As mobile phones continue to evolve to contain ever more features, Hyundai has taken a different path by announcing the launch of a mobile phone wristwatch.

The Hyundai MB-910 first appeared at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona earlier this year, and it is now thought that it will arrive in the UK by the summer after already having proved extremely popular in Europe.

Although it looks hi-tech, the MB-910 is actually very simple, at least compared to the higher-end smartphones released lately. It has a WAP browser rather than 3G, and does not have that staple of nearly all mobile phones these days, a digital camera. However, it comes with a touch screen as well as the ability to play music and videos.

Hyundai is not the first company to announce the launch of a watch phone. LG also revealed its own version of a watch phone, the G910, at the Mobile World Congress, which will be released later this year. However, the £200 price tag for the Hyundai version is likely to prove the more affordable option.

Indeed, Roland Prinz, the director of Hyundai Mobile, said the watch represents the “latest cutting edge technology” whilst being at a price that is “accessible to the masses”.

Other features include three hours of talk-time and 70 hours in standby mode on a single charge. The phone will come SIM-free, and the idea is that it will be used with a Bluetooth headset, although it will also be possible to speak directly into the screen.

It all looks a bit gimmicky, but it could well catch on. Who knows, in the convenience culture we live in maybe the effort of reaching for your phone from you bag or pocket could seem like too much work in the near future and we will wonder how we ever managed without our watch phones.