Chinese iPhone knock-off on the way

[aryayush]

Chinese electronics maker Meizu is the first company to closely copy the look and feel of Apple’s iPhone. The Meizu miniOne, due out in the fourth quarter of 2007, is a GSM phone with numerous iPhone similarities, including a curved, black and polished steel design, touch-screen interface, and a nearly identical on-screen software icon layout. According to preliminary specifications, the miniOne is slightly smaller and thinner than the iPhone, has a higher resolution screen, and runs the Windows CE 6.0 operating system. Meizu also claims that the phone will be powered by the ARM11 processor and will sport two built-in cameras—a 3.0 megapixel camera on the back and an 0.3 megapixel camera on the phone’s face.

If I need to tell you which of the two is the Meizu miniOne, you can go back under that rock!

Here are a few more pictures. Click on them to see a larger version:







Source

[gxsaurav]

Lets see, Windows Mobile 6.0 which means 10000000 of apps & choices to install from, 3G, 3 MP Camera, Stylus based writing & finger based button press along with stylus support....hmm, iPhone is dead even before it is relesed to the public.

Oh! Well...long live the real Phone manufacturer like Samsung & Nokia, Apple can't relese a new phone every 6 months, but others can...which means rapid updatation with the technology, so that leaves iphone with what it was meant to be, an iPod with touch screen

[Arsenal_Gunners]

We have both "the guys" and some anti-apple talk.

[s18000rpm]

man why dont these Chinese dudes come up with something Original, from a small toy to Electronics goods to a CAR. what else are they goin to copy - a Jumbo Jet

why cant the affected Company Sue them??? why the heck is Chinese Govt. like this

[freebird]

^^ may be bcoz they are different;they learn MATH using ABACUS.dont ask me the logic but i understand that most chinese cant do a calculation with a paper;only using suanpan.that may be the reason-there brain tuned to became a copycat

[..:: Free Radical ::..]

PocketPC already has a theme of the iphone.
Windows mobile 6 is out. Lets wait for that instead.

[Pathik]

watever.. Wm6.0 cant hav multitouch atleast.. Dumb chinese

[gxsaurav]

Originally Posted by pathiks

watever.. Wm6.0 cant hav multitouch atleast.. Dumb chinese

umm....actully, it can....just a firmware hack or an OS Mod required. Since it's not official, it doesn't matters even if it breaches the patent

Originally Posted by vimal

We have both "the guys" and some anti-apple talk.

Oh plz....no way, looks like apple camp is getting paid to post things for apple here, i m not getting paid to do anything. Infact I am worried, what if that thread gets reported & me banned again for no reason. Stay away from macboys

Originally Posted by s1800RPM

what else are they goin to copy - a Jumbo Jet

Yo, don't give them ideas

Just saw the comparision, 720X480 pixel resolution, thats freegin cool, no idea about the memory, it would be good if they only provide 128 MB or 256 MB inbuilt memory with option to expand using memory card, that to SD, cos it's cheap

[..:: Free Radical ::..]

@pathiks... I meant the above is just the iphone theme (you can get the theme now for your ppc for the QVGA interface which emulates the look of iphone, not the functionality...google it or look in appropriate forums)
There was a previous thread of an LG prada model for which LG had filed a patent so that Apple could not get exclusive rights for multitouch.
Probably we may see more of multitouch too

EDIT:
was posting before the above was posted

[Pathik]

if such a mod is available then it ll rock.. But i dont think it is or ll be.. Neways u cant multitouch wit a stylus.. Poor screen..

[gxsaurav]

This just in....LG Might sue Apple for copying LG Prada

Lolz....have to admit, apple is a genius when it comes to stealing & copying ideas, but presenting them before anyone else. .

Plz no flames here, Face it, everyone copies everyone. The MOTORAZR wasn't the first skinny phone and it won't be the last. The iPhone wasn't the first touchscreen only handset and it won't be the last. The iPod wasn't the first MP3 player either. Let's just move on and enjoy our options as consumers

Edit : Even Microsoft copies

[Arsenal_Gunners]

Dude be careful here

[gxsaurav]

^^^^^^ yup, that was my last post in this thread, warna ande & apple parenge

[Pathik]

@gx i agree... But i advice u to include ms in that list to be on the safer side..

[aryayush]

Originally Posted by s18000rpm

why cant the affected Company Sue them???

I am sure Apple will. Their lawyers might already be preparing for the case.

Originally Posted by gx_saurav

Lets see, Windows Mobile 6.0 which means...

... a slow, buggy, unstable operating system from the company which knows nothing about operating systems.

Originally Posted by gx_saurav

Stylus based writing & finger based button press along with stylus support

But no Multi-touch and no advanced sensors.

Originally Posted by gx_saurav

hmm, iPhone is dead even before it is relesed to the public.

