Looking at any online store, you will quickly find hundreds of imitations of the iPhone and devices from Nokia, the Nokia and other manufacturers, produced by Chinese companies and sold under various brands. See, for example, these two models announced at DealExtreme:

At first glance, seem a Nokia N95 and an iPhone, but are actually a "NokLa N95" and a SciPhone, two clones made in China. Despite the interface trying to mimic the original system, they provide only some basic functions (calendar, editor text, play MP3 files, AAC and 3GP videos, etc..) combined with a camera that takes blurry photos and a WAP browser, without allowing the installation of applications and no support for 3G or other advanced function.

Naturally, they do not run the S60 or the iPhone OS, but a much simpler system (more below). They are made with the purpose of deceiving the public who do not know well what is a smartphone and does not know the functions of the original products, and unfortunately, have had success in work, to reach some point of recommending them in forums and communities .

Having the unit in hand, it is very difficult to see that this is a copy (as light, bad finish, even on screen touchscreen devices that mimic the S60 3ed., Shortcut keys printed on the bottom, and so forth). The big problem is that they are often sold on auction sites, as if they were original equipment. The seller can swear that this is a Nokia N95, but you get to buy, in fact, the imitation.

The most interesting is that, even among clones, there are better devices and lower quality because it is common for a manufacturer cut the firmware of a model launched by another and will produce a similar copy (or clone of a clone ), definitely a weird situation. Most of them do not pass through the electromagnetic emission tests and many do not even have a valid IMEI, or appliances are simply illegal, considered a problem even in China itself.

In addition to the copies, there are also several original models, usually produced by the same manufacturers that offer similar functions. These are less bad, because at least you know what you're buying. It is the case with "Foston, which are quite common here in Brazil:

Although the price is tempting, they are, in fact, only cell donkeys that do not support even the installation of applications in Java. You can listen to music, watch some video formats, watching TV, using the receiver analog present in some of the models, open TXT files and make voice calls, but nothing much beyond that. Like it or not the applications pre-installed, you are restricted to them. The only possibility of changes in the system is to find a modified firmware, but in this case the chances of success are low, due to the large number of models and variations.

It started with MP3 players, to play music. When the standard MPEG4 (for video files) has been gaining popularity, some manufacturers decided to get ride by launching the "MP4" capable of playing videos, low quality in 3GP format.Eventually, someone had the idea to include cameras in devices, taking advantage of the wide availability of sensors for webcams (where images are captured with a resolution of 320x240 or 640x480 and are then interpolated to reach 2.0 or 5.0 MP promised). Enjoying the precedent, decided to call the devices "MP5", resulting in the sequence.

The next step was to include telephony components, making the devices also offer the function of cells. Then came the "MP6" which were soon followed by "MP7", incorporating an analog tuner, serving as a TV in your pocket.

Almost all these devices are based on the MTK chipset MTK MT6225 or MT6226, produced by MediaTek(http://www.mediatek.com), which also produces a huge volume of chips and controllers used in DVD players and GPS devices. They are integrated chipsets, processors based on ARM7EJ-S, slow to the current standards (below 100 MHz clock), but in contrast, are much cheaper, hence the popularity among the Chinese manufacturers.

The external appearance and the visual interface, varies widely according to the apparatus, but the basic characteristics of devices based on MTK chip are:

* Support for audio files in MP3, AAC or WAV; 
* Supports 3gp videos (with the H.263 codec) with a resolution of 176x144 and up to 12 FPS; 
* Reader e-books ", which only supports TXT files; 
* Calendar, calculator and some simple applications; 
* Less than 1 MB of internal memory free; 
* Support for cards up to 2 GB (and some of the 4 GB cards that do not use standard SDHC); 
* 220x176 or 320x240 screen, with touchscreen; 
* Not support the installation of applications; 
* Includes some simple games in Java (which runs using the native support offered by the processor, more below), but does not include a JVM, which prevents the installation of other games or applications in Java; 
* Camera of 640x480 (the images are interpolated, resulting in 1.3 MP, 2.0 MP, 3.0 MP, or whatever the value included in the specifications).

As commented above, many models also offer a TV tuner off, with a retractable antenna and / or support the use of two SIM chips, which operate on a system similar to that obtained when using a dual-sim adapter, where (although only one transmitter) the device switches periodically between the two chips, which can receive calls on both. You can also choose between the two chips in time to make calls.

Some of the models are tri-band GSM (900/1800/1900) and do not work with Live, while others are quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900) and work with all operators. All support the network data, but it is limited to GPRS, with EDGE support, much less the 3G. The internal browser is a WAP browser rather limited, which can not be replaced due to the inability to install applications.

Some recent devices are based on processors MTK MTK MT6227 or MT6229. The main difference is that these chipsets support the cameras of higher resolution. The MT6227 supports cameras up to 2.0 MP, while the MT6229 supports cameras up to 3.0 MP. Naturally, the fact that there is support from the chipset does not mean that manufacturers are really using sensors of 2.0 or 3.0 MP (which are much more expensive than the 640x480), only that the possibility exists.

Both MTK MT6225 and MT6226 chips as the new MT6227 and MT6229 are based on the same processor-S ARM7EJ.What changes, Clocks are supported (the MT6229 is the fastest, as would be expected) and the auxiliary components included in the chip.

The four are able to execute Java bytecode natively (with support for Jazelle extension) which allows the inclusion of Java games in almost every household. Some of the newer devices (like Sciphone i68) also include a functional JVM, which opens the door for the installation of additional applications, albeit rather limited, due to incompatibilities and stability issues.

Searching the web, you find some of the firmware with support for Java to download. However, you can not use them to add support for Java in old equipment, because appliances with Java include a larger amount of RAM.

