Sci-Phone: iPhone Clone Runs Java Apps, Still Phony
July 4th, 2008
Nope, your eyes aren’t fooling you. This isn’t an actual iPhone. It’s the latest in a long line of iPhone knock-offs to find its way to our shores from China. The SciPhone isn’t the first iPhone clone out there, but it’s the first one I’ve seen that claims to run native Java applications.

The case design and the on-screen icons of the DigitalRise Sci-Phone D990i definitely look quite a bit like a legitimate iPhone, but upon closer look, you’re likely to be able to tell the difference (gotta love that floppy disk icon for documents). The iFake even tries to outdo the original by offering something called “shake control”, which lets you shuffle through songs by simply shaking the phone.

The Sci-Phone D990i features a 3.2-inch color touchscreen (some of the docs say 3.5-inch, so I don’t know which is accurate) , a 1.3-megapixel digital camera, and offers Bluetooth support. Since it’s an unlocked quad-band phone, it’ll work on any GSM-based network, and uses GPRS for data services (sorry no Wi-Fi or 3G ).
With the new iPhone 3G hitting stores next week for just $199, and Sun working on Java support for the real iPhone, you’d be hard pressed to come up with a reason to drop over $200 on this complete fake. The only reason I can think of is if you’re not an AT&T customer and want people to think you have an iPhone. Frankly, you’d be better off picking up an iPod Touch and pretending to speak into it.
Comments (680):
Post a Comment:
Categories: Media Players Mobile Tech




















I
have the Sciphone i68…I got my MMS to work, but this is supposed to be a 4 or 8 GB phone. I don’t have space for anything. Ok, first thing I need…
How do I delete apps that were on this phone when I bought it? They’re Java apps like “MSN, ET-boll, Robot Rebellion, etc”…. help!! I won’t these gone and want to add news one. Where do I get new ones btw?
thanks, katy!
email me at kateclarinet@hotmail.com if you want or just put it on here thnx!
i have an i phone mode i9+++ and no charger can someone help me get one its a 32 gb i phone
——justin —-think usb go to radio shack–walmart–frdys get pc usb cable for it or car charger with usb from it
hi there, i have a spare usb charger lead that i no longer require as i have bought a new phone… please email me tymuth@hotmail.co.uk
I would suggest a Maxx universal mobile charger where u can charge the battery directly……problem with usb cable stuff is that the mobile port is too delicate.
it has slot for micro sim card 4 or 8 gig dont usaly comes with go to walmart for it
Katy where did u get ur sci-phone thanx……:)
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220599875526&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT
on ebay…
have sciphone and everything works well,even shake control,java,picture change,
slide,open close everything and what a bargain at $70
I have loaded mp3 files on to my micro flash card in the phone but the audio player will not read the mp3 songs on my flash card….does anyone know what to do?
hey bro u have to send it to your mymusic file astead of ur music folder.
im having trouble with the java app cause its in a different language when i try to open. so im still workn on it.
Hi, you said everything works fine. How do I put pictures, mp3s, java applications, etc. on my phone??
plug the phone into the computer useing the usb lead, data storage D:/ etc whichever it is assigned to. then simply click and drag the files you wish to put on the phone. tymuth@hotmail.co.uk
i havd tried that it still doesnt wrk i need help
I have the sciphone i68 I got an 8 gig card for it but i can’t get the phone to display that it has a card in it. also the shake thing doesn’t work and neither does the java. I also paid 71.00
I got 2 batteries a car charger and a usb charger with mine
is it an unlock phone with two sim card slots. do u have to both of them or one send mr a email please
you can have one.
