3-in-1 External Battery packs a second SIM for your iPhone's calling pleasure

If you're a high-flying type rocking two contracts and, ultimately, two SIM cards, the new 3-in-1 External Battery over at USBFever could save you a lot of hot-swapping -- assuming at least one of those SIM cards is currently in an iPhone 3G or 3GS. It looks like an ordinary, bulky external battery, but inside packs room for a second SIM. Swapping is handled via an on-phone application and, according to the online instructions, it'll take about two minutes for your handset to figure out exactly what the heck is going on and reconnect to the different network. Sadly the phone can't monitor both cards simultaneously, so if you frequently receive calls on both you're stuck with that second device, but if by day you're a mild-mannered corporate user and by night you switch over to your secret personal account, this could be for you. $60 gets you in to the card-swapping party -- just leave your keys in the bowl on the way in.

[Via iLounge]

[newreformation Posted Sep 3rd 2009 7:24PM]

Chunky.

[Slutty McNugget Posted Sep 3rd 2009 7:32PM]

Well I don't see you making anything....so give them a break.

Also, this is totally off topic but how come every time I open an article from this site you always have a comment? Do you have no life and continuously refresh the page until you see a new article?

[newreformation Posted Sep 3rd 2009 7:43PM]

Actually I am at school (college) most of the time and in between classes I do homework on a computer. My brain works best while multitasking so in order to keep some sanity I keep a few of my favorite sites (engadget, gmail, FB...)open almost all the time. I don't dwell on any single site (maybe a glance every 15 minutes or so)but if I happen to refresh the page and think the the story is cool or a fair outlet for my sarcasm I will post. It takes like 10 seconds. Yeah I comment a lot, but in reality I probably view engadget as much as the next guy, I just take 15 more seconds and hit "reply".

[aubreyq Posted Sep 3rd 2009 7:53PM]

@sacapuntas,

I actually didn't expect you to answer Slutty in such depth (that didn't sound right).

Slutty, you say sacapuntas has no life, yet you observe his every move.

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 3rd 2009 7:55PM]

Your mom.

[Slutty McNugget Posted Sep 3rd 2009 8:12PM]

@sacapuntas...mmkay, I was just windering, that's why I asked.

@AJ: I just noticed this, it's not like I'm looking at every one of his comments...

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 3rd 2009 8:25PM]

@sacapuntas

You do talk too much :T

[newreformation Posted Sep 3rd 2009 8:27PM]

@Who?

Yep.

[nigra Posted Sep 3rd 2009 8:55PM]

que?

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 4th 2009 10:40AM]

I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE

[peter0328 Posted Sep 3rd 2009 7:28PM]

Guarantee this app gets killed by Apple in 3, 2, 1.....

[Avaviel Posted Sep 3rd 2009 7:53PM]

This is hardware ;)

[SgtR Posted Sep 3rd 2009 8:19PM]

'Swapping is handled via an on-phone application'

[Dr Spaceman Posted Sep 3rd 2009 7:29PM]

They took the picture right when the display was changing the 4 to a 5. Impressive.

[aubreyq Posted Sep 3rd 2009 7:55PM]

Good catch. I bet you it wouldn't have worked if they were trying it on purpose.

[phenixone Posted Sep 3rd 2009 8:05PM]

I guess you'll need a un-simlocked iphone (not talking about jailbroken, but officially, like the one I have) ?
right guys ?

This could be interresting for me as I live in france and have a french contact but also own a AT&T pay as you go to visit you guys in the US&A

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 3rd 2009 7:35PM]

Гавно)

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 3rd 2009 7:54PM]

iPhone всасывает.

[DirtyVegas Posted Sep 3rd 2009 7:56PM]

1) Extra battery juice
2) Extra SIM
3) ????

[DirtyVegas Posted Sep 3rd 2009 7:56PM]

In other words, how's it 3-in-1?

[TrdFerguson Posted Sep 3rd 2009 7:59PM]

It's also a case.

[DirtyVegas Posted Sep 3rd 2009 8:04PM]

Ah, right. Thanks. Cool deal.

[Carman Posted Sep 3rd 2009 8:07PM]

"A Widescreen iPod with Touch Controls
A Revolutionary Mobile Phone
A Breakthrough Internet Communications device.

An iPod
a Phone
an Internet Communicator

An iPod
a Phone
an Internet Communicator

Are you getting it?

These are not 3 seperate devices."

[SilverSurfer Posted Sep 3rd 2009 8:23PM]

4) Profit!

