In-depth: How do we fight the fakes/clones?

[GadgetTravel]

As I said, there is not difference between att getting a phone by one manufacture that looks and acts like a phone from t-mobile made by someone different. It happens all the time and will because of the free market. I just think some are pissed that they paid 600 bucks for a phone that they could have gotten cheaper if they looked around.

You know for such a big site for cell phones, you guys sure are not welcoming to anyone outside of your little phone circle.

Im not exactly sure what you are saying. Almost everyone here understands quite well the issue of carrier subsidies and how that might effect price. So if I buy an $800 unlocked phone from Nokia or HTC, I know that others may get it with a contract for a lot less on some carrier. People are quite aware of that and buy the phone based on which best fits their needs. Fakes are something entirely different.

[RedDragonUT]

Im not exactly sure what you are saying. Almost everyone here understands quite well the issue of carrier subsidies and how that might effect price. So if I buy an $800 unlocked phone from Nokia or HTC, I know that others may get it with a contract for a lot less on some carrier. People are quite aware of that and buy the phone based on which best fits their needs. Fakes are something entirely different.

Hey thanks for agreeing with me. People buy PHONES on what best meets there needs....so people buy cheaper phones instead of being rapped by the big boys. I have all the function of a phone.....make and receive calls and a few nice perks to go along with it. Oh and I only paid 100 bucks.

[i9FanInKuwait]

I am new here, but I agree with RedDragonUT on the issue of fake phones. I bought a CECT i9 off eBay and yes it is a 'fake' iPhone...but guess what...I didn't pay $200 for just the phone, I paid $120.

I will save even more since I am not locked into a 2yr contract. If I went with the contract and legit phone, I would have to pay a required $30/month for the life of the phone for the Data Plan, $100/month for Unlimited Nationwide, and $20/month for Unlimited Text Messaging.

Over just 2yrs, that $200 phone costs $3,800. I saved myself $3,625 since I spend only $25 every 4 months for a pre-paid service.

Best of all, the i9 has all the features that I need in a phone, plus it was even advertised as being a 'unlocked' CECT i9 and not an unlocked iPhone.

Just my .02

-pat

[Bruno]

There seems to be an ongoing lack of understanding when it comes to the word "fake"...

This thread is not about "copycat" (what Engadget calls KIRF or "Keepin' it real fake") phones. Those are the low-cost handsets modeled after the fancy ones, but with a slightly different model and brand name and fewer features. While still a little shady when it comes to IP rights, these aren't the problem.

What is being discussed here are counterfeit phones: ones that are made to look like and sold as the real deal but are not. These inevitably have far fewer features and/or they perform quite poorly compared to the geniune item.

We're not talking about people who sell cheap knockoffs, where it's fairly clear that they don't have all the features of the real deal. We're talking about people selling a phone that looks exactly like an iPhone/high-end Nokia/etc, logo and all, and pricing it as such... but underneath the housing is some poorly performing handset. It's fraud, plain and simple.

[Moderator HF 25]

^ AMEN! Finally, someone understands what counterfeit/fake/clone means.

[slashd0t]

I don't understand why anyone would buy a copycat phone anyways.. Who wants to buy a phone that isn't FCC approved and produces who knows how much radiation etc. Not to mention the fact that the battery's may explode because they are poorly made.

All to save a few hundred bucks people are willing to give themselves brain tumors and willing to possible kill themselves with an exploding battery.

There is a reason why things have to pass regulation.

[kyosuke]

Somebody needs to make a guide on what to look out for. And compare popular phones to the clone. Educating people on the physical difference goes a long way.

I still cant tell the diffrence between a chinese clone N96 or 8600









thats a fake phone,but i sure was willing to shell out 300 for it,but me being the skeptic i am i knew it wasnt real. He turned down my offer and later said that he just found out it was fake. I would have been a victim,glad he turned down my original offer

[Micky!]

I have a detailed guide on my blog. Its linked to via my signature over on N95users.com/forum

[matt.mingkee]

the workmanship on this one is poor, you can clearly tell on the cam part

Somebody needs to make a guide on what to look out for. And compare popular phones to the clone. Educating people on the physical difference goes a long way.

I still cant tell the diffrence between a chinese clone N96 or 8600









thats a fake phone,but i sure was willing to shell out 300 for it,but me being the skeptic i am i knew it wasnt real. He turned down my offer and later said that he just found out it was fake. I would have been a victim,glad he turned down my original offer

[guy369]

Okay.
Well lots has been said.

So let me say this.
Fake phones COULD be okay - if you know they're fake!
Capitalizing off another companies R&D and marketing sucks when you just sit back, create a phone that looks similar and sell it to the suckers.
It sucks buying something you think is real and turning out to be fake!

It sucks when these fools make A LOT of $$ off people.

I've never owned a nokia phone - but plan on owning one once the N97 comes out.
I would love to buy one on craigslist/kijiji/ebay.
Is there a way for me to know if it's a fake when it's in my hands?

I wish companies took more steps to securing their intellectual property.
If you think they do; go to Pacific Mall.

Yea, we all download movies...But I do not profit from it, I save $$ from it!

Copycat electronics suck to be on the market.
I don't understand why people buy fake crap.
Why lie to yourself about something?
ESPECIALLY cell phones, like someone said - these fakes haven't passed the test.
You willing to risk your life and others because of $$$ ? ? ?

I wish their was a reputable dealer selling certain electronics, without the HUGE markup that comes along with it.
I see a lot of real electronics for sale on web-sites, and it sucks when they're 40% cheaper than any store.
Perhaps integrity is needed when it comes down to it.

[skatistic888]

I've never owned a nokia phone - but plan on owning one once the N97 comes out.
I would love to buy one on craigslist/kijiji/ebay.
Is there a way for me to know if it's a fake when it's in my hands?

If you can get your hands on it before shelling out the dough, it's pretty safe..you just need to be able to see the subtle differences, they're different for various phones but the easiest tell in my opinion is the use of different font on fakes

oh and of course the phone probably won't have the same built quality and sturdiness thus it may feel rather, well how can I put it, fake in your hands

[Dark-Colonel]

I've been a victim of a fake eBay item (Sennheiser CX-500s).

What I learnt was that if you truly don't know if the phone is real or not, then buy it from someone with a return policy.

That is what sets apart good and bad sellers. A legitimate seller/store on eBay will give you a return - shipping. Of course some could go beyond and not up hold it but its a pretty safe bet.

Or just buy someone with a rating of 99%+

[kyosuke]

I finally got a Fake nokia arte (i didnt buy it) and ill be posting up pictures and show you guys that have that itch to buy a fake phone what your going to go through lol.

Hopefully my guide will deter lots of people.

[skatistic888]

I finally got a Fake nokia arte (i didnt buy it) and ill be posting up pictures and show you guys that have that itch to buy a fake phone what your going to go through lol.

Hopefully my guide will deter lots of people.

Can't wait to see the OS....or whatever you'd call what's inside those..

[itsme000]

^so is there a new way to verify the battery? thanks

I just got a BL-5C on eBay. I have my suspicion, but if it's fake, it's quite well done

The hologram looks genuine as far as I can tell, but build quality is suspicious, dimension of a printed area is off and some questionable font characteristics under magnification and glow under UV light that does not occur with known genuine batteries.

http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=1570278

The final test is to actually discharge the battery from a full charge and see if it comes within spec capacity.