iPod touch becomes iPhone using Yosion's Apple Peel 520?

Oh sure, VoIP on the iPod touch is hardly breaking news these days, but what if you could actually slap on a regular SIM card and make calls on said device? That's what Yosion's appropriately named Apple Peel 520 claims to do. Powered by an Infineon baseband chip, this adapter not only offers voice calling and text messaging (presumably requiring a jailbroken iPod touch for the apps; GPRS not possible yet), but it also doubles up as an 800mAh battery and provides 4.5 hours of call time or 120 hours of standby juice. We're told this cheeky hack's coming out in China as early as this week for somewhere between ¥300 ($44) and ¥500 ($74), although the lack of an official website, full spec sheet or compatibility list means we'll have to remain skeptical with this potentially vaporware company. Maybe the demo video after the break will keep us believing.

[Thanks, Bong]

[iProton Posted Jul 28th 2010 7:06AM]

Well. Awesome.

[gilbeys Posted Jul 28th 2010 7:12AM]

@iProton just buy an iphone. you get all the features of a phone and an ipod :)

[meeku Posted Jul 28th 2010 7:15AM]

@gilbeys: Yes, you do, but in the US you also get shafted with a 24 month contract. Some people would like a little more flexibility in their mobile planning allowance with the freedom to change or switch plans when they please (it's a lot easier in the UK where I live, since we don't have any of these CDMA/GSM different-band malarkey that they have Stateside).

[r3loaded Posted Jul 28th 2010 7:17AM]

@meeku US users can just sneak over to Canada and buy an unlocked contract-free iPhone.

Failing that, there's eBay! :)

[DefPoet Posted Jul 28th 2010 7:20AM]

@meeku
US contracts are heaven compared to Canada's 36 month contract
Canadians get the shaft on everything poor things

[brrip Posted Jul 28th 2010 7:31AM]

@iProton is it iPhone 4 compatible?

[iProton Posted Jul 28th 2010 7:33AM]

@gilbeys Unfortunately I live in Russia. Here we have carrier-locked iPhones, that cost over a thousand dollars. The iPhone 4 here is sold illegally for 80,000 rubles, which equals approximately $2700.

[DefPoet Posted Jul 28th 2010 7:40AM]

@iProton
See you soon. I am bring a 18 wheeler full of iphone 4s and retiring

[gettingmymacon Posted Jul 28th 2010 7:44AM]

@iProton

I smell a lawsuit...

[iProton Posted Jul 28th 2010 7:52AM]

@gettingmymacon Sorry, I have an allergy currently, so I don't smell anything, perhaps you could elaborate? :P

[proppat Posted Jul 28th 2010 7:54AM]

@r3loaded Right, and an unlocked iPhone is expensive, this solution looks like it's going to cost you $250-300. You can find refurbed iPod Touches for around $125 sometimes as well. That makes for a $200 solution. Not to mention, parents could pop one of these on there kid's iPod touch and get them a pay-as-you-go plan for emergencies. There's definitely a market for this kinda thing. My only question is, will you have to have the phone app open at all times to be able to receive calls. iPod touches aren't exactly multitask friendly....

[Dig Deep Posted Jul 28th 2010 7:57AM]

@iProton

This seems promising. Very much so.

[TinWard Posted Jul 28th 2010 7:57AM]

This is a great idea. I kinda wish the official iPhone worked this way.

External replaceable battery, no reception problems, no carrier lock-in, no contract required. You could basically get an iPhone for $199 + $50 phone parts. You could get it on Verizon or whatever carrier you get best reception with by using compatible add-ons. No international data charges as you buy a PayG model for the country you visit.

If they pull this off and make everything work like it does on an iPhone, I could see iPhone sales plummet and iPod Touch sales go up. It would need a hole for the upcoming camera but whatever.

[tunmutaer Posted Jul 28th 2010 8:02AM]

@iProton

sofa sofa~~~

[That guy 2 Posted Jul 28th 2010 8:16AM]

@proppat What do you mean iPod touches aren't multitask friendly? What? First of all, the phone app is made by apple so it automatically backgrounds on any ios, and second, 3rd gen and whatever the 4th gen is have ios 4 multitasking on every app, think and do research before making a completely nonsensical comment

[Oskin Posted Jul 28th 2010 8:22AM]

@r3loaded
Actually it's only available online so you would have to order it to a Canadian adress then go to Canada and pick it up! That's assuming that you know somebody in Canada.... Hummm I should start a business lol

[dhamp2g Posted Jul 28th 2010 8:29AM]

@TinWard THE NEW IPOD TOUCH HAS A CAMERA

[TheRealCJ Posted Jul 28th 2010 8:43AM]

@gilbeys

16GB iPhone; 879 AUD (unlocked)

16GB iTouch + this; around 400 AUD

[whiskers Posted Jul 28th 2010 10:08AM]

@proppat

Yeah, good luck with "parents popping these into iPods".
80% of the parents probably could not tell the difference between an iPhone and an iPod.

[steel Posted Jul 28th 2010 10:33AM]

@TinWard

Good point; will there be a version w/ a Verizon compatible CDMA radio?

