Teclast M26 gets priced: $73 too much

Hey you -- you looking for a quarter of the iPod touch experience for a little less than a quarter of the price? Yeah? Well, how does dropping $73 on the depressingly derivative Teclast M26 grab you? Seriously, this thing looked like it had a glimmer of potential when it was first announced, so it's kind of sad to see it getting priced like the throwaway crap it turned out to be -- we should definitely know better by now.

[Via PMP Today]

[Darth Abe @ Jul 12th 2008 8:14PM]

Do you think you guys could tone the scorn down just a little?
I mean it just looks bad, especially after the nonstop iPhone coverage.

[fred @ Jul 12th 2008 8:37PM]

Why dont they do an actual review? Get some video of it working, and let's see how well it does or does not work.

I mean, if you can devote scads of time for the multiple reviews of that other device, you can, Im sure apply the same effort to other gadgets. I mean we are told you are a gadget blog and all. Here's a gadget, go for it!

"...throwaway crap it turned out to be" is just laziness and just reinforces the view by some that you rather paste more iStories than anything else.

[BrianB @ Jul 12th 2008 9:12PM]

And why is $73 too much for a video player that supports a ton of codecs? I'm waiting for a retailer on our site to offer one. It's a nice second PMP, even if you already have an iPod.

[BrianB @ Jul 12th 2008 9:15PM]

And you forgot to mention it has TTS. OK, so maybe I don't have a lot of confidence on that functionality and maybe it only works for Mandarin or another Chinese language, but imagine if this player actually starts selling, forcing the manufacturer to invest more money for firmware upgrades, etc.

[YpoCaramel @ Jul 12th 2008 9:21PM]

Not only did you gets not give a review, but this post doesn't even give a capacity - I had to go to PMPToday to see that the $73 gets you 2GB/4GB. That is a little less than a 4GB Sandisk Fuze - you aren't saying that is crap because of the price. So how do you know this crap?

[BrianB @ Jul 12th 2008 9:25PM]

YpoCaramel,

The price is for the 4GB. This should be available in an online retailer real soon for sure. It's already been featured on Engadget multiple times. Wait a couple of weeks.

[Tracey L @ Jul 12th 2008 10:27PM]

how many gigs? looking at this DigitalRise D1300 8GB http://www.wholesaleg8.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1090&HS=1 - seems reasonably priced.

[Juaquin @ Jul 13th 2008 4:54PM]

Let's see - for that money you can get a 2GB iPod Shuffle with no screen and limited codec support, or a 4GB touch-screen player supporting all kinds of codecs. What would you choose?

Maybe this knockoff isn't solidly built (as I think Nilay is trying to imply), but then again it might just be cheap because they didn't have to pay a bunch of emo kids in Cupertino to design it. If I needed a music player in addition to my iPhone I'd give it a shot.

[Steffen Jobbs @ Jul 13th 2008 8:30PM]

The Teclast M26 is not an iPhone. This device is an iNothing. Next. Moving on....

[kingofwale @ Jul 12th 2008 8:15PM]

how much is it again???

>Taipower support the new M26 RMVB, AVI (including DivX, XviD, MPEG-4 SP, MPEG-4 ASP, and other coding), FLV three most popular online video format live One, rmvb maximum support to the ultra-format DVD-D1 (720 * 480) resolution fluent live, AVI format DVD support to the super-resolution WVGA (800 * 480)



now, that's pretty good support list. I dare any western maker to match that list.

[Haikibutsu @ Jul 12th 2008 8:18PM]

I've never seen anything amazing from Teclash.

Engadget, were you serious you were expecting so much out of this?

[chris @ Jul 12th 2008 8:20PM]

oh my god...even the non iphone/ipod news is iphone/ipod related!

and i have an iphone...i'm just sick of it all. i'm in limbo between 1.1.4 and 2.0 so i've been with out a cell phone for over 24 hours, and that's not good when you run a business through your phone.

[CharlieX @ Jul 12th 2008 8:29PM]

then maybe you should have read Engadget more often and known that there are activation issues.... if you run your business through your phone

[Lori @ Jul 12th 2008 9:03PM]

or maybe have a backup phone you can put your sim into JUST IN CASE anything happens to your precious iphone?

you should have paid attention to the fact that there were activation issues, and you probably installed it via the direct download link rather than waiting for itunes to say it was available, therefore installing it BEFORE IT WAS READY, making you an idiot.

[deyanimay @ Jul 12th 2008 9:09PM]

Maybe they will give you extra minutes or something. I have t-mobile and when they messed up the voicemail system for 2 phones on my family plan they gave me 100 extra minutes for each. I know its not much but at least its something.

