It is not everyday that you get to sit with a senior executive of a tech giant, who doesn&rsquo;t mince his words and, instead, sounds pretty vocal in his responses - even when prodded. Meet Jai Mani, product lead, Xiaomi India. We threw at Jai questions ranging from why Redmi phones slow down eventually to what kinds of setbacks has Hugo Barra&rsquo;s exit led to for the company that has ambitious plans globally, and he took on all pretty gracefully - without attempting to evade any. Here is a read for you: 
&nbsp; 
WION: Finally, India has got Mi Home stores - something that people here had been eyeing for a long time. So, what finally drove the company to come up with retail stores in India and what are the expansion plans? 
&nbsp; 
Jai: Mi Home has a few goals. There are a number of people who want to see the product before they buy it. Recently, I have been going to smaller towns to see what the smartphone market is like there. Actually, I have been surprised about how many people know about Xiaomi even if they don&#39;t use the internet really. But still, some people do like seeing the phone, and especially, for ecosystem products such as the Mi Purifier 2. People like to see it, people want to touch it. So I think that&#39;s one component. Also, offline is still the biggest chain for people to buy phones here in India. 
&nbsp; 
WION: Coming to the product side of the business, Xiaomi is one of the few companies making their own chipsets. We believe, the company eventually would intend to drop the reliance on outside suppliers. The Surge S1 for mid-range phones is out there already. When can we see the company coming up with chipsets for premium phones? And how you are going to set up your own chipset business in China? 
&nbsp; 
Jai: We are investing in a lot of core technology areas, and that&#39;s just not hardware, but across the board. We have made a lot of investment in artificial intelligence and, I think, hardware is a huge focus. So, now we have the processor company. We have also been investing in things like displays and it&#39;s not necessarily about reducing reliance on other companies. It&#39;s more about what innovation can we drive. What new things can we bring about. I think for our first effort, the Surge S1 is really good. So, certainly, we will see what kind of stuff we can push through it - if we can figure out ways to improve battery life and keep the performance great. You know in India, things like thermal performance are really important. I think, it&#39;s more about innovation. We are trying to see what we can do to push the boundaries. 
&nbsp; 
WION: What kind of innovation can we expect the company to bring to the chipset market?

Jai: It&#39;s very early. Initially, we are just trying to get off the ground so that we can build a business. So I think, it&#39;s kind of in the early stages. 
&nbsp; 
WION: Do you have any plans to come up with the next chipset sometime soon?

