Gizmodo: meizu

Meizu M8's New Interface Almost Makes Me Want It

matt buchanan — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 16:00:00 EDT

Meizu M8, maybe the most legendary knockoff gadget around, maintains its "inspired" tradition with a refreshed UI that feels faintly of the Palm Pre in terms of graphical styling. I like it, even if I know, really, I'd hate it.

[Meizu via Meizu Me via Engadget

The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.
The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.
The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.

Is the Meizu M8 iPhone Clone Getting… Android?

Adam Frucci — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:20:00 EDT

Do you want an iPhone but wish it ran Android instead of Apple's mobile OS? No? Well, too bad, because Meizu might be bringing Android to its M8 iPhone clone.

Meizu has announced that the M8 is getting a UI update with its firmware 1.0 release, due in August. And apparently Meizu has gathered a team up "with the sole purpose of investigating the Android platform."

Android on an iPhone clone? I guess stranger things have come out of China (and this probably isn't even coming out of China), but it just seems…unnatural. [MeizuMe via Engadget]

Meizu Pondering Follow Up To M8 With 3G, GPS And a 5-Megapixel Camera

Sean Fallon — Fri, 15 May 2009 16:38:00 EDT

Despite years of unfulfilled hype about the M8 iPhone clone, it appears that Meizu's CEO Jack Wong is talking about a new installment that may or may not include 3G, GPS and a 5-megapixel camera.

Given their history, you probably have as much of a chance of getting your hands on the proposed Meizu phone as you do seeing Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster make out in a UFO. Prove me wrong Jack, prove me wrong. [Meizu Forum via The Gadget Site]

Meizu's M8 iPhoneclone UI Demoed, Looks Cloned Indeed

Kit Eaton — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 04:52:12 EST

Meizu's fabled M8 iPhoneclone may indeed be soon on sale, but until now we've only seen bits and bobs of its user interface: Now Meizu is demonstrating this with a neat little animation site. And guess what? Go on, you'll never guess! ...It's a pretty similar beast to the iPhone. There're some tweaks and differences of course, but Meizu's taken inspiration from Apple pretty deeply into their own design. We'll just have to see what it looks and feels like in the flesh to see exactly how similar it ends up being. [Meizu via Engadget]

Meizu's M8 iPhone Clone To Hit US Shores by Christmas Eve

Kit Eaton — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 05:31:00 EST

We recently mentioned that Meizu's M8 iPhone clonephone was really coming to the shops in China at the end of the year, but according to the head of the company, things'll be happening a bit sooner than that.

J.Wong himself has suggested that it'll be on sale in China no later than the 30th of this month, with Wi-Fi disabled as per China's legal requirements. A fully-enabled Indian version will follow... and then Europe, Hong Kong and the US should be happening by December 24th. The price has been fleshed out a little as well: the 8GB one should go for about $350, and the 16GB for $420. So it's not long until Apple's lawyers can get their mitts on one, and see how much cloning has gone on. [Electronista]

Meizu M8 iPhone Clone Hitting China, India In December

Kit Eaton — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 05:04:00 EDT

Meizu's iPhone copycatting M8 cellphone is to be vaporware no longer thanks to GeekITstores, who will be launching it in China then India from December onwards. The 8GB model is apparently due to cost somewhere between $380 and $470, and will be launched with "complete fanfare"...presumably because it's the "iPhone killer," or so says the press release. In fact, GeekITStores really seem to love the device, saying it was looking for a "better, cheaper alternative" to the iPhone for Indian customers. Read on for the press release.

Mumbai, Maharastra, IND, 2008-09-28 19:28:50 (IndiaPRwire.com)

Geek manufacturer of entertainment electronics, announced channel distribution for Meizu M8 phone, dubbed as "IPhone Killer", the much awaited M8 will be initially launched with complete fanfare in Chinese markets.

Geek will distribute M8 through its expanding franchise network in India. " We were looking for a better,cheaper alternative for Iphone to indian customer, since the beta launch of M8 testing is through, we are very confident to make M8 an success" said Mr. Nilesh Patel, Head Sourcing -Indian operations.

Geek already has established a network of 18+ franchisees in tier-2 & tier 3 cities

[Techtickerblog]

Meizu M8 Captured On Film: Realer Than Big Foot But Not Nearly As Interesting

Mark Wilson — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 09:30:00 EDT

Remember the Meizu M8? It was the iPhone clone, the one that we were all excited to see...back in 2007. Now that Apple's added 3G to the mix, expanded storage and lowered the price with contract, the prospect of a (still unreleased) 8GB iClone has gotten a whole lot less enticing. But just for those who thought Meizu could never do it, here's a decent walkthrough of their interface. Please note, however, that the clip contains some suggestive images of (underage?) females that you may not want to play at work. Stay classy, Meizu! [via Electronista]

Meizu M8 iClone Finally Coming in August?

