Keepin' it real fake, part LXXX: ONDA Honey VX878

What's made in China, costs just $55, and looks like your favorite [insert touchscreen device here] full-screen media player? The ONDA Honey VX878, that's what. The followup to the Honey VX855, overhauls the GUI while squishing the touchscreen down to 2.4-inches and just 260k colors with up to 15 hours of audio power and support for AVI, MP3, WAV, WMA, FLAC, APE, TXT, LRC, JPG, and BMP media formats stored on microSD. What, you didn't expect them to include a card in the box for that price did you?

[Via The Gadget Site, thanks Carl P.]

[James @ Sep 20th 2007 6:46AM]

I always carry around my favorite touching device, now let me poke you with it

[LordFarkward @ Sep 20th 2007 6:58AM]

actually, i always carry around my favorite poking device, let's get together so i can let you touch it

[Alpha899 @ Sep 21st 2007 2:26AM]

Its big brother looks decent and only $95 for touch screen:

http://www.mp4nation.com/products/index.php?PID=VX858LE

[Vincent @ Sep 20th 2007 6:50AM]

I would like to buy Four of them. One for me, one for Apple, one for Microsoft....last one for whoever wants to punch me with this comment. :)

[Alien Grey @ Sep 20th 2007 8:44AM]

I punched you!

[Argot @ Sep 20th 2007 7:00AM]

So it looks like just about every touchscreen device out there since the LG Prada. Ok.

[moondy @ Sep 20th 2007 7:20AM]

Hmm spending $55 supporting a country that endorses paying their employees $1 a day or Enemy Territory Quake Wars...decisions decisions...

[Ashehaxed @ Sep 20th 2007 7:36AM]

Yeah 'cos all USA products are made in USA...

[Jeebus @ Sep 20th 2007 12:43PM]

Yeah, because not buying it would give those employees $0 a day. So much better.

[Lex @ Sep 20th 2007 9:13AM]

How can you make one PMP touch screen player look any different from any other PMP touch screen player? Please explain this to me.

[Samo @ Sep 20th 2007 7:53AM]

I'm Chinese, and I think some one needs to get rid of all that racism, hate and prejudice right now...

ReflectiaX, you are one sick puppy, go spread your hate elsewhere.

On topic: $55? only £25?! Sold! where's the 'buy it now' button?

[Ruben @ Sep 20th 2007 11:09AM]

Remember, there is no hatred for the Chinese people in America. Its hatred to their communist government for allowing sweat shop practices to occur, allowing no US company to intervene in Chinas market (conduct lawsuits for patent infringment, etc.), allowing piracy to run wild, etc.

We feel terribly for the Chinese people and the bulls*it they have to deal with.

So when you see a comment ragging on China, its their government and businesses getting the rag, not the people.

I also have no love for companies that exploit these practices there to save a buck (IE. Most US companies). I will gladly pay an extra 10 bucks per device or more if i knew it lead to people enjoying their lives with the extra money they get from manufacturing the devices.

[Jeebus @ Sep 20th 2007 12:46PM]

"I will gladly pay an extra 10 bucks per device or more if i knew it lead to people enjoying their lives with the extra money they get from manufacturing the devices"

Yeah, but I won't, and neither will most people. Secondarily, it wouldn't be an "extra 10 bucks", but rather 20-50% increase in price. Take your social agenda somewhere else.

[Samo @ Sep 20th 2007 6:19PM]

Whoa... Just checked back now (at night), and the racial comment I was talking about has been removed, making my comments look like I aimed them elsewhere.

FYI, I was replying to a racist CHINESE person (ReflectiaX) being racist to Japanese people. Me being Chinese, I didn't want his small minded remarks look like they reflected the massive Chinese majority.

I'm glad his posts were removed, as it was embarrassing to know there are still people like that who haven't gone and won a Darwinian award, and to have some kind of connection to this person (i.e. we're both Chinese)...

[James @ Sep 20th 2007 8:00AM]

Yes, you are right. It does look like the LG Prada.

[Xidius @ Sep 20th 2007 8:25AM]

Cheap plastic pressure-sensing (as opposed to the iPod's glass heat-sensing) display, a cheap knock-off operating system, no internal storage, should I go on?

You get what you pay for.

- Xidius

[Nogami @ Sep 20th 2007 9:24AM]

I agree, it looks better than the ipod Touch already.

