KeepinItRealFake
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Keepin' it real fake, part XLV: Wowwee's illegitimate children
Most times, the fakers seem to stick with items that are relatively easy to replicate, making everyone's lives a good bit easier when it comes to choosing between the authentic and the knockoff, but JaiQi Toys has upped the copycat ante a bit with its full-fledged lineup of Wowwee rips. Dubbed the "Bo Series," these four bots sport the ability to walk and turn, move and grip with their arms, dozens of pre-programmed functions such as picking up objects, dancing, burping, whistling, and a kicking out a fair selection of "Kung Fu moves," not to mention the ability to dictate your new friend with an IR remote. Moreover, the creature is powered by four D-cell batteries in the main compartment, plus a pair of cells in each foot to keep the jive alive. So if you've been yearning for your very own Wowwee companion, but just don't have the coinage required to own the real deal, feel free to click on over and bring home the Robone, X-Robot, Robosaur, or Robodog now for just... well, nothing, considering even the "add to cart" function of the sketched-out website doesn't always work. Still, if you dig incredibly cheap looking renditions of popular items, and just need something to mock in order to brighten your day, JaiQi's just the medicine you ordered.[Thanks, Mutammim]
Keepin' it real fake, part XLIV: RAmos Q13 is not a nano
Apple's products certainly aren't strangers to our series of posts highlighting the tech industry's finest fakes, and although the RAmos Q13 isn't quite as absurd as previous examples -- see the Treo iPod -- the fact that the company had the cojones to release marketing shots of their device alongside the iPod it was very clearly intended to emulate assures the Q13 a place in the hall of tech infamy, and a Keepin' it real fake tag. Notably, the 1GB Q13 comes in five different colors, and is 0.1 millimeters thinner than the 2nd Generation nano: a fact that we feel RAmos is very unwise to trumpet.[Via The MP3 Players]
Keepin' it real fake, part XLIII: SE W950 slacker edition
If we've said it once, we've said it a thousand times: don't try to pull of this whole fakin' it thing if you aren't going to take it all the way. While the eBay perp in this situation obviously committed hundreds of man-hours into making sure he used every single tacky font color and size on his item listing, we can't say as much for this "Langxin M902" he's peddling. The phone pretends to Sony Ericsson W950i UIQ heights, but ends up looking a bit more like a dollar store edition -- unacceptable, somebody should be working their sweatshop workers at least twice as hard! All the same, 12.6mm of thickness, an included 512MB memory card, Bluetooth, 1.3 megapixel camera and audio and video playback really isn't too shabby for a knockoff, and neither is that 2.4-inch 176 x 220 touchscreen if you don't break the cheap plastic stylus at your first go. Unfortunately, the GSM phone is of the 900 / 1800 MHz persuasion, so Stateside KIRFers will have to look elsewhere.
Keepin' it real fake: New Year's hangover edition
Things might have gotten a bit hazy last night over here at the Engadget HQ, but we're pretty sure we would've remembered chugging down a slab of finely etched 64-bit silicon and a few MB of L2 cache. [Via Engadget Chinese]
Keepin' it real fake, part XXXVII: Apple iPhone
It seems like mock-ups come by the boatload, especially when it comes to the iPhone. Staying with our KIRF tradition, we bring you the simulated iPhone. This little gem popped up a few days ago on IPart.com's website and amazingly enough, they even label it as a copy. C'mon now, like you didn't know that it was fake? Judging by the pictures, it looks to be the same size as the current Nano, only a little bit thicker. Thankfully, they included a touch screen, handwriting recognition, and a 2 megapixel camera. If anyone decides to pick this up, drop us a line and let us know what you think of it.[Thanks, Jason S.]
Keepin' it real fake, part XXXIX: Apple teams with Palm for... wait, nm
Our iPhone-addled brains almost ran the wrong way with this one. Turns out it's just another one of those ubiquitous iPod nano ripoffs, with a very special branding twist. Friendly tipster Alberto sent this one in, after spotting it in Fortaleza Brazil for a whopping 579 reais ($270 US). But we suppose that's just the kind of reais you have to be willing to drop for a piece of the future.
Keepin' it real fake, part XXXVII: China car makers strike again
This isn't your daddy's China. After CMEC almost succeeded in building a total rip-off of a Smart Car (Autoblog china post)and then shipping it into Smart's own home turf (now CMEC claims it was unaware of how well it was duping Smart), Haunghai Automobile has managed do a fair bit of infringing on Hyundai's Santa Fe (pictured left) with its new SUV look-alike (right). The best part is the two cars recently shared a show floor at the Beijing Auto Show, where most industry insiders agreed that pretty much the whole front of the car is a replica of the Santa Fe. Oddly enough, the rest of the car apparently apes another Korean SUV: the Kia Sorento, but it's Hyundai Motor that is currently threatening legal action over the design theft. Apparently the Korean car giant will wait to see how its Santa Fe sales in China are effected by Haunghai's "homage" before it lays down a lawsuit -- though we can't believe its odds are good at doing anything but keeping this thing from being exported anywhere else; this is China we're talking about here. Update:check autoblog china's post in Beijing Auto Show 2006:Qisheng CUV.
Keepin' it real fake: ultimate PSP extravaganza edition
Sure, we've seen plenty of PSP fakes in our time, but we can't say we've ever seen this many fakeries in one convenient place before. So if you were on the lookout for a PSP look-alike with, say, an SD card slot, or a bundled NES emulator, check out the many many -- and we do mean many -- options after the break.[Thanks, Logan J.]
Keepin' it real... WTF?!
Dude, that's what you get when you buy your devices -- a wireless adapter in this case -- on the street in Beijing. Actually, we ran this by our Chinese bureau, and they said it was probably a hoax -- which somehow makes it all the more appropriate for a keepin' it real fake, hmm?[Via GameAxis]
Keepin' it real fake, part XXXI: This PSP is not a PSP
Reader Matt Z. spotted yet another PSP knockoff in the wild, this one at a computer show in Pittsburgh. C'mon, guys, if you're gonna have the nerve to copy a product's name along with its design, at least take the time to get the logo right.
Keepin' it real fake, part XXX: iRiver Clix gets "Lucky"
Chinese ripoff artist DAP manufacturer Yue Qi knows that not everyone has $200 laying around to throw down on an iRiver Clix/U10, which is why the company thoughtfully stole licensed the popular design for its similar-looking LUCKYee LY-PM06. Even more amazing than the $50 and $62 pricetags for the 512MB and 1GB versions, respectively, is the fact that Yue Qi's managed to enhance the video playback from 15fps to 25fps, which had been one of the few knocks against the real Clix. Overall, we see a bright future for this fiery young firm- with its crack team of engineers, dirt cheap prices, and no need for a design team, it's not clear how Apple, SanDisk, and friends will be able to compete.[Via DAPreview]
Keepin' it real fake, part XXVII: Samsung admits to knocking off Apple
We all know the Korean companies raging against the Chinese knockoff artists aren't exactly innocent of taking "design inspiration" themselves. As soon as one comes up with an original design, the other knocks it off and vice versa until it spins out of control into hideously mutated 10 megapixel cameraphones. But one thing you won't see them do is admit it -- until now. We're lacking hard detail on the assuredly pride-crushing debacle, but according to Telecoms Korea, in an interview with Korean publication Yonhap News Samsung fessed up to plagiarizing the menu icons and design work in their SCH-V890 and SPH-V8900 handsets from none other than Cupertino's finest. Not that anyone should really be surprised or anything that a company knocked off Apple's design, but you know what they say about the steps to recovery: the first step is admission that you have a problem.
