Gadgets Connect

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But sometimes, a crummy copy is just a crummy copy. Take for example, this poor Taiwanese knock-off of the Apple iPhone. This thing makes no bones about its source of inspiration. Heck, they couldn’t even come up with an original name and just called it the iFone.

This wannabe version of the iPhone copies the basic case design of Apple’s beauty, but certainly falls short on the details. For starters, there’s no glass face or durable aluminum back here. We’re talking cheap plastic and shiny chrome plate. Plus, it looks like it’s about twice as thick as the real iPhone.

Under the hood, you won’t do too much better. It’s pretty much your run-of-the-mill MP3/MP4 player phone, with just 256MB of on-board memory (although you can expand storage up to 2GB with an SD card). Of course, the touchscreen isn’t multi-touch, and needs a stylus to function properly. On the other hand, the bargain basement iFone does offer video recording capability with its 2-megapixel camera - something Apple hasn’t yet added to the iPhone. It’s also not locked to to a single carrier. The phone supports all GSM/GPRS networks, has SMS and WAP capabilities, but no real HTML web browser. At least they did manage to include Bluetooth connectivity inside the iFone’s bulky shell.

But let’s get real here. If you really want an iPhone, save your money and buy a real one. The only reason you’d even think about buying one of these is if you’re a real cheapskate, and you don’t mind looking like one. If you’re still convinced that you must have one, the iFone is available for $165 from DealExtreme (including free shipping).

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apple, bluetooth, china, clone, fake, gprs, gsm, iphone, mp3, mp4, phone, taiwan, touchscreen

Tags: gadgets, gps, consumer electronics, buyers guides

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