Jai: I know they are working on new chipsets, but nothing to really talk about. 
&nbsp; 
WION: The next question is purely from the consumer point of view. I have been hearing it from a lot of people that no wonder the company is making great, value-for-money phones, but their Redmi phones start to stutter after a point. And it has become a pretty common feedback. How would you comment on this? 
&nbsp; 
Jai: I have heard this kind of thing. People typically say this about Android devices. I think, for us, we put a lot of focus on this because we are a software company. We are not a hardware company unlike other manufacturers. Most manufacturers make money when they sell you the phone. So, all they really care about is the phone and the point of sale. For us, as a software company, we care about what happens after you buy the phone. 
&nbsp; 
As you know, our margins on hardware are much lower than other manufacturers. And so, you will see us update a device once a month or once every two months. And we have very high benchmarks for those updates. They don&#39;t only add new features, but we test them very vigorously. We make sure that there are no changes in battery life, no changes in performance - ideally, we make all these things better. 
&nbsp; 
So, I have heard this statement a lot in general, but I think, for us, more so than any manufacturer - because we update our phones more than anybody. It is like our imperative. It&#39;s the way our business model is manufactured that we need to make the phones better. So, I think our incentives are more aligned to making the phones better. 
&nbsp; 
A lot of times, by the way, it is because people have installed 120 apps and some of those apps do bad stuff. But yes, I have heard this before and you know, personally, I think that we are more focused on it than anybody. 
&nbsp; 
WION: Given that you have heard that before, have you been able to identify a key problem that is actually creating a bad behaviour - say in terms of performance? 
&nbsp; 
Jai: In terms of MIUI, every update is as good or better as the previous update. So, if we find a bug, we fix it. And we fix within a month. And so, we take feedback from the fans. We make sure the software gets better all the time. And I think, the stuff that I see on people&#39;s phones, most of the time, it&#39;s the third party apps. Like some app that is doing something to slow the phone down, takes up a lot of RAM and uses a lot of memory. 
&nbsp; 
And, another really common thing is SD cards. A lot of people use really slow, bad SD cards. They put more stuff on the SD card. The system slows down or the SD card performance degrades over the time. So, I think, SD card is another big reason. It&#39;s one of the reasons why we try to increase the memory on our phones. 
&nbsp; 
From our perspective, the MIUI updates make the phone better. And we have been doing it for a long time. We support phones longer than anybody. For that matter, Google&#39;s official support for their devices is two years. 
&nbsp; 
WION: No doubt, Xiaomi has a good portfolio in the Indian market, but still a lot of products don&#39;t make to the country, say a thing as basic as a rice cooker. So, why didn&rsquo;t the company introduce it in India? 
&nbsp; 
Jai: Our rice cooker is designed for a very different market. Our rice cooker is priced at $150 and the top model is somewhere around $200. So, most people in India wouldn&#39;t pay $200 for a rice cooker. 
&nbsp; 
WION: I understand that some of the products are designed for specific markets, but some products could have made to India. So, what was actually holding the company back? 
&nbsp; 
Jai: So, one of the things that actually makes my job so fun is that there are very few companies where people actually know everything that has not been launched in India. Think about any other company, you won&#39;t know all the products. Whereas for us, people know everything. And that&#39;s kind of awesome. So, how we choose what thing should get launched. I think there is a kind of the way I look at it. 
&nbsp; 
There is a sort of two lists. There is a list of things we want to launch and that is based on the feedback we get from fans. We take polls, we talk to them all. Probably on top of the list, it would be TVs, may be laptops on the second spot, and third could be routers and down and down and down. 
&nbsp; 
And then there is a list of things that we can and should launch. So like TVs, for example, you have to get a lot of stuff right. We have to get the software right. We have to get the content right. We have to get the service right. Because all those things are very different from phones. So, that&#39;s one of the reasons why we have taken a long time. Because we want to ensure that when we do it, if we do it, we do a good job. 
&nbsp; 
I think, one of the other concerns is to do with things like stock inventory. Every additional product you launch, you need to make sure the inventory is good enough. So, right now, we want to focus on making sure that the experience of our existing products is good and then figure out how we can make our expansion into new businesses successful. 
&nbsp; 
So last year, we just did air-purifier. This year we are going to try to bring a few more of our ecosystem products. And again, it&#39;s trying to match those two lists - what is highest on the want list and what we think we can do a good job at. And when I say good job, I mean in software, in service, in stock, customisation for India, and everything. Each product is different and each product requires a different set of challenges. 
&nbsp; 
WION: What next Mi product, other than the phones, can we see coming to India? 
&nbsp; 
Jai: Which ones do you want? 
&nbsp; 
WION (with laughter): Does it matter? 
&nbsp; 
Jai: It does matter a lot. 
&nbsp; 
WION: Like one person&#39;s feedback? 
&nbsp; 
Jai: Everybody&#39;s feedback matters. It matters a lot because we can&#39;t launch everything overnight. That would be a disaster. So, we, in addition to deciding which things we can do, well, we have to pick the order. I think the rice cooker could be great because Indians eat a lot of rice. But, is it the right thing to launch now? First, probably not. I think if we could do TVs, laptops, routers - those kind of things - before rice cooker, I think that would make more sense. You know, I think you wanted air purifier, we are definitely committed to that. Honestly, we still haven&#39;t decided everything. So, it is helpful to get feedback from people on what they want us to launch. 
&nbsp; 
WION: Can we see rice cooker in the near future in India? 
&nbsp; 
Jai: I don&#39;t know. I mean, I think, right now, the current product is not really ideal for India. We have to do a lot of work to convince people. There is a traditional way for making rice. People have their recipes. Trying to convince them to use a new product (a completely different style of rice cooker) would be a little bit challenging. Whereas in China, that market exists. We just made a better product. So it&#39;s much easier thing to do there. 
&nbsp; 
WION: Coming to the most-anticipated question. The Mi 6 India launch. When is it coming? 
&nbsp; 
Jai: So, last year, we did Mi 5. So, we have done one flagship device every year. So the first flagship product in India was the Mi 3, then followed by the Mi 4, and then the last year we did the Mi 5. 
&nbsp; 
I think, with our Redmi devices, we have done a really good job. Between like Rs 6000-Rs 15000, we are doing a really awesome job. Each of those products is better than any other product in its category. I think, in flagships, each year we kind of learn from each launch and improve every year. Like in the Mi 4, one of the things that people complained about was it came too late (like 5-6 months after the launch in China). The Mi 5 India launch, however, was within a month of the launch in China. So, that I think, we did a good job. The Mi 5, I think, where we made a mistake was we should have launched the higher storage variants. We didn&#39;t launch the 64GB version. That was a mistake. 
&nbsp; 
So, in all, we are definitely going to launch one flagship device in India. But I guess, it sounds like I am saying the same thing every time. But it is, honestly, the way product companies work. We are going to pick the one that we think we can do the best job in. So, we need to make sure things are really good whatever device we bring. So, yes, with each flagship device, we made mistakes. I think we have gone better each time. But, this year, as to which specific flagship or Mi 6, I am not going to say anything. But that&#39;s our philosophy. 
&nbsp; 
WION: But it&#39;s coming soon. Can it be said? 
&nbsp; 
Jai: I can&#39;t say anything on that except that we will look at it in a holistic way. We take a look at all the flagship devices and try to figure out which one do we think has the best shot. 
&nbsp; 
WION: And in terms of strategy, when it comes to launching the flagships, what are you going to revise for the Mi 6 launch? 
&nbsp; 
Jai: Well, I never said anything about the Mi 6 launch. I think, we will try to improve upon everything. I think, certainly, we won&#39;t make the mistake of variants - which was one of the problems we had with the Mi 5. I think, we will definitely try to keep things quick. And then, yes, I think, as far as this specific product, it actually has nothing to do with price. If we had launched the Mi Mix, I think, it could have been really successful here. Now, I think it&#39;s too late to launch it. But yes, we are making sure that we launch the product that people want is probably on top of the list. We know how to sell phones, we just need to sell the right phone. 
&nbsp; 
WION: By 2014, Xiaomi had grabbed the largest share of the smartphone market in China, but in 2016, it came down to the no. 5 position. Like the company lost the game to Huawei and Oppo. What do you think have been the reasons that the company, despite such a good performance, is going down in the number game? 
&nbsp; 
Jai: I am not the best person to talk about the China market. But you know, I think the smartphone industry, arguably, is the most competitive industry in the world. And it is very quick. Fortunes can change overnight. Like Nokia was a huge company and ran out of business overnight. I think, we have done a good job in staying competitive. If you have seen our global expansion, especially in India, it has been really good. So, I think, obviously, things change each year and I certainly wouldn&#39;t count this out anymore. We are definitely still making really great products, which in my opinion, is what matters the most. 
&nbsp; 
WION: Coming to my last question, Hugo Barra&#39;s exit from Xiaomi happened at the time when the company was trying to make inroads into global markets. So has that exit led to any change in the way Xiaomi devised its strategy? Or has it been a setback for the company in anyway? 
&nbsp; 
Jai: Hugo focused on the global business. And our global business is in a really good position in India. I think we feel in a very good place. And I think, nothing is a result of a single person. Hugo was very famous for his presentations and his sort of public persona. And those of us who worked with him know that that&#39;s actually not the thing he is best at. The thing he is really best at is really building a great team. I mean anything that we do is not done by a single person. Just because he is on stage doesn&#39;t mean that he is the one person who did everything. There is a huge team behind it and he built a great team. And I think we are in a good place globally - everywhere actually. 
&nbsp; 
As far as the US is concerned, you know, we certainly have no plans to launch phones right now in the US. We are trying to go global in the sense that at CES we didn&#39;t launch any products there. But by being there gave us a lot of exposure. 
&nbsp; 
We would love to launch in the US. But it is a very different market. People don&#39;t buy unlocked phones like they do here typically. Like the carrier requirements are very different. Even technically, the bands are very different. So I would argue that many companies that have launched in the US, not many of them have been really successful. So, we want to get the right pieces in place.

