Details on a new, ultra-compact Android 2.1 smartphone have emerged, the Vodafone 845.  As the name suggests, the handset is apparently headed to European carrier Vodafone, but going by the:unwired’s anonymous tipster it’s actually the handiwork of Huawei and is known elsewhere as the Joy.

As well as triband GSM/GPRS/EDGE and dualband UMTS/HSPA, the Vodafone 845 packs WiFi b/g, Bluetooth 2.1 and a 3.2-megapixel camera.  We weren’t joking when we said it was small, either; with a 2.8-inch QVGA touchscreen and dimensions of 100 x 55 x 13 mm it’s actually a little smaller than the HTC Tattoo.

Hardware controls include an optical joystick and a number of physical buttons, which should please those less enamoured with touch-sensitive keys, and apparently Vodafone’s 360 networking and app platform is preloaded along with the usual “Google Experience” apps.  There’s talk of a Q2 2010 launch in Europe, but no word on pricing at this stage.