ITTM dual SIM phones for two-timing on a budget

Fabulously monikered mobile phone maker International Top Tronic Monaco (ITTM) is taking a break from playing rounds of Baccarat and hobnobbing with tax dodgers to bring its range of dual-SIM phones to the UK.

The six models all accept two SIM cards, so you can take calls from your work and personal number on the same phone. The cheapest is the Mini Dual, a basic candybar phone with a 1.3-megapixel camera that will set you back a paltry £89. The Dual 23 is a similarly simple clamshell version for £139.

The Dual 33 is a design homage to the Nokia N95, with a dual slider that reveals media keys in one direction and the phone keyboard in the other. But don't expect N95-level features -- the Dual 33 doesn't come close to the wonderful workhorse of 2007.

Instead, you don't get much more than a 2-megapixel camera and an FM radio, but the price is right at £149. You can also record background sounds and then play them back later during a call, which could come in handy for you if the main attraction of a dual SIM phone is hiding your secret identity from your nemesis, or otherwise weaving a web of lies.

The Dual 77 adds a 2.4-inch touchscreen and enough pink chrome to pimp Barbie's ride. Your £169 will win you a 2-megapixel camera that also records video. The Dual 87 tops the line with a 3.2-inch touchscreen, a Yamaha audio processor and front and rear cameras, all for £179.

Your £179 would also purchase the Out Limits, a rugged dual-SIM phone that's waterproof for 30 minutes in up to 1m of water, and can take a 100kg squeeze. A gravity sensor can be set up to call your emergency contact when it detects that you've fallen out of a tree, and there's also an SOS button to make the call yourself.

Unfortunately, all these dual-SIM phones are all dual-band, which means they only support the 900 and 1,800MHz frequencies. That's fine in Europe, but you'll miss out on the 850 and 1,900MHz bands that are used in most of the Americas.

We crave dual-SIM phones for travelling, because you can pop a cheap local SIM in one slot, while keeping your home SIM up and running so you don't miss any calls. Keeping the features to a minimum helps make these phones so affordable, but we're disappointed that ITTM's phones won't work over the pond.

ITTM plans to bring its dual-SIM phones to the UK this year, but it remains to be seen if any networks will offer the handsets on contract or at pay as you go prices. If you fancy a two-in-a-phone romp, click the image above to see them in their full glory.

Uh-oh, is that a stylus we see with the Dual 87? That means a resistive touchscreen, which tends to be less responsive than the capacitive type.

The Dual 23 clamshell is reasonably cheap, but plenty shiny.

The Dual 33 is a two-SIM, two-slider twin to the Nokia N95, although is has fewer features.

The Dual 77 rocks a touchscreen and a keyboard, as well as tonnes of pink chrome, but leaves room for a huge ITTM logo on the front.

The Mini Dual is only 69g and 100mm tall, as well as having a tiny £89 price tag.

The Out Limits can take a beating, as evidenced by its IP57 certification.