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World's Slimmest Phone

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the even-easier-to-lose dept.

moto writes "ThinkCE has some news of the world's slimmest phone. From the article: 'Slimmer than a stick insect with the runs, the new world's thinnest phone comes in the shape of the EV-K100 handset, an ultra-thin gizmo made by Korean cell phone makers KTF Technologies. Measuring a wafer-thin 7.9-millimeters, the EV-K100 grabs the "world's slimmest" crown from local rivals VK, whose VK2010 and VK2100 phones measured up at a comparatively lardy, pie-scoffing 8.8mm (with Motorola's RAZR being a positively obese 14.5-mm thick).'"

62 comments

  1. obligatory futurama: by systemic+chaos · · Score: 2, Funny

    did you swallow your phone again?

    1. Re:obligatory futurama: by zephc · · Score: 1

      Good news! It's a suppository!

      Touché

      --
      "I would say that 99 per cent of what my father has written about his own life is false." - L. Ron Hubbard Jr.
  2. This Is Not News by eldavojohn · · Score: 2, Funny

    Articles of the genre 'World's blankiest blank' are not news.

    They're the basis of a bad Fox special but they certainly aren't newsworthy.

    And to make this post even more Futurama oriented:

    Leela: What's wrong Amy? Did you swallow your cell phone again?

    You may laugh but I think we're coming up on that being a lawsuit waiting to happen.

    We're consumers; we like our cars huge, our service fast and our cell phones microscopic.

    --
    My work here is dung.
    1. Re:This Is Not News by Jherek+Carnelian · · Score: 2, Funny

      Leela: What's wrong Amy? Did you swallow your cell phone again?

      You may laugh but I think we're coming up on that being a lawsuit waiting to happen.

      Not quiet the same, but it's already happened.
      Though, from other articles, it sounds like it just might have been justifiable as it was being "overused" at the time.

    2. Re:This Is Not News by PFI_Optix · · Score: 1

      You may laugh but I think we're coming up on that being a lawsuit waiting to happen.

      WARNING

      Do not consume cellular phone
      For external use only

      --
      120 characters for a sig? That's bloody useless.
  3. What happens if you sit on it? by solarbob · · Score: 1

    With a think phone, and you forget that its there does it break or is it ok?

    --
    SolarVPS - Quality Windows and Linux Virtual Servers
    1. Re:What happens if you sit on it? by kalirion · · Score: 1

      Could be very painful if it doesn't break. But then again, some people would probably enjoy that, especially after setting ot to "vibrate".

  4. It could have been even smaller... by frisbeegeek · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Imagine how small they could have made it if they didn't try to jam a shitty camera and mp3 player into it...

    1. Re:It could have been even smaller... by Noishe · · Score: 3, Informative

      The thickness of the phone is not limited by the inclusion of a camera or mp3 player. A ccd and a lense are tiny compared to what limits the thickness, and that's the size of the antenna according to the article.

      Phones aren't going to get any smaller until they use a different technology to transmit their radio waves, or until someone finds out how to make the antenna smaller. So if they can put in a camera and an mp3 player for a few extra bucks while not increasing the size, then they should go for it.

    2. Re:It could have been even smaller... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not, not actually. If you RTFA, you'd see previous wisedom said "that 8.8 millimetres was as thin as things could get, commenting that the technology demanded an antenna of at least 7 millimetres thick and a pair of plates of 1.8 millimetres." They found a way to make the antenna thinner and longer to get the same functionality. It doesn't mention anything about the camera optics etc.

    3. Re:It could have been even smaller... by ivan256 · · Score: 1

      My wife's flip phone has the camera in the earpiece section, and it measures a meager 6.3mm thick at that point.

      Just thought I'd throw that in there since I happen to have the phone and a micrometer at arms length at the moment.

    4. Re:It could have been even smaller... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Rubbish, the largest components in the phone are the screen, the keypad and the battery. You cannot make any of them "too small" without compromising on the usability of the product.

      The RAZR is "thin", but it is not a small phone, the battery life is abysmal and the keypad is not very responsive.

      The antenna issue is relatively simple, if you really want thin you could go with the extendable attenna's phones used to have and seem to be favoured by the Japanese market.

    5. Re:It could have been even smaller... by rabiddeity · · Score: 1

      Mod parent up.

      The physics of radio waves aren't going to change anytime soon. Plus, a camera on a phone in Asia isn't an optional feature.

