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HiPhone 5 is just a few curves away from KIRF (video)
The iPhone 5 lives only in your dreams at the moment, and probably in some bunker deep beneath Cupertino, but the $99 HiPhone 5 is definitely out there in the wild, and has been for at least a few weeks. Yes, the same moniker that was applied to this Storm knockoff and, naturally, a series of iPhone knockoffs. This time the design is a little more distinctive, the interface definitely aping iOS but the exterior putting some curves, wrapping around a 3.5-inch, HVGA screen. There's a 3.1 megapixel camera around the back (though the case says "3.2"), room for dual SIM cards inside, and it's "100% fully unlocked." As if there were any other way.
Keepin' it real fake: GiPhone F98 is the KIRFiest next gen iPhone KIRF to ever KIRF
It's been nearly a month since a China Grabber employee drunkenly left his experimental prototype next gen GiPhone at a Sushi Bar in Shenzhen, where it was found and sold to Shanzai.com for several thousand Yuan -- and the gadget world hasn't been the same since. The GiPhone F98 features, as all of these KIRFs do, dual SIM cards, an FM Radio, an "iPhone style" UI, WiFi, Bluetooth, and compatibility with 850MHz, 900MHz, 1800MHz, and 1900MHz GSM. And it's one of the thickest phones we've seen in a long time! (See for yourself after the break.) Available now for $150, if you dare. [Thanks, Jessica]
HiPhone F320: 'a rotary phone and an iPod nano walk into a bar...'
With a name like HiPhone, it has to be good, right? Totally. The outfit famous for knocking off RIM's BlackBerry Storm in impressive fashion is back, this time with a psychedelic mishmash that could make even the most hardened soul chuckle once or twice. The F320 is -- as you can so clearly see above -- a terribly funny combination of iPod nano and rotary phone, and while we wouldn't trust the specifications for a minute, we're told that it's a dual-band GSM handset with a built-in multimedia player, FM tuner, camera, 2.6-inch touchscreen and Bluetooth. There's no mention of a price (unless you're willing to commit to buying a few hundred), but trust us, it's better that way.[Via PMP Today]
HiPhone enters the laptop game, to our great amusement
Leave it to the brain trust at HiPhone to thwart our expectations. Instead of delivering a KIRF laptop befitting the company previously known for that dubious nano / Aura mash-up, the iLaptop-2009 makes no attempt to be anything other than what it is: a totally nondescript 12.1-inch device that sports an Intel N270 (1.6GHz) processor and a 160GB SATA HDD. Yours now for a cool $450. And have you seen the pics of this thing? Man, are they lousy -- so bad, in fact, that we feel compelled to include a gallery of them for your enjoyment. You're welcome.[Via PMP Today]
Keepin' it real fake, part CCXVI: HiPhone F06-Slim is brewing up a Storm
Oh hi, HiPhone. Not much of a surprise to see you here, again. The latest masterpiece, the HiPhone F06-Slim, is a Frankenstein amalgamation of KIRF favorite iPhone and RIM's first foray into the world of touchscreen phones, albeit with a slightly smaller, 3.2-inch display. We're also looking at a 1.3 megapixel camera, FM radio, microSD support, GPRS, Bluetooth, dual SIM card slots, and "TV phone" capabilities, which we're taking to mean a mobile receiver of some sort. Looks like it forgot the refresh button on the bottom of the device, but with any luck, it left out SurePress as well. If you hang out with the kind of friends who respect a good knockoff, the price of raising your street cred is just a penny under $190 before shipping.[Via PMP Today]
Keepin' it real fake, part CCXV: HiPhone Nano meets Aura in a knock-off of modest proportions
The Egs HiPhone Nano F210 borrows some of the aura of... well, the Aura. And why not? Half the fun of the KIRF scene is the way that these bandits mix and match aspects of devices according to whatever crazy whim they might be experiencing at the moment. (The other half of the fun? Exploding batteries, of course.) Along with the stylish and quite possibly functional iPod click wheel, this bad boy features: tri-band GSM, a 1.4-inch screen, VGA camera, Bluetooth A2DP, FM tuner, and some sort of media player. As China Grabber puts it: "This is tailor-made for small girls in mobile phones, will the pursuit of individuality, culture, dare to do you a taste of delicacy!!!" Yours today for $139.99. If you're feeling lucky (or you've done something wrong in your past) hit that read link and see for yourself.[Via PMP Today]
Keepin' it real fake, part CC: HiPhone Nano N3+ is crazy beautiful
Yes, KIRF number two hundred is a special affair. The HiPhone Nano N3+ is one of those knockoffs that transcends the category and is just plain awesome all on its own. We can't vouch for its performance or build of course, but the N3+ clamshell is part iPhone, part RAZR, and part iPod, with a little bit of Star Trek: TNG attitude thrown in for good measure. Seriously, though guys: we weren't kidding when we hinted (told you) that this would be a perfect birthday gift. June 15th. Think about it. Oh, and Happy 200th KIRFday, Engadget! One more glorious shot after the break.[Via PMP Today]
Keepin' it real fake, part CLXXXV: the world-renowned GiPhone F5
Whoever put together the GiPhone F5 seems to have done a pretty good job of mimicking the iPhone's UI, but other than that the deets are rather sketchy. This bad boy seems to be a 3G handset with a capacitive 3.2-inch multitouch screen, Bluetooth, "kinds of games," and up to 16GB internal memory. Sounds wonderful, sure, but don't give up your HiPhone just yet -- we're still trying to figure out where this one is available, and at what price. Video after the break.
Apple finally setting its legal sights on the HiPhone?
Oh, there are plenty of bad Chinese iPhone knockoffs out there, but the HiPhone may be the reigning champion these days -- so it kind of seemed like a matter of time before Apple loosed the hounds on distributors of the device. We don't have confirmation or proper human translation of the above legal notice, but it would appear Apple's European counsel Bird & Bird has delivered at least one notice to an unnamed distributor threatening €25,000 in damages (and €15,000 in legal fees) for HiPhone sales. Hardly the case of the century, but we'll let you know if we hear anything.[Thanks, Ricardo]Update: Reader Ben W hooked us up with a translation of the letter; we can't vouch for its veracity, but it's posted after the break if you want to check it out. Thanks, Ben!
Keepin' it real fake, part CIX: C-002 HiPhone ups the ante
All you other iPhone knockoff manufacturers out there better take note: the C-002 HiPhone isn't messing around. Not only is this phone built to mimic the iPhone hardware, but the interface is one of the most faithful reproductions we've seen, and even the unboxing experience has been made to scream Apple. In fact, some of the largest differences between this phone and its inspiration are improvements: a removable battery, dual SIM cards and a microSD slot. There's a video after the break -- it's just like falling in love all over again. [Via Engadget Spanish]
