Japanese carrier outs 'the world's smallest phone'

JAPANESE CARRIER Willcom announced today what it claims is "the world's smallest and lightest phone", the oddly named Phone Strap 2.

Willcom's Phone Strap 2 is the sequel to the original Phone Strap, which given that we didn't know such a device even existed, clearly didn't create that much of a stir. However, the Phone Strap 2 looks like it might make up for that, thanks to its tiny 32x70x10.7mm dimensions and the fact that it weighs only 32 grams.

As you might expect for a phone that could get lost forever inside a pocket, the Phone Strap 2 isn't very functional and we can't imagine many people queuing up to buy it - apart from Zoolander, perhaps. 

Its specifications consist merely of a 1in colour display and a battery that will withstand just two hours of talk time. There's no camera, no apps and not much internal storage, likely for obvious reasons. 

However, Willcom says that the device is meant to accompany a normal sized smartphone, acting as a device simply to be used for calling and texting. 

We hate to be the bearers of bad news, but the Phone Strap 2 will be released only in Japan. There's no word on pricing yet, but we do know that it will be released in black, pink and white colour models.

The Phone Strap 2 completely bucks the trend of mammoth screened smartphones, which dominated this year's Mobile World Congress. ZTE, for example, announced the 5.7in Grand Memo smartphone, while Asus took things a step further with the unveiling of its Fonepad device. µ