Meizu’s irrepressible CEO J. Wong is up to his teasing ways again with more details on the M8’s successor, the aptly-named M9 — and actually, there’s nothing about the list that doesn’t sound doable for a 2010 release (famous last words, we know). Specifically, the dude’s saying that we can expect a 1GHz Cortex A8-based Samsung S5PC110 core, half a gig of RAM and ROM, a 5 megapixel cam, Bluetooth, WiFi, GPS, TV-out, microSD expansion, and a 3.6-inch screen clocking in at 720 x 480 resolution. Interestingly, he’s holding the line on committing to deliver WCDMA, CDMA, and TD-SCDMA versions simultaneously — theoretically good enough to deliver 3G on China Unicom, China Telecom, and China Mobile, respectively — with a price in the range of 2,500 yuan (about $366). Possible? Yes — but with as checkered a past as the good ol’ M8 has, we’ll believe this one when it’s in our hands and not a moment sooner

Oh, Meizu , how do we love thee? Let us count the ways. The KIRF -rooted company has released a promo touting the UI for its M8 phone. If any of it seems familiar, just remember that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

You could fault the infamous M8 for being eons late; you could fault it for shipping without a quadband EDGE / WiFi / 3G version; you could fault it for dancing in and out of the straight-up iPhone ripoff arena from its very inception; you could fault it for being really hard to find and buy outside of China. Most of that bellyaching can’t be solved with a few tweaks here and there, but that’s not stopping Meizu from whipping up a facelifted M8 SE with a few carefully-planned changes here and there. As far as we can tell this isn’t the 3G remake we’ve all been waiting for, rather just a handful of minor touch-ups to keep the original model fresh for a while longer: better signal strength, an easier-to-use SIM slot, new firmware, and new packaging, just to name a few. Sounds like it’ll be shipping for 1,999 yuan (about $293) in China, which would actually make this a nearly-perfect midrange unlocked Android set .

Meizu M8 , maybe the most legendary knockoff gadget around, maintains its “inspired” tradition with a refreshed UI that feels faintly of the Palm Pre in terms of graphical styling. I like it, even if I know, really, I’d hate it. [ Meizu via Meizu Me via Engadget

Heads up, Meizu fanboys! We just got a sneak peak at the M8’s new UI (said to be dropping in August when the handset gets its firmware update) and you know what? It looks like a UI. Pretty k-rad, right? Check out the other two face-melting pics after the break, if you dare. [Via Meizu Me ] Continue reading Sneak peek at Meizu M8’s new user interface Filed under: Cellphones Sneak peek at Meizu M8’s new user interface originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:08:00 EST.

We know, we know, it’s gonna be awfully hard to part with the comfort of your current beloved Meizu M8 , but trust us, change can be good. We’ve already heard reports of an Android-centric UI refresh , and now company CEO J. Wong has chimed in to outline a tentative upgrade plan for the upcoming M8 3G . Current users of the eerily familiar 8GB / 16GB device will need to pay approximately 1,300 RMB to 1,500 RMB (translation: about $190 to $200 US) for next year’s model. Oddly enough, despite these estimates, he’s not confirming any market selling price

Do you want an iPhone but wish it ran Android instead of Apple’s mobile OS? No? Well, too bad, because Meizu might be bringing Android to its M8 iPhone clone . Meizu has announced that the M8 is getting a UI update with its firmware 1.0 release, due in August. And apparently Meizu has gathered a team up “with the sole purpose of investigating the Android platform.” Android on an iPhone clone?

This one’s for all of you Meizu fanboys out there: To tide you over while you wait for the M8 3G launch in March 2010 (with a possible M8 3G S planned for Smarch 2043 or thereabouts) the company’s announced that the handset will be getting a UI refresh with its firmware 1.0 release come August. Keep in mind that the above image only shows the flowchart that the kids at the eico design lab are using to concoct all their fantastic new transitions and animations, and not the interface itself. And if that isn’t enough to keep you entertained this fine morning, it looks like Meizu has put together a team “with the sole purpose of investigating the Android platform.” Whether or not this “investigation” will amount to anything remains to be seen, and it doesn’t look like the company has any serious intentions for this device beyond the domestic Chinese market, but who knows? Maybe there is a Meizu handset with the open source OS in your (distant) future. Stranger things have happened. [Thanks, nice2know_u] Read - Meizu M8 interface getting completely redone Read - Meizu Android squad hard at work Filed under: Cellphones Meizu M8 gets new UI, possibly Android

That little phone thing that Apple maybe-probably has planned for Monday ? Yeah — totally pales in comparison to what Meizu has up its sleeves. The long (long!) awaited M8 3G has finally been detailed, and the full specifications list is now available for your perusal. We’re seeing TD-SCDMA and WCDMA radios, an 800MHz or 1GHz Samsung processor, 3.54-inch display (with a staggering 720 x 480 resolution), USB 2.0 connectivity, 8GB or 16GB of flash storage, a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash and of course, the infamous Meizu OS. There’s also support for Bluetooth 2.0, GPS, multi-touch, a light sensor and tilt sensing.

The Meizu M8 may have only just recently ceased to be a figment of our collective imagination, but the always talkative J. Wong (Meizu’s CEO, if he needs any introduction) is already dropping some hints about the next version of the phone, which may or may not actually be the M9. While there’s no word on any changes to the design of the device just yet, it will apparently get a much-needed 3G upgrade (as earlier rumored ), along with built-in GPS, a new and improved 5-megapixel camera with an LED flash and, no doubt, entirely new levels of KIRF . Still itching for more vague details?Just wait a bit, Meizu has this down to an art at this point. [Via thegadgetsite ] Filed under: Cellphones Meizu talks M8 followup: 3G, GPS, 5-megapixel camera originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 May 2009 15:58:00 EST.