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Keepin' it real fake, part LXXXIX: V503 apes old school Archos
Archos' AV420 hit the market quite some time ago, but that apparently didn't stop the Nanjing Panda Information Industry Company from trying to sneak one by us. The HDD-based V503 claims to feature a 3.6-inch LCD, rechargeable battery pack, FM tuner, USB 2.0 connectivity and support for DivX, AVI, MP3, WMA and VCD formats. Additionally, users can load in a 1.8-inch hard drive and take advantage of the AV output, integrated microphone and text viewer. Per usual, there's no price listed, but considering that this thing just looks old fashioned, we'd advise on passing, anyway.[Via PMPToday, thanks Brian B.]
The first iPod nano clone rears its fat head
Of course, we all know that the knock-off producers in China never rest, but this new iPod nano clone you're looking at was definitely turned around in an impressively short period of time. Right now we have only this photo -- apparently taken at a Shenzhen factory for use in piquing importer's interest -- to go on, but it certainly isn't any kind of surprise that the copy-cats have already put the dirty deed in motion. Just remember guys, you're taking food off of Steve Jobs' table... which is made of diamond-studded platinum.[Via GenerationMP3, thanks BrianB]
Keepin' it real fake, part LXXV: MA-727 apes Samsung's T9B
There's blatant knockoffs, and then there's blatant knockoffs. As you can probably tell, this is most certainly a case of the latter, as the so-called creators of the MA-727 didn't even bother to take their own photo. Instead, it looks pretty clear that they simply doctored Samsung's own snapshot of the T9B, threw a pink miniSD card down beneath, and called it original. Sure, it can supposedly handle just about every format under the sun and touts a 2.4-inch display, built-in speaker, FM tuner, voice recorder, rechargeable Li-ion, and anywhere between 128MB and 2GB of internal storage, but we wouldn't recommend pulling the trigger on this one unless you've got more money than sense.[Via PMPToday]
Keepin' it real fake, part LXV: iPhone clones still rollin' in
You may think that all the iPhone clones from around the world (okay, China) would vanish shortly after Apple released the real deal, but hey, there's no rest for the wicked. Sure enough, I-Fighting's FT4021 "portable media player" looks at least 85-percent like the actual iPhone, which is good enough in our book to rip it as a knockoff. If you actually care about the specs, you'll find a 2.8-inch touchscreen, built-in media player, dual headphone jacks, an integrated speaker, miniSD slot, photo viewer, an FM tuner, and USB 2.0 connectivity. Per usual, there's no mention of a price, but the embarrassment factor alone that comes bundled with this thing would rule it out for most folks.[Via TechDigest]
Keepin' it real fake, part LXIII: iPhone clone on video
While the days remaining until the (legitimate) iPhone launches in the US has dwindled to single digits, leave it to the Chinese knockoff factories to spoil the unboxing fun. As we revisit chapter 54 of the painfully ongoing saga, it looks like the iPhone, er, tPhone, has been captured on video this time around, and while we can't help but spurn the effort in mocking the OS X interface, true appreciation comes from the removable battery and microSD slot. Go on, get your heavy sighs ready -- now click on through for the derisory video.[Via NewLaunches]
Keepin' it real fake, part LX: iPhone clone on video
While the days remaining until the (legitimate) iPhone launches in the US has dwindled to single digits, leave it to the Chinese knockoff factories to spoil the unboxing fun. As we revisit chapter 54 of the painfully ongoing saga, it looks like the iPhone, er, tPhone, has been captured on video this time around, and while we can't help but spurn the effort in mocking the OS X interface, true appreciation comes from the removable battery and microSD slot. Go on, get your heavy sighs ready -- now click on through for the derisory video.[Via NewLaunches]
Sweex Blizzard portable media player introduced, copied
Even if you've never heard of Sweex, it's fairly safe to assume that someone in China most certainly has -- at least judging by the eerily familiar copycat that just happened to surface alongside its release. The fairly well equipped Blizzard was built to play back AVI, MP3, WMA, and WAV files as well as tune into FM radio, but it also touts an image viewer, eBook reader, and a 1.3-megapixel camera. Additionally, it sports a 2.4-inch QVGA display, voice recording abilities, a T-Flash card slot, 1GB or 2GB of internal capacity, rechargeable battery, and USB connectivity. Interestingly, Sweex ditched the idea of tossing in a typically ho hum set of earbuds in favor of Seinnheiser's MX300, but just in case you strangely appreciate the lower-end, the Chinese-produced BENSS PMP (shown after the jump) has knocked this thing off already and probably won't cost you nearly as much. Decisions, decisions.Read - Sweex Blizzard, via PMPTodayRead - BENSS knockoff, via PMPToday
Leopard dock resembles Sun's Project Looking Glass?
