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        Windows device is two phones in one

        Jonathan Angel | Date: Jun 30, 2009 | Comments: 1


        Indian carrier Spice Mobiles announced a Windows Mobile 6.0 phone claimed to be the country's first to operate in both GSM and CDMA modes. The Spice D-1111 has a 2.8-inch 320 x 240 display, two megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, and microSD memory expansion, the company says.



        (Click here for a larger view of the Spice D-1111)

        The new D-1111 is the latest in a series of unusual devices from Spice that has included the "People's Phone," a displayless cellphone that sells for under $20, and the Braille Phone (right), a version for the blind that features Braille on its keys and built-in voice prompts. Last year, the company released the D-1100, one of the few Windows Mobile phones to offer dual SIM slots.

        Like the similarly endowed General Mobile DSTW1, the D-1100 included both dual SIM sockets and dual GSM transceivers. Thus, both numbers can be active simultaneously, and users can receive and place calls on either number. (Some devices with dual SIM slots, in contrast, have only a single transceiver, and so can use only one number/SIM at a time.)

        Spice's new D-1111 is capable of pulling off a similar juggling act. However, where the D-1100 provided quad-band (850/900/1800/1900MHz) GSM on its primary SIM, and dual-band (900/1800MHz) GSM connectivity on its secondary SIM, the D-1111 uses the secondary SIM for 800MHz CDMA, according to the company. Both accounts are available for voice calls and, apparently, for data, though Spice says that MMS (multimedia messaging service) only works via GSM.


        The Spice D-1100 monitors signal strength for two services (left) and allows either SIM to be turned off (right)
        (Click to enlarge)

        Though Spice did not confirm this, we suspect that like the D-1100 (pictured above), the D-1111 is able to continuously monitor the signal strength (left) on either available service. A configuration screen (right) allows prioritizing the use of either SIM, turning one SIM off, or reverting to PDA mode.

        Using an unspecified processor or processors -- the DSTW1 mentioned above has two baseband processors, one monitoring each SIM -- the D-1111 provides 60MB of RAM, an unstated amount of integral flash, and 512MB of RAM on a bundled microSD card. It has a 2.8-inch touchscreen display, numeric keypad, and a two megapixel digital camera.

        Features and specifications listed by Spice for the D-1111 include:
        • Processor -- unspecified
        • Memory -- 64MB RAM, flash unspecified
        • Display -- 2.8-inch touchscreen display with 320 x 240 resolution
        • Camera -- Two megapixel
        • Wireless:
          • WAN:
            • SIM 1 -- quad-band (850/900/1800/1900MHz) GSM
            • SIM 2 -- 800MHz CDMA
          • PAN -- Bluetooth 2.0 with stereo (A2DP) profile
        • Other I/O -- USB
        • Expansion -- microSD slot
        • Battery capacity/life:
          • 1350mAh lithium-ion battery
          • Talk time:
            • GSM -- 510 minutes
            • CDMA -- 270 minutes
          • Standby time:
            • GSM -- 120 hours
            • CDMA -- 120 hours
            • GSM/CDMA both -- 100 hours
        • Dimensions -- 4.36 x 2.29 x 0.66 inches (110.8 x 58.3 x 16.8mm)
        • Weight -- 4.59 ounces (130.2g)
        Further information

        The Spice D-1111 appears to be on sale now in India, though pricing and availability were not detailed. More information may be found on the company's website, here.


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