Mobile Phone Hunter

We’ve seen plenty of cloned iPhones on this love China cell phone blog, each with their very own variation on the Apple original. This is a little black number for the ladies. Built to be almost identical to the stylish original, the CCK10 squeezes a whole lotta love into a more compact, sleeker from factor.

Seriously. Pound for pound this iPhone clone is the latest iteration in a long line of phoney kin, perhaps the culmination of several shanzhai generations. The objective behind the the CCK10’s design is simple. If an iPhone was designed for a woman, how would it differ? Assuming that woman was not my aunty Loius, or it would no doubt involve doilies of some description, the young lady about town prefers a simple scaled down version of her male counterpart’s smart phone.

Sounds easy, but it isn’t. With small electronic devices, size is often proportional to heat. As the years have passed we’ve learned how to reduce energy consumption and excess heat from silicon chips, batteries and displays, but they still have enormous influence on the size of a device. Reports of exploding iPhones exist because just occasionally those components do get too hot.

Here we have it next to an ATM card for comparison.

Ask yourself: Will future iterations of Apple’s leading phone device be larger or smaller? I suspect that efforts towards ’smaller’ and ‘thinner’ will still dominate the path ahead.

Available in both black and white. Of course.

The CCK10 is to all extents and purposes a true clone. The design, finish and packaging are all designed to make you feel like you’ve that special phone you’ve seen in magazines and even movies. It’s an iPhone clone that almost has you fooled. Except that the CCK10 measures in at 80mm x 46mm x 11.5mm, that’s not only 35mm shorter and16mm less wide, but also 0.8mm thinner. The touchcsreen is 2.2 inches compared to the 3.5 on the original.

Comment:

The finish is not quite a glossy as Apple’s, and there’s no precious logo on the reverse. Also the inclusion of a stylus may indicate an inferior touch screen experience, then again it could simply help writing in Chinese on a smaller screen. We’re told that the software and features are the same as previous generations, which would indicate that the same pair of ARM processors are alive and well within; unless of course that’s not quite the case and a more compact shell equates to hit in performance.

The price for this guy, or gal as I should say, is 585 RMB, which is just around 86 USD. There is no doubt in my mind that it will join a slew of highly successful iPhone products already flooding the markets of China, now competing with legitimate OPhone offerings.  In fact the arrival of devices like Lonovo’s OPhone will, I suspect further the ambitious and quick-to-react shanzhai to upping the quality and choices they provide.

Conclusions:

I actually heard my girlfriend complain that her iPhone was a bit bulky. And if today’s fashionable clubbing crowd are anything to go by, handbags can quite dainty. Why not offer a mini-iPhone Apple? It makes sense.

Sourcing: http://www.chinabuye.com

As a kid I always felt my ‘Superman’ underpants gave me special powers and abilities. Ah, the nostalgia of cartoon heroes and underwear. How things have changed. Kids today have no idea, especially in China mobile phone market where you can pick up this Karasnn N66 Superman Phone for less than $75 US.  Shiny gold ‘S’ - shaped button included.

Your seventy five bucks gets you the whole package as shown below, and includes two 2800mAh lithium batteries, a charger, earphones, data cable, a 128MB memory card and surprisingly a writing stylus. The Karasnn N66 might not be most technically advanced handset out there but considering the price it’s specs are not too shoddy and include dual SIM card access, MP4 and MP3 playback support and a 3 megapixel camera.

Sourcing: http://www.chinabuye.com

Device convergence is the hallmark of any self respecting shanzhai master. Products that are more than they seem to be, often invoking spy-thriller rushes of blood to the head. Kingtech have certainly gone straight for the convergence jugular with their W968 time piece / China cell phone. And although we have few details about how it all works, we’re assuming that it requires you to either a) wear a bluetooth headset, or b) talk to your wrist like you’re a member of a secret government organisation. I certainly know which one would be more fun.

So you’re a disillusioned shanzhai manufacturer wanting to branch out and do something different. “How’s about we do a watch? A nice shiny watch that tells the time.” But no, you can’t help yourself and blindly insist on adding a cell phone….These are the events that led up to the creation of the ‘Classic Shanzhai Steel Watch Phone Or do I mean ‘Phone Watch’?

Functions apparently include video and audio playback and a 1.3 mega-pixel camera. The screen is a 1.3 inch TFT with a 160 x 128 pixel resolution. It weighs a mere 160grams and can do a range of GSM bands. Sorry, no price yet.

Sourcing: http://www.chinabuye.com

It was surely only a matter of time before we spotted a commemorative Michael Jackson cell phone, which is exactly what the forthcoming IMITO A8 appears to be. But wait, it turns out that it’s not just Jacko that can have his own phone, you can have this one anyway you want it with customizable laser etching.

The IMITO A8 is technologically speaking, a relatively straight forward piece of kit, keeping to the now standard MediaTek cell phone platform. It’s thin; it has a two inch TFT screen, does video and pictures, Bluetooth, USB 2.0 and dual SIM cards. The main selling point of this Shanzai baby is undoubtedly its customizable outer casing.

The aluminum chassis features a stylish and distinctive blush metal finish, and comes in range of seven colors. The reverse side features the laser etched Michael Jackson design, of which there are three choices; not surprisingly each design is a classic Jacko pose. It’s not entirely clear but it would seem that you get a few different outer shells with the phone, so you can mix and match as per your whim.

Here are a few designs for lovers of the Transformer movie franchise.

Comment:
The news is that this phone will available to customers on the Mainland from next month, and I bet it makes a fortune too. Michael Jackson is positively gargantuan in China and now that he’s no longer with us, he’s becoming even bigger. Of course there’s no way you could retail this in the West. Sony own the license to Jacko merchandise and there’s no way they’re letting you away with this. The smart money is obviously to offer your retail channel other laser etched designs. In fact I would go further and even offer people the design of their choice, kind of like customizable t-shirts, just with phones.

How’s about a phone with your girlfriends face on it? Your favorite sports star? Or maybe just your company logo? The shanzai boys are about offering that niche design that people crave, and their business model means they’re small and versatile enough to actually embrace true personalization of commoditized devices. Our natural inclination to differentiate ourselves from our peers is almost universal, especially with young people, so I would predict great things for the IMITO A8 and any one who has a piece of it.

Conclusions:
Has the potential to be whatever you ever you want it to be. A real shanzai China mobile phone hit in the making

Sourcing: http://www.chinabuye.com

Michael Jackson has been dead for some time, but this does not prevent us from loving him. To express our love to this outstanding music king, we release a China cell phone named MINIJackson.

Golden and bronze MJ phone

We covered the first ever shanzhai Michael Jackson phone back in July of this year; a rather bland and inoffensive design that lacked the glam and glitz that a Jocko product really demands. In fact I’m reliably informed that there were several designs floating around within weeks of The King passing. We’ve spotted the real deal here however. It might not be an official product, i.e. certified by the Jackson foundation, but it sure as hell looks the part.

The MJ avatar above the screen

While there is no word on pricing just yet, we can tell you that it comes packaged with a Jackson live performance DVD, supports the finest quality plastic diamonds money can buy and has more Jackson ring tones than any right-minded human should ever need. Oh and the whole package is very exclusive with a limited quantity in existence.

At the back is the classic MJ dance pose

 Sourcing: http://www.chinabuye.com