Here, I present to you the iPhone Meizu M8. The thing is, it really reminds me of another device. But I just can’t put my finger on it.

Alright, so perhaps I was a bit harsh. After all, it does sport a touchscreen with dimensions that seem amazingly similar to the iPhone, but who am I to judge? After all, people did accuse Creative of plagiarizing the iPod design. Errr…maybe that’s a different scenario, actually; this really looks like the iPhone. It’s almost like the iPod Nano compared to something like this. And, coincidentally enough, it comes from China (err…the knockoff).

Now, I realize that Meizu is a Chinese company. I also am myself a Chinese Canadian and am not oblivious to our reputation for fantastic knockoffs. And, even though it’s annoying, I can now see why. Least to say, this is definitely not helping our reputation.

Alright, enough with the scoffing. Let’s put aside the completely obvious fact that it looks exactly like the iPhone and take it apart and examine it. Except we can’t, because 1. we don’t have the Meizu M8 yet, 2. it’s not out, and 3. I highly doubt it will be coming to North America. Even if it plans to launch there, I doubt the lawyers and Apple nor Steve Jobs will let that happen.

So, the iPhone is sitting at the steep cost of $499 for the 4gb version and $599 for double that storage. The Meizu M8 comes at approximately $305 and $400 for the 4gb and 8gb versions respectively. Shocked? So am I. That’s almost the same-looking package for a bill less than the iPhone! And if you don’t need or want a camera, you can pay either $195 or $285 for the standard version of the M8. It comes with a 3.2 inch 720 x 480 screen (sound familiar?), and a UI that looks amazingly like Windows Vista (which leads me to wonder if it’s really vista, or just another…well you get my drift).

Source: http://www.cellphones.ca/news/upload/meizu_m8.jpg

Anyway, I just wanted to bring this to light. Maybe you might not have such a strong reaction; in fact, you might grow to quite enjoy the idea of this Meizu M8 vs. iPhone. I kind of feel bad for the iPhone, but at the same time, I don’t blame cell phone manufacturers for jumping on it so quickly after seeing how the iPod dominated the digital audio player industry.

Could it be an early iPhone-killer? Yes, it most certainly can. I’ll show you why!

On paper, it already stacks up quite evenly with the iPhone (err…actually, the specs seem to be leaning towards w960 superiority): unlike it’s predecessor the w950, the w960 sports a 3.2 megapixel camera, as opposed to the now-seemingly meazly 2.0 offered by the iPhone. It possesses a keypad and touchscreen capabilities. It functions on the UIQ symbian operating system; but, after reading about UIQ vs. the stripped down OS X, I can’t really tell which one is better. The w960i does feature java support however, whereas the iPhone unfortunately has only the “sweet” way to use apps (to see more on this, click this link: http://curmi.com/blog/2007/06/17/iphone-development-not-so-sweet/).

But, enough with the comparisons. The w960 also features a menu similar to the k850 which is a definitely plus (to me).

It’s also a Sony Ericsson, so I personally believe that you can expect a standard of good quality. And I’ll admit it, I’ve got a bit biased in favour of Sony Ericsson, but can you blame me? My phone, the w600i, has served me well (and is still serving me very well).It functions on the Walkman 2.0 player, featuring Album Art (oops, I almost drooled). It has wi-fi functions AND 3g, which definitely is a plus especially when compared to iPhone’s lack of 3g. It has a 320×240 screen, which is plenty big (I’m still using good ol’ 174×220). It has 8gb of built-in memory, which stacks evenly with the iPhone.

Unfortunately, it’s expected to be released in the fourth-quarter of 2007! So, we can definitely expect the iPhone to have its own share of sales before it comes out. Ironically, doesn’t this situation seem similar to the Vista-Leopard situation?

Who knows, maybe the iPhone’s next firmware will feature more functions that can popularize it. Until then, it will almost definitely succumb to the w960 (then again, the iPod has always beaten many more competent players). Later days!

Recently, a friend of mine brought this digital audio player (aka mp3 player) to my attention. I had heard of the Zen Stone prior to this incident, but hadn’t really paid it too much mind. And, after giving it some thought, I realized it deserved more. I believe that Creative could possibly be the most under-recognized and underrated companies in the world. It’s sad how Apple’s success with the iPod always outshines them, because their products are of really good quality. A couple of years ago, I was fortunate enough to receive a Zen Microphoto as a gift from my parents. It had many features that an iPod Nano did not; a customizeable wallpaper feature, a custom eq, a slew of different themes, a microphone, fm radio, and wma support (which was important to me as I used a lot of wma files; how I regret that, as I now received an iPod video from a family friend).

But, the Microphoto is another subject. Maybe I’ll touch on it another day; today, I’m talking about Creative’s Zen Stone. It’s in direct competition with the iPod Shuffle; the question is, will the iPod Shuffle outshine it?

Although I don’t actually have this product, I will seriously consider getting one for the future. It comes in two formats, actually; the screenless Zen Stone which has 1gb of storage and is available for $49.99CDN and the Zen Stone Plus, which has double the storage of the Zen Stone and a screen and can be yours for $69.99USD (CDN price approx: $74.60).

I’d go for the Zen Stone as a decent backup digital audio player during times when I don’t really need to bring my iPod (short driving trips, jogs, and lawn mowing come to mind). Alas, I would get a Zen Stone Plus, but I don’t really think I would cough up $74.60 for a backup player.

Source:http://images.creative.com/iss/images/products/headers/prod16424_hdr_1_6_1.jpg

The Zen Stone could very possibly compete aesthetically with the 2nd gen iPod Shuffle. The Zen stone might not be as small or slim; in fact, it’s a bit chunkier, smoother, and rounder (hence the name Zen Stone). But, it still looks quite decent for a digital audio player.

