Database Users

HTC Topaz (Touch Diamond 2) - real or fake?

Hi. I'm from Moscow, Russia and I've got a problem with my future (i hope) HTC Topaz.
After analyzing our(Russian) market I've came to a conclusion that there are at least 2 types of this device:
1. From Taiwan, certified, with guarantee, with Russian windows mobile - i.e. official one - 497.2$
2. From China, NOT certified, there are NO guarantee, English windows, the only document which comes with this device is a cash-memo and user manual - that's all (as salesman told me). price - 396$
100$ difference is a big money in my case. English Windows is not a problem, 'cause there are lots of info on howto change firmware. as for the guarantee - all the stuff i bought earlier (notebooks, cameras) are working just fine, I've never been at the service center before - so i hope i won't need one in future.
The question is: how to determine that the device I'm going to buy (before actually buying it; I'll have nearly 10-20 min) is a real one and not a fake like e.g. "HTS tauch brilliant2" or "Pear iFone 5g", that inside it's absolutely identical to the certified one, that the hardware is the same and I'll be able to change firmware. One of the problems is i won't be able to insert Sim and make a call, test WiFi and etc, 'cause the phone is probably locked. Is there any way, any program that allows to display a list of hardware inside this PDA on its screen or on the screen of notebook. Or maybe there is a list of serial numbers somewhere and i can compare them to the one i'll see under the battery? Maybe someone has bought it for extremely low price and really satisfied with it?
Any ideas and opinions are appreciated!
Thnx!
Best regards, Rudbur.

$396 is fake diamond 2 - it is easy to figure out - just turn it on and you'll see for yourself. real greyimport diamond 2 costs now $500, but it will has no manufacturer warranty anyway, don't get yourself tricked... if you want warranty - buy legally imported PCT device.

Oh, fellow countryman! Thanks for the answer!
You probably know (price.ru) what stores i mean. So, let's assume this: I'm ordering two different HTCs: one for 400$ and one for 500$. I turn them on (simultaneously), and what should i expect when testing the fake one?
If there's no difference at all - same buttons, same size, same menu and etc (except language: russian and english), should i buy cheapest?
oh, and i heard or read somewhere that china shops offer real topaz for 333$. Or am i wrong?

The Chinese "copies" aren't actually the same at all.
The names are similar/identical, and they try to mimmick the physical appearance of a genuine device, but the software and internals are all different. Usually there a obvious differences like a lower resolution camera, room for dual SIM cards etc.
I've never seen one myself, but I would imagine once you switch it on you'll get default Windows Mobile with no HTC add-ons. I doubt they have gone to the trouble of faking an entire HTC ROM as well - but I might be wrong.

Hi,
I can testify here, as I have been living in China for a while, and buying phones from the grey market for a while too.
a few things to know:
Real fake chinese stuff will not even have HTC written on it. MTC or something like that. The plastic looks cheap, and it wouldn't even have winmo on it. I saw a "Nolia N95" the other day with the Sony Ericsson interface on it!
Then, in china, you got an official one for real cheap, but the brand is Dopodo, and they don't have wifi built-in. It's the real stuff, but for chinese market only.
At last, the grey market stuff, like mine which I paid the equivalent of 400USD has, I believe "fallen from the truck" in HK... So it got the HK Rom in it, ot Taiwanese, not so certain, as it was in CHS, and they use CHT in those regions.
So, briefly, chinese fake will be very, very easy to spot Hope that helps!

Thanks to you all, guys. I hope the shop I'm going to buy from will allow me to test these devices and save few bucks. I emailed them earlier, asking about guarantee, prices and so on, but they haven't answered yet.
kipue, your opinion is especially important, because you lived there, you know what's what. So I'll draw attention to the labels on it, camera, functioning of wifi, windows mobile menus and all.
After actually buying it I'll post a reply here.
Best regards, Rudbur.

X7500 Chinese copy myPad

Just read Chinavasion news.
There is a device called myPad which looks very much as the X7500.
http://www.chinavasion.com/product_...-windows-smartphone-with-5-inch-touch-screen/
No keyboard though and lack of 8/16GB HDD.
I thing GPS is also missing.
Same processor, memory, screensize and camera.
Would be very nice if we can flash this cheap myPad with WM6.5!

Hi there,the O/S could be WM6.1 CHINESE VERSION!!!

Any idea if this is actually a X7500? I would like to get one of these and put Android on it.

PaulMdx said:
Any idea if this is actually a X7500? I would like to get one of these and put Android on it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My experience with ChinaVasion Support is that they are quick and pretty complete. Info they don't have they seem to cannot find.
I myself have no hardware programming of Android.
And "Cross posting" is not allowed here I think?
The processor, ROM, RAM, GSEN and wifi looks the same to me and things like GPS are extra chips on the mainboard so if Android will be build for X7500 I am pretty sure it will work on the Chinese myPad too.
Maybe someone with the right knowledge can mail Kayode Enunekwu who bought one (see below at link).