Benny Goldman — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:30:00 EDT

Meizu will finally release the iPhone-wannabe M8 in August, according to a cryptic message board post by CEO Jack Wong. The first version will have 128MB RAM and an unspecified amount of storage, and a second version should ship in October with 256MB RAM and 8GB on-board flash. The funniest part? The M8 will cost around $320, or $120 more than the AT&T subsidized 8GB iPhone 3G here in the US of A. Luckily for them (and us) this probably won't see its way outside of China. [Meizu via Electronista]

Meizu Adding Live Messenger to iPhone Vaporware Clone

Jesus Diaz — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 04:47:29 EDT

The apparently incombustible Meizu CEO, Jack Wong, has just announced that they are going to add Live Messenger to their M8 cellphone, the rather pathetic and sad motherboard that wants to be an iPhone clone when it grows up (if it ever gets released). In other words: new vaporware announced for vaporware. The usual cynics are probably asking themselves "why should I care about this crap?" Which is exactly what we are asking ourselves right now. [Meizume—thanks Heartwork]

Meizu M8 MiniOne UI Tweaked, Again

Haroon Malik — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 20:30:00 EDT

A whole week almost elapsed without there being any rework to Meizu's M8 MiniOne UI, which is so shocking, I almost fell of my chair. Thankfully, it was not to be, as some new images are making the rounds on the old tubes.
Update: Apparently, this is just a mockup by the guys at CNMO and not at all a UI refresh. Dammit.

The chaps at Cnmo have managed to grab pictures showing an all black M8 MiniOne cellphone and UI, which we think looks particularly hot. Unfortunately, we're not sure if the images are official, as there isn't anything confirming their validity up at Meizu Forum, but if they are accurate, it's a step in the right direction. Anything that distances the M8 MiniOne from the difficult-to-shake iPhone roots has to be a move in the right direction, or at least we would think so. Grab a batch load of UI eye candy by hitting the link. [Cnmo via PMP Today]

Meizu MiniOne UI Updated

Haroon Malik — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 10:00:00 EDT

Meizu's CEO, Jack Wong has just posted a whole bunch of new images, all showing a tweaked UI for the hotly anticipated iPhone-esque cellphone. It is not a massive rework of what we have already been shown, but the pictures showing a new color scheme and number pad should keep the fanboys happy, even if the iPhone reference has incensed them with rage. On a side note, Meizu's MiniOne is a bit iPhoneish, no? Jump for a ton of visual eye candy. [Meizu Forum; Thanks, Alvin]

Cops Shut Down Meizu's CeBIT Booth for Ripping Off Apple

Adam Frucci — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 13:10:00 EST

It looks like we weren't the only ones not impressed with Meizu's M8 iPhone ripoff — its booth at CeBIT was shut down by the local police and all products and promotional materials were removed. Yikes! Apparently some other booths were shut down as well, as this was part of a wider initiative to protect patent and copyright owners. What does this mean for the fate of our favorite junk copycat Chinese ripoff phone? Time will tell. Stay strong, my friends.
UPDATE: The shutdown was actually due to a mistaken MP3-licensing issue and the booth is now back open. Apple had nuthin' to do with it. Carry on! [Heise via Electronista]

Meizu M8, Something You Burn in a Paper Bag on Someone's Porch

Mark Wilson — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 09:59:02 EST

Engadget scored some time with a Meizu M8 mini One prototype board at CeBIT. And even while this demo is not constrained by the size of the M8 final hardware, the experience leaves a lot to be desired. The touchscreen has major, persistent lag issues (though Meizu claims it's a demo hardware issue) and, as you'll see, the software is too buggy to last two minutes before crashing. While we've been looking forward to Meizu's iPhone knockoff for a long time now, we're wondering if it's not too early for our anticipation to throw in the towel. [engadget]

Meizu M8 Goes on Sale to Suppliers?