  5. And for all you fatties out there by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    You can buy a dialing wand.

  6. Other uses by jacks+smirking+reven · · Score: 2, Funny

    Doubles as a toothpick.

  7. Razr by CastrTroy · · Score: 1

    Looks about the same as the new Motorola Razor, except that this one isn't a flip phone.

    --

    Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
    1. Re:Razr by eln · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The one looks to have very similar dimensions to the RAZR, which I already have. I also like that the razr is a flip phone, and also that it's almost entirely metallic. This makes it particularly sturdy and scratch-resistant, which is very important for a phone that fits comfortably in your pocket. There is no information on how sturdy this new phone is.

    2. Re:Razr by Locke2005 · · Score: 1
      this one isn't a flip phone Which means 1) Accidentally dialing people when buttons get pushed in your pocket (don't laugh, my wife has done this), 2) unless the phone is 6 inches tall or you're using a headset, the speaker, microphone or both are going to always be in the wrong place, 3) there is absolutely nothing to prevent cracking or scratching of the LCD screen when you stuff the phone in your pocket or purse.

      I don't know about you, but I think I can put up with a few millimeters more in thickness in return for a flip phone! And then there is the dirty little secret that all the thin phones share: when you've got a battery the size of a stick of gum, your battery life is really going to suck!

      --
      I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
    3. Re:Razr by AKAImBatman · · Score: 1

      Which means 1) Accidentally dialing people when buttons get pushed in your pocket (don't laugh, my wife has done this),

      It's happened to my wife and I a couple of times. The problem isn't so much the candy bar design of the phone, as the variety of bugs in Nokia's software. A couple of issues that have bit me:

      1. When the keypad is locked, certain combinations of buttons still work. This seems to be the cause of a number of dud entries into my phonebook.
      2. If you press the lock/unlock combination at the wrong time, the phone will fail to lock. This can be cleared by rebooting the phone.

      If phone providers would just fix their software, there wouldn't be so many problems. Unfortunately, the break-neck pace of phone development tends to significantly impact quality control. :-)

      --
      Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
    4. Re:Razr by CastrTroy · · Score: 2, Insightful

      As annoying as all that is, I've had 2 flip phones, and known many other people who have had them. They always die within a couple years due to some breakage of the joint. You can usually lock non-flip phones so that you don't dial them while in your pocket. Most non-flip phones I've seen had a much stronger screen than flip-phones in order to protect it from being scratched. If you're still paranoid, get a case.

      --

      Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
    5. Re:Razr by Locke2005 · · Score: 1

      I've never actually broken the hinge in a flip phone, although I know people that have and the flex circuit in the hinge is probably the cause of the audio problems I'm having with my current Motorola flip phone. I have broken LCDs just by sitting down with a phone in my pocket. But by and large, most of the phones we've had get broken by dropping them, in which case it doesn't really matter what design they used. Yes, all non-opening phones have button locks, but that is only good if you remember to lock them every time. And yes, a good case is always a good investment.

      --
      I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
    6. Re:Razr by CastrTroy · · Score: 1

      I got a slide phone, which I feel has all the advantages of both.

      --

      Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
    7. Re:Razr by booch · · Score: 1

      While the Motorola RAZR is relatively slim, to me the most impressive part is the flip-up portion. It's only about 5 mm thick, yet it contains 2 color LCD displays. Hmm -- I just realized that they appear to share a single backlight. Which makes a lot of sense, I suppose -- cramming 2 backlights into that space would be really hard.

      --
      Software sucks. Open Source sucks less.
    8. Re:Razr by Gadzinka · · Score: 1

      Yes, all non-opening phones have button locks, but that is only good if you remember to lock them every time.

      Almost all the non-flip phones also have auto-key-lock. My cute, bricky SE T630 locks automagically after 30 secs or so. It works just as well when I just stuff it after use into the back pocket of my jeans. And I've never had a problem with a screen, all good "bricks" (like this SE T630) have extremelly hard and scratch resistant "glass" over the screen.

      Robert

      --
      Bastard Operator From 193.219.28.162
    9. Re:Razr by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      I upgrade my phone every year anyway, because if you don't you're just giving your cell provider free money. They charge you for phone upgrades whether you make them or not, in the form of charging you more for your service than it really costs. They love it when people don't upgrade... Anyway, you can buy replacement housings and hinge units for phones, and I replaced the housing on my V300 anyway...

