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Meizu M8 finally launching in August?
The saga of the Meizu M8 is one of the more entertaining dramas in the phone biz these days, owing partly to the endless delays and tweaks, granted -- but owing much more to the truly masterful ripping of the iPhone's industrial design. Unfortunately, there's been very little actual bite to follow up the bark coming out of the Meizu camp, and it looks like we might get a real taste of this thing for the first time as soon as next month. A post on Meizu's website, seemingly from none other than CEO J. Wong himself, claims that a first cut of the M8 will arrive next month -- along with plenty more pictures and details -- but it'll be a somewhat neutered rendition that features just 128MB of RAM and zero flash. October will bring the real deal, a 256MB baddie that rocks 8GB of storage for 2180 yuan, which works out to about $320. Meanwhile, pictures have surfaced of the latest prototype floating around Meizu's labs, looking both as slick and as litigation-prone as ever. Bring these stateside, Mr. Wong, and we'll be the very first to sign up -- just don't be surprised if Apple is right behind us.[Via Electronista]Read - August for 128MB model, October for 256MB / 8GB?Read - Prototype M8 in the wild
Meizu's M8 gets more UI tweaks for its music player
Now, we know the official story on the CeBIT Meizu shutdown was related to MP3 codec licensing, and not the M8's iPhone-like UI. Still, it does seem strangely fortuitous that more pictures of the phone's interface have just appeared that seem to showcase a move away from Apple's familiar look. The Chinese site CNMO has new shots of the device's music player, which now appears to incorporate song info, EQ display, lyrics, and volume / tracking controls all on one screen. The pictures also show a couple of different music browsing options, both in landscape and portrait mode. Is this a signal that the company is putting some distance between the M8 and the iPhone? Only time will tell.Update: Some commenters here and on the MeizuMe forums are claiming that these renderings are fake / fan art. So it might not be healthy to get too excited about the above screenshots.[Via PMP Today]
Meizu M8 interface gets tweaked once again. A few pixels to the left, please?
While it appears that Meizu's infringement shutdown at CeBIT was for unlicensed MP3 usage, and not at all to do with the eerie resemblance to a certain iPhone, the company still seems eager to prove to the world it is brewing something unique with the M8 mini One. CEO Jack Wong posted a bunch of new shots to the Meizu forums with small interface tweaks that inch the OS a bit away from its iPhone roots -- but certainly not far. [Thanks, Lino G.]%Gallery-18439%
Meizu's CeBIT booth shut down over MP3 licensing issues, not the M8
Well, it looks like that Meizu CeBIT shutdown wasn't for what you'd expect -- in a Meizu forum post, Jack Wong says that an Italian company called Sisvel complained about another Meizu PMP's unlicensed use of the MP3 codec, and that's what prompted the 5-0 to arrive. Interestingly, Jack also says that it's all a big misunderstanding, because Meizu products, including the M8, don't actually play MP3s, just WMA, and that local distributors have to cough up the licensing fees for MP3 playback. Apparently the booth is now open again, with the offending PMP removed -- the M8 remains on display, probably because it doesn't actually work yet.Read - Jack Wong post at Meizu forumsRead - Heise article about the shutdown[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Meizu CeBIT booth shut down by German authorities
Remember how the folks at the Meizu booth swore up and down that the M8 Mini One wasn't that similar to the iPhone? Well apparently the Hanover police think otherwise. According to a report, the booth (shown above in its vacated state) was shut down by cops for piracy during CeBIT and passersby were told that, "The venue is closed until further notice." It appears that after stopping down the M8 show, cops proceeded to confiscate equipment and literature associated with the painfully obvious knock-off, and will be making a more detailed statement on Thursday in regards to the action. Meizu, it might be time to get yourself a makeover... and a good attorney.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in; Image courtesy Heise Online]
Meizu prototype caught in the flesh at CeBIT, we handle it
We've finally seen the M8 in the wild, made with real molecules -- sort of. The prototype being passed around doesn't really function beyond showing a few screens, though a rough cut of the full interface was available on a decidedly un-M8 looking prototype board. Check out our comprehensive coverage of the device, which looks nothing like the iPhone, below!Read - Video: Meizu M8 mini One OS looks very, very familiarRead - Video: Meizu M8 mini OneRead - Meizu M8 mini One vs. iPhone... fight!
