DEFINITION: Shanzai [San-zai -alt. sp.Shanzhai] 1. mountain fortress/bandit 2. a vendor, who operates a business without observing the traditional rules or practices often resulting in innovative and unusual products or business models.
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![]() Combining a cute wee trackball and a full qwerty keyboard, the less than memorably named COOLe8900-2 is a shanzhai ji phone very much inspired by HTC's Snap, which is in itself does a pretty good imitation of Blackberry's Curve. Let's take a moment to explore the relative merits of the shanzhai version compared to its HTC brethren and discuss the finer points of design inspiration. In terms of stats the COOLe8900-2, (which from here on in I will refer to as the COOLe) is, like many thousands of phone designs in China, based on Mediatek's turnkey platform, while the HTC Snap is powered by a Qualcomm chip. In terms of screen size the COOLe gives you 2.2 inches with a 240 × 320 resolution, while the HTC is slightly larger at 2.4 inches at the same resolution.
If we look at the dimensions involved, the COOLe is 109mm × 58mm × 13.5mm while the HTC is slightly longer and wider but a shade thinner at 116.5mm x 61.5mm x 12.0 mm. One point five millimeters of thinness might seem negligible but on devices that sit in your pocket, it's still significant. As is weight. The shanzhai clone is 125 grams, which is 5 grams heavier than the HTC. Would I notice a five gram difference on a phone? Possibly. ![]() ![]() Other major differences are mostly related to the platforms inside and the software that drives them. The Mediatek platform is feature-rich enough to do most video and music formats, has a built in FM receiver and supports dual SIM cards. The COOLe is GSM ready and of course supports bluetooth. With the HTC, it really depends which version you get hold of. Sprint and Verison offer different versions with different configurations. Which brings me to one thing I noticed. CNet reviewed the Sprint version of the HTC Snap and noted that they had modified the the navigation on the device replacing the track ball multi-directional keypad. Well Bonnie Cha, I got good news; the COOLe uses the ball, not the keypad. ![]() ![]() Analysis: We've noticed a couple of Blackberry clones appearing in the last few months and in fact it is possible that this wasn't intentionally imitating HTC at all, it could be a simple Blackberry clone that just happens to look like HTC's Snap. But this is all academic and of course due to the fact that HTC Snap actually is a device that is very, very similar to a Blackberry. For me this raises a few issues. Conclusions:
The COOLe retails for approx USD85 and comes in black. Sounds like a good deal from where I'm standing, regardless of who or what influenced its conception, or what other devices it looks like. Related articles |
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Below are the featured entries from Shanzai Studios iPad bag design project called "Operation Tablet Bag Design". Participating in Operation TBD is simple, free and gives you the chance to share ideas about a unique new product that will be tailored and manufactured to your needs.
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COOL E93 tryin' hard to look like Gary Cooper (super duper)
Here’s an interesting piece of Shanzhai design. Touted as a “concept” machine, the COOL E93 (or is that N93? Take a look at the following...
In Greek mythology Eros was the god of love and beauty – more specifically, erotic love. I don’t know if the shanzhai manufacturers had this in mind when they came up with the name for this 10-inch to...
Based on Linux, the GP2X Wiz (nice name!) is a completely open multi-functional handheld entertainment device. The makers, GamePark Holding from Korea, say it’s different than other shanzhai video gam...
Fujitsu's latest netbook offering was released in Hong Kong yesterday, causing wide spread head shaking and cries of incredulity with it's 690 USD price tag. Known as the Lifebook MH380, this Pinetrai...
iPhones are still awesome but they’re also now just common possessions. So what’s the next best selling smartphone, the iPhone killer? With the launch of several Android powered smartphones, the featu...
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