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Keepin' it real fake, part CC: HiPhone Nano N3+ is crazy beautiful
Yes, KIRF number two hundred is a special affair. The HiPhone Nano N3+ is one of those knockoffs that transcends the category and is just plain awesome all on its own. We can't vouch for its performance or build of course, but the N3+ clamshell is part iPhone, part RAZR, and part iPod, with a little bit of Star Trek: TNG attitude thrown in for good measure. Seriously, though guys: we weren't kidding when we hinted (told you) that this would be a perfect birthday gift. June 15th. Think about it. Oh, and Happy 200th KIRFday, Engadget! One more glorious shot after the break.[Via PMP Today]
Keepin' it real fake, part CXCVIII: TAG Heuer Meridiist gets way-too-low MSRP
You know how we know this here TAG Heuer Meridiist isn't the real deal? Not because it isn't sexy, and not because we don't really, really want to believe. No -- it's because the authentic handset can't be found for under five or six grand, while this little impostor can be had for the unfathomably low price of just $290. So yeah, you'll miss out on the fancy box and veritable bragging rights, but you will get twin SIM slots and a choice of black or red "leather." You know, come to think of it, maybe we would be willing to deal with a fake in order to save a few mortgage payments...[Via Tehnozona]
Sahpr S600 PMP: it's like a Sharp, just far more dull
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
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
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
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]
Who needs Wii Fit when you've got Weight Fat?
This item found inside a Japanese crane machine by CAG's CheapyD is about as no-nonsense as anyone could want. Clearly, the title is inspired by Wii Fit, but this thing has no time for "fitness" or "health"-related euphemisms, and no interest in softening the blow. Weight Fat Checker. It's a foregone conclusion that you are fat, and this device's function is to measure exactly how much all of your winter insulation weighs. We personally appreciate the honesty from this Wii Fit knockoff, whose actual mechanics we don't understand. Is there glass on top of the steering-wheel looking thing? Do you just balance on top of it? Update: as commenters pointed out, it's a body fat monitor. You hold it. That makes sense.The Weight Fat is completely inspiring us to change our lifest-- oh, it comes with strawberry Hi-Chews! Delicious!
Meizu M8 defies the odds and officially goes on sale - again
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]
Keepin' it real fake, part CLXXXIII: WebXpress just a "Music" and "5800" shy of greatness
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
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
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]
Keepin' it real fake, part CLXXVI: iPhone Air jockeys for "best ripoff ever" award
For those with a whiteboard full of Apple rumors, you'll been keenly aware of the fact that the whole iPhone Air terminology has been tossed around before in a joking manner. This, however, is not a joke. In fact, it's a very real KIRF, and it's possibly one of the most awesome we've ever seen. We mean, who'd ever want an iPhone nano when one could have -- wait for it -- the iPhone Air. Aside from clean, beautiful, streamlined edges, those fortunate enough to procure one from China will also find dual SIM card slots, an FM radio, Bluetooth, a multimedia player and a built-in camera. The KIRF game just got stepped up good fashion, and we love it.[Thanks, David]
MiWi2, for when you want something that vaguely looks like a Wii
London shoppers, beware. The above picture was taken by flickr user abulkasam while out on the town and shows the MiWi2, the latest in the long line of ripoff consoles trying to dupe people who are out shopping for a Wii. With it being the conclusion of the busy holiday season, we just hope some misinformed parent didn't pick one of these up for little Billy or Jane. We can't imagine how horrible one of these would've made some little kid's Christmas morning.[Via Engadget]
Keepin' it real fake, part CLXXIV: MiWi2 Wiipoff spotted in London shop