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    10. Re:Razr by jonwil · · Score: 1

      This looks like a "clone" of the Motorola SLVR to me. (no idea how the SLVR compares with this one for size though)

    11. Re:Razr by eraserewind · · Score: 1

      That's a legal requirement.

    12. Re:Razr by RESPAWN · · Score: 1

      So, you're saying that by shelling out ~$100 out of your own pocket, you're costing the cell companies money? Explain the economics of that to me, please.

      --

      If Murphy's Law can go wrong, it will.

    13. Re:Razr by RESPAWN · · Score: 1

      I have a Sony Ericsson prepaid phone. I can't remember the model, but it was the cheapest one that Cingular had at the time. (I just needed a basically disposable phone with a local number for the area I was visiting.) It had the autokey guard, but for some reason, despite the fact that I would verify the keyguard was turned on, I found myself still making phone calls while it was in my pocket. I never had that problem with any of my other previous brick phones. It was like I would somehow magically hit the Unlock key and then the * key while it was in my pocket.

      Who knows, maybe that's exactly what was happening. It was just very frustrating since it was a prepaid phone and therefore it was wasting my money.

      --

      If Murphy's Law can go wrong, it will.

    14. Re:Razr by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      It's not so much that you're costing them money, you're just getting some of your money back. It's like filing your taxes and getting a return. A [decent] phone costs something like $300 to $350 retail, the phone company gets them for $200 to $250, they pad your bill up ~$100/yr, and sell you the phone for $100 to $150. (These are vague ballparks for middle of the road phones.) Thus, if you don't upgrade, they get a free $100 or so.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    15. Re:Razr by plover · · Score: 1
      I had a candy-bar-form-factor Sony Ericsson and my pants pocket accidentally dialed 911 because I failed to lock the keyboard.

      The very next day I bought a RAZR, partly because I wanted a flip-phone to protect the keypad. So what did Motorola's brilliant effing engineers do? Why, they left the side buttons active even when it's closed. So now if my phone has slid along my belt, my seat belt picks some random ringing for me! Sometimes it turns the ringer off, sometimes it launches voice dialing (and thinks the rustling noise is me saying my son's name), or some other stupid action.

      There isn't a single piece of the Motorola software in this phone that I've been impressed with yet. I get the feeling that they never actually look for user feedback on their products. They may not even usability test the products before they hit the market.

      --
      John
    16. Re:Razr by f()rK()_Bomb · · Score: 1

      I hav an L6 its the previous version of the L7 SLVR and is actually thinner, its 10.9mm and the SLVR is actually 11.5mm!

      --
      "The space elevator will be built about 50 years after everyone stops laughing." - Arthur C. Clarke ~1980
  8. slim means nothing to me by j00r0m4nc3r · · Score: 1

    if the phone is ultra-wide, like the RAZR. What I really want is slim, narrow, and short. AKA "small"

    1. Re:slim means nothing to me by ichigo+2.0 · · Score: 1

      Small.

  9. My jeans matter. by Lave · · Score: 1
    I'm glad the "big and the best" are aiming for thin but *wide* phones. It's the best compromise between a phone that is actually pocketable, and one which you can still actually use without a pointing stick.

    As mobiles have to be everywhere with me, it's much more important to me that it fits in my jeans over taking pictures, and slicing bread.

    --
    http://skeptobot.blogspot.com/ - A site for the Renaissance man and woman
    1. Re:My jeans matter. by steveo777 · · Score: 1
      I'm not saying anything about you. My ambiguous pronouns (you, your) are plural for the purposes of this post, and address the mases...

      ...but if your jeans don't fit.. I'm pretty sure the phone has little to do with it. I myself have had this problem in the past. Sure, buying a smaller phone may help, but I hear excercise is a suitable (yet more time consuming) alternative. Of course, the easiest (and likely cheapest) way to fix this problem is to go to your local jeans retailer and try on slightly larger jeans while wearing your phone. This will ensure that you get a proper fit with you and your phone.

      I hope some of us will take my advice. Because, as most of us know, we don't want to see the average /.er wearing skin tight jeans. We don't want the ability read the date on a dime in the back pocket. Or, in this case, the numeric keypad and caller ID.

      --
      This sig isn't original enough, it's time to come up with something witty...
  10. Pffft... Zoolander did it smaller by rueger · · Score: 1

    These phones are just GIGANTIC compared to the really, really, ridiculously good looking phone carried by Derek Zoolander in the biopic of the same name.

