Keepin' it real fake, part CLXVIII: no carrier subsidy to be found
![](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/8JTOhbHPk0AcVqX6aKcKDw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTk2MA--/https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/UAydpfjXxLq1JVBY0yH6Og--~B/aD01MDA7dz01MDA7YXBwaWQ9eXRhY2h5b24-/https://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2009/01/kirf-lg-incite-2.jpg)
Most people try to keep carrier branding on their phones to a minimum -- it's gaudy, loud, and unnecessary -- but for the burgeoning KIRF industry, anything goes. Take for example the SciPhone S18, brought to you by the same company that saw fit to clone a free platform, Android, of all things. It sorta looks like a cross between an Incite, a Vu, and a Prada (which never launched on AT&T, coincidentally), but the kicker is the big ol' AT&T logo top center. We're pretty sure it wouldn't take more than a couple days on an American carrier for these dudes to decide that the logo's doing more harm than good, but then again, maybe they know something we don't. Doubtful.
[Thanks, Andrew]