Movies on flash drives aren't looking like the next big thing, but Gemalto reckons its approach to getting DVD content on smaller surfaces is different enough to get noticed. In an admittedly bizarre release, the digital security firm has announced a new Smart Video Card for Italian carrier WIND, which "embeds a DVD-compliant optical disc into the card body of a regular SIM card." The card can store practically any digital content (including video, software or URLs) and can reportedly be played back on any DVD drive. So what, we buy a new SIM card each time we're looking for a new batch of miniaturized content? Fabulous!

[Via FashionFunky, thanks Bob]

Apparently, the news we got (and saw on the company's website) yesterday concerning AT&T's offer of a SIM-only service plan was off the mark... or so says AT&T. According to the telco's reps, a SIM card can be had sans-contract, saying that its attitude towards the service hasn't changed and that pre-paid, post-paid, or any other millions of varieties of arrangements can be made to tap into its sweet service. So move along folks, nothing here to see.

It looks like all that shouting AT&T has been doing lately about its "openness" is starting to manifest itself in the way the company does business. It's come to our attention that the mobile telco has started offering a SIM-only plan, thus providing the ultimate in open options. The idea being, of course, that you can bring any random / crappy / salvaged GSM-compatible handset the provider's way, and it'll let you hook a towline onto its satellites. Of course, you could just get one of those cheapo giveaways and pop out the card, but this is so much more open and free, like San Francisco in '69, a car-less road, some land of your own, and a good old-fashioned whiskey on the rocks. Oh, you still have a sign a two-year agreement... enjoy your freedom!

[Via The Boy Genius Report]

There's not a whole lot to go on here, but according to France's Challenges magazine, Archos is set to further expand its linup-up of players next year with some new SIM card-equipped models. While there's no indication that the devices will actually double as a phone, you will apparently be able to at least get in some 3G-enhanced web browsing, which would certainly be more convenient (albeit pricier) than tracking down WiFi hotspots each time you're out and about. Also according to Challenges, it seems that both France's SFR and Neuf-Cegetel are "starting to look very closely" at Archos' gear, although that's obviously still as up in the air as the rumored device itself.

[Via Archos Lounge, thanks JohnBe]

After buddying up with IBM earlier this year on a 32-nanometer semiconductor, Infineon is now teaming with none other than Intel to produce high-density (HD) SIM cards. Announced today at the Cartes Trade Show in Paris, the agreement will spark a "strategic technology collaboration" which will see Infineon producing modular chip solutions while Intel offers up memory capacities from 4MB to 64MB. More specifically, a 32-bit security microcontroller will be provided by Infineon, while the partnership's other half throws in its "leading-edge flash memory technologies, capabilities and manufacturing." Apparently, the HD SIM will play nice with "data-intensive mobile applications, services and over-the-air downloads" which are likely to become more pervasive in the coming years, and current market research shows that these very devices will account for "six- to eight-percent of the total SIM card market in 2010." As for availability, look for samples to land in Q2 of next year, but don't expect 'em to be manufactured en masse until the first half of 2009.

[Via EETimes]

BlueSky Positioning looks to have taken advantage of the altogether too cleverly-named SIMposium conference to trot out what is surely its biggest product to date: a complete GPS system embedded on a SIM card, The Register reports. Partly responsible for that shrinkage is the use of Assisted GPS (or A-GPS) instead of standard GPS, although they still had to contend with some serious power consumption challenges and the small matter of actually getting a signal. That was apparently accomplished by using the cellphone itself as a makeshift antenna, which supposedly provides just enough of a signal when the SIM card comes into contact with it. While its seems to have gotten the size right, BlueSky's SIM card does currently fall short in a few fey areas, failing to pass ISO tests for flexibility and robustness. That doesn't seem to be holding 'em back, however, with the first production samples reportedly on track for June.

Since Apple's iPhone announcement a little over a month ago, touch screen handsets have been popping up all over our radar screen. As touch screens bet more attention in 2007, the Eliya is a new entrant with an actual distinguishing feature apart from a touch screen and a smartphone operating system -- dual SIM support. There are little and unremarkable tricks to get two SIMs into most phones (yeah, we know many are kinda low-tech), but how about OEM support for two cards? If you're into having two GSM carriers -- maybe one for voice and one for data -- the Eliya will hook you up from the start. No carving into your previous SIMs so you can stick them somewhere in a single SIM slot. Ok, we saved the kicker for last -- this Eliya unit can support both SIMs at once -- and you can be registered on two separate systems as once as well. No switching between SIMs in your phone's menu. Dual registration on two GSM systems at the same time -- and it's only 2007.