    Luckily rather than waiting for the Korean product to arrive here, you can make you own Zoolander style phone.

    --
    Three Squirrels
  11. Zoolander. by Donniedarkness · · Score: 2, Funny
    Ok, I call BS on this article. I saw a MUCH smaller phone on Zoolander, and that was several years ago!

    Those male models get EVERYTHING.... :(

    --
    Earn a % of cash back from Newegg, Tiger Direct, Walmart.com, and more: http://www.mrrebates.com?refid=458505
  12. SLVR L7 by Ectospheno · · Score: 1

    I think the SLVR L7 is around 10.5 mm. The pictured phone looks a little wider than the SLVR L7 though its hard to tell from the picture and I couldn't find the other two dimensions.

    1. Re:SLVR L7 by Bradee-oh! · · Score: 0, Redundant

      I think the SLVR L7 is around 10.5 mm. The pictured phone looks a little wider than the SLVR L7 though its hard to tell from the picture and I couldn't find the other two dimensions.
       
      Were you raised on picture books? Words are ways of converying information, as well!

      Measuring a wafer-thin 7.9-millimetre, the EV-K100 grabs the 'world's slimmest' crown from local rivals VK, whose VK2010 and VK2100 phones measured up at a comparatively lardy, pie-scoffing 8.8mm (with Motorola's RAZR being a positively obese 14.5-mm thick).

      --
      "This is Zombo Com, and welcome to you who have come to Zombo Com" - www.zombo.com
    2. Re:SLVR L7 by Ectospheno · · Score: 1

      Yes, I too saw the new phone's depth, however as I indicated I can't find the other two dimensions. I.e. length and width. It looks wider than the SLVR L7. As I myself pointed out the L7 is indeed thicker.

      Thanks for insulting me by the way. Very mature.

  13. slimiest by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Silly me, I read that, "World's slimiest phone"

    Sk

  14. I had read that as "World's Slimiest Phone" by derinax · · Score: 2, Funny
    ...but then, that would be mine.


    / my first post in three months, and this is what I chose to write.
    // please mod me down, so I may learn my lesson.

  15. My phone... by Clazzy · · Score: 1

    "My phone is the thinnest in the world, can take photos with a 1.5 Megapixel camera and can store hundreds of MP3s!"

    "Mine phones people."

    Simply put, why bother doing all these silly additions and leave the photos to cameras and music to MP3 players? Besides, why does a phone need to be that thin anyway? It makes it harder to hold and it's much easier to break.
    Then again, I'm a rather grumpy old git on the inside.

    --
    If we can hit that bull's-eye, the rest of the dominoes will fall like a house of cards... Checkmate.
    1. Re:My phone... by Sentry21 · · Score: 1

      It also makes it more convenient to carry. As summer rapidly approaches, I'm planning to replace my 30G iPod 3gen with a 1G iPod Nano, simply because it's smaller, thinner, and lighter, which makes it easier to carry around when I've only got two pockets available, and my keys have to go in one of them and my wallet in the other. With a thin phone like the Razr (my current phone), I can put it in the change pocket of my one pocket, put my keys in there too, and wallet in the other, and then I can hang the nano around my neck under my shirt.

      Compare this to even the new, slimmer video iPods, a large (and ugly) Nokia/Sony-Ericsson phones, and suddenly my pockets are overburdened and unsightly, and I have to resort to wearing cargo pants. Not an ideal solution in all situations.

    2. Re:My phone... by Clazzy · · Score: 1

      Maybe it's just me who finds small things annoying to use. Usually, I'm always afraid that I'll break it as well. I normally have at least three pockets if I'm going out, so I'm never pushed for space. Each to their own, I guess.

      --
      If we can hit that bull's-eye, the rest of the dominoes will fall like a house of cards... Checkmate.
  16. They look familiar... by circusboy · · Score: 1

    Aren't they the phones that were in "V for Vendetta"?

    --
    -- it's ridiculous how many people misspell ridiculous... (damn, damn, damn...)
    1. Re:They look familiar... by Elemenope · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Aren't they the phones that were in "V for Vendetta"? Proof if anyone needed it that product placement works. Consumer culture is devilishly scary, sometimes.