A sneak peek into Xiaomi's upcoming plans for the Indian market and much more

It is not everyday that you get to sit with a senior executive of a tech giant, who doesn’t mince his words and, instead, sounds pretty vocal in his responses - even when prodded. Meet Jai Mani, product lead, Xiaomi India. We threw at Jai questions ranging from why Redmi phones slow down eventually to what kinds of setbacks has Hugo Barra’s exit led to for the company that has ambitious plans globally, and he took on all pretty gracefully - without attempting to evade any. Here is a read for you: WION: Finally, India has got Mi Home stores - something that people here had been eyeing for a long time. So, what finally drove the company to come up with retail stores in India and what are the expansion plans? Jai: Mi Home has a few goals. There are a number of people who want to see the product before they buy it. Recently, I have been going to smaller towns to see what the smartphone market is like there. Actually, I have been surprised about how many people know about Xiaomi even if they don't use the internet really. But still, some people do like seeing the phone, and especially, for ecosystem products such as the Mi Purifier 2. People like to see it, people want to touch it. So I think that's one component. Also, offline is still the biggest chain for people to buy phones here in India. WION: Coming to the product side of the business, Xiaomi is one of the few companies making their own chipsets. We believe, the company eventually would intend to drop the reliance on outside suppliers. The Surge S1 for mid-range phones is out there already. When can we see the company coming up with chipsets for premium phones? And how you are going to set up your own chipset business in China? Jai: We are investing in a lot of core technology areas, and that's just not hardware, but across the board. We have made a lot of investment in artificial intelligence and, I think, hardware is a huge focus. So, now we have the processor company. We have also been investing in things like displays and it's not necessarily about reducing reliance on other companies. It's more about what innovation can we drive. What new things can we bring about. I think for our first effort, the Surge S1 is really good. So, certainly, we will see what kind of stuff we can push through it - if we can figure out ways to improve battery life and keep the performance great. You know in India, things like thermal performance are really important. I think, it's more about innovation. We are trying to see what we can do to push the boundaries. WION: What kind of innovation can we expect the company to bring to the chipset market? Jai: It's very early. Initially, we are just trying to get off the ground so that we can build a business. So I think, it's kind of in the early stages. WION: Do you have any plans to come up with the next chipset sometime soon? Jai: I know they are working on new chipsets, but nothing to really talk about. WION: The next question is purely from the consumer point of view. I have been hearing it from a lot of people that no wonder the company is making great, value-for-money phones, but their Redmi phones start to stutter after a point. And it has become a pretty common feedback. How would you comment on this? Jai: I have heard this kind of thing. People typically say this about Android devices. I think, for us, we put a lot of focus on this because we are a software company. We are not a hardware company unlike other manufacturers. Most manufacturers make money when they sell you the phone. So, all they really care about is the phone and the point of sale. For us, as a software company, we care about what happens after you buy the phone. As you know, our margins on hardware are much lower than other manufacturers. And so, you will see us update a device once a month or once every two months. And we have very high benchmarks for those updates. They don't only add new features, but we test them very vigorously. We make sure that there are no changes in battery life, no changes in performance - ideally, we make all these things better. So, I have heard this statement a lot in general, but I think, for us, more so than any manufacturer - because we update our phones more than anybody. It is like our imperative. It's the way our business model is manufactured that we need to make the phones better. So, I think our incentives are more aligned to making the phones better. A lot of times, by the way, it is because people have installed 120 apps and some of those apps do bad stuff. But yes, I have heard this before and you know, personally, I think that we are more focused on it than anybody. WION: Given that you have heard that before, have you been able to identify a key problem that is actually creating a bad behaviour - say in terms of performance? Jai: In terms of MIUI, every update is as good or better as the previous update. So, if we find a bug, we fix it. And we fix within a month. And so, we take feedback from the fans. We make sure the software gets better all the time. And I think, the stuff that I see on people's phones, most of the time, it's the third party apps. Like some app that is doing something to slow the phone down, takes up a lot of RAM and uses a lot of memory. And, another really common thing is SD cards. A lot of people use really slow, bad SD cards. They put more stuff on the SD card. The system slows down or the SD card performance degrades over the time. So, I think, SD card is another big reason. It's one of the reasons why we try to increase the memory on our phones. From our perspective, the MIUI updates make the phone better. And we have been doing it for a long time. We support phones longer than anybody. For that matter, Google's official support for their devices is two years. WION: No doubt, Xiaomi has a good portfolio in the Indian market, but still a lot of products don't make to the country, say a thing as basic as a rice cooker. So, why didn’t the company introduce it in India? Jai: Our rice cooker is designed for a very different market. Our rice cooker is priced at $150 and the top model is somewhere around $200. So, most people in India wouldn't pay $200 for a rice cooker. WION: I understand that some of the products are designed for specific markets, but some products could have made to India. So, what was actually holding the company back? Jai: So, one of the things that actually makes my job so fun is that there are very few companies where people actually know everything that has not been launched in India. Think about any other company, you won't know all the products. Whereas for us, people know everything. And that's kind of awesome. So, how we choose what thing should get launched. I think there is a kind of the way I look at it. There is a sort of two lists. There is a list of things we want to launch and that is based on the feedback we get from fans. We take polls, we talk to them all. Probably on top of the list, it would be TVs, may be laptops on the second spot, and third could be routers and down and down and down. And then there is a list of things that we can and should launch. So like TVs, for example, you have to get a lot of stuff right. We have to get the software right. We have to get the content right. We have to get the service right. Because all those things are very different from phones. So, that's one of the reasons why we have taken a long time. Because we want to ensure that when we do it, if we do it, we do a good job. I think, one of the other concerns is to do with things like stock inventory. Every additional product you launch, you need to make sure the inventory is good enough. So, right now, we want to focus on making sure that the experience of our existing products is good and then figure out how we can make our expansion into new businesses successful. So last year, we just did air-purifier. This year we are going to try to bring a few more of our ecosystem products. And again, it's trying to match those two lists - what is highest on the want list and what we think we can do a good job at. And when I say good job, I mean in software, in service, in stock, customisation for India, and everything. Each product is different and each product requires a different set of challenges. WION: What next Mi product, other than the phones, can we see coming to India? Jai: Which ones do you want? WION (with laughter): Does it matter? Jai: It does matter a lot. WION: Like one person's feedback? Jai: Everybody's feedback matters. It matters a lot because we can't launch everything overnight. That would be a disaster. So, we, in addition to deciding which things we can do, well, we have to pick the order. I think the rice cooker could be great because Indians eat a lot of rice. But, is it the right thing to launch now? First, probably not. I think if we could do TVs, laptops, routers - those kind of things - before rice cooker, I think that would make more sense. You know, I think you wanted air purifier, we are definitely committed to that. Honestly, we still haven't decided everything. So, it is helpful to get feedback from people on what they want us to launch. WION: Can we see rice cooker in the near future in India? Jai: I don't know. I mean, I think, right now, the current product is not really ideal for India. We have to do a lot of work to convince people. There is a traditional way for making rice. People have their recipes. Trying to convince them to use a new product (a completely different style of rice cooker) would be a little bit challenging. Whereas in China, that market exists. We just made a better product. So it's much easier thing to do there. WION: Coming to the most-anticipated question. The Mi 6 India launch. When is it coming? Jai: So, last year, we did Mi 5. So, we have done one flagship device every year. So the first flagship product in India was the Mi 3, then followed by the Mi 4, and then the last year we did the Mi 5. I think, with our Redmi devices, we have done a really good job. Between like Rs 6000-Rs 15000, we are doing a really awesome job. Each of those products is better than any other product in its category. I think, in flagships, each year we kind of learn from each launch and improve every year. Like in the Mi 4, one of the things that people complained about was it came too late (like 5-6 months after the launch in China). The Mi 5 India launch, however, was within a month of the launch in China. So, that I think, we did a good job. The Mi 5, I think, where we made a mistake was we should have launched the higher storage variants. We didn't launch the 64GB version. That was a mistake. So, in all, we are definitely going to launch one flagship device in India. But I guess, it sounds like I am saying the same thing every time. But it is, honestly, the way product companies work. We are going to pick the one that we think we can do the best job in. So, we need to make sure things are really good whatever device we bring. So, yes, with each flagship device, we made mistakes. I think we have gone better each time. But, this year, as to which specific flagship or Mi 6, I am not going to say anything. But that's our philosophy. WION: But it's coming soon. Can it be said? Jai: I can't say anything on that except that we will look at it in a holistic way. We take a look at all the flagship devices and try to figure out which one do we think has the best shot. WION: And in terms of strategy, when it comes to launching the flagships, what are you going to revise for the Mi 6 launch? Jai: Well, I never said anything about the Mi 6 launch. I think, we will try to improve upon everything. I think, certainly, we won't make the mistake of variants - which was one of the problems we had with the Mi 5. I think, we will definitely try to keep things quick. And then, yes, I think, as far as this specific product, it actually has nothing to do with price. If we had launched the Mi Mix, I think, it could have been really successful here. Now, I think it's too late to launch it. But yes, we are making sure that we launch the product that people want is probably on top of the list. We know how to sell phones, we just need to sell the right phone. WION: By 2014, Xiaomi had grabbed the largest share of the smartphone market in China, but in 2016, it came down to the no. 5 position. Like the company lost the game to Huawei and Oppo. What do you think have been the reasons that the company, despite such a good performance, is going down in the number game? Jai: I am not the best person to talk about the China market. But you know, I think the smartphone industry, arguably, is the most competitive industry in the world. And it is very quick. Fortunes can change overnight. Like Nokia was a huge company and ran out of business overnight. I think, we have done a good job in staying competitive. If you have seen our global expansion, especially in India, it has been really good. So, I think, obviously, things change each year and I certainly wouldn't count this out anymore. We are definitely still making really great products, which in my opinion, is what matters the most. WION: Coming to my last question, Hugo Barra's exit from Xiaomi happened at the time when the company was trying to make inroads into global markets. So has that exit led to any change in the way Xiaomi devised its strategy? Or has it been a setback for the company in anyway? Jai: Hugo focused on the global business. And our global business is in a really good position in India. I think we feel in a very good place. And I think, nothing is a result of a single person. Hugo was very famous for his presentations and his sort of public persona. And those of us who worked with him know that that's actually not the thing he is best at. The thing he is really best at is really building a great team. I mean anything that we do is not done by a single person. Just because he is on stage doesn't mean that he is the one person who did everything. There is a huge team behind it and he built a great team. And I think we are in a good place globally - everywhere actually. As far as the US is concerned, you know, we certainly have no plans to launch phones right now in the US. We are trying to go global in the sense that at CES we didn't launch any products there. But by being there gave us a lot of exposure. We would love to launch in the US. But it is a very different market. People don't buy unlocked phones like they do here typically. Like the carrier requirements are very different. Even technically, the bands are very different. So I would argue that many companies that have launched in the US, not many of them have been really successful. So, we want to get the right pieces in place.