ok so i have searched my entire phone and for the life of me cant find SILENT and i need it as i study at tafe all week please help me i dont want to have my phone turned off every minute of the day
thanks guys xxx
go to settings, user profiles then meeting it’s all set to vibrate xx
just pull the dial screen up and hold #
thanks I was wondering how to turn my phone on Vibrate. the meeting profile didn’t work but holding the # did. Thanks
can you please tell me the wap and mms setting i need for the sciphone i68 for uk orange
on your pc go to orange setup http://setuporange.wdsglobal.com/ then select Samsung Pixon and follow the instructions. You will be sent some texts to your phone to open and choose to install. The WAP and MMS and GPRS internet all worked for me on my i9+++
WENT TO ORANGE GLOBAL AND WAS WONDERING IF THERE IS A UNITED STATES SITE..SAYS MY NUMBER IS NOT VALID??? THANK YOU
hi i could not get wap on my phone ether so tryed what you said but could not fine samsung pixon. could only find samsung with numbers then pixon after it there was two of them try both still got no wap plz help.
go to mobile network operators website (ie o2) and enter your mobile number where it says mobile phone settings and then click on submit and if all goes well you will recieve new settings which you must save
I called t-mobile and we did the it over the phone in 10 mins. Just call from another phone becasue you will be changing setting on you I9 phone.
what kind of phone did you tell t mobile
i have an i phone 32 gb and no charger and i need one asap i wanna see if anyone can help on this asap
Check out this site for your sciphone
http://www.mysciphoneshop.com/
chech my previous comment on universal mobile battery charger from Maxx
i have ani68+ with no charger. what kind of charger would i need for it?
like anything that will charge it
i have a usb charger here that i no longer require. uk £5 inc postage and packageing worldwide..
this phone is sooooooo stupid..why make a fake iphone when you can just buy a real one. Dont even bother people
Because an i phone without a contract is around £500.00 in the UK.
I got one of these for £60.00 from a UK dealer. It functions really well, obviously not the same quality or functionality of an i phone, but using opera mini it’s great for internet use at this price.
hey hate to say but as long as it works like i iphone why not get it. it does almost or the same thing. not bad for a phone like this. i recommend it to all low income peeps cause its worth a it.
bcuz it’s waay cheaper & does the same stuff & what makes u think the iphone doesn’t come from china apple is in us but the phones are’nt made there
there are people that has the money for expensive phones so if they can get a phone similar to some other company it shouldnt matter whether or not its an imitation
Because of the fact that sum ppl dont have the money..i have a sciphone n works like the real thing the only thing that sucks is that i cant send pics..without subscribing for the internet..but other then that its great…
uhh. i got one and its great! its JUST like the iphone but WAY cheaper. if your on a budget, get the sciphone, if oyur not, do whatever you want. i am just reccommending the sciphone bc its not a bad phone at all…
The SciPhone has dual sim both active at the same time! BEAT THAT IPHONE! Also I just received my sciphone i9+++ from china, £31-50 including p&p.. Im a happy chappy! Cant get any java apps to work (massively laggy) or the internet settings for t-mobile either but.. DUAL SIM!!!
have you called t-mobile?Thats what i had to do b/c i was having problems sending pics..u have to tell them u need the internet…
I have a SciPhone I9+++i68 32 gb. im having trouble trying to get into java cause it’s in a different language and i also have the same problem like katy tryin to delete some of the apps.
far as wrong language on any of the sci phones or pda sci go to ebay or look up the programable cd usaly 9.99 usd has the apps and progs in multi languagae suport
Java problem. All I did was take it to the Chinese chippy, bought my supper and got the java sorted while I was waiting for free!! So language is not a problem, any other language problems, just go ask a expert as we in the UK have about 2 million foreign language guests living here more than willing to help.
Dear Katy several people have had the same problem as you and I have told them to do as I did as this java stuff was written in Chinese!! I took mine down too the Chinese chippy ordered a meal and and asked them what was written?. Better than that, they set the thing thing up for me. £6.00 supper included.
