E-Ink gives phone its own version of tats

(Credit: Gizmodo)

With the impossible competition in the mobile phone business, it's not surprising that some manufacturers would try something a little crazy to distance themselves from pack. But we didn't think they'd be this crazy.

First we saw a weird design from NEC for a "Flask" handset that's apparently powered by some kind of liquid fuel. Now, just a day later, we find that Hitachi is introducing a phone that sports a 2.7-inch E-Ink display on the back that's destined for the Japanese market. Gizmodo says the "Silhouette Screen," which comes with 95 graphics, appears only ornamental because it doesn't display any handset data. It does, however, have a regular 2.8-inch display on the front, a 2-megapixel camera, and 2GB of built-in memory. All of which makes us wonder why no one has stepped up to market a shoe phone to mark the release of the upcoming Get Smart.