Feb 18

ZTE’s Smooth Android slider is a not-so-smooth Pre knockoff

Posted in: Android, kirf, mwc, mwc 2010, palm pre, PalmPre, pre, slider, Today's Chili

We hate to yell “Pre!” at the top of our lungs here, since we’d really like to see further exploration of the portrait QWERTY form factor for Android, but it’s hard to avoid the form factor and stylistic comparisons. The new “Smooth” phone from ZTE is a low-end handset running Android 1.6, with a 2.8-inch QVGA screen, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and a love for Palm industrial design. The phone, which is being shown off at MWC, should retail under 1000 Yuan (about $146 US) and be released in August of this year as a low-end smartphone contender.

ZTE’s Smooth Android slider is a not-so-smooth Pre knockoff originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Feb 2010 20:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 17

General Mobile’s Touch Stone: how can something so wrong be so right?

Posted in: Android, hands-on, kirf, mwc, mwc 2010, Mwc2010, Today's Chili

General Mobile — maker of the DSTL1 dual-SIM Android phone — has always walked a fine line between KIRF and originality with its phones, and its latest batch is no different. Normally it’s easy to resist a device widely regarded as a knockoff (for most of us, anyhow), but in the case of the newest model here, General Mobile’s actually managed to answer a question HTC’s failed to so far: where the hell is the HD2 with Android? The so-called “Touch Stone” (deep breaths, Palm) rings true to many of the actual HD2’s specs, from the 5 megapixel camera to the 4.3-inch capacitive WVGA display, but this sucker adds an “optional” analog TV tuner (which won’t do countries with digital transitions any good) and Android 2.0 atop an ARM9-based PXA935 core. Sadly, this phone doesn’t quite exist yet — we were shown a dummy model today with the promise of retail toward the end of the year, at which point HTC and others will undoubtedly have phones like the Supersonic on the shelf. If you’ll excuse us, we need a cold shower, but you’ll find more shots of the Touch Stone along with the Cosmos (launching soon) and Cosmos 2 dummy (launching… well, eventually) in the gallery.

Gallery: General Mobile’s Touch Stone: how can something so wrong be so right?

General Mobile’s Touch Stone: how can something so wrong be so right? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 01

Somy X5: basically a Sony Ericsson Pureness for a tenth the price

Posted in: ericsson, kirf, sony, Sony Ericsson, SonyEricsson, Today's Chili, xperia

Here’s the thing about Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Pureness: once you get past the translucent display, there’s not much to it. Seriously — it doesn’t have 3G, a camera, hunks of precious metal, or even a fancy name to flaunt like Vertu, Dior, or Versace; it’s just a low-end phone from a mass-market manufacturer that can’t do much other than make calls. We suppose that’s why it was so easy for a Shenzhen KIRFer to pop out this near-perfect duplicate of the Pureness — the Somy X5 — in no time. Heck, it’s even got support for two SIMs, or exactly twice as many as you’ll find on the $1,000 genuine article — which, if you’re keeping track, is over twelve times the bargain-basement sticker on the Somy here at RMB 550 ($81). Anyhow, looks like it’s back to that search for a faithful Aura replica, eh?

Somy X5: basically a Sony Ericsson Pureness for a tenth the price originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 26

Keepin’ it real fake, part CCLLL: Amazon.com gets copied with its Kindle in tow

Posted in: amazon, e reader, kirf, reader, Today's Chili

Guys, seriously: you’re going to love this one. Indian site Infibeam — which looks at least somewhat “legit” — has completely ripped off Amazon.com… as in pretty much copied it exactly. Now, we’re no strangers ourselves to a bit of ‘fan fictionizing‘ of our name and likeness (for retail locations), but this is possibly the most blatant (and blatantly hilarious) thing we’ve ever seen. Oh, and while you’re visiting Infibeam.com, don’t forget to pick up an Infibeam Pi — AKA Kindle ripoff. Infibeam’s CEO, Geoff Pezos will thank you.

[Thanks, Vinod P.]

Keepin’ it real fake, part CCLLL: Amazon.com gets copied with its Kindle in tow originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 25

Keepin’ it real fake, part CCLII: Nokia N900 commits S60 5th fraud

Posted in: kirf, maemo, nokia, symbian, Today's Chili

It’s not the first N900 KIRF we’ve seen but it’s definitely the truest fake physical reproduction of Nokia’s flagship “mobile computer” to date. Not necessarily a good thing since its the raw power and OS that makes the N900 such a compelling handset — not its looks. Nevertheless, the industrial design, port placements, and QWERTY layout of this “N900 Style” handset is a near exact physical knock-off of its Nokia inspiration. Critically absent is Maemo 5 riding an ARM Cortex A8 processor, 32GB of integrated storage, WiFi, 3G data radio, Carl Zeiss optics, and the peace of mind you get when purchasing a genuine Nokia handset. Besides, even with dual-SIM support, do you really want to spend $120 for a JAVA-built S60 5th-ish user experience on a 3.2-inch display pushing 240 x 320 pixels? Oh hell no. One more shot after the break if you’re feeling surly.

