Samsung on Thursday unveiled two new dual-SIM smartphones, the Galaxy Y Duos and the Galaxy Y Pro Duos. A phone with two SIM card slots offers a number of benefits; it’s perfect for two people hoping to share a single phone in emerging markets, but it’s also great for business travelers that want to use one account for personal matters and a second as a business line. The Galaxy Y Duos runs Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) and has a processor clocked at 832MHz and a 3-megapixel camera. The Galaxy Y Pro Duos offers similar specs but has a smaller 2.6-inch display and a full QWERTY keyboard. Both phones will initially launch in Russia. The Galaxy Y Duos will then roll out into Europe, CIS, Latin America, Southeast and Southwest Asia, the Middle East, Africa and China. The Galaxy Y Pro Duos will launch in Europe, CIS, Latin America, Southwest Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Samsung’s full press release follows after the break.

Balance work and play with GALAXY Y DUOS and GALAXY Y Pro DUOS

2011.12.22

Samsung adds Dual SIM smartphones into its GALAXY smartphone line-up

SEOUL, Korea – December 22, 2011 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, today announced the latest additions to the GALAXY smartphone series, Samsung GALAXY Y DUOS and Samsung GALAXY Y Pro DUOS. Beginning in January 2012, these new devices will be available in Russia, and GALAXY Y DUOS will be gradually rolled out to Europe, CIS, Latin America, Southeast and Southwest Asia, Middle East, Africa and China. GALAXY Y Pro DUOS will be coming to Europe, CIS, Latin America, Southwest Asia, Middle East and Africa.

GALAXY Y DUOS and GALAXY Y Pro DUOS feature a unique Dual SIM system that maximizes communication flexibility by allowing two separate phone numbers and a simultaneous use of data on the same device. Users who need to balance busy professional and social lives can access and seamlessly switch from one line to the other with GALAXY Y DUOS or GALAXY Y Pro DUOS.

“With the tremendous success of the Dual SIM feature phones, we are now very pleased to be introducing the first Dual SIM smartphones powered by Android™. “We have been actively exploring this market and are well aware of the need for Dual SIM smartphones,” said JK Shin, President of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics. “With the GALAXY Y DUOS and the GALAXY Y Pro DUOS, Samsung will be offering more choices for all consumers.”

Samsung’s First Full Touch Smartphone with Dual SIM, GALAXY Y DUOS
GALAXY Y DUOS is for young and practical consumers who want to manage their professional career and busy social life with affordable price. Beyond the flexibility of its dual SIM card system, GALAXY Y DUOS is a beautifully designed smartphone contained in a 11.98mm polished metallic casing. Its ergonomic design is complemented by a 3.14” full touch display that provides optimal legibility for a smartphone of its size.

Powered by Android 2.3 Gingerbread and running on a powerful 832MHz processor, GALAXY Y DUOS offers advanced performance and versatility needed to successfully manage busy professional and social lifestyles.

GALAXY Y DUOS also provides users with multiple options to enrich their social lives. It features ChatON, Samsung’s unique cross-platform communication service that connects all mobile users into a single community. Users can also stay connected through Social Hub, which supports email, social network integration and instant messaging, displaying all of your communication in a single inbox.

Samsung’s First QWERTY Smartphone with Dual SIM, GALAXY Y Pro DUOS
Samsung is also introducing GALAXY Y Pro DUOS, which offers additional benefits for young professionals with the combination of a full QWERTY keyboard with a 2.6” display, giving them more business-friendly experience with better flexibility and usability.

GALAXY Y Pro DUOS offers enhanced productivity with the inclusion of Polaris and Find My Mobile professional tools. Polaris offers easy viewing and editing of a wide range of Office documents, enabling you to work with Word, Excel, PowerPoint and even PDF files while on-the-move. Samsung’s Find My Mobile Service ensures peace-of-mind by letting users remotely lock the phone at anytime, as well as trace the phone or remotely wipe its contents in case of loss or theft.

