Found Footage: A Chinese iPhone rip-off
Oh those endearing Chinese manufacturers - what would the electronics industry be without at least a few crappy knockoff products to keep original manufacturers on their toes? (Answer: companies like Apple could probably lay off a few lawyer infantries, but that's a whole 'nother conversation.) Engadget has caught footage of the 'tPhone', which sounds and looks like some sort of Windows Mobile (strangely, it uses a desktop Windows startup sound) device with heavily modified and/or skinned software. Does this look appealing? Remember: you don't have to be afraid to say 'no.'
Of course, Engadget touts the advantages of this device, namely a removable battery and microSD card slot. That said, eagle-eyed TUAW readers have also pointed out that the recently updated iPhone gallery reveals what could possibly be some sort of slot at the top of the iPhone, as exhibited in the gallery's first picture. Add that to all the interesting new iPhone tidbits we're digging up, and it looks like we might still be in for more discoveries (and possibly even official Apple announcements) before the iPhone actually lands next week.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-21-2007 @ 3:41PM
sergio.delagarza said...
oooooldd!!!!!!
whats happening to TUAW these days?? =/
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6-21-2007 @ 3:44PM
Craig said...
Isn't the slot where the sim card tray is?
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6-21-2007 @ 3:46PM
5cents said...
It is truly amazing what the Chinese can rip off these days. Sure, it's a copy of someone else's invention, there isn't any innovation so to speak and it's in breach of copyright laws but still... is there anything they can't copy? I wouldn't be surprised if there was a copy of me somewhere in China.
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6-21-2007 @ 3:53PM
j said...
That slot is definitely the SIM tray. Jobs said it the first day in his Stevenote.
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6-21-2007 @ 4:08PM
bookemdano said...
Hey, dont mock it. I bet this baby can get a 12 year old onto World of Warcraft and farming gold with the best of them.
The Chinese are truly taking over the world..... of warcraft and fake electronics.
I cant wait to see the "gold" medals for the olympics.
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6-21-2007 @ 4:09PM
leovst said...
What the hell is happening in here?
Is there actually some other news than about the iPhone,
the only thing I can see on TUAW these days is iPhone this and iPhone that,
I mean, in 1 week you guys wrote 30 articles on the iPhone.
Yes, that's 4 or 5 articles a day,
isn't that a bit too much?
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6-21-2007 @ 4:10PM
JC said...
The sim card tray looks very similar to the battery door on the bottom of an apple remote
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6-21-2007 @ 5:14PM
wako said...
Im looking forward to the Meizu rip of the iPhone. They actually look like they spent some time to actually copy the phone properly and the OS as well.
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6-21-2007 @ 5:18PM
Joao Carlos de Pinho said...
It's not only TUAW. This is happening everywhere.
Joking with that, Leo Laporte opened the latest MacBreak Weekly podcast with: "Time for MacBreak Weekly, the show that covers nothing but iPhones, all the time".
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6-21-2007 @ 5:18PM
Dave Chartier said...
#1: I'm not sure what your definition of 'old' is, but we haven't seen video of this device before, and Engadget just posted this yesterday.
Sometimes sites miss a news item or another. It happens to all of us. I don't think it's anything to get too worked up about.
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6-21-2007 @ 5:43PM
icerabbit said...
Dave,
I submitted this as a news story on Monday. Other's may have read it then as well.
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6-21-2007 @ 6:16PM
cookiebrownie44 said...
If you want to buy this rip off its avalible on www.alibaba.com, you have to make an account and search "iphone mobile phone" it will pop up. Hey its a great way to trick your friends, (If thier not apple freaks, like me).
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7-05-2007 @ 7:00AM
mike said...
What the h___ was the start up music?
"Don't you wish your iphone was hot like me...?"
gimme a break!
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