Yeah, sure! If Apple had been competing solely on the basis of the number of features crammed into the device, the iPod wouldn't have been such a huge success. Apple's genius lies in hardware and user interface design coupled with an aesthetically pleasing device that has an awesome flaunt value. The iPhone, as well the iPod, falls in this paradigm too.

Just wait and watch, everyone and his brother will be clamouring for this device.

Originally Posted by gx_saurav

umm....actully, it can (have Multi-touch)....just a firmware hack or an OS Mod required.

Oh yeah? What good will a firmware hack do when the hardware itself does not support it? How can you make a hardware recognise two fingers and gestures by changing the firmware? If you can, would you mind giving us a link to someplace we can download the hack from?
Given your intricate knowledge of the subject, may I assume that you yourself have written a hack for it?

Originally Posted by gx_saurav

Stay away from macboys

Yeah, I can see you are definitely playing your part in doing that.

Originally Posted by ..:: Free Radical ::..

LG had filed a patent so that Apple could not get exclusive rights for multitouch.
Probably we may see more of multitouch too

LG Prada does not feature Multi-touch, so I think they have a very very slim chance of stopping Apple from getting that patent.

Originally Posted by gx_saurav

This just in....LG Might sue Apple for copying LG Prada

I "might" sue you for being a jerk but that does not mean that you ARE one (and I am not implying anything here).

Originally Posted by gx_saurav

Lolz....have to admit, apple is a genius when it comes to stealing & copying ideas, but presenting them before anyone else. .

Both phones have been in development for a long time and both have been kept in total secrecy until the official announcement. How in the world would either company be able to steal the other's ideas?

Originally Posted by gx_saurav

The iPod wasn't the first MP3 player either.

Oh, so if there are already MP3 players in the market and you make one too, you are copying the other company! Logic at its best.

Originally Posted by gx_saurav

Edit : Even Microsoft copies

Boy, do they! You have put in the word even as if Microsoft is some holy organisation which would never think of copying others. It is their second nature (and I wouldn't be surprised if it was their first one too).

If some mods take note of this thread and decide to use the Mod CP, please take a moment to realise that this is all for the sake of fun. It feels really great to read and post these humourous replies.

[rajasekharan]

thats a nice phone.....

[gxsaurav]

Originally Posted by aryayush

I
... a slow, buggy, unstable operating system from the company which knows nothing about operating systems.

& yet they rule the market, with Other's trying to play catchup & trying to defeat

here we go again, i wonder arya, how much u love apples, i mean, R U Apple, R U mac or Are u Steve Jobs himself, you take every remarke given to them on yourself

dil pe mat le yaar.....dimag par le

[crystal_pup]

Like copy cats they are!!!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

"GOOD is not GOOD when BETTER is expected"

[..:: Free Radical ::..]

^^^
btw, I already have the above theme

[tarey_g]

This chinese phone is kickass , smaller,thinner , high res screen , 3mp camera. bye iphone.

Those who are crying that meizu copied iphone design(which allegedly copied prada) can cry even more because this phone is even better(and definitely will be cheaper) than the iphone.

IMO not only Meizu copies iphone design , it does it better . And it has windows . Sweet , like gx said tons of third party apps.

Originally Posted by aryayush

LG Prada does not feature Multi-touch, so I think they have a very very slim chance of stopping Apple from getting that patent.

Great, what a reasonable comment , because LG prada does not have Multi touch thats why iphone is not a copy/inspiration . Ok good enuff , but now according to you it implies that because Meizu does not feature multitouch it can not be called a copy of iphone(which has multi t). Awesome.... but meizu looks a copy to me.
__________

Originally Posted by aryayush

... a slow, buggy, unstable operating system from the company which knows nothing about operating systems.

Definition Straight from the official MS haters dictionary.

[gxsaurav]

Originally Posted by tarey_g

This chinese phone is kickass , smaller,thinner , high res screen , 3mp camera. bye iphone.

Those who are crying that meizu copied iphone design(which allegedly copied prada) can cry even more because this phone is even better(and definitely will be cheaper) than the iphone.

IMO not only Meizu copies iphone design , it does it better . And it has windows . Sweet , like gx said tons of third party apps.



Great, what a reasonable comment , because LG prada does not have Multi touch thats why iphone is not a copy/inspiration . Ok good enuff , but now according to you it implies that because Meizu does not feature multitouch it can not be called a copy of iphone(which has multi t). Awesome.... but meizu looks a copy to me.
__________

Definition Straight from the official MS haters dictionary.

macboys pwned again......., and according to Arya himself, since M8 doesn't have multitouch it is not a copy of iPhone

[aryayush]

Multi-touch is a technology that Apple implemented in their phone first and want to get it patented. ..:: Free Radical ::.. said that "LG had filed a patent so that Apple could not get exclusive rights for multitouch." and so I said that "LG Prada does not feature Multi-touch, so I think they have a very very slim chance of stopping Apple from getting that patent."
This conversation was not about who copied whom. Please read carefully before commenting.

