The Tiniest Tech

In tech, the trade-off between size and functionality has always been a difficult line to negotiate. Consumers want ease of portability as much as they want multi-functionality, but the drive to make gadgets smaller and lighter often means compromising quality of use. There comes a point when just because you can make something smaller, doesn’t necessarily mean you should. We’ve done some extensive research (defined as Google plus copious amounts of coffee) into some of the tiny tech gadgets out there that manage not only to be some of the smallest in their field, but are also not entirely useless.

Bluetooth Headset No Bigger than an Earring  Pillette Bluetooth: Trying to find the tiniest Bluetooth headset is a thankless task. Every manufacturer claims theirs is the smallest, and then to add insult to injury they offend your intelligence by presenting you with a badly photo-shopped image that “proves it”. I have no idea what the world’s smallest Bluetooth headset is and, despite what they may tell you, neither does anyone else. What I can tell you is that the Pillete is right there at the top of the running. The specs are hard to find because it’s still in development in Germany and not due to hit US Markets until next year, but it’s approximately 1.5 inches long when fully extended in the off position. To turn it on simply fold in half and insert into your ear. I’m not sure how comfortable it will be or how often the doctor will have to dig it out of someone’s eardrum after a night out, but as long as you don’t swallow it you should be fine.

Color TV Screen About the Size of Your Pupil Eyescreen: At about half the size of a standard postage stamp, the eyescreen is the world’s smallest color TV screen as well as the world’s only polymer organic light emitting diode microdisplay (translation: super fancy, high contrast, tiny LED screen). Initially this doesn’t strike one as particularly practical; especially with the photo causing it to look like a watch, but MicroEmissive Display designed it to be incorporated into wearable mobile media headsets. A television inside my sunglasses? Yes, please.

Cell Phone the Same Dimension as Your Credit Card Modu-t: One of the problems with a roundup of tiny tech is that the marketing for these items all like to claim they are the “world’s smallest”. It’s an easy thing to get away with because the assertion is often quite difficult to quantify. The modu-t out of Japan, on the other hand, has the Guiness Book of World Records to back up its claim as the world’s lightest, fully functional phone - weighing in at 55.1g and measuring 1.83x2.95x0.43 inches. The problem with a tiny phone though, is, well, it’s tiny. modu has addressed these issues in a creative, if not entirely practical, way. The phone slips easily into several different “jackets” that allow you to access various features. For example, there’s a Sport Jacket with an armband and software that monitors your workout; a Music Jacket with loudspeakers and a headphone jack. I don’t see them ever really catching on in this country, but it’s nice to see a company thinking outside the box.

200 Members of Your Robot Army Fit on the Kitchen Table Robo-Q: Okay, so remember earlier when I said these tiny tech items wouldn’t be entirely useless? This one may be stretching it a bit, but personally I feel that the ability to play tiny soccer games with tiny robots is the hallmark of a spiritually fulfilled life. At 1.3 inches tall, the Robo-Q is the smallest consumer robot available on the market. Not only is it petite and cute and remote controlled, but it has built-in infra-red sensors that functions with obstacle recognition software to not only keep them from running into things, but allows them to chase and follow moving objects – hence the world’s tiniest World Cup Tournament.

MP3 Player the Size of Your Eardrum Micro Sport 2 MP3 Player: Weighing in at a mere 8g and measuring 16x25x22 mm (0.6 x0.98x0.87 in) the Micro Sport 2 is officially the world’s smallest MP3 player, so published in the 2011 Guinness Book of World Records. There doesn’t seem to be any way to really control the music, so targeting this towards people (the athletically inclined) who just want to plug and play is smart marketing. It holds a decent 4GB of music and plugs directly into your computer’s USB port.

Portable PA System for Your Robot Army Super Mini Cube Speaker: Spectacular just for the name alone (because what isn’t made better by adding ‘Super’), this 17g speaker is 1 cubic inch and claims to be the world’s smallest speaker. With a mind-blowing 0.8w of power this is one of the least useful items on our list. Still, if cheap and portable is more important than clear and loud then practical it can be. It does not have volume control, so if you want to be able to hear your music on public transportation you’ll have to get two and convert them into headphones, sparking what will no doubt be the newest techy fashion trend.

Camcorder the Size of Your Index Finger Digital Cowboy DVR-SP: Claiming to be the smallest DVR in the world, you need a microSD card to actually record the footage. It’s only available in Japan at the moment, but don’t be too disappointed because at a mere 176 x 144 pixels your masterpiece won’t be featuring on the big screen.

PC that Fits in Your Palm fit-PC2 Desktop PC: In the case of the fit-PC2 the term “desktop” becomes a bit limiting - we can now call them palm PC’s or pocket PC’s or toss-them-in-your-handbag PC’s. It runs Windows 7 or Linux, has 160GB memory, 1GB RAM and an impressive 2GHz (a vast improvement over its predecessor, which only ran 500MHz), WiFi and a surprising 6 USB ports. It’s staggering how much they’ve managed to fit into a 4” x 4.5” space. It also uses 96% less energy than a standard desktop, for those of you who like smaller electricity bills (or just like being environmentally conscious and smug).

Whether you’re looking for big or small gadgets, you'll find great reviews and manuals for all the latest gear including laptops, cameras, HDTV, and more on Retrevo. Have you seen other tiny gadgets, tell me about it.