Meizu's M8 MiniOne shipping January 17th?

Alright, so this isn't straight from the horse's mouth, but this potential ship date for the Meizu M8 definitely vibes with what we've heard up until now. This one has a new price too, at $788.50, which is a fair amount less than the $989 number floating around. Anyway, sounds like we'll have a few months yet until the 16GB iPhone influenced phone hits. Why so long, Meizu?

[Thanks, Alexander]

[DickHardknocks @ Sep 16th 2007 10:11PM]

A Price tag over $700 makes this thing less desireable to me than an Iphone. If it had 3G and 15 GB of NAND memory, it would probably be worth the money.

I just doubt I could trust this thing if it was made in China. Firstly I doubt the build quality could be that great and secondly, I'd worry about Lead Paint or exploding batteries.

When is SONY or Toshiba gonna make a worldband iphone clone?

[Zach @ Sep 16th 2007 10:15PM]

15 GB NAND memory isn't likely. Memory tends to come in powers of 2 (2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, etc.) 16 GB is more likely than 15 GB.

[cmonkey @ Sep 16th 2007 10:25PM]

Its Meizu; their mp3 players are pretty amazing, as good as or better than those designed in Japan, South Korea, and America. I'm willing to bet that at least half of the products within a 5 foot radius of you (including the computer you submitted the comment from) were made in China; there's no need to go xenophobic now that the mass media is pandering to it.

That said, I've been watching news about the MiniOne/M8 for a while and it looks like the holy grail of converged devices. Unfortunately it is also priced as such. With mass manufacturing, hopefully it'll drop into affordable range.

[reticulate @ Sep 16th 2007 10:27PM]

Uhh.. Your iPhone would be made in China too, y'know.

Just sayin'.

[Zaidyn @ Sep 16th 2007 10:45PM]

As a matter of fact, my computer was made in Mexico, interestingly enough.

[Abuzar @ Sep 17th 2007 12:11AM]

It's not third world anymore. They are now referred to as LDCs(less developed countries). I guess they didn't want to hurt their feelings.

[msm @ Sep 17th 2007 12:12AM]

@william
dude chill, you sound like my old sunday school teacher.

[Tony @ Sep 17th 2007 12:44AM]

@william

the Chinese stealing from foreigners?

what about the invention of paper money (not to mention paper itself)? who stole that? the compass? gunpowder? toilet paper?

all Chinese inventions. Go crawl back in your hole and wipe your ass with your fingers.

[Alpha899 @ Sep 17th 2007 12:59AM]

@Cheapy your a moron, if you haven't noticed, the majority of recalled goods have been for US Companies manufacturing/OEM from China i.e. Hasbro, Mattel and even the pet food was an American company. Electronics from China are still safe and so are 99.99% of all things that come from China and 'third worlds'. What's dangerous is ignorance like yours.

Shame Meizu is taking so long, i think they will be loosing a lot by taking so long to release their products.

These are good MP4 players from China:
http://www.mp4nation.com/products/index.php?PID=mp4

[micklol @ Sep 17th 2007 3:20AM]

damn!All the pro-china comments got highest ranked.........Largest population + propaganda = world domination!!!!!!!!!!!DAWGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

[ReflectiaX @ Sep 17th 2007 6:56AM]

You souldn't buy the product "MADE IN CHINA"... It's a waste of money. It will help Communism. It will help People's Liberation Army. It will help terrorism.

[grabberslasher @ Sep 17th 2007 7:08AM]

Wow... all anti-China posts are ranked as "Lowest Ranked." Great work, Chinese Communist Party!

[TJ @ Sep 17th 2007 9:28AM]

not profitable for them to it,,, others like the d718i tri-band iphone have hit the market for 1/2 the price of the recently reduced iPhone price.

http://www.gadgetgreats.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=774&HS=1

Once people stop getting hyped about built-in memory, and get hip to expandeable memory card slots, and other features such as removeable batteries, wifi etc, will the big companies comply to your above request...

