Hands-on with Mio's dual-front GPS phone concept

It was the end of the day and we're rather charming, so the Mio reps were nice enough to pull their super off-limits dual-front GPS phone prototype out of its glass case and let us play with it a bit. Obviously it's not the most operational thing in the world, but even with its limited functionality we were pretty impressed -- the interface was entertainingly swoopy and the phone parts even worked well enough to almost get service. There was also another connected GPS concept with a SIM slot, but you know us -- we're not taking more than one photo if it doesn't light up. Check it all out in the gallery!

Gallery: Really hands-on with Mio's dual-sided GPS phone

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[Miles @ Jan 7th 2008 10:28PM]

WHAT A RIP!
Stop stealing from Apple please.

[BigPana @ Jan 7th 2008 10:36PM]

Ah, let 'em. Then Apple will have to come up with even more cool things.

[Abuzar @ Jan 7th 2008 10:40PM]

NO it's not a rip-off from the iphone. They look alike. How many fucking ways can you make a rectangular touchscreen. Of course you wouldn't want to give it sharp edges, you could cut someone.

[BigPana @ Jan 7th 2008 10:43PM]

@Abuzar

Well think about it, how many phones that looked like that came out before the iPhone? And how have come out since?

[BigPana @ Jan 7th 2008 10:43PM]

*how many*

[bondsbw @ Jan 7th 2008 10:45PM]

@Miles: No, it's not really an iPhone rip. Even if it is, it's just a concept.

@Abuzar: We all asked the same thing, until the iPhone came out.

[James Cameron @ Jan 7th 2008 10:52PM]

@ miles

By the look of your posts, you are an idiot Apple fanboy. I like some stuff from Apple but you are the kind of fanboy who really needs a kick in the balls if you have any.

[Flashpoint @ Jan 7th 2008 10:57PM]

Yeah its a ripoff but since I HATE APPLE/MACINTOSH and VOWED NEVER TO BUY ANY OF THEIR PRODUCTS...I'm thoroughly impressed.

Apple Fan Boys...the low rank button is above and to the right.


(someone is going to "thank me" for pointing out the low rank button and they will be HIGHEST RANKED soon thereafter- thats how engadget works )

[Constable Odo @ Jan 8th 2008 1:07AM]

They're getting more blatant by the minute. They must be using some sort of 3D copying machines to do this sort of stuff. Of course, they'll claim this one better in every way than the iPhone and end up selling 500 of them for half the price of an iPhone.

[jamma @ Jan 8th 2008 3:23AM]

WHO CARES IF IT IS AN IPHONE CLONE OR NOT???

it's a GOOD thing if people use other poeple's idea, especially when they improve them, and it makes companies more competitive which = LOWER PRICES

if Creative, Sony, MS, and every other tech company didn't "copy" the iPod, we'd be paying $500 for a nano, because there wouldn't be another product to knock down prices

So copying the iPhone (if you think they're doing so) is a GOOD THING, STOP COMPLAINING ABOUT IT

[steveJ @ Jan 8th 2008 4:06AM]

ask apple to stop stealing too. they are doing it from the day 0.

or better shut up.

[Mike10010100 @ Jan 8th 2008 5:50AM]

Ok, people. This is what would be called a non-iPod ripoff. This looks nothing like an iPod, and does not use any sort of idea except the fact that it has a touchscreen and is silver. The icons don't look stolen. This is a new and welcome member of the PMP community.

[Iain @ Jan 8th 2008 2:26PM]

Yes, they clearly copied the iPhone's num-pad on the reverse too(!)

Engage brain THEN comment.

[Adeel @ Jan 7th 2008 10:33PM]

well if you think about how else is a touch screen phone going to look like.

[av8or @ Jan 7th 2008 10:50PM]

an iphone is a palm device without the bottom buttons essentially and fancier software, so stop trying to make the iphone out to be some hyper revolutionary thing by having a touchscreen...

[ethana2 @ Jan 24th 2008 6:49PM]

I think Apple's decent for trying new ideas and marketing them, but /worthless/ for implementation. In fact, I consider them downright evil sometimes. ..I'm boycotting them and stuff.. although I do like the OSX theme.. it's good for compiz and AWN...
Perhaps with Hardy we'll really get our own look together though; that'd be nice. I don't like low frequency colors. Anything green or higher is good, and white and black..

[Jesse C @ Jan 8th 2008 12:15AM]

hey it even has a recessed headphone jack like an iPhone

[Constable Odo @ Jan 8th 2008 1:16AM]

They have great designers. They purchased an iPhone and said let's make it look as close to the iPhone as possible, but change the color of the rim metal to make it look completely different.

Let's put a metal rim around everything. Hell, why not put three or four rims for good measure.

[Iain @ Jan 8th 2008 2:27PM]

Odo, please see above.

[matt byrne @ Jan 8th 2008 4:40AM]

The iPhone is the gayest pile of tripe ever, I'm not sure why any Mac fan would give a shit. It offers nothing useful over an iPod touch, as the phone functions are dated to hell. I'll stick with an iPod/Sony Ericsson combo.

[Rk @ Jan 8th 2008 6:52AM]

Miles please! You're tarnishing the names of good, friendly, logical iPhone users everywhere! Not everything is a rip off, you need to ditch the iPhone and get back to using a Nokia 6300. Then everything will be a rip off of that and it'll give us a break from hearing about the iPhone everywhere - and I own one for God's sake!

[D-mon @ Jan 8th 2008 10:18AM]

Well if Nilay Patel was doing the asking to see this device outside its display, it's easy to understand why they oblidged.

[TKWarrior @ Jan 8th 2008 11:42AM]

Since we all have personal accounts to comment on the site, I really wish we could all have custom commenter tag filters so we didn't have to read idiotic statements like the first couple of geniuses on every article about a new phone with a touch screen. I'm sure you complain on every HDTV article because brand X is just copying the same "design" of brand Y, right?

But I guess if fanboys couldn't spew hate the site would get far less traffic, huh?

[z3bbster @ Jan 8th 2008 12:43PM]

hhhmm is was digging into some more information of the photo with the gps photo in the gallery.In the picture u see a map a the city of Venlo. Its near my place here in holland. One strange thing comes to my mind. Whole the hell on CES has a gps system/phone with map of Venlo on a prototype? Where these employees form Europe maybe? Cuz there no info about a dutch mio department...

thanx

[dude @ Jan 8th 2008 8:54PM]

I was gonna say Samsung F300. iPhone? Not so much

[palehorse @ Jan 9th 2008 3:26PM]

integrated video capture? touchscreen AND keypad interfaces? No carrier exclusivity agreements?

LOL.. I can't wait to see Apple's "Fake Mio" next year!

Secks-see Innovation FTW!