[Thanks, Drew]

Continue reading Keepin’ it real fake, part CCLII: Nokia N900 commits S60 5th fraud

Keepin’ it real fake, part CCLII: Nokia N900 commits S60 5th fraud originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jan 2010 04:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 15

Boeye’s OEM E900 reader is the Kindle DX’s cheaper twin

Posted in: amazon, Books, e ink, e reader, kindle, kirf, reader, Today's Chili

Ever wondered what an exact replica of the Kindle DX would look like? Well, if you were thinking that it would look like an exact replica of the Kindle DX, you’re a winner. You’re currently checking out the Boeye E900, a 9.7-inch reader hailing from Guangdong, China. Besides the obvious lack of branding here, we’re hard-pressed to spot another difference — though we do only have the one photo. Both sport WiFi, Bluetooth, and text-to-speech, plus apparently the exact same internals as the DX, including an 825 x 1200 resolution, 3G, 128MB built-in flash memory, and a microSD card slot. We’ll tell you this — the price, at around $311, is way cheaper than Amazon’s actual reader. That is however, seemingly a wholesale price as the minimum order accepted is apparently 100 pieces. Anybody need 99 fake Kindles?

Boeye’s OEM E900 reader is the Kindle DX’s cheaper twin originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jan 2010 11:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 12

Keepin’ it real fake, part CCXLX: Nokia N93 knocked off, with an added Engadget bonus!

Posted in: kirf, nokia, Today's Chili
This strange NOKLA knock-off combines the Nokia brand-name, elements of the iPhone’s UI, and the admittedly ho-hum specs of your typical KIRF phone (including a 2.8-inch resistive touchscreen, 1.3 megapixel camera, and WiFi). If all that isn’t enough to warn you off this device there’s always that weird fin that extends considerably from one side — which can’t be comfortable when you’re trying to use this phone as, you know, a phone. But the most shocking part of this whole mess is the “Nokia” logo itself. Take a closer look: it’s really familiar, right? We’re glad to know that we’ve had such a powerful impact on the KIRF industry-at-large! All that said, we’re not here to judge — if your self-hatred extends to your choice in handsets, hit the source link to hunt one of these down for yourself.

Keepin’ it real fake, part CCXLX: Nokia N93 knocked off, with an added Engadget bonus! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Jan 2010 12:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 05

Keepin’ it real fake, part CCXLIX: Cool K07 is the ultimate facePalm

Posted in: chinese, kirf, palm, palm pre, PalmPre, pre, smartphone, Today's Chili, webos

Yeah, yeah — we’ve seen a fairly weak effort to ape the Pre before, but this… this is the knockoff webOS device your shady side has been waiting for. A dead ringer for the Palm Pre, the Cool K07 boasts a luscious 2.8-inch touchscreen (320 x 240 resolution), a T-Flash card slot, a 2 megapixel camera, inbuilt speaker, MP3 / MP4 player, a blazing fast connection to the web (GPRS, if you must know), Bluetooth, an FM radio tuner, alarm clock, a few games and room for 1,000 contacts. Granted, there’s none of that fancy “Synergy” stuff, and we’re guessing you won’t find any “cards” or “multitasking” here, but for $128 unlocked and room for the SIM card of your choice, how on Earth could you complain? Exactly. You can’t. Or maybe that’s just stunned silence we hear…

[Thanks, Dechris]

Keepin’ it real fake, part CCXLIX: Cool K07 is the ultimate facePalm originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 05:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 02

n’Gadgets store has us pondering a name change, new line of business

Posted in: engadget, kirf, Today's Chili

Engadget’s iconic and recognizable logo has a long history of being used in unauthorized ways. We should probably be appalled or something, but we’ll leave that to the lawyers — because we can’t help but find it amusing. This time around, it’s Batteries n’Gadgets — a store at a mall in Toronto — that saw fit to take liberties with our logo. Nice work, Canada!

[Thanks, David]

n’Gadgets store has us pondering a name change, new line of business originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 02 Jan 2010 21:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dec 28

Keepin’ it real fake, part CCXLVIII: Xderia X2 packs 2X the KIRF

Posted in: kirf, Today's Chili, xperia
Sony Ericsson’s Xperia X2 may have been delayed until next month, but official delays have never held back the inevitable KIRF hordes, as exemplified by this intriguing “Xderia X2.” Not content with simply approximating SE’s stylish QWERTY slider, this one goes the extra mile with a KIRF edition of Windows Mobile, not to mention some impressive specs like a 12.1 megapixel camera, dual SIM card slots, and a built-in FM radio — which may or may not match the phone’s actual specs. No word on a price just yet, but we’re guessing you’ll be able to buy anywhere from four to fourteen of these for the price of an actual X2.

Keepin’ it real fake, part CCXLVIII: Xderia X2 packs 2X the KIRF originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Dec 2009 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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