We're pretty sure that Nintendo doesn't have anything to fear when it comes to the MiWi2, a Wii knockoff that was first spotted by Engadget Korea back in June. However, we were surprised to see the fake on sale somewhere outside of Asia -- or really anywhere for that matter. Yes, unknowing parents may have accidentally snagged one of these rip-offs instead of the real deal at an unnamed London shop, but rest assured, your little darlings probably let you know once they unwrapped it and realized you got them the wrong damn thing.[Thanks, Kasam]
Keepin' it real fake, part CLXXIII: 8-bit Xbox 360 / PS3 consoles only serve to dash dreams
We've seen some pretty low tricks when it comes to giving what appears to be a gaming console to a junior, but we're pleading -- nay, insisting -- that you don't ever buy in on either of these in an attempt to pull the wool over a kiddo's eyes. Straight from a shady warehouse in China comes Rodisson Technologies' totally ridiculous Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 clones, both of which can only play 8-bit titles. The worst part, however, isn't the complete lack of effort in knocking these systems off with any level of pride; rather, it's the 10,000 item minimum order quantity. Thanks, but no thanks.[Via technabob]Read - RDC Xbox 360Read - RDC PlayStation 3
Indian government hoping to weed out IMEI-less handsets
Nokia has already taken upon itself an initiative to cull the widespread adoption of knockoff handsets (also referred to as Fokias in the underground) in India, but now it seems the nation's government is stepping up to help out. Reportedly, over 25 million Chinese-sourced handsets in India are making / receiving calls without an international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) number to identify it, and authorities believe these phones enable terrorists to communicate more easily in undetected fashion. Recently, it moved to delay a ban on IMEI-less handsets from January 6, 2009 to March 31, 2009, though it seems as if a special IMEI-loading software could enable those with knockoffs to continue using them lawfully. Way to think green, India.[Via OnlyGizmos, thanks Annkur]
W Fit: The ugly, functional cousin of Wii Fit
You had to expect as much. Soon after the Wii released, we were up to our eyeballs in knockoffs. Now that Wii Fit has been in existence for a year (and incredibly popular during the entirety of that time), the knockoffs are emerging onto the marketplace. Enter the Wü Fit. The crazy thing about this is that the included board is apparently compatible with Wii Fit. And that's really all you'll get with this package, a board and some odd packaging, by the way. Check out a video of the unboxing after the break.%Gallery-23865%
Keepin' it real fake, part CLXXII: QQ spins iriver SPINN into lookalike K819
Man, these guys and gals are quick. Just weeks after we were finally able to hold an iriver SPINN in our own palms, along comes this marvel from China-based QQ. The K819 unashamedly apes the most telling design characteristics of iriver's latest, though the phony does come in multiple hues while boasting "high-grade texture" and oodles of "elegance and style." To be honest, we're not so sure any of these images are more than mere renders, though QQ does promise a 3.0-inch WQVGA display, MP4 support and guaranteed humiliation from your pals.[Via PMPToday]
Keepin' it real fake, part CLXXI: iFone 3G is more than phonetically inaccurate
Not even 24 hours after discovering the completely befuddling iFone x1 comes this, something entirely more recognizable, yet just as wrong. The iFone 3G is -- so far as we can tell -- the first mass produced KIRF of the iPhone 3G, and if history has anything to prove, it'll be just the first in a long, long linage. The best part? The whole "3G" thing in the model name is not representative of actual data band support, so the best you'll do on this heap of festering rubbish is EDGE. At the $5 to $10 range, we could definitely see picking one up for kicks and giggles, but at $178? Psssh... no thanks, poser.[Thanks, Scott]
DS Daily: DS-like
Okay, sure, they can catch fire and kill you or whatever, but we must confess that we are quite tempted to acquire one of the counterfeit DS consoles about which we were sternly warned. A cheaply-produced knockoff DS sounds like quite the novelty! We wouldn't mind having a stunt double for the all-DS kung-fu action movie we're working on in our spare time, either (Duel Screens, if you're curious).Despite the fact that they're basically useless, we are fascinated with knockoff stuff like the Neo Double Games system. What about you? Do you harbor a secret desire to own lousy DS-esque hardware?