While yesterday's WWDC may have been relatively uneventful for those keeping an eye out for hardware refreshes, Steve made sure he showed off the desktop of Leopard in as much detail as possible. Interestingly, the newfangled dock he managed to brag about may have looked a tad familiar, and as a clever user over at Maxasia points out, it is. According to him, the dock revealed yesterday sports a "troubling resemblance" to Sun's Project Looking Glass. Of course, Apple's icons do look a bit less grainy, but especially when you consider the silver platter that the shortcuts seem to hover over in both iterations, you can certainly start to to see the similarity. But hey, it's not like Apple hasn't been down this road before, right?
Keepin' it real fake, part LIX: E-PDA V16 mocks Nokia N95
Can't afford the $750 or so required to pick up a Nokia N95 right now? Fret not, as the Chinese knockoff factories have been workin' overtime in order to crank out a somewhat similar alternative to fit the bill. The E-PDA V16 comes in a bit larger than the authentic iteration and includes a three-inch QVGA touchscreen, three-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, multimedia player, and a touch of tacky to top things off. Of course, any of your pals that are in the know won't be impressed by your futile attempts to fool 'em, but considering that this thing won't cost you nearly as much coin as the real deal, it might be worth the embarrassment (or not). Catch a few more snapshots of the impostor after the jump.[Via iTechNews, thanks lionsense]
Keepin' it real fake, part LXI: E-PDA V16 mocks Nokia N95
Can't afford the $750 or so required to pick up a Nokia N95 right now? Fret not, as the Chinese knockoff factories have been workin' overtime in order to crank out a somewhat similar alternative to fit the bill. The E-PDA V16 comes in a bit larger than the authentic iteration and includes a three-inch QVGA touchscreen, three-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, multimedia player, and a touch of tacky to top things off. Of course, any of your pals that are in the know won't be impressed by your futile attempts to fool 'em, but considering that this thing won't cost you nearly as much coin as the real deal, it might be worth the embarrassment (or not). Catch a few more snapshots of the impostor after the jump.[Via iTechNews, thanks lionsense]
LG officially calling Apple's iPhone a copycat?
One doesn't need look hard look at Apple's iPhone to see the similarities between it and LG's Prada (KE850), but now the momentous whispers have finally gotten to the head of LG Mobile Handset R&D Center, and it's on. While Apple fights its meager battles with trademarks, and we're left to wonder just how much loot Jobs and friends stand to make off this thing, Woo-Young Kwak has reportedly dubbed the iPhone an outright "copycat" of the device that won the International Forum Design Product Design Award. Of course, there are those out there trying to maintain the peace, as Mr. Kang-Heui Cha, Senior Manager of MC Design Research Lab, has stated that LG's handset "focused on interfaces," while Cupertino's pride and joy "emphasized a music phone concept" -- but even that seems like a weak argument at best. But hey, Steve's already voiced his opinion on the highly controversial "to DRM or not to DRM" issue, so we expect hope a rebuttal is already in the works, as this one's got the makings of a real catfight. [Warning: Read link requires subscription]
