Review Information

Review Date: 03/03/2009
Mobile Phone: Dual SIM Slider
Price: $399

Pros

• Dual sim card technology that is easy to use
• Decent multimedia capabilities
• 2GB microSD card included
• Bluetooth

Cons

• No 3G access
• Lack of predictive text

Rapid Rundown

Dual sim card technology allows people to have two numbers in the one handset, which could be useful for business applications and to save money with call carriers. The “Magic Touch” touch screen navigation will please some while others may find it cumbersome. While missing strong internet access and predictive text, the Dual SIM Slider has good multimedia capabilities with MP3 and MP4 capability along with a decent size memory card for storage.

DUALSIM Slider Mobile Phone Review

Dual SIM Slider Mobile Review In Depth

An exciting new development has occurred on the Australian mobile phone market with the release of the Dual SIM Slider mobile phone. According to the company, the Dual SIM Slider is the first of its kind to be officially released on our shores, and multiple sim-card capability is the phone’s flagship feature.

The potential advantages to this phone are obvious, and a range of useful features mean you can mix business and pleasure on this mobile in more ways than one. You can expect all the usual add-ons for a phone at this price range, and the circular touch-screen navigation pad is sure to turn a few heads.

However, before we look further into the core features of the phone, it’s worth considering what a mobile phone with two sim cards can offer the average user.

For anyone currently carrying around two handsets, the idea of one simple integrated handset is very appealing. Having both a business and personal phone is not uncommon in this country (according to Dual SIM, over 5 million Australians have two sim cards), and the ability to combine two phone numbers in the one handset makes the proposition a lot more user friendly.

Dual SIM has integrated the two sim cards seamlessly, and you can quite easily manage multiple phone calls at once. Two call buttons on the front of the phone make it easy to make calls from either sim card, and receiving text messages is also simple with two inboxes marked SIM1 and SIM2. Contacts from both your sim cards are automatically integrated in the mobile’s phone book.

You can easily configure the phone to shut down one (or both) sim cards, so you can switch off business calls after hours and vice versa. While the implications for business are clear, we can see a few other advantages that may appeal to a wider variety of mobile phone users.

For example:

• The Dual SIM Slider could be utilised to take advantage of multiple deals from call carriers, such as low call rates between the same network and the best of both worlds from any mobile phone plan special offers.
• Dual SIM technology allows you to utilise a global sim card and a local sim card, which could be useful when travelling to save on call rates.
• Business owners who need to provide a work phone but want employees to pay for personal calls outside of business hours could benefit from Dual SIM technology.

The ability to manage two sim cards is the Dual SIM Slider’s definite strong point, and you can’t complain about the integration of the two sim cards – it’s easy to use, even for those who struggle with technology. However, how does the Slider perform in other areas?

DUALSIM Mobile Phone Features

The build quality is good, and the manufacturer is backing that up with a 12-month warranty. While it’s not bomb proof, it certainly felt sturdy enough to us. It is light, compact and as far we saw, the battery held up fairly closely to its on-paper specs, which should suit average users.

The circular touch-screen navigation pad, dubbed Magic Touch, raised a few eyebrows, and the screen itself is sunken into the handset. This should help protect it from keys and other errant objects that could do damage in your pocket. As far as useability goes, it really comes down to personal opinion.

Some people will find it cumbersome compared to traditional button-style navigation while others will enjoy the unique and predictive nature of Magic Touch. The touch screen changes buttons as you select functions on the mobile, such as zoom buttons while you are using the in-built camera.

Speaking of which, the 2 megapixel camera is of decent quality. It’s certainly not the best camera phone on the market, but it will suit most users of the Dual SIM Slider fine. You also get FM radio capability and a 2GB microSD card included to store any MP3 music files or MP4 video files.

This makes the phone very multimedia friendly, so you can play music, watch videos and have your favourite song as a ringtone. The mobile also allows you to utilise Java apps (such as games) and it is Bluetooth capable – not bad from a mobile at this price range. The only downsides are that you have to use a microUSB connection for headphones, but the appropriate gear is supplied with the phone so it’s not that much of an issue.

You can also connect the phone to your PC (handy for transferring photos and other files), but you may be better sticking with the PC for heavy internet browsing. The Dual SIM Slider lacks the high-speed 3G web access that some mobile users desire, and there’s no dedicated email client or WiFi access.

You can still access the internet and email through the WAP 2.0 browser, which runs the faster speed 2G connection (EDGE), and the phone also allows MMS picture messages. However, this mobile is not geared for heavy mobile internet use.

The only other sticky point to the Dual SIM Slider mobile phone, and this may affect a few users, is the lack of predictive text when writing text messages. That means it’s the old-school multi-tap method, and this might become a bit tiring for those text-mad owners of mobile phones.

Overall

While the lack of 3G access and no predictive text will put off some people, we think this phone will still hold a lot of appeal for many mobile phone users. For those people carrying two mobiles, running a business or looking to save money on phone bills, the Dual SIM Slider offers an unparalleled mobile phone experience.

The phone provides good multimedia functions to match many mobile phones on the market, and if dual sim card capability is something that appeals to you, the Dual SIM Slider may be the mobile for you.

DUALSIM Slider Mobile Phone Specifications

Here’s the nitty-gritty for those that need to know.

Network

• 2G Network: TriBand GSM 900/1800/1900MHz (GPRS, EDGE)
• 3G Network: N/A

Data

• 64 soft poly
• Midi
• AAC
• MP3
• 3GP
• MP4
• H.263
• JAVA 2.0
• JPEG

Dimensions

• Size: 109 x 51 x 18mm
• Weight: 116g
• Colour: Black

Battery

• Size: 850mAh
• Standby: 5 days
• Talk Time: 200 mins

Display

• 2.4in TFT LCD 320 x 240 pixels
• “Magic Touch” touch screen navigation

Memory

• Internal memory: 160mb
• Memory card: 2GB microSD card included
• Phone book: 800 contacts

Connectivity

• Bluetooth 2.0 (profiles: handsfree, headset, SPP, DUN, OPP, A2DP, AVRCP)
• PC Sync (miniUSB 2.0)

Operating System

• Dual SIM Dual Standby Design

Web Browser

• WAP 2.0

Messaging

• SMS
• MMS

Ringtones

• 64 soft poly, Midi, AAC, MP3, vibrating alert

Camera

• 2 megapixel with video capability

Features and Entertainment

• Dual sim card capability
• Slider design
• FM Radio
• Stereo speakers
• 12-month warranty
• In-built games
• IMEI
• Music player
• Video player
• E-book reader