A small electronics team from Shenzhen has the tech world buzzing with a new device that could add a new lease of life to Apple's iPod Touch while at the same time making a dent in sales of its iPhone.
Apple, meet the Apple Peel 520 - pun intended - which the team says can turn any iPod Touch into an iPhone.
The gadget is expected to move into mass production just as soon as it clears the small obstacle called intellectual property rights (IPR).
The Apple Peel 520 is based on an idea that a 24-year-old mainland programmer came up with about a year and a half ago. It encases an iPod Touch - which is a media player, personal organiser and Wi-fi platform all rolled into one - and provides it with additional functions such as voice calling and text messaging by using a built-in SIM card slot and battery.
Needless to say, it has caught the eyes of Apple product fans since it was revealed online late last month. It has also attracted the attention of popular US-based gadget sites such as Dailytech.com and Engadget.com, which translated the first review of a prototype of the Peel written by a Guangzhou-based technology company - one of two gadget websites to receive a copy.
One thousand copies of the device have been made. The remainder are in a warehouse in Shenzhen.