Bent NOKIA N97

[playthatbeat]

Just like the previously lol'd about bent iPhones, there is now EVEN MOAR blatent ripoofskis of Nokia on the scene..

Please to be checking this velly fine fake:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39pEZQD9BDw

Currently on eBay for ¬$99


ME CLONE YOU LONGTIME
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3-2-touch-scre...item4a9b769e2a

[brain]

here fuck it, check out the other stuff they have. This is clone city.

http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/Best-R...34Q2ec0Q2em322

[playthatbeat]

Oh lol - a iPhone mini (nano?) for $50!! http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MINI-quad-band...item4a9afb6948

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rc2gQy-kiNY

[playthatbeat]

There is a tidy business being done on SCi phones - aka ANDROID G2 phones.. Seems Vodaphone mage the G! available int he UK, as a smartfone, and the G3 is going about for 300+ quid a pop, yeh the G2 is to be had for <100euro now..

They look good, but some ads on ebay claim they are non-android OS.. this makes me thing they are ropey, and may run Android apps now, but will do so slowly, and the phone will be a brick as soon as the Android OS gets updated..

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/8GB-Sciphone-D...item5d2655c3ad

Interesting.. But 1/4 the price of an Android Tattoo, so WTF?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNJcBs2D4r8

EDIT: it's poor in the above review - the first rev of it.. check this review of the newer version - with WIFI and EDGE, and the bonus reflection of the salesman in the screen..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mP7kKU1eWk

Not sure if he's being sarcastic or what, but it seems to be a struggle of a demo.. Still, has the WiFi now, and is like out there for 60sterling with shipping..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1zbtxxCIPo

[brain]

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/technolog...counterfeiting

lulz... do a search in google for nokia counterfeit and see its wrath

Reuters | 07/30/2009 6:18 PM

HONG KONG - One week after the apparent suicide of a Chinese factory worker accused of stealing a carefully guarded Apple iPhone prototype, one question remains unanswered: what happened to the missing phone?

Sun Danyong, the 25-year-old suicide victim who worked at Foxconn International's massive gray and white factory complex in Dongguan, had 16 prototypes of Apple's new fourth-generation iPhone in his possession, according to the company. When one went missing, Foxconn's security guards raided his apartment. The phone didn't turn up.

A likely answer, according to security experts, is that the device ended up in the hands of Shenzhen's notoriously entrepreneurial counterfeiters. "The copying of prototypes certainly happens a lot in the electronics and IT industries," said Dane Chamorro, a regional general manager with consultancy Control Risks. "You don't have to steal them, you just have to borrow one for a day."

In an earlier interview with the New York Times, Foxconn's general manager for China said that Mr. Sun had previously lost products "several times" before getting them back again.

Apple computer, whose popular iPhone is widely copied in China, isn't the only foreign handset maker to suffer at the hands of counterfeiters. Knock-offs of Samsung, Nokia and Motorola products are all sold openly throughout China.

It's not a new problem, but there are few signs of improvement. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 81 percent of all counterfeit goods seized at the U.S. border were from China. The value of those goods rose 40 percent in 2008, to US$221.7 million.

"Mainland China is the riskiest place for foreign firms to introduce their leading-edge technologies," said Steve Vickers, president of Hong Kong-based FTI-International Risk. "It remains a major problem."

A recent visit to the Golconda Cyber Plaza, a sprawling electronics mall in Shenzhen, suggests the scale of the challenge. Hundreds of vendors were showing off their knock-off mobile phones, including counterfeit Nokia and Samsung handsets, and the latest Apple iPhone, which was selling for about US$63, far cheaper than the US$579 charged on Apple's Hong Kong online store.

"The iPhone quality is good and quite steady," said Li Jinhui, a salesperson at Shenzhen Guanghui Communication, pointing at one of the counterfeit phones on display. "The real phone price is too expensive, so many people buy this instead."

The copying takes several forms. In some cases, companies copy phones already on the market. In others, local suppliers of foreign companies run extra shifts and sell the surplus goods on the side. Then there are the designs that get stolen even before production.

This last form may be the most damaging, since it undermines costly efforts to build anticipation about upcoming products.

Thieves have become adept at exploiting weak points in companies' security arrangements. According to Nicholas Blank, an associate managing director with security firm Kroll, the typical Chinese factory is protected only by guards who check the IDs of employees entering the facility.

"Unfortunately, in most of these schemes where intellectual property is stolen from a factory, it's not someone breaking in," said Blank. "It's usually an employee or a contractor who already has access to the facility."

