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copycat posts

Keepin' it real fake, part CXXVI: Jointech's $99 JL7100 rips Eee PC in spectacular fashion

by Darren Murph posted Jul 27th 2008 at 3:46PM

The Kira 100 was a decent Eee PC knockoff, but at just north of $475, there was literally no purpose in picking it over the genuine product. The Jointech JL7100, however, really makes ASUS' darling look mighty unnecessary. Okay, so maybe the fact that this thing relies on WinCE 5.0 rather than, you know, a bona fide laptop operating system is a bit disappointing, but there are sacrifices to be expected here. As for other specifications, you'll supposedly find a 7-inch 800 x 480 resolution display, Samsung chipset, 64MB (yes, megabytes) of internal storage, 64MB (yes, megabytes) of RAM, a VGA output and three USB ports. We can hear your stifled laughter from here, but your tune may change upon hearing the $99 (USD?) price tag. Told you so.

[Thanks, Sean]

Keepin' it real fake, part CXXV: Touch Diamond gets aped sans luster

by Darren Murph posted Jul 16th 2008 at 2:45PM

Not that we'd view the actual Touch Diamond as IF or anything, but the Diamond J6 is more along the lines of I3. In all seriousness, this thing isn't too far from being spot-on identical (maybe it's an HTC thing?), with a 2.8-inch display, built-in camera, multimedia player, Bluetooth and a microSD card slot. And for $160, we're almost inclined to fall in love here... almost.

Amex Digital gets a little too inspired with new portable Super Multi Drive

by Darren Murph posted Jul 9th 2008 at 9:58AM

Okay, so we definitely appreciate a slim little external DVD burner that cooperates with more than one computer (natively), but no matter how hard we try to peer around the similarities, there's just no denying the likeness here. Amex Digital's Portable Super Multi Drive is, for all intents and purposes, a direct rip of Apple's MacBook Air SuperDrive. The unit gets all the power it needs from a spare USB port, arrives in black or white, burns dual-layer DVD media at 10x (single-layer at 20x) and sports a palatable $89 sticker. Can you imagine what this thing would cost with actual R&D overhead factored in?

Airis' Kira 740 Eee lookalike gets reviewed

by Joshua Topolsky posted Apr 29th 2008 at 3:04PM

French site MobileHub has gotten its hands on another Eee ~~competitor~~ rip-off -- the Airis' Kira 740 (aka, Kira 100) -- and has given it the rundown. The initial impressions are about what you'd expect, besides coming with XP onboard, having 1GB of memory, a VIA C7 1GHz CPU, and a traditional 40GB hard drive, the mini-laptop is almost identical to ASUS' entry. The screen resolution is the same 800 x 480, the keyboard is apparently a shot-for-shot remake, and it features familiar ethernet and WiFi networking options. You can see in the photo above that there are some minor physical differences, though in our opinion they've somehow managed to ugly it up + 30 percent. For €299 (or around $466) you can get yourself a Kira 740 sometime soon. Yay.

[Via SlashGear]

Keepin' it real fake, part XCVIII: T-Mobile Shadow gets shadowed

by Darren Murph posted Nov 29th 2007 at 12:50PM

Well, would you look at that. If not for the gaudy packaging, $69.99 price tag and blatant Oasis Media branding, we'd swear the Playr was a T-Mobile Shadow (or HTC's P3300, we guess). Yep, this knockoff does a fairly decent job of mirroring its inspirer, sports 2GB of storage and a miniSD expansion slot, comes with 35 free eMUSIC downloads and includes a built-in media player for good measure. Interestingly, we get the feeling that this thing won't actually send or receive calls, but if you're quick, no one will even notice.

[Thanks, Rick]

Update: Turns out this thing is actually the MachSpeed Oasis Video Player, and is readily available on Amazon (among other places). Still, it could stand some originality in the design department. [Thanks, Rob!]

Friendship Star knocks off iPod nano, then makes it ugly

by Darren Murph posted Nov 16th 2007 at 12:24PM

For intents and purposes, we're thoroughly numb to iPod nano knockoffs at this point, but when some company goes beyond the call of duty to uglify its copycat attempt, we can't help give credit. Friendship Star International Limited, which earns major kudos on name alone, has created the nano-inspired FD-1888P for those adamantly against click wheels (and products of authenticity). The unit features a 1.8-inch color display, integrated speaker, FM tuner, rechargeable Li-ion, support for MP3, MP4, MTV and AMV file formats and a totally bodacious D-pad control scheme. Pricing information is reserved for those willing to buy hundreds at the time, so who knows how long that will remain a mystery.

[Via PMPToday]

Golden Crystal's KI-T12 PMP apes Nokia's 7260

by Darren Murph posted Oct 28th 2007 at 7:20AM

Golden Crystal Technology's KI-T12 didn't quite make the cut for the infamous keepin' it real fake list, but even though it's not a straight-up rip, there's no denying the similitude. Interestingly enough, this isn't even the first time we've seen a gizmo take a note from Nokia's 7260, but this particular copycat simply handles DMV, MP3, MPX and WMA formats, features a wee 1.5-inch color display and includes a built-in FM tuner to boot. Furthermore, you'll find six equalizer presets, your own electronic pet game (Tamagotchi, reincarnated!) and a text viewer. Per usual, you'll have to send in an inquiry to find out how much these things run, but honestly, why would you want to do that?

[Via PMPToday]

Meizu's MiniOne M8 GUI showcased further, still devoid of originality

by Darren Murph posted Oct 19th 2007 at 1:14PM

If you had even a sliver of faith left in Meizu that it would change its copycatting ways and turn its heart to creativity, you're probably feeling quite foolish right about now. In a recent posting made to showcase even more interface shots of the MiniOne M8, we got a glimpse at the not at all familiar music interface, more insight on the calling screens and a few more looks (shown after the jump) at how it'll handle messaging. Needless to say, we can just swear we've seen a similar GUI before, but apparently, playing the ignorance card makes it easier to swallow. Oh, and the actual phone now sports a "new edge" with a somewhat grayish motif -- enthralling, we know.

Continue reading Meizu's MiniOne M8 GUI showcased further, still devoid of originality

Keepin' it real fake, part LXXXIX: V503 apes old school Archos

by Darren Murph posted Oct 13th 2007 at 12:09AM

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

by Joshua Topolsky posted Sep 14th 2007 at 9:37AM

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

by Darren Murph posted Sep 3rd 2007 at 8:25PM

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

by Darren Murph posted Jul 4th 2007 at 8:04AM

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

by Darren Murph posted Jun 20th 2007 at 5:11PM

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]

Continue reading Keepin' it real fake, part LXIII: iPhone clone on video

Sweex Blizzard portable media player introduced, copied

by Darren Murph posted Jun 19th 2007 at 8:04AM

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 PMPToday
Read - BENSS knockoff, via PMPToday

Leopard dock resembles Sun's Project Looking Glass?

by Darren Murph posted Jun 12th 2007 at 1:58PM

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?