[Cheesus Crust Posted Sep 3rd 2009 9:01PM]

@sparticus
YES!!!!!!

[Vander Posted Sep 4th 2009 11:43AM]

@MiLK

*Claps
*Standing Ovation

"An iPod a Phone an Internet Communicator" ...Does anybody know when apple will update the 2 missing batteries for the "Phone and the Internet Communicator services? ...can't wait

[APV Posted Sep 3rd 2009 8:13PM]

This still wont make sim cards like AT&T prepaid or T-Mobile work with it. Fricktards. They block the specific port the iPhone uses for data. Port 80 or something. So unless this changes that (I doubt it) then this is a waste of money.

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 3rd 2009 8:18PM]

you suck.

[Kamokazi Posted Sep 3rd 2009 9:41PM]

Data is handled on a completely separate channel from the phone and sms. They probably block the entire channel except for MMS transmissions. Blocking just port 80 (http default) traffic would make it capable of using a host of other applications, including a proxy for web browsing.

[Professor Kaos Posted Sep 3rd 2009 8:18PM]

tits

[Peytral Posted Sep 3rd 2009 8:55PM]

I like those.

[va jj Posted Sep 3rd 2009 8:19PM]

great now i can run two fart apps at the same time.

[soccersgreat Posted Sep 3rd 2009 9:00PM]

this is a sim card- not multitasking

[iHeartSony Posted Sep 4th 2009 2:07AM]

Two apps at once? This is an iPhone not a Pre.

[HideyoshiJP Posted Sep 3rd 2009 8:24PM]

You could just get the super awesome amazing i9 direct from Hong Kong featuring BUILT IN DUAL SIMS. Yeah, I went there. :|

[Gregorian Posted Sep 3rd 2009 8:36PM]

Cool. Dual SIMS.
An add-on that turns your iPhone into a KIRF.

[kmaynard0017 Posted Sep 3rd 2009 8:37PM]

If one of you idiots call 1-800-myiphone and ask why your phone doesn't work after buying this thing, I swear right now that I will not help you.

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 3rd 2009 9:27PM]

So, I have an iPhone 3G, but I couldn't afford the payments and went over to Verizon instead. However, i don't like my phone much. If I didn't care about doing internet or data-related stuff, would i be able to use this and just make calls on my iPhone, using my Verizon SIM?

[M3Ki Posted Sep 3rd 2009 9:51PM]

verizon doesn't use SIMs, so no.

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 4th 2009 7:54AM]

FAIL.

[Chassit Posted Sep 3rd 2009 9:53PM]

Wait. Is dual-SIM really necessary? I don't know what it's like in the US of A and what guys there like to have. But here in China, dual-SIM is a #shanzhai specialty, or in Engadget's language, #KIRF.

Is changing between phone numbers some kind of fun, or everyone is sort of secret agency or superhero who need to keep a secred identity???

And with extra battery juice, I don't see why not stick to the old SIM card...

[bdav Posted Sep 4th 2009 5:56AM]

I've never understood this. I could understand using them in parallel, but I'd rather have my primary number there all the time in my primary phone, and have my silly little Motorola Tracfone for when I go to the states as a secondary.

[monkeyontherun4 Posted Sep 4th 2009 11:14AM]

well just think about it, you use your iphone for work and your job pays that bill. but insted of keeping a second phone around for personal use you just swap the sim card to make it a personal phone. This allows you to do that and throw in a bigger battery to allow you to keep making calls all day and night. not a bad idea in my mind.

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 4th 2009 8:53AM]

How about adding this to a Ipod and make it an iphone

No need for contact Iphone

[LloydChiro Posted Sep 4th 2009 10:14AM]

Although my friend here lays out his syntax error into a jumble, his question is also my question.

Can I use this to turn my iPod Touch into a cell phone, and have most of the benefits of the iPhone without the costly data plan?

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 4th 2009 12:34PM]

Someone needs to develop that invention asap. I'd buy it in a second.

[Swackhammer1 Posted Sep 4th 2009 11:46AM]

The two sims are really only useful for heavy travelers. You could keep one sim for your home country and the other for your most frequently traveled to location. That way you wouldn't have to keep swapping it out. Obviously if you're traveling to more than one location you would still have to swap out. It's probably meant more for business people than anyone else.

[buskape Posted Sep 4th 2009 12:49PM]

Makes it look really big and ugly. Useless.

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 4th 2009 2:05PM]

did anyone notice, they took the picture right when the 4 was switching to the 5 on the iphone clock

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 4th 2009 2:07PM]

aperently yes b/c i didnt read all the comments