14 DAY TRIAL // One of the older, but still reliable dual SIM handsets – Wind DUO 2200, finally makes its way to our "test labs." Developed by WND Telecom, the dual SIM device is a mid-budget handset that offers users the advantage of carrying only one phone in their pocket. Further, DUO 2200 is also dual-faced, which means it features two displays and each side and, of course, each face is colored differently. I was pleasantly surprised to notice a camera on each of the two faces of the device, so users won't have to look for the camera when they need to take a picture. The phone looks ordinary at first glance, maybe a little bit too thick, but it's small enough to be perfectly pocketsizable.
Announced in October 2007, WND Wind DUO 2200 was made available on the market in the same month. The handset is still so up-to-date and can be bought in three different combinations of colors: Black-silver, Gold-silver or Fuschia-silver. As a mid-budget mobile phone, DUO 2200 can be bought for no more than $180 USD.
DesignWind DUO 2200 is a small mobile phone even by today's standards. The handset only measures 98 x 47.5 x 17.3 mm and weighs 95g (including battery). The only thing that I found a little bit annoying is the fact that the device is a little bit too thick. At a closer look, it seems that you are actually keeping two phones stuck together in your hand. That is mostly because of the fact that it features two separate displays, one for each SIM. In terms of design, the device is the pure definition of a standard bar mobile phone. The small 1.8-inch display covers half the face of the phone, while the other half is taken by a crowded keypad. Being such a small phone takes its toll, so WND was forced to reduce screen and keypad sizes.
Anyway, I was pleased to find that I didn't have any troubles dialing a number or writing a text message. The rounded 5-way button is easy to handle when browsing the menus and can be also used as an Enter key. The phone features the same ports on both sides symmetrically. Basically, you will find on any of the two sides of the phone, the following ports: SIM port, microSD port and charge port. The latter can also be used to insert the wired headset that comes into the sales package. Unfortunately, WND Telecom uses its own proprietary port and no adapter has been provided, so you are stuck with this headset. One more thing that I found interesting is the fact that you cannot pull out the battery of the phone. Both cameras have been placed to the upper left corner of the phone, above the small display, just like a secondary camera. The sales package contains an extra battery, which can be attached by the phone using a USB cable. You will also find a hand stripe and a car charger in the package. Quite a rich sales package for a mid-budget phone, and if you add to that the 1GB microSD memory card that comes with the phone, I'd say WND thought wisely to offer everything a user might need in the initial package and not as separate accessories. [admark=1]The plastic that covers the phone, even though is just ordinary, doesn't look cheap and more importantly will not catch fingerprints. The same goes for the small displays, but be careful at scratches, as the screens seem exposed to those. Overall, Wind DUO 2200 looks pretty solid build, features mild ergonomics, all mixed in a standard bar design. Display and CameraWind Duo 2200 features two separate TFT 1.8-inch display that support 65k colors and 240x320 pixels resolution. Neither of the displays is meant to be used for Web browsing or movie watch, but they can be fully used outdoors in strong sunlight. Displays are just standard, with decent color contrast and brightness, nothing out of the ordinary.
Neither of the 2-megapixel cameras included features any additional capabilities, like autofocus or flash. In terms of quality, both are mediocre at most. It's impossible to take good pictures with it, but at least you can pretty much distinguish what you pictured. I think decent is a little bit too much, so I'll just say that you should use it only when you really really need it, without expecting the best results. The interface of the camera is pretty straightforward and includes the standard settings. You can check out some of the cameras options such as: White balance, Scene mode, Effects settings. The maximum resolution that can be used to take pictures is 1600x1200, which will turn the screen to landscape mode. If you want to use other resolution, your screen will automatically turn to portrait mode. The camera can also record clips, but the quality is even lower than that of the pictures. The 5-way rounded button can be used as shutter, because the phone doesn't feature a dedicated camera key. Check out the samples below, if you want a better view on the Wind Duo 2200 camera. Menu and SoftwareRecently reviewed by the Softpedia team, Wind DUO 3200 Glow has an in-depth description of the interface. Basically, this DUO 2200's interface is a little bit older, but still user-friendly. To access the Main menu of the phone simply push the big rounded button and you will be presented with 9 accessible sub-menus.
