Android vs RIM ... Asian edition

Fake BlackBerry Bold, originally uploaded by Sutha Kamal.

On the left is a new BlackBerry Bold 9700 (unsubsidised price $450 USD), on the right is a Chinese knockoff (even the homescreen looks the same!) that retails for $100 USD in Indonesia.

Actually, the knockoff has two features the real BlackBerry doesn't:
- 2 SIM cards (notice the two green Send buttons on the left)
- Rear AND front-facing cameras

The FakeBerry even has WiFi! For $100, unlocked and unsubsidised.

Now, what happens when the processors in the fake devices get a tiny bit faster, and they all just run Android OS instead of the kludgey thing they're running now?

Remember, these Chinese ODM's are going to the bother of getting their crufty OS's to even LOOK like BlackBerry OS. Imagine what they could do if they had the full power of an OS like Android's to build on top of.