[sovietmagician @ Sep 16th 2007 10:11PM]

It costs more than an i-phone and is in chineese. the only real plus side is it runs a different OS but that might not acctually be a plus. so why buy one? And hopefully it isnt made out of lead or anti-freeze

[Melenor @ Sep 17th 2007 12:35AM]

Hasn't it been reported numerous times that it'd be less than the iPhone? "Straight from the horse's mouth"?

[Chatrapathi @ Sep 16th 2007 10:16PM]

Wasn't there a recent press release by Meizu that stated that the M8 (American version) wouldn't come with phone capabilites? Or was I just hallucinating?

[Arjy @ Sep 16th 2007 10:25PM]

Most original phone I've ever seen.

[alexander @ Sep 16th 2007 10:26PM]

You're welcome. I am really disappointed with the price tag, but it could also be since it is a reserve-type purchase and they are probably not even sure of the price that they will pay.

[alexander @ Sep 16th 2007 10:36PM]

Also, I'm not trying to sound snobbish because I really like engadget, but that image is outdated. I believe the new m8 design is cleaner and more sophisticated. Especially without the big M logo on the bottom. Check it out

[whataboutmac @ Sep 16th 2007 10:37PM]

Maybe they want to compete in price with the iphone, but haven't noticed the price cut. It really looks familiar, and if I were them I will cut the price in half to compete with the iphone in a better situation, no chance here, too much iphone killers around, so the Meizu needs to reinvent the wheel and bring fresh ideas and design.

Good luck and a happy return on investment, you will need it.

-
whataboutmac

[SteveMB @ Sep 16th 2007 10:37PM]

Actually the 16GB version will NOT cost $1000 or $700. I thought we had that cleared up. 2990 CNY which is around $400. http://meizu.com/bbs/dispbbs.asp?boardID=22&ID=505281&page=1

[Jean-Michel Decombe @ Sep 16th 2007 11:14PM]

I love how everyone start their comments with a smiley on Chinese boards. Is that customary over there? Or are they all laughing their ass off the entire thread? I can't read Chinese!

[Xavier Gill @ Sep 17th 2007 4:59AM]

Engadget are well aware that the 16GB model only costs $400 but they just cant bring themselves to post something positive/true about Apple product rivals.

[Randomness @ Sep 17th 2007 5:41AM]

Engadget, STOP getting 'news' from a place (Negri Electronics) we already established in other news release comments as a SHADY IMPORTER who jacks up prices to get preorders and isn't representative of the real price. This is just a random shady import website, NOT A SOURCE FOR REAL FACTUAL NEWS. Read the comments in previous 'miezu price released!' (ha) blogs from people that have seen this same schtick from Negri before.

[SteveMB @ Sep 16th 2007 10:39PM]

Even if it was $700, it would be a deal compared to the iPhone or Nokia N95. I mean unlike the iPhone it is supposed to have a REMOVABLE BATTERY.

[Znuff @ Sep 16th 2007 10:40PM]

Why buy 2 iPhones when you can buy this PDA with an interface ripped off the iPhone instead, for the same price?! And IT RUNS WINDOWS Mobile! Oh the joy!


Not.

[SteveMB @ Sep 16th 2007 10:44PM]

First of all, you could almost get 2 8GB's if the M8 were
$800. But it won't be $800 and it will have 16GB of memory and a removable
battery.

Idiot.

[Goldaar @ Sep 17th 2007 3:08AM]

Runs Windows CE, not Windows Mobile...

[seoultrain @ Sep 16th 2007 10:45PM]

The Meizu M6 4GB version is about $90. It has more features than the old nano for half the price. The M8 will NOT be almost $800.

[SteveMB @ Sep 16th 2007 10:54PM]

republic_of_cheats, do you mean Foxconn who was making iPods for Apple?

