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Konka Expose 970 hands-on
Konka phones rarely (if ever) grace our desks at home, but the company certainly makes a solid effort to show them off to the masses at trade shows like CES. The latest device featured at Konka's booth is the Expose 970, which offers a 4.5-inch qHD IPS screen, dual-core 1GHz unspecified CPU, Android 4.0, 8MP rear camera and 2MP front-facing cam. We took a few minutes out of the last day of the show to stop by and peek at the 970, and our experiences are just about the same as what we anticipated: the qHD display was clear and bright, the screen was actually quite responsive and the processor seemed to perform pretty well for a lower-end dual-core. The Kanzi UI is pretty easy to figure out -- the icons are very reminiscent of what you'd find on Meizu's Flyme OS. The phone is a little thicker than we'd like to see, and the back cover is definitely on the glossy end of the fingerprint magnet spectrum. If curiosity gets the best of you, head below to scope out a few images of the latest Konka. Joseph Volpe contributed to this post.
Konka tries to differentiate with familiar-looking Kanzi 3D UI
Some phone makers carve their own path, others ride on their coattails. Konka, however, somehow carves its own coattails, and we admire the ingenuity. The Shenzhen-based mobile maker, known for its familiar designs and logo font, has just announced that, going forward, its smartphones will be using the 3D Kanzi UI from Rightware -- as formally seen on ZTE handsets. So does this complete the trifecta of design flattery? The Kanzi interface can be seen in action in the video after the break, but if you weren't sure how 3D it was, then there's a PR after that too, which might mention it. Just a few times.
Konka W900 hands-on
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, consider Konka the number one practitioner of that "craft." The company, (in)famous for its OEM-copycatting ways, has set up a booth here at CTIA 2012, letting us get some up close and personal time with its W900. The HTC-esque handset, previously released at this past Mobile World Congress, is yet another in a line of underwhelming Android offerings that subsists on design without delivering on performance. Although, the phone's official spec sheet lists it as running Ice Cream Sandwich, the build we encountered was actually that of Gingerbread 2.3.6 -- a very buggy version, at that. So, don't let your eyes deceive you, what you're seeing on the homescreen is simply a third-party launcher made to ape ICS's more streamlined UI. Beneath that 4-inch WVGA display lies quadband GSM (850, 900, 1800, 1900) and WCDMA (2100) radios, VGA front-facing / rear 5-megapixel cameras, in addition to support for WiFi, GPS and Bluetooth. Unfortunately, the company couldn't confirm what processor's powering this lackluster affair. But no matter, this is one uneven device you can safely ignore. Terrence O'Brien contributed to this report.
Konka Falcon 3G hands-on
It wouldn't be MWC without us spotting a phone manufacturer that's blatantly channeling the design spirit of another. You may remember Konka's appearances at trade shows past, but this year its new (but not completely finished) Falcon device was on the showfloor in Froyo and Gingerbread forms. Both white and black color options were on hand for us, packing the same GSM (850/900/1800/1900) and WCDMA (900/2100) radios and a 3.75-inch 480 x 360 display. With a three-megapixel camera on the back, paired with a VGA shooter on the front, Konka caught our attention with promotional posters using a font that's more than a little similar to Nokia's own, regardless of the fact that the name itself is just one letter change and reshuffle away from the Espoo-based phone titan. Fortunately, the phone's sharp styling betrayed those middling specs, with a sturdy build and a screen that performed pretty well on the show floor. There's no Android capacitive buttons -- you'll have to use the physical buttons beneath those staple symbols. Take a look for yourself in the gallery below, which also includes Konka's homages to both HTC and Samsung. %Gallery-149174%Joseph Volpe contributed to this report.
Crapgadget CES, round four: the Konka g-baby
We're not sure why anyone would KIRF 2005's LG Migo, but if you're gonna do it, why not add some kitty icons?
Konka's leopard print LCD TV / Magic Mirror
While we've seen a variety of magic mirrors in our day, we've yet to come across one with such a nifty premise, only to be completely and utterly ruined by a leopard print motif. Sure, the off-kilter design scheme might attract a few people still stuck in, well, whatever era leopard print was marginally acceptable in, but generally speaking, we're guessing most folks won't give it a second glance. Konka's Magic Mirror isn't a mirror by trade, but its vertically-mounted 42-inch LCD TV is directly wired to a webcam in the bezel, which can display whatever stands in front of it, theoretically accomplishing the same task as a tried and true mirror. Additionally, it can be used as a normal TV for viewing television, movies, etc., but considering its upright alignment, it's probably best reserved for digiframe duty. For the folks (read: one or two) out there wondering about the price, unfortunately we're not sure, but we'd suspect that you could darn near steal these things from Konka if you just let its stockpile collect a little dust for a few months first.[Via Uber-Review]
