Two SIMs on the same phone? Yes, indeed.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET)We promised it to you last month, and here is CNET's first review of a dual SIM card cell phone. We know the Duet D888 from Beyond E-Tech is not the first dual SIM phone ever, but it is the first one we've reviewed. Even better, it is the first dual SIM card phone widely available in the United States. You can get it for $199 from National Geographic and Cellular Abroad.
With the D888, you can make calls and send texts from two numbers on the same handset. Outside of a few usability quirks, the arrangement works quite well. Believe us when we say that Duet is a pretty average phone otherwise. Call quality is decent, but the D888 feels a little cheap in the hand and it doesn't offer any outstanding features. Yet even with those caveats, the two SIM card slots are enough to warrant a look.
Get the full scoop in our Duet D888 review.
The Duet D888 takes two SIM cards.
(Credit: Beyond E-Tech)Though dual SIM card cell phones have been around for a while, I've only seen them while traveling abroad and at trade show booths. The premise is simple and very attractive: with slots for two SIM cards, a single phone can have two phone numbers. You can receive and make calls on both lines and the SIM cards can even be from separate carriers.
It's a great option for anyone who wants to combine their work and personal phone and it's perfect for frequent international travelers who want a local number while retaining their U.S. number.
With such advantages, it's no surprise that a lot of CNET readers have asked how they can get such a phone. But outside of a handful of unlocked models, and a few crude adapters for regular handsets, dual SIM card phones remain relatively scarce in the United States. No U.S. carrier sells them and you can bet that no carrier would give up that kind of control.
But leave it to National Geographic to come up with another option. The organization has partnered with Cellular Abroad to offer the Duet D888. Made by Beyond E-Tech, the unlocked Duet accommodates two SIM cards: one for the Cellular Abroad intentional SIM card and one for another card of your choice. You could use your own SIM card for a GSM carrier like AT&T or T-Mobile or you could buy a prepaid card during your travels.
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A few days before CTIA Fall 2008 began, the National Geographic Society announced a new effort to bring its content to mobile devices. The society will launch a WAP site next month that will offer photos, animal ringtones, articles from National Geographic magazine, and video from the society's television shows. Though exact content and the URL are still under development, mobile division vice president Aaron Kohn said that there also will be an online "green" guide with tips on eco-friendly products and shopping for sustainable fish.
Kohn confirmed that National Geographic is not looking to form an MVNO, but he said that the society is in talks with carriers and manufacturers to bring National Geographic branding to new handsets. That's good news considering our disappointment with the Cellular Abroad's National Geographic Talk Abroad Travel Phone. What's more, he said an National Geographic app for the iPhone is in the works.
At launch, all content on the WAP site will be free. Next year, however, the society plans to introduce paid content.
A screenshot from the film U2 3D. According to Real D, the number of theater screens using 3D technology will jump from 100 to more than 1,000 in less than two years.
(Credit: U2 3D)A few months ago I wrote that one of the hottest tickets at this year's Cannes Film Festival was U2 3D, a 3D concert film about the popular band made using the technology of two companies helping to make 3D films a regular part of the movie going experience: 3ality and Real D.
Now, U2 3D is set to be accessible even to those of us who couldn't make it to the Riveria to hobnob with Leo and Bobby and the rest of the gang.
According to a release I got this morning from National Geographic Cinema Ventures, the outfit plans to make U2 3D its first "major international" release, and expects the film to hit theaters equipped to show 3D movies in January.
I'm kind of excited by this, even though I'm not a huge U2 fan. I think that this is exactly the kind of movie that could really get people to see the value of 3D, and that's in spite of evidence that the market for such films is taking off in a big way.
Magellan Triton 2000
(Credit: Magellan)Magellan must be one happy camper, as the veteran GPS manufacturer has teamed up with National Geographic for its new line of outdoor handheld GPS devices. The Magellan Triton series includes five models--the Triton 300, 400, 500, 1500, and 2000--and are compatible with National Geographic's topographic maps. Prior to this, you could only download waypoints and routes to the company's other handheld GPS devices, but now you can get full-color maps. Just be aware that these are sold separately by National Geographic, though the Triton quintet comes preloaded with Magellan's topographic maps. Other highlights include touch-screen controls, an electric compass, built-in LED flashlight, and the ability to record and attach audio to waypoint files. The flagship model, the Magellan Triton 2000, even has a built-in 2-megapixel camera. Ooo-la-la...fancy! The Triton series will be available starting in September.
This seems odd at first, but I think I get where National Geographic is coming from.
(Credit:
Cellular Abroad)
For decades National Geographic has been delivering fantastic photography (and more recently, TV footage) that has moved people to jump on planes and travel to the farthest corners of the globe where our cell phones promptly refuse to cooperate. Now it seems like they're trying to make up for that.
The educational and scientific society announced Wednesday that it is partnering with Cellular Abroad to make the National Geographic Talk Abroad Travel Phone, a bar-style GSM phone that operates in more than 100 countries. The actual hardware isn't the cool part--it's the plan, or lack thereof, that's the best feature.
There's no contract to sign and minutes can be added whenever you want. Incoming calls in most countries are totally free, but expect to pay 90 cents per outgoing minute. The phone can be purchased for $199 or rented for $49 a week. It comes pre-loaded with 30 minutes of free talk time. Alternatively, a SIM card is available for $79 (the card also comes with 30 minutes free).
So, if you can stand to wait a few extra weeks before jetting off on that Malawian safari, you can bring this phone with you. It's available starting in March.
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