Dual SIM cards are the norm in prepaid phones coming out of China these days
You would have to be blind deaf and dumb not to see all of the dual SIM cell phones coming out of China these days.
After no contract and a lower price it’s the main reason for the enduring popularity of the not quite Hiphone against even the iPhone.
Even despite the not quite iPhone OS and sometimes questionable quality.
But what does does dual SIM mean, what is it capable of and how can you best use it.
When looking at a a dual SIM phone you really need to take into consideration two things:
- Dual SIM
- Dual Standby
What Is Dual SIM And Dual Standby?
Dual SIM
Dual SIM is simply a single cellphone with two SIM card slots. Simple!
Dual SIM essentially refers to a phone that can hold and utilize two SIM cards in the same GSM cellular phone.
It doesn’t matter if they’re dual SIM TV phones or any other dual SIM phones as long as they take two SIM cards and read them, then they are dual SIM mobile phones.
Just because a cell phone can take two SIM cards, it doesn’t mean that both SIM cards are working. You need the dual standby function for that (More about that below).
However this doesn’t mean that having two SIM cards isn’t very useful for:
- Keeping all of your personal and business contacts separate while keeping them in the same place
- Keeping two separate numbers so that you are always in touch
- Traveling between country to country
Dual Standby
A dual stand by phone is different to a dual SIM phone in that has one CPU but, will actively monitor both networks at the same time.
While dual SIM cell phones will put two phone numbers into the same phone you need to physically switch between them by going into the settings menu and making the switch.
Some phones, like the c7000, can handle two phone networks at the same time
However, dual standby phones can actively switch between the two without any input from you.
How Does Dual SIM And Dual Standby Work?
Dual SIM
A dual SIM phone always has two SIM card slots and, occasionally, two CPUs.
Phones that have two CPUs are few and far between. In fact, even though we have sold hundreds of cell phones and looked at thousands more we have only seen one example of a dual CPU phone.
A phone that has dual SIM slots without having a dual standby function will require you to go into settings and change it from SIM 1 to SIM 2 and vice versa.
There are some older forms of dual SIM available where the second SIM card slot is just another place, besides your wallet, to keep your spare SIM card.
Dual Standby
With Dual Standby phones there is an electronic switch in the phone which will automatically switch between SIM cards depending on which one is getting a call from somewhere.
If a second call should happen to arrive when you are already talking on the phone one of two things will happen:
1) If you have call secretary software, or your carrier has an online call secretary service then if you’re on the phone and another call comes in then it’ll be shipped to voicemail.
2) If no such software or option exists on your GSM dual mobile then the other caller will just be told that your line is busy.
How Can I Use A Dual SIM/Dual Standby Phone?
Making a call
Insert the number you wish to dial, and select SIM 1 or SIM 2
Sending A Text Message
Select the options icon and select SIM 1 or SIM 2
Saving A Number To A SIM
to store a new contact, insert their number, tap the “add contact” option and select either SIM cards or the mobile phone memory itself
Check out our fantastic range of Dual SIM Cell Phones and Dual Standby phones and see the future of cell phones right now.
Don’t you hate it when somebody gets into your phone’s settings and ‘accidentally’ changes the settings so that they’re in some obscure language, like Latin, Ancient Egyptian or Klingon.
Thankfully, if you’re dealing with a phone from China in most cases go about things in a similar way and usually use either the MediaTek 6225 chipset or the MediaTek 6235 chipset. So, there are some things that will be in the same place (one of them being the language setting).
So without further ado here is how you can change your phone from Klingon to English (or your native language) without knowing any Klingon.
On pretty well every phone I’ve ever come across, the function to change languages is in PHONE SETUP. And PHONE SETUP is always in SETTINGS. And the SETTINGS icon on the main menu always looks like some wheel or cog which is basically as a metaphor for the inner workings of a product, er the settings, it could also be represented by the picture of some type of tool (like a spanner or a screwdriver).
Common settings buttons
So visually locate the SETTINGS icon, press on the 4th menu item which is usually PHONE SETUP, and then press on the 3rd menu item which is usually LANGUAGE. Once you’re there, you’ll see your own language and you can set it as your default.
Another instance of needing to change languages occurs when you do a factory reset. Factory resets of Chinese phones always takes the phone back to Chinese.
Once you turn it on after a reset, the first thing it will prompt you to do is calibrate the screen. Then follow the instructions I provided above to change the language.
