Today's cellphone market is highly focused on smartphones. Android and iPhone have a stranglehold on the market, but does that mean there isn't room for something different? Micro-Phone certainly hopes so, as it is looking to bring its tiny GSM phone to market with the help of crowd-funding service Indiegogo. Instead of focusing on apps and other advanced features, Micro-Phone is focused on making a device that is small enough to carry anywhere, while still offering useful features such a locator.
The main focus of Micro-Phone is the size. It is only 85 mm long by 55 mm wide (3.3 x 2.2 in). Its depth is a minuscule 5.5 mm. To put the size in perspective, an average credit card is about 85 mm long by 54 mm wide (3.4 x 2.1 in). Of course, it is quite a bit thicker than a credit card, but it's designed to be carried in some wallets, provided the pockets are deep enough.
Any GSM SIM card will work with the Micro-Phone as long as it supports 850/900/1800/1900 bands. For owners of a micro or nano SIM, the phone will come with an adapter that will allow it to be used.
The phone comes in two models, one with a locator, and one without. The locator uses mobile phone towers to triangulate the position of the Micro-Phone. The location of the phone can be seen using the smartphone application. For parents wanting to keep track of their kids, this is a feature that could certainly prove to be useful.
The Micro-Phone comes with a lithium-ion battery designed to offer a standby life of about 21 days, which makes it well suited to traveling.
Some other notable features of the Micro-Phone include a full-sized keypad, a 1.8-inch LCD screen, and plenty of functions users expect to find in phones like an address book, calculator, and so on.
Micro-Phone is in the middle of its funding phase on Indiegogo. Currently, the creators have received a little over US$14,000 of their $50,000 goal. To receive a phone without the locator, a pledge of $39 is required while the early bird special lasts, and after that, the price of the phone will be $49. With a locator, an early bird special of $69 is available. Once those sell out, the locator version will jump to $79.
Source: Indiegogo
From looking at the screenshots I wonder how this tracking business works. Does it have to be initiated by the person carrying the phone? Does it require same kind of instrument to find the person? Does it have some kind of security that limits the search criterion to paired instruments so unsavory people can't track your child or elderly Alzheimer patients? There is nothing mentioned about the OS either !