Keepin' it real fake, part CLXXI: iFone 3G is more than phonetically inaccurate

Not even 24 hours after discovering the completely befuddling iFone x1 comes this, something entirely more recognizable, yet just as wrong. The iFone 3G is -- so far as we can tell -- the first mass produced KIRF of the iPhone 3G, and if history has anything to prove, it'll be just the first in a long, long linage. The best part? The whole "3G" thing in the model name is not representative of actual data band support, so the best you'll do on this heap of festering rubbish is EDGE. At the $5 to $10 range, we could definitely see picking one up for kicks and giggles, but at $178? Psssh... no thanks, poser.

[Thanks, Scott]

[OCEAN 'CLAK' 20th LOL @ Dec 6th 2008 11:24AM]

'i' dont like it looks like a cheap knock off and 'i' wish phone companys would stop copying apples iphone touch screen its just embarrassing now looking at the copy cats

[techinkdev @ Dec 6th 2008 11:28AM]

Man, I would not Hesitate to fart on that phone.

[iEye @ Dec 6th 2008 1:39PM]

Hush up!, it may just be a copy, but it is far superior in design to any nokia or moto out there today!!!

[lanejasper69 @ Dec 6th 2008 2:51PM]

Are you like 10 or something? What a immature comment, I'm sure!

[bill cant fart @ Dec 6th 2008 3:01PM]

I would too, if, well....


*sniff*

[Gad Get @ Dec 6th 2008 8:55PM]

*Sniff*? What are you sniffing at? Never mind, I don't want to know!

[agent.st4r5cr34m @ Dec 6th 2008 11:29AM]

Wow. They can't even get the font size right in that "Slide to power off" box.

[KRIS_C_123 @ Dec 6th 2008 12:45PM]

they are going for a different look. cheap and incomplete, it is all the rage these days

[Precurse @ Dec 6th 2008 1:06PM]

Incomplete.. Like leaving out copy+paste and multitasking?

[Jeff @ Dec 6th 2008 2:35PM]

That was my favorite part of this KiRF. Maybe it's because they don't have the fullsize screen?

[Jason Randazza @ Dec 6th 2008 11:30AM]

If you click on the picture and follow the link you see a bunch of applications one of which is "CS" and an icon that looks like Counter-Strike. If this thing can play Counter-Strike, I'm in for one.

[PlopperZ @ Dec 6th 2008 12:02PM]

I can also see a WoW icon
Yeah no

[agent.st4r5cr34m @ Dec 6th 2008 12:34PM]

Don't forget Stopwat.

[Technex @ Dec 6th 2008 5:12PM]

It'll be a 2D Counter strike which plays damn awful.

Useless phone, just as much as the original!

[Technex @ Dec 7th 2008 4:10AM]

Rank me down ibitches ;).

[Dyranios @ Dec 6th 2008 11:37AM]

heh maybe apple could take a few lessons from this

Data Connections: WAP, GPRS, SMS,MMS
Playback Formats: MP3/3GP/AVI/JPG/TXT
Bluetooth Stereo Music Profile: A2DP Stereo Supporte

[AlekZander @ Dec 6th 2008 12:03PM]

Because it drives me crazy that I can't play TXT files on my iPhone 3G.

[KAIKAI @ Dec 6th 2008 12:28PM]

*COUGH* *COUGH* he was talking about the a2dp alekzander

[Dyranios @ Dec 6th 2008 2:35PM]

It's ok it's a typical Apple fanboy response to jump on some trivial and unfunny joke rather than look at the fact that this cheaper and poorer device has more functionality than the iPhone.

Also for what it's worth there is no way to get notes from your PC onto your iPhone, I would actually find this feature useful as would others who frequently whine about lack of notes synchronisation also.

[lanejasper69 @ Dec 6th 2008 2:43PM]

I agree, especially about the A2DP, that rules...I use it on my Bold in the car and it's AWESOME, that's the one thing I personally miss about the iPhone. The second and third are no expandable memory or removable battery (possibly for a longer extended battery and modified back case to support it) BUT, the interface looks shotty and like the above post, couldn't even get the slide to unlock graphics right before production kinda shows what else you might expect...I'd go for 99.00 or something MAYBE, but no more for sure!!!!

[Patriks7 @ Dec 6th 2008 3:09PM]

"It's ok it's a typical Apple fanboy response to jump on some trivial and unfunny joke rather than look at the fact that this cheaper and poorer device has more functionality than the iPhone."

You obviously miss the point of the iPhone, which is why so many people like it.. the SOFTware.. HARDware isn't that bad either compared to some current high-end touch phones.. I mean I really like the expandability of my current WinMo phone (Touch HD), but the OS is slow and complicated to use, which is not really what a phone is supposed to be like..

[VanillaSpice @ Dec 6th 2008 11:33PM]

@ Dyranios - 1) Alek was being ironic, not trivial, and was at least mildly amusing 2) "more functionality than the iPhone" ha ha ha ha ha, good one! 3) "I hate iPhone because it does not do what I want ... I want notes sync" AH HA HA HA HA HA ha ha ha ha ha ha stop it man, you're killing me!

