Author Topic: Several strange NSpire prototypes found on taobao  (Read 8031 times)

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Offline northern_snow

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Several strange NSpire prototypes found on taobao
« on: August 27, 2014, 05:07:45 am »

We found some interesting prototypes on taobao recently.


NSpire CAS+ with original Quick Reference Card and CD. I wonder what's in that CD?
http://item.taobao.com/item.htm? ... 1824754&ns=1#detail


NSpire Touchpad with... OS 1.x??? The menu shown in the photo must be OS 1.x. However NSpire Touchpad came out after OS 2.0.
http://item.taobao.com/item.htm? ... 9593963&ns=1#detail


Seven different types of NSpire Keyboard. (Collect the seven keyboards and summon the NSpire CX CAS XD )
Including DVT and EVT versions.
http://item.taobao.com/item.htm? ... =qclbodn28f3#detail


SO MANY second-hand NSpire CX. China is the biggest importer of electronic waste( I guess ;) ). Then we get cheap second-hand electronics.
http://item.taobao.com/item.htm? ... 6-847a-500e28d354bd

Source: Scalc

Offline DJ Omnimaga

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Re: Several strange NSpire prototypes found on taobao
« Reply #1 on: August 27, 2014, 11:40:40 pm »
Some of those are interesting. As for the 1.x touchpad keep in mind, however, that it is possible to install OS 1.x on that calc, but depending of the setup, either it will fail to run or keys will be messed up.

Offline Princetonlion.tibd

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Re: Several strange NSpire prototypes found on taobao
« Reply #2 on: August 27, 2014, 11:53:19 pm »
Isn't that site the "ebay of China" ?

I wasn't into programming when I was in China, but the stuff there is cheap (depending on what)

Offline DJ Omnimaga

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Re: Several strange NSpire prototypes found on taobao
« Reply #3 on: August 28, 2014, 12:15:44 am »
I guess it probably is. However for cheap stuff the issue is that in China there are a lot of knockoffs, so when you buy products there are 50% chances that it will be fake (although most of the time you can tell the difference, either by different company logo or something else). Most knockoffs are very low quality and break easily (or outright won't work at all) too.

And it's not just with electronics. There is even an Harry Potter book called "Harry Potter and the Chinese Overseas Students at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry".
« Last Edit: August 28, 2014, 12:19:46 am by DJ Omnimaga »

Offline Hooloovoo

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Re: Several strange NSpire prototypes found on taobao
« Reply #4 on: August 28, 2014, 12:47:25 am »
I have a CAS+ with reference card and CD, which I got off ebay a few years back. The CD contains the CAS+ version of the nspire link software.
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Offline Princetonlion.tibd

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Re: Several strange NSpire prototypes found on taobao
« Reply #5 on: August 28, 2014, 10:13:03 am »
I guess it probably is. However for cheap stuff the issue is that in China there are a lot of knockoffs, so when you buy products there are 50% chances that it will be fake (although most of the time you can tell the difference, either by different company logo or something else). Most knockoffs are very low quality and break easily (or outright won't work at all) too.

And it's not just with electronics. There is even an Harry Potter book called "Harry Potter and the Chinese Overseas Students at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry".
Fake stuff is a big issue in China. Cheap stuff, you buy it, it breaks. Most of the time.

Offline DJ Omnimaga

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Re: Several strange NSpire prototypes found on taobao
« Reply #6 on: August 28, 2014, 10:09:47 pm »
A lot of stuff at the dollar store over here is stuff made in China, even some of the food. I wouldn't trust any of the food sold in those places unless it was a big brand. Heck, even if Dollarama decided to start selling used SNES games I would probably not bother, in fear that they are fake/bootlegs. I think they even had an iPod-like device once that was actually just a flash light.

Offline Princetonlion.tibd

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Re: Several strange NSpire prototypes found on taobao
« Reply #7 on: August 28, 2014, 11:59:44 pm »
Oil from sewers!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gutter_oil
The most famous Chinese food :P

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Re: Several strange NSpire prototypes found on taobao
« Reply #8 on: August 29, 2014, 05:22:30 am »
I think they even had an iPod-like device once that was actually just a flash light.
This can be useful when someone tries to steal your phone in the bus or something, just give the iPod-like flashlight :P
It depends on the price they sell it though. If it's the same price as an iPod, maybe you'd rather buy a real iPod -.-
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Offline Princetonlion.tibd

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Re: Several strange NSpire prototypes found on taobao
« Reply #9 on: August 29, 2014, 06:20:14 pm »
Most (fake) things are cheaper, not the same price.

Offline DJ Omnimaga

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Re: Several strange NSpire prototypes found on taobao
« Reply #10 on: August 29, 2014, 07:51:33 pm »
Not all the time. Some Ebay sellers are bad enough to sell fakes at the same price as the real thing when the real thing is hard to find.

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Re: Several strange NSpire prototypes found on taobao
« Reply #11 on: August 29, 2014, 08:19:11 pm »
Most (fake) things are cheaper, not the same price.

Unless the original product is generally cheap, and the fake is incredibly epic.
I don't know about you, but I'd gladly pay a few dollars for a solid gold golfish cracker, but if it were the real thing, no way!