Shenzhen -- Engadget Mobile

Shenzhen posts

Keepin' it real fake, part CCXXXIX: Genuine Android shipping on a counterfeit Storm

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Oct 13th 2009 @ 3:17PM

Looks like someone in Shenzhen had time to kill overnight at the Storm factory -- and they've put it to good use. Instead of giving us a faux-BlackBerry with a horribly mangled KIRFed-out UI (or at most WinMo) what we have here is a genuine clone with a trackball thrown in for good measure running honest-to-goodness Android 1.5. Dubbed the Broncho A1, this guy features a 600MHz CPU, 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen, 3.2 megapixel camera, WiFi, GPS, and an FM radio. That's the good news. The bad? 128MB RAM isn't going to do much for you, app-wise. Oh, well. Price and ship date to be announced at a later date. Get a closer look in the gallery below.

Gallery: Genuine Android shipping on a counterfeit Storm

[Via Cloned In China]

Keepin' it real fake, part CCXXXVIII: Palm Pre knockoff doesn't know what it wants to be when it grows up

by Laura June posted Oct 9th 2009 @ 12:16PM

Yes, this was only a matter of time, and we're a little surprised we didn't see one earlier. Regardless, this is the Palm Pre knockoff we've been waiting for. Seemingly called just iPhone +QWERTY -- this KIRF is being marketed as just that -- a real business phone with a hybrid identity blending the BlackBerry and the iPhone. And really, that's not too bad of a description for this little dude, we guess. Boasting analog TV, Bluetooth, and an FM radio, it runs the much-loved OPhone operating system, and can be had for 600 RMP (about $88). There are two more shots after the break. Hit the read link for a full peek.

[Via PMP Today]

Continue reading Keepin' it real fake, part CCXXXVIII: Palm Pre knockoff doesn't know what it wants to be when it grows up

Keepin' it real fake, part CCIII: New York Times undercover edition

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Apr 28th 2009 @ 4:54PM

When the New York Times sent one of its ace reporters to Shenzhen to check out the KIRF scene, they came to a startling conclusion: these things are really quite popular. And why not? Your iPhone might be a terrific device, but is it really $400 better than the Hi-Phone, or the iorgane? Well, it's probably $400 better than the iorgane -- we'll give you that one. The article sites a general lack of concern from the Chinese government, new technology such as Mediatek's turnkey circuit board solution, and a significant drop in the price of parts as reasons that knock-off phones are so prominent in that part of the world. There is also a bit of cultural pride at work, too: purchasing "shanzhai" technology is sometimes seen as a way to thumb your nose at the big players in the industry and throw some work to your local bandit. That said, we do have to cry foul at the way the paper lumps our beloved Meizu M8 in with the usual assortment of knock-offs: the thing sports nary an Apple (or "organe") on its handsome exterior. Check out the price breakdown on a typical $40 KIRF after the break.

[Thanks, Ben]

Continue reading Keepin' it real fake, part CCIII: New York Times undercover edition

China Mobile opens "experience shops" as TD-SCDMA softly launches

by Darren Murph posted Jun 3rd 2008 @ 4:48AM

We knew good and well China Mobile was all geared up to launch its homegrown 3G standard in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangzhou and Shenzhen (among other locales), and though China's government hasn't issued 3G licenses yet, TD-SCDMA has finally made its soft launch. In order to garner interest in the service, said carrier has also opened up "experience shops" in the aforementioned cities "to allow the public to experiment with TD-SCDMA handsets and gain confidence with TD-SCDMA's capabilities." During the initial launch, some 60,000 dual-mode TD-SCDMA / GSM handsets and 15,000 data cards will be on sale in these outlets, with most of the units being in the "mid- to high-end range" and costing between $286 and $572 (those are subsidized prices). Here is where we suppose China Mobile holds its breath and hopes for things to take off.

[Via mocoNews]