Over the past year or so we’ve seen an awful lot of wearable devices, like smartwatches, designed to complement the smartphone experience. As of yet, none of them are capable of replacing the phone in your pocket, until now. Meet Portal — a flexible phablet device that comes with a strap that lets it sit comfortably on your forearm.
Speaking to CNET, the founder of Arubixs, the company behind the the Portal, had this to say: “Current wearable offerings and even the new Apple Watch are just too small to text on or do anything really practical. This is not just a wearable. It’s a smartphone you can wear. So when the phone is not in the cradle its just a thin 6-inch smartphone that’s flexible, water resistant, and shatterproof.”
Ok so this is a phone that you wear, that must be the gimmick, right? Surely the specs aren’t brilliant? Well you’d be wrong. The phone itself runs on a skinned version of Android and comes with a 6-inch display, 64GB of storage, 2GB of RAM, a 3,200 mAh battery, 4G, NFC, and wireless charging. The whole phone seems to be flexible as well, so you should be able to mould it to the shape of your arm.
The Portal is currently seeking funds up on Indiegogo, and pledging $349 (£214) will get you one of the phones sometime next September. But if 6 inches is just too big for you, the company is apparently working on a version of the phone with a 4-inch display, due for release in early 2016.
Even if you wouldn’t want to wear it on your wrist it’d be nice to have a phone that is supposed to bend when you leave it in your pocket all day. [Portal via CNET]