Video: Meizu M8 mini One OS looks very, very familiar
Besides that very early prototype handset, Meizu also brought along a rough (and we mean rough) engineering board and display to show off the M8 mini One's UI and feature set. It was lacking Bluetooth, camera, or WiFi so we weren't able to see those features of the Opera browser which the mini One will one day happily tout. Still, we had high hopes of seeing just how talented Meizu's software engineers are at recreating the iPhone's lauded user experience. Well, from the demo we saw, they've come pretty close but they've got some serious house cleaning to do before the August launch. Rubber banding scroll bars, finger flick gestures, big inviting icons... it's all there. Unfortunately, the wheels fell off when set to motion. Meizu claims the issues seen during the demo are due to the display -- a stock, touchscreen and sensor with plastic screen (the final product will be glass) which was quickly cobbled together for the purposes of the CeBIT demonstration. Regardless, finger taps were more often than not greeted with cold, stilted silence. Be sure to check out the video to hear how Meizu's device is different than the iPhone. It's a bit long and sometimes painful, but if you hang in there long enough you'll see (and hear) Engadget get the first public phone call from a Meizu M8 mini One... prototype, thingy.
Video: Meizu M8 mini One
It's just three screens on a very early prototype, but for those of you who doubt Meizu's ability to bring the M8 to market, we give you -- the video. Sure, Meizu's just rendering three image files as opposed to any real processing. Nevertheless, there's plenty of catchy dialog to hold you over until these pups go live in China sometime around August. Who knew English as a second language could be so fun.
Meizu M8 mini One vs. iPhone... fight!
So we finally had the chance to lay palms to Meizu's M8 prototype. Better yet, we set it up side by side with it's muse, the Apple iPhone. Let's be clear, the prototype is not functional by any stretch of the imagination. It simply turns on and then slaps up one of three images representing the home screen, dialer, or media player depending upon which of the three physical buttons you press along the bottom of the main display. The capacitive touch panel does not work at all. While the physical components may or may not be in place, this is clearly a very early engineering sample. Having said that, Meizu claims that the hardware is complete and final -- they are only working on their Meizu OS tweaks to the Windows CE 6.0 base. However, the GUI and icon designs are pretty much locked in at this point with only minor changes expected before this hits China this August for a to be determined price. Unfortunately, Meizu is still working on their international deployment strategy (duh, they're looking to sign up distributors at CeBIT) so they are not willing to commit to any dates or prices. Gotta say, for all our justifiable M8 bashing, the mini One felt good in the hand and the additional hard buttons, 720 x 480 pixel display, 3 megapixel camera and likely el cheapo price tag have once again perked our interests. Still, it's a long way from it's original 3G HSDPA and kitchen-sink roots and a bit too late (GSM/EDGE in 6 months, Puh-leeze) at this point to be anything more than a novelty outside of China. Nevertheless, the development lifecycle has been fun to watch. Click through for the main features and specifications expected at launch. Video in a jiffy.Update: Video now available, also of the UI.%Gallery-17473%
Meizu's M8 a CeBIT no show just like CES -- surprised?
So we hurried on over to the Meizu booth in sweaty-palmed anticipation of laying fleshy bits upon a working M8 MiniOne. It's gotta be here, right? After all, Meizu CEO Jack Wong promised it his damn self. Nope. Oh sure, they did bring that siliconless, plastic mockup already seen kicking around the Nets for awhile and they offered to show us a laptop-based demo of the UI if we come back tomorrow. Although even the demo is feature incomplete. Nevertheless, Meizu is confident that it will begin shipping the M8 in China in the next "half year" while remaining coy for a rest-of-world launch. Guess reverse engineering the iPhone isn't so easy, eh Jackson?
Meizu M8 now on sale? Doubtful.
Given the sheer bulk of press Meizu's M8 has received over the course of its young, controversial life, it'd seem likely that even the slightest trickle of units onto Chinese store shelves would lead to unboxing shots, videos, and reviews within hours, wouldn't it? Reports are starting to flow across the 'nets that M8s are now being made available through several of Meizu's suppliers, but without a single in-the-wild picture of a fully functional, final spec unit -- from Meizu, much less a paying customer -- we're not buying it. For one thing, there aren't any "zomg I just picked up my m8!" posts on MeizuMe; secondly, MeizuMe's Err0r says that his site will be the "first place" we read about a release (and frankly, we believe him); and third, after the trials and tribulations the handset has gone through on its long journey to retail, you'd think that we'd at least see it at a trade show before it hit the streets. So, anyone want to prove us wrong by posting shots of their M8?
Leica rolls out M8 hardware upgrade program -- for a price
Over a year after Leica rolled out its action plan to address those buggy M8s fresh off the factory floor, the digicam company is announcing yet another upgrade path, but this time it's not on the house. Apparently, M8 owners that fall deeply in love with their shooter can get their name on a "waiting list," and once their number is called, they get the privilege of shipping their device to Germany where a number of tweaks can be made. Reportedly, each M8 is suitable for upgrading, and aside from getting sent back with a fresh two-year warranty, it can also be fitted with a scratch-resistant LCD monitor cover (um, riveting?) and a new "electronically-controlled metal-blade slotted shutter that offers less noise and vibration." Unfortunately, these changes will supposedly set one back €1,200 ($1,775), but alas, Leica suggests that said payment will make the M8 a "lifetime investment." Right, just like that $9,000 desktop you procured in 1996.