Haroon Malik — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 09:55:00 EST

The much hyped Meizu M8 seems to have gone on sale to suppliers via Alibaba. The companies listed to be holding stock are Fujian Huaxia Trade Co., Ltd, Samsin Trade Co., Ltd and Fuzhou ZhongTianLi Trade Co among others. Update: An Adminstrator over at Meizume, the Meizu fan's forum, ensures us the M8 is not out yet. Further, it is stated in the post that the release of the M8, whenever that should be, will only be made official on the Meizume forum. Nothing is mentioned regarding the new white paint job the M8 in the above image is sporting. [Meizume]

The specifications seem to be in agreement through each distributor/manufacturer. Additionally, Samsin is listing an all white edition of the M8, which we have not seen before. Word is still out on a definite release date, but the online retailer, Elite-Electronix is listing the launch date as 03 March, this year. Whenever it does hit, we'll be sure to wet our pants in excitement/relief. [PMP Today; Elite-Electronix]

Meizu Patents the Knock-Off

Mark Wilson — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 09:55:51 EST

The Meizu M8 may not seem like the most...original concept on the market, but that hasn't stopped the company from pursuing a patent on the device. Filed back in February 2007, Meizu proclaimed to the world that, sure, their M8 may be just an iPhone clone. But clones have rights too, dammit! [meizume via wired]

Meizu MiniOne M8 iPhone-Clone Triples Buttons, Tries to Patent It...in China?

Haroon Malik — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 18:00:00 EST

Meizu's CEO dropped an interesting nugget about the hardware of the highly anticipated MiniOne M8. Apparently, the smartphone will feature three physical buttons, as oppose to a single one right in the center. That means it will differ from another phone that it bears a striking resemblance to. AND they're trying to patent this. AND that is going to do them a lot of good in native China. Of course, the new information means any screenshots we have seen of the hardware in the past are now inaccurate, from the front at least.

Meizu's trio button design is currently being patented, so images have not been released. Fret not. To tide you all over, an image of the front cover, taken from behind, has been released. Yes, from behind...just how you like it pictures of phone facias. Inset is a concept for the design in question; expect it not to look anything like the image suggests. [Meizume]

Actual Meizu M8 Image Surfaces

Jason Chen — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 14:02:17 EST

The folks over at Meizu have decided that it's finally time to unveil actual shots of the Meizu M8 iPhone-inspired phone, and they've got some low quality shots to prove it. You can see that it's got a miniUSB port, a camera just like where the iPhone's camera is, and button placement just like the iPhone. The only major difference that we can see between this and the iPhone is that it's entirely black instead of silver. That's about it. [Meizu via MeizuMe]

Rumor Smashed: Meizu Didn't Rip Off Artist For Phone Renders

Jason Chen — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 16:00:13 EST

Despite making a Meizu phone that looks way too close to the iPhone to be a coincidence, the latest news about Meizu ripping off an artist to pimp their work is off-base. It's true that someone placed Deviant Art artist Lithium Picnic's photo onto a Meizu M8, but it turns out that the image was actually rendered by a fan on Meizu's forums. Not that it makes things any more legit, but Meizu themselves aren't to blame for this round of appropriating someone else's work and calling it their own. [Meizu]

Meizu M8 Gets New Look, New Price

Mark Wilson — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 10:08:45 EDT

Our favorite iPhone iClone, the Meizu M8, has gotten a face lift and new price. But interestingly enough, the M8's design (aside from growing 1/10 of an inch) has been altered to look less like the iPhone, ditching the shiny, metallic edges and rear for an iPod Touchesque charcoal shading. In fact, it looks almost just like the Touch. But I thought I was buying an iPhone knockoff! But no complaints, since the new pricing information has been released.

Still scheduled for a December release, the pricing has been slightly more finalized at $265 (4GB), $320 (8GB) and $400 (16GB). Sure, those prices don't look all that cheap...until you realize there's no two-year contract rebate involved. Wait a second...what does the iPhone really cost??? [meizume via wired]

Meizu M8 Rips Off the iPhone UI and Why That's a Good Thing

Jason Chen — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 20:10:39 EDT

Although the Meizu M8 Phone may rip off the iPhone with its music UI (and every other UI), it could be a good thing. First, take a look at the photos in the gallery and see just how similar they are to the iPhone.

This situation reminds me of an article in the New Yorker, except instead of technology, it's fashion. To summarize, the author says knockoffs are good for fashion because 1) it brings high fashion down to a price range that normal, working people can afford, and 2) it forces designers to change up their looks for the next season.

The knockoffs apply much the same way to the tech world. By taking Apple's UI, Meizu's bringing technology to the people who can't afford to buy a phone for $399 (Meizu's prices are between $259 and $453). They're also forcing Apple to innovate and become even better in order to stay one step ahead of the game.

We're not saying it's right or legal for Meizu to steal Apple's UI, we just think it could be a good thing for consumers in the end. After all, that Meizu Miniplayer is actually a pretty decent PMP even if it's essentially a nano. [Meizu via Electronista]

[New Yorker via Boingboing]