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Dan Frommer, Business Insider
One of our colleagues just got back from a trip to China, and she brought us back a gift: This fake iPhone 4.
2011-01-05
From far away, it looks pretty real -- never mind that Apple hasn't actually started selling the white iPhone 4 yet, because of some manufacturing problems.
But after holding it for five seconds, and trying to use the software, you get a real sense of appreciation for the real thing. This "SciPhone" is not only a fake, but a crappy fake.
From an arm's length away, this thing doesn't look so bad. A white iPhone 4!
Dan Frommer, Business Insider
You can see the spot for a front-facing camera, and an Apple-like foil grille on the earpiece.
Dan Frommer, Business Insider
The headphone jack, "antenna" line, and volume buttons are almost like a real iPhone 4's.
Dan Frommer, Business Insider
The home button is clear, not white. Looks okay, not great.
Dan Frommer, Business Insider
The bottom plugs into an iPhone/iPod charging cable, but backwards.
Dan Frommer, Business Insider
It even includes iPhone 4 "antenna" markings.
Dan Frommer, Business Insider
And it has a fake replica of the iPhone 4's SIM card tray.
Dan Frommer, Business Insider
On the back, a camera and LED flash spot.
Dan Frommer, Business Insider
They bothered to say "Designed by Apple in California" and "Assembled in America" but they got the "iPhone" font wrong.
Dan Frommer, Business Insider
Nice try, but this isn't actually the Apple logo. Odd, because the right logo is so easily available.
Dan Frommer, Business Insider
The back easily slides off, revealing the fake iPhone's guts -- unlike a real iPhone 4, which doesn't easily open.
Dan Frommer, Business Insider
Here's the easily removable battery.
Dan Frommer, Business Insider
Under the battery, you can see this is the "SciPhone Italian Edition" from October 2010.
Dan Frommer, Business Insider
There's a slot for an expansion card and *two* SIM cards.
Dan Frommer, Business Insider
Side by side, you can see that the fake iPhone (left) is wider than the real iPhone 4, and has the wrong Apple logo.
Dan Frommer, Business Insider
When you turn the phone on, it looks sort of like an iPhone. But the screen is terrible, and you have to press hard (or use a stylus) to get it to respond.
Dan Frommer, Business Insider
Here's the home screen, a poorly replicated version of the iPhone's, using the wrong fonts and bad capitalization. But there's Safari, the App Store, iTunes, iPod, etc.
Dan Frommer, Business Insider
Here are some other apps that our SciPhone seems to have come with.
Dan Frommer, Business Insider
"Safari" isn't actually Safari, but instead this OperaMini browser.
Dan Frommer, Business Insider
But we don't have an Internet connection (doesn't seem to have wifi?) so we can't use it.
Dan Frommer, Business Insider
The Settings menus look sort of like an iPhone's, but are much crappier.
Dan Frommer, Business Insider
Here's a Zippo lighter app.
Dan Frommer, Business Insider
Inside the Contacts app.
Dan Frommer, Business Insider
They even went through the trouble of making a crappy version of the iOS 4 "folders" feature.
Dan Frommer, Business Insider
Here's what seems to be the World Clock feature.
Dan Frommer, Business Insider
The first of two different settings sections for the camera.
Dan Frommer, Business Insider
The second of two camera settings sections. The "Camera Switch" thing seems to be how to get the front camera to work.
Dan Frommer, Business Insider
And here's the software keyboard. Good luck typing on this thing.
Dan Frommer, Business Insider
The photos it takes are no good at all -- these are full-size, un-retouched.
Dan Frommer, Business Insider
Stay tuned... We'll post a video of us trying to use it later this week.