      --
      All the techniques ever used to make men moral have been themselves thoroughly immoral... (Nietzsche)
  17. Price by Astr4y · · Score: 1

    KTF Unveil EV-K100, World's Slimmest Phone The company intend to market the bar-type EV-K100, codenamed "No. 7,'' from next week via its parent firm KTF for around 400,000 won ($412). That's a bit pricey... Any idea how long the battery would last in this type of phone?

  18. What the... by Aranth+Brainfire · · Score: 1

    Slimmer than a stick insect with the runs...

    ................

    That's all I have to say.

    --
    "Quoting yourself is stupid." -Me
  19. But...! by Rob+T+Firefly · · Score: 1

    Can it core a apple, oh Chef of the Future?

    --
    Slashdot Burying Stories About Slashdot Media Owned
    1. Re:But...! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I doubt anyone will admit to being old enough to get that reference.

  20. Thanks but... by corychristison · · Score: 1

    ... I'll stick to my bulky but functional LG 5400. :-)

  21. runs? by spacemky · · Score: 1

    What does a stick insect having the runs have anything do with it's thickness?

    --
    640YB ought to be enough for anybody.
    1. Re:runs? by TubeSteak · · Score: 1

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diarrhea

      Diarrhea is a rather unpleasant way to die.
      Your body stops absorbing nutrients and you become dehydrated.

      It's kindof a race to the bottom for which kills you first.
      You'll either die of malnutrition or extreme dehydration.

      Anyways, assuming you get enough fluids, you'll starve to death.
      Hence the "stick insect having the runs" visual.

      --
      [Fuck Beta]
      o0t!
  22. Good work by Z00L00K · · Score: 1
    Now there is actually somebody that has figured out that it's the thickness of the phone that is the major problem. Anyway - I'm still looking for a phone that is at most 10mm thick and with a casing in hard rubber. I wouldn't mind if the phone is a little wider and longer than today's phones since the current phones have a tendency to get stuck sideways in my breast pocket with the result that when I finally have succeeded in digging out the phone the caller has hung up...

    And those clamshell phones - they aren't useful at all. You could as well put a tennis ball in your pocket instead... About the same comfort level...

    Hmmm... Flamebait? - maybe....

    --
    If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker would destroy civilization.
    1. Re:Good work by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I always have a tennisball in my pocket! It works great!

  23. Doctor Who - "jiggery-pokery" by payndz · · Score: 1
    The clever boffins at KTF Technologies overcame this barrier - and got one up on their rivals - by slashing the thickness of the embedded antenna using some clever jiggery-pokery which they're naturally not too keen to divulge.

    Jiggery-pokery? Does that mean that on top of being the world's slimmest phone, it can also make calls from 5,000,000,000AD to the 21st Century? Fantastic!

    --
    You must think in Russian.
  24. Specs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Platform: CDMA 2000 1/X Bar Type
    Dimensions: 103.9x48x7.9 mm / 60g
    Main-LCD: 1.8", 260K Color 176x220 Pixel TFT
    Camera: CMOS 1.3 Mega
    Melody IC: 128 Poly
    Memory: 165 MB
    LED: Navi button -Red and height pad -White
    Battery: Talk time 126 minutes, Standby time 80~257 hour, Charging time 2 hours
    Color: Black, White

    Sadly, it seems to be CDMA-2000 only, so no joy for us in GSM-land.
    Also it seem to have stuff like camcorder function, mp3player, automatic white-balance, pictbridge, multitasking (play mp3s while playing games), FAT16 et cetera et cetera.

    Sources =
    http://www.ever.co.kr/asset/flash/product/k100/mai n.html
    and
    http://www.ever.co.kr/product/introduce/product_k1 00_feature.asp

  25. I don't get it... by Meostro · · Score: 1
    From TFA:
    At the time, VK president Yi Cheol-sang insisted that 8.8 millimetres was as thin as things could get, commenting that the technology demanded an antenna of at least 7 millimetres thick and a pair of plates of 1.8 millimetres.
    Why is this a problem? I can understand that length of an antenna makes a huge difference, but how does the width matter? This guy is the president of the former "record-holder", so I don't know if he's just spouting crap or if he is technically informed.

    Other than the mysterious antenna problem, 7.9mm is 16% larger than the iPod Nano, which clocks in at a mere 6.8mm thick. I'm not impressed yet, but I wouldn't turn down a free one.
  26. Similar design? by VxJasonxV · · Score: 1

    Looks about as big as the "credit card sized camera" (which actually has good quality FWIW), I wonder how it actually holds up...