North Korea’s “Arirang” smartphone is indeed a copy of a cheap Chinese brand

It is one thing to make a cheap
knock-off of an established brand,
but making a copy of an ultra-low-end
device just does not make sense,
unless you are North Korea. North Korea’s Arirang AS1201
smartphone, a “home grown” triumph
of the technological prowess of the
DPRK.
The device is indeed a copy of the
Chinese branded Uniscope U1201. Both
are Android powered handsets. The
Chinese brand costs about $100 in
Beijing which may seem like a deal,
even for a low end device, but after
you see the specs you will still probably
think otherwise.
The Uniscope U1201 is a dual-SIM, 3G
device with 4GB of expandable
storage, 768MB of RAM, a 540x960
“4.1-4.9-inches” display (we will say
4.3-inches), 8MP camera and a
1600mAh battery. The CPU is a dual-
core, Spreadtrum chip at
“1.2-1.4GHz.”
It is a safe bet that the North Korean
counterpart has similar, or even
lesser specifications than the
Uniscope. There is still speculation
that the device is made in China and
reboxed in North Korea. Then again,
we assume nothing. We will not even
assert that the AS1201 has cellular
connectivity, it is North Korea after
all. We shared information about a
tablet offered up in the DPRK that did
not even have Wi-Fi connectivity,
because, who needs the internet when
you got the dear leader?
Speaking of which, the AS1201 is
certainly featuring a vast array of
approved apps and media from the dear
leader. No doubt Google Play is no
where to be found, but it is not out of
the realm of possibility there is some
type of basketball app featuring Dennis
Rodman included with the device.

iPhone 5C – does Apple's first budgetsmartphone finally have a name?

Usually a photo of boxes isn't cause for much excitement – but this particular snap posted on the Chinese website WeiPhone is a bit special. You see, it depicts a lot of shiny white plastic-looking boxes with an Apple logo on top and - here's the important bit - the letters 'iPhone 5C'. 

Assuming somebody didn't wake up one day and decide to fabricate a load of boxes to prank the internet, this would suggest that the much-rumoured budget iPhone now has a name. C IS FOR 'COLOUR' Given that Apple is unable to conquer emerging markets with its current high-priced portfolio – and the alleged release of the iPhone 5S would do little to change that – a budget iPhone seems logical. 

There have been a number of leaks in the past that all point towards Apple releasing a device made for smaller budgets. One revealed a number of colourful cases in plastic while another included a YouTube video of the device in action . 

Could there be this much smoke without fire – or is it merely an elaborate prank by a factory capable of manufacturing phone cases looking for some e-attention? If the iPhone 5C is real and on the way, what does the C bit stand for? Cheap? Cute? Crass? We're hedging our bets on "colour".

GEAK Shows Eye and Mars: Smartphones for Photographers

Chinese Electronics Manufacturer
GEAK brings photography to
smartphones.
Every time a new smartphone gets
launched, a photographer (or two)
somewhere always has something to
say about the quality (or lack thereof)
of the images. At least they appear to
have an ally, as the company, GEAK,
has now released a duo of
smartphones with both casual and
avid photographers in mind.
The duo is comprised of the 5-inch
"Eye" and the 5.8-inch "Mars," which
both incorporate a 13 megapixel
backside illuminated rear camera. The
Eye also features an 8 megapixel
forward camera (for astounding
selfies), while the Mars brings it
down to a mere 2 megapixels. Both
handsets come with 16 GB of internal
storage and HSPA+ data capabilities,
but the Eye features a 720p IPS
display with a quad-core Mediatek
MT6589 and 1 GB of RAM, while the
larger Mars comes with a Full HD
1080p display and a Snapdragon 600
with 2 GB of RAM.
The prices differ between the two
products, but only a little, as the Eye
sells for $326 and the Mars for $490,
both off contract. While the phones are
still only being sold in China beginning
June 25, 2013