But yes, I do believe that Apple did not copy LG's concept and this is the reason for it:

Originally Posted by aryayush

"Both phones have been in development for a long time and both have been kept in total secrecy until the official announcement. How in the world would either company be able to steal the other's ideas?

[tarey_g]

Originally Posted by aryayush

This conversation was not about who copied whom. Please read carefully before commenting.

This thread is all about copying as Meizu miniphone itself is a copy/inspiration. So discussing abt who copied whom is inevitable.

Originally Posted by aryayush

"Both phones have been in development for a long time and both have been kept in total secrecy until the official announcement. How in the world would either company be able to steal the other's ideas?

Are you totally new to the corporate culture, do you know that recently Tata firm caught a Reliance spy who was sending the confidential info to its real bosses . This is not new , this is how business is done. And Apple/LG are doing business, not charity.

[aryayush]

Originally Posted by tarey_g

This thread is all about copying as Meizu miniphone itself is a copy/inspiration. So discussing abt who copied whom is inevitable.

I was talking about that particular piece of conversation which you quoted for the wrong reason. That particular comment was not about who copied whom.

[aceman]

This was posted in someblog regarding this phone................and i second everything what this guys says.

Guys, learn how to read! The specs say "Windows CE 6.0" NOT Windows Mobile 6!

Windows CE 6.0 is the newest version of Windows CE and the OS in which future versions of the Windows Mobile platforms will be based. (WM7, WM8, WM9?) Windows Mobile 6 is a custom Windows CE based standard platform from Microsoft and is still based on Windows CE 5.0 (same as WM5).

If this were running Windows Mobile, it could not look as iPhone-like or even have the resolution it has! It would just look like every other Pocket PC. Windows CE is a general purpose embedded OS where Windows Mobile is an open consumer-targeted computer operating system/platform (like Windows XP) based on a Windows CE kernel. MS MUST enforce very strict hardware and software guidelines to ensure that any program written for this standard platform will run on any manufacturer's device. OEMs must also promise a minimum amount of devices and even sign a NDA to even work with the platform. Plain vanilla Windows CE, however, is not like this. Plain CE is more like Linux in that each OEM can add/remove components and edit the source code to make their own custom "distro" (platorm) of the OS. With it, the OEM has near complete freedom to modify/remove almost any OS component. (even support for graphics itself!) A very common problem encountered in the communitys of custom (non Pocket PC) Windows CE device owners is the complete freedom OEMs have to choose OS components. Often the same program that runs on one device will not run on another manufacturer's more limited implementation of the same CE OS version (without hacking) or the OEM forgot an to add an important core os component (like Soft Input Panel support) that many programs need to start!

While Embedded Windows CE is not a standard platform, as long as the OEM creates a decently complete implementation of the OS and by copying over a few Pocket PC compatability dlls, you can achieve pretty reasonable Handheld PC and Pocket PC compatability with it.
CE6 also adds even more Pocket PC comatability to the core OS such as cellcore support. (CE 4.2 added rather basic Pocket PC application/API support)

I'm amazed this thing is running CE 6 already! It just RTMed a few months ago! Then again, its not even a real photo...so who knows if they even ported it yet...

Seriously... How is this thing NOT better than the iPhone! I mean its not just a phone but a full Windows CE computer as well! The iPhone does not even allow you to install software!

The only problem I can see is finding drivers for Windows CE 6 itself. CE 6 is almost an entirely new kernel. It makes many breaking changes to core os components and things like drivers. MS claims that its still very backwards compatible on the application level,so hopefully that will not be broken too much. Since this OS is so new and the source of CE drivers for some addon hardware are the Windows Mobile platforms (Which are still using the pretty unchanged since CE1, 5.0 OS) that could be a minor issue also. Though, many companies are aware of CEs embedded\industrial use and do provide drivers.

Also, just so you know... Embedded Windows CE comes with a full port of Internet Explorer 6.0.
Its not that cut down Pocket IE/IE Mobile that comes with Windows Mobile. It also has most of the codecs available in desktop Windows Media player for OEMs to use

[aryayush]

Actually, his whole post has only one point to make against the iPhone and that is this: "The iPhone does not even allow you to install software!" and this point is absolutely untrue if taken at face value.
The iPhone will allow software to be installed, even third party ones. The catch is that, at present, every application will come through Apple, i.e. Apple will approve each software before it is made available.
Yes, I know that it is still a huge disadvantage but it is much better than no software. It might even turn out to be the better option for all we know. Let the phone be released and give it a run of six months. Who knows, we might see a lot of Apple approved high quality software for the iPhone.
I am not defending Apple's decision. I am just saying that it is too early to comment on it and saying that it won't allow any software to be installed is just plain wrong.