[CHEAPY @ Sep 16th 2007 11:25PM]

Actually, the products that are designed in the U.S. and manufactured in "China or other third-worlds" are okay, as long as quality control can be maintained, but the products that are designed/stealed and made in China, just like this Meizhou's knockoff, are "crap" you should avoid like the plague. They may be "cheap"(no?), but there is clear evidence that most Chinese imports, esp. toys, are contaminated with illegal levels of pesticides, lead and mercury... Just stay away from the chinese-made piece of crap like the plague. ;)

[Alan Partridge @ Sep 17th 2007 5:06AM]

@Cheapy

Just a guess, you watch Fox News dont you?

[joe23521 @ Sep 17th 2007 10:03AM]

Hey CHEAPY, Steve was asking for republic_of_cheats. Forgot to change back your log-in name before the reply?

And seriously, stop copying and pasting your crap all over these blogs. It's not doing anyone any good and makes your look more like a tool every time you do it.

[ararebitfiend @ Sep 16th 2007 11:00PM]

Doesn't Apple have quite the track record for sueing companies that "steal" their designs/interfaces? the OS looks pretty similar to the IPhone.

[Spoon!! @ Sep 17th 2007 12:06AM]

"Doesn't Apple have quite the track record for sueing companies that "steal" their designs/interfaces? the OS looks pretty similar to the IPhone."

You're right... the "home" screen looks a lot like the iPhone which in turn looks a lot like Palm OS screens. If you recall, Palm PDAs had icons on the home screen as well as a set of soft buttons across the bottom, a touch screen, and rectangular rounded corner case years ahead of the Apple iPhone.

Also, Windows Mobile devices have had plug-ins (i.e. SPB Pocket PC Plus, SBSH iLauncher) which allowed icons on the Today screen with any background as well.

I won't argue that the Meizu M8 does not look a lot like the iPhone... I'm just saying there's only so many ways you can design a handheld touchscreen device before they all start looking alike.

It would be bad news for the handheld industry if Apple even attempts to sue Meizu because where would it stop if they were successful? Samsung for the F700 even though it was displayed before the release of the iPhone? How about the LG Prada?

[Dave @ Sep 16th 2007 11:02PM]

I can't answer for the M8, but I do own an M6 and also a Teclast (chinese) Mp3 player and these players are my choice over the any of dozens (yes dozens) of players I have here (starting with the original Nano and through the new Nano tubby).

The Meizu and Teclast players I have are original designs and not knock-offs and are as good as anything designed in the USA, Germany, Japan or Korea.

[Truth_hurts @ Sep 17th 2007 1:49AM]

What you have now is also a cheap knockoff of other brands: As you know, Meizu and other Chinese sweatshops have been "blatantly" ripping off every imagineable products known to humankind. The victims used to be iRiver, Cowon, Samsung, Sony and other established makes in Asia, but Apple is added to their target list nowadays. Here in Asia, the Chinese are "known to be" some of the "least creative" people on this planet; most Asians look down on the Chinese and most of us think that being called chinese is quite offensive remark. Anyway, "the Chinese need to stop piracy of copyrighted products".

[theoneinator @ Sep 17th 2007 3:32AM]

Dear Truth_hurts,

Your words of deception and your distorted world view disgust me. You jerk.

Love, theoninator.

[LordFarkward @ Sep 17th 2007 5:27AM]

hey "truth_hurts", your mom's calling you, it IS bedtime, afterall. you must be extremely tired especially considering all the trolling you've done for today. it's ok now, go to bed, wake up in a century and start trolling again, but just stfu and go to bed for now.

oh and, your propaganda is kidding no one. yup, whatever you've been saying is pretty much disregarded by all of us. ouch. the truth indeed hurts, doesn't it.

bye bye now, shoo

[CHEAPY @ Sep 16th 2007 11:04PM]

If it costs less than $99, I'd consider this "Made-in-China" disposable product, though I know their quality is far "inferior". Other than that, bur-bye, Meizhou a.k.a. one of the most "notorious Chinese knockoff makers".

