Somy X5: basically a Sony Ericsson Pureness for a tenth the price
Here's the thing about Sony Ericsson's Xperia Pureness: once you get past the translucent display, there's not much to it. Seriously -- it doesn't have 3G, a camera, hunks of precious metal, or even a fancy name to flaunt like Vertu, Dior, or Versace; it's just a low-end phone from a mass-market manufacturer that can't do much other than make calls. We suppose that's why it was so easy for a Shenzhen KIRFer to pop out this near-perfect duplicate of the Pureness -- the Somy X5 -- in no time. Heck, it's even got support for two SIMs, or exactly twice as many as you'll find on the $1,000 genuine article -- which, if you're keeping track, is over twelve times the bargain-basement sticker on the Somy here at RMB 550 ($81). Anyhow, looks like it's back to that search for a faithful Aura replica, eh?
























Somy X5 by Scny Eriosscn. lol.
@One Love
they might aswell copy the real name.....
@Acey
They won't. Make the name a little bit different can save them a lot of trouble, if there is any.
Yea, offcourse. They didn't have to do the research and development for the screen, did they? Sony Ericsson needs to gain their costs back...
@bakkermaarten007
Pretty sure Sony Ericsson didn't make the original phone open source, so there wasy no way for the KIRFers to copy the technology without doing some R&D themselves. The only thing they really COPIED, I'd imagine, is the exterior appearance of the phone.
@bakkermaarten007
What Technology, removing the green back plate?
@bakkermaarten007
This actually isn't the same kind of screen as on the Pureness, the pureness has a translucent background and white details while this one has a black background with translucent details.
The first one is some nice new innovation from SE while the second one is just a regular LCD display with no black plate. I actually have some cheap chinese-made alarm clock with such a display next to me right now.
Regardless of what display technology is being used, this might actually be the first KIRF ever that has all the same functions as the original. But then again so does the cheap prepaid phone i bought in 2001 (An Ericsson, it might actually have an earlier version of the same software as the Pureness).
@(Unverified)
*back plate, not black plate
@(Unverified) The Pureness is also black on translucent if the background is brighter than the backlight. This phone may not have copied the backlight, but the pureness screen is nothing special. I'm quite sure it's just a regular LCD with a somewhat unusual backlight. The trick is to disperse and polarize the backlight so that it shows up through the pixels that are on rather than the background. I've seen many screens that do that, just none that also omit the reflector at the back of the screen. While I'm sure the backlight required some research, it's just not that complicated.
For once imo, KIRF ftw...
@Kyle Krcmaric
I was just thinking that..
I mean its not like the overall body's going to be hard to re-create, I've seen TV remotes prettier than this thing (Come to think of it, I've seen smashed TV remotes that look prettier...)
I can actually see the KIRF being more popular than the phone.
@Kyle Krcmaric
Usually kirfs have a lot more going for them.
@Kyle Krcmaric
Did engadget invent the term KIRF?
Sony Ericsson is dying from the lack of the now dropped Symbian UIQ.
The Pureness was rendered useless when Samsung released the transparent screen in colour
@(Unverified)
colour or not, i still wouldnt want a transparent screen
@(Unverified) It was always useless. A dumbphone with a translucent display, so what? And I'd imagine that the Samsung Ice Touch won't be anywhere near $1000.
@NYNY
Yup, its like paying $500 for a basic solar powered calculator, because it uses a clear plastic case and lets you see the chips...
Lovin this KIRF.
"Cloned in China"
Well, that's what they do best.
I still haven't heard a logical reason why Sony is selling the original for $1000... =/
@Plazmic Flame
they dont want to bother with a buggy firmware they have at hand so they are making sure people dont buy it?
@Plazmic Flame
Like everything from Sony, they think the "Sony" name is enough to justify unrealistic prices. Like their home theater stuff. Either buy theirs or buy another brand for the same price that does twice as much and has 20w to 50w more power. PS3 is about the only thing they make that close to worth it's price.
looking at the images on the chinese site, this thing's screen isn't nearly as nice, though. the transparency doesn't work quite as well and it distorts whatever is in the background. not that the real thing is worth $1000...
That's how much the Pureness should've been sold for in the first place.
Wcw, what a pieoe of orap.
@Prostate of Grace Still better than the Pureness. At least it has two SIM slots.
I know a genuine Panaphonics when I see one. And look, here's Magnetbox and Sorny!
@Rick James Lol, +rep for the Simpsons reference lol
That's nothing dudes, i know for a fact that in 2 weeks time the " iPud" tablet will be available on Shenzen's stalls, it will have double SIM, run android 1.5 and/or some win mobile job and play flash content.
Battery is probably gonna suck but it will almost certainly be removable.
CPU is still a mistery but since it will have to be marketed at 50% of the version from Cupertino I guess (hope) is gonna be at least an Atom N270.
Don't know 'bout you but maybe this is gonna be the very first Kirf I ever bought.
It seems that the day is dawning when KIRFs are gonna be better than the original stuff.
Somy? It says Scny Eriosscn on the pictured phone.
This is just stupid.
If I didn't already have a smartphone, I'd get this kirf right now.
Hell, I still might get it and swap my SIM every now and then.
I'd honestly want this. For novelty purposes only, of course.
Seeing the price of the real pureness landing on £530 (about $875), it's just a matter of time before someone made something that's cheaper, in this case a KIRF model. More details of the real pureness: http://bit.ly/xperia-pureness-sexy-rachael-ui