The operating system used is the "MTK OS" which is in turn a modified version of the Nucleus OS(http://www.mentor.com/products/embedded_software/), a system RTOS devices onboard. The term "RTOS (Real-Time Operating System) does not refer to an operating system in particular, but to a class of multitasking operating systems, for devices shipped, robots and other niches, where the response time is a factor important.

In the case of phones, using the MTK OS is not much to do with him being a RTOS, but simply with the fact he is a lightweight system that offers good support to the processors used and can be customized quickly. This ease of customization led to the many different interfaces used in the apparatus (with the iPhone guy, of S60, etc..), Although this is, indeed, the same system:

Most devices use flash memory chips as a memory of 4 MB of storage (less than 1 MB free), combined with additional 2 or 4 MB of RAM, which gives an idea of how simple is the MKT OS. A little internal memory, of course, is complemented by a Flash memory card (some devices also include a non-removable drive, 1 or 2 GB), whose capacity is what usually appears in the ads.

This first generation of devices based on the MTK chip, has been gradually replaced by a new generation of clones, chips based on TI OMAP 200 to 400 MHz, typically with 64 or 128 MB of RAM. Most of these new machines run pirated versions of Windows Mobile (generally from the firmware of the HTC devices), but there are also some models with copies S60 (extracted from the firmware of Nokia devices).

Naturally, they are more similar to the originals, since, despite the bugs and missing components, run the same operating system. Some of them are imitations of the iPhone, which gave rise to the rumor that it was possible to install Windows Mobile on it:

These devices based on TI OMAP processors are more expensive than the previous, since the projects are more complex and more expensive components used. This shows that when used similar components, the difference in cost between the devices of Nokia (and other manufacturers) and the clones, not really so great that.

Most of the equipment based on MTK chip cost (abroad) between 90 and $ 100 (varies slightly, in spite of external differences), while the new models cost usually between 140 and 200 dollars. Some models with Wi-Fi and GPS enough to overcome the mark of $ 300, as in the case of this copy of the HTC Touch:

Even discarding all moral questions, they would not be good options to buy, because many of them have obvious limitations of previous models, such as lack of support for 3G or EDGE (GPRS support only), lack of support for SDHC cards and the use of bad cameras. Another problem is that Windows Mobile and Symbian systems are much more complex than the MTK OS, which results in many bugs and problems of implementation.

Even equipment manufacturers such as Nokia and HTC, which make a work of extensive correction of bugs and updates are often launched on the market with serious problems in the software (usually later corrected through firmware updates). It would be very smart to expect that manufacturers who produce counterfeits of the same apparatus, using copies of the system extracted from devices with different specifications, can do a better job.

A good example of a manufacturer specialized in producing copies is the HRF (also known as Hi-Tech), which manufactures various forged models, including devices with pirated copies of Windows Mobile, many of them running TouchFlo interface (used by the HTC devices in the Touch-line), also pirated. Strangely, the door is an open, accepting orders via web and maintains a catalog in http://www.hrfpower.com/:

HRF of these devices are what we call the "first line of copy." After them we have many others, the second, third, fourth, fifth, etc.. which obviously do not have websites and catalogs.

A good place to learn about the equipment manufactured in China and find the real manufacturer is DIYTrade a B2B system that lists the products of most manufacturers, not only the more obscure: http://www.diytrade.com

There is no shame in relation to the nature of the products. The copies are openly advertised as copies, with information on the actual manufacturer and under the brand names under which they are sold. This clone of the Nokia N93i screenshot, for example, is advertised as "identical to the original", but turn the same MTK OS with the interface that mimics the S60, like almost all others:

Most manufacturers offer the option of putting their own brand products in the dealer (just buy a quantity of units), as for example the case of Foston. Many think the Foston is a manufacturer, but in fact it is only an importer that sells some of the products in Brazil.

In conclusion, already beginning to emerge on the horizon some phones based on Android, which can be a solution to some manufacturers out of illegality and move to develop their own models. As the Android is distributed under a license that allows redistribution, manufacturers can simply go to use it in compatible devices without having to hack other systems. This may lead to a new crop of models based on it.

Unfortunately, old habits are not easy to leave. The first Chinese with Android is "Sciphone Dream G2(http://mysciphone.com/G2Specia.asp), an imitation of the HTC G1, produced by the same company that pioneered the clones of the iPhone:

Despite the name, it is well below the specifications of the HTC G1, starting with the absence of the sliding QWERTY keyboard. The USA also display a lower resolution (320x240, against the original 320x480), touchscreen with a less sensitive film. The processor (a TI OMAP 200 MHz) is considerably slower, the camera of "4 megapixels" USA, in fact, a sensor, 1.3 MP (with interpolation via software) and it also lacks 3G support, but limited to and GPRS (different from previous models) also EDGE.

Besides the issue of increased costs (as to support the HSDPA is almost mandatory to include an additional controller to perform the processing of signals), another reason for appliances manufactured in China do not include support for 3G is that the standard process of implementation in China is not the UMTS (as used in Europe and Brazil), but the TD-SCDMA, which is the standard Chinese.

Although ultimately being sold around the world, the devices are primarily intended for the Chinese domestic market (which is not modest, as the country has more than 1 billion people), so that probably will take until the manufacturers will offer models with support for UMTS, which has just canceling any advantage with respect to cost.

In conclusion, it is important to emphasize that not all equipment manufactured in China are bad or are copies of other devices. In addition to all the major manufacturers that have factories in China, there are also many Chinese manufacturers that respectable, with good or bad quality, produce their own models, such as ZTE (which is relatively unknown here, but it is one of the largest manufacturers in China) and K-Touch.

The big problem is that manufacturers of generic devices that produce low quality, are the best conditions for selling their products at low prices, so that they end up being the most exported and, consequently, the most known here.