09/01/2008, 10:35am, EDT
Monday, September 1stMeizu demos iPhone clone on video
Meizu has demonstrated a working example of its long-delayed M8 cellphone in action, courtesy of a new video posted by company founder J. Wong. The nearly four-minute clip confirms that the device closely mimics the iPhone's interface down to its home screen, media player, and photo management app; a relatively new addition seen in the software is a file browser for navigating content outside of what's immediately recognized by the touchscreen device.
The handset is still believed to have a Windows Mobile underpinning with a three-megapixel camera and as much as 8GB of permanent storage. Meizu's launch plans have repeatedly changed, however, and a firm release date is unknown.
The Chinese firm originally announced the M8 as the MiniOne shortly after the iPhone was first announced and at the time had the goal of launching the device before the end of 2007, with numerous software additions and hardware delays quickly pushing back the device's release. Meizu has never announced plans to release the M8 outside of China and is largely expected to face copyright disputes from Apple if it goes ahead with outside launches.
(Note: video is mildly unsafe for work due to content)
Filed under: iPhone, gadgets, mobile phones
Other story tags: Windows Mobile, Meizu, M8
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uhhh
didn't they first announce this before the first iPhone was released? and IIRC they said it would be out for $299 when the first iPhone was released.
we're now past the release of the 2nd iPhone which is also cheaper than the price point of the Meizu. this seems to be an exercise in futility.
Couldn't keep up...
Seems the copier could not keep up the speed of the changes the iPhone went through (like price reduction, higher capacity, applications). When the iPhone is introduced in China, it will be a killer blow to this device. They will have a hard time to get break even on the product.
To answer your question: the M8 was indeed announced before the iPhone, but after the introduction of the iPhone they quickly tried to change the designs of the M8 to match the iPhone after some "inspirational" mock-ups by their fans (and later altered to "look less" like the iPhone).
Elvis
Hilarious wasn't it. I know how the Elvis fan is entertained when impersonators strut their stuff.