Exclusive: Xiaomi?s Jai Mani on Mi 6 India launch, Hugo Barra's exit & Redmi phones slowdown complaints

Expanding its product range, Xiaomi has announced a slew of new devices - the Mi Wi-Fi Repeater 2, Mi Bluetooth Speaker Mini, 10000mAh Mi Power Bank 2, and 20000mAh Mi Power Bank 2.

The Mi Wi-Fi Repeater 2 will be available exclusively on Mi.com and in Mi Home store at Rs 999 from June 20. &nbsp;Featuring a compact design, the Repeater 2 is said to be having stable connections for up to 16 devices. According to Xiaomi, it has two built-in high-performance PCB antennas to expand router signal range and boost download speeds.

The new Mi Bluetooth Speaker weighs 58 grams and is claimed to last for 4 hours on a single charge. It will be exclusively available in Grey, and Gold colours on Mi.com and in Mi Home at Rs 1,299 from June 21. The speaker has a power button and a micro USB charging port at the bottom. There is also a built-in microphone, which enables users to make calls.

The 10000mAh Mi Power Bank 2, which is the successor to the Mi Power bank, will be available in Black on Mi.com and in Mi Home, at Rs 1199.

The 20000mAh Mi Power Bank, on the other hand, carries a price tag of Rs 2,199. &nbsp;The power bank has dual USB outputs so you can charge two devices at a time.

&nbsp;Both the power banks will be available on Mi.com and in Mi Home from June 20, and on Amazon and Flipkart from July 7.

The new Bluetooth speaker is priced at Rs 1,299

Expanding its product range, Xiaomi has announced a slew of new devices - the Mi Wi-Fi Repeater 2, Mi Bluetooth Speaker Mini, 10000mAh Mi Power Bank 2, and 20000mAh Mi Power Bank 2. The Mi Wi-Fi Repeater 2 will be available exclusively on Mi.com and in Mi Home store at Rs 999 from June 20. Featuring a compact design, the Repeater 2 is said to be having stable connections for up to 16 devices. According to Xiaomi, it has two built-in high-performance PCB antennas to expand router signal range and boost download speeds. The new Mi Bluetooth Speaker weighs 58 grams and is claimed to last for 4 hours on a single charge. It will be exclusively available in Grey, and Gold colours on Mi.com and in Mi Home at Rs 1,299 from June 21. The speaker has a power button and a micro USB charging port at the bottom. There is also a built-in microphone, which enables users to make calls. The 10000mAh Mi Power Bank 2, which is the successor to the Mi Power bank, will be available in Black on Mi.com and in Mi Home, at Rs 1199. The 20000mAh Mi Power Bank, on the other hand, carries a price tag of Rs 2,199. The power bank has dual USB outputs so you can charge two devices at a time. Both the power banks will be available on Mi.com and in Mi Home from June 20, and on Amazon and Flipkart from July 7.

Xiaomi launches new Bluetooth speaker, power banks in India

Expanding its smartphone portfolio, Xiaomi launched its new smartphone - Redmi 4 - in India. Successor to the Redmi 3S, the new smartphone is priced at Rs 6,999 for the 16GB variant (with 2 GB RAM) and Rs 8,999 for the 32GB model (with 3GB RAM). Both the models will be available on Mi.com and Amazon.in from May 23. The (4GB + 64GB) variant will be introduced at Rs 10,999 by June-end.

