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Sciphone N12 Android Phone Unofficial FAQs

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Sciphone i68 from DX (not latest firmware)

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Copyright © 2008-2009 by Zack Smith.
All rights reserved.

Disclaimer

The information on this web page is provided AS-IS. Use it at your own risk. I cannot guarantee that it is 100% accurate, for two reasons.
1. Chinese phones such as those bearing the generic brand Sciphone, Miphone, Ciphone, Hiphone or CECT can vary substantially in the hardware and software provided. For example, it is known that there are 60+ hardware variants of the Sciphone i68/i68+.
2. I have owned the Sciphone i68, i68+, and the CECT M88 and M89, and played with another person's P168, but not the 100 or more other types of Asian GSM phones in existence.
3. I am not affiliated with the manufacturers of these and cannot provide any support or personal advising.
Buying and using an Asian phone involves accepting some risk. In my humble opinion, the payoffs are worth it, since these phones are cheap, they work with prepaid SIMs, and they have lots of features.

Introduction

This is a page where I'm collecting information about the Sciphone N12 phone. Some big promises had been made about this phone, but there has been a production delay. At this point, I consider the N12 to be vaporware that will never make it to market.

News

CectUnlocked now lists the Android-based Sciphone N19 on their website, here. Note that it is a dual-band phone and will not work in North America.

Manufacturer

The manufacturer of this phone may or may not be a Chinese company called Beyond Radio. They have posted on their website screenshots from a phone that looks suspiciously like the N12. But the screenshots they provide look like a phone with only a 240x320 display. See here.

Frequently asked questions list (FAQ)

What features will the N12 have?
Right now the claims are a little wild, but who knows, they may turn out to be true.
  • Genuine Google Android: not to be confused with just the look-and-feel of Android as you see in the slower Sciphone Dream G2.
  • Option to use Windows Mobile 6.1 instead of Android.
  • A 624 MHz Marvell Monahans processor.
  • Quadband GSM support including the 850 MHz band needed for North America.
  • Support for 3G.
  • Wifi capability.
  • A 3.2 megapixel camera.
  • A 240 by 400 pixel display.
When will it be available?
Initial announcements said that prototypes were to go out May 25, 2009 and that mass production deliveries were expected to ship June 25, 2009.

As of August 2009 there are rumors it is about to be released.

Alternatives?
If you're as tired as I am of waiting for the N12 to arrive, you might consider the Nucleus OS based N2. Both have Wifi.
How much will it cost?
They originally said it will be released for 1600 yuan in China, which is about US $235. The price when it is sold in the USA could be higher.
Where can I get more information?
Link to translated page at ShanZhaiJi.cn
Link to translated page at cmonline.com.cn.

Online forums for Sciphone phones

Here are forums where you can ask questions.

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