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Meizu M8 doesn't have China's stamp of approval yet, so it's loophole time
Think fast: China hasn't granted you permission to sell your long (long) overdue homegrown iPhone fighter, but you've already started production and you want to start raking in the yuan tout suite. How do you make that happen? Easy! Just slap a "Demo unit (not for sale)" label on each and every one of the M8s that rolls off the assembly line and you're back in business. If you read between the lines of Jack Wong's latest correspondence with his fans on Meizu Me, we suspect that the phones being produced as of tomorrow will indeed be sold -- you'll just need a little nudge-nudge, wink-wink to get one from the shop. Nothing wrong with an underhanded dealing here and there in the name of technology, right?
Meizu M8 reviewed, worth the wait?
Can you believe it? It's been over two years since we first got wind of what would become Meizu's high-end iPhone clone, the M8. Okay, we admit to being somewhat dubious at first, and won't be entirely won over until we get one to play with, but just a few days away from its Chinese release the handset seems to live up to its promises according to IT168's full review. Other than a few faults, including an "ear-piercing" integrated speaker and issues running third-party Windows CE applications, things sound surprisingly good. The 480 x 720 3.4-inch screen received high marks, performance was rated as very speedy, and the integrated 3 megapixel camera looks to be able to take great looking pics -- assuming you turn a few lights on. It does sound like a solid device, but is it a proper iPhone competitor? In China, where the iPhone still isn't officially available, we wonder if it isn't the iPhone that's the underdog now (cue raised eyebrow).
Meizu M8 gets demoed in multi-part video form
We've already seen it unboxed and, of course, endlessly shown off by Meizu's own J. Wong, but it looks like some independent demos of the now infamous Meizu M8 are finally starting to crop up online, with one of the first coming from Chinese retailer CNMO.com. While some of the details are lost in translation, there's still quite a bit to be gleaned from the ten videos available at the link below, not the least of which is the fact that the touchscreen seems to be somewhat of an exercise in patience, to put things kindly -- check out part 8 for the challenge that is pausing a track. The phone's camera also seems to be a bit sluggish, but not completely out of line with your run of the mil cellphone camera. Touchscreen aside, however, the phone's interface does appear to be fairly slick and, yes, oddly familiar. Head on past the break to get started with part one of the blow-out, and hit up the read link to check out the rest.
Meizu M8 unboxed before December 8th launch
Can you believe it? After two years and any number of missed targets, Meizu's M8 cellphone is bound and determined to meet its November 30th 8 December launch date. As proof, they've shipped a first unit to China's PConline for review. Hmm, white earbuds, charger, and USB cable... imagine that. [Via iTech News Net]
Meizu M8 Flash demo hits the scene, looks mighty familiar
How much ASCII will be spilled, how much bandwidth utilized on this legendary (if vaporous) iPhone killer before it becomes a real reality? Like the tail end of a torrid love affair, we're not even sure if it's the phone itself that we dig or the soap opera that we enjoy so much. And now, hot on the heels of the hands-on video that has captured the imagination of the entire world, Meizu has posted a flash demo of the M8's UI for those of you thirsting for a closer look at the thing. SPOILER ALERT: It bears a strong resemblance to the interface of a certain Apple product.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Meizu M8 captured on video looking smooth, doing multitouch
Oh M8, you've grown up before our eyes. It seems like just yesterday we were looking at your early incarnations and their uncanny similarity to certain other devices. And how could we forget those times we spent together waiting for you at trade shows, and mocking checking out your early hardware? And now look at you, all grown up and caught on video doing your thing. You know what? This actually looks pretty damn nice. Sure, the obvious major iPhone influence is still there, but we have to say, Jack Wong and co. have done a pretty good job of smoothing out this UI -- and we didn't expect to see multitouch working this nicely. Of course, the clip says more than we ever could, so go and wrap yourself in your grandmother's afghan, grab a steaming cup of coffee, head out to the porch of your 19th century farmhouse, and just listen to the wind chimes and smooth sounds of this video as you take a tour of the Meizu M8... after the break.[Via MP4 Nation Blog]
Meizu's M8 ready to rock the US and Europe on an iPhone tribute tour?