People in Bangalore, however, can buy the Redmi 4 from Xiaomi&rsquo;s first Mi Home in India, which is located at Phoenix Market City, Bangalore, starting May 20. They can also pre-book a device at Mi.com between May 16 and May 19 by paying a token advance of Rs 1,000 and pick it up from the store on May 20.

The Redmi 4 features a 5-inch 2.5D curved glass and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 octa-core processor. It comes packed with a 4100mAh battery, which is claimed to last for up to two days of regular usage.

It sports a 13 megapixel rear camera with PDAF (Phase Detection AutoFocus) for faster focusing, and supports 1080p full HD video recording. The front, on the other hand, has a 5 megapixel camera. It supports 4G LTE and VoLTE out of the box, covering all India LTE bands.

The Redmi 4 runs on Android 6.0.1 with MIUI 8. According to Xiaomi, Android N will soon be rolled out for the Redmi 4. It will come in two colour options - Gold and Black.

Smart router 
&nbsp; 
On the sidelines of the Redmi 4 launch event, Xiaomi India also introduced its smart router, the Mi Router 3C. As Xiaomi explains, the router is equipped with four high-performance antennas each with a dedicated PCB circuit and has a 2-transmit, 2-receive antenna design. It is said to improve both the WiFi range and signal stability.

The Mi Router 3C has 64MB of RAM and is claimed to offer a wireless speed of 300mbps. It can connect up to 64 devices including 20 computing devices and 44 IoT devices. 
&nbsp; 
&quot;The Mi Wi-Fi smart app makes setup and network management very simple. It also provides very easy access to real-time monitoring of bandwidth usage, QoS to prioritise bandwidth to devices and WiFi boost. It also allows pre-configured guest sharing of the WiFi password and parental controls,&quot; says Xiaomi.

Priced at Rs 1,199, the Mi Router 3C will also be available to buy on Mi.com from May 23 and on Flipkart.com and Amazon.in from June 8.

(WION)

Priced competitively, the Redmi 4 comes in three storage variants

Expanding its smartphone portfolio, Xiaomi launched its new smartphone - Redmi 4 - in India. Successor to the Redmi 3S, the new smartphone is priced at Rs 6,999 for the 16GB variant (with 2 GB RAM) and Rs 8,999 for the 32GB model (with 3GB RAM). Both the models will be available on Mi.com and Amazon.in from May 23. The (4GB + 64GB) variant will be introduced at Rs 10,999 by June-end. People in Bangalore, however, can buy the Redmi 4 from Xiaomi’s first Mi Home in India, which is located at Phoenix Market City, Bangalore, starting May 20. They can also pre-book a device at Mi.com between May 16 and May 19 by paying a token advance of Rs 1,000 and pick it up from the store on May 20. The Redmi 4 features a 5-inch 2.5D curved glass and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 octa-core processor. It comes packed with a 4100mAh battery, which is claimed to last for up to two days of regular usage. It sports a 13 megapixel rear camera with PDAF (Phase Detection AutoFocus) for faster focusing, and supports 1080p full HD video recording. The front, on the other hand, has a 5 megapixel camera. It supports 4G LTE and VoLTE out of the box, covering all India LTE bands. The Redmi 4 runs on Android 6.0.1 with MIUI 8. According to Xiaomi, Android N will soon be rolled out for the Redmi 4. It will come in two colour options - Gold and Black. Smart router On the sidelines of the Redmi 4 launch event, Xiaomi India also introduced its smart router, the Mi Router 3C. As Xiaomi explains, the router is equipped with four high-performance antennas each with a dedicated PCB circuit and has a 2-transmit, 2-receive antenna design. It is said to improve both the WiFi range and signal stability. The Mi Router 3C has 64MB of RAM and is claimed to offer a wireless speed of 300mbps. It can connect up to 64 devices including 20 computing devices and 44 IoT devices. "The Mi Wi-Fi smart app makes setup and network management very simple. It also provides very easy access to real-time monitoring of bandwidth usage, QoS to prioritise bandwidth to devices and WiFi boost. It also allows pre-configured guest sharing of the WiFi password and parental controls," says Xiaomi. Priced at Rs 1,199, the Mi Router 3C will also be available to buy on Mi.com from May 23 and on Flipkart.com and Amazon.in from June 8. (WION)

Xiaomi launches Redmi 4, Mi Router 3C in India

Marking a significant step in its offline retail strategy in India, Chinese electronics company Xiaomi has announced its first-ever Mi Home store in the country.

Located at Phoenix Market City Mall in Bengaluru, the first Mi Home store in India will open to public starting May 20 from 9 AM. It will sell Xiaomi&rsquo;s range of smartphones, power banks, headphones, fitness bands, air purifiers as well as other ecosystem products launched in India.

The company allows customers to pre-book their desired Xiaomi smartphones from May 16 (5 PM onwards) on www.mi.com/india against an advance payment of Rs 1,000.

Xiaomi India VP and MD Manu Jain said, &quot;We will soon set up more such retail stores in other Indian cities including Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru&quot;.

The company plans to introduce 100 Mi Home stores across India in the next two years. Select Mi Home stores will also have an additional zone where fans can experience the larger Xiaomi portfolio 
&nbsp; 
Mi Home stores are Xiaomi&rsquo;s exclusive offline retail stores that allow customers to experience and purchase Xiaomi&rsquo;s latest products under one roof. 
&nbsp; 
Xiaomi currently has more than 70 Mi Home stores in Greater China. During the last Mi Fan Festival (MFF) in April 2017, Xiaomi had over 5,00,000 walk-ins across its stores and also set a new record of 24,000 walk-ins in a single day at its newest Mi Home in Beijing. 
&nbsp; 
Mi Home stores are expected to allow Xiaomi India to extend the success of its online Mi.com store to offline retail.

In addition to Mi Home stores, Xiaomi will continue to expand its offline presence with retailers and distributors in the country through its Direct to Retail (DTR) model which eliminates several layers within the offline distribution channel. This, as Jain say, will allow Xiaomi to continue to maintain price parity between products sold across both its online and offline channels.

