As an increasing number of companies harness the technology needed to make  sci-fi films a reality (see our recent feed on Google Glass), Polytron Technologies ()  has joined the trend by revealing a working concept for a transparent phone.

Dubbed ‘Switchable Glass’, the phone uses liquid crystal molecules in a  conductive OLED screen, which are aligned by the use of electric currents  to display images and text. Despite the obvious hardware currently visible  through the phone (SIM card, batteries, microphones and SD card), it’s still a  fairly impressive-looking piece of kit, and Polytron are hoping the completed  device would have touchscreens on the front and back, and completely hidden  microphones and speakers. In addition to this, the screen is slightly larger than  an iPhone 5, and, being 25% lighter and purportedly cheaper, it could well add  an interesting dimension to the smartphone market.

As the makers of glass screens that become clouded at the flick of a switch  Polytron are no strangers to using ‘Smart Glass’, and they’ve got high hopes  for this latest project, hoping it’ll be ready to market by the end of the year. It’s  a long way off yet, but with researchers busy working on a tablet version it’s  probable these transparent devices will become a reality in the near future.