The users can also enjoy Social Hub Premium, offering support for push email and messaging, and seamless calendar and contact synchronization between the phone and users’ Google, Yahoo and MSN accounts.

If you’re looking forward to the possibility of flip-flopping your smartphone’s SIM card between a Verizon Wireless 4G phone and an AT&T 4G phone, we have some bad news for you. Verizon Wireless spokeswoman Brenda Raney confirmed to PCMag on Friday that the carrier’s 4G LTE phones will not be compatible with AT&T’s 4G LTE network because the phones “run on different frequencies.” PCMag explained that while the two carriers operate within the 700MHz frequency band, AT&T will operate mostly within the 704-746MHz bands while Verizon’s 4G LTE will utilize the 746-787MHz frequencies. Additionally, Verizon still routes its voice calls over its 2G/3G CDMA network while AT&T uses GSM/HSPA. That means, until both networks are fully utilizing voice-over-LTE, it just won’t work. Sascha Segan, the article’s author, notes that it is possible for phone vendors to create devices that operate with the frequencies used by both AT&T and Verizon Wireless, but it would likely require the carriers to ink out some sort of agreement first. 

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In an interview with Reuters, Verizon Communications’ chief financial officer, Fran Shammo, reaffirmed several details about his company’s next iPhone offering. “Verizon’s [next iPhone] version will also work in as many countries as AT&T’s iPhone, which has global coverage,” writes Reuters, paraphrasing Mr. Shammo. The executive also noted that the inclusion of LTE in the next CDMA iDevice is not something Verizon has control over. “I think it’s a bigger issue for Apple than it is for us,” said Shammo speaking about the need for an LTE iPhone. “Depending on where Apple plays, that’s where we’ll sell.” The latest rumors have Apple releasing a refreshed version of its smartphone product later this fall. Most pundits agree that the update wil not include a Verizon-compatible LTE radio.

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Earlier this month we told you about a few new services that were capable of unlocking the iPhone remotely without the need for jailbreaking. Now it appears that some of those services have abruptly closed up shop — or at least discontinued their iPhone unlocking services — without any real explanation as to why. One service, CutYourSim, claims to have unlocked more than 400 devices, but says it’s suspending services and no longer has access to funds acquired through its operations. “Unfortunately, we were not able to complete the rest of the unlocked [sic] waiting in our queue due to our supplies being unable to offer the service anymore,” a CutYourSim representative told Cult of Mac. “Our suppliers have told us that there is a possibility that the service may return, but they do not know when, so we have decided to start processing refunds for any orders that we were not able to complete.” We also discovered that GSM Phone Service is no longer offering its SIM unlock service. “I have decided to suspend the sales of the iPhone unlocking service until further notice. Until the turnaround time from the source improves I cannot comfortably offer this service,” GSM Phone Service’s Adam Roth said in a post. The “suppliers” named by both firms are shrouded. “We are not sure where the service comes from, or whether it’s a contact through AT&T or Apple. We do know that the service is performed in the UK, but that’s about it,” CutYourSim told Cult of Mac.

[Via Cult of Mac]

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The ability to use your phone for NFC mobile payments across borders just became a reality. Gemalto announced that it has developed the first UICC-embedded software application that is approved by Mastercard’s mobile payment specification for NFC. Gemalto’s software provides a number of features, including the Trusted Service Management interface for PayPass payments, and the ability to manage and view your mobile transaction history. Your SIM, and ultimately your phone, can be linked to debit, credit, and prepaid accounts — users can even top up their prepaid cards using Gemalto’s software. You’ll also be able to set your account PIN directly from your phone. When we interviewed MasterCard’s vice president of mobile, James Anderson, last week, he said that the key to NFC was that it has to work wherever you are — whether you’re at home or away on vacation. That’s now possible. “Leveraging the interoperability of MasterCard PayPass, Gemalto’s effort will enable cross-border mobile NFC payment, adding ease to the fast-paced lifestyles of more and more consumers across the world,” Anderson said.  It’s unclear when Gemalto’s solution will land in the hands of consumers, but the company says it is already working with a first-tier financial institution and a major global carrier for a UK roll-out. Hit the jump for the full release

