The Meizu M8 is a touch-controlled, multimedia and internet-enabled smartphone. It is popularly regarded as a Chinese iPhone-like phone due to its similarity to the
features, UI, and physical design of the Apple iPhone.[1] The M8 runs a version of Microsoft Windows CE 6 with a modified GUI, similar to that of the iPhone. It was created after the success of Meizu's 2 MP3/MP4
players—the M6 Mini Player and the M3 Music Card. The phone has been delayed several times due to not
meeting Chinese cellular phone
guidelines. Already it has drawn
attention in the US, due to its
similarity to iPhone, and also because of its unique features.
Originally announced in two
versions - an entry-level version
with no camera and a standard
version - only the standard model
was released. Announcement dates CEO Jack Wong had announced the
Meizu M8 four days after the
announcement of the iPhone as a
direct competitor. The product was
soon set for an October/November
release. The M8 was released for public testing on April, 2007 in Shenzhen and Guangzhou, drawing positive reviews.[2] Specifications Some expected specifications of the
M8 (not final): Dimensions: 108 mm × 59 mm × 12 mm
(H × W × T) Processor: Samsung ARM11 667 MHz CPU Display: 3.4-inch 16600K (OS 65536 colors), 720 × 480 pixel
resolution, LTPS TFT LCD, with multi
touch (2 points) PC Interface: USB 2.0 Ultra Fast Data Transfer Flash Memory: 8 or 16 GB of built- in basic Memory Operating System: Windows CE for Meizu M8 (Based on Windows CE6.0)
(Mymobile) Video Playback: AVI, MP4, RM, RMVB, 3GP, MOV, ASF, WMV, MPEG,
MKV, FLV, MPEG-4/H.263/H.264 at
30FPS H.264 Baseline Profile :2.5Mbit/
s,720×480,30fps; MPEG-4 Simple Profile :2Mbit/
s,720×480,30fps; WMV 3 :3.2Mbit/s,720×480,30fps; H.263 :1.5Mbit/s,720×480,30fps; DIVX :5Mbit/s,720×480,30fps; XVID :4Mbit/s,720×480,30fps; DX50 :6Mbit/s,720×480,30fps; Camera: 3.2 MPx camera on back. Supports auto-focus, no flash (Front
camera to come later) Battery: 1200 mAh Li-ion. Removable battery Support for GSM (850,900,1800, 1900 MHz), GPRS, EDGE, WiFi Additional features Light sensor allowing the phone to automatically adjust screen
brightness in accordance to the
lighting in the environment. Tilt and movement recognizing sensor that will allow it to auto-
adjust screen orientation in
accordance to tilting. It can also
recognize movements (i.e. shaking),
a feature which can be used for
games. Proximity sensor for calling CeBIT Appearance Meizu appeared at CeBIT on March 4, 2008 with a non-functional, plastic prototype of the M8 able to display three screenshots of the UI, and a
development board running
partially working UI with most
phone functions. No fully working
unit was shown though. On the second day of the exhibition,
March 5, German police initiated by Sisvel raided 51 booths including
Meizu; where a newly developed
MP3 player was thought to infringe a Fraunhofer Society patent and confiscated.[3] Production Halt On October 9, 2010, it was reported
that Meizu had shut down
production of the M8 due to
pressure from the Intellectual Property Offices and Apple Inc. because of its close similarities to the iPhone.[4] Apple also was looking to ban all sales of the M8 as well, which
some media outlets have speculated
could bankrupt the company due to losses from unsold inventory,[5] but no official word on this has been
heard.