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HTC Mini+ wraps calls, a TV remote, and a laser in one

Don't feel like holding your phone to your face? HTC's Mini+ device will do that for you, plus it contains a laser pointer and can control your TV.

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If you're too busy using your HTC smartphone to play games or browser the Web, the phone-maker has come up with a rather...unusual solution for taking a call that doesn't throw you off your groove: an accessory that answers calls for you.

The HTC Mini+ follows the HTC Mini before it (not to be confused with the HTC One Mini smartphone) in this endeavor, using Bluetooth to field calls, view texts and e-mails, and trigger your phone's camera from a distance.

HTC Mini+ smartphone remote (pictures)

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This time, the Mini+ also adds an IR blaster to function as a remote control for Power Point presentations and TV, and a laser pointer.

Outfitted with a bite-size 1.5-inch 128x128-pixel OLED screen, the Mini+ is a surprisingly large device that stands 4.7 inches tall by 1.6 inches wide and 0.3 inch deep. For now, the Mini+ works with the HTC One Mini, HTC Butterfly S, HTC Desire 200, and HTC Desire 500.

You'll see it in certain markets for about $84 -- and 54 British pounds, though I wouldn't expect to find it dangling on a peg in your local carrier store.