Video: SciPhone Dream G2 Running on ‘Simulated’ Android OS
By James Falconer on Thursday, January 15th, 2009 at 7:21 AM PST In Android, Devices, Videos
An alleged Chinese Android Dream G2 Phone video has reared it’s (ugly?) head on the interwebs this morning. Go ahead and click the play button to start it while I continue to ramble.
After some sleuthing and a closer look at the video, you’ll notice in the battery compartment the words ‘SciPhone Dream G2′. You have to freeze-frame the video at 0:30. It’s there. So, what we’re looking at here is the SciPhone Dream G2 Android Phone. After a quick search, I was indeed led to the Shenzhen BlueLans Communication Co. Ltd. Check out their G2 Dream Page here. Long story short? It’s a fake Android phone running on a ’simulated’ version of the Android OS.
One more quick thing that bothered me about this device… There’s a stylus. A stylus!? Really? With all the talk of the impending ‘Cupcake’ update and virtual touchscreen keyboard input… If you’re going to produce a fake/clone wouldn’t a stylus be a step in the wrong direction? You’ll notice in the video that the stylus is used exclusively for navigation and input. A bit puzzling. Unfortunately I do not sit on the board of directors at Shenzhen BlueLans so I can’t throw my weight around when it comes to design features and usability 
Take this for what it’s worth. If you want one, you can pick it up for $140 right here 
[Via: AndroidCentral]
A stylus is probably not necessary for Western countries, since most/all characters can be entered easily via a keyboard. A capacitive touchscreen is a better solution, in this case, since it provides for more fluid finger control. A stylus might be useful, even in Western countries, if you are using the device like a tablet to take notes which include drawings.
In Asian countries, it is sometimes more practical to input characters with a stylus. A resistive touchscreen is currently a better/cheaper solution, when using a stylus.
I wouldn’t call this a simulated version of android, it simply looks like this company operating out of hong kong has gotten some phones, tweaked and compiled the most recent developers version of the OS and made it deployable on their hardware, since android has been made to do so and run on a wide vareity of hardware (it even has x86 support) so it appears even intel chips are supported (or will be) with future developement of the android phone.
One thing is certain though, this company is attempting to ride the coat-tails of the tmobile g-phone name for attention (and in hopes that people will be duped into buying it). It is also certain that the bands supported on this phone will not funtion within t-mobile usa 3g networks. It lacks 2100 band support which is required in the us. You’ll have to use it in germany for 2.75g support.