The is the effimg truth but the knock is cool for first time touch screen users
–ATT— just a reminder for all new or what not to this paticlar help page on bottom of page is a click able link to previous pages has many topics posted recently covered there
Battery life is DISMAL no wonder they give you a spare battery
2 hours without B/tooth on and a lot less with
Can any one tell where to buy car charger
I also noticed that so I went back to ebay and bought a 2400mah battery and I hope that makes a huge difference because the batteries it comes with are pathetic!! (1200mah) It’s coming from China so it will be a while til I get it and see if that helps…
how can I get more apps?
I have a cd or dvd with software, games, apps wap mms settings, pics ringtones firmware etc also a programme to anable you to watch tv on your mobille (depending on handset) firmware will require an additional cable called “A FLASH CABLE” many of the i9+++ problems have been sorted with this cd / dvd… paypal only…..
It says i have 32 gb but i can only fit like 182 kb.HELP PLEASE!!!!
How do u get to change the screen senitivity?
u need a micro SD card the phone its self has no storage… 4 or 8 GB will work
Hi guys. I have a cd or dvd with software, games, apps wap mms settings, pics ringtones firmware etc also a programme to anable you to watch tv on your mobille (depending on handset) firmware will require an additional cable called “A FLASH CABLE” many of the i9+++ problems have been sorted with this cd / dvd…
tymuth@hotmail.co.uk
How can get a hold of that cd or dv with software. I can download any app on my sciphone. Can some one help me/
hi how much is it for this cd im looking for app for my i9+++ phone and i dnt no were to get them can u help
please email me at tymuth@hotmail.co.uk
i have 8gb in mine
Does anyone else have the same problem with the very short battery life or is it just me? and to top it off my charger blew its fuse and short circuited my whole house! but apart from that, the phone is ok, u get what u pay for I guess…
Turn off the bluetooth – that’ll do the trick
why get one of these (or a better iphone clone)? Simple. 1) An iphone 3gs will cost $199 with a 2 year contract (like min $80/mo service), with hefty early cancellation fees. With the clone, you have much more flexibility. 2) these clones are quadband, fully unlocked, and thus will work throughout the world. No international roaming fees (if it works at all) if you go to europe or asia. Just buy a prepaid sim card when you get there.
Take the money you save from avoiding the long contract, buy yourself a ticket to Paris. BTW, there are alot of much better clone phones out there since this was written.
best wishes
i need to install iphone app like gangstar.ipa .
How can i install please help me?
I have gangster v1 and 2 on dvd along with many oother games and apps for iphone allready to sync with i-tunes including satnav totalling over £500. tymuth@hotmail.co.uk
I recently purchased the sciphone I68+. I have changed the language to english but when I go into the Facebook application it is in Chinese. Can anyone tell me how to change this?
Yes if u scroll down long enough you will see a box with different languages. click on that box and scroll up until you see English. click on English. Thats what I had to do.
hi, where did you guet, this aplication? iven lokin for it, and i havent find it, thanks
I’ve had a sciphone i68+ for just over a week and it is driving me mad. Added WAP/GPRS setting yesterday for internet access. Internet still does not work and now cannot make/receive calls. Phone now says insert sim when it used to show Virgin Mobile as per the sim installed. Can anyone offer advice how to fix both problems?…………..thanks
make sure the sim card is in correctly
i got this i68+ and it keeps turning off on me and sometimes its hard to turnback on i heve to shake it and beat it to turn it back on can anyone help me??
hi iv just got a sci phone but when i put my sim in it it will not work iv tryed 3 difrent 1 now can eny 1 help me please thanks xx
Try going to att or sprint, those companies carry sci phone sim cards, that’s where i got mine from.
I have tried a 2 gig and 4 gig memory card and neither one will work in my I9 phone it doesnt even show up when I put thememory card in the phone. It doesnt detect it. Please help
I faced the same problem. It failed to detect my 8gb memeory card. Please help on how to config the phone to red memory card.