Gemalto Mobile NFC Payment Application First in the World Certified by MasterCard

Newly certified payment application set to trigger commercial rollouts of mobile contactless ecosystem

CARTES in Asia, Hong Kong , Mar 29, 2011 – Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 GTO), the world leader in digital security, announces the world’s first UICC-embedded software application compliant with Mobile MasterCard® PayPass™ M/Chip 4, the brand new MasterCard payment specification designed for mobile near field communications (NFC). The software application and the UICC have both successfully achieved the compliance assessment and security testing certification in accordance with MasterCard’s highest chip security requirements.

This major breakthrough paves the way for mass commercial rollouts of NFC payment across the world. In the UK, Gemalto is already partnering with a global, first-tier financial institution and a world leading mobile operator, to implement the new MasterCard certified mobile payment application and carry out the solution’s first mass commercial roll out.

Gemalto’s software application embeds the Trusted Service Management interface for PayPass. This feature enables mobile account issuance and over-the-air management. Its user-friendly handset interface makes mobile NFC payment extremely convenient, for example enabling consumers to easily manage the new payment means and check transaction history. It also allows consumers to define their mobile Personal Identification Number (PIN), a code of their choice, through their phone. The mobile PIN is a new cardholder verification method used notably to secure operations such as account top-up from the mobile phone.

The Gemalto mobile NFC payment application can be configured so as to cover all card portfolios including debit, credit and prepaid. In the latter case, the software application enables consumers to top-up their prepaid accounts directly from their mobile phone – the utmost convenience for prepaid customers.

“We are pleased to collaborate with Gemalto to broadly expand the use of mobile payment services,” commented James Anderson, vice president, Mobile, MasterCard Worldwide. “Leveraging the interoperability of MasterCard PayPass, Gemalto’s effort will enable cross-border mobile NFC payment, adding ease to the fast-paced lifestyles of more and more consumers across the world.”

“This new certification from MasterCard makes Gemalto the first on the market for this mobile product and will enable banks and wireless operators to offer a secure, innovative and convenient payment means to their entire customer base,” added Jean-Claude Deturche, senior vice-president of mobile financial solutions at Gemalto. “Gemalto is committed to supporting its customers in their large scale deployments of mobile NFC payment, with a complete mobile contactless offer.”

About Gemalto

Gemalto (Euronext NL 0000400653 GTO) is the world leader in digital security with revenues of €1.9 billion in 2010, and over 10 thousand employees operating out of 87 offices and 13 Research & Development centers in 45 countries.

Gemalto is at the heart of our evolving digital society. The freedom to communicate, travel, shop, bank, entertain, and work-anytime, anywhere-has become an integral part of what people want and expect, in ways that are convenient, enjoyable and secure.

Gemalto delivers on the growing demands of billions of people worldwide for mobile connectivity, identity and data protection, credit card safety, health and transportation services, e-government and national security. We do this by supplying to governments, wireless operators, banks and enterprises a wide range of secure personal devices, such as subscriber identification modules (SIM), Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) in mobile phones, smart banking cards, smart card access badges, electronic passports and USB tokens for online identity protection. Moreover Gemalto delivers on emerging applications related to the ‘Internet of things’ by supplying wireless modules and machine identification modules (MIM) for machine-to-machine communication. To complete these solutions we also provide software, systems and services to help our customers achieve their goals.

As the use of Gemalto’s software and secure devices increases with the number of people interacting in the digital and wireless world, the company is poised to thrive over the coming years.

For more information visit www.gemalto.com, blog.gemalto.com, or follow @gemalto on Twitter.

We have just been informed that as of February 15th, Telus in Canada will be offering SIM unlocking options on almost all handsets and devices. To qualify, you will need to be an active post-paid customer with an account that has been open for a minimum of 90 days. Telus will charge $50 for the unlock code and will unlock both iDEN and GSM devices. Not a bad offering, right?

