If you're going to rip off one of the more memorable Windows Mobile devices ever made, you'd think you'd want to at least clone its most notable feature -- but seriously, what do we know about the
KIRF business? Yeah, well, this little number manufactured by a firm doing business as "iHTC" (no relation to HTC, we're sure) looks an awful lot like the
HD2, but lacks that all-important 4.3-inch display, instead trading down for a more pedestrian 3.6-inch unit. On the upside, it's still WVGA and packs the latest and greatest Windows Mobile 6.5.3 (if "latest and greatest" really applies there) plus a 5 megapixel autofocus cam -- not bad specs for a device that eats copyrights for breakfast. Seems you can hunt one of these puppies down for about 1,580 yuan ($231), so start saving and packing for your Chinese adventure -- and in the meantime, follow the break for a comprehensive video demo of the finest technology iHTC has to offer.
posted May 6th 2010 12:39AM
These phones are slowly reaching the real stuff at quarter the price
@Madmax333
Cortex A8 or no sale
@JeremyBenthem IF THEY USED A PEN, THEY BLEW IT!!!!!!!!
@Madmax333
Just shows how much it actually costs to make a phone.
@Peter F
+1 for you Sir
@Madmax333
So many KIRF smartphones, notebooks etc.. are made in Taiwan just like the real products. I think that if these KIRF manufacturers actually put their hardware in an original design these things would sell much better.
In a way this is what HTC did, instead of continuing as ODM or making KIRF phones they started selling original design phones under their own brand and now they are market leaders.
@Madmax333 Even though they copy the design, big props for them for making some pretty good devices. They don't exactly have the same amount of R&D as big companies...
@ChrisSsk
+1
Yeah HTC were KIRF Kings, now they're Market Kings :D
@ChrisSsk
As a Taiwanese, I always feel sad that people get confused between Taiwan and China. Simply by seeing the simplified characters, you should know that's something from China, not Taiwan (we use traditional characters instead). In fact, most of KIRFs, if not all, are made in China and selling KIRFs in Taiwan is totally illegal. We do have lots of OEMs/ODMs which manufacture for big brands like HP, Dell, Sony, Apple...etc. The other ODMs like Asus, Acer, MSI... etc are trying to establish their own brand recognition like that hTC has done. Anyhow, we are working hard to be not-KIRFy and it's a long way to go.
@Madmax333
How do they get away with this in China? I mean i thought comunist countries were more strict than ours... If you did this here you'd be sued, arrested, after Apple kicks in your door and takes all your computers.
Looks like the Chinese Gov't doesn't give a damn what their people do.
@Madmax333
I'd not be so sure about the "slowly reaching the real stuff" line.
The guy in the video revealed the specs:
Processor: Huawei (model unclear) 533Mhz
ROM: 256MB
RAM: 256MB
This is pretty much ancient. Even my old iPaq 210 is better than this. I won't bother even at one quarter price. Besides, this bugger seems to be actually THICKER than HD2. OK, not "seems", I'm pretty sure about that. Been comparing the video with my HD2 for quite a while.
And the battery compartment cover, the one in the video is rather pathetic.
What's the key charm of HD2?
A) 4.3 inch glorious screen, CAPACITIVE (30/100 points)
B) Sense UI (30/100 pionts)
C) Snapdragon 1Ghz processor (30/100 points)
D) Good old business-friendly WinMo (10/100 points)
And this thing?
A) 3.6 inch RESISTIVE screen (comes with a stylus)
B) Looks like a mod of SPB Shell
C) Ground-breaking 533Mhz processor
D) Same WinMo (yeah, little boy you get 10 point here)
10 on a 100 points scale in terms of capturing the essence of HD2. This isn't even a knock off, it's rather a jack off. I wonder if anyone here will care to grab one of this even if it's sold $20.
@SuJay Thanks for the info! I understand that some product that "say made in china" really just have assembling warehouses in taiwan but keep the "Made in China" branding.
rofl
@JonnyB This dude needs to clip his nails. Surely he can find a "nail dynasty" somewhere.