(WION)

Xiaomi plans to introduce 100 Mi Home stores across India in the next two years

Marking a significant step in its offline retail strategy in India, Chinese electronics company Xiaomi has announced its first-ever Mi Home store in the country. Located at Phoenix Market City Mall in Bengaluru, the first Mi Home store in India will open to public starting May 20 from 9 AM. It will sell Xiaomi’s range of smartphones, power banks, headphones, fitness bands, air purifiers as well as other ecosystem products launched in India. The company allows customers to pre-book their desired Xiaomi smartphones from May 16 (5 PM onwards) on www.mi.com/india against an advance payment of Rs 1,000. Xiaomi India VP and MD Manu Jain said, "We will soon set up more such retail stores in other Indian cities including Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru". The company plans to introduce 100 Mi Home stores across India in the next two years. Select Mi Home stores will also have an additional zone where fans can experience the larger Xiaomi portfolio Mi Home stores are Xiaomi’s exclusive offline retail stores that allow customers to experience and purchase Xiaomi’s latest products under one roof. Xiaomi currently has more than 70 Mi Home stores in Greater China. During the last Mi Fan Festival (MFF) in April 2017, Xiaomi had over 5,00,000 walk-ins across its stores and also set a new record of 24,000 walk-ins in a single day at its newest Mi Home in Beijing. Mi Home stores are expected to allow Xiaomi India to extend the success of its online Mi.com store to offline retail. In addition to Mi Home stores, Xiaomi will continue to expand its offline presence with retailers and distributors in the country through its Direct to Retail (DTR) model which eliminates several layers within the offline distribution channel. This, as Jain say, will allow Xiaomi to continue to maintain price parity between products sold across both its online and offline channels. (WION)

Xiaomi launches first Mi Home store in India

Chinese tech company Xiaomi has finally debuted its new flagship smartphone - Mi 6. The new smartphone is powered by Qualcomm&rsquo;s next-generation Snapdragon 835 chipset paired with 6GB of RAM. It comes in two storage variants - 64GB and 128GB. It will be available in three colours - Black, White and Blue - as well as two special editions - Ceramic and Silver.

Prices for the Mi 6 start at RMB 2,499. The 6GB + 64GB version is priced at RMB 2,499 (USD 363), while the 6GB + 128GB version carries a price tag of RMB 2,899 (USD 420). The Ceramic edition, on the other hand, will be available at RMB 2,999 (USD 435).

The Mi 6 happens to be the first device powered by Snapdragon 835 to debut in China. Compared with the last-generation Snapdragon 820, Snapdragon 835 is claimed to be 35 per cent smaller in package size. It, as Xiaomi claims, consumes 25 per cent less power, which contributes to a longer battery life on the Mi 6.

The Xiaomi Mi 6 features an optical zoom dual-camera setup, which, as the company explains, &ldquo;is able to take clearer photos of distant subjects, and portrait shots have an unparalleled background blur effect.&rdquo;

The two lenses allow Mi 6 to calculate what is in the foreground and what is in the background, creating a depth of field effect.

&ldquo;The dual camera setup on Mi 6 comes with wide angle and telephoto lenses used to incredible effect. The 2x optical zoom makes sure photos of distant subjects remain clear, while 10x digital zoom is also supported. Mi 6 also comes with four-axis OIS so images and videos remain sharp, reducing the effect of handshake or motion,&rdquo; says Xiaomi in a press note.

The Mi 6 features four-sided 3D curved glass and a stainless steel frame. Other features of the Mi 6 include a 5.15-inch display, 3350mAh battery, which is claimed to keep the phone running for an entire day on a single charge, stereo speakers, front fingerprint sensor and USB Type-C charging.

Xiaomi&rsquo;s latest flagship smartphone will be available from April 28 on Mi.com and in all 72 Mi Home stores in China. According to the company, the Mi 6 will make its way to select global markets at a later date.

(WION) 
&nbsp;

The Xiaomi Mi 6 comes in two storage variants - 64GB and 128GB

Chinese tech company Xiaomi has finally debuted its new flagship smartphone - Mi 6. The new smartphone is powered by Qualcomm’s next-generation Snapdragon 835 chipset paired with 6GB of RAM. It comes in two storage variants - 64GB and 128GB. It will be available in three colours - Black, White and Blue - as well as two special editions - Ceramic and Silver. Prices for the Mi 6 start at RMB 2,499. The 6GB + 64GB version is priced at RMB 2,499 (USD 363), while the 6GB + 128GB version carries a price tag of RMB 2,899 (USD 420). The Ceramic edition, on the other hand, will be available at RMB 2,999 (USD 435). The Mi 6 happens to be the first device powered by Snapdragon 835 to debut in China. Compared with the last-generation Snapdragon 820, Snapdragon 835 is claimed to be 35 per cent smaller in package size. It, as Xiaomi claims, consumes 25 per cent less power, which contributes to a longer battery life on the Mi 6. The Xiaomi Mi 6 features an optical zoom dual-camera setup, which, as the company explains, “is able to take clearer photos of distant subjects, and portrait shots have an unparalleled background blur effect.” The two lenses allow Mi 6 to calculate what is in the foreground and what is in the background, creating a depth of field effect. “The dual camera setup on Mi 6 comes with wide angle and telephoto lenses used to incredible effect. The 2x optical zoom makes sure photos of distant subjects remain clear, while 10x digital zoom is also supported. Mi 6 also comes with four-axis OIS so images and videos remain sharp, reducing the effect of handshake or motion,” says Xiaomi in a press note. The Mi 6 features four-sided 3D curved glass and a stainless steel frame. Other features of the Mi 6 include a 5.15-inch display, 3350mAh battery, which is claimed to keep the phone running for an entire day on a single charge, stereo speakers, front fingerprint sensor and USB Type-C charging. Xiaomi’s latest flagship smartphone will be available from April 28 on Mi.com and in all 72 Mi Home stores in China. According to the company, the Mi 6 will make its way to select global markets at a later date. (WION)

Mi 6: Xiaomi?s new flagship smartphone announced with two rear cameras

Xiaomi has introduced the successor to the Redmi 3S smartphone in India. Named Redmi 4A, the new phone will go on sale in the country from March 23 and will come in three colours - Grey, Gold and Rose Gold.

While the first two colour variants will be available from this week only, the Rose Gold model will be up for grabs from April 6. The Redmi 4A will be available on amazon.in and mi.com.

One of the highlights of the phone is that the phone runs MIUI8 and allows users to run two WhatsApp accounts. Coming to its other key features, the Redmi 4A has a 5-inch HD display, 13 megapixel rear camera and a 5 megapixel front camera. Under its hood is a Snapdragon 425 processor paired with 2GB RAM. The phone includes an internal storage space of 16GB (expandable up to 128GB).

Weighing 131 grams, the phone has a thickness of 8.5mm. &ldquo;It has a massive 3120mAh (typ)/ 3030mAh (min) battery that guarantees you smoother experience throughout the day,&rdquo; explains Xiaomi.

The Redmi 4A is a 4G dual-SIM phone with VoLTE support.

