HTC have come up with a novel answer to those people with small phones who laugh at us large phone owners who say that we look like we have tablets on our ears: The HTC Mini.
Let me set the scene: I’m a very proud Samsung Galaxy Note owner, and I’m constantly being ribbed about how silly it looks when I take a call. I don’t have a problem with that because I know I am holding 5.5″ of awsomeness, but occasionally I do see their point (shhh, don’t tell anyone I said that though!).
Well, if I were an owner of an HTC Butterfly (also known in the States as the Droid DNA) then I wouldn’t have to put up with this any more, because it is now available with the HTC Mini – basically a tiny phone for your massive phone.
The little handset looks more like a DECT portable phone crossed with a 2nd generation iPod Nano than a mobile, but it’s actually an NFC-equipped remote control that will sync to the HTC Butterfly. It’s got a very simple icon driven display and it lets one do a lot of the basic tasks that don’t require a socking great 5″ full HD display (such as making a call). It will also operate the Butterfly’s video functions for when it’s connected to a TV, for example, and even activate the camera’s shutter.
Oh, and if you’re so engrossed in using the Mini that you’ve lost your Butterfly then it’ll even set off its ringer so you can seek it out.
The question has to be asked as to what would motivate someone to buy the HTC Mini with the Butterfly. The premise is sound if you’re someone with small hands who wants a phone with a gorgeous 1080p display, or maybe if you just want to keep the Butterfly in your bag when on the go.
For me, this is is the wrong handset to pair the Mini with though. After all, 4.7″ screens are commonplace in most manufacturers’ ranges, and I don’t get derisory comments when using my Nexus 4. The 5″ Butterfly is only a little bit larger, but is completely dwarfed by the Galaxy Note and Note II. This is the sort of accessory that should be shipped with 4G tablets or the ludicrous Huawei Mate 6.1″ phablety thing.
You can get a good idea of what it’s all about in this video, even though it’s in Chinese.
I really do like the fact that HTC have embraced the massive phone invasion we’re seeing at the moment, and have come up with an alternative to the Dom Joly look, but I’m not really sure that, even if the Butterfly ever gets released in the UK, it’ll take off (so to speak).
Would you buy a handset that’s too big for you to use as a phone and requires a little phone in order to operate it?
Source: HTC
About Ronnie Whelan
I work in IT and marketing, I spend my spare money on smartphones and tablets. My friends have grown weary of my fascination with mobile technology, so I write about it in the hope that someone out there is as obsessed as me… and it seems there is. Welcome to my world.
My current devices are: Samsung Galaxy Note II, Samsung Ativ S and a Huawei G300.
Follow me http://twitter.com/ronnie_whelan or email me at [email protected]