If you use iPhoneToday you can pretty much setup your x7500 to copy an ipad's home screen OS look and even use the same background image as the ipad. It works really well with the Advantage-- autorotates, displays icons bubbles with counts, etc
still the android port is what I am waiting for

Hi there,has any forum members bought and using this device myPad,would like
to hear some first hand experience

I'm having a hard time trying to buy one on Chinavasion.
Paypal is refusing my current credit card, then I've tried add a new one, but Paypal give me a invalid zip code error. I'm not confident enough to try bank transfer.
A huge 5'' touchscreen plus Wi-Fi for only 310?
I must not miss this chance.
Sorry for my poor English.

ED-Z said:
I'm having a hard time trying to buy one on Chinavasion.
Paypal is refusing my current credit card, then I've tried add a new one, but Paypal give me a invalid zip code error. I'm not confident enough to try bank transfer.
A huge 5'' touchscreen plus Wi-Fi for only 310?
I must not miss this chance.
Sorry for my poor English.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Strange, have you contacted Paypal about it?
I have bought a couple of phones and a car stereo in a few years from them and never had any problem with my creditcard and delivery.
I am no wholesaler or shop myself so could just have been lucky.
I would never buy with bank transfer indeed. No insurance whatsoever that you get the product or the money back.

I just ordered one.. the chinavision model is last years model.. the manufacturer is actually a company called QIGI (qwee-gee..) and the model number is the u1000 smartbook.. I ordered the newer model U2000 which comes with WM6.5.. should be here by next week..

pvanhaaren said:
Just read Chinavasion news.
I thing GPS is also missing.
Same processor, memory, screensize and camera.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks like both versions have GPS. What's more interesting is the older version supports the 850 band but the newer one doesn't. I see one BIG problem with both versions - they only support EDGE, no 3G! I would buy one today if it had 3G. No 3G (or 4G), no sale...
http://pdadb.net/index.php?m=specs&id=2328&view=1&c=qigi_smartbook_u2000

Just saw that the Athena is also called "Dopod U1000".
That makes the name "QiGi Smartbook U1000" even more copycat.
Would be bad indeed if there is no support for UMTS/HSDPA!
CSD is for Chinese market, right?
There is a "C-Motech Mangrove" with whopping 7" screen.
http://www.pocketables.net/2009/11/...indows-mobile-tablet-with-snapdragon-cpu.html
Cannot find an international shop yet. Any tips?

Hee Hee!! I ordered one and mine will be here tommorrow!! I ordered the u2000 which is the current one with wm6.5.. I dont care about 3g support because there actually isnt that many 3g towers where I live so I use edge anyway.. I'll let ya know when its here!

@vinski208
May I ask where you have orderred your u2000? I have search the net but only got news about the u2000, no shops to order!
BK

Hi vinski208
would also like to know where you order your unit,understand that there is a new
device just lunch U3000 (article was in Chinese)

Hi guys
so r there any news / reports about this new toy?
rgds
mind

Hi all,
I couldn't resist and bought one off ebay..arrived today and it looks pretty sturdy for a china made device.
Problem is I've been trying to charge it for the last 3 hours and it doesn't seem to wanna charge..
I'll leave this charging overnight and if it doesn't charge in the morning, I'll have to return this for a replacement..quite annoying!

ROM U1000
http://www.iqigi.com/viewthread.php?tid=4508&extra=page=1

bad battery
Hi guys! I also bought and received on monday a u2000. Everything works fine, except the battery... few calls, some reading in word = battery down in 3 hours. Next day, not using it , except 1 call, battery down in 6 hours.
I don't know what to do... a replacement of the battery, a refund...I just want the battery to last for 12-14 hours.
How long does your battery last?
What is your advice?
Please respond to this message as soon as you can.
Thank you very much!

Worth buying k3?

Hello everyone.
I have been looking for phones over the last week and I found this nice phone that's pretty affordable with awesome characteristics . Is k3 worth buying, because since it is so cheap,there must be a problem with it,I guess...

Its a good mid range phone from middle 2015. Buy it if you find one cheap.
Also, there seems to be a batch with many issues with the touch screen (Ive one with a bad screen) and with no support from the company: https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/K-and-...h-Screen-Issue-in-Lenovo-K3-Note/td-p/2128737
So in my opinion its a gamble when you buy from Lenovo (because the issue the screen issue is still there with k4 and k5 (or what its called)).

Deleted

imo, dun buy it.
i bought it based on its spec, very impressive.
regret ever bought it.
dun buy it.
ps:
out-of-box, chinese version will download tons of crappy chinese apps/games once the data connection/wifi is 'ON', b4 u realised/understand wats going on.
all stock apps/games r restricted use for china (restrictly no settings for any other cities out of china).
sound speak is too small, too soft, cant even hear alert/alarm.
usb connection non existence for sd storage, only for charging or otg.
external sd storage another screwed problem, unfriendly usage.
risk brick phone in order to install custom roms, experimental stage not sorted-out teethling problems.
no support from lenovo, retailer support scuks, new phone replace with refurbish phone, etc.
good luck if u wishes to buy lenovo phones.
pss:
seriously wants to buy lenovo k3 note, dun ever buy the chinese version, get the ROW (Rest-Of-World) version.
psss:
screen start to show sign of flickering after six months. damn :-[

Hads mine for nearly a year and it`s been fine, great phone for the price.