And that’s it. Your phone is now immune to any ‘hilarious joke’ that your friends might want to play on it on April first.
Check out our wide range of unlocked cell phones today.
The Odyssey is the do-it-all cell phone of the year. Wi-Fi, TV, dual SIM card slot, Quad band connectivity, touch screen, micro SD slot. If you want it, this phone has it.
All features aside, the M56 comes in an attractive form factor that is sure to win the hearts of many. Now available in pink, black, and silver.
This phone is at the top of the “hot items” list for a reason, it’s the best cellphone we currently offer. It will probably stay that way for a while!
- What is it: Odyssey – WiFi Quadband Dual-SIM Cellphone w/ 3 Inch TouchScreen
- Cost: US$120.00
- Added: Tuesday 29 September, 2009
- Potential customer: people looking for an entry-level WiFi phone
iPhone styles never seem to get old, and even with a price of $219, these devices somehow manage to sell rather well. If you do get this, there’s probably a good chance that your friend’s wouldn’t notice that you’re using a smilar rather than the real deal, at least until they give the phone a try. Specifications for the Pinphone include:
- 3.5 inch HVGA capacitive touchscreen with multi-touch
- WiFi, EDGE, quadband, Bluetooth
- Compass, accelerometer and G-SensorFlash video playback, 2.0 megapixel camera with video and FM radio16 GB RAM
- Copy/Paste function3.5 inch headphone portShake Control for music tracks and imagesWorld clock, games, and ebook reader.
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fine-sensibility MINI microphone /Recorder for iPHONE /Touch/Nano/Classic
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So you’ve gotten yourself a brand new iPhone 3GS and think that it is the bee’s knees – well here’s news for you. It isn’t exactly the best device out there, as there still isn’t anything which can do everything well, and the iPhone 3GS is no exception. One of its major weaknesses would be less-than-satisfactory sound quality when recording, which is why the new Mini Microphone from Dhgate.com was introduced – it is highly flexible, allowing you to point the microphone on its swiveling base to receive sound from any direction, and doing so with a 25+ dB gain for enhanced sound clarity and quality. Compatible with the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G, iPhone 2G and iPod Nano 4G, you will be able to pick up this nifty device for $5.59.
It’s certainly not your run-of-the-mill cell phone, but do you think the BPhone has a shot at all? This hybrid gadget will be combining the features of a mobile phone and a netbook. There isn’t any mention of the OS that will be powering the device, but if trends are anything to go by, maybe it will be powered by Google’s Android? Would you get such a device as your main mobile phone, or do you think that netbooks and phones should remain separate?
When it comes to smart phones they aren’t much smarter, or much sharper on price than the El Portal.
This smartphone, which comes with the professional version of Windows Mobile 6.1 the phone is pure pleasure to use. And with almost every productivity and communication device that you’d want in a mobile office being installed on this PDA the El Portal is a true mobile office.
Holding and using this unit is also a wonderful experience thanks to the slim design, G-Sensor, giant 3.2 inch screen and fast processing times.
The El Portal is such a great phone that you will want to list it on your online store and pick it up for yourself.
- What is it: El Portal 3.2 Inch Touchscreen Windows Mobile Smartphone + Wifi
- How much does it cost:US$244.46
If you’re the type who love standing out from the crowd and yet don’t want to jump aboard the branded items bandwagon, the Metro Pink Cosmopolitan phone might be just the handset for you – assuming you’re in the market for one, of course. This unique dual SIM swivel screen QWERTY handset is relatively affordable at $100 a pop, where it will come unlocked, while boasting a design that looks totally different from what you’ve seen on the market. It is impossible to classify this as a candybar or a slider, but more of a square-slider. Each handset works across all four bands, where each purchase will come with a free 2GB microSD memory card. Something tells me that the user interface isn’t going to be as sweet as the design though. so caveat emptor applies here.
The Xderia X2 cellphone is a shamless style of the Sony Ericsson Xperia X2, featuring a similar sliding mechanism as the original as well as 3″ display, although it does not run on Windows Mobile (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but of course clone manufacturers’ operating system interfaces are far worse). You get a WQVGA display which is a lower resolution compared to the Xperia X2’s WVGA, while other features include an integrated FM radio, quadband GSM support, a dual SIM carriage and a built-in digital camera – don’t be fooled by the 12.1MP label behind!