I’ll admit it, while I have most aspects of my life under control and normalized, there is one, tiny section that seems to have complete control over me: my obsessive, compulsive need to switch mobile devices. In the grand scheme of things that I could project this obsessive tendency on, I suppose phones are fairly benign. So ladies and gentlemen, the reason I’m not switching to a Verizon iPhone? The thought of not having a SIM card gives me the shakes.

Even as I type, my micro-SIM, tucked into its black, plastic, full-SIM adapter happily sits in my BlackBerry Torch (subject to change at any moment). I use this adapter so much that I’ve gone as far as to name the little thing; I lovingly refer to him as Bob. While you may think it odd for a grown man in his late twenties to name a small, inanimate plastic object, it does occasionally come in handy. “Honey, have you seen Bob?” — “You left him in your pants pocket again; I put him on top of the washing machine.” Last month, I had to liberate Bob from the bowels of our Roomba. See? Now when I say “Bob” you know exactly what I’m talking about, no geek speak required. It’s a solid system.

So, back to Verizon and the iPhone. I don’t have any objections to CDMA as a technology. I don’t mind that making a phone call locks the data channel — making non-Wi-Fi Web browsing while on conference calls impossible. I don’t mind that the data speeds are, generally speaking, slower. I just don’t care about those things. The only thing that really, really makes my stomach turn is the inability to move from one device to another — often manically — whenever I choose without the help of customer support or even an online portal.

Even with Bob and my SIM securely nestled in a BlackBerry, I’m still thinking about the iPhone 4, ATRIX 4G, Optimus 2X and Xperia Arc. After all, they look like they would make a nice home for Bob and my nameless SIM. Last month I used a Nexus One, N8, and Samsung Focus for a sum total of 48 hours. I’m not sure I would use any of them as my full-time device, but I enjoyed being able to pair them against the rigors of my day-to-day routine. It’s just what I like to do and, thanks to my full-time gig here at BGR, I have access to tons of phones — supply often exceeds demand. The thought of giving that up just seems a little sad (which may, in and of itself, also be a little sad).

The SIM card also affords me the ability to travel abroad and still use my U.S.-based device of choice; a feature I like to utilize every so often.

It is true, the thing that has kept — and will keep — me glued to AT&T is not a $500 handset, but rather a $0.49 piece of plastic. A piece of plastic that — with the help of Bob – can go into any GSM phone I choose. In the wake of last week’s CES conference, one thing is certain: there are going to be plenty of new choices to be made by Bob and myself.

According to an unconfirmed report in The Telegraph Sunday morning, Apple has abandoned its plans to develop an integrated SIM card for the iPhone. The report, which cites a senior source at a mobile operator, suggests that Apple backed down from its plans in light of pressures from European carriers. Apple was rumored to be developing an integrated SIM card that would be commissionable by multiple operators. This would allow Apple to exclude carriers from the sale process. It would also allow customers to easily transfer their service from one carrier to another without the need to obtain a new SIM card or purchase a new handset. Following purported threats from European carriers that would refuse to subsidize the high cost of the iPhone if Apple decided to implement its new SIM, Apple is now said to have ceased development. “Apple has long been trying to build closer and closer relationships and cut out the operators,” The Telegraph’s source stated. “But this time they have been sent back to the drawing board with their tails between their legs.”

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We knew that we would have the opportunity to pre-order Verizon Wireless’ DROID Pro today, but we didn’t really expect to see the DROID 2 Global. Late last night, Verizon quietly added the D2 Global edition to its handset lineup; the device is live on the the site and available to order. The spec sheet on the DROID 2 Global mirrors that of the original DROID 2, with the exception of an added quad-band GSM and tri-band UMTS radio for world roaming capabilities, an upgraded 1.2GHz processor, and a white exterior (we’re assuming black is coming). The more worldly Droid 2 will retail for $199 with a 2-year contract and, if all rumors hold true, will completely replace the original D2 in the next month or so. Go ahead, hit the read link and have a look for yourself.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

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It looks like Verizon is continuing to get their proverbial “ducks in a row” for the launch of the Motorola DROID 2 Global — an Android 2.2 handset with a 1.2GHz processor and international roaming capabilities. Earlier today, a version of Verizon’s VZ Navigator specific to the DROID 2 Global popped up in the Android market. We know the device will be available in both black and white and, judging by this latest bit of leaked information, the device should be hitting store shelves in the not too distant future. Anyone planning on picking one up?

