Hong Kong-based Group Sense Ltd (GSL) has unveiled the world's smallest mobile phone running the popular Palm operating system. It was designed locally and will sell only in Asia.
Called the Xplore G18, it is a full-featured GSM/GPRS dual-band mobile phone running Palm version 4.1.2. It has e-mail and web-browsing functions, a colour liquid-crystal display touch screen and a digital camera embedded for multimedia messaging. Hong Kong mobile operator CSL is expected to sell the smartphone for about HK$3,600.
Already, comparisons are being made between the 130-gram G18 and Handspring's Treo 600, which received much acclaim for its design. The Treo 600 is about 30 per cent smaller than Handspring's previous combination phone PDA, the Treo 270.
According to a PalmSource official, the Treo 600 is larger and heavier than the 130-gram GSL device. Details on the actual size and weight of the Treo 600, due for release in autumn, were not available from Handspring's website.
'I think the G18 will appeal to the mainstream market more because it is smaller and lighter. The screen is bigger, and the price is lower than what the Treo 600 will probably sell for when it becomes available here,' said a PalmSource official.
PalmSource makes the Palm operating system, which is used in 57 per cent of all handhelds worldwide.