In a move which upends the two-device approach of the mid-1990s, Taiwan-based device manufacturer HTC is reportedly offering the HTC Mini as interesting accessory for its `Butterfly' device, albeit only for the Chinese customers.

The HTC Mini, which is being offered on the China Mainland as a phone accessory to the HTC Butterfly, is apparently a Bluetooth device which tethers to the Butterfly by making use of Near Field Communication (NFC). The tethering of the Mini to the Butterfly enables the users to leave their 5-inch smartphone in a desk, wallet or backpack.

Essentially a miniature phone for the big and cumbersome HTC Butterfly device, which features a 5-inch full-HD screen and a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, the HTC Mini accessory is fairly akin to the "candy bar" feature phones of the mid-1990s which came with a big keypad and a small screen.

On the small digital screen of the HTC Mini, users can not only transmit messages, calendar info and call history, but can also virtually convert it into a TV remote. Moreover, the Mini can also ring the users' Butterfly if it has been misplaced in the house; along with serving as a remote for the camera of the Butterfly.

However, the HTC Mini can only work as an HTC Butterfly accessory; and is, thus, practically worthless as a standalone handset, because it does not feature the ability to carry its own SIM.