[snitch @ Sep 16th 2007 11:37PM]

i like my chances with apple because most of these other companies since they are not base in the US really think they can get away with anything, and sometimes they do, for a example sony its one of them that if you misplace your receipt your screw, they dont even talk to you because they know your screw, and if your lucky to find it thats when they start hitting you with excuses and all kinds of things, apple for example, as long as its apple they will fix it no questions ask or even replace it, with out charging you a single penny, i dont have nothing against chinnese companies but i been burn so many times that am starting to loose hope on their products

[Spoon!! @ Sep 17th 2007 12:15AM]

"i like my chances with apple because most of these other companies since they are not base in the US really think they can get away with anything"

You mean like how Apple strong armed AT&T to go along with a 14 day return policy as opposed to 30 days like the rest of AT&T's phones? How about that restocking fee if you returned the phone within 14 days?

You may also want to read up on some reports of bad service with batches of Macs with leaking capacitors. Just do a Google search. Apple is just another corporation out to make money and will push the limits on how much they can get away with like any other company (i.e. requiring everything be done through iTunes for complete control).

Thank goodness there are still other products to choose from.

[Mike Campbell @ Sep 16th 2007 11:50PM]

Finally!

[Constable Odo @ Sep 16th 2007 11:57PM]

iPhone chiller. Aye M8-eee. Shiver me timbers. In two months it'll have a price cut from $700 to $200. No price cut explanation necessary. No store credits. No angry outbursts. Nobody cares.

[kellyg @ Sep 17th 2007 12:07AM]

$788.50 ? is it made of gold? with diamonds inside? even then i wouldnt pay that much for it.

[waiownsyou @ Sep 17th 2007 12:08AM]

I'm thinking that's just a random rendered interface, but why does it look like the iPhone UI with stolen Vista images and icons?

[Darkest Daze @ Sep 17th 2007 12:22AM]

Wow, some of you guys need to get out of that rock you live under and actually look up reviews on other Meizu products. Yes they are Chinese, and the Chinese are known for cheap products, but that doesn't mean that everything from there is crap. Meizu have been making MP3 players that are superior (in build quality and feature set) to the comparable iPods while costing less money. Also, I really don't see how they can be worse that past iPods since I know many people that went through between 2-4 iPods in under 2 years time.

[jaalin @ Sep 17th 2007 12:35AM]

yea, that price is way too high, no matter how many features they're stuffing into it. not to mention meizu's touchpad technology on the miniplayer is far inferior to the ipod's, so i question how well the touch screen will work on this one.

still, if it gets released for the $400 price that it needs to be at, people might even think they're getting a discount

[TJ @ Sep 17th 2007 12:46AM]

Interesting... it has taken a long time... for all of this meizu hype, they really haven't been delivering... 16gb? in a pmp yea, but in a phone, you'd use up your battery tryna listen to just 1gb at a time...

My favorite is still the Digitalrise d718i.. they are a new company, but their iphone version is 1) available, 2) has removeable battery, and memory card slot, plus, it is come in White as well...

http://www.chinagrabber.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1382&HS=1

and oh ya, about tha minione, Jan 17 is like right before Chinese New year... even if it does come out before then, the production will be halted for 2-4 weeks....

[g2 @ Sep 17th 2007 1:04AM]

We cannot dismiss China manufacturing as all products are made overseas and quality and manufacturing skills have improved rapidly. What isn't made in China? Actually China is better than many other Asian sources and they sent a man into space recently. Agreed that a totalitarian state is not sustainable, but we don't exactly live in total freedom either.

The point here is that the m8 is a knock-off iPhone just to make money, not a legit company trying to incorporate design elements of iPhone or otherwise. It's just a copy-cat without OS-X, so who cares. If you want a Windows based mobile device, look at the new HP iPaq or better yet buy an iPhone and unlock it.