Portal is currently a project on Indiegogo

Sep 29, 2014 07:45 GMT  ·  By

Smartwatches and wearables are extremely hot topics constantly debated by the press today, even if consumer demand for such products isn't too big.

Customers are mostly put off by the chunky price-tags at which these wearables sell, and we’ve constantly heard the mantra according to which with the money needed to buy a smartwatch, one could purchase a decent smartphone and strap it to the wrist instead.

A smartwatch on your wrist? Check!

Well, the creators of Portal seem to believe this is something some people actually want. No, we’re not talking about the game, but of a wearable product with a flexible display.

You might remember LG showed off an 18-inch rollable OLED panel some time ago, but even if products taking advantage of this tech haven’t been rolled out in the wild yet, the team behind Portal is envisioning a smartphone that is curved and can live on your wrist.

Portal is supposedly aimed at active individuals on the go who are frustrated with bulky, cluttered, non-durable phones that constantly get in the way of their dynamic lifestyle. The non-durable part is probably a subtle poke at Apple’s iPhone 6 #bendgate woes, but smartphones today are anything but bulky.

Portal seems to be a little ahead of its time. It should appeal to individuals who own multiple devices like a smartwatch, fitness tracker and smartphone but are sick of having so many gadgets around the house, which isn't the case with most folks.

Portal wants to provide all the functionalities of the three product categories in one, from fitness apps to Google Maps.

Portal's looks leave a lot to be desired

The smartphone UI seems interesting enough and different from what we have seen so far (Portal Customizable User Interface based on Android), but we can’t help but laugh at the wearable mode. The smartphone strapped to the wrist looks a little bit ridiculous.

It actually reminds us of HTC’s April Fool’s Day Joke when they supposedly launched the “Gluuv” Wearable which looked like a glove a robot might wear. Or an astronaut.

Anyway, apart from providing you with the means to space travel, we jest, the Portal wearable promises a new era in smartphone use.

For starters, it will be unlocked and usable with most major carriers. Secondly, it will arrive with a button-less design which makes it water resistant.

The Portal team says that due to its flexible design the wearable can be used at work or while you exercise, but we’re a little skeptic you’d want to go to the office with a cuff like that around your wrist.

As for specifications, the Portal should arrive with a 6-inch (the 4-inch version will be available in 2015) OLED flexible/waterproof anti-scratch polycarbonate display. Under the hood runs what’s being called the “fastest multi-core CPU” fitted with 2GB of RAM and backed-up by 64GB of internal storage.

For the time being, Portal is a project gathering funds on Indiegogo. It has a pretty high goal set up for itself of $300,000 / / € 236,593 and 26 days left to make it happen.

Early birds interested in this project can pledge $349 / / €275 to receive one of the first 0-100 serial numbered Portal Sport smartphones. But for this kind of money, you might as well get the Apple Watch instead of making a gamble on this experimental project.

Portal Flexible, Wearable Smartphone (6 Images)

Portal is a smartphone you can wear on your wrist
Portable is a wearable from the futurePortal's UI can come in many colors
+3more