| Windows Mobile phone has dual active radios |
Jul. 01, 2008
 Indian company Spice Mobiles Limited has announced a Windows Mobile 6.0 phone that supports the use of two phone numbers or service providers. The Spice D-1100 has a 2.8-inch 320 x 240 display, two megapixel camera, Bluetooth 2.0, numeric keypad, and microSD memory expansion.
(Click here for a larger view of the Spice D-1100)
 Spice has recently served up a number of unusual devices, including 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. Its new D-1100 now becomes one of the select few Windows Mobile phones to offer dual SIM slots, letting the device employ two different numbers and/or service providers simultaneously.
Like the similarly endowed General Mobile DSTW1, the D-1100 includes 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.)
Via its primary SIM, the D-1100 is a quad-band (850/900/1800/1900MHz) GSM device. The secondary SIM provides dual-band (900/1800MHz) GSM connectivity, but, notes Spice, does not work with email or MMS (multimedia messaging service) messages. This indicates that web browsing, too, is possibly only available on a user's "main" account.
 
The Spice D-1100 monitors signal strength for two services (left) and allows either SIM to be turned off (right)
(Click to enlarge)
As the above screen shots indicate, the device continuously monitors 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-1100 provides 64MB 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 two megapixel digital camera.
Features and specifications listed by Spice for the D-1100 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 -- dual-band (900/1800MHz) GSM
- PAN -- Bluetooth 2.0
- Other I/O -- USB
- Expansion -- microSD slot
- Dimensions -- 4.3 x 2.9 x 0.6 inches (111 x 58 x 15.7mm)
- Weight -- 4.3 ounces (123g)
- Battery capacity/life:
- 1350 mAh lithium-ion battery
- 3-8 hours talk time
- 130 hours standby
According to Spice, the D-1100 is available now for 17,000 rupees (approximately $390).
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