Rae Edwards asked:
In case you’re not familiar with the CECT Chinese import cell phones, they’ve wildly successful. That’s because they were able to take iPhone technology and improve upon it. They knew that consumers loved having a small, touch screen phone which could surf the web, play music and videos and take photos all within one phone, but they also knew that consumers did not like being forced to contract with AT&T for very expensive service.
CECT’s iClones have been hugely popular. Most look extremely identical to the iPhone, but the CECT X2850 looks unique because it is among the few clones with a keypad on the face of the phone. Because of its enhanced handwriting recognition, full keyboard and texting capabilities, this phone is one of the most popular CECT models for texters. It’s also slimmer and sleeker in design than many of the other clones.
This phone also has all of the technological innovations and features that you would expect from CECT: a 2.2″ touchscreen, and the ability to support SMS, MMS, WAP, MP3, MP4, T-flash, video recording, photo taking and more.
Another place where the CECT X2850 stands out is in its camera phone. The camera has several features like white balance, delayed shooting, continuous shooting, and night mode, as well as the ability to adjust picture quality and size.
The CECT X2850 is completely compatible with U.S. gsm cell phone providers that use a sim cards like Cingular and T-mobile, to name only a few. You don’t need any software with this phone. Just insert your sim card and off you go.
This clone is priced very low at an average of about $100. It’s worth a serious look for texting consumers intrigued with touch screen technology who don’t want to pay the high price of an iPhone or the high monthly cost of AT&T.
Rae Edwards asked:
There’s very little debate that the iPhone clones are popular because they offer all of the features made popular by Apple at a fraction of the price. These little knock offs are always unlocked, allowing you to use which ever network or carrier you chose without being chained to AT&T. They are usually dual sim, which is really like having two phones for the price of one. And, you can remove the battery yourself with out having to run to the dealer every time the battery dies. In today’s scary economy, every little bit helps, so these things are very attractive to consumers.
But, if there was ever any draw back to the clones, it was that most models mandated you text on a finger touch screen. This works great for some people, but many are used to and prefer texting on raised keys. Luckily, there are a few models that allow this, offering clone features combined with a full keyboard and scroll bar.
Of these texting clones, the N99i (or Nokia N99i as it is sometimes called) is probably the most popular. It’s attractive, fast, user friendly, and sleek. Messaging on it is a nice, quick experience. Better yet, the manufacturers have added an analog TV and an awesome 3.0 MP camera to this phone.
There is one very popular clone with the “TV out” feature (the CECT A988). This means that you can hook the phone up to your television and watch video on the phone on a larger screen. The analog television on the N model is different because you are watching real time local television via antenna. The 988 is also not as finger friendly for messaging.
In addition to this, the Nokia N99i is a very feature rich mobile phone, which includes: a 3 inch, finger touch LCD screen and stylus; full MP3/MP4 capabilities; a very high quality 3.0 mega pixel digital camera and webcam; double Bluetooth; a voice recorder; fm radio; two sim slots; and expandable memory. You can transfer information between your computer and the phone through a USB cable. The phone does not require software and will read your GSM sim card. This one is a tri band.
This one is a very high performing model that you can usually get for under $150 if you know where to look. Considering the very high quality camera (most of the replicas have 1.3 or 2.0 mp cameras) and the analog television feature, this is very reasonable, even for a clone.
Rae Edwards asked:
Last year Chinese cell phone manufacturer CECT became well known for its iPhone clone called the P168. Encouraged by this success, the company quickly rolled out additions to its line up. In my opinion, many of the newer models look nothing like the iPhone and function in an entirely different way. A perfect example of this is the new CECT T68 (AKA the HiTune) which seems to be inspired by Blackberry or HTC models. I have often been asked when the clone manufacturers were going to tackle the windows based productivity smartphones. That time seems to be now.
The most popular feature of the T68 is windows mobile 5.0. This means that you can run many popular productivity programs like Word, MSN, Excel, Outlook Express and PowerPoint. You can easily sync information with your desktop computer or notebook via ActiveSync. This ease of use makes this model extremely popular with students and executives who want to send, receive, or edit documents away from the classroom or office. (Although I can say from personal experience that the gaming features sometimes make it easy to become distracted.)
This HiTune’s large, full keyboard makes this phone well received among texters as well. Whether you call this model a pocket PC, a PDA, or a smart phone, it has tons of standard features, including a built in 2.0 mega pixel digital camera and web cam, WiFi, Bluetooth, MP3, Java 2.0, and the ability to download and play Nintendo and Windows PPC games. It also has GPS navigation and en e-book reader. I particularly enjoy downloading e-books to read later while I have down time. I am now actually able to read a huge backlog that was stored on my computer before.
This phone is unlocked and tri band. It will work with most GSM carriers. No software or drivers are needed. You just insert your sim card and the 68 can read and install any information needed.
This clone is modern, sleek and streamlined. I think it looks like a cross between the Blackberry Curve and Pearl models.
Currently, the price is about $175, but this will probably come down over time as more become available. I predict it will sell well because it should appeal to a wide range of consumers.
Rae Edwards asked:
Successfully copying and improving upon the iPhone is what allowed CECT and other Chinese cell phone manufacturers to grab initial attention, but it is the performance of the innovative products that means they are here to stay.
Something very interesting is happening with the CECT line of clones right now. The newest models don’t even look that much like the iPhone. Suddenly consumers are starting to see silver models with full keyboards and texting capabilities. It seems that although consumers like the technology of the iPhone, not all consumers want their phones to look like exactly like the original. The CECT X2850 (or CECT U90 as it is sometimes called) is a perfect example of this.
Smaller and sleeker in design than many of the clones, the X2850 has a full keyboard on the bottom of the phone and enhanced handwriting recognition to appeal to texters.
This phone also has all of the bells and whistles that you would expect from CECT: a 2.2″ finger touch screen, and full support of SMS, MMS, WAP, MP3, MP4, and T-flash formats with full video, music and photo capabilities.
Although the advanced texting capabilities on this phone are wonderful, I believe where this phone really stands out is in it’s camera phone, which has several advanced features like continuous and delayed shooting, white balance and night mode. You are also able to adjust picture quality and size with only your fingers.
The CECT X2850 is fully completely compatible with U.S. GSM cell phone providers that use sim cards like T-mobile and Cingular, to name only a few. You don’t need any software with this phone. Just insert your sim card and it should work and recognize all of your information.
The X2850 is very attractively priced at about $100. It typically appeals to texters or consumers who value camera phone performance.