[Lori @ Jul 12th 2008 9:17PM]

yeah, but at&t didnt fuck up his phone... he did. he is the one who (likely) installed the update when itunes wasnt even saying it was available and when he was fully aware the activation servers were down. how is this at&t's fault?

[deyanimay @ Jul 12th 2008 9:23PM]

i didn't say it was at&ts fault, iknow it was the apple servers that were down but they should make it up to at&t customers somehow.

[Nohone @ Jul 12th 2008 9:30PM]

@CharlieX

It always amazes me how much Apple fanboys will do to protect the image of Apple. Don't blame Apple for them not having the servers set up to handle the registrations. Don't blame Apple for not pulling the update from servers when the problem was evident so that more people would not be broken until they fixed it. Don't blame apple when Windows Me, er, Mobile Me did not work. Blame the user for not making sure that an update that Apple puts out will work. Blame Microsoft/IE (such as TUAW has done) for causing problems. Just don't you dare blame Apple.

Really, isn't this an issue of trust? We are told over and over how flawlessly Apple products work. That they are not encumbered with those draconian Microsoft actions such as Windows phoning home to activate. But what we have seen this week is that you should not trust Apple - something that you are saying in your post. Don't trust Apple to deliver a working solution, that every single Apple user needs to know about sites like Engadget before trying to use an Apple product to make sure it works.

I plug my iPhone into my Vista MCE to charge over night, when I woke up it told me there was an update. And you are right, I will never trust Apple to deliver a working solution again, and I will make sure that it is not broken before updating.

Also, when did Engadget become the official press center for Apple, that you need to check here before using an Apple update? Or are you just confirming what many people say about this web site?

[Lori @ Jul 12th 2008 11:13PM]

Yes, the updates were on Apple's server - but is it THEIR fault that users decided to download them via a direct link rather than waiting until they actually popped up via System Preferences or via iTunes? Of course they weren't ready. You downloaded it directly rather than the method that would have indicated they were ready.

You are the anti-fanboy. You want to blame Apple for everything that isn't even their fault. It really isn't THEIR fault that people dig through their servers to find the new files before they're ready. When they're ready, your updates will show up via iTunes/System Preferences... you jump on shit then blame Apple when you are screwed for doing it. Really, it isn't their fault that you are impatient and want someone to blame for it.

[Nohone @ Jul 12th 2008 11:30PM]

(reposting since the comment system is having fits again)

@Lori

For those people who downloaded an unofficial version of the firmware of the server, yes, I agree completely it is the user's fault. I did not do that. Like I said (I didn't quite finish the thought before hitting send) I woke up, and iTunes said there was an update available so I clicked the install button. I upgraded with the official version through the offical upgrade path and I did not have a phone for 6 hours because it had to contact their server to let it know I upgraded. Why didn't Apple pull that version off their server (they should have pulled the unofficial version also, but I am not going to argue against that).

So yes, I absolutely blame Apple for putting out the official version of the firmware without having the ability to handle re-activation. And if complaining that they screwed over my phone for 6 hours makes me an anti-fanboy, then I wear that badge with pride. Just like I do when I complain about my first iPhone being bricked with error 1603 when trying to install FW 1.1.4, and Apple claimed it was my fault.

[Grant @ Jul 13th 2008 11:18AM]

who said he used the unofficial link? He didn't.The problem was that people needed to reconnect to the server for activation after updating, and that server was getting slammed. The update that was released by apple was fine, it was the servers that were getting overwhelmed that were the issue. I love apple products, but this was one launch that was seriously botched, and no one is to blame but them.

[Wolfticket @ Jul 12th 2008 8:23PM]

On paper, and in the pictures that aren't that one, it looks ok, especially for the oh-so-detestable low price. Two questions spring to mind:
Have you actually tried it?
Would it be more appealing to you if it cost more?

[BrianB @ Jul 12th 2008 9:22PM]

"Would it be more appealing to you if it cost more?"

Probably Nilay's point. If it's priced this low then it must be crap, especially with all the features like capacitive TS and FM recording, etc. I just wish Chinese manufacturers like Teclast devote more time in actually making at least one player as good as iRiver, COWON. I know they can do it, but their business model seems to be the more the merrier, whatever the quality. The M26 sure looks like the kind of model that deserves more in terms of R&D and high-quality components.

[David @ Jul 13th 2008 5:02AM]

uh.. maybe because that's because their are like a billion poor people in china. They have to serve the domestic market as well y'know

[Metkis @ Jul 12th 2008 8:43PM]

Well, as others have said, I wish Engadget had a separate sub-domain for Apple-goods. I mean, when 4 or more articles on front page are currently directly about something Apple it's obvious the writers seem to have no problem writing at length about the company's offerings. All these articles do is bring a lot of fanboy wars about and bring out the trolls in people.

