Feats in cloning Pt.2: Shanzhai clone unreleased Philips Xenium K700

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Comments Posted on Nov 17, 2009 Posted by Song Jiang

It's not everyday that we discover a clone of a product that doesn't officially exist yet, so we're all a flutter at the prospect of this one. A few weeks ago we had the chance to share with you a clone of Apple's non-existent Tablet device, today we are equally agasp bringing you a clone of a smartphone device that cannot be found on any store shelves; the Philips Xenium K700 smartphone. Come on, it's not everyday the clone beats the original to market!

Philips might not be king of the hill in the broader feature phone or smartphone market, but that doesn't mean the Dutch consumer electronics giant is not taking part. A quick poke around the Internet reveals their presence outside of native Holland to be fairly significant in the handset markets of Russia, Thailand, India, Philippines (no puns) and of course China among others.

Penetration in the US, UK and other Western countries is way off the likes of Nokia, Samsung, Sony/Ericcsson or of course Apple. Likewise their Xenium software platform is far from being a household name in the West, having almost zero marketing mind share compared to say, Google's Android.

The Philips K700 is reportedly on the verge of becoming a reality and should arrive in a selection of countries sometime early next year. That however hasn't stopped the shanzhai doing their own version. The original is apparently a follow up to the Xenium X810, and uses the latest version of their Xenium OS.

Specs regarding the clone are thin on the ground, but we can tell you that it sports a 3 inch display with a resolution of 240×400 pixels and supports both CDMA and GSM networks. Alas no word on the platform inside or exactly what the OS is although I'd guess it's Windows Mobile with a funky GUI or Xenium styled gloss on top. Hopefully more details will filter through with time.

philips-k700clone-2

Western Opportunity Analysis:

The cool thing about this clone is that shows the unbridled ambition of the shanzhai manufacturers who are willing to attempt any design they lay their hands on. And even if they can't actually get hold of a potential clone subject, they'll go ahead and do it anyways, based on what they can see in photos etc. By the time Philips do actually bring the K700 to market they'll have the clone ready to offer as an alternative.

This is a shot of the original, so far unreleased Philips Xenium K700

Conclusions:

I find it interesting to note that MobileCrunch, an off-shoot of TechCrunch, covered the K700 a few weeks ago and dismissed the device out of hand. What the..? This is without ever having seen it, touched it, used it or possibly even been in the same building as it. I know of course that Philips are a brand more associated with hairdryers and clock/radios, but hey, what about giving a guy the benefit of the doubt? It's possible that the K700 when it arrives will be a solid, decent device.

I say damn those Americans and their locked-down carrier-dominated cellular industry have become far to eager to dissmiss any player that's playing catch-up. Philips have clearly realized that there are far more open and competitive markets around that offer better scope for long term growth and penetration. Long live Philips. At least the shanzhai acknowledge your existence without taking the p&*s, even if they do take your design.

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