Meizu M8 hits the Chinese patent office, top of the irony meter
t Given the Meizu M8's not-so-faint resemblance to another semi-famous handheld, you'd think trying to get a patent on the design would be fairly fruitless -- but it looks like the company's giving it a shot anyway. This Chinese patent app was apparently filed last February, but China's patent office just published it on the 16th, so we're not even certain which bad render, doctored photo, or cardboard mockup of the M8 is referenced within. Still, Jack Wong had better get his lawyers in gear and get this patent on the books -- Apple might be slow in getting to China, but it's not going to be happy once it does.
Meizu MiniOne to miss CES; Jack Wong promises it'll be at CeBIT, your next softball game
We would have honestly been more surprised if Meizu had actually shown up at CES with a working MiniOne, but according to CEO Jack Wong it's not going to a happen because Meizu is busy "finetuning" the device -- and that it'll make its long-awaited debut at CeBIT in March. We'll see when we see -- Apple's lawyers would have us stalling as well -- but we were definitely suspicious when Wong also promised that the MiniOne would take us to California next week to meet its pro skateboarder friends and then drove off in an white '89 Camaro.
Meizu M8 getting facelifted, three buttons instead of one
Meizu's Windows CE-based M8 continues to get tweaked ahead of an alleged CES debut, but the company is breaking from tradition and forgoing the typical renderings or dummies. Why? Turns out they're adding a couple of extra buttons up front -- three in total now -- and Meizu's CEO wants to keep the design under wraps while it navigates the patent process. We're not too sure what exactly there is to patent about a triplet of buttons, but hey, if these guys can get a little IP under their belts, it might give some much-needed street cred in the "we're not an iPhone clone" argument. Pictured here is a fan rendering of... well, you know, what three buttons might look like (in case you needed some help visualizing it) along with what is said to be the back of Meizu's latest prototype.
Meizu mocks up the M8 MiniOne
These pictures of what appears to be a Meizu M8 MiniOne have been popping up all over, but according to postings by CEO Jack Wong, this is just a final design mockup to judge the "feel" of the device, and isn't real -- in fact, it's not even made of the planned production materials. That's pretty random -- and probably way more effort than necessary, since we'd think you could judge the feel by, you know, purchasing and holding an iPhone.Update:New UI design?may be.
Meizu rips off artist to showcase iPhone ripoff
Why merely steal the entirety of your product's industrial design and user interface when you can gank so much more? Philip Warner of Lithium Picnic studios dropped us a line to let us know that the wallpaper being used on the latest rendering of Meizu's M8 MiniOne is his own work -- and surprise, surprise, Meizu hasn't licensed it, which ironically only serves to rip off Apple's own ripping off of artists. Yeah, you've gotta have stones to survive in this industry, but Meizu's chutzpah takes it to a whole new level, particularly if they makes good on their apparent intention to debut the M8 stateside at CES in a few weeks. Then again, when they said "CES," maybe they meant some knockoff tradeshow held in a vacant lot somewhere.[Image via CNMO]
Meizu M8 MiniOne to debut at CES in January?
Listen fellas, are you sure you want to venture onto US soil with this thing? Compared to Meizu's native China, the US is a haven for intellectual property protection -- and as far as we're concerned, not a single tweak done to the M8's design since its intro has ventured far enough from the iPhone to keep Apple's sharks lawyers from circling. Nevertheless, Chinese site CNMO reports that the M8 could make its first real, actual public appearance (as opposed to the countless renderings and dummies the company has produced so far) in Sin City itself as part of the CES festivities in early January with retail availability as early as February. That would put us just shy of a full year since the M8 was announced, and probably just weeks (if not days) before Apple gets an injunction against sales here. Just a guess.[Via myminiOne and Meizu Me]
Meizu's M8 MiniOne gets touched
Everybody's favorite IP duplication engine is back in the news. Meizu's M8 Mini One iPhone clone just received an iPod touch makeover in a bid for protection from Apple's lawyers. See, the M8 is a phone, the touch is an MP3 player -- so toootally different your honor. They've also bumped the display from 3.3- to 3.4-inches with pricing still pegged at about $265 / $320 / $400 for the 4GB / 8GB / 16GB models if they ever make it Stateside... or locally to China for that matter. We're at 10 months and counting since it was announced.
Meizu's MiniOne M8 GUI showcased further, still devoid of originality
If you had even a sliver of faith left in Meizu that it would change its copycatting ways and turn its heart to creativity, you're probably feeling quite foolish right about now. In a recent posting made to showcase even more interface shots of the MiniOne M8, we got a glimpse at the not at all familiar music interface, more insight on the calling screens and a few more looks (shown after the jump) at how it'll handle messaging. Needless to say, we can just swear we've seen a similar GUI before, but apparently, playing the ignorance card makes it easier to swallow. Oh, and the actual phone now sports a "new edge" with a somewhat grayish motif -- enthralling, we know.
