iPod mini knockoff

A company in China is producing an -- a nearly identical copy of the iPod shuffle -- this device does not resemble the authentic product as closely. It does, however, borrow the general appearance of the Mini. While it may not look exactly like Apple's iPod mini, the imitation is marketed using the iPod name in an obvious attempt to confuse consumers. The device lacks the iPod's trademark scroll wheel, but attempts to mimic the scroll wheel's appearance by arranging the navigation buttons in a ring around the center button. The device appears to be available in a two-piece silver enclosure only. It also adds features not found in the iPod mini.

The device offers line-in recording as well as voice recoding via line-in inputs for a built-in internal microphone. The battery offers 12 hours of playback, according to the website. It also offer "optional" features such as an FM Tune, MP3 line-in encoding, and support for MP3, WMA, DRM WMA, ADPCM files. The drive is available as a OEM product to resellers and manufacturers and has no retail price.

by MacNN Staff