UU. we were the first country to distribute cellular phones on a mass basis and there are still people that have a lot of trouble just trying to make a simple call with all the never-ending 'bells and whistles' the manufactures tack on to the handsets.
Now distribute 2nd, 3rd, and soon 4th generation phones to a country like Colombia and watch what happens. It has to be total madness at times.

[Gato4Astrid]

Calling a person coco means stupid so I´m guessing it´s something like crappy cel phone. Just a guess.

One of My mother's cats is called "Coco"      Other is Gucci

[JimD]

BTB I´m not sure exactly what you´re saying but Colombia is very much up to the minute regarding cel phones and a lot of other technology. However cel "problems" are sometimes used by chicas to avoid being contacted at "inconvenient" times. I can imagine for example trying to contact a girl who has her cel turned off and being told later "ese coco de celular se descargó".  Here are some other cel phone tidbits. Girls in Colombia often "no tiene minutos" and use their cel only to recieve calls. To make a call they go to a "cabina" and pay only one or two hundred pesos a minute. If they do happen to have a minute or two on their cel they´ll call you and hang up the idea being you see who called and call them back using your minutes. Girls often go around with more than one sim card and have different guys on each one. If a girl isn´t near her phone it will go to "buzon de voz" after four rings. If the phone rings only two or three times  and goes to buzon de voz she has seen who´s calling and hung up on the call. Cel phone "excuses" are endless. I´ve heard "I didn´t hear your call because I was in the street and had it on vibrate". Supposedly if it rings while she´s in the street a nearby bad guy will hear it and rob her phone. One time I couldn´t reach a girl for a couple of days. Finally she called and said the phone had fallen in the toilet. It took her all day with a hair dryer to dry it out.

[beginthebeguin]

JimD said

One time I couldn´t reach a girl for a couple of days. Finally she called and said the phone had fallen in the toilet. It took her all day with a hair dryer to dry it out.

So that's why toilet seats are always missing in public restrooms in Colombia. There must always be a plausible excuse for a 'chica' to use that ol' chestnut. Somehow that makes a lot of sense, for Colombia that is.
JimD keep those little gems comin'. Love the advance intelligence. You should write a book for first timers. Especially for Cali.

[utopiacowboy]

Thanks JimD. That explains a lot. Hell we have them here in the EE.UU. as well. 
The perils of long distance realtionships start with cocos de celular. Imagine here in the EE.UU. we were the first country to distribute cellular phones on a mass basis and there are still people that have a lot of trouble just trying to make a simple call with all the never-ending 'bells and whistles' the manufactures tack on to the handsets.
Now distribute 2nd, 3rd, and soon 4th generation phones to a country like Colombia and watch what happens. It has to be total madness at times.

Most countries in Europe and Asia are far ahead of the US when it comes to cell phones, broadband internet etc. The US is a laggard when it comes to technology these days.

[Alabamaboy!]

BTB I´m not sure exactly what you´re saying but Colombia is very much up to the minute regarding cel phones and a lot of other technology. However cel "problems" are sometimes used by chicas to avoid being contacted at "inconvenient" times. I can imagine for example trying to contact a girl who has her cel turned off and being told later "ese coco de celular se descargó".  Here are some other cel phone tidbits. Girls in Colombia often "no tiene minutos" and use their cel only to recieve calls. To make a call they go to a "cabina" and pay only one or two hundred pesos a minute. If they do happen to have a minute or two on their cel they´ll call you and hang up the idea being you see who called and call them back using your minutes. Girls often go around with more than one sim card and have different guys on each one. If a girl isn´t near her phone it will go to "buzon de voz" after four rings. If the phone rings only two or three times  and goes to buzon de voz she has seen who´s calling and hung up on the call. Cel phone "excuses" are endless. I´ve heard "I didn´t hear your call because I was in the street and had it on vibrate". Supposedly if it rings while she´s in the street a nearby bad guy will hear it and rob her phone. One time I couldn´t reach a girl for a couple of days. Finally she called and said the phone had fallen in the toilet. It took her all day with a hair dryer to dry it out.

Excellent Jim D, I was thinking that someone should put together a short pamphlet regarding the cell phone strategies that these ladies use. But I think you posted most of them right now!

[JimD]

Thanks AB. If you have any "cuentos" to add love to hear 'em!

[Alabamaboy!]

How about having 2 cel phones because one of them is for Tigo and the other one for Comcel and they get discounted rates between calls to people with the same carrier.