Meizu's M8 MiniOne gets touched

Everybody's favorite IP duplication engine is back in the news. Meizu's M8 Mini One iPhone clone just received an iPod touch makeover in a bid for protection from Apple's lawyers. See, the M8 is a phone, the touch is an MP3 player -- so toootally different your honor. They've also bumped the display from 3.3- to 3.4-inches with pricing still pegged at about $265 / $320 / $400 for the 4GB / 8GB / 16GB models if they ever make it Stateside... or locally to China for that matter. We're at 10 months and counting since it was announced.

[LordFarkward @ Oct 31st 2007 5:46AM]

eh? $320 for an 8gb? for a knock-off i expected it to be cheaper (especially coming from meizu as the 8gb music card i got (copy of 1st gen nano) was less than $130).

if it is only 20% cheaper and most definitely without multi touch, why would anyone buy one?

[Fruition @ Oct 31st 2007 5:50AM]

I think they'd buy one because it's 20% cheaper.

[KarlW @ Oct 31st 2007 5:56AM]

Or maybe they don't like lock-in, and unlocked iPhones have difficultues with updates.

Then again, this one likely won't get any updates. Or 3rd aprty apps. It'd be easier for them to, rather than create their own OS, create drivers for mini-OSX and have people install and run that. If I were making an iPhone-clone, that's what I'd do: copy the hardware as closely as possible and get some talented hackers around to get the iPhone OS to work on my hardware.

[LordFarkward @ Oct 31st 2007 5:57AM]

then i'd say the better software is worth way more than 20%, and that not a lot of people would buy the M8 over the iphone.

that's what the software is worth to me, an entirely subjective number, of course.

[SteveMB @ Oct 31st 2007 7:48AM]

Did you see the price of the 16GB? The iPhone doesn't even come in 16GB...

[Nick @ Oct 31st 2007 10:29AM]

@SteveMB

Yet! I suspect Apple will release the 16GB model around Macworld Expo in January to help keep sales up through the first quarter after the Holiday rush is over.

[Chrisphillers @ Oct 31st 2007 3:12PM]

This isnt just a knock off its a got 3.5G (HSDPA) and mobile TV DMB - so actually has better hardware. It has what the iphone seriously lacks, and I for 1 will be buying one shoukd it ever come out and should the iphone 2 not be out when this is out.

[Alejandro @ Nov 1st 2007 8:45PM]

----
This isnt just a knock off its a got 3.5G (HSDPA) and mobile TV DMB - so actually has better hardware. It has what the iphone seriously lacks, and I for 1 will be buying one shoukd it ever come out and should the iphone 2 not be out when this is out.
----

Well Chrisphiller... this is what the specs say. Paper will resist anything. Let's see the how the ripped-off interface works, and what the battery life is, and most importantly, the software support... we'll talk then!

Cheers,
A

[shaun @ Oct 31st 2007 5:57AM]

How can you have any pride in your company if all you are capable of making is cheap knock offs

[EddieW @ Oct 31st 2007 6:14AM]

Well, from the price they have listed, it surely aint cheap...

[skhawaja @ Oct 31st 2007 6:23AM]

I think it's in the "me too" category of pride.

i.e. "Here's a top selling piece of hardware, lets copy it and show them it can't cost that much"

Regardless - duplicating hardware and software is NOT easy at all - thanks engadget for not doing that whole KIRF thing - don't even bother with this kind of vaporware - you might as well be roasting HTC and their Touch (the wifi less winmo phone)

HTC went from a wifi winmo phone with a qwerty slider keyboard to a wifi less one without a slider - what the hell? I guess the dataplan revenue evaporated with wifi capabilities.

[applefreak @ Oct 31st 2007 11:17AM]

@ EddieW

I believe that cheap was refering to the Quality, which is guariented to stink.
They made it very expensive to make the mast money

[Tony @ Oct 31st 2007 12:33PM]

@applefreak

Clearly you are a fanboi.

Have you even seen the product in person yet?
How do you know what the quality is like?
Did Steve tell you?

[Big Fat Eric is Yelling @ Oct 31st 2007 6:42AM]

Engadget, what's your problem? Do you have a Chinese blogger who is taking 'sponsers' from Meizu?