I went to my carrier store and she said she changed the settings from phone to memory card
i think, you need to put it the rigt way, you may be havin trouble with that.
i got my sciphone 4 66.99 + s&h
hey, i have a d990i sci phone that needs a battery charger, does anyone know where i may find one at online, or at a store, i have checked with radio shack and att and neither one has them. Help,i need one asap
I just got my sci phone 9+++ which looks really awesome but the language is in chinese or vietnamese and I need it to be in English. Can somebody tell ne how to put this in English please? Thanx sure would appreciate it.
*#0044# as if you were making a call. This should sort it.
I have a SciPhone i68 in red and it has been working perfectly for months. I didn’t use it for a week and now it doesn’t recognise SIM cards. I’ve tried three different and none of them work. I think i may need to reset my phone. Where would i find/get the PIN code for the phone?
Thanks!
*#4400# or the other way round
i need a PUk code for sim1 slot. i tried to change the password and now it has locked me out and i cannot use the phone at all for calls and texting or any other type of normal use. i can click on apps but they only go so far. IT is asking for a PUK code that needs to be 8 digitts long for to unlock. i need help, any suggestions?
To get a PUK code you have to go to the provider that you got the SIM card from. They will give you the code to get into. whatever you do, DO NOT try to figure out the code yourself or the card will become permanently locked and you will have to purchase a new SIM. I learned that the hard way.
You guys should get the Dapeng T2000. Its the i-phone clone with the plug in qwerty keyboard. Took alot of research for right data options but I have everything working on AT&T. Internet, mms, sms, accelerometer, tons of free java software downloads from sites like getjar.com/mobile9/mobile24(must be in .jar format.) Youtube video streaming thru WIFI. Has built in tv and radio, pdf and ebook(text) reader. Dual cameras, dual sims, mp3, mp4, flv and 3gp player. Every bluetooth feature on the planet. Opera mini 4.2 is built in and you can get bolt browser aswell. Paid only 130.00 for it but you could probably find it for a hundred now. The only thing I dont like about it is that when I have a call I either have to talk with the qwerty case wrapped around my face or pop the phone out the case everytime. It functions like an I-phone without the qwerty case but the I love using it. The only thing I have not been able to do yet is stream videos through gprs but wifi works without a doubt.
I have a cd or dvd with software, games, apps wap mms settings, pics ringtones firmware etc also a programme to anable you to watch tv on your mobille (depending on handset) firmware will require an additional cable called “A FLASH CABLE” many of the i9+++ problems have been sorted with this cd / dvd… paypal only…..
can you tell me where you got your cd/dvd for your phone thanks
i created my own after months and months of research, because it annoyed me that the kind people of china had produced a mobile phone and never came up with products and software for it..
is their by any chace that i can get a copy for my self and can you tell me where i can get the internet settings for o2/tesco mobile thanks
please email me. i can email you the o2 settings… tymuth@hotmail.co.uk
hey whats going on can u mail me a copy or that cd my sci phone is driving me crazy
please email me on the above address, just copy and paste the email addy to you email box. cheers. tym
I don’t know much about these iPhone clones but I read that the CECT i9 has wi-fi and bluetooth so I guess it’s good enough. My main concern that I couldn’t find direct answers for is the texting. Can anyone tell me if the buttons are as accurate on the clones as they are on the real iPhones?
I don’t care if it doesn’t have games as long as it does have bluetooth, wi-fi, good battery life, a slot for a memory card, and that it’s pretty loud. Of course you want to hear it ringing while it’s in your pocket.
- Thanks!
ive had mine for about a week now. the battery life seems pretty good. it comes with an extra one also. there is no wi-fi internet tho. you can run internet off wap or gprs. the ringtones seem pretty loud. the keypad for txting is a little smashed together but im getting used to it. im used to qwerty keyboards so its a change up. hope this was helpful. i like it btw.,
Price
were can i buy a sciphone i9 phone charger?
mike says:
March 22, 2010 at 3:06 pm
were can i buy a sciphone i9 phone charger?