You can find it on aliexpress for 90€ shipping included (100$) at this price, its really hard to get such a good device.
About all the chinese stuff inside, just flash international android 6 and it will be more clean and you get play store
Also this device has huge comminuty and now we start to see Cyanogenmod running quite good
Even right now, its the best device you can get for 100$ !
And if it break after a year or two, you need to remember you just paid 100$ for it

advice: buy Axon 7 in China to use in UK?

Hi,
I've been tempted by the Axon 7 for some time now having seen it in Beijing, and was excited to see it demoed in the ZTE Demo truck that went to our local shopping centre, presuming that it would be released imminently. Unfortunately, it hasn't appeared and since the mini version *has* appeared (Car Phone Warehouse), I presume it isn't going to be released at all.
So, I have been wondering what my options are. Is it plausible to buy one when I'm next in China and use it easily in the UK? I'm reasonably literate with phones and flashing/etc, so I could perhaps do that too, if it is an option. Does the Axon 7 in China have all the same hardware features as would be expected in the UK? I'm particularly thinking of things like NFC for Android Pay - NFC isn't used much at all in China, so it would be (almost) sensible for them to leave that off phones sold there, but it is something I would want. I would certainly want the Play Store and such like.
I have used a Chinese phone in the UK and successfully installed the Play Store on it (and it had an Intel CPU so it wasn't completely straight forward). It was also a ZTE phone (Geek v975) as it happens.
Any advice on what to do?
Max.
PS. My main reason for the Axon 7 is the front-facing speakers. However, other than not allowing *both* microsd *and* 2nd SIM, it is pretty much spot-on (note that HTC One X9 has a dedicated microsd slot and great front-facing speakers, but I can't find one that isn't locked to CMCC, and it doesn't seem to be so well thought of on this forum, though I see it does have a forum so I'll ask there too).

Axon 7 is a greate deal of hardware.
Of course you can use Chinese version on UK, but you have to flash Global rom and modem.
I myself own a Chinese version, but I flash US rom, because chinese rom is lack of play store and full of crappy app

Hi David
I did exactly what you are thinking about. I'm typing this reply from a 128gb Chinese zte axon 7. I bought from Ali express. When you but from china the seller will root the phone to enable Google play store. That's fine but it screws up obtaining the OTA updates. I can walk you through how to overcome this and get onto 7.1.1. No root nothing like that. My advice it's easy and you can save a packet getting a great phone.
Currently you can pick up an axon 7 for 270. Job done.

I'm running my 128gb Cuba version as well. I have 2 sims and an sd card running on it. There's a few threads on how to go about it. There's not much that needs doing apart from installing Google on the phone. Everything is simple. Just use the search function and you will get everything you want.
Sent from my ZTE A2017 using Tapatalk

Should I buy Samsung Galaxy Note 4 in 2018?

1. Is it genuinely best to buy it this year? (Because, its OS is old so there might be problems in the updates, like some part or the whole mobile not working properly or some apps not responding properly to the updates etc.)
2. Furthermore, after warranty period, will it be easy to get it serviced or replace its parts if required? (Because it is an old model and still I didn't get the info after my searches whether it is discontinued or not. Because, if it is discontinued then it might be a problem).
3. I want to connect either 1TB or 2TB SSD to it. So, will it function properly without hanging or slow speed? (Of course, I'll connect the SSD to a power bank). (I am not expecting look and build from the mobile but a best and speedy performance in any scenario).

the mobile is good if you want to enjoy the pen functionality and removable battery feature. The phone is still fast enough. you will get the security updates but will not get the os updates.. if you are going to buy it, for another 2 more years you can use it without any worry. dont know if you can connect 2 tb ssd.

If you get one for a good price. I would not pass it up.
Once you go note you can't go back. I got a 2nd for 250$NZD that's like ($180us) flashed every rom on here multiple times(exynos) , now it's a daily on nemesis with prime kernel. No finger print function but it's practically a note 7
From what I am remember I've had class 10 SD cards die the most
These are usually high capacity, Been through 3x class 10 (2x64 1x32)in under a year, I think high capacity SD your asking for trouble, one drop, bung
I stick with 16gb SD ive had for over 4 years even a4gb I've had for even longer

my advise is very simple : go for Note 5

You should still be able to find brand new models of the Note 4 for a excellent price if you shop around for them online. The Note 4 is still a good device however it isn't as secure as most current android devices.

Note 5 don't have replacing battery ,you must go to service to change it.
You can go to GSM arena and compare Note 4 with all Samsung series and you will see that Note 4 have all hardware like this new models from 2018 ,on some model Note 4 have better hardware.
I buy second time this year Note 4 ,learn how to root ,flash Resurrection rom with 8.1 Android and have everything that have all new phone today's. From the look,from the icon,system..Everything..
Also you can use Substratum theme to add even more look and change it how you wants to your phone look.
Its just amazing that my phone 4years old support and have hardware to support all newest systems from today.