I have personally visited Meizu in Zhuhai (in Guang Dong Province, China) with my manager, trying to get a deal on their 'iPhone alike' on our network. Guess what, they don't have it all. we were told (by a Meizu junior) that it is their firm's strategy to grab 'media attention'. They don't even paint the phone themselves - they hire design students in nearby University (Zhuhai is a University Town in Southen China, full of top tier Chinese Unis) to do the 3DMax / Photoshop job.

So for god sake, stop being played like a dummi and get rid of the news from this chinese company will ya? What exactly had Meizu delivered to the market since Engadget first started to talk about it?

[Rynth @ Oct 31st 2007 6:57AM]

"Engadget, what's your problem? Do you have a Chinese blogger who is taking 'sponsers' from Meizu?"

Thats "sponsors" old bean.

[SteveMB @ Oct 31st 2007 7:49AM]

LIES! ALL LIES!

[Eugene @ Oct 31st 2007 8:04AM]

see:
http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/02/meizus-m3-music-card-unboxed/
http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/21/meizu-m6-sp-gets-better-for-less-yuan/
http://www.engadget.com/tag/meizu/
etc. etc. They have released numerous products in the past. That certainly doesn't guarantee that the M8 is real (and/or good), but they do in fact release real products.

[ilh @ Oct 31st 2007 8:15AM]

Ever heard of the M6/Miniplayer? More to the point, ever used 1? There's a reason people talk about Meizu as they make good stuff. The SQ on the M6 is better than any other DAP i've heard and the new SL version is meant to sound better.

[jase @ Nov 1st 2007 12:22PM]

actually I was just in Shanghai and while they do not have the iphone thing they do offer quite a few products.

[Big Fat Eric is Yelling @ Oct 31st 2007 6:47AM]

p.s.
we were also told by their Marketing Director and Cheif Engineer (in June) that they were launching the phone in Oct, 2007.

We tried to contacted them a few times since then, first they appear to be very impatient (woo.. we were talking about 50k+ units and they didn't seem to be keen at all), then end up not answering our phone.

Bunch of losers trying to play big.

[SteveMB @ Oct 31st 2007 7:49AM]

Dude, stop spreading the BS. WE don't believe you, Apple fanboy.

[tekdroid @ Oct 31st 2007 6:58AM]

I prefer tattood Zune guy articles and elaborate articles talking about firmware updates on RIAA-sanctioned devices. I also prefer responsible "3-plays" 'sharing' technology and one-way transfers using proprietary software.

Meizu, whether doing this for 'attention' or not, do make unrestricted, native Mass-Storage drag-n-drop devices with FLAC and Ogg Vorbis support. I think that's pretty innovative, yet the good they do is overshadowed with iPhone knock-off coverage - consistently - which I think is a shame.

If their iPhone look-a-like thing really is an attention grabber, I think it's backfiring for them (at least on Engadget it is).

[snitch @ Oct 31st 2007 8:21AM]

first off miezu its so full of it really, they don't even hay a real phone yet all they do its wait for apple to anounced something on the iPhone and they come out and say how they are goin to built a better one next year, guess what by that time the iphone will be 10x better too, i only wish that the would have mention multi touch so able can sue them soo hard that it will bankup them, lol
thats a really scary word for cell phone manufactures these days (multi touch) but dont worry they might have a taste of it in about 5 years

[Roger Mugs @ Oct 31st 2007 8:26AM]

are you kidding? I live in china. this baby has been around for a couple of months already and it works great. Its really like an iphone except it actually has chinese support... apple is going to have to step it up.

[snitch @ Oct 31st 2007 8:41AM]

yeah right, if you keep dreaming buddy you might even start to believe youself too you know, do you really have an idea how many world wide carriers are waiting for Meizu to come throw with this? but you might be right too maybe it was release just on your neigberhood block and no one on the entire wold heard about it, lol, anything is possible you know

[Roger Mugs @ Oct 31st 2007 8:51AM]

well... i played with something that looked an aweful lot an iphone and said meizu on it. dont feel the need to believe me. I was surprised though at how responsive the touch screen was, feeling an aweful lot like the iphone... now the screen didn't turn or anything when i turned it but i only played with for about 10 seconds... i just saw a dude with it and asked to play....
say what you will... it works pretty stinking well...
maybe it was just a really really vivid and tangible dream... you never know.

