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Keepin' It Real Fake, part CCXX: "Sony" T77 phone isn't a Cybershot... it's so much more

by Ross Miller, posted Jul 7th 2009 @ 1:46AM

If you find the ten megapixels of (legit) Sony's DSC-T77 absolutely decadent, why not settle for (illegit) Sony's two megapixel-wielding T77 smartphone? The tradeoff for lower resolution pics is a dual SIM solution with Bluetooth A2DP support, FM radio, MP3/4 player, microSD slot, e-book reader capabilities, WAP connectivity, and a 3.2-inch WQVGA LCD display that's a tad smaller than its doppelganger. It's even got its own plectrum for rocking out with your, erm, KIRF out. Think this is everything you could possibly want and more? Decidedly Chinese vendor solomobi's selling it at $116.

[Thanks, facelessloser]

Meizu CEO: current M8 upgradeable to 3G, estimated cost about $190 to $220

by Ross Miller, posted Jun 21st 2009 @ 5:51PM

We know, we know, it's gonna be awfully hard to part with the comfort of your current beloved Meizu M8, but trust us, change can be good. We've already heard reports of an Android-centric UI refresh, and now company CEO J. Wong has chimed in to outline a tentative upgrade plan for the upcoming M8 3G. Current users of the eerily familiar 8GB / 16GB device will need to pay approximately 1,300 RMB to 1,500 RMB (translation: about $190 to $200 US) for next year's model. Oddly enough, despite these estimates, he's not confirming any market selling price. Wong also adds the screen size has been expanded from the initially planned 3.54 inches diagonal to 3.6, with same 720 x 480 resolution. Keep saving your pennies, last we heard launch date was still (lightly) penciled in for March 2010.

Imobile phoneV588 makes calls, could hold your foundation

by Darren Murph, posted May 22nd 2009 @ 3:59AM

Not that we haven't seen compact-themed cellphones before, but we'd argue that the Imobile phoneV588 is about as suggestive as it gets. This dual-band GSM "handset" looks more like the next big thing from Cover Girl than your next mobile, with a circular form factor, pop-up lid, a built-in mirror and a design that would've totally worked in Princess Diaries. If you're curious about hard specs, you'll find a 2.6-inch LCD, an integrated MP3 / MP4 player, speakers and USB connectivity. Oh, and your guess is as good as ours on the whole "dialing / texting" aspect. Freshen up your social life for just $119.99.

[Via PMP Today]

Dell to launch smartphones in China by end of year

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 14th 2009 @ 10:28AM

After having its prototypes rejected a few times over by carriers here in America, it seems that Michael Dell is taking his smartphone initiative overseas. 'Course, he'll need something mighty special to outshine Lenovo's OPhone over in China, but we digress. Hot on the heels of rumors galore, Reuters is reporting that Dell is indeed aiming to launch multiple smartphones in the Chinese market before the dawn of 2010. A pair of analysts have asserted that the firm is working with Chi Mei Communications -- an unlisted unit of Taiwan's Hon Hai -- on the hardware front, while China-based Red Office is engineering the operating system. Not surprisingly, spokespeople from these outfits are all remaining mum for the moment, but we are told that the US and Europe are on Dell's list of next-up launch markets assuming the China rollout goes well.

[Via MobileBurn]

Motorola's long lived A1200 MING gets a successor: A1210

by Darren Murph, posted Mar 25th 2009 @ 9:01AM

Say it ain't so! Some three years after the original A1200 MING drew attention overseas with its then-flashy design and Linux OS, we're finally hearing that somewhat of a direct successor is on the way. Oh sure, we've certainly seen others in the MING family surface over the past little while, but this one follows right in line even in name. The A1210 sports a 2.8-inch QVGA (400 x 240) touchscreen, a 3.1 megapixel camera, FM radio, tri-band GSM support, Bluetooth, USB, a TI OMAP850 processor and a microSD card slot. The most interesting part, however, is the homegrown Linux build that'll reportedly be loaded on. Sadly, it's too early to tell whether that system will be all new or partially regurgitated, but the Chinese market should be able to tell in the not-too-distant future.

