A few weeks ago Viewsonic announced the dual sim V350 Android phone. It has a very basic spec and it runs Android 2.2, but it can use two sim cards at once. Oh and it’s cheap (£244.99 inc vat). Below is the spec for the phone.
- Dimensions (mm): 60.9 x114x12.45 mm
- Weight: 125g
- Chipset: Qualcomm MSM 7227 600Mhz
- WAN SIM (GSM/WCDMA Band)
SIM 1: GSM Quad-band 850/900/1800/1900 UMTS Band 900/2100
SIM 2: GSM Quad-band 850/900/1800/1900 - RAM: 512MB
- ROM: 512MB
- Operation system: Android 2.2
- Display (resolution): 3.5” (480×320) TFT, capacitive multi-touch screen
- External storage: Micro SD (up to 32GB supported)
- Camera: Autofocus 5MP (rear)
- Bluetooth: 2.1 + EDR
- WIFI: 802.11 b/g
- 3G speed: HSDPA 7.2 Mbps
- Video: 30fps WVGA encode/decode
- I/O ports: 3.5mm audiojack/micro USB (device)
- GPS: GPS/AGPS
- Sensor: Gravity sensor/E-compass sensor/ambient light sensor/proximity sensor
- Data Sync: Micro USB
- Battery: 1400mAH with hard-packed Li-Polymer, charged via mini-USB
- Multimedia playback:
PIC: JPEG/GIF/PNG/BMP
Video: H.263, H.264 AVC, MPEG-4 SP
Audio: AAC LC/LTP, HE-AACv1 (AAC+), HE-AACv2 (enhanced AAC+), AMR-NB, AMR-WB, MP3, MIDI, Ogg Vorbis, PCM/WAVE - Documents: EPUB/TXT/HTML/RSS/OFFICE/PDF viewer
So your probably not blown away by the specs that are almost identical to the old HTC Hero. But don’t forget it has two sim slots! This is a feature that only Viewsonic seem to have decided to use. It would be ideal to have your personal sim and your work sim in one phone. Personally I would go round the bend having my personal sim in such an underpowered phone. But hey that’s just my opinion. This may appeal to quite a few people as back in the days of Windows Mobile 6 there were a few dual sim phones that were fairly sought after. I would like to try one of these out to see how it handles phone calls ie work calls and personal calls and also the data element as the second sim slot is gsm only so no high speed data on sim 2. So is this right up your street? Do you just carry around two phones? Would you like to see this feature on more devices? Let us know.
After having been on pre-order for three months, my ViewSonic v350 has finally arrived. I popped in my two SIM cards (one contract, one pre-pay, one is UK, the other CH)
Though I believe professionals when they say the spec isn’t break-though, I find it totally adequate (I am a beginner to Android). The handset is sleek, well designed, professional looking, light. The touchscreen is responsive, solid and more-than acceptable resolution. The OS is fast and contains all I could want [for the moment…]. The graphics are great and you-tube videos play perfectly.
And yes – the connectivity is exceptional! Both SIMs work flawlessly, simultaneously, the WiFi connection is fast. The 3G is good too and bluetooth is on there for good measure!
If, like me, you need Dual Sim and want a smartphone. This device is worth serious consideration.
I have a tiny gripe that the battery did not last as long as I expected, but the wonderful Android OS helpfully told me that my hour scrolling around on Google Maps used all the juice… Fair enough.
I’m glad you like it. I have fancied a dual sim device for a while now. The latest updates aren’t really that important. Some people use older software as ammunition for a “my phone is better than yours” type argument. If your happy with it that’s all that matters.
Can you turn one SIM off (e.g your work one) when you’re on vacation or do you have to physically remove it.
dear brother MJ please help me regarding this phone. when you are talking on one sim and your friend calls on second sim will this mobile shows u call waiting. please take little trouble to reply me on my mail id [email protected] as i cant remember this website name. and I have to tell u about one important application u should have on this phone.Thanks in advance.
MJ, what happens when you are on a call with SIM1 ( or browsing the internet) and you receive a call on SIM2?