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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. Gallery: Meizu M8 interface gets tweaked once again. A few pixels to the left, please? [Thanks, Lino G.]
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 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 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'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 M8 gets unwelcome price hike, dodgy release details
Sure hope you weren't counting on getting your palms around Meizu's oh-so-familiar M8 anytime soon, as it now looks like the handset may not even be available to purchase until mid-next year. Granted, the 667MHz CPU, 128MB of RAM, GSM connectivity, 3.4-inch VGA touchscreen, video output, and built-in Bluetooth 2.0 / WiFi sure are appealing, but those still willing to wait this one out will apparently be paying even more than previously expected. The latest on the street pegs the forthcoming 8GB iteration at around $400, but if money ain't a thang, you may as well continue on pinching those pennies for the 16GB (and potentially 3G-enabled) flavor.[Via MeizuMe]
Venzero's LilOne HDD-based 6GB MP3 player
While everyone else has been busy watching the World Cup, it appears Venzero has been in the labs, creating a new middle child for their ever-expanding One line of DAPs. At 6GB, the LilOne fits snugly between the original, full-featured 8GB model and the minimalistic, flash-based Mini version that was announced last month. Like it's siblings, the LilOne will play MP3s and WMAs (with and without DRM), with a 1.5-inch screen providing access to short videos and photos. Other features include a 20-hour battery life, a €200 pricetag and the kitschy MusicMarker feature that helps you identify songs you hear on the radio. We're assuming it was size restraints that kept this player from getting the handy retractable USB connector of the original One, but that shouldn't prevent it from giving players like iRiver's E10 and Sandisk's Sansa e260 a little gentlemanly competition.[Via DAPReview]Update: Even though we've seen this around for €200, Venzero is insisting that it'll only cost $200 when it drops in the US. Score!