[jase @ Nov 1st 2007 1:24PM]

Actually i've been to Shanghai, and when i asked for it in the store I was told they didn't have it it would be out later. However it is not impossible that you saw a Chinese Iphone because here in Singapore in the Blackmarket they do sell a knock off that is pretty good except the translotion is a little off (ie the calander button may take you to contacts)but it had the iphone apple brand on the back.I am going to HK on Sunday and I was told they sell the real knock off Iphone there for about 1,100.00 HKD which is about 140 bucks. That I would like to see

[Jeff @ Oct 31st 2007 9:23AM]

This is what I'm gleaning from this whole story so far:

A) Apple fanatics, who are perfectly fine with Apple "borrowing" IP from other companies and using it in their own products because they "make it better", somehow have a total disdain for anyone that makes a product that even remotely resembles a phone from Apple that itself borrowed ideas from preexisting touch screen phones.

B) They will label anything, Meizu or not, a "iPhone knock-off" in order to prevent competition. Talking down potential competition, unless Apple is that competition is their M.O.

C) Either Apple, or just some wingnut fanboy, is starting to seed message boards with fake stories of visiting Meizu's HQ and with tales of vapourware and shoddiness, even though Apple, or it's fanatics, are the last people to speak of such.

[snitch @ Oct 31st 2007 4:56PM]

Dude i dont even own a iphone but let me tell you iphone its not touch screen, its (Multi touch) touch screen has been around for a while but not multi touch, apple did not copied from any other phones because none of the ones outhere have the technology there a big difference there buddy, lol

[producerism @ Oct 31st 2007 9:27AM]

seeing how the M6 is a real product, and in many ways superior (especially audio quality) to the iPod, as the music card is to the Nano. Perhaps they copied an interface that would be familiar, but I would hardly call either a cheap knock-off. Why doubt the existence of a product, when it is clearly the next item in a line of already existing products that have good reviews?

Even if you went to the company, it sounds like you didn't understand how production works. As a quick explanation - they will only create a couple prototype units, based on blueprints and the latest chipsets/etc. Once they get it working, they analyze the production time and cost of each unit - then extrapolate the resources needed for full-blown production. The type of production that would allow you to walk in and see them available.

Obviously, since it is still in development, they are not going to have any on hand for consumers to just check out.

[Mr Corsini @ Oct 31st 2007 9:30AM]

haha, I love all the controversy that this device is stirring up, amongst haters and apple fanboy d**kheads alike. If this comes out and it does what it says it will, it will be a remarkable piece of kit. I will most certainly be purchasing if it works well. They are taking far to long to deliver but I hope they can, peeps should just be thankful theres a chance that this kind of advanced tech may be made avaiable to you ungrateful c***s instead of having to get buggered in the ass by apple.

[b_a_boone @ Oct 31st 2007 12:52PM]

Will people stop talking about the people as a whole Chines knock-offs like they are the only ones that do it. Damn they do manufacture more then 60% of the original items that we all use! If your going to talk sh!t stop duplicating music and movies and selling them and always expecting the lowest price for the highest quality goods. Sorry to say this my fellow Americans!

I for one would love to purchase this phone if it lives up to 75% of what it says. I'm sick of poor quality WM5-6 phone integration.

Apple hasn't created an original product without using or buying out another companies software or hardware in like 10 years. I will agree that they create a better packaged item them most but as soon as someone else is trying to deliver they are copying Apple

[deniz @ Oct 31st 2007 1:09PM]

why would i buy a chinese knockoff for 400$ while i can buy the real thing?

[MarvinK @ Nov 2nd 2007 6:27AM]

I think they should release a hard disk model... after all, their customers probably aren't big on IP... they probably won't have any problems filling up 160GB worth of movies & music. Seems like that would really raise the bar on IP theft.

[superlwy @ Nov 5th 2007 10:43AM]

larger screen,
non-restriction in software,
network and copy right, storage file as USB,
3.5G (HSDPA),
mobile TV DMB,
video call,
cheaper,
better audio quality,
more format supported...........................


who dare to tell me the people who buy iphone after M8 release is not a nut????

[paul @ Dec 25th 2007 6:15PM]

last time i went into the miezu forums, I believe that the data speed was edge. I didn't see 3.5g anywhere.

Is everyone sure about this?