Sometimes I wonder how many projects are going on at the same time at Xiaomi’s RD lab. This week, they’ve launched two products, the Luo Qing Umbrella and the Xiaomi Mi VR Play.
Yesterday, they posted a teaser image of another upcoming product on their Weibo page which is set to launch by 2:00 pm on Monday, 8th of August.
The teaser image shows 3 power banks standing vertically beside each other (bird’s eye view) or on their sides with USB cables on the the left and right. The power banks are the 5,000mAh, 10,000mAh Pro, and 20,000mAh types judging from the way the buttons and ports are placed.
Xiaomi 5000mAh Power BankXiaomi 10000mAh Pro Power Bank
Xiaomi 20000mAh Power Bank
Now we can translate this to mean that they are working on a new power bank (maybe one that has a capacity of all three combined) or like speculations online, a UPS. We can only guess what the product is, but one thing we are sure of is that it has to do with power.
Do you have any guesses on what the new product set to launch on Monday is? Please let us know in the comment box below.
Xiaomi released their first VR glasses this week, the Xiaomi Mi VR Play. While it is not entirely different in functionality from other VR glasses most especially the Google Cardboard, it has a few design changes that still makes it stand out such as the use of a zipper design instead of velcro to hold the phone in; and a lycra covering for a more comfortable experience.
Internet service portal, Tencent, has hands on pictures of the device which we want to examine.
What’s in The Box?
The VR headset is said to support phones with screen sizes between 4.7” and 5.7”. Xiaomi’s Mi VR Play comes in a black box, which contains the headset itself, some paper work, and the head strap.
Setting Up
Setting up seems to be quite easy. Unzip the front, place your phone on the flap, raise the flap and zip the case. You can adjust the position of your phone using the dual front openings in front which also double as vents. The headset has anti-slip strips that prevents the phone from jumping around and rubber strips that prevent accidental presses of the home button. Do attach the straps in case you are going to be using the headset for a long period.
The headset has a metal button on the top which when pressed causes a high-responsive silicone button to make direct contact with your phone, touching the corresponding field and completing the instructions sent.
One issue with the Mi VR play is the inability to adjust distance between the anti-reflective aspheric lenses to accommodate various eyes. If you however own one of those cheap VR remotes sold online, you can pair that with your phone and use that for controls as well.
Content
While the bunch of VR content available online should work with the headset, Xiaomi is working with a bunch of content providers such as Youku, QIY, Conde nest Traveller and VR Hotcast to create content such as games and videos.
Samsung Electronics has doled out a total of 12,500 units of the Galaxy S7 Edge Rio Olympic Games Limited Edition to athletes competing at the Rio 2016 Olympics in Brazil. Samsung happens to be the Worldwide Olympic Partner in the Wireless Communications Equipment and the presentation was done in conjunction with the International Olympics Committee (IOC).
The Galaxy S7 Edge Rio 2016 Limited Edition was produced by the Korean giant to commemorate the Olympic games which would commence on August 6 in Brazil. Samsung says the largesse is to aid Olympians in enhancing their experience in Rio and communicate with friends and family around the world more conveniently. Apart from the 12,500 units of the Galaxy S7 Edge Olympic games edition, Samsung is also giving each Olympian its wireless IconX earbuds. The earbuds, reminiscent of hearing aids, feature in-ear heart rate monitoring, a native music player and support for Samsung’s S Health app.
But for some tweaks and customizations, the Rio Olympics Edition of the S7 Edge features the same specs as the original Galaxy S7 Edge and comes in very limited units. The Olympic Games version sports a special black metal frame and the Olympic games logo engraved on the back casing of the device. Samsung has also pre-loaded the Rio Edition with customized Rio 2016 Olympic games wallpaper and themes. The Olympic rings are baked into the phone’s home screen, lock screen, notifications bar, contacts menu and phone dialer.
Aside all of these, The Galaxy S7 Edge Rio 2016 edition comes with Samsung’s custom built Rio 2016 app developed in collaboration with the Rio 2016 Organizing committe which is billed to provide full games coverage and updates on medal counts, event results schedules, venues and lots more features which would greatly assist Olympians.
Samsung made limited units of the Olympic Edition of the Galaxy S7 edge available for purchase last month in different countries. Even if you can’t get one, you can tap the potential of the Rio 2016 app by downloading the app from Google Play Store. The app is also available on iOS and Windows Phone.
