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Motorola's MT710 OPhone for China makes us dream of Droids without keyboards

by Chris Ziegler posted Nov 12th 2009 at 10:10PM

While it's busy trying to rebuild market share on the backs of Android-powered devices in North America and Europe, Motorola's already got a bustling business in China, so it makes sense that they'd want to contribute some Google juice over there as well. That dovetails nicely with China Mobile's Android-based Open Mobile System -- which runs those so-called OPhones -- and Motorola has yet to bring an OPhone to market, so that's where this little beast appears poised to come into play. The MT710 is said to feature an 854 x 480 display clocking in at 3.7 inches and 3G support (using China Mobile's up-and-coming TD-SCDMA network), but beyond that, little is known; rumor has it that Motorola will intro a total of seven Android models in China over the next year, though, and this is clearly one of them. Shave three or four millimeters off the Droid's girth with this puppy, and count us in.

[Via PMP Today]

Dell Mini 3iX has WiFi, 3G, and a number of leaked UI photos

by Ross Miller posted Nov 2nd 2009 at 10:08PM

You know what's ridiculous? Modern smartphones without WiFi (why hello there, Pixi and Tour). Looks like Dell's getting the message with the supposed Brazil-bound Mini 3iX, which as far as we can tell is the Mini 3i as it should've been -- same specs, plus WiFi and 3G connectivity. The OPhone-esque user interface also seems to have gone through some changes, at least cosmetically, and Cellular Cafe has the vivid imagery -- so might this be the little guy rumored to be coming to AT&T, or will we get the 2G variant instead? How about we just skip this one altogether and get the Streak?

Motorola to introduce eight OPhones on China Mobile next year, celebrate intensely

by Darren Murph posted Oct 15th 2009 at 3:36AM

M otorol a may be pinning its comeback hopes on the CLIQ here in America, but it obviously has some rather large plans for the world's largest carrier, too. An admittedly perplexing report has surfaced purporting that the creator of the iconic i776, er, RAZR, is fixing to distribute not one, not two, but eight OPhones to China Mobile next year. For those unaware, OPhone is an Android-based OS tailor made to operate on the aforesaid carrier and cater to its customers, and to date, quite a few other manufacturers have jumped on board over there. Sadly, no actual details about the eight Moto handsets were given, so it looks like it's just you, a cup of joe and your hyperactive imagination for the time being.

Keepin' it real fake, part CCXXXVIII: Palm Pre knockoff doesn't know what it wants to be when it grows up

by Laura June posted Oct 9th 2009 at 12:16PM

Yes, this was only a matter of time, and we're a little surprised we didn't see one earlier. Regardless, this is the Palm Pre knockoff we've been waiting for. Seemingly called just iPhone +QWERTY -- this KIRF is being marketed as just that -- a real business phone with a hybrid identity blending the BlackBerry and the iPhone. And really, that's not too bad of a description for this little dude, we guess. Boasting analog TV, Bluetooth, and an FM radio, it runs the much-loved OPhone operating system, and can be had for 600 RMP (about $88). There are two more shots after the break. Hit the read link for a full peek.

[Via PMP Today]

Continue reading Keepin' it real fake, part CCXXXVIII: Palm Pre knockoff doesn't know what it wants to be when it grows up

LG GW880 leaks out, runs Android on China Mobile

by Nilay Patel posted Aug 31st 2009 at 3:49PM

It's sort of interesting that China is where all the Android action seems to be going down lately, but here we are, staring at the LG GW880 -- essentially the company's first Android phone. Of course, "Android" in this case means China Mobile's custom WiFi-less OPhone platform, which means we'll probably never see this guy outside of the Middle Kingdom, but it's a fair look at what LG's handset designers think an Android set should look like: 3.5-inch WVGA touchscreen, 256MB RAM, GPS, and a five megapixel camera. Honestly? We're hoping LG has grander plans for those other Android phones it has planned for this year -- we'll just have to wait and see. Hit the read link for a few more shots in the meantime.

[Via Slashphone]

Dell Mini 3i breaks cover for most complete photo shoot to date

by Donald Melanson posted Aug 31st 2009 at 12:39PM

It may have been briefly, sort of official before Dell decided to do some backtracking earlier this month, but it looks like the company's China-bound Mini 3i smartphone has now made yet another public appearance, and Sina has thankfully delivered what looks to be the most thorough hands-on with the phone to date. That, as you can see above, also includes a peek at the phone's Android-based and China-centric OPhone operating system, which ditches the familiar Android Clock in favor of new, different clocks -- and a slew of other interface changes. Hit up the link below to get started.

Dell Mini 3i is like totally not official, man

by Vladislav Savov posted Aug 18th 2009 at 6:18AM

Oh, how we love PR people and their eternal clarifications on things. Apparently, the Dell Mini 3i's appearance at a China Mobile event on Monday was merely a proof of concept, and -- wait for it -- "it wasn't officially, formally introduced so much as it was waved around." Thank you, Dell, for our quote of the week. Unwilling to yet commit to the handset and specs on display, Dell is saying that it was there to support China Mobile in its role as a development partner rather than to promote any retail products. We wouldn't read too much into this supposed refutation -- if the phone were indeed a concept, that'd have been made clear at the show (and it wasn't, based on the original report), and what we're experiencing now feels very much like post-event spin.

