As an alternative to carrying multiple phones while travelling, or swapping SIM cards to avoid roaming charges, you might want to consider this unorthodox solution: the iPPeel iPhone 4 case, which has a dual-SIM GSM handset on the back.
Not surprisingly the $70 iPPeel’s built-in phone is pretty basic. Don’t be fooled by that product shot, it certainly doesn’t run iOS. But it manages to one-up the iPhone with slots for two separate SIM cards, letting you access three different cell networks at the same time.
And I find it odd that it includes a microSD card slot and MP3 capabilities. When travelling I’d happily settle for a crappier phone for calling and texting if it meant a reasonable mobile phone bill when I got home. But I’d probably still stick with the iPhone 4 as my media player of choice. [iPPeel via Chip Chick]
Tim
Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 9:49 AMI’m not too sure about double the radiation though.
Id be happy enough with a small case that has a passthrough sim to stick in the iPhone and the case contains both sims and a good quality switch and if the case supported both micro and mini sims (an inbuilt tool for removing the sim tray from the iPhone and a place to store the original sim tray would be even better).
Jack
Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 11:42 AMToo bad the iPhone 4S with its “global phone” bandwidths makes this product obsolete
Kent
Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 2:03 PM….?
You need to change SIM because you need to change to a local carrier, not because your phone doesn’t work…
MD
Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 3:37 PMJack.. How about when youf phone is Locked to a carrier who has no reasonable partners in the place you ar holidaying.. Of your phone is Barred from Global Roaming…..
I-Phones should have made all other phones obsolete, but they didn’t, becaue steve’s vision is not shared by everyone….
FanBoia
Simon
Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 8:48 PMWow it is a neat idea – piggyback a second phone onto the back, but I would say that the implementation is rather poor. A slimline design with just basic text/phone functionality would be better (and in 3G, not 2G/Dual SIM). Bonus points for integration points with the iPhone (eg: Audio Port, Dock). It would be useful for those who have to carry at least two phones with them.
smurfydog
Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 11:20 PMThere are lots of easier to use dual SIM alternatives out there, that fit into a regular iPhone. Some require a little (very little) modding such as shaving the sim tray a fraction, others provide a new SIM tray, but both seem to work just fine.
Disclosure! I don’t know anybody who has done it on a iP4 or iP4S.