New smartphones are being released like hot cakes at the moment, but none of them have really gone back in time. Say hello to the M3 Android NFC Communicator, a phone that steps back in time that adds a little pinch of old with a snippet of new.

According to the guys over at Malaysia based DMD Mobile they will be unveiling a new Android smartphone during Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next week, a handset called the M3 Android NFC Communicator.

Apparently the M3 Android NFC Communicator is for the pre-paid market in the Middle East and South Asia, and mixes old and current specifications on two versions of the handset.

Those specs include a 2.6-inch QVGA landscape capacitive multi-touch touch screen, candy-bar form factor with a QWERTY keyboard (looks a bit like a BlackBerry), and also come as a 3.2-inch HVGA touch screen only model.

Other specs on the M3 Android NFC Communicator include dual-band HSPA+, quad-band GSM, a skinned version of Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread OS, and a 650MHz single core processor, 3 megapixel rear facing camera with LED flash, a VGA front facing camera, NFC, WiFi, A-GPS, Bluetooth 4.0, and a 1150mAh battery.

Apparently the M3 Android NFC Communicator will become available in the Malaysian market sometime in April and is targeted towards the affordable market segment commanding a price tag of RM500, which is roughly $165 US.