Sagem’s SIMFi is one of those ideas that you wish you had come up with yourself. The concept is pretty straightforward: they’ve created a SIM card with an embedded WiFi radio, so provided you have a suitable data plan, the card itself puts out a WiFi signal instead of relying on the phone. For anyone who’s ever needed internet access on a laptop, with no other tools besides the phone in their pocket, this is a potential godsend. Tethering a handset to a computer for internet access used to occur on a strictly phone-by-phone basis. Have a BlackBerry? Read a few tutorials and you’re pretty much set. Ditto for the iPhone, and most Android and Windows Mobile devices. But where does that leave you if all you’ve got in your pocket is a phone with a cigarette lighter built into it?
Well, provided there’s a SIMFi in it, you’re ready to tether like the big boys, with the added bonus of being able to light a celebratory cigar with your phone. No word yet on availability or pricing, but we’ll be keeping our eyes peeled at Mobile World Congress for any developments.
[Press Release, via SlashGear]