If so, Win.

[Iamthewalrus Posted Jul 28th 2010 10:33AM]

@gettingmymacon What would they sue them for lol

[nuclearopts Posted Jul 28th 2010 12:26PM]

@iProton

IN SOVIET RUSSIA...iPHONE PLANS YOU !

[TSSaloic Posted Jul 28th 2010 12:58PM]

@That guy 2 The iPod touch lacks a phone app. It was designed to be an iPod.

[Slick Posted Jul 28th 2010 5:45PM]

@DefPoet

In Soviet Russia, iPhone brings you the rubles.

-Good luck not getting that truck hijacked by the Russian mob-

[Funkendoodles Posted Jul 30th 2010 2:52AM]

@TinWard You can buy external replacement batteries for the iPhone. Nothing new.

[jeffmcc Posted Aug 11th 2010 2:34PM]

@brrip thats really a good idea...it would stop the problems with the signal and at the same time get 2 phone services on one phone....ie work, personal...

[The Past Posted Jul 28th 2010 7:10AM]

I got an iPod because I don't need the phone functions of the iPhone, but everywhere-internet on the iPod would be worth it for me. (Which this doesn't seem to offer yet, if we believe its not vaporware)

[PrepaidAndroidUSA Posted Jul 28th 2010 7:10AM]

Looks pretty cool,

[anuj kathuria Posted Jul 28th 2010 7:12AM]

so who need an iphone now
?????

[hmmwv Posted Jul 28th 2010 10:36AM]

@anuj kathuria If the module comes with GPS, then that will truly compete with the iphone.

[wumps13 Posted Jul 28th 2010 7:12AM]

Should be heavy it add another battery as far as i see !

[Alphadan Posted Jul 28th 2010 7:12AM]

Why is the image below 'shopped? Since when do iPod touches have 2 battery icons? New Sept. generation? XD

[Richard Lai Posted Jul 28th 2010 7:16AM]

@Alphadan It's probably for the adapter's built-in battery. Definitely a jailbroken device then.

[Ivan0310 Posted Jul 28th 2010 8:50AM]

@Alphadan

Unless you know it's photoshopped...I would presume that the second battery icon is a status icon for the battery inside the case/adapter which the article says it contains.

Think before posting.

[mountfranklin Posted Jul 28th 2010 7:13AM]

sweet as!

[Firehazel Posted Jul 28th 2010 2:18PM]

@mountfranklin ...as what? did you mean 'ass'? that would have been more appropriate.

[dooglex Posted Jul 28th 2010 5:03PM]

@Firehazel
In England that would be short for "Sweet as a nut", not sure if that is what OP meant though!

[Farlston Posted Jul 28th 2010 7:13AM]

This is awesome, but note to the author, there is no reason this has to be a jailbroken iPod Touch, Apple has opened up full access to the dock port for developers, and with the new iOS4 background apps it means this could be a simple app with a background mode that makes noise/vibrates when you get a call, and would let you make calls all with a build-in, legitimate application.

I'm just saying, jailbreaking is not required for this device to function. Other than that, this is cool! I don't really see why someone wouldn't just get a iPhone, but then again this device would mean that you have a unlocked device that worked anywhere, on networks that Apple does not support. :) Which makes it extra cool

[Richard Lai Posted Jul 28th 2010 7:30AM]

@Farlston Sure, but in order to let other people use the adapter without any restrictions, jailbreaking would be the easiest deployment solution. You can see the second battery icon at the top anyway -- a good indication that it's jailbroken, I'm sure.

[angelwolf Posted Jul 28th 2010 7:52AM]

@Farlston apple would reject an app compatible with this device in 2 shakes of a lams tail

[2her0ck Posted Jul 28th 2010 7:13AM]

very cheap for its functionality... would love to buy one!

[Prikshit Posted Jul 28th 2010 7:15AM]

oh wow its handy for iphone 4 great device...
Decrease the problem of death grip and Dual sim too :D
i will be very happy if it could happen lolz

[Nickmate Posted Jul 28th 2010 7:15AM]

Well I'm buying a new fast iPod touch, so if acts as a case and let make calls and SMS then I'm in!!

[mrqs Posted Jul 28th 2010 7:15AM]

can you get one of those for the iphone4 so you can make phone calls with it?

[lolface Posted Jul 28th 2010 7:50AM]

@mrqs
ZING!

[azs Posted Jul 30th 2010 7:50PM]

@mrqs You can have two sims on the thing too, and it fixes the original reception problem. Win.

[BobVeeTech Posted Jul 28th 2010 7:18AM]

Will there be any antennae issues?!

[Slick Posted Jul 28th 2010 5:51PM]

@BobVeeTech

You give android users a bad name - shut up.

[Pickaxe Posted Jul 28th 2010 7:24AM]

In other news, iPhone becomes iPod touch using Yosion's iFinger.

[Bervick Posted Jul 28th 2010 7:29AM]

@Pickaxe

Lol... OR

The iPhone 4 becomes an iPod by using your own finger.