Feel those little hairs standing up on the back your neck? That's guarded anticipation son, the kind that comes from a Chinesed iPhone landing Stateside with the impact of a giant set of balls. According to yet another launch-related post in the Meizu forums, Jack Wong has accelerated plans to kick his M8 cellphone into India and China (WiFi-less to meet local restrictions) by November 30th. Then "maybe" he'll launch in the US, Hong Kong, and Europe by December 24th. Oh sure. Our take? There's no way in hell that this highest of high-profile clones lands Stateside or on Western European soil without being met by a friendly Apple lawyer holding a court-issued ban on all M8 imports. No matter how much we're dying to play with it.[Via Electronista]
Dane-Elec goes its own way, intros a handful of media players
Growing tired of distributing the Meizu M6 and M3 (and growing even more tired of waiting on the M8), Dane-Elec has decided to strike up on its own and offer up a smattering of portable media players. Up first is the above pictured Music mediatouch, a 4GB / 8GB PMP with a 4.3-inch 480 x 272 resolution display, FM tuner / transmitter, microSDHC slot and USB connectivity. On deck is the reasonably attractive Music pix, which touts a 2.9-inch 400 x 240 resolution display, a 1.3-megapixel camera and your choice of 2/4/8GB of storage space. The bright green Music touch gets miniaturized to the tune of a 2.4-inch display, while the ultra-tiny Music is a simple USB thumb drive-styled DAP with either 1GB or 2GB of space. There's no word on a release date for any of the aforesaid wares, but we wouldn't bank on 'em coming to the US, anyway.[Via PMPToday]
New Meizu M8 screenshots looking decidedly flashy
A handful of M8 screenshots have found their way onto Meizu Me courtesy of our usual suspect, Jack Wong, and we've got to say: if these are real -- and by all indications they probably are -- then one of the most illusive, most vaporware-prone handsets in recent memory might just actually be ready to launch in December. There's still a heavy iPhone influence in much of the phone's interface, but they appear to have tarted up key areas like the home screen just enough to make an impact of their own. Looks a little too vertigo-inducing for our tastes, but it seems a heck of a lot more polished (and with a heck of a lot more original thought mixed in) than your average ripoff.[Thanks, Lino]
Meizu M8 apparently launching in China, India this December
All indications have certainly been pointing towards the Meizu M8 finally, actually being released this year, and it looks like things just got a tad more official, with Taiwan-based retailer Geek IT Stores announcing that it's signed up as a distribution partner. While it didn't announce a date in its press release, a bit of prodding by Tech Ticker apparently convinced the company's sales head to reveal that the phone would be released in December, with China first on the list to be followed shortly by a roll-out in India, where it'll run you between Rs. 18,000 and Rs. 22,000 (or roughly $384 to $469) for the 8GB model -- which, incidentally, is apparently the only model that'll be available at launch.Update:some new UI pics here.[Via Electronista, Tech Ticker]
A functional Meizu M8 UI, CEO Jack Wong finally caught on video
After what feels like centuries of waiting (and suffering through that painful CeBIT demo), we finally get to see the Meizu M8's OS in action... and it's not as bad as you think. Sure, the interface is totally derivative of the iPhone, and there is that pesky cursor floating around, but all-in-all it looks like the company has managed to knock out a decent -- if incredibly familiar -- UI for its long-delayed phone. Still, there's some low rent hilarity in this video. Our favorites? The smattering of soft porn pictures and video, and Meizu CEO and all-around bon vivant Jack Wong revealed in a reflection... wearing a face mask! Check the clip after the break (and freeze frame of Mr. Wong). Update: Despite our excitement about Jack Wong in a face mask, some readers have pointed out (and we agree) that it's actually the camera he's using to film the video.[Thanks, Patrick P.]
Meizu M8 gets detailed in new words, pictures
As you may have noticed, Meizu CEO J. Wong just can't seem to stop talking about his pride and joy, the M8, and he's now let loose yet another pair of new pictures, as well as some further details on the phone. Somewhat surprisingly, J. Wong says that the device will only be available in white initially (which he apparently likes better anyway), and that it will officially be called simply the M8, and not the "M8 mini one" as it had been officially known before. He also reiterates that the company plans to finally release the phone in October, or November "at the latest." Head on past the break for the second pic, and hit up the link below for a few more tidbits.[Via PMP Today]
More Meizu M8 images released, device itself still unreleased
Say what you will about J. Wong and his band of merry imitators at Meizu, but they sure are sticklers for details, which has led to a number of delays and endless tweaks to their now infamous M8 phone. As you can see in this latest pic apparently let loose by none other than J. Wong himself, they now seem to be putting the finishing touches on the device's web browser and, as you might have guessed, they aren't exactly taking their inspiration from Nokia. Hit up the link below for a few more pics, just don't expect to find any further word of an actual release date for the phone or anything like that.[Thanks, Kevin]
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 M8 interface redesigned yet again, gets all sparkly
In the latest of what's becoming a long history of tweaks to the Meizu M8 interface, Meizu CEO Jack Wong unleashed some new shots of the upcoming UI to his adoring fans. The new interface is designed by eico design -- who have also worked with Google, Lenovo, and Philips -- and looks to have a visually-satisfying sparkle animation for selected items (unless the battery above is just leaking). Another addition appears to be LED-styled status updates to applications, like number of missed calls and unread messages. Until we see this all in motion, though, we'll quietly speculate and hope the pretty pictures are real.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
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%
CeBIT crackdown: 51 exhibitors busted for patent infringement
Apparently Meizu wasn't the only manufacturer to get a friendly visit from German police at this week's CeBIT tradeshow in Hanover. The word is that 51 different exhibitors got busted at the show for the patent infringement, with 180 law enforcement officers confiscating 68 moving boxes worth of gear. Primary offenses included Meizu-style MP3 / MP4 infringement, along with unregistered CD, DVD-R and DVD playback devices. All companies were informed of the rules before the tradeshow, and the warning we spotted at Meizu's booth (pictured above) should've probably served as a pretty good hint to these companies as well. China boasted the most offenders at 24, then it was Taiwan with 12, Germany with 9, and Poland, Netherlands and Korea with one a piece. Everybody else just isn't trying hard enough.[Thanks, Mademoiselle Y]
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]