I guess this rant is useless though, longtime commenters have been asking for a simple comment delete button for months to no avail. The only thing I have disliked about Engadget is my ability to get a feel for the writers or staff personally. I think this is in part because I barely see them try and get a feel for us as commenters.

[deyanimay @ Jul 12th 2008 9:12PM]

4 posts about apple is not a problem ... if they weren't all about the same damn product maybe if apple released many new or updated products then engadget should have 1 maybe 2 posts for each one but not like 30 posts about a slightly updated product no matter how popular it is.

[BigD145 @ Jul 12th 2008 9:30PM]

4 iPhone posts that say little more than "iPhone in stock" or "activation down" is 4 too many. It's not tech news. It's not a tech review. It's little more than an Apple BJ.

[Metkis @ Jul 13th 2008 1:07AM]

Well, that's why I believe if they had their own domain for that such as Mobile for phones, HD for...well, HD, and etc. that they would have the ability to stop flushing Engadget with all this Apple crap and would still be able to post it for those needing to know on a separate blog. When something big actually happens they could drop it on Engadget.

[phanbouy @ Jul 13th 2008 1:12AM]

@415: i've heard about that, you mean the new iBJ?

[BigD145 @ Jul 13th 2008 1:41PM]

@phanbouy
That's why Apple products come in white or aluminum. It makes it easier to clean the protein stains.

[mkim @ Jul 12th 2008 8:43PM]

Exactly what is so bad about this? The only thing that is glaringly obvious is its capacity.

[erik @ Jul 12th 2008 8:52PM]

distorted reality?? Oh cuz we want good products? :)
Idiot

[John H. @ Jul 12th 2008 9:09PM]

That's what she said.

[vdogg89 @ Jul 13th 2008 1:22AM]

thats what who said?

[Jhongerkong @ Jul 14th 2008 1:17AM]

she

[derX @ Jul 12th 2008 9:14PM]

"But of course I prefer have the real thing!! ;P"

Funny comment coming from a guy named Tits.

[Matthew Thomas @ Jul 12th 2008 9:17PM]

Hmm, and you wonder why people think Engadget are paid by Apple eh?

Not everyone has $299 to spend on a fancy iPod touch, review then tell us how bad it is!

[deyanimay @ Jul 12th 2008 9:25PM]

By "bad" you mean "good" right?

[Matthew Thomas @ Jul 12th 2008 9:26PM]

Well, no doubt engadget will give it a review then state its bad as to not lose face!

[deyanimay @ Jul 12th 2008 10:34PM]

true dat

[David @ Jul 13th 2008 5:07AM]

"Not everyone has $299 to spend on a fancy iPod touch, review then tell us how bad it is!"

For instance; Chinese people.

[joe blow @ Jul 12th 2008 10:00PM]

It probably is garbage, but we don't need Engadget to guess at that. We already surmised that. Unbox, test and disassemble the goddamn thing like we pay you to do. Then see if it blends, you lazy pricks.

[Eric @ Jul 12th 2008 10:02PM]

engadget already has a sub-blog devoted to all things Apple, it's called TUAW. The only problem. is rather than just leaving it like that, they know, and so does everyone else, Apple news = traffic, just like saying Vista sucks will get traffic too.

At least Gizmodo has a not:apple tag feature, then I can read actual gadget-related news.

[Quix @ Jul 12th 2008 10:11PM]

This thing looks nothing like the iPhone!

Pffft, fanboys. Blah blah blah.

Sincerely,

The Engadget-camping Apple-hating Horde

[deyanimay @ Jul 12th 2008 10:36PM]

I'm more of an apple-eater myself.

[Wasabi @ Jul 12th 2008 10:57PM]

If this is the type of effort that Nilay Patel puts into responsible blog articles, then I don't think it's a good fit for Gizmodo.

Consumers need to open up their minds and stop calling everything with a touchscreen and chrome casing an iphone / touch clone. It's not a clone, it's just a device that happens to use touch screen interface.

Speaking of touch screen interface...it's not cheap to manufacture if you don't have huge orders or a deep investor. So most companies who are trying to get a leg up into the market will use a standard design and sizing from the factories.

Don't judge a book by it's cover...and it seems that this particular blogger has...which is against the whole concept of open and truthful blogging.

[Wasabi @ Jul 12th 2008 11:10PM]

I meant Engadget

Also check out the model you are using: http://www.teclast.com/zhuanti/2008ser/

What's up with the tattoo beneath the belly button?

[fh @ Jul 12th 2008 11:23PM]

That's fine, Giz is guilty of the same charge.

[nzo @ Jul 12th 2008 11:32PM]

Happy trail or demonic seal. Who knows?

[holycow @ Jul 13th 2008 4:31AM]

Damn! Whats with their advertising there... =/

Also love the P2'ish interface..