When LeEco releases a new smartphone, we know two things about the device. First, it’s going to feature top-notch features and second, the price is going to be highly competitive
After the entry of LeEco into the smartphone market last year, we have seen some impressive phones from the company. The Le Max 2 is currently the company’s most powerful handset, coming with the mighty Snapdragon 820 and 6GB RAM (on the top-end variant). However, it’s been a few months since the phone’s release and according to previous rumors, we might meet an even powerful LeEco flagship with dual cameras on board later this year. This is supposed to be the company’s flagship for 2016 and it is expected to feature powerful hardware.
While we haven’t seen this rumored LeEco devices in pictures yet, a few hours ago, a set of concept pictures of the LeEco flagship emerged online. Well, the images sure make it look like a concept phone, because the design is just amazing. The display is going to be bezel-less and the screen to body ratio is nothing like we have seen before. Further, other pictures reveal that the handset is going to be super slim as well, and the overall design is refined, smooth and flagship worthy. The back reveals dual cameras on board along with a sleek metal body. Judging from the pictures, the phone could be extremely thin, thinner than most other flagship models!
Specs wise, it is rumored that the LeEco flagship will feature a 4K display, Snapdragon 821 processor, 4GB RAM and dual cameras at the back.
Naturally, these specs and design are too good to be true for current smartphone tech standards. So, even though the design and specs look amazing, don’t expect this concept to make it to real life anytime soon.
Anyway, what do you think about this design? Although just a concept, this is definitely one of the best smartphone designs we have seen in a while.
The Meizu E series smartphone has been in the news for some time now, with a media event scheduled for August 10 where Meizu is expected to unveil the new smartphone which is rumored to have a curved display and dual main cameras at the back.Of course, recent rumors have been a bit more modest, revealing a mid-range device, probably aimed at Xiaomi’s Redmi Pro series for competition.
Meizu E
Now, a recently leaked photo on China’s microblogging site Weibo has exposed what is said to be the live photo of the Meizu E series flagship which is also rumored to be called Meizu E. The Weibo leak is centred on the fast charge function of the Meizu E which is touted to cram a generous 31000mAh battery under its hood.
The flagship device is rumored to have an mCharge feature capable of mustering 18W charging power, and can achieve charge level of up to 90% in just 1 hour (60 minutes). Also, the mCharge brings to play a smart feature which adjusts the charge rate according to the temperature of the phone, the battery voltage , the level of data usage and it is reputed to be safe and fast.
The Meizu E is rumored to pack a 5.5-inch display with 1080p resolution and would be powered by an octa-core MediaTek processor with 3GB of RAM. The smartphone is also tipped to feature a 13MP rear camera and 5MP sensor up front.
Samsung formally unveiled the Galaxy Note 7 is an action packed ceremony on August 2, thus effectively putting to rest the avalanche of rumors surrounding the device. But the rumor mills never go to rest, especially on this sleek gadget as there are news about a 6GB RAM of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 in the works somewhere.
The Galaxy Note 7 was released with a 4GB RAM as the custom RAM size on all variants of the device but the Note 7 had earlier been rumored to have seen an upgrade from 4GB RAM to 6GB RAM. However the launch of the device was thought to have put to rest that rumor.
Now, facts have emerged from a recent filing on TENAA that there is actyually a 6GB RAM in the works. The filling revealed what could be a top-end version of the Chinese edition of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 packing a 6GB RAM pairing up with a monstrous 128GB of built-in storage.
The TENAA listing was made public on August 4, with model number SM-N9300, and corresponds with a GeekBench posting about a device with similar model number, both showing the Galaxy Note 7 (SM-N9300) llistedas a 6GB RAM packing version.
Ordinarily, we had wondered the need for a 6GB RAM on the Galaxy Note 7 from the technical point of view, considering that apps are getting smaller in size, Android is also getting slimmer and running too many background apps would only drain the battery faster. But then, we are talking about China where a lot of mobile phone manufacturers have ventured into production of flagships with 6GB RAM in order to outwit competitors. The OnePlus 3 is the latest with such feature and it won’t be a bad idea if Samsung offers a 6GB RAM version on the Note 7 at least to ensure it doesn’t lose a few customers to the extremely strong competition in the country.
Xiaomi announced the Mi Band 2 in June this year and since then, the Mi Band 2 has been in hot demand, occasionally running out of stock over and again.Xiaomi even had to increase production but that still wasn’t enough to meet demand for the sleek wrist band.