Meizu M8 defies the odds and officially goes on sale - again

by Joseph L. Flatley, posted Feb 18th 2009 @ 12:03PM

Word on the street has it that the Meizu's M8 -- that vaporous iPhone killer from the east -- is now officially on sale, as of February 18. For real. Wait, you ask -- wasn't it available last week sometime? Well, yes and no. Apparently, the unit we've seen making the rounds was a beta version -- if you slapped down your $440-ish dollars on that one, you got something with "a fair amount of problems to be ironed out," according to DAP Review. The site, whose Chinese-to-English translator is apparently functioning better than ours, goes on to point out that while the test units had WiFi enabled, the final production version does not. A strange decision, sure, but this is a tale fraught with strange decisions. And danger. And excitement and glamor. By the way -- we just hit up the official Meizu site, and the 16GB version of this device is "out of stock" -- probably due to the rapturous reception the unit's received all over the world.

[Via DAP Review; Thanks, Michael]

Continue reading Meizu M8 defies the odds and officially goes on sale - again

Keepin' it real fake, part CLXXXIII: WebXpress just a "Music" and "5800" shy of greatness

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 14th 2009 @ 3:49PM

Here lately, we've been pretty impressed with just how awesome some of these Chinese knockoffs have been. In fact, we were beginning to wonder if the bona fide manufacturers weren't in cahoots with some of these low-class acts. Thanks to China Grabber, we're being reacquainted with the garbage that we once knew ~~and loved~~, as the WebXpress handset is about as pathetic a rip of the 5800 XpressMusic as you could ever hope to see. Reportedly, it's packing a 3-inch QVGA LCD, quad-band GSM radio, dual SIM slots, a 1.3 megapixel camera, video recorder, e-book reader and even some form of "health management" software. For $149.99, we're almost tempted to order one just to see about the latter. Almost.

[Via PMPToday]

Motorola hacks a thousand from China-based R&D team

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 13th 2009 @ 10:42AM

Details are starting to flow in regarding those 4,000 job cuts that Motorola announced in January, and evidently a thousand of 'em are coming from a single Chinese facility. According to the People's Daily Online, 1,000 Moto workers are being dismissed, and every last one of 'em are from the research and development team of the mobile phone department. We're told that the software platform project team suffered the most, and all told, there's just 100 staffers that remain at the plant. For whatever it's worth, Motorola has affirmed that its commitment to growth in the Chinese market remains the same -- apparently it thinks it can still succeed with far fewer heads doing the work.

[Via mocoNews]

Sony Ericsson mulling production of TD-SCDMA handsets?

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 12th 2009 @ 5:37AM

Take this one for what it's worth (which ain't much at the moment), but DigiTimes has it that Sony Ericsson is considering producing TD-SCDMA handsets for entry into Chinese markets. Granted, you can already find yourself a few SE knockoffs in that section of the globe, but we're guessing the company is looking to actually profit off of the phones sold in the aforementioned nation. We're told that Carl-Henric Svanberg, president and CEO of Ericsson, has indicated that T3G Technology could be tapped to provide the TD-SCDMA solutions, and given that China will soon have gobs of 3G capabilities, the timing here makes sense. Potentially more interesting would be SE's choice of handset for the Chinese market -- will we finally see the company work some low-end magic now that the economy is strained? Give it a shot, SE, it's not like you've really got anything else left to lose.

[Via CellPassion]

Meizu M8 on sale for $440: buy at your own risk

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 8th 2009 @ 12:46PM

We don't have to caution those familiar with the name "Meizu" that this may not be what it seems, but we'll do it anyway for those new to the field. The outfit's long, long, long awaited M8 appears to be on sale now for anyone with $439.99 and a remote desire to own one. However, we have seen this thing "on sale" before, but outside of a few anomalous reviews, we haven't actually seen it ship to anyone in the US. In all honesty, we'd love nothing more than for this to be the real deal, but we've a sneaking suspicion that no one with half a brain is going to pull the trigger and pray for arrival. Though, the idea of surfing on top of one's handset is surprisingly enticing, wouldn't you agree?