[gxsaurav]

Originally Posted by aryayush

Actually, his whole post has only one point to make against the iPhone and that is this: "The iPhone does not even allow you to install software!" and this point is absolutely untrue if taken at face value.
The iPhone will allow software to be installed, even third party ones. The catch is that, at present, every application will come through Apple, i.e. Apple will approve each software before it is made available.
Yes, I know that it is still a huge disadvantage but it is much better than no software. It might even turn out to be the better option for all we know. Let the phone be released and give it a run of six months. Who knows, we might see a lot of Apple approved high quality software for the iPhone.
I am not defending Apple's decision. I am just saying that it is too early to comment on it and saying that it won't allow any software to be installed is just plain wrong.

Wasen't it steve jobs himself who said "iPhone doesn't allow any application installation" with a very lame & impossible reason "Cingular doesn't want there west cost network to go down due to an application" , this guy really has no idea how cellphone works

[tarey_g]

Originally Posted by aryayush

The iPhone will allow software to be installed, even third party ones. The catch is that, at present, every application will come through Apple, i.e. Apple will approve each software before it is made available.

^^ Why should everything be apple approved if its my iphone (we are not used to the idea) . How iphone gonna get homebrew games/programs (mostly free, and even better than the paid ones) which are very popular, not every programmer on the corner is EA to get his games approved (or applications) for the iphone. And if this is the case why would anyone give a damn.

iphone means less freedom and less options on the softwae side, i could recommend iphone to anyone just because of the looks , but why should anyone buy that phone now when a far better option with the same looks is available , and its gonna be cheap surely.

[gxsaurav]

it seems these days Apple is in dire need of money, they are charging $2 for a driver, when even the accountents said, they don't need to...they are gonna charge for bootcamp which they first said is gonna be free, & bundling with leopard, they charge for service packs (woops I mean new OS) every year....they charge for Mactels more then what they should

If every app has to be varified by Apple, then I guess it's Steve Jobs who decides what you can run & how much you have to pay , apps for iPhone is a new way for them to make money, no way they are gonna give it for free

[aryayush]

Originally Posted by gx_saurav

Wasen't it steve jobs himself who said "iPhone doesn't allow any application installation" with a very lame & impossible reason "Cingular doesn't want there west cost network to go down due to an application" , this guy really has no idea how cellphone works

He said this:

"That doesn't mean there's not going to be software to buy that you can load on them coming from us. It doesn't mean we have to write it all, but it means it has to be more of a controlled environment."

I am sure you can understand simple English.
And yeah, his excuse for the iPhone not supporting third party software directly was hopeless and he sounded naive.

Originally Posted by gx_saurav

it seems these days Apple is in dire need of money, they are charging $2 for a driver, when even the accountents said, they don't need to...they are gonna charge for bootcamp which they first said is gonna be free, & bundling with leopard, they charge for service packs (woops I mean new OS) every year....they charge for Mactels more then what they should

It seems you believe every bit of rumour that is anti-Apple but turn a deaf ear to fact that are pro-Apple.

Originally Posted by gx_saurav

they are charging $2 for a driver

They bundled 802.11n with Core 2 Duo Macs without even advertising the feature. Basically, what they are doing is upgrading your Mac to support 802.11n in just $2. Can you say that of any other manufacturer? And there's more, everyone who is buying the new AirPort Extreme base stations is getting the driver for free. Of course, you wouldn't want the driver anyway if you do not have a base station that supports it and at present, AirPort Extreme is the only base station in the market that supports the 802.11n Wi-Fi standard. All new Macs already ship with 802.11n enabled. Plus, the software's license clearly states that you can use it to enable 802.11n on "all computers under your ownership or control". The Apple Store page where you can buy the software from has several warnings that you should check whether you actually need the software or not. They are doing everything they possibly can so that you do not have to pay for the software. Basically, they are giving you 802.11n Wi-Fi capability on a Mac you already purchased free of cost. Shame on the people who can still find fault with this!

Originally Posted by gx_saurav

they are gonna charge for bootcamp which they first said is gonna be free, & bundling with leopard

1. It is a rumour.
2. It is still going to be bundled free of cost with Leopard.
3. They might, according to a baseless rumour, charge for the final version of Boot Camp for users of Tiger.
4. You can still use the completely functioning, full-featured, non-expirable beta for free - even if the rumour comes true.

Originally Posted by gx_saurav

they charge for service packs (woops I mean new OS) every year....they charge for Mactels more then what they should

Out of points, as usual, and have therefore resorted to saying the oft repeated, complete false and repeatedly pawned points.