@JonnyB I understood the word "logo" and "WVGA"
iHTC= Apple + HTC?
@AlienSix
nope... iHTC is the short for their firm's philosphy which is - ' I Hate To Copy'
@who said what Ironic to the max. +1
let me guess 500mhz processor?
@ajac09
533MHZ processor 256MB+256MB memory
LOL WTF $288 DOLLARS...T-MOBILE IS NOW SELLING THE REAL ONES BUY ONE GET ONE FREE SO WHY THE FUCK WOULD I BUY THIS PIECE OF SHIT?
@Android4Eva
With a subsidy. This is unsubsidized.
@Android4Eva yeah, on contract... oh and you really dont need the caps, just saying.
@BobStewart I apologize...I was highly upset
@Android4Eva
that's no excuse...you used all caps.
I'm coming for you, you have few hours to live
@Android4Eva
Upset over this?
Chill out.
KIRF for the masses
What's that pen-thingy he's holding in his hand?
@ShaggyBalls Looks like a DS stylus
They completely rip-off another phone, without shame, and the one thing they decide this phone was lacking was a....stylus? Wow.
@SaggyBalls The stylus is one of the things I really miss on my HD2 coming from a T-Mobile MDA. I miss being able to take quick handwritten notes in the notes app that integrates with outlook
@d0ug
I can see how that one specific thing could be worth having a stylus for, but overall, no way. I've used both and I'll never look back.
@SaggyBalls
Just wondering, any relation to ShaggyBalls? I just noticed both of your "quaintly named" usernames...coincidence?
@SaggyBalls
I have an image editing and drawing app in the HD2. It's fugging clumsy and I stopped using it due to fat-finger control. Stylus would have been nice.
Looked around for capacitive stylus and it's essentially still a fat nub at the end of a stick. Or the more accurate one looks like medical equipment.
Still looking for a "proper" stylus.
The most annoying part: this has WM 6.5.3 out of the box.
Soon these phones will take over. I have two reasons for thinking that.
1. powerful processors are getting cheaper
2. android is getting more and more mature. (android is open source)
@Nimer55 Linux is open source too, but its not exactly taking over the desktop, so that's not a good reason. But ill agree the future looks bright for Android
@Nimer55 yeah i hope so, i would buy a kirf if they used capacitive touch screens its the only thing that keeps that hd2 knock off from being an epic win of a phone imo.
@d0ug he wasn't saying open source= more sales, he was saying since android is popular and open source it's easier to port it to different phone hardware and it'll be free since theres no licensing fees
@saturnblackhole It would be nice if someone came out with a capacitive/resistive hybrid screen.
Have it sense whats on the screen. if the capacitive function of the screen senses something like a finger that works in capacitive mode, then operate in that mode. But if it senses pressure on the screen without capacitive interaction like what a plastic styli would create then operate in resistive mode to allow the use of just about anything as a stylus at much greater accuracy than a capacitive stylus
It actually looks pretty decent from here. They did quite a good job on mimicking the sense interface. I want the wallpaper! ;)
@max2020
You can get it here:
http://www.hdwallpapers.net/abstract-wallpapers-3
you might have to correct the orientation (portrait for the phone) and downsize for proper fit.
@who said what
Better to link to the actual original author:
http://-kol.deviantart.com/art/Bokeh-116165739
I think that wallpaper makes any POS phone look good.
I have that wallpaper... I read the tutorial on how to do it, even.
wheres the fake EVO?!
@24WWWTEAMGRANTGROUPCOM
I hope they block your IP.
@24WWWTEAMGRANTGROUPCOM the 24 in front of your name makes me think not. Is that your 24th user account on here, the rest got banned for spamming?
@24WWWTEAMGRANTGROUPCOM
Wait a sec....I'm lost :(
ALL they had to do was put Android on it. Windows? These people could make a killing in the US. Granted they prolly skip some environmental and humane standards, but the worlds going to hell anyway, right?