[Thanks, Lance]

Lenovo's Android-powered OPhone to hit China Mobile this quarter

by Darren Murph, posted Jan 9th 2009 @ 4:18PM

Look out, China -- Lenovo's all-too-sexy OPhone is about to land in the hands of unsuspecting China Mobile subscribers, or so says Reuters, anyway. The planet's largest mobile carrier will reportedly launch the 3G handset sometime this quarter, though some reports are suggesting that development is being hampered as engineers struggle with creating a Chinese language version of the OS. Once launched, it will go down as the first Android-powered handset to operate on China's home-cooked TD-SCDMA 3G network, but there's no word on just how costly it'll be. Not like cost is really a concern here, right?

[Via mocoNews, image courtesy of modmyGphone]

Keepin' it real fake, part CLXXVI: iPhone Air jockeys for "best ripoff ever" award

by Darren Murph, posted Jan 5th 2009 @ 8:37AM

For those with a whiteboard full of Apple rumors, you'll been keenly aware of the fact that the whole iPhone Air terminology has been tossed around before in a joking manner. This, however, is not a joke. In fact, it's a very real KIRF, and it's possibly one of the most awesome we've ever seen. We mean, who'd ever want an iPhone nano when one could have -- wait for it -- the iPhone Air. Aside from clean, beautiful, streamlined edges, those fortunate enough to procure one from China will also find dual SIM card slots, an FM radio, Bluetooth, a multimedia player and a built-in camera. The KIRF game just got stepped up good fashion, and we love it.

[Thanks, David]

Nokia's 6208c now official, officially in love with stylus input

by Darren Murph, posted Dec 31st 2008 @ 2:47AM

Nokia's 6208c (or 6208 classic, if you prefer) isn't arriving as a surprise, though it is quite nice to see it being made completely official. The rather unique handset was designed with the Chinese market in mind, as it boasts an integrated, removable stylus modeled after bamboo slips for inputting Chinese characters via pen. You'll also notice a stainless steel back cover, 3.2-megapixel camera (with twin LED flash), a 4x digital zoom and a microSD slot for expanding storage. Mum's the word on pricing, but it should be loosed in "select markets" during the first half of 2009.

Nokia and Motorola dominate China's smartphone market

by Darren Murph, posted Dec 16th 2008 @ 8:01PM

Really, it's not even fair. A recent look at Q3 2008 smartphone sales in China has found that together, Nokia and Motorola encompass around 90% of all handsets sold in the nation (real ones, we presume). The CCID Consulting report also points out that Nokia's share alone is a dominating 69.3%, with its wide range of choices spanning from low-end to ultra-luxurious helping it to hook consumers from all walks of life. Picking up the silver is Moto with a respectable 19.9%, while Dopod snags the bronze with just 4.7%. Overall, handset sales in China were practically flat from Q2, which -- in today's world -- isn't particularly awful. For the number lovers out there (you know who you are), check the read link for even more statistics.

[Via mocoNews, image courtesy of SymbianWebBlog]

More shots of Lenovo's Android-powered OPhone: 'love on the rocks, with no ice'

by Darren Murph, posted Dec 16th 2008 @ 12:58PM

What goes down easy with a gorgeous cellphone that'll probably never leave China's borders? Stately rocks, of course. The Android-powered "OPhone" is quite the sight to behold, and while the Lenovo logo may not look quite right to American eyes, we're sure you could learn to love it in time. We're also finding out a bit more about the unit's internals, as it will include a 5-megapixel camera (with Auto Focus and flash), a microSD card slot, English / Chinese input via virtual keyboard, a video recorder and Bluetooth 2.0. Check the read link for a few more angles, and just in case you're wondering, no touchscreens were harmed during the shoot.