Is an iPhone too expensive for you? Then try the latest Chinese invention, a leather "skin" that will allow you to turn the iPod touch, a portable media player, into an iPhone in seconds.

The product includes a battery, a built-in aerial, a microphone, a receiver and a SIM card slot to give an iPod touch all the features of an iPhone. Even a camera can be added to the skin.

Online stores selling the skin charge a 40 yuan to 100 yuan deposit to pre-order. The price has not yet been announced, but sellers said it would range from 300 yuan to 500 yuan (US$ 44-74), depending on quality, color and weight.

But Shanghai lawyer Wang Zhan said the invention would violate the Patent Law if the inventor hadn't gained permission from the iPod's producer, Apple Inc, as the inventor was creating its own products on the basis of Apple's product.

Online sellers said they didn't know whether the inventor, Shenzhen-based Yanshen Company, had sent the skin to Apple for their permission.

Apple China would not commentyesterday and it was not possible to make contact with Yanshen.

The cover skin, called Apply Skin 520, is available for pre-order from a Shanghai company on Taobao.com and the store has received 82 orders since Sunday.

A Shenzhen-based online store, which began pre-selling on July 27, has received 227 orders so far.

The first batch is expected to be on the market soon. The Shenzhen company has completed testing and is now looking for factories to mass-produce the product.

The invention attracted a lot of attention on the Internet after a video was uploaded on Tudou.com. The video demonstrated the whole process of using the skin by simply wrapping it around an iPod touch, plugging a connector into the iPod's port, inserting a SIM card, and then using it as you would an iPhone.

One online seller said the invention could save Apple fans a lot of money as the cheapest iPhone sold by China Unicom was 4,999 yuan, but an iPod touch with skin would only cost around 2,000 yuan in total.

The seller claimed that its battery could support 6 hours of continuous talking and 120 hours in standby mode.

It is understood that a method to allow users to surf the Internet via GPRS is being worked on.

The skin is, in effect, a mini shanzhai mobile phone.

Shanzhai is a Chinese word that refers to a Chinese imitation or pirated product designed and produced by technicians at some private companies.

Shanzhai goods are gaining in popularity as many of them have fashionable exteriors, powerful functions, and most importantly, are much cheaper than branded goods.

• expensive [ik´spensiv] a.费钱的，昂贵的 (初中英语单词)
• invention [in´venʃən] n.创造；发明；虚构 (初中英语单词)
• player [´pleiə] n.游戏的人；选手 (初中英语单词)
• charge [tʃɑ:dʒ] v.收费；冲锋 n.费用 (初中英语单词)
• deposit [di´pɔzit] vt.存放，存储 n.存款 (初中英语单词)
• lawyer [´lɔ:jə] n.律师；法学家 (初中英语单词)
• patent [´peitənt, ´pæ-] a.专利的 n.专利品 (初中英语单词)
• permission [pə´miʃən] n.允许；同意；许可 (初中英语单词)
• comment [´kɔment] n.&v.评论；评注；注意 (初中英语单词)
• yesterday [´jestədi] n.&ad.昨天；前不久 (初中英语单词)
• contact [´kɔntækt] n.接触；联系 v.联络 (初中英语单词)
• available [ə´veiləbəl] a.可用的；有效的 (初中英语单词)
• continuous [kən´tinjuəs] a.连续不断的；延长的 (初中英语单词)
• battery [´bætəri] n.炮兵连；炮台；电池 (高中英语单词)
• receiver [ri´si:və] n.接收者；接待人 (高中英语单词)
• inventor [in´ventə] n.发明者 (高中英语单词)
• producer [prə´dju:sə] n.生产者；演出人 (高中英语单词)
• seller [´selə] n.销售者；行销货 (高中英语单词)
• imitation [,imi´teiʃən] n.模仿；仿制品；赝品 (高中英语单词)
• popularity [,pɔpju´læriti] n.普及；流行；名望 (高中英语单词)
• fashionable [´fæʃənəbəl] a.流行的，时髦的 (高中英语单词)
• aerial [´eəriəl] a.空中的 n.天线 (英语四级单词)
• violate [´vaiəleit] vt.违背；冒犯；侵害 (英语四级单词)
• portable [´pɔ:təbəl] a.轻便的 n.手提打字机 (英语六级单词)
• microphone [´maikrəfəun] n.扩音器，话筒 (英语六级单词)
• wrapping [´ræpiŋ] n.包装材料 (英语六级单词)