On the sidelines of the Redmi 4A India launch event, the company also announced its second manufacturing plant in India, which is said to have 90% of women workforce. Also, Xiaomi revealed its production capacity, which, as the company claims, is one phone per second.

(WION)

&nbsp;

The new Redmi phone will go on sale in India from March 23

Xiaomi has introduced the successor to the Redmi 3S smartphone in India. Named Redmi 4A, the new phone will go on sale in the country from March 23 and will come in three colours - Grey, Gold and Rose Gold. While the first two colour variants will be available from this week only, the Rose Gold model will be up for grabs from April 6. The Redmi 4A will be available on amazon.in and mi.com. One of the highlights of the phone is that the phone runs MIUI8 and allows users to run two WhatsApp accounts. Coming to its other key features, the Redmi 4A has a 5-inch HD display, 13 megapixel rear camera and a 5 megapixel front camera. Under its hood is a Snapdragon 425 processor paired with 2GB RAM. The phone includes an internal storage space of 16GB (expandable up to 128GB). Weighing 131 grams, the phone has a thickness of 8.5mm. “It has a massive 3120mAh (typ)/ 3030mAh (min) battery that guarantees you smoother experience throughout the day,” explains Xiaomi. The Redmi 4A is a 4G dual-SIM phone with VoLTE support. On the sidelines of the Redmi 4A India launch event, the company also announced its second manufacturing plant in India, which is said to have 90% of women workforce. Also, Xiaomi revealed its production capacity, which, as the company claims, is one phone per second. (WION)

Xiaomi Redmi 4A launched in India at Rs 5,999, lets you run two WhatsApp accounts

Facebook has hired Hugo Barra, the most prominent global executive at Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi, to lead its virtual reality business including the Oculus unit, said Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg.

The 32-year-old Facebook founder has spoken about virtual reality as an important part of the company&#39;s future business, especially as the technology becomes less expensive and its uses clearer. Facebook acquired Oculus in 2014, believing it to be the next major computing platform.

&quot;Hugo shares my belief that virtual and augmented reality will be the next major computing platform. They&#39;ll enable us to experience completely new things,&quot; Zuckerberg said in a post on Facebook.

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Earlier this week, Barra said he was stepping down as Xiaomi&#39;s vice president after three-and-a-half-years, citing health concerns and a new job.

His exit comes at a time when Xiaomi is trying to adjust its strategy. The company pulled back from several overseas markets, including Singapore and Brazil, in 2016. It is increasing its offline retail presence and aims to develop artificial intelligence and internet finance as growth areas.

Barra, under whom Xiaomi was for a time China&#39;s best-selling brand, described his experience with the company as a &quot;spectacular&quot; journey, but said it was time to return home for a &quot;new adventure&quot;.

At Barra&#39;s instigation, Xiaomi made some overseas breakthroughs, notably in Southeast Asia, Russia, and especially India - where he achieved $1 billion in annual revenue.

Despite his efforts, Xiaomi still depends on the Chinese market for the overwhelming majority of its sales.

(WION with inputs from Agencies)

Facebook has hired Hugo Barra to lead its virtual reality business

Facebook has hired Hugo Barra, the most prominent global executive at Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi, to lead its virtual reality business including the Oculus unit, said Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg. The 32-year-old Facebook founder has spoken about virtual reality as an important part of the company's future business, especially as the technology becomes less expensive and its uses clearer. Facebook acquired Oculus in 2014, believing it to be the next major computing platform. "Hugo shares my belief that virtual and augmented reality will be the next major computing platform. They'll enable us to experience completely new things," Zuckerberg said in a post on Facebook. Earlier this week, Barra said he was stepping down as Xiaomi's vice president after three-and-a-half-years, citing health concerns and a new job. His exit comes at a time when Xiaomi is trying to adjust its strategy. The company pulled back from several overseas markets, including Singapore and Brazil, in 2016. It is increasing its offline retail presence and aims to develop artificial intelligence and internet finance as growth areas. Barra, under whom Xiaomi was for a time China's best-selling brand, described his experience with the company as a "spectacular" journey, but said it was time to return home for a "new adventure". At Barra's instigation, Xiaomi made some overseas breakthroughs, notably in Southeast Asia, Russia, and especially India - where he achieved $1 billion in annual revenue. Despite his efforts, Xiaomi still depends on the Chinese market for the overwhelming majority of its sales. (WION with inputs from Agencies)

Hugo Barra leaves Xiaomi to join Facebook

&nbsp;

After teasing the name for quite a few days, Xiaomi has finally launched the much-awaited Redmi Note 4 in India. The phone comes in three variants - 32GB (with 2GB RAM) at Rs 9,999, 32GB (with 3GB RAM) at Rs 10,999 and 64GB (with 4GB RAM) at Rs 12,999, and will go on sale from next week. All the models are expandable up to 128 GB via an SD card.

The first sale for the Redmi Note 4 is scheduled for January 23 (at 12 PM). The phone will be available on Mi.com and Flipkart with no pre-registrations.

Encased in a unibody design, the Redmi Note 4, which is the successor to the Redmi Note 3, features a metal body and a 5.5-inch full HD display. According to the company, the Note 4 is the first Redmi smartphone to feature 2.5D curved glass on the front.

The phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 octa-core processor, which is claimed to be the first chipset in its class to use 14nm FinFET technology. This new technology is said to be more power-efficient than processors based on 28nm technology. As a result, the Redmi Note 4&#39;s 4100mAh battery is touted to last an average 25 per cent longer than the Redmi Note 3.

Talking about its cameras, the Redmi Note 4 sports a 13 megapixel CMOS camera with Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF) for faster focusing, f/2.0 aperture, and a Backside Illuminated (BSI) sensor with 1.12-micron pixels, which can capture more light than its predecessor. The front of the phone, however, has a 5 megapixel, f/2.0 aperture camera.

The Redmi Note 4 is said to be fully compatibility with India&rsquo;s LTE cellular networks, including support for LTE Band 5 used for Voice over LTE (VoLTE), which enables HD calls to be carried over 4G.

The Note 4 is a dual-SIM phone, but it comes with a hybrid SIM slot. This means that the phone can either support two SIM cards or one SIM card and a microSD card.

Apart from the usual Dark Grey and Gold, the Redmi Note 4 will also be available in a new matte black finish.

