PRC FTrash Selling Fake iPhones!

[makapaaa]

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</TD></TR><TR><TD class=content_subtitle align=left>Mon, Dec 07, 2009
The New Paper </TD></TR><TR><TD height=15>

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</TD><TD vAlign=top align=right><FORM method=post name=emailToFriendForm action=emailToFriend.jsp><INPUT value=/vgn-ext-templating/asiaone/emailToFriend.jsp?vgnextoid=55fd3b5340565210VgnVCM100000430a0a0aRCRD&vgnextchannel=ba7b67c086322110VgnVCM100000bd0a0a0aRCRD type=hidden name=emailToFriendPageURL> <INPUT value=http://www.asiaone.com/Digital/Features/Story/A1Story20091207-184311.html type=hidden name=emailToFriendStoryLink> </FORM><SCRIPT> function openEmailA1AdminWindow(emailToFriendForm) { var emailToFriendPageURL = emailToFriendForm.emailToFriendPageURL.value; emailToFriendForm.action = emailToFriendPageURL; emailToFriendForm.target="_blank"; emailToFriendForm.submit(); } </SCRIPT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=3><!-- TITLE : start -->Hard to quickly spot differences between fake and real phones <!-- TITLE : end--></TD><TR><TD height=15 colSpan=3>

</TD></TR><!-- Story With Image End --><TR><TD class=bodytext_10pt colSpan=3><!-- CONTENT : start -->By LIEW HANQING
<TABLE class=bodytext border=0 cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=2 width=120 align=right><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=4>Click on thumbnail to view
(Photos: Internet)</TD></TR><TR><TD width=120></TD></TR><TR><TD width=120></TD></TR><TR><TD width=120></TD></TR><TR><TD width=120></TD></TR><TR><TD width=120></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=4>» Click here for more pictures</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>THEY may look just like the real thing, right down to the packaging .

But there are signs that prospective handphone buyers can look out for to avoid being duped into buying imitations.

Mr Wilfred Chong, the owner of Mobile Square, a handphone retailer in Far East Plaza, said the differences between original and fake handphones can be difficult to spot at a glance.

He said: "We can usually only tell a phone is a fake when it is switched on. The software interface on a fake is usually quite different from that of an original.

"The resolution is poorer, and the ringtones may not sound so refined. It takes an experienced buyer to spot a fake."

He said fake phones are sold without manufacturers' warranties and sometimes come in packaging that's different from the originals.

They usually sell for between $100 and $200 for handsets alone.

Many of the fakes on the market, he said, are copies of various Nokia models and the popular Apple iPhone.

Another handphone shop owner, who runs a shop in Pearl's Centre, said fake handphones are difficult to identify superficially.
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He said: "With fake Nokia phones, you can usually spot differences in the interface. Fake iPhones are usually less touch-sensitive than the originals."

He added that some China-made fakes also come installed with QQ - a popular instant messaging software in China - but the real iPhone does not.

But he said some fakes are so difficult to detect that buyers are often unaware they have bought fakes - even after they have used the phone for months.

He said: "Some of our customers only realised they had bought fakes when they tried to trade in their phone and we told them their phones were fakes."

And it seems that in spite of tight regulations, imitation handphones are a common sight in certain areas.

Mr Chong said he has seen imitation handphones being sold in Sim Lim Square, Chinatown, Lucky Plaza, City Plaza and the Geylang area.

He said: "It's quite a rampant problem."

The recent proliferation of imitation handphones has prompted several well-known technology bloggers, such as Techie Xplorer, to publish guides to help buyers identify fakes.

His tips include urging buyers to look carefully at the price, weight, colour of the phone. (See report, left.)

A spokesman for Nokia added that prospective handphone buyers can minimise the risk of buying an imitation product by buying them directly from mobile service providers or authorised Nokia dealers.

Said the spokesman: "Buyers should check for stickers on the back of their phones which identify the products as those distributed by authorised Nokia distributors.

"They should also ensure that they have the original Nokia warranty card that is provided with the sales package."

 

[makapaaa]

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</TD><TD vAlign=top width=200 align=left><TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD height=81>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=content_subtitle align=left>Mon, Dec 07, 2009
The New Paper </TD></TR><TR><TD height=15>

</TD></TR><TR><TD align=left><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left> </TD><TD height=15>

</TD><TD vAlign=top align=right><FORM method=post name=emailToFriendForm action=emailToFriend.jsp><INPUT value=/vgn-ext-templating/asiaone/emailToFriend.jsp?vgnextoid=c35b3b5340565210VgnVCM100000430a0a0aRCRD&vgnextchannel=802a67c086322110VgnVCM100000bd0a0a0aRCRD type=hidden name=emailToFriendPageURL> <INPUT value=http://www.asiaone.com/Digital/News/Story/A1Story20091207-184310.html type=hidden name=emailToFriendStoryLink> </FORM><SCRIPT> function openEmailA1AdminWindow(emailToFriendForm) { var emailToFriendPageURL = emailToFriendForm.emailToFriendPageURL.value; emailToFriendForm.action = emailToFriendPageURL; emailToFriendForm.target="_blank"; emailToFriendForm.submit(); } </SCRIPT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=3><!-- TITLE : start -->Sales staff stick Apple logo stickers on phones, then... <!-- TITLE : end--></TD><TR><TD height=15 colSpan=3>

