back to article World's 'smallest' mobe unveiled in Japan

At a time when smartphone screens are getting bigger and bigger, Japanese outfit Willcom has bucked the trend and announced what it claims is the world’s smallest and lightest mobile phone. The little-known electronics vendor will launch the munchkin-sized “Strap Phone 2 WX06A” on 21 March. It features a tiny 96x64 resolution …

COMMENTS

This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. Tony Proudlove
    Paris Hilton

    Out of touch?

    If, as you say, the predecessor was "apparently well-received", then how are they "out of touch'? Clearly there is a niche market for these 小さい mobes, and recognising it as a niche they're producing a limited 12,000 run. It's obviously not a mobe designed to cater for the mass market.

    Paris, because she may be the target buyer.

    1. TheOtherHobbes

      Re: Out of touch?

      Looks more like a phone for the low mass market.

      1. Don Jefe
        Happy

        Re: Out of touch?

        Low mass market? Tiny people? People with really fat legs and skinny torsos?

        1. Michael H.F. Wilkinson Silver badge

          Crivens!!!!

          Nah, ya wee scunner!

          It's the Nac Mac Feegle that want those!

          Bigjobs!

          They won't buy them of course, not if they can steal them

          1. Rampant Spaniel

            Re: Crivens!!!!

            TP isn't very subtle when borrowing a countries stereotype :-) Although his pseudo Australian approach to elections has merit! (i.e. lock em up as soon as they are elected, saves time).

            That is one crazy small phone, must be damn hard to use!

  2. Magani
    Headmaster

    It's been a long time...

    ...since stats in high school, but shirley the 'World's Smallest Mode' would be either zero or one?

    Thou shalt proof read, not just spell-check.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: It's been a long time...

      small mode ENGAGE! :3

      I think ur doin it 2 clevr 4 dis teim on a fryday

    2. frank ly

      Re: It's been a long time...

      The headline writer may have got confused with 'a la mode', meaning trendy or in fashion. It is a fashion item :)

      1. Great Bu

        Re: It's been a long time...

        I thought 'a la mode' meant 'with a blob of ice cream'.....

        1. A Known Coward
          FAIL

          Re: It's been a long time...

          "I thought 'a la mode' meant 'with a blob of ice cream'....."

          Because it was a trend to serve your apple pie with ice cream, the term was misunderstood in the US.

          As stated before, 'a la mode' is French for 'in the fashion'.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    1. FartingHippo
      Megaphone

      Re: Zoolander comes true!

      Downvoted for making me look at that tw*t, and thus disrupting the harmony of my morning coffee.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Kawaii desu!

    That is all

    1. Blubster
      FAIL

      Re: Kawaii desu!

      Kowai desu!

      That is all.

    2. Rukario
      Devil

      Re: Kawaii desu!

      When I saw this, the whole "kawaii" look was what first came to mind. I was almost expecting to see a Hello Kitty version.

  5. Jean Le PHARMACIEN

    'World's Smallest Mode'

    Shurely shome mishtake?? "mode" for "Mobe"...spellcheck strike again..

  6. Piro Silver badge

    Wait a minute, 1/6th of the size?

    Surely it's roughly 1/16th of the area!

    You don't get the size of something by thinking only about the diagonal inches - it tells you nothing of the area, because it disregards ratio. Hopeless comparison.

  7. James 51

    £252!

    That's one expensive accessory.

    1. Silverburn
      Happy

      Re: £252!

      But the "pounds per inch" figures are excellent.

      Apple would use that in their pitch (oh wait, they did...except they called it "DPI")

      1. Lockwood
        Coat

        Re: £252!

        It is a £252 phone

        Phone is a cuboid 1.26" x 2.756" * 0.4213"

        That makes it around 24.4 pounds per square inch.

        You under much pressure to buy this thing?

    2. Cryo

      Re: £252!

      When I first started reading the article, I thought this was a really good idea, until I got to the price. As a cheap no-frills phone, it could actually make for a nice ultra-compact communication device. A price like this puts it in the smartphone range though, making it significantly less attractive.

  8. Steve the Cynic
    Trollface

    Wait!!! After all this time...

    After all this time, we are back where I began on mobes. My very first mobe was an Alcatel OneTouch View db that I bought back in 2000. It had a 96x64 screen(*). Thirteen years later, we have a new-release phone with the same resolution.

    Truly, what goes around, comes around...

    (*) Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/alcatel_ot_view_db-28.php

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Wait!!! After all this time...

      "My very first mobe was an Alcatel OneTouch View db that I bought back in 2000."

      Did you miss the 90's?

      1. Steve the Cynic

        Re: Wait!!! After all this time...

        "Did you miss the 90's?"

        No, I just didn't bother with a mobile until 2000. Around that time they were less grotesquely expensive than they had been previously, so it seemed like a reasonable thing to do.

  9. Martin H Watson

    The terrible word 'phablet'

    ‘Phablet’ surely must be one of the worst literary contrivances of all time, supposedly meaning a tablet-sized phone. Surely 'Tablerone' is far better. I relish the thought of seeing idiots on trains and buses putting a Tablerone in their ear.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: The terrible word 'phablet'

      "I relish the thought of seeing idiots on trains and buses putting a Tablerone in their ear."

      They must have very large ears where you live.

      Can't be as embarrassing as being seen with an iPhone (Hello last decade), cause they're so up to date/ a la mode.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: The terrible word 'phablet'

      I find Pratphone is more catchy.

    3. TheRealRoland

      Re: The terrible word 'phablet'

      Phlappy?

      1. Rukario
        Angel

        Re: The terrible word 'phablet'

        Phlappy? Do without the "l", and you get the "fondleslab"-themed "Phappy".

    4. Chemist

      Re: The terrible word 'phablet'

      "Tablerone"

      Never used a triangular screen but at least it gets around Apple's so-called patents. Mind the Swiss'll be after you.

  10. Crisp

    Looks like a perfect phone for kids

    And wont cost too much to replace if it's lost, stolen or broken.

    1. James 51

      Re: Looks like a perfect phone for kids

      It's £252. That' is not a cheap phone. A Nokia 100 is the phone you're looking for.

  11. Matt Bridge-Wilkinson
    Facepalm

    Derek Zoolander would no doubt love this phone.

  12. JDX Gold badge

    One 6th the size?

    A 1" screen is not 1/6 the size of a 6" screen.

    1. Piro Silver badge
      Pint

      Re: One 6th the size?

      Hey, I already said that :(

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: One 6th the size?

      Size can refer to any relevant metric, it does not have to mean area.

      Size

      (Noun)

      1. The relative extent of something; how big something is.

      ...

  13. JaitcH
    Thumb Up

    All they need is the letter 'i' and a watch strap and ...

    they have Apple beat - the iStrap Phone 2.

    Who needs curved glass or some knight to design a winner?

  14. Red Eyes
    FAIL

    Pah..

    My Nokia 6110 had a 1" screen 15 years ago. And you could play snake.

  15. Steve Knox
    Stop

    "Forget phablets, ..."

    I'm trying to, but you keep using that shit word.

  16. Tim 11
    Thumb Up

    Out of touch?

    A phone that small would be good for nothing ... except maybe making and receiving phone calls?

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    willcom

    has a very cheap all you can mail plan. I met many (shady) girls who have two or three phones (one real smartphone/iphone for friends) and then one of two willcoms to communicate with 'clients' or 'the work office'.

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Big Brother

    Inside use for those inside....

    Small phones have another market - those "inside", who need to keep their phones, shall we say, "inside" as well.

This topic is closed for new posts.

Other stories you might like