Keepin' it real fake, Part LXXXVI: iPod nano rip-off does double duty as camera
By Joshua Topolsky 
posted Oct 5th 2007 10:04PM
posted Oct 5th 2007 10:04PM
[Via PMPToday]
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something that could almost be usefull? except that all parts of it are probably (definitely as far as the camera) sub-par?
Check out add on camera for the iLine.
http://www.createthefuturecontest.com/pages/view/entriesdetail.html?entryID=365
Wait...is this thing right? Or those dimensions accurate?
90x60x3.5mm?? 3.5mm?!?! WITH a Camera?!?!
The nano is 69.8x52.3x6.5mm!
Half the thickness! And 20% small overall!
What happened to Apple's innovation?
The thing is with all these knock-offs is that its junk. They use lousy hardware possible even used (Packard Bell haha) hardware. Also something that Jobs has said. Its all about software. I have used these knock-offs and I can say the interface sucks, complete garbage..
these things are pretty fugly, but china got it on the mark for clones for the 3rd gen nanos:
http://www.mp4nation.com/products/index.php?PID=mp8303
Check out add on camera for the iLine.
http://www.createthefuturecontest.com/pages/view/entriesdetail.html?entryID=286
So it double teams the Nano then?
with the Keepin' it real fake articles, is Engadget trying to make a mockery or actually promote these items which seem to outdo their inspiration?
funny thing is it was there 2 years *before* nano phatty!
so, well, basically ipod nano 3-rd gen is a rip-off of this device.
It's a knock-off, but with all the features the ipod should have. How ironic.
I'm no mac lover. John is a troll. He's just whizzed in from the troll express straight outa the mac keyboard troll-fest. We like John. John is a troll.
@BigBirdUK
lol BigBird, I'm actually not trolling on this one. This really does have more features! FM radio, more formats, camera even! C'mon that's not bad!
I'll grudgingly admit that your comment was both witty and somewhat accurate. However As I said, not a massive fan of mac's, but they ABSOLUTELY know their target market. Cameras, FM radio, free pr0n downloads - all absolutely not core to their fanbase desire......
I don't think anyone in apples 'target group' would complain about an sd slot. alot might not know what an sd slot is or does.
but they deffinelty wouldn't complain.
so i agree, on paper and not reality, it trumps the real thing.
@BigBird
You're right. They know their fan base. I have been looking for more features like FM etc. I feel inclined to write troll comments about certain Apple products and features that I feel are missing but even I have grown tired of it.. for now.
Some might look at each other sheepishly and ask dj-kempo to explain why you'd need a small-scale data storage device attached to a small scale data storage device.
Good design = pure focus.
@John 1) Did you know that trolls live under bridges and 2) Steveio pores over this blog whenever he's not tinkering with his reality distortion field.
FM just isn't going to *ever* be in the ipod roadmap. Ever.
Why not FM BigBird? What is wrong with FM? That's sounding like an "Applish" comment.
@ BigbirdUK "Good design = pure focus."
It's a good thing the iPod follows that rule. You know, it focuses entirely on music. Oh, and pictures. Oh, and videos. Oh, and podcasts. Oh, and games.
Eh, but not FM radio. Oh no, it's gotta focus on that music.
I think it's clear at this point who's the troll and it's not john.
as for why a user would want exapandable memory, it's easy, take a 4gb iphone (not nano) someone who bought that is going to be pretty sick of it a year from now. versus if it had an sd slot they could just throw in 16gb for (20 total) for an extra hundred. extending the life of the unit.
exactly what the consumer wants and apple doesn't want. elementary my dear troll.
Actually...
Why doesn't the iPod line have an FM Radio yet?
Almost every generic MP3/Media Player can pick up FM Radio.
It's not that I would use it, just that its kind of an obvious absence.
I bet you'd use the radio sometimes if it were there. Good for weather etc or just for a change.
AM too!
@John -
You do I have a point. I use my car radio when my iPod dies.
Like I said -- Its not so much I --want-- it or --need-- it,
its just that its obviously missing.
Also in regards to the SD card comments up a ways:
Expandable memory is a good thing. If you can't upgrade
the size of the hard drive/flash memory in your device,
shouldn't you be able to augment it with SD/variable data storage mediums?
(I know I plugged this device a while back but the Archos 605 does that too.)
Apple may know it its target market, or it maybe the
power of minimalism and simplicity meeting together.
Love or hate Apple, the sales figures speak, it is one
of the most popular media playing devices on the market.
Think that covers it.
because radio is free :) when with itunes you get to BUY it :P - also certain radios may not (gasp) promote strictly music sold on itunes ...
Um, my brother has one actually. Twisted screen crappy camera, slow transfer. Its Identical but with another name XD
Nemo's albino half cousin has been busy makin' babies again I see. Lucky for him that gene doesn't appear to get handed down!
The picture on the screen... isn't that a windows background? Ironic...
Its the ipod nana!
FASSSINAAAYYYYTINGGGG! (whoever knows where that is from gets 50 cool points)
im not sure if we all lose or you do.
more fakes..
http://ue-technology.manufacturer.globalsources.com/si/6008824849429/pdtl/Flash-MP3/1002711710/MP4-Players.htm
Do you even know how long those have been out?
sure but it was just a reference.. dont freak out.. you know like.. hey thats a pretty good clone but remember....