Bear in mind that when you install something onto your phone, create new contacts or make any changes in terms of customization, you will only do it for the part of the phone you are working with. It's like having two separate phones, so if you want your device to look the same on both faces, you will have to do the same changes twice. On the other hand, it would be nice to have something different on the two faces. The phonebooks can each record 1000 names and share contacts. So, when you need to call a contact from a specific SIM phonebook, you will have to use that face of the phone because the contact has been stored on a specific SIM. Not the same when you store your phone numbers into the phone's memory. If you do that, you will be able to take advantage of the contact sharing feature and you will be able to call the contact using a SIM. Users will also be able to talk on both phones at the same time. In short, if two persons call you on both SIMs, you will be able to take both calls with no problem. Some of the applications that you can find included are: Ebook reader, Calculator, Unit converter, Currency converter and Lifestyle. The latter contains a set of healthcare applications such as: Calorie counter, Body fat calculator, Daily calorie allowance and Pregnancy test. The Organizer submenu includes more applications like: Calendar, To-do list, Alarm clock and World clock. The File manager of the device can be found under the Gallery submenu. Other features of the phone, which can be found into the Settings area of the handset include: Schedule power on/off. The candybar is also Java compatible and it includes 2 games (Fisherman and Zena), but more Java compatible games can be added. CommunicationWind Duo 2200 supports GPRS connectivity class 10, but it seems users will only be able to visit a very limited number of websites. The included browser seems not to load at all websites rich in graphic and it seems you will only be able to use a WAP connection. The lack of EDGE connectivity, as well as the very small display, makes the experience pretty awful.
In terms of messaging, the candybar is compatible with a basic range of messages: SMS, MMS and email messaging. Moreover, the bar phone supports Bluetooth 1.2 with A2DP for wireless music listening and data transfer. The triband (GSM 900 / GSM 1800 / GSM 1900) network compatible mobile phone has a good GSM signal reception and very good in-call sound. Thus, users will be able to talk on the phone in noisy areas and actually understand. Still, even if the sound is good enough in terms of loudness, the quality is a little cheap.Processor and Memory
Unfortunately, lack of Internet connectivity prevented me from finding out what kind of processor Duo 2200 uses. Still, by the looks of it, the phone cannot include a better CPU than a mere ARM9 family running at 201 Mhz.
In addition, the bar phone doesn't feature 121 MB internal memory available for storage, but comes with a 1GB microSD card included in the sales package. Still, it can be upgraded through the microSD slot card up to 4GB. MultimediaWind Duo 2200 doesn't offer too much in terms of multimedia functions. I wasn't expecting too much anyway, as I already knew how bad the wired headsets are from the previous DUO 3200 Glow review. Still, the candybar includes a regular music player, but no radio function this time. Furthermore, as the device includes only the specific WND proprietary port and no adapter, you'll be stuck with the headset that comes with the phone, which is very low in terms of performance.
The Bluetooth 1.2 with A2DP support is nice, but I didn't have any compatible Bluetooth headset at my disposal to be able to test it. The MP3 player can be used in the background, but the interface is scarce in functions. It looks pretty standard, and recognizes almost any type of multimedia file: MIDI, sp-MIDI, MP3, AAC and AAC+. There's no equalizer, so you cannot change the sound of the music in any way.The Media submenu also includes a Sound recorder, Image viewer, Voice recorder, and Media player. Overall, I'd say the multimedia part is a no go.
BatteryDuo 2200 features a 930 mAh Li-Ion battery, which proved to be pretty good when it comes to autonomy. The official numbers stated by WND are 180 hours of standby mode and three hours of talking. I got about five days of use, with about 20 minutes of talking every day. It might last longer, even 1 week, if you only use it for one or two short calls per day. I would say that the battery is a good point overall. When charging the phone, insert the charger in any of the two ports, as the phone features only one internal battery.
Impressions
I was pretty much pleasantly surprised by Wind DUO 2200, after checking out the newer Wind DUO 3200 Glow. There's definitely a big difference between the two and I'll put my money on the older DUO 2200 model anytime. The dual face phone is one of the best phones with the dual SIM feature in the mid-budget class. Especially designed for people that don't like to carry two phones all the time, Wind DUO 2200 has a very good value for money.
The Good
The Bad
Sales Package
WND Wind Duo 2200 handset Battery Li-Ion 930 mAh Charger Car charger 1GB microSD card Wired headset Hand stripe External battery
