While most handset manufacturers are trying to make handsets larger than ever, one manufacturer has taken a different approach.

UK phone firm Zanco says its new tiny T1 is the smallest handset ever made.

Measuring just 1.9 x 0.8 x 0.5 inches, it can make calls, and send and receive texts -but not much else.

However, even though it is not yet on sale, the phone has come under fire from UK lawmakers who say the mini phones are being smuggled into prisons – as they are small enough to be carried through scanner internally.

Weighing just 13g, it has a tiny 64 x 32 pixel display alongside its mini keypad.

‘We’re proud to introduce the world’s smallest mobile phone,’ the firm says on a Kickstarter raising money for the handset.

“It’s so tiny, you won’t believe it’s real!”

The firm says the phone is the perfect “backup phone”.

“It’s great as a backup on a night out and any occasion where you don’t want to carry a bulky phone but still want the reassurance of staying connected”.

It is also aimed aimed at the sporty, and apparently “perfect for joggers, runners, walkers, cyclists and those who take part in extreme sports because it’s so compact it can go in any size pocket”.

The tiny phone operates on the 2G network, and the battery has 3 days standby and 180 minutes talk time.

The 200-mAh battery charges via Micro USB, and Zanco says it should be good for 180 minutes of talk time or three days on standby.

However, those hoping to check Facebook or send a tweet are out of luck.

“The Zanco tiny t1 is a talk and text mobile phone – It does not have internet capability”, the firm says.

The Kickstarter campaign has smashed its 27.000 Euro goal and raised about 80.000 Euro.

Early bird pledges start at 39 Euro for one of the phones, and if all goes to plan, the tiny t1 is expected to ship in May 2018.

Shazad Talib created the Zanco Tiny T1.

The Bradford-born businessman has setup a Kickstarter funding page to get his idea off the ground and there is no suggestion he is intending for the gadget to be used in prisons.

He said: “I came up with the idea for it in about 2004, and I’ve had engineers working on it for years.

‘It is actually very easy to use when it is placed on your finger”.

THE TINY PHONE PRISON ROW

(David Lidington wants online retailers to stop selling the gadgets, which are no bigger than a cigarette lighter, over fears they enable inmates to orchestrate major criminal operations from behind bars)

Mobile phones have emerged as a major security challenge for prisons, where they help facilitate more crime and are used to intimidate victims from behind bars.

Last year, prison officers recovered more than 13.000 mobile phones and sim cards.

Officials say the mini phones are freely available on the internet and are designed to go undetected by body orifice security scanners that are in place in jails around England and Wales.

The ministry is working with mobile network operators on technology to block phone signals, while £2 million has been invested on hand-held and portable detection equipment for jail staff.

The UK’s Justice Secretary has called for a ban on the sale of tiny mobile phones designed to flout prison security measures.

David Lidington wants online retailers to stop selling the gadgets, which are no bigger than a cigarette lighter, over fears they enable inmates to orchestrate major criminal operations from behind bars.

Officials say the mini phones are freely available on the internet and are designed to go undetected by body orifice security scanners that are in place in jails around England and Wales.

Source: dailymail.co.uk