14 DAY TRIAL // A device comprised of a battery, dock connector and SIM card that allows voice calls has been developed by a 22-year-old programmer who wants to provide an alternative for the expensive iPhone in China.
Dubbed the Apple Peel 520, the device will have users installing special software to enable functionality.
Softpedia previously reported that FCC filings unearthed by Phone Scoop described a curious new EV-DO device from ZTE simply called “Peel.”
According to a report by CNN, users will have to “break into the software of the iPod” to get this functionality enabled. In other words, a jailbreak will be needed.
Although jailbreaking has been deemed legal in the US, Apple continues to label it as a wrongful practice, denying service for devices that have been hacked.
The cable news channel scored an interview with the developer of the Peel via QQ, a popular instant messaging service in China.
Asking to be identified simply as Maxpy, the Chinese programmer declined a phone interview.
Asked why he went and created the Peel, Maxpy said: "Because I love the iPhone, but it's too expensive in China."
He began building the Peel in April, he said, and later revealed the final product via Yosion Technology, a company he started.
Maxpy said plans of mass production are on the horizon, but currently on hold. He claims his company will need to be cleared of any intellectual property right violations, in order to sell it.
Scrubbing “Apple” from the full name of device would be a good start to avoid any potential trademark violation.
"We have no detailed plans," he said. "But of course we want to make a profit from it."
Maxpy is eager to get in touch with Apple and try to reach an agreement with them, should the company show interest in his gadget.
However, Apple declined contact with the programmer, when CNN tried to reach CEO Steve Jobs, and other company representatives in Beijing and Hong Kong.
According to the report, there is clearly a demand for the Peel. It quotes Tai-Pan of the Taiwan-based Shanzhai.com, as saying: "It is the first time there has been a hardware application that has changed the functionality in such a key way."
"It is very cheap for someone with an iPod Touch, so there is some kind of value proposition for people who want to save money," Tai-Pan reportedly added.
Although close to production state, the Peel is far from being a reliable communications solution, the report added.
Technical glitches include no 3G support, the process of placing calls from the iPod touch is sluggish, while forwarding text messages is not available.
A video demonstration of the device in action can be viewed below.