[Via Mobile Review]

Lenovo's Android-powered O1 'OPhone' due next month

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Aug 7th 2009 at 3:03PM

Good news, kids! It looks like Lenovo's O1 "OPhone" handset is finally ready to hit the shelves over on the Mainland sometime next month. Truth be told, the story arc of this Android-powered 3G (TD-SCDMA) handset has been quite the emotional roller coaster: Some were riveted by the sleek, sexy physical design of the thing, while others were repelled by its intensely KIRFish UI. China Mobile is obviously hoping for big things from the little guy -- and getting it into stores before Unicom gets the iPhone sorted can't hurt. Either way, it looks like someone's just taken a bite out of iOrgane's market share!

China Mobile's 7-inch Android slate gets rendered

by Darren Murph posted Jul 31st 2009 at 6:49AM

We've nothing much to go on outside of a few good renders and a smattering of machine translated paragraphs, but it sure sounds as if China Mobile is entertaining the idea of bringing a 7-inch Android-based tablet to its airwaves. As the story goes, said slate would boast China's homegrown TD-SCDMA 3G connectivity, support for video calling, a full-fledged web browser and an OPhone operating system -- which is essentially a customized version of Android for the Chinese market. Sadly, no further information was given, leaving us to wonder what kind of innards are scheduled for implant and what kind of price tag / release date we're looking at. Oh, and those "call" and "end call" buttons are pretty darn evident, leading us to believe that China Mobile might actually expect you to use this as your primary mobile. Can you say... Sidetalkin'?

[Via Pocketables]

Continue reading China Mobile's 7-inch Android slate gets rendered

Philips V808 smartphone to run Android-based OPhone OS on China Mobile

by Darren Murph posted Jul 29th 2009 at 6:13AM

Well, at least some of the mystery is solved. If a machine translated source is to be believed -- not to mention a healthy gathering of screengrabs -- Philips' elusive V808 smartphone will be a China Mobile exclusive. As with other Android-based phones on the operator, it'll be the reworked OPhone OS handling the dirty work, which basically means a carrier-customized app market and a few other tweaks that seem to be frowned upon in the Chinese community. We're also told that the phone will lack support for 3G, WiFi and multitouch, leaving us grieved, lugubrious and lachrymose. C'mon guys -- why hamstring a good thing?

[Via Cloned In China]

China Mobile planning to subvert Unicom's iPhone launch with the OPhone?

by Tim Stevens posted Apr 20th 2009 at 10:26AM

We've known for some time that China Mobile was planning to launch the KIRFy OPhone from Lenovo. Now, with word on the street that China Unicom has snagged the iPhone in that provider's home turf, a report from DigiTimes is suggesting that China Mobile might be trying to undermine the competition's supposed June iPhone launch by dropping the OPhone a month earlier. That sounds sensible enough, but are people there so eager for iPhone they'd jump on the imitation rather than wait another month for the real thing? We'll find out soon enough.

[Image courtesy of modmyGphone]

Lenovo's Android-powered OPhone gets hands-on video treatment

by Ross Miller posted Apr 8th 2009 at 9:17PM

It's always nice to get an update on one of our favorite KIRFs as of late. Lenvo's Android-powered OPhone has popped up in a hands-on video, showing off its mock-iPhone OS interface and all the doppelganger apps / features -- weather, stock, calculator and even a near-identical push notification window. Surprisingly, it's actually pretty well put together and includes some things we wish our legit Apple phone would do, like on-screen widgets and an option to change backgrounds. It'll be a cold day in Hell before we see this serial patent infringer outside of China, so for now you'll have to get your OPhone kicks by checking out the video after the break.

[Thanks, Neerhaj]

Continue reading Lenovo's Android-powered OPhone gets hands-on video treatment

Lenovo's Android-powered OPhone shows itself again. Launch imminent?

by Donald Melanson posted Mar 31st 2009 at 6:03PM

Lenovo's KIRF-tastic OPhone hasn't exactly been all that camera shy since it first dipped its toes into the Android waters in December, but it's now proudly showing itself yet again, and giving everyone their best glimpse yet at its China Mobile branding. What's more, while we've already heard that the phone is on track for a launch this quarter, the talk now seems to be that a release could be just around the corner, with some speculating that it'll roll out immediately after China Mobile's other Android handset, the Dopod G2 (a.k.a. HTC Magic). Hit up the link below for a few more pics, including a closer look at the phone's slightly familiar-looking UI in action.

[Via ModMyGphone, thanks Neerhaj]

Lenovo KIRFs again with the OPhone UI

by Nilay Patel posted Mar 24th 2009 at 6:33PM

Alright, we have no idea why Lenovo's phone division is suddenly pumping out copycat handsets, but these supposed shots of the Android-based OPhone's UI look awfully familiar, don't you think? Combine that with the equally-fishy rip of Samsung's TouchWiz UI found in the recently-announced X1, and it more or less seems like Lenovo's running a high-end KIRF outfit over there -- no wonder this stuff never leaves China.

[Via The Raw Feed]

Lenovo's Android-powered OPhone to hit China Mobile this quarter

by Darren Murph posted Jan 9th 2009 at 4:18PM

Look out, China -- Lenovo's all-too-sexy OPhone is about to land in the hands of unsuspecting China Mobile subscribers, or so says Reuters, anyway. The planet's largest mobile carrier will reportedly launch the 3G handset sometime this quarter, though some reports are suggesting that development is being hampered as engineers struggle with creating a Chinese language version of the OS. Once launched, it will go down as the first Android-powered handset to operate on China's home-cooked TD-SCDMA 3G network, but there's no word on just how costly it'll be. Not like cost is really a concern here, right?

[Via mocoNews, image courtesy of modmyGphone]