MeizuM8
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Meizu M8 gets English-language video review
The Meizu M8 has been caught on camera plenty of times before, but we can't recall seeing an English-language version until now. One tester at MP4 Nation has managed to get some hands-on time with the unabashed iPhone doppelganger, and calls the audio and video playback quality a disappointment, especially given the powerful Samsung ARM CPU inside. As he eloquently puts it, "cheap MP4 players can do a better job." Ouch. Video resizing also seems to be poorly implemented, cutting off the edges when it doesn't match the 3:2 aspect ratio. It's not all bad, though, as the photo viewer and phone book has been aptly copied from Apple's flagship mobile, including multi-touch zoom, and the Windows CE-masking GUI is fluid. More videos of the M8 are promised, but in the meantime, check out volume one after the break.
Meizu M8 doesn't have China's stamp of approval yet, so it's loophole time
Think fast: China hasn't granted you permission to sell your long (long) overdue homegrown iPhone fighter, but you've already started production and you want to start raking in the yuan tout suite. How do you make that happen? Easy! Just slap a "Demo unit (not for sale)" label on each and every one of the M8s that rolls off the assembly line and you're back in business. If you read between the lines of Jack Wong's latest correspondence with his fans on Meizu Me, we suspect that the phones being produced as of tomorrow will indeed be sold -- you'll just need a little nudge-nudge, wink-wink to get one from the shop. Nothing wrong with an underhanded dealing here and there in the name of technology, right?
Meizu M8 reviewed, worth the wait?
Can you believe it? It's been over two years since we first got wind of what would become Meizu's high-end iPhone clone, the M8. Okay, we admit to being somewhat dubious at first, and won't be entirely won over until we get one to play with, but just a few days away from its Chinese release the handset seems to live up to its promises according to IT168's full review. Other than a few faults, including an "ear-piercing" integrated speaker and issues running third-party Windows CE applications, things sound surprisingly good. The 480 x 720 3.4-inch screen received high marks, performance was rated as very speedy, and the integrated 3 megapixel camera looks to be able to take great looking pics -- assuming you turn a few lights on. It does sound like a solid device, but is it a proper iPhone competitor? In China, where the iPhone still isn't officially available, we wonder if it isn't the iPhone that's the underdog now (cue raised eyebrow).
Meizu M8 gets demoed in multi-part video form
We've already seen it unboxed and, of course, endlessly shown off by Meizu's own J. Wong, but it looks like some independent demos of the now infamous Meizu M8 are finally starting to crop up online, with one of the first coming from Chinese retailer CNMO.com. While some of the details are lost in translation, there's still quite a bit to be gleaned from the ten videos available at the link below, not the least of which is the fact that the touchscreen seems to be somewhat of an exercise in patience, to put things kindly -- check out part 8 for the challenge that is pausing a track. The phone's camera also seems to be a bit sluggish, but not completely out of line with your run of the mil cellphone camera. Touchscreen aside, however, the phone's interface does appear to be fairly slick and, yes, oddly familiar. Head on past the break to get started with part one of the blow-out, and hit up the read link to check out the rest.
