Keepin' it real fake, part CXVI: Tilt gets shamelessly aped

As the bar for really, truly ripping another product off gets ratcheted up, leave it to Awang to make sure it keeps pace. The A9000 handset makes no attempt to veil itself from being seen as the impostor that it truly is, featuring the same QWERTY keypad, general design and tilt-ability as the long-established AT&T Tilt. Judging by the looks of things, those not ashamed with carrying around a Class-A wannabe will find Windows Mobile ("or similar") under the hood, a T-Flash expansion slot, built-in camera and a lovely stylus for good measure. We've seen creativity get slapped in the face before, but this is a bona fide low blow.

[Thanks, Steve]

Gallery: TV mobile AwangA9000

[shakman @ Apr 7th 2008 6:04AM]

What do you mean "rip-off"? This one clearly slides left to right!
8)

[Miles @ Apr 7th 2008 11:08AM]

I know! this is how my 8125 slides and how I wish the Tilt slides.

[Jason @ Apr 7th 2008 6:07AM]

Why hasn't deutsche telecom sent a cease and desist for the blatant trademark infringement of "tv mobile" and its suggestive color scheme.

[Brandon @ Apr 7th 2008 6:11AM]

I wonder if this thing has drivers. I know mine doesn't....

[Esat Dedezade @ Apr 7th 2008 6:16AM]

Imagine a pair of eyes on the screen.

Bender from futurama anyone? Or is that just me and my crazy imagination?

[andy @ Apr 7th 2008 6:40AM]

You're crazy.

[sk @ Apr 7th 2008 7:13AM]

And so does it ape the T-Mobile logo ! But i like the change to it. "TV mobile". So, does it do DVB-H ?!

[Ryan Trevisol @ Apr 7th 2008 7:27AM]

They should've called it the "Lean", or the "Slant", or the "Bend" (No I don't see bender). I like how the battery's almost dead, too. :-p

[Esat Dedezade @ Apr 7th 2008 7:34AM]

Ok guys, maybe this will help. Disregard the keypad. rotate the picture so the phone is the right way up. then put two eyes on the screen. the white area between the answer and hang up keys are the teeth.

or maybe i am just crazy. problem solved!

[john @ Apr 7th 2008 8:27AM]

The Antenna points the wrong way. There's a _VAGUE_ resemblance, but not enough for me to say "oh, yeah, it's a BENDER phone!"

[john @ Apr 7th 2008 8:33AM]

Oh, and, with what you describe, the top of his head is too flat. It needs to be more of a semi-circle/dome shape.

[Esat Dedezade @ Apr 7th 2008 9:36AM]

Okay. The final attempt to prove my (in?)sanity.

Behold the bender phone, in all of its microsoft paint-with-a-laptop-mouse glory!

BenderPhone: http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a53/MaskedMagi/jpeg.jpg

[Derek @ Apr 7th 2008 5:00PM]

Yes, you are most definitely insane.

[Tim @ Apr 7th 2008 5:44PM]

+1 for persistance

[john @ Apr 7th 2008 8:26AM]

Dual SIM cards, Dual Cameras (chat and photograph). Dual Bluetooth (not sure what good THAT is ... so I can use its keyboard with my PC?). It maybe a blatant Tilt ripoff, but it also seems to have some advantages over the Tilt. And, for $186 (that was the big shocker for me).

Too bad it also runs Windows. If it came in some Linux flavor, I might _have_ to buy it, since it's so cheap. Though, it's kinda vague about what data protocols it does or doesn't have -- it only mentions GPRS ... that's kinda weak. No mention of Wifi, either.

So, AWANG, if you're reading this: add EDGE, Tri-band UMTS/HSPA (Europe, AT&T, T-Mobile-USA), Wifi, offer Android and/or Ubuntu-Mobile options, and make sure the Transflash is MicroSDHC compatible. Keep the price under $400 US before contract subsidies, sell it in the US, and I'll strongly consider it.

If you do all of that, plus make sure it has Bluetooth DUN that is Nokia Maemo compatible, or can act as a Wifi access point for a Nokia Maemo device, and the price is under $300, I'll buy it the day it goes on sale in the US.

If you do all of that, but make it CDMA+EVDO and can get MetroPCS to carry it, I'll pay as much as $400 for it. (Hear that MetroPCS?)

$500-$600 if you make it MetroPCS CDMA+EVDO plus 1 or 2 SIM cards for Dual-Band-GSM/GPRS/EDGE/Tri-Band-UMTS (MetroPCS for domestic service, and a SIM card slot for international travel ... or for a pay-as-you-go SIM card from AT&T or T-Mobile when traveling around the US, or both if it still has 2 SIM cards)


I know, pie in the sky. But if they can offer it with its current capabilities for under $200 ... I can dream a little ;-)

[john @ Apr 7th 2008 9:05AM]

If they make it for MetroPCS, then you should be able to take advantage Verizon's new policy of using any CDMA phone on their network.

