My first search for a teeny, tiny GSM phone (last year), came up with a couple of models that were small enough to wear around my neck, but which I later decided were just too gimmicky; their diminutive size was their sole appeal, with functionality being purely an after-thought. My love affair with the one I ultimately ended up buying died when I finally had to admit that I couldn't really make out the icons on the puny screen or be patient enough to scroll through the not so exciting functions that there were no buttons for.

Now, those in the market for a slim phone with more to offer than a sleek physique have options that are sophistciated in both style and function -- for instance, the three from Samsung that Ray recently wrote about: the P300 the SGS-P310, and the SCH-B510.

For a while, I had given up on the idea of replacing my GSM phone with another one in the micro category, having learned that smaller isn't always better. But I'm somewhat taken with the new Black Pearl MP3 OLED Micro Mobile GSM Phone released by Haier, and described as being the size of a lipstick case (though I'm not sure if that's a useful way to describe the size, as lipstick cases come in lots of different sizes). More specifically, it weighs in at 2.24 ounces and its dimensions are 3.5" L x 1 1/4" W x 3/4" D.

The Black Pearl -- named that because of its gun metal-mercury mirrored surface that's "reminiscent of black pearl" -- is being marketed as a luxury phone for women. Features include a built-in MP3 player, FM stereo tuner, Bluetooth, Trans-Flash slot for additional storage capacity up to 1GB, voice recorder, OLED display, standard mini USB connector for charging and data transfer, and navigation through a side-mounted thumb rocker switch.

Good news for me: it's soon to be available as an unlocked GSM phone through resellers, which means I can keep my existing plan and phone number when I switch phones. No word on pricing as yet.