HTC's designers seem to be cognizant of the fact that smartphones are growing too large for some people to use comfortably, but the company is taking a truly bizarre approach in trying to rectify the problem. Meet the HTC Mini, an NFC / Bluetooth-enabled device that's now being bundled with the 5-inch HTC Butterfly in China. Yes, HTC seems to think giving you a second, more ergonomic handset to carry around (and keep charged) is a better alternative to shrinking down its flagship Android phones. The candybar-style device pairs up with the Butterfly via NFC, after which Bluetooth is used to display notifications, text messages, calendar entries, and more. You can even place voice calls with the Mini, relegating your primary handset and its stunning 1080p display to the dark confines of your pocket.

Just keep that phone you paid so much money for in your pocket

Still more functionality is baked into the odd companion device: it can act as a remote control when the Butterfly is tethered to your TV and displaying content on screen. There's also a phone locator feature that will prompt your 5-inch handset to sound an alert if you somehow can't find it. (Wouldn't the Mini prove easier to lose?) It even doubles as a remote shutter trigger for the Butterfly's camera. The idea itself isn't horrible: it's easy to envision something like this proving useful when paired with an Android tablet, for instance. But as an accessory for a smartphone? It should not have come to this.