Smallest microwave is just a prototype

LONDON, June 9 (UPI) -- What is being billed as the world's smallest microwave promises new convenience for consumers but so far it's just a prototype, British industry analysts said.

The portable microwave can be powered through a link to a USB port on a laptop computer, The Daily Mail of Britain reported Monday. It was developed in partnership with H.J. Heinz Co. to give workers, students and travelers a way to heat up beverages or snacks -- including hamburgers, soup or tea -- the newspaper said.

For now, it isn't available in the marketplace, but experts at the Microwave Association say the technology is there to get the gadget into the hands of consumers.

Gordon Andrews -- managing director of GAMA Microwave Technology -- worked with Stephen Frazer, an authority on industrial design and managing director of Frazer Designers, to develop what's being called the mini-micro. It uses a combination of mobile phone radio frequencies to generate heat for cooking.

Andrews said the device could be powered with lithium ion batteries, which would make it "completely portable, which would be a help to fishermen, campers or sportsmen."