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If we know one thing about Apple it is this: they like control… and this latest rumor seems to reaffirm that creed. Blog GigaOM is reporting that Apple is planning to release an iPhone with an integrated SIM that can be used on any wireless carrier — partnered with Apple — in the EU. A universal iPhone if you will. As the report explains:

Sources inside European carriers have reported that Apple has been working with SIM-card manufacturer Gemalto to create a special SIM card that would allow consumers in Europe to buy a phone via the web or at the Apple Store and get the phones working using Apple’s App Store.

This special SIM would have an upgradeable flash component as well as a ROM component. The article goes on to explain:

The ROM area contains data provided by Gemalto with everything related to IT and network security, except for the carrier-related information. The flash component will receive the carrier related data via a local connection which could be the PC or a dedicated device, so it can be activated on the network. Gemalto will provide the back-end infrastructure that allows service and number provisioning on the carrier network.

This would be yet another way that Apple can control the end-user experience — and potentially the distribution — of its popular smartphone device. For us, one of the benefits of using a SIM-based device is having the luxury of popping the little plastic card into virtually any compatible, GSM device you choose. What do you think?

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We just received a shot of an internal AT&T memo detailing the carrier’s intention to start transitioning to LTE-capable SIM cards. AT&T has started preparing employees for a new SIM card that will be used for LTE handsets and devices, all except the iPhone 4 since that uses a microSIM card. AT&T tells employees to verify the SIM card is correct by checking the SKU on the card even though the new LTE cards are visibly different, just to be safe we’re assuming. It also appears there will be up to “eight different SIMs” during the transition, so verifying the SKU might be the only way to go. Well, it’s a start, no?

If you recently purchased — or have plans to purchase – a phone in the Samsung Galaxy S line, the folks over a xda-developers have a pretty interesting tutorial up on their forums. The instructions detail how to carrier-unlock your Galaxy S phone (e.g. Captivate, Vibrant, etc.) without the need to pay for a SIM unlocking service. The process is four steps long and looks to be a 4 or 5 out of 10 on the difficulty scale. Hit up the read link if you want to give this one a shot… and do let us know if you have any success. 

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Your EVO 4G, EPIC, DROID 2, and DROID X all have hotspot capabilities when they leave the factory. So why not your car? Audi has announced that they will have a factory installed “Marvell Mobile Hotspot” built-in to the new 2011 Audi A8 that is set to debut later this year. The hotspot will allow you to connect up to eight devices to your car, bringing sweet, sweet eyes-off-the-road internet capabilities to your German luxury sedan. The hotspot works by installing a data capable SIM into the A8′s car-phone or by connecting to a device equipped with the SIM Access Profile. Marvell has said the technology is “optimized for extremely low power consumption on battery-powered consumer electronics, enabling passengers to connect to the vehicle’s network without affecting the battery life of their connected devices.” Pricing for the 2011 model has not yet been announced, but the 2010 A8 has a base MSRP of $78,400. I better start writing some more blog posts!

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So sad. Your boy “Lionel at Dell” has tweeted to let you know that just because you paid full-retail price for a Dell Streak — $549 — that doesn’t mean you can take it to any network you want. The tweet reads:

Lots of folks are asking about the $549 version of #dellstreak. To be clear, it will not be unlocked. It is SIM-locked to AT&T.

There were hopes that since Dell, a third-party manufacturer, was also selling the phone via its online store paying $549 might score you an unlocked version. But alas… not. Anyone disappointed by this, or was it what you were expecting?

[Via Engadget]

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