The portable telephone of the invention comprises two housings having a display screen on one of the housings, a first connection section that connects the two housings such that the housings can be opened and closed in a first direction, and a second connection section that connects the two housings such that the housings can move from an overlapped state in a second direction that is different than the first direction such that step is formed on the end sections of the housings. When the portable telephone is placed on a flat surface such as a desk, the portable telephones stably stands on its own by way of the step with the display screen facing upward at an angle. Therefore, the angle between the display screen and the line of sight of the user becomes nearly perpendicular, so the display screen is easy for the user to see.