[Phoenix @ Dec 6th 2008 11:38AM]

@ Dyranios: i was JUST about to post about those... particularly the A2DP.

Plus there's this
"
- Manufacturer claims the phone is powered by a fast 204MHz CPU"

1) they can't even find out?
2) Since when was that fast?

[Jeffery @ Dec 6th 2008 1:52PM]

There are plenty of phone knock-offs on DealExtreme, and most of them have lots of parenthetical "manufacturer claims" features. e.g. "Java (manufacturer claims)". Agreed with Engadget - if they were cheap, they might be worth a look, but not at the price they're charging. (Then again, comparing with DX's normal prices, it is remotely possible that they're half-decent, really terrible knock-offs :P)

[davidgiannini @ Dec 6th 2008 11:48AM]

I Wonder, who would ever buy a cheap ripoff of the iPhone for such a price... Anyone an idea?

[brandon @ Dec 6th 2008 12:05PM]

I nominate iFone x1 for crapgadget!!

[brandon @ Dec 6th 2008 12:07PM]

Actually, iFone x1 AND iFone 3G

[iEye @ Dec 6th 2008 1:48PM]

"i" might pick one up as a collector's piece...

It it like collecting fake Rolex or Cartier wrist watches... kinda fun to compare complete original superiority to a clone!

To bad the iPhone is garnishing soooo much attention and the other shite! Nokia phones only have about 3 clone versions..


WHAT HAPPENED NOKIA??? you took a fall into a vat of shite?

[kr @ Dec 6th 2008 11:52AM]

Isn't the name phonetically accurate? Would the inaccurate thing simply be the spelling?

[Odimerus @ Dec 6th 2008 12:03PM]

If it were to be phonetically accurate it would be the 'ahyFone'

[kr @ Dec 6th 2008 12:40PM]

So the original iPhone is also phonetically inaccurate?

[Sue Doenimm @ Dec 6th 2008 1:54PM]

I'm pretty sure that "phonetically" may have been a pun. You know, because it has the word "phone" in it.

[Decoy @ Dec 7th 2008 5:07AM]

Phonetic is not phonetic. Everyone loses.

[davidgiannini @ Dec 6th 2008 11:55AM]

Best of All is this "Model: iFone 3G (note that the "3G" here is merely a model number, it does not represent 3G network support)"

[Flashpoint @ Dec 6th 2008 1:48PM]

....and engadget has an editor controlled Downrank/uprank button which he can use as much as he wants.

Listen, if downranks mattered to me, I'd sleep with hotter women.

[Flashpoint @ Dec 6th 2008 11:55AM]

I love how engadget always posts a picture of the real iPhone...as if we forgot what it looks like.

[biohazard1067 @ Dec 6th 2008 7:41PM]

Do you seriously think one of the phones in the picture is a real iPhone? HA

[BB @ Dec 6th 2008 11:56AM]

They are too dumb to make it looks right.
Tt is not a rip off, it is a shame of intelligence - of true rip offs.

[gentux @ Dec 6th 2008 12:04PM]

Loool seems it does WOW and CS...

Is there someone interested in testing the gaming capabilities of that device? But else I have to say it's just ugly, that font came out before I was born I think. This Keyboard is only usable by birds. The Menus have Numbers on the front and nobody knows why. Nobody knows what the OK and Cancel button in every menu is for. Any Videos of this so far?

[dt @ Dec 6th 2008 12:08PM]

The picture of the power adapter cracks me up. "Dangerousinshock by electricity. Please use in the dryencironment"

[Bandit5317 @ Dec 7th 2008 12:00AM]

Who ever reads the Waming on a power adapter?

[revx @ Dec 6th 2008 12:23PM]

hey engadget your site search is broken

[Dahk @ Dec 6th 2008 2:07PM]

could not open XML input

[jas0nuk @ Dec 6th 2008 12:26PM]

I don't get it... why do all these fake chinese products have almost everything copied correctly apart from the font face?

[Mux @ Dec 6th 2008 12:31PM]

Maybe because they are chinese, and used to chinese characters, they don't understand the aesthetics of the Latin alphabet.

[Mux @ Dec 6th 2008 12:27PM]

Even the logo of the site selling them, DealExtreme, is a ripp-off! It's the logo of the Yamaha DX range of synthesizers:
http://www.tonetweakers.com/images/used/yamaha_dx100_pics_web/w_yamaha_dx100_m.jpg

[Chris Aubeck @ Dec 6th 2008 12:32PM]

"iFone" is phonetically more accurate that the Apple's "iPhone" if that's the sound you unambiguously want to achieve in an international market.

[Joshua McCall @ Dec 6th 2008 4:20PM]

I think he means "orthographically" inaccurate. That would make sense. These guys need to hire more editors.

[Chris Aubeck @ Dec 6th 2008 4:27PM]

An edit option would help for our posts too. My "more accurate that the Apple's "iPhone" should have been "more accurate than Apple's "iPhone"...

Oh well.

[Sentax @ Dec 6th 2008 12:38PM]

There are sooo many things wrong with this.

The pictures at the end show actual iPhone shots with the Apple logo pixel'd out.

I would expect that most of those icons are just fake and don't provide anything.

Wow, RIP. OFF.