Despite the success of the Xiaomi Mi Band 2, there are reports that the wrist band causes burns to the wrist. A Weibo user took to the social media platform to allege that use of the Mi Band 2 caused her wrist burns. The user alleged that she has had the burns more than once and after it occurred the second time she contacted Xiaomi’s after-sales desk to lay her complaints. According to the lady, staffs there examined the device and found nothing wrong with it. But she insists her wrist burns were caused by the Mi Band 2.
Close-up shots of the lady’s wrists reveal quite serious burns on her wrist. The burn marks seem to trace the shape of the Mi band display and could have resulted from excessive friction on the wrist by the wearable. The excessive friction may be the result of tightly fitted usage, but then some form of investigation is best to unravel the actual cause of the wrist burns. Xiaomi is yet to issue a statement about this incident which could adversely affect the Mi band 2’s sale.
While this report is definitely something to be investigated upon, don’t panic if you have bought the new wearable. These cases are extremely rare (in fact it’s first time for a Xiaomi wearable), and we are not even sure whether the burns were caused as a direct result of a malfunctioning / overheating Mi Band 2.
Meizu’s August 10 Event is approaching and while there are various leaks with regards to the phone, something different has popped on Weibo by popular leaker @kJuma. The leak is of a chain strap that is said to be for the Meizu smartwatch which is expected to launch alongside the E-series phone.
The company’s first teaser of the smartwatch was a sketch of several watch faces and straps which included a chain strap. We believe the straps should be easily replaceable, so you can swap them out depending on the occasion.
Before the OnePlus 3 launch, many of us thought the company would release multiple variants of the device but surprisingly, only one model of the OP3 exists. It seems that is about to change as a device that is rumoured to be the OnePlus 3 Mini was spotted on GFXBench. This is still a speculation as it is possible that it might be a different device entirely.
The device has a 4.6” FHD screen, 6GB of RAM, 64GB of built-in storage, and a snapdragon 820 processor clocked at 2.2GHz. It is also sporting a 13MP primary camera that can shoot 4K videos and an 8MP front facing camera for selfies and video calls. The OnePlus 3 Mini has also got NFC (for Android Pay), a single SIM slot, and runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow.
Mediatek and Qualcomm are the two major chip makers in the world, while we do have others such as Samsung’s Exynos and Huawei’s Kirin, majority of devices are sporting either a MTK chipset or a Snapdragon processor.
Qualcomm has always taken the lead in chip shipment in the Chinese mainland market, but analyst Pan Jiutang posted on his Weibo page that for the second quarter of this year Mediatek has claimed the top spot thanks to the success of the Helio series (save for the weak performance of the Helio P20 which has cost them OPPO and Vivo’s order) and more sales from online and offline brands.
But the increase in shipments is not being celebrated as the company’s gross margin has dropped to its lowest level (35%) in a decade. The company is still facing issues with regards to performance, process, and average selling price. They are also still dealing with supply issues which will still show up in the second half of the year.
Xiaomi’s co-founder had previously revealed that the company was preparing the launch of a new flagship smartphone in August. While the company is yet to confirm that the new product launching is going to be the Xiaomi Mi Note 2, a new device has just passed the Chinese 3C certification website. Considering the charging specs of this certified device, it is a high-end smartphone model, which means it could be the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 flagship.
The listing reveals that the phone supports 5v 2.5A, 9V 2A and 12V 1.5A charging, which takes the maximum wattage to 18W. So, this means that the phone comes with fast charging support. Further, today’s listing of the device confirms that the phone will be manufactured by Foxconn.
While Xiaomi is yet to confirm that the Mi Note 2 is coming, the previous generation Mi Note models are no longer available for purchase from the official company store, which should be a good indication that a new model is coming.
If the launch is indeed in August, then we are quite sure that new information about the device will pop up on the internet pretty soon. So, stay tuned!
We all are big fans of Xiaomi, a company which was given us so many great smartphones, from the budget segment to the high-end market. But in the past 12 months, the company has released so many smartphones in a lineup that it’s actually a bit confusing as to which model to buy.
But that’s not the worse part. What really is confusing is whether to buy the new model or wait a few months till another model in the series is launched. And from the models that have been announced in the past few months by the company, the new ones will be better than the models released before, and will cost almost the same price. So, you would probably end up getting more value for your money, if you are ready to wait.