Even where internal security is more elaborate, counterfeiters may be able to identify which employees have access to product samples and bribe them.

"If you wanted to know what a company's next design would be, you can pretty well target those in the OEM organizations who are holding the prototypes," said Chamorro. "It's not rocket science to throw money at them."

China's legal system hasn't helped matters. Intellectual property cases are hard to bring and even harder to enforce, according to attorneys. One problem is that China's criminal code specifies a minimum value for seized goods in order to trigger criminal action -- seizures worth less than RMB50,000 (US$7330) aren't prosecuted by the police. Counterfeiters have responded by limiting the size and value of their shipments.

Another worry is that anti-piracy enforcement may have weakened during China's economic slowdown. According to a February report by the International Anticounterfeiting Coalition, coalition members have been told local police that they were under instructions not to pursue criminal cases against counterfeiters.

"Overall, we've seen a deterioration," said one Hong Kong-based lawyer who declined to be named. "There's a lot of concern that the government has openly told local forces not to pursue as many cases because of the impact it might have on jobs and social stability."

At least two speeches posted on Chinese government websites appear to substantiate this concern. In one, an official with the Zhejiang provincial Administration for Industry and Commerce, the agency charged with enforcing trademark and other rules, said that local officials should avoid imposing fines in cases not related to food safety.

There is another risk: that suppliers, under intense pressure from their foreign customers to guard intellectual property, will go overboard. The Foxconn employee, Mr. Sun, claimed to his friends that he was beaten by the company's security personnel. The guard involved denied this in an interview with a local newspaper, saying that he had merely grabbed Mr. Sun's shoulder.

Foxconn has been accused by labor rights groups of having an aggressive, "militaristic" culture. But seven interviews on Wednesday morning with employees leaving the factory revealed little dissatisfaction. "Working here is better than at other companies," said Huang Shijun, a 20-year old factory employee from Jiangxi province. "We won't be cheated here."
as of 07/30/2009 6:19 PM

[playthatbeat]

Ok, after digging about - the REAL Android phones are all quite pricey.. byt,. SciPhone DO do a bent one that runs Android 1.5.. It's called the n21..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TacWOLeQ_Lw

The closeups on www.sciphone.fr make it look very shoddy, but this pic attached makes me want to own it.. Currently, it's been available for < 2 weeks, so there is VERY little available on it, yet it's averaging $250 a pop on fleabay..

[brain]

I get the feeling "Home taping is killing music" here..

[playthatbeat]

Yeh Brain, it's kinda a bit shocking that Nokia and ericsson Pioneered all this GSM crap, and now the ropey knockoffs are all over the place.. But, THEY are to blame for this. The same happend in the satellite game if You recall - the Manufacturers out-sourced the building to China and the next thing - clones, everywhere clones.. Now the Chinese companys develop FIRST and if they cannot get a badge for the device, they knock them out as cheap as possible - usually with no firmware fixes and no more development..

Don't get me wrong, it's great now getting an iFail for $99, but what incentive is there for anyone to develop a better phone/tune/black box, when they know it's all gonna end up cheap and nasty - ruining the reputation of the brand/product?

Sure, i (and many of my peers) can still make music and get it out there despite it being robbed immediatly and forever more - our costs are minimal to match the return - we still get some satisfaction from it, but We cannot expect Nokia (etc.) to develop new cool stuff FOR THE FUN OF IT.

Anyway, Hack the Planet.

[playthatbeat]

Lol at this video preview of the HTC HERO - a real Android phone.. check at 3min 23sec - a SCIENTOLOGY reference!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaFH0vI2w1A

Not sure if they have a sense of humour, or they are scifags.. mmm..

Still, WANT A HERO

[topaz]

My manager just bought one of these...nuff said...

[as4]

I saw a church of scienschmology footprint alright, but will the real thing be as fast and zippy as the graphic designed mock-up there?

[brain]

FAke Nokias
Right, NokLa N97C ultimate in win win technology..
crippled WAP browser, sure I dont even have a wap account here. Earth shatteringly loud earpiece and astonishine built in TV.
This is the best non attempt quality piece of China I have ever owned.
Now the fun bit, the lol unboxing on youtube.
The box is THE best bit.

anyway beyond obvious rant, dual sim works and is actually useful. so if you want a cheap dual sim fone,go for it. Its well nice for that. And the mp3/4 whatever player also useable.

ebay is full of em.. now to try to flash the firmware to get it to play marbles and cook the dinner.
__________forum to this kinda thing:
forum.gsmhosting.com/vbb/forumdisplay.php?f=457