14 DAY TRIAL // TechFaith just released a mobile phone that is touted to be the "World's first WCDMA/GSM dual mode phone". The "Twins" handset might be pretty special, but there are others out there capable of providing such a feature, although it might be the first one coming from this producer.
If they actually believe that their idea of packing GSM and WCDMA technology at the same time in a mobile phone is an innovation? they're quite na?ve. Spice Mobile already released such devices with the D-88 and D-80 handsets.
The concept has proved to be extremely profitable and should give good reason for more producers to pack it in their products. People who travel a lot might find it excellent to have the same device, no matter the continent they arrive on or the telecom network used there, may it be GSM or WCDMA.
The TechFaith Twins handset brings a 2.8 inch touchscreen and a modern design. Moreover, it also comes equipped with a 2-megapixel camera which should manage to take only average quality captures and nothing more. Producers also added an MP3 and video player for entertainment and a microSD card slot to make sure the user never runs out of data storage space.
"International travelers have been gouged by high roaming fees and poor coverage for years. We designed Twins to solve these problems in an affordable, attractively designed cell phone. We expect high demand for Twins based on early feedback and our first mover advantage", said Defu Dong, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of TechFaith.
TechFaith plans on bringing its Twins handset at a large scale, which seldom happens in the case of dual mode cellulars. Europe and South East Asia are on the list for the first shipment, which is scheduled for November, this year. Two models will be available: the "Dragonfly" and "OMAP". The sole difference between the two is that the "OMAP" version has a faster CPU and tri-band network support instead of quad-band. The producer made no specifications on the price that the handset will come for.