While this means that consumers get better specced phones for their price, it also leaves the early smartphone adopters a bit disappointed. For some, the upgraded specs may not be a big deal, but for others, a slight difference in the specs would make a big difference in their buying decision.
So, we are wondering what you think is the ideal update policy for smartphone companies. Should companies update the lineup with a new model within a few months, or should they leave a gap of at least 6 months before releasing an update?
Xiaomi has launched a new product under it Mijia subbrand and the product is an Umbrella! Right, an umbrella. The company had teased us yesterday of a possible launchof what we rightly interpreted as an umbrella. The product as usual will be available via crowdfunding for just 69 Yuan ($11).
The umbrella is actually called Luo Qing umbrella product made from materials sourced from Taiwan which offer soft feel, durable and high strength sunscreen which doesn’t retain water. There’s also an additional Teflon coating with superior water resistance and ability to absorb UV rays.
The umbrella weighs just 228 grams and when folded becomes only 3cm thick making it suitable to be fitted inside a small bag. The entire umbrella is 24cm long and when opened, attains an expansion radius of up to 47cm. It also utilises no button design and the umbrella parachute can shrink easily when closed as there are anti-resistance fringes.
Xiaomi has unveiled its expected Xiaomi Mi VR headset dubbed Mi VR Play, which utilises a cardboard box design with the basic VR principles, and VR glass lenses .
The Xiaomi Mi VR Play is actually a cardboard box before VR glasses, somewhat similar to Google’s cardboard VR headset but with better design, more durable materials and a more secured phone holder with zippers. Acccording to Xiaomi, the Mi VR Play uses VR glasses with zipper design and is covered with lycra cotton material. Also, the VR headset can be adapted to fit in smartphones with display sizes ranging from 4.7-inches to 5.7-inches. The two-way zipper takes into account the position of the smartphone inside the headset and keeps the phone firmly fixed.
Apart from the VR headset (Toy version), there’s also an accompanying VR app software which provides panoramic video, 3D movies, games and other applications.
If you’re interested in grabbing this Mi VR Play, you may have to wait a little longer as Xiaomi has not indicated when the gadget will hit the market or the price tag it’ll adopt. The Virtual Reality box is still in the beta public testing stage in China and may not go on sale soon.
OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei has issued a statement that might come as a shocking one to some, especially if you’re in an affected country. According to Mr Pei, sales of the OnePlus 3 will be stopped temporarily for a little over a month in 24 countries in order to allow the firm build inventory back up of the device which is in hot demand. The temporary halt will take effect from August 9 at 6pm EDT and will terminate after 5.59pm EDT on September 12.
Affected countries include;
Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Estonia
France
Greece
Hong Kong
Hungary
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Netherlands
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Mr. Pei gave some clarification though, if you had placed your order before August 9, the sales halt will not affect you as your phone will get sent to you on the expected shipping date. Mr. Pei went on to disclose that OnePlus will create a web page where consumers can drop off their email address so they’ll get notified whenever sales resume.
Since OnePlus began its laudable goal project of putting affordable premium smartphones in the hands of many persons, the company has evolved from an unknown Chinese startup to a successful company which has now become a global player in the industry. The company had before now relied on the invite system to sell its smartphones for fears that supply might outweigh demands thus leaving them with so many unsold phones.
The Chinese innovative start up however ditched that system for the OnePlus 3 and that has made the smartphone its fastest selling and most successful brand till date. Demands for the flagship device is so high that OnePlus has had to extend the shipping date on new orders, especially in mainland Europe. The company is also running out of inventory in certain markets especially in Europe, hence this decision to temporarily halt more orders. The sales halt gives the company time to build more phones so that it can balance supply and demand.
The wave of mini drones or quad-copters for taking pictures and videos, mainly as a personal asset, in the market is fairly a new concept. And yet it is progressing at a fast pace, as can be seen in the latest “ZeroTech Dobby” (What the heck is this?). That is the name of a pocket-sized quadcopter!
ZeroTech Dobby – The Pocket Quadcopter
The latest discovery was presented recently in the field of Mini Drones, recently. And the result was really amazing that Dobby ZeroTech made eyes pop. Above all, the convenience of carrying a mini drone in our pocket (Did anyone even think of the idea?). Once out from the pocket, this tiny pocket-wonder is literally ready to fly.