Hi there! iv got an i9 usb charger if you would like it. please email me at tymuth@hotmail.co.uk
I have a SciPhone I9+++i68 32 gb. Call me dumb but I can’t even open it up to install the battery and sim card! There is no flap. What am I missing?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4n1MKXnoQ8
with the little stylus pen, insert it into the little hole on the top of the phone….
if you makes you feel better it took me 2 hoursto work it out.
I just brought sciphone off ebay,nice phone but how do I install music and ringtone on my phone
how can I make my sciphone i9 3gs bought 2 weeks ago in Beijing to detect my 8gb memory card placed correctly on its slot?
i am thinking about buying one of these new sciphones can anyone tell me is it worth it to buy it. all i need it for is to text call and play music on. Ohh and also do u have to have 2 sim cards for it cause i only have one do i need to buy another one?
Fireman
If your plan includes text, it is quite easy to do what you want to do, and no you do not need a second sim card.
Prepaid plans are the way to go with these phones. No baggage from the carrier, or predatory locked in plans.
hope this helps
i bought one of these fones christmas and still havnt got a clue how to put music on it,it didnt come with any disc so how do i install it.please somebody tell me…….
please email me at tymuth@hotmail.co.uk
Hi guys. I have a cd or dvd with software, games, apps wap mms settings, pics ringtones firmware etc also a programme to anable you to watch tv on your mobille (depending on handset) firmware will require an additional cable called “A FLASH CABLE” many of the i9+++ problems have been sorted with this cd / dvd…
hey was trying to mail u but can u mail me and let me no how i can get a copie of that cd i got a sci phone but i dont no how to work it
I have a problem setting up MMS too.It says GPRS is not subscribed.I am in Australia.Can anyone help please??? It is a CECT i68 phone.kgustas1@hotmail.com
hiiiiii
i have a sciphone i9+++.and i want to change the theme,can someone tell me how?plz.
Hi guys. I have a cd or dvd with software, games, apps wap mms settings, pics ringtones firmware etc also a programme to anable you to watch tv on your mobille (depending on handset) firmware will require an additional cable called “A FLASH CABLE” many of the i9+++ problems have been sorted with this cd / dvd…
my friend sent me a vidieo and i cant see it. it like 20 secs long. my sci i9 phone downloads it bu i cant see it. any help please?
also, how do get java apps on it to work or where do i get new ones
i have many games apps etc, still going strong so iv have incresed my capacity from cd to dvd, my rateings are high in other forums. tymuth@hotmail.co.uk
i like my sciphone but i cant get my internet to work with my t.mobile plan. what do i need to do?
Call T-mobile. I got my working with the tech support in about 15 mins. MMS and Internet are now working.
Hi bought a sci phone off ebay we are having trouble with talking on it , does anyone else have trouble what is happening is if you move the phone from being straight up and down you lose sound etc, and we can get on the internet as we arent obviously GPRS does anyone know how to fix this as the intsructins were pretty useless or if ther eis a sight we can go to cheers
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220598505128&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT
how can i download softwares from internet which r accessible to this phone
hi, i just have one problem, i can´t view the pictures in all the screen,when i select the picture, it shows a menu that only give few options like, for wallpaper,to send,delete,storage and cancel, it dosn´t give me the option to viewit so i can slides from picture to picture, i hope some one can helpme, iven lokin trought all menus and just wont work. saludos.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220599875526&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT
my changed sciphone DVD listing
I have just purchased a sci-phone from e-bay and am probably being thick but I can’t get it started. I have charged the battery, installed a sim but when I press the home button it lights up and makes a niose but remains blank. The instructions say ‘slide’ but slide what? If I slide the phone the back comes off? Help please.
How do I remove apps. that I dont want ?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220602488507&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT
Sciphone software dvd
my slide bar is taking several slides to work,any suggestions?do you need both sim cards for it to work properly?