"just don't let the authorities see you having it all."
Can they arrest me for having an iPod nano knock off?
What, no built-in phone or stun gun?
Sorry, ENGADGET, your like a year late. I saw these things a LONG time ago. They are sold as "MP4" player w/ Digital Camera.
For the most part - THEY SUCK.
The software is terrible to use cause its written in Chinese and has poor English instructions. You need to go online to download AMV converter software because the thing won't play typical WMA files.
It lacks a hard drive so you are stuck using crappy SD cards.
Everything about it feels and looks cheap.
It can play NES game roms but there is no good control scheme when you've gotta use buttons on its side as A and B buttons.
I could be wrong, but judging from the picture and the fact that most cheap replications are just that, cheap, I do not see that it's worth it. Think about it. I'm sure the camera is not anything to write home about. Probably nothing better than your cell phone. So what's the big deal? If you want another crappy camera like what is in you cell phone AND to loose the quality sound and engineering of an iPod, then go ahead. I would rather have an iPod that works well and a camera that takes great pictures (like a cannon) before I go out and buy some pos replica who's cheapness doesn't overcome it's practibility.
When someone makes one that has a great camera and doesn't loose any of the quality, then I will start looking.
"that rips off both the new iPod nano, and a generic digital camera."
I ask the Engadget writers, just how does one rip off a "generic digital camera"? Doesn't that mean that any product that incorporates a so-so quality camera *IS* a rip off?
It's nice that you call everything coming out of China a ripoff, but, ask yourself what do most generic pmp's look like? A slap with a screen and some buttons, so are they all rip offs too?
I think this shows the lack of development coming from the west, what happens when the chinese decides to stop doing knockoff and start doing their own things, all those feature in such a small device.
This is just the practice stage, the giant is waking up.
I see. You are one of those "more features = automatically better" types. You probably eat at buffets a lot too.
No, what I’m saying right now they are just copying other peoples stuff, but when they do finally figure out how to make quality stuff they will be a force to be recon with, much like how the Japanese are right now.
@Forever:
Come on...I've heard this idea of limited ways to make a device, but Engadget has been dead on about most of these fakes.
Granted...they all are rectangular with screens and buttons, but all the major brands have distinguished themselves somehow.
There are thousands of ways to configure a device to make it different than the competitor's.
The *only* reason to make a device this look (not function) this similar is so that chumps will buy them either thinking that they are the real deal, or because they want to look like they have the real thing.
Either way, the company that makes the knock-offs aren't succeeding on their own, they are riding the success of another company that did all the market research and design work.
I don't so much care that they are ripping off Apple as I care that they are ripping anyone off. If there was a Sansa or a Creative knockoff I would say the same thing. The only reason that there aren't ripoffs of those is because they don't have the recognition that the apple products do. Im not being xenophobic either. If an American or European company produced this trash they would be sued, and roundly criticized by everyone on this blog. It just seems that China is growing a long track record of this kind of business.
What's ironc is we DL media all day long then jump allover someone when they knock off IP that we care about...
I feel like a hypocrite :(
Hey , a positive comment article about a Chinese product.
That's a first.
engadget needs to stop reporting this kind of articles.
here in india we get our market flooded with chinese knock-offs of anything and everything. any resonably popular gadget will have a bunch of knock-offs, sometimes being sold alongside the original.
just because Engadget has a chinese sibling doesnt mean engadget has to source articles from it every now and then. please stick with real news.
Your second paragraph in no way supported the point you were trying to make in the first. So Engadget should stop reporting about Chinese products because a lot of them are available in India?
chris, what im trying to say is that the chinese coming out with knock-offs of popular products is not news, theyll copy anything.
so engadget needs to stick with real, meaningful news. understand?
i highly recommend Engadget use Arabic nummerals on this series.
i dont understand why some of u hardcore apple fans are hating on this... get off the ipod bandwagon. take a look at Archos's stuff. i use the AV 500 in my car and since it can play video's & mp3's and it has 100GB i never burn dvd's or cd's to listen or watch on my In-Dash. it has a av port for audio/video. easy to use and u can record to it also. and just think this is an old model... lol
archos>apple
or for this post
ripoff>apple
Do you have any first hand experience with this product? Have you read any extensive reviews about it? No? Then STFU.
Every time Engadget mentions about Chinese product I felt so ashamed for my country. Especially this type of stuff that copy others design, has no creativity, and no quality. I can almost hear the despise words coming from the articles and response because I knew to well about fake product market, and how they still exist strongly. I can even remember what a American who truly despise Chinese race told me, "Chinese, copy cat, is gongfu the only thing you guys have?"
I want to controvert, but I cannot deny....
As we are in a country coming to globalization, racism seems to be one factor that cannot be globalize and equality treat upon individual and not as a nation.
Don't worry, China will start doing it's own thing, and well, eventually. There needs to be a shift in schools though to encourage independence and creativity and from what I know (my wife grew up in China) that is not the case yet.
Looks like this player I found on ebay recently http://tinyurl.com/38ut7k
at time of posting auction had 6 hours left.
Look how the screen is off centre... and are those speed holes on the back?