</TD></TR><!-- Story With Image End --><TR><TD class=bodytext_10pt colSpan=3><!-- CONTENT : start -->By ARUL JOHN
<TABLE class=bodytext border=0 cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=2 width=120 align=right><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=4>Click on thumbnail to view
(Photos: Internet)</TD></TR><TR><TD width=120></TD></TR><TR><TD width=120></TD></TR><TR><TD width=120></TD></TR><TR><TD width=120></TD></TR><TR><TD width=120></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=4>» Click here for more pictures</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>THE young man bought a handphone from the store at Sim Lim Square recently.

But he had problems with the device and returned to the store yesterday to see if he could get it repaired.

However, he was surprised when someone told him as he approached the store: "Sorry, the store is closed. Police are conducting a raid."

The man, who is in his 20s and wanted to be known only as Mr Tay, said: "I paid about $200 for the handphone, and thought it was a good deal. Now I hear that police are raiding the store.

"I hope that nothing is wrong, otherwise I would have wasted my money."

He then shook his head and walked away.

The store that he had patronised, Yaomin Digital Pte Ltd, was raided yesterday afternoon by a team from the Intellectual Property Rights Branch of the Criminal Investigation Department on suspicion of selling imitation handphones.

It is believed to be the first case of its kind here.

In all, 11 kiosks and two retail outlets belonging to Yaomin were raided. They were on the first, third, fourth and fifth storeys of Sim Lim Square.

The kiosks were rented booths located outside other retail stores.

After the raid ended at about 2.30pm, 15 people were arrested and taken away for questioning.

More than 1,600 handphones with an estimated worth of $320,000 were seized.

The imitation handphones were believed to have been made in China.

Other than iPhones, the company was also believed to be selling imitation phones of brands like Nokia and Sony Ericsson.

A box containing a pink handphone had the words "Suny Ericsson" printed on it.
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Suspicion

Most of the handphones did not look very different from the original.
Some of the iPhones showed the Apple logo when the handphone started up, and even had words like "Apple" indicated at the back, just like the originals.

But instead of the embossed Apple logo on the back, they had silver stuck-on Apple logos.

The store aroused suspicion when it displayed signs saying the items were "for export only" and were "not approved for local use".

It is believed that the police have been observing the store for months.

The New Paper understands that when customers visited any of the stores or kiosks and asked for an iPhone, the salesman would contact the outlet on the fourth storey and tell them the order.

Workers at the store would take out the imitation iPhones, paste Apple logo stickers on them, and hand over the imitation iPhones to the unsuspecting customers.

The owner of a computer accessories store in the shopping mall, who wanted to be known only as MrChen, said Yaomin was owned by a China national who hired fellow Chinese nationals with work permits as his sales staff.

Yesterday, the sales staff were tight-lipped after the raid and did not want to comment.

A customer, his wife and two children were at the store on the fourth storey when the raid began at about noon.

He was shocked when the plainclothes police officers arrived and asked him to give a statement.

The man, who did not want to be named, said: "I just came here with my family. I have not even paid for the handphones I chose."

The man declined to comment further and walked away with his family.

"Crazy offer"

Mr Jimi Cher, who owns a computer repair store opposite Yaomin, said the stores had been in business for about four years.

He said the owner started by selling digital photo frames, but later expanded his business and opened more kiosks.

Mr Cher said: "Business was always booming. As far as I knew, he (the owner) was selling handphones made in China, and many of his customers were Chinese nationals.

"But I do not know if any piracy was involved. If there is, there should be a clampdown on such imitations."

The iPhone, which is currently available here only through SingTel, sells for about $1,000 without a contract.

But some shopkeepers The New Paper spoke to said the handphones at Yaomin cost between $150 and $200, compared to between $400 and $600 or more at other retailers.

One of them, who wanted to be known only as MrCheong, said: "Some customers saw flyers and posters advertising the cheap handphones as "crazy offer" and went to the store. Others said they learnt about the cheap handphones from their friends."

In addition to handphones, Yaomin's kiosks and retail stores sell MP3 and MP4 players, digital photo frames and watch phones.

Lawyer Cyril Chua, a partner at law firm ATMD Bird & Bird, which represents Nokia, Samsung and Motorola in intellectual property matters here, said the matter was in the hands of the police and the phone companies would help police by informing them which handphones sold by Yaomin were imitations, if any.
[email protected]
This article was first published in The New Paper.
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[Da Ji]

beshitted is already selling them here to forumers. Go send him a private message.

 

[makapaaa]

talent? Vetted?

 

[Microsoft]

How to identify fake from real.... I heard frm friend... If u pick up a set, listern to it and it sound good... Then it's most likely fake... If you pick up a set... listern to it and it sound like fuck... Then it most likely geniune... WTF!

:oIo: Mr. Blow Job