Just when you thought phones and computers couldn’t get any smaller….they didn’t, they started getting bigger again.
The latest craze in technology is phablets – basically large phones that are more like a tablet!
The phablets are already popular in parts of Asia. Screens measure between 5.6in and 6.9in diagonally and there are numerous versions on the market from all the major players.
If you’re a woman who spends five minutes rooting around the bottom of your giant handbag every time you want your phone, this new trend may be very welcome.
However, if you’re a man who likes to shove your mobile in the back pocket of your jeans, you might not be so convinced.
I can’t help thinking how strange it is that designers and technicians have spent the last few years trying to cram more and more technology into smaller and smaller gadgets, only for them to start growing again.
This reminds me of Trigger Happy TV. Remember that comedy sketch show where Dom Joly’s phone would ring in a public place and he would hold up an oversized mobile that was nearly as big as him.
Dominic Sunnebo, of research company Kantar ComTech, told The Guardian: “In general, more consumers upgrade to a larger device each time they change, rather than buying the same size or downsizing.”
Maybe in the future, we’ll all be lugging giant phones around that have everything incorporated into them, from a coffee maker to a microwave.