[Addy Osmani @ Sep 20th 2007 8:36AM]

I was considering buying one of these, but a quick check on eBay will show that most models being sold are hitting the $99 mark - a far cry from Engadget's suggested $55. At this price, I think I'll stick with my ultra-thin PDA and TCPMP. Thank ya.

[EddieW @ Sep 20th 2007 8:36AM]

Man, before you flame, at least get the country straight, those are Koreans!

[Xzavier @ Sep 20th 2007 8:42AM]

ReflectiaX

There are a LOT of opinions here in Engadget and please do REMEMBER this is a tech blog site. I do LOTS of protesting myself and post vids online. I leave my angry protesting views on other blog sites and I NEVER post any links to any vids of protest which I have attended.

I've have never click on that explanation mark button to the right... however Today I think will be the first time I will use it... Enjoy!

[DickHardknocks @ Sep 20th 2007 9:52AM]

For that price I could see myself buying one. But, never an ipod. NEVER

[djONE @ Sep 20th 2007 10:25AM]

Do these come with Lead paint and E.Coli as free accessories (Coming from China)? Or is that extra?

[Roberto @ Sep 20th 2007 10:27AM]

What did ReflectiaX say that was so terrible? Should have left the comment to expose such ignorance. Anyway, I've seen many of these knock-offs on one of those Chinese import websites. The features all seem really great, however, my concern would be with the quality of the construction and interface.

[Dennis @ Sep 20th 2007 11:00AM]

i haven't actually looked at its specs and features. but even if it is shoddy and breaks 5 times a year, it still works out to be cheaper than the iphone...

[Xzavier @ Sep 20th 2007 3:10PM]

Something that spark a lot of HATE! An iPod/Zune war would have look like a kindergarten, not fight, but tussle compared to his comment!

He just has a lot on his mind... that's all. It's called Life!

[Ruben @ Sep 20th 2007 11:12AM]

Ha, Reflecta's post got removed. I didnt get a chance to read how bad it was. If it was bad, then he deserves to get attacked.

[Shunnabunich @ Sep 20th 2007 11:16AM]

I've seen tons of iPod touch/iPhone knockoffs here on Engadget (*coughmeizucough*), but what's never been clear to me is whether any of the knockoffs have multitouch screens as well, or are only sensitive to a single pressure point at a time. That'd make some difference in the UE, I'd imagine. All I see here is the relatively vague descriptor "touchscreen". Anyone know one way or another?

[coffee @ Sep 20th 2007 11:22AM]

i have one of these knockoffs ($97 for 4gb), and they're fine as an MP3 player/video/photo viewer.

The screen is just a PDA-type touchscreen, nothing all glossy and glass like the iPod Touch. And obviously there's no wifi. The GUI is awful, basically just folder-browsing, but the audio is good, it's expandable with the SD card, and picture/movie viewing is pretty good.

And it has an FM radio. Yes, you get what you pay for, but I didn't want to spend $299 on an mp3 player.

[Sledge Hammer @ Sep 20th 2007 11:24AM]

Ugh, yet another iPhone rip, these things are a dime a dozen and never see the light of day in the US.

I hope Engadget stops covering all these Asian iPhone rip-offs, they are pretty much all vaporware anyway.

Sent from my iPhone.

[Chris Aubeck @ Sep 20th 2007 3:50PM]

I hope engadget always covers these cheap items, for all kinds of reasons. Apart from showing us what's happening in technology at another level, it allows people on a very low budget to join in the fun of 21st century culture. Not everyone can afford Apple or iRiver - in fact, very few can on a global scale.

This won't be a popular comment, but that's okay.

[JOYO @ Sep 21st 2007 7:10AM]

How do you get one of these??

[inf4mY @ Sep 22nd 2007 10:50AM]

Does anyone know where i can buy one of these they look sweet, $55 for a 2gb touchscreen mp3/video player with an expandable microSD slot I want it. Also its just plain hilarious.

[Seraph @ Oct 13th 2007 12:11AM]

Hey, in my opinion, im glad they show these, hes right, not everyone has hundreds of dollars to toss around. Just because it comes from china doesn't mean that its cheaply made and all. This player for example is a rockchip player, meaning fully skinnable, and lots of features, all for under 100$. my friend has one, and even if it cost twice as much i would buy this thing. Stop looking at stupid logos and brand name and marketing and look at the cold hard specs. Touch is touch, i could care less if its by pressure or heat sensing. And for meizu, they beat apple by a storm. There is noticibly better audio quality in a meizu than an ipod.