(WION)

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, which is the successor to the Note 3, comes in three variants

After teasing the name for quite a few days, Xiaomi has finally launched the much-awaited Redmi Note 4 in India. The phone comes in three variants - 32GB (with 2GB RAM) at Rs 9,999, 32GB (with 3GB RAM) at Rs 10,999 and 64GB (with 4GB RAM) at Rs 12,999, and will go on sale from next week. All the models are expandable up to 128 GB via an SD card. The first sale for the Redmi Note 4 is scheduled for January 23 (at 12 PM). The phone will be available on Mi.com and Flipkart with no pre-registrations. Encased in a unibody design, the Redmi Note 4, which is the successor to the Redmi Note 3, features a metal body and a 5.5-inch full HD display. According to the company, the Note 4 is the first Redmi smartphone to feature 2.5D curved glass on the front. The phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 octa-core processor, which is claimed to be the first chipset in its class to use 14nm FinFET technology. This new technology is said to be more power-efficient than processors based on 28nm technology. As a result, the Redmi Note 4's 4100mAh battery is touted to last an average 25 per cent longer than the Redmi Note 3. Talking about its cameras, the Redmi Note 4 sports a 13 megapixel CMOS camera with Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF) for faster focusing, f/2.0 aperture, and a Backside Illuminated (BSI) sensor with 1.12-micron pixels, which can capture more light than its predecessor. The front of the phone, however, has a 5 megapixel, f/2.0 aperture camera. The Redmi Note 4 is said to be fully compatibility with India’s LTE cellular networks, including support for LTE Band 5 used for Voice over LTE (VoLTE), which enables HD calls to be carried over 4G. The Note 4 is a dual-SIM phone, but it comes with a hybrid SIM slot. This means that the phone can either support two SIM cards or one SIM card and a microSD card. Apart from the usual Dark Grey and Gold, the Redmi Note 4 will also be available in a new matte black finish. (WION)

Redmi Note 4: Xiaomi launches new affordable phone in India

Foraying into virtual reality, Chinese tech giant Xiaomi has announced its first VR headset in India. Priced at Rs 999, the Mi VR Play is an entry-level product that aims to bring the VR experience to a much wider audience.

The Mi VR Play seems to have significantly improved upon the design when compared with VR products in the same price segment. As Xiaomi explains, the Mi VR Play is wrapped in lightweight, durable Lycra for long-lasting comfort.

The two-way zipper running along it is said to provide a secure grip for a wide range of 4.7- to 5.7-inch smartphones. The dual openings on the front allow for slight positioning adjustments and ventilation.

The Mi VR Play is certified to work with Google Cardboard apps. It will be available exclusively on Mi.com and in offline channels from December 21.

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<div class="media-description">
Mi VR Play is Google Cardboard compatible, giving you access to an amazing library of videos and apps on Google Play. (Others)
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Besides the VR headset, Xiaomi India has also introduced Mi Live - the company&rsquo;s live streaming app with locally sourced content. According to Xiaomi, Mi Live is the only live streaming app in India to support VR live streaming.

Mi Live is <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wali.live">available for free on the Google Play store</a>. 
 
(WION)

The Mi VR Play virtual reality headset will be available in India from December 21

Foraying into virtual reality, Chinese tech giant Xiaomi has announced its first VR headset in India. Priced at Rs 999, the Mi VR Play is an entry-level product that aims to bring the VR experience to a much wider audience. The Mi VR Play seems to have significantly improved upon the design when compared with VR products in the same price segment. As Xiaomi explains, the Mi VR Play is wrapped in lightweight, durable Lycra for long-lasting comfort. The two-way zipper running along it is said to provide a secure grip for a wide range of 4.7- to 5.7-inch smartphones. The dual openings on the front allow for slight positioning adjustments and ventilation. The Mi VR Play is certified to work with Google Cardboard apps. It will be available exclusively on Mi.com and in offline channels from December 21. Mi VR Play is Google Cardboard compatible, giving you access to an amazing library of videos and apps on Google Play. (Others) × Besides the VR headset, Xiaomi India has also introduced Mi Live - the company’s live streaming app with locally sourced content. According to Xiaomi, Mi Live is the only live streaming app in India to support VR live streaming. Mi Live is available for free on the Google Play store. (WION)

Xiaomi launches its first virtual reality headset in India at Rs 999

Software maker Microsoft Corp &lt;MSFT.O&gt; is selling about 1,500 of its patents to Chinese device maker Xiaomi [XTC.UL], a rare departure for the U.S. company and part of what the two companies say is the start of a long-term partnership.

The deal, announced on Wednesday includes a patent cross-licensing arrangement and a commitment by Xiaomi to install copies of Microsoft software, including Office and Skype, on its phones and tablets.

Both companies declined to disclose the&nbsp;financial terms of the deal.

&quot;This is a very big collaboration agreement between the two companies,&quot; said Wang Xiang, senior vice president at Xiaomi in a telephonic conversation to Reuters.

Analysts said Xiaomi&#39;s ambitions to be a major player outside China were hampered by weak patent protection and a fear of a prolonged legal battle.

&quot;This deal might just give them enough of a patent trove to move to Western markets,&quot; said Sameer Singh, a UK-based analyst. 
&nbsp;He further added that their position in China has been under constant attack from even lower-end Android vendors, so moving overseas is now a necessity.

Shipments of Xiaomi phones fell 9 percent year-on-year in China in the first quarter, according to Strategy Analytics, and its market share dipped to 12 percent from 13 percent, squeezed not only by Huawei [HWT.UL] and Samsung Electronics &lt;005930.KS&gt; but also smaller contenders including Oppo and Vivo.

Wang said the acquisition of Microsoft patents, which included voice communications, multimedia and cloud computing, on top of some 3,700 patents the Chinese company filed last year, were &quot;an important step forwards to support our expansion internationally.&quot;

Xiaomi launched its first U.S. device earlier this month, a TV set-top box it developed in cooperation with Alphabet Inc&#39;s &lt;GOOGL.O&gt; Google, which owns the Android operating system it and most Xiaomi devices run on. Xiaomi has also launched a tablet which runs a version of Microsoft&#39;s Windows operating system.

Jonathan Tinter, corporate vice president at Microsoft, said the company was keen to tap into Xiaomi&#39;s young, affluent and educated users by having its products pre-installed on their devices. He declined to go into detail about the patent deals, but said the overall deal was something &quot;we do only with a few strategic partners.&quot;

Microsoft has cut licensing deals with many Android device makers over the years, but has had less luck with Chinese manufacturers.

Florian Mueller, a patents expert who consulted for Microsoft in the past, said it was rare for Microsoft to actually sell its patents, adding &quot;it&#39;s possible Microsoft found it easier to impose its Android patent tax on Xiaomi as part of a broader deal that also involved a transfer of patents.&quot;

Software maker Microsoft Corp is selling about 1,500 of its patents to Chinese device maker Xiaomi [XTC.UL]

Software maker Microsoft Corp <MSFT.O> is selling about 1,500 of its patents to Chinese device maker Xiaomi [XTC.UL], a rