Hasta La Gadget!

We tell ya, these KIRFs are getting good. Real good. If we didn’t know any better, we’d assume the HTO HD was a bona fide original, and even though we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this thing is a direct rip of HTC’s MAX 4G, we’re still itching to hold one. In fact, the lucky crew over at Engadget Chinese were able to do just that, and they’ve hosted up a hands-on gallery to prove it. Specs wise, the handset features a 4-inch WVGA display, 5 megapixel camera (with AutoFocus), 8GB of internal storage, an SDHC expansion slot, digital TV tuner, GPS / FM radio modules, Bluetooth, WiFi and a standard 3.5-millimeter headphone jack. Availability is still unknown (big shock there, right?), though it’ll reportedly be priced around 3,000 Chinese yuan, or $439 in greenbacks. In other words, this really might be the most expensive, high quality knockoff we’ve seen to date. Hit the read link and decide for yourself.

Filed under: Cellphones

Keepin’ it real fake, part CLXXVII: HTO HD satisfactorily apes MAX 4G originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 24 Jan 2009 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Okay, we don’t really know what’s going on here, but a “Shining” phone that looks almost exactly like the original version of the Kogan Agora Android phone just popped up on Alibaba with a three-day delivery time and a 100-unit wholesale price of $240. Of course, the Agora was just delayed indefinitely, so this could just be nothing; contracting design and development out to faceless Chinese manufacturers like Kogan’s doing is pretty much a deal with the KIRF devil, and those are definitely renders on the site, not actual pictures. Still, we’re dying to see a flood of non-G1 Android handsets shake up the mobile market, and if getting stoked over sketchy Asian copies of semi-vaporware Australian phones is how we have to get our kicks, well, we’re looking for new friends with an extra 24 grand and a healthy sense of forgiveness.

[Thanks, Raymanism]

Filed under: Cellphones

“Shining” phone steals a little Agora magic originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Jan 2009 06:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So we guess we gave Sciphone too much credit when we thought its G2 was running real, actual, genuine Android. “Why would anyone ape the user interface,” we thought, “when the codebase is available to whomever wants it?” Silly us! Turns out the G2’s guts have absolutely nothing to do with Android other than the fact that the UI does a commendable job of looking like the real thing, though the presence of a stylus gives credibility to its KIRF roots. The hardware (which even gets a “Google” logo on the back) actually doesn’t look that bad — and it’s loaded with some apps that you won’t find on a G1 — but we’ll hedge our bets and wait for a new HTC, thank you very much.

[Via Android Central]

Continue reading Dream G2 doesn’t get the irony of ripping off an open-source OS

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Dream G2 doesn’t get the irony of ripping off an open-source OS originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Jan 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Four wheels, custom rims, a fold-out DVD player, and a metallic paint job? Eat your heart out, Woz. Couple more after the break.

Continue reading Crapgadget CES, round 9: pimped Segway KIRF

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Transportation

Crapgadget CES, round 9: pimped Segway KIRF originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Jan 2009 09:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We know, the holiday season is officially kaput, but if you still owe that niece or nephew a gift and you feel like teaching them tech-savvy and brand loyalty, you might want to consider one of these KIRF walkie-talkies / organizers that let you send text messages in addition to voice calls in the same vein as that Slide Click we saw back in the day. Trust us, typing on a small keyboard or numpad is one of the best skills they can have when they grow up — it’s a lot more practical than the Morse code we learned back in our day. The lone exception here is the feature-less RAZR knockoff that does voice-only — hey, it’s only fitting that the one phone here that doesn’t knock off a smartphone have less features.

[Thanks, James]

Read – Discovery Exclusive Pink Slide and Text Messengers (Sidekick)
Read – iChat SMS Text Messenger/Chat Talkies (Blackberry)
Read – iText SMS Text Messenger (iPhone)
Read – Discovery Exclusive Flip Phone Walkie-Talkies (RAZR)

Filed under: Cellphones

Keepin’ it real fake, part CLXXV: The SMS walkie-talkie roundup originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Dec 2008 03:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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