SOMETIMES keeping your work and personal life separate can be as simple as keeping your contacts on two different SIM cards. However, carrying two phones or having to switch SIM cards is too much of a hassle for a lot of us.

Fortunately, Samsung’s new dual-SIM mobile phone, the SGH-D880, is just the device you need if you lead a hectic lifestyle.

Initially, I was quite impressed with the D880’s ability to handle two phone lines simultaneously but was disappointed that making calls or sending messages using two lines wasn’t as easy as I hoped it would be.

To make a call or send a message from the secondary line, I just need to flick a button on a side of the phone.

In terms of battery life, the D880 performed well and lasted two days. However, for some unknown reason, battery life drops considerably when using Java programs, be it apps or games.

Rather big

When it comes down to looks, the D880 certainly isn’t the thinnest slider phone in the market. With a dimension of 104 x 51 x 19mm, you could say the D880 is a little on the chunky side.

Thanks to its size, the D880 has a rather large 2.3in QVGA (240 x 320pixels) screen that is sharp and bright enough to be viewed under bright sunlight.

There aren’t many buttons located on the sides aside from keys for the camera, volume control and one to manage the two SIM cards.

The keypad is well laid out and regular-shaped keys make it easy to type long messages. The only key out of place is the delete button, which is right under the directional keys – this made me accidentally press it many times.

On to the multimedia side of things, the D880 features the usual camera and music playback functionality, which is pretty common in phones.

In terms of capturing images and videos, I was rather surprised at the quality of photos taken by the D880’s 3-megapixel camera.

The pictures turned out nice with good contrast and colour balance but the quality suffered when photos were taken under low light conditions. Videos also turned out well but they are nothing to shout about.

The D880 provides decent music playback but I couldn’t get over the fact that it uses proprietary headphones.

Aside from the multimedia features, there are other nifty applications included in the phone such as a voice recorder and unit converter as well as Java games to keep you occupied.

Conclusion

Without a doubt the highlight of the D880 is its dual-SIM capability, a feature that is sure to be hit with users who wish to keep their business and personal contacts separate.

Plus, its dual-standby mode, which is able to handle two phone lines simultaneously, is extremely useful.

If you can get over the main drawback – that you have to restart the phone to make calls or text from the secondary line – then this phone should appeal to you.

Also, it doesn’t have WiFi and 3G, but most people can live without these features.

Pros: Dual-sim phone; dual-standby mode, decent camera

Cons: Phone must be restarted to call or text from second line; battery life suffers when using Java apps.