Have a look at the video for yourself. (Link – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tX0NRmVN1I)
Small Yet Full
As evident from the video, it is coined “Selfies Drone” because of its unique features of a drone – the facial recognition, resulting in a shot where our face is clear. As if that is not enough, it would also be featuring video recording capability at 4K resolution and 30fps. ZeroTech Dobby has a camera of 13 megapixels that is stabilized in all 3 axes.
This tiny apparatus can also be driven with voice commands which will make flying it much easier. Presently, all the quadcopters and drones need app to be installed on smartphone of the user for control and WiFi. Which means, you can fly it anywhere, even at places where there is no WiFi.
Hardware
ZeroTech Dobby is built with a 2.3GHz processor – Snapdragon 801 (Quad-core) that will also be having a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) – Adreno. This is not all, it also has an internal memory of 16GB for the purpose of storing data – videos and images. It camera will have a 75 ° Field of View (FOV) which can be pointed 90 ° (downward) and 22.5 ° (Upward).
Weighting less than 200 grams, this pocket drone can also follow the GPS signals and other indoor positioning sensors.
Follow Me – Target Lock
The latest feature that can be found in Phantom 4 is the “Follow Me” where the drone can be made to lock on a target (you) and it will follow while recording. And that is there in ZeroTech Dobby too!
Battery And Duration
Of this tiny size, battery weight and power is surely a problem. Let us see how it is compensated. ZeroTech Dobby can be flown upto a distance of 100 meters. It is powered by a 970 mAh battery which can sustain for up to a duration of 9 minutes. However, the issues is conveniently resolved by its easy changeability to a spare battery.
Now you can buy ZeroTech Dobby from online retailers like oppomart.com or giztop.com.
While we were still waiting for the Meizu E-series device to pop on August 10, the Chinese tech company has thrown up another surprise with the spotting of a new Meizu smartphone design in China’s patent office.
Apart from a description of the device made available, images of the smartphone was also displays in a set of image renders revealing some stunning features of the phone. The registered patent filing shows the device features a transparent glass covering both on the front and on the back. The fuselage of the phone is nothing short of a flagship device, made of metal.
The image rendering of the device reveals a slim built device which is equipped with a a ring flash at the back, similar to the one found on the Pro 6. Curiously, there is a round hole at the back of the phone whose purpose is not known. The front design sports an unchanged design from other Meizu phone, retaining the custom Home button at the bottom edge of the display screen.
Since the patent was published today, the likelihood of the design featuring on the expected E-series is slim but this promises to be a thriller whenever it is unveiled.
Xiaomi has officially launched the Redmi 3s and Redmi 3s Prime in India as successors to last year’s Redmi 2 and Redmi 2 Prime, bringing big upgrades over last year’s models.
They both feature an all-metal body, 5″ HD screen, Android 6.0 Marshmallow, snapdragon 430 octa-core processor, 13MP PDAF rear camera, 5MP wide-angle front camera for selfies, fingerprint scanner, and a 4100mAh non-removable battery.
The differences are in the RAM and ROM configuration. Where the Prime has 3GB of RAM and 32GB of built-in storage, the base model has 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. However the built-in storage can be expanded as one of the SIM slots doubles as a SD slot that can take up to a 256GB card.
Xiaomi’s smart home brand, Mijia, teased a new product yesterday with a tagline that roughly translates to ”protection from UV”. The product is expected to launch tomorrow, 4th of August at 10:00 am.
Yesterday’s Teaser
Today, the company’s Weibo page uploaded another teaser image which shows a roof made of ceramic tiles. The post which is accompanied with a text that translates to ”a protection from rain” hints at an umbrella that can also block out UV Rays, if you merge it with yesterday’s teaser.
Mijia’s releases shouldn’t be surprising anymore as the brand seems to want to conquer the household and provide all the items you use in your everyday life. Last week, they announced a refillable pen; this week probably brings the release of an umbrella, in addition to the company’s smart rice cooker which was released in March.
What’s the next item you want the company to make? Do let us know in the comment box.
Yesterday, pictures of Coolpad and LeEco’s first jointly made phone called the Cool1 surfaced online with a release date set for August 10.
An official account, Cool Eco Phone, has been setup on Weibo for the new sub-brand which is a result of the collaboration between both companies. The account which teased the dual camera setup of their new phone has also announced a giveaway of the soon to be released device. Though details of the competition are still unknown.
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