Meizu M8 Flash demo hits the scene, looks mighty familiar
How much ASCII will be spilled, how much bandwidth utilized on this legendary (if vaporous) iPhone killer before it becomes a real reality? Like the tail end of a torrid love affair, we're not even sure if it's the phone itself that we dig or the soap opera that we enjoy so much. And now, hot on the heels of the hands-on video that has captured the imagination of the entire world, Meizu has posted a flash demo of the M8's UI for those of you thirsting for a closer look at the thing. SPOILER ALERT: It bears a strong resemblance to the interface of a certain Apple product.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Meizu M8 captured on video looking smooth, doing multitouch
Oh M8, you've grown up before our eyes. It seems like just yesterday we were looking at your early incarnations and their uncanny similarity to certain other devices. And how could we forget those times we spent together waiting for you at trade shows, and mocking checking out your early hardware? And now look at you, all grown up and caught on video doing your thing. You know what? This actually looks pretty damn nice. Sure, the obvious major iPhone influence is still there, but we have to say, Jack Wong and co. have done a pretty good job of smoothing out this UI -- and we didn't expect to see multitouch working this nicely. Of course, the clip says more than we ever could, so go and wrap yourself in your grandmother's afghan, grab a steaming cup of coffee, head out to the porch of your 19th century farmhouse, and just listen to the wind chimes and smooth sounds of this video as you take a tour of the Meizu M8... after the break.[Via MP4 Nation Blog]
Meizu M8 apparently launching in China, India this December
All indications have certainly been pointing towards the Meizu M8 finally, actually being released this year, and it looks like things just got a tad more official, with Taiwan-based retailer Geek IT Stores announcing that it's signed up as a distribution partner. While it didn't announce a date in its press release, a bit of prodding by Tech Ticker apparently convinced the company's sales head to reveal that the phone would be released in December, with China first on the list to be followed shortly by a roll-out in India, where it'll run you between Rs. 18,000 and Rs. 22,000 (or roughly $384 to $469) for the 8GB model -- which, incidentally, is apparently the only model that'll be available at launch.Update:some new UI pics here.[Via Electronista, Tech Ticker]
Meizu M8 gets detailed in new words, pictures
As you may have noticed, Meizu CEO J. Wong just can't seem to stop talking about his pride and joy, the M8, and he's now let loose yet another pair of new pictures, as well as some further details on the phone. Somewhat surprisingly, J. Wong says that the device will only be available in white initially (which he apparently likes better anyway), and that it will officially be called simply the M8, and not the "M8 mini one" as it had been officially known before. He also reiterates that the company plans to finally release the phone in October, or November "at the latest." Head on past the break for the second pic, and hit up the link below for a few more tidbits.[Via PMP Today]
More Meizu M8 images released, device itself still unreleased
Say what you will about J. Wong and his band of merry imitators at Meizu, but they sure are sticklers for details, which has led to a number of delays and endless tweaks to their now infamous M8 phone. As you can see in this latest pic apparently let loose by none other than J. Wong himself, they now seem to be putting the finishing touches on the device's web browser and, as you might have guessed, they aren't exactly taking their inspiration from Nokia. Hit up the link below for a few more pics, just don't expect to find any further word of an actual release date for the phone or anything like that.[Thanks, Kevin]
Meizu M8 finally launching in August?
The saga of the Meizu M8 is one of the more entertaining dramas in the phone biz these days, owing partly to the endless delays and tweaks, granted -- but owing much more to the truly masterful ripping of the iPhone's industrial design. Unfortunately, there's been very little actual bite to follow up the bark coming out of the Meizu camp, and it looks like we might get a real taste of this thing for the first time as soon as next month. A post on Meizu's website, seemingly from none other than CEO J. Wong himself, claims that a first cut of the M8 will arrive next month -- along with plenty more pictures and details -- but it'll be a somewhat neutered rendition that features just 128MB of RAM and zero flash. October will bring the real deal, a 256MB baddie that rocks 8GB of storage for 2180 yuan, which works out to about $320. Meanwhile, pictures have surfaced of the latest prototype floating around Meizu's labs, looking both as slick and as litigation-prone as ever. Bring these stateside, Mr. Wong, and we'll be the very first to sign up -- just don't be surprised if Apple is right behind us.[Via Electronista]Read - August for 128MB model, October for 256MB / 8GB?Read - Prototype M8 in the wild
Meizu M8 interface redesigned yet again, gets all sparkly
In the latest of what's becoming a long history of tweaks to the Meizu M8 interface, Meizu CEO Jack Wong unleashed some new shots of the upcoming UI to his adoring fans. The new interface is designed by eico design -- who have also worked with Google, Lenovo, and Philips -- and looks to have a visually-satisfying sparkle animation for selected items (unless the battery above is just leaking). Another addition appears to be LED-styled status updates to applications, like number of missed calls and unread messages. Until we see this all in motion, though, we'll quietly speculate and hope the pretty pictures are real.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