I personally just want to see the MetroPCS version ... but if they offered versions for Sprint and Verizon specific features, I wouldn't object.

[Steve D. @ Apr 7th 2008 11:28AM]

Actually... I would like to correct Engadget (I was the one submitted the story). This rip-off does NOT runs off Windows Mobile! It LOOKS like Windows Mobile but it is not! IT's a RIP-OFF of WM... It just makes it looks like Windows Mobile.

[john @ Apr 7th 2008 12:34PM]

Actually, where I said:

$500-$600 if you make it MetroPCS CDMA+EVDO plus 1 or 2 SIM cards for Dual-Band-GSM/GPRS/EDGE/Tri-Band-UMTS

I probably should have said "Tri-Band-GSM", not just Dual-Band. I don't remember right now how many GSM voice bands there are, just that UMTS has 3 (I think it's Europe at 1900, AT&T at 2100, and T-Mobile-USA at 1700). But, basically, my statement is meant to reflect that the phone should be a true world-phone with respect to all of the GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSPA protocols.

[Quikboy @ Apr 7th 2008 5:28PM]

"Too bad it also runs Windows"

What's so bad about WinMo? Besides the license cost?

[john @ Apr 7th 2008 5:39PM]

Quickboy: it's Windows. Windows Sucks A*s.

(I'm merely stating my opinion/bias. I will not engage in an OS holy war over it. Therefore, I'm not going to give details of why I feel that way.)

[FRZ @ Apr 7th 2008 8:48AM]

I don't see the Bender resemblance at all. Now, as far as this rip-off is concern, I like it. If only they make it for verizon though. My two year contract isn't expiring soon enough.

[FRZ @ Apr 7th 2008 9:15AM]

The reply function here on engadget sucks.

[Pradster @ Apr 7th 2008 9:31AM]

"TV mobile" is the preffered carrier for clone-phones!

[sayid @ Apr 7th 2008 9:45AM]

The world: Innovate or Die
China: Duplicate or Die

[SinsForgiven @ Apr 7th 2008 10:18AM]

Uhm. Isn't that the HTC Home plugin on the screen?

Plus it looks like the camera is on the CORRECT side on that one, at least for video calls and whatnot.

[john @ Apr 7th 2008 10:44AM]

It has _two_ cameras. One for chatting, one for photographs. I've been telling Nokia they should do that for the Internet Tablets for the last 6 months.

[Ubuntu 7.10 WindowsXP @ Apr 7th 2008 11:20AM]

China.....the second rate knock off of the U.S.A. minus the freedom of press, bearing arms, speech.....but you will have a really cool cell phone and a factory job.

[Phoenix @ Apr 7th 2008 1:51PM]

Gah!

Why does NOBODY say that this isn't just ripping off the Tilt! If anything it's ripping it off LESS than other phones.

The original HTC Kaiser, or the HTC TyTN II, T-Mobile MDA Vario III, O2 XDA Stellar, That random Vodafone one...
They all have the front camera (on the other side), and what with the silver front, "PDA" and "TVmobile" it looks like a cross between a TyTN II and a Vario III... I also notice that it has volume controls rather than a scroll wheel... The camera key is on the wrong side... There's an area on the other side for the ".TV free,super strong TV received(full screen, auto search, brightness regulate)" (so it does have TV...) and an FM radio

There aren't physical softkeys on the keyboard... Only GPRS... " 8. U disk support function to keep the information storage"...

There is a rippoff (but cut down) HTC Home... And it certainly doesn't look like WM, something's odd there...

[Tim @ Apr 7th 2008 5:43PM]

+1 for persistance.

[Tim @ Apr 7th 2008 5:45PM]

damn renegade replys.

[~DaveWoo~ @ Apr 7th 2008 6:22PM]

dual sim
the only reason i'd buy a knock-off

[Matt @ Apr 8th 2008 10:12AM]

This is DEFINITELY WinMo. It's an obvious rip off. What would be the point of putting the "hard" icons at the bottom of the screen for Mail, Contacts etc... Look at the battery indicator...it's backwards. WinMo drains towards "the bottom" of the battery where this one drains towards the tip. With the hard coded "icons" it's obvious the is a rip off as seen in the countless clones out of China.

[Phoenix @ Apr 8th 2008 11:43AM]

I think you mean definitely NOT WinMo

[george @ Apr 14th 2008 9:23AM]

I bought this Awang 9000 phone. can someone help me on how to make the space bar on the keyboard work. Seems not working. Also tried to download opera mini but the phone hangs!! PLS assist

[josie @ May 26th 2008 8:23PM]

im also wondering the same thing!!
i no the full stop nd 0 button works to space although sometimes u have to press it 3 times.
if uve found out how to convert the space bar to actually space let me no please.!!!!

[tribal @ May 16th 2008 3:04PM]

Want to buy it?

http://www.qwickiedeals.biz/