Using a Dual-SIM adapter in my Palm Centro
I’m using a Dual-Sim solution since some time. As I had a Treo 680 before, I used an adapter without cutting which fits very tight beneath the battery. My new Centro doesn’t has the space for this adapter therefore I looked for something new and found (after reading the comments in this German thread) this adapter where you have to cut the SIM cards to get them fit. But before I come with pictures and some words about the adding first something why I picked up a Centro as my new device.
This month I looked for some new smartphone to replace my quite bulky Treo 680 and had the choice beween Palm’s Centro, Apple’s iPhone 3G and Nokia’s E71. I decided to buy a Centro as it is much cheaper than the other two, more open than the iPhone and has a touch screen which is missing the in the E71. The advantages and disadvantages of the devices are a bit like this:
- Centro misses WiFi, UMTS and an internal GPS device. The battery doesn’t last long like the one in the E71, but stil longer than the one inside the Treo 680. It comes in a plastic cover and doesn’t feel like an hight price device. But it runs Palm OS, which is aged but still fast and powerful. There is a lot of software available, feature-rich and productive. It has a touch-screen (320×320) and a real keyboard. Most stuff (adding appointments, clearing alarms, calling friends, navigate around etc.) can be done just with the thumb of one hand.
- E71 has WiFi, UMTS and an internal GPS. The battery is supposed to last long. The housing is metal and people reports it feels very pricey. But it lacks a touch-screen and only shows 320×240. It comes with a keyboard but I know I really press the screen sometimes and even use the stylus to do stuff which would be quite complicated using just a joystick like navigator (like selection several entries of a list and apply some tasks on it). What I saw of Symbian in older devices never got me interested too. The price is almost twice the price of a Centro.
- The iPhone is hype, a great multimedia device with a great browser and an appealing GUI. But the quite closed system, the missing keyboard, the big UI elements (thanks to the coarse touch technology) doesn’t look promising. The iPhone costs even more than I paid for a new clutch for my car 🙂
At the end I went for price, thousands of applications and a well-known system: Palm’s Centro. I have two extern GPS devices (one even with a logger) makes the use of an intern rare, my mobile online usage is chatting, emails and info grabbing from the net (makes UMTS not a must-have) and even with my TX I hardly found a free and open WiFi. Reduces the needs for build-in WiFi to home (which I solved with a Blue2Net device) and hotels during traveling when I usually have my Laptop with me anyways.
Ok, now I wanted to get a Dual-SIM solution for my Centro. I knew I want an analog adapter because it is supported by 2LaunchMe (toggle phone) and 2PlayMe (switch on a certain SIM card). I’ve read here about other’s experiences and decided to buy this adapter.
I payed with PayPal and after 2 days it arrived in my letter boy today. It comes as a small letter which is send in a traceable fashion (German: Einwurf Einschreiben). The adapter is a small circuit in the size of a standard SIM card which has 2 small slots for the cutted SIM card.
To cut the SIM cards one gets two templates which are adhesive and need to be fixed on the backside of the SIM cards. Using a sharp paper scissor I managed to cut the cards into small pieces. Doing this you will probably cut some parts of the connector pins, which seems to be fine. Also there is a dotted line and a stroked line on the template. I understand it in this way: you have to cut on the dotted line but never cross the stroked line to keep the remain SIM card working.
In the package there are also two adapters to make a full-size SIM card again from your truncate piece.
I managed to do it on the kitchen table during tea-time. Not a big task but you need to resolve your fears 🙂
The results are then fixed into the adapter, the metal cover is then put back on it and this quite thick SIM card adapter is then moved into the SIM card slot. It even fits nicely in the Centro. One thing I observed: after the thick SIM adapter is installed the Micro SD card can’t be removed that easily anymore. It doesn’t come out on its own, you have to use a pincer to get it out. Not a big deal for many but a bit annoying for me as I often take the card in or out to get my current test-application on the device. Now it’s a pincer to get it out of the Centro and an adapter to fit it into the PC.
Ok, anyway, both cards worked immediately and here are the pictures from the modification:
The package
Cut the SIMs with a normal scissor
Both small cards mounted
Lid closed
Put everything back
It fits very tightly
Now, the last thing I want to point you: Do you recently checked my mobile web-application list? Nothing big, but maybe usable for one or the other. They are optimized for 320 pixel width (Centro, iPhone or E71) and I will add some more from time to time.
Henk
November 29, 2008
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4 Comments
Posted in: Allgemein, Palm, Picture
4 Responses
L’Haut-Parleur » Using a Dual-SIM in my Treo 680 - November 30, 2008
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2-phones-in-1 blog » Blog Archive » Detailed article on using our universal dualsim with Palm Centro - Juni 13, 2009
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Hello, tell me please:
I’ve a Palm Treo and I need to have 2 sims inside.
I saw your article and my questions are:
1-Can you receive calls in both sims?
2-Are the both sims ON?
3-Can you make a call from any sim?
Many thanks and congratulations for your good article!
Pedro Carneiro
Portugal
1 – No, you can only receive calls on the active SIM. I have one main SIM and a forwarding installed to the 2nd SIM if the main SIM isn’t available. Which means I don’t miss calls on my main SIM. SMS aren’t forwarded (it’s not possible as far as I know).
2 – Only one SIM can be active.
3 – You will need to switch to the given SIM before you can make calls from this SIM. To be honest I have sometimes problems to activate a given SIM. I don’t know why and it goes away after some Phone Off/Phone On cycles.
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