National Geographic "Duet"
D888 Travel Phone

from Cellular Abroad

by Durant Imboden

June, 2009

Cellular Abroad, a U.S.-based company that sells and rents mobile phones to international travelers, has introduced the National Geographic Duet Travel D888 Phone, the first FCC-approved handset that supports two SIM cards.

The Duet D888 phone comes with National Geographic's prepaid SIM card, which offers free incoming cards in more than 80 countries and outgoing calls at competitive rates in 185 countries.

The multiband GSM phone works with more than 500 mobile networks on six continents--and because it's "unlocked," you can use it with a SIM card from your existing GSM carrier (such as AT&T or T-Mobile) as well as the National Geographic multi-country SIM card or single-country cards from Cellular Abroad and local vendors.

The price for the phone only is US $149, but most travelers will prefer a US $199 "Duet Talk Abroad" package that includes the National Geographic multi-country SIM card and 30 minutes of outbound calling time.

The Duet includes other features for travelers, such as dual-line Bluetooth, a camera, an FM radio, mobile TV (outside the U.S.), a plug-in memory card, and National Geographic content such as travel videos and ringtones. However, the phone's real claim to fame is its support for two SIM cards, which can be useful in several ways:

• You can use the National Geographic SIM card (or a single-country SIM card) for outgoing calls and for free incoming calls from friends and family while traveling, but other people--such as business callers--will still be able to reach you via your regular number if you've enabled global roaming for your domestic phone plan.

• If you plan to spend considerable time in one country, you can use the National Geographic SIM card in one slot (for incoming calls and calls from other countries) and a single-country SIM card in the other slot (for cheap outgoing calls and free incoming local calls within the country where you're doing most of your travel).

• When you're back in the United States, you can use the D888 as a combined "two numbers in one" personal and business phone if you have accounts with carriers such as AT&T and T-Mobile that use the international GSM technology standard.

I'll be testing the Duet D888 over the next few months, and I'll update this article with a firsthand review after I've gained experience with the phone.

In the meantime, I should mention that I've been using Cellular Abroad's multiband phones, single-country SIM cards, and first-generation Talk Abroad package for more than five years. Having an international mobile phone in my pocket offered a lifeline to home (and made it far simpler to rebook my homebound flight) when a minor stroke induced by the strap of a heavy camera bag pressing against my neck landed me in an Italian hospital for 18 days in 2006.

For more information, see the Duet Talk Abroad and D888 handset pages at CellularAbroad.com.

 

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