So, you are thinking of purchasing your own cell phone, specially after the highly slashed rates by the service providers..............and if you have zeroed upon 1100, you are definitely wise.
1100 is sleek. 1100 is good looking. 1100 is easy to use. And the list doesnt end here. There is a host of other features (like the flashlite, good lightened buttons and easy navigation system etc) that makes it extremely handy. Yes ofcourse, it doesnt have a camera and also is monochromatic and monophonic, but someone, who want to use it for basic communication purposes (calls and SMS) and want something in low budget, this set is ideal. Compared to the 3310, which is heavy and ugly in looks, this one looks really trendy. Another competing set, which is the R220 from Samsung, loses out due to the arial, and also, becoz the wide availability of nokia stuff (even free ringtones on net are made for nokia products in majority). Also, the screen is I think made of polymer and not of glass, hence less chances of breaking :D. Also, single button navigation makes it all the more easy. Plus there are logos, screensavers, pic msgs etc. to be used.
Also, battery life is quite good. I am using this for past 1 year, and the battery performance is still excellent. There is no point putting in more details about the set, which is mentioned in the websites, but one small glitch in this set is the yellow screen. If you can shell out a few hundred bucks extra, I think u can go for the 1108, which I think has a White screen , which is, although utility less, but makes the set look elegant.
So, from the performance that 1100 has given me, I strongly recommend 1100 as an entry level cheap handset.