Ripoff -- Engadget

ripoff posts

HiPhone F320: 'a rotary phone and an iPod nano walk into a bar...'

by Darren Murph posted Oct 20th 2009 at 4:03PM

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]

Mini MP3 DV Cam shoves a camcorder into old iPod shuffle enclosure

by Darren Murph posted Oct 12th 2009 at 11:29AM

Okay, so we know this version of the shuffle hasn't been on Apple's pages for a few weeks now, but there's still something curiously awesome about a shuffle with a camcorder. You know -- considering that the Cupertino-based company won't even add a video camera to the iPod touch. The Mini MP3 DV Cam, which is meticulously crafted by one Xiangyun Industry Co., Limited, seems to be a camcorder / camera alone, with no music playback functionality to speak of. Packing a 1.3 megapixel sensor capable of logging VGA-quality (640 x 480 resolution) clips, the device can also snag stills and store 'em on the user-provided memory card. The good news is that this gem costs just $15 to $30 depending on the amount you order; the bad news is the 100 item order minimum. Anyone down for a group buy? Bueller?

[Via Red Ferret]

Keepin' it real fake, part CCXXX: Inkia 500 is a mutated, hamstrung N810

by Vladislav Savov posted Aug 14th 2009 at 7:29AM

How do you cook up the perfect KIRF product? Well, you take a well-loved device, say the Nokia N810, and start chopping off the things that made it a winner, like that oh-so-bulky QWERTY keyboard, until you get a device cheap enough to be sold as "the world's first MID under $300." The painfully unoriginal Inkia 500 -- which isn't even the first to rip off Nokia's internet tablet -- isn't entirely without merit, as it comes with a 5-inch touchscreen plus a ULV Atom processor, and once you pony up for 3G and GPS options it might even be useful. All that's holding it back now is the tiny issue that you can get a real N810 for the same price.

[Via Shanzai]

Keepin' it real fake, part CCXXI: Apple's iPhone and iPod nano hook up, combine

by Darren Murph posted Jul 9th 2009 at 9:44AM

Hey, Apple -- you know that inspiration you've been looking for in order to concoct a proper iPhone nano? We just found it. Over in some seedy warehouse in the depths of Shenzhen, the aptly titled iphone nano has emerged. As you could likely surmise, this completely improper knockoff gentle combines the best features from Apple's iPhone and the iPod nano to create a singular, if not awkward device. Heck, there's even a 5 megapixel camera, which easily trumps the 3.2 megapixel shooter on the iPhone 3GS. It's all yours for just 90 bones, and you don't even have to sign your cellular soul away to AT&T. Look out Apple, we get the feeling this thing's going to be huge.

[Thanks, facelessloser]

Meizu M8 3G gets full specifications list, "planned" March 2010 release date

by Darren Murph posted Jun 5th 2009 at 9:12PM

That little phone thing that Apple maybe-probably has planned for Monday? Yeah -- totally pales in comparison to what Meizu has up its sleeves. The long (long!) awaited M8 3G has finally been detailed, and the full specifications list is now available for your perusal. We're seeing TD-SCDMA and WCDMA radios, an 800MHz or 1GHz Samsung processor, 3.54-inch display (with a staggering 720 x 480 resolution), USB 2.0 connectivity, 8GB or 16GB of flash storage, a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash and of course, the infamous Meizu OS. There's also support for Bluetooth 2.0, GPS, multi-touch, a light sensor and tilt sensing. Go ahead and mark your iCals, folks, 'cause this one's got a rock-solid "planned" release date of March 2010. Where's the time machine when you really need, it?

[Via PMP Today]

Keepin' it real fake, part CCXIII: Magic trick goes awry on eBay

by Darren Murph posted May 20th 2009 at 9:59PM

Sigh. Where to begin? It looks like a Magic, it smells like a Magic, but the perfectionist in us fully understands that it's absolutely not a Magic. The self-proclaimed followup to HTC's G1 has itself an impostor, and that very shammer is parading around on eBay for the low, low price of $122.99. Granted, that doesn't buy you an HTC logo, Android or 3G, but hey, it just might fool a few folks on the subway. Take it from us, though, it's totally not worth the risk of embarrassment.

[Thanks, Jeremy]

Keepin' it real fake, part CCXII: Nokia's N86 cloned ahead of release

by Darren Murph posted May 20th 2009 at 1:06PM

It's a sad state of things in the smartphone arena, folks. Nokia can't even get its forthcoming N86 out of the door in official fashion before the cloning labs in China push out a suitable impostor. Of course, it's not as if this hasn't happened to Nokia before, but with such an anti-knockoff mentality, you think it'd take a little action to make the nightmare stop. Or maybe it secretly adores the attention -- yeah, that has to be it.

[Thanks, Jason]

Sahpr S600 PMP: it's like a Sharp, just far more dull

by Darren Murph posted Apr 8th 2009 at 8:21PM

While we can't quite crown this abomination with a bona fide KIRF label, there's still plenty of knockoff to keep the crowds chuckling. If you'll recall, Sharp popped out a boring SP600 portable media player in early 2008, and now, we've got some kind of undercover apprentice attempting to ride that wave. For those familiar with the real Sharp, you'll no doubt recognize the iconic (albeit slightly out of sorts) Sahpr logo there in the top left corner. What you won't recognize, however, is any design cues from the authentic Sharp PMP. For those who must know, the S600 sports a 5-inch display, support for a whole slew of formats and support for HD output. We'd wish you luck on actually finding one, but surely you're not depressed enough to embarrass yourself with one of these, right? Right.

