TOKYO: A Japanese company is going to introduce world’s first washable smartphone with the price tag of 21,600 yen ($175).
Waterproof smartphones have been on the market for a while. But telecom company KDDI says its new “Digno rafre” phone – to be launched in Japan next week – is the only one that can withstand a soapy bath. “Our development team washed the smartphone more than 700 times to test its durability,” a company spokesman told AFP.
An online commercial aimed at proving its credentials features a child dropping the phone onto a plate of food topped with ketchup. His mother assures her shocked family that those red globs are nothing to worry about as she soaps up the phone under a running tap.
The gadget is mainly aimed at parents who want to keep their smartphones clean for their small children, a KDDI spokesman said. But he also cautioned that only certain types of foamy soap could be used on the device, which will only be sold in Japan for now.