What extra features could it possibly have? Well, it does feature wma support. And USB drag and drop features. But for $49.99, what more can you expect?

It’s rated battery life is up to 10 hours, which really isn’t too much once you think about it (sadly). It’s also missing a clip, as you might see. Another downer, no?

So, this is a barebones digital audio player, much like an iPod Shuffle. But the iPod Shuffle, if I remember correctly, was and is still very successful. All I can hope for is the same success towards the Zen Stone.

Revolutionary? Excepting the camera, you can’t bet on it.

OK, so it has a 5-megapixel camera. And…

Pretty much nothing that sets it apart from the other numerous Sony Ericsson phones. Now, I don’t want to make it sound like I’ve been drinking some haterade, because I actually like Sony Ericsson. After purchasing a w600i, they’ve made me a fan. So, what have I got against this hyped-up k850?

It follows too closely to the looks of the other phones.

source: http://www.newlaunches.com/entry_images/0607/15/Sonyericsson_K850_7.jpg

Doesn’t it remind anyone else of the w810? Now, I realize that the w810 is possibly the most popular Sony Ericsson phone out there; and I don’t mean to insult any of you, but it’s not exactly easy on the eyes when compared to something like the k800. Except for the green line, and the keypad sticking out, this could actually be a black w810.Now there’s been a lot of arguments ignited by blunt comments stated on the looks of the k850. Some have said that it “looks fugly”, whereas others have defended it saying it looks pretty. I’ll let you be the judge.

source: http://www.newlaunches.com/entry_images/0607/15/Sonyericsson_K850_1.jpg

source: http://www.newlaunches.com/entry_images/0607/15/Sonyericsson_K850_5.jpg

It has 40mb of built-in memory and a Micro SD card slot. Correct me if I’m wrong, but don’t other Sony Ericssons use memory cards too? Oh, wait, they use sony’s proprietary Memory Stick Pro Duo. Now, this could be a nice move for the consumer; according to Future Shop prices, micro SD cards cost $20 less than a memory stick duo card (I compared 1gb versions of both). And you can thank Sandisk, because they just pumped out a 4gb micro SD card (which Future Shop doesn’t happen to be selling). Nothing revolutionary, yet.

Its keypad has transformed into one similar to the next generation Sony Ericssons (eurgh, I swear I’ve seen this before! maybe I haven’t..).

Then we move on to the menu; the main navigator you will mainly see and possibly get sick of. Now, I’ve really gotten sick of the standard Sony Ericsson menu, and I’m really looking into getting a phone with a flash menu. “Does the k850 have a flash menu?” I remember asking myself. And then I saw this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnBTD-Dxm1M

All I can bring myself to say is….niiiiiiice.

And, then we bring ourselves to the last and best feature of the phone: the 5 megapixel camera. Now, speaking for North Americans, the most standard camera phone has around 2 megapixels nowadays. The k790/k800 recently took the cake with its 3.2 megapixel camera. But now, the k850 definitely smashes them both with a 5 megapixel camera! It has a video resolution of 320*240, whereas the k800 has a 177*144 video resolution. What a leap.

So, I can’t really call the k850 a revolution, especially when things like the Wii and iPhone exist and have recently debuted. Sure, it has a hell of a camera and a nice flash menu, but what else is there that another Sony Ericsson can’t match?

Yet, it’s still in its initial stages. Perhaps, I might change my mind about it one day. Perhaps.

By the way, if I’ve made any mistakes, please feel free to correct me. I don’t want to be a misinformed source of information.

My first take on the iPhone: promising, but could the price be its Achilles heel?

It’s in a situation that was exactly like the PS3, actually, except it’s a lot more innovative. A lot of people want it, but will they be willing to cough up $499 for a mere 4 gb of storage?

Firstly, I do believe that four gigabytes is enough to store its multimedia; except, you might have to constantly delete songs, and whatnot. An eight gigabyte version is available too, which I would consider to be a much wiser investment (just think: twice the storage!).

It’s motion-sensing abilities look quite incredible. It features coverflow, which is what sold me to iTunes (er, when I got a computer that could decently run iTunes). I do believe that those two will be its main selling points; anything that has to do with motion nowadays is quite popular (Wii much?); but the features are also decently implemented. Not to mention it has a touchscreen, which is much more preferable and universally-featured (I hate to say it, but my stubby fingers have had some trouble with small keypads) than say, a keypad. The Nintendo DS, for example, has a touchscreen as well, and look how far it’s gone (well, from the touching is fun commercial?)!

Since the iPod was so popular, I think the iPhone would be able to capitalize on that as well. Prior owners of iPods (mostly minis and 1st, 2nd, or 3rd generations) will be looking into purchasing an iPhone depending on their experience with their iPod (presumably, good).

Also, connecting to the internet with the iPhone will be quite the experience; its screen is much larger than any of its preceding handheld devices (with a few exceptions), and it has wifi access. I like the sound of that

This might all sound very nice, but it will cost a whopping $499 US and $599 US for a 2 year contraact for the 4gb and 8gb versions respectively. Don’t be too down on yourselves, http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2007/01/iphone_price.html reports that consumers can expect Apple to easily cut its price if demand isn’t too high. But, Apple’s definitely going to bet they don’t have to.

It might have been brief, but I can’t really say much until I’ve had a run with the iPhone myself. Only when I experience it myself will I be able to write a 2nd take, and tell you whether or not its really worth $499 (that’s more than a Wii!).