[Via Slashgear]

VIA's 1080p-lovin' VX855 chipset emerges in MacBook Air knockoff

by Darren Murph posted Mar 17th 2009 at 7:14PM

We've already seen one legitimate laptop maker botch up its specification sheet within the past 24 hours, so we certainly wouldn't put it past a KIRF-maker to pull a similar trick. At least on paper, Top Crown Technology Limited's simply-titled 3G Notebook includes a 1.3GHz VIA Nano CPU, the newfangled VX885 Media System Processor, a 10.1-inch LED-backlit display (1,024 x 576), Chrome9 graphics, a 2.5-inch HDD or SSD, 3-in-1 multicard reader, WiFi, Bluetooth, 3.5G WWAN and a pair of built-in speakers. The only problem is the backwards Apple logo and the absolute assurance that this thing will be just marginally less craptastic than the "world's cheapest laptop." For shame.

[Via NetbookNews]

Keepin' it real fake, part CXC: TESO starts aping MacBook Air, quits early

by Darren Murph posted Mar 13th 2009 at 4:36AM

Astoundingly enough, we haven't actually seen a barrage of MacBook Air clones. Which is pretty remarkable given that, you know, it's a Cupertino-designed product. With such a huge opportunity staring it in the face, China's own TESO decided to see what it could whip up, and what it whipped sits pictured above. Iconic glossy white Apple coat? Check. Impossible to miss MBA styling? Check. One single lonely USB port? Check. Too bad it threw in some low rate keyboard and a mismatched battery cover on the underside -- we were almost totally digging this. Sike.

[Via PMPToday]

Weight Fat Checker makes no bones about what it's here to do

by Laura June posted Mar 5th 2009 at 5:36PM

Sure, this device is borrowing not a little from the look, feel and color scheme of the Wii Fit, but the Weight Fat Checker is a little more direct in its naming schemes. A handheld body fat meter unearthed somewhere in Japan, we don't know anything about its pricing or availability, but we assume we'll never probably seen one in the flesh. Regardless, we're pretty sure it'd make a fine gift for anyone you want to cross of your faves list a.s.a.p.

[Via Joystiq]

Meizu M8 defies the odds and officially goes on sale - again

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Feb 18th 2009 at 12:03PM

Word on the street has it that the Meizu's M8 -- that vaporous iPhone killer from the east -- is now officially on sale, as of February 18. For real. Wait, you ask -- wasn't it available last week sometime? Well, yes and no. Apparently, the unit we've seen making the rounds was a beta version -- if you slapped down your $440-ish dollars on that one, you got something with "a fair amount of problems to be ironed out," according to DAP Review. The site, whose Chinese-to-English translator is apparently functioning better than ours, goes on to point out that while the test units had WiFi enabled, the final production version does not. A strange decision, sure, but this is a tale fraught with strange decisions. And danger. And excitement and glamor. By the way -- we just hit up the official Meizu site, and the 16GB version of this device is "out of stock" -- probably due to the rapturous reception the unit's received all over the world.

[Via DAP Review; Thanks, Michael]

Continue reading Meizu M8 defies the odds and officially goes on sale - again

Keepin' it real fake, part CLXXXIII: WebXpress just a "Music" and "5800" shy of greatness

by Darren Murph posted Feb 14th 2009 at 3:49PM

Here lately, we've been pretty impressed with just how awesome some of these Chinese knockoffs have been. In fact, we were beginning to wonder if the bona fide manufacturers weren't in cahoots with some of these low-class acts. Thanks to China Grabber, we're being reacquainted with the garbage that we once knew ~~and loved~~, as the WebXpress handset is about as pathetic a rip of the 5800 XpressMusic as you could ever hope to see. Reportedly, it's packing a 3-inch QVGA LCD, quad-band GSM radio, dual SIM slots, a 1.3 megapixel camera, video recorder, e-book reader and even some form of "health management" software. For $149.99, we're almost tempted to order one just to see about the latter. Almost.

[Via PMPToday]

APSI's WinCE-based M480 can't quite reach Archos' level

by Darren Murph posted Feb 9th 2009 at 4:02AM

We can't really knock the folks at APSI for trying to make the M480 into a product it's not, but in all seriousness, this thing is just two curved edges away from KIRFing the Archos 5. That said, there's no doubt this piece is trying to get all up in Archos' grille, with an expansive 4.8-inch 800 x 480 touchscreen, 30GB / 60GB of internal storage, a TV output, dual-core 400MHz OMAP2530 processor and a battery good for six to seven hours (with audio) / four to five hours (with video). There's even support for a multitude of file formats, but the lackluster Windows CE 5.0 operating system essentially murders any chance it had at being successful. Sorry, buddy -- better luck next time.

[Via PMPToday]

Meizu M8 on sale for $440: buy at your own risk

by Darren Murph posted Feb 8th 2009 at 12:46PM

We don't have to caution those familiar with the name "Meizu" that this may not be what it seems, but we'll do it anyway for those new to the field. The outfit's long, long, long awaited M8 appears to be on sale now for anyone with $439.99 and a remote desire to own one. However, we have seen this thing "on sale" before, but outside of a few anomalous reviews, we haven't actually seen it ship to anyone in the US. In all honesty, we'd love nothing more than for this to be the real deal, but we've a sneaking suspicion that no one with half a brain is going to pull the trigger and pray for arrival. Though, the idea of surfing on top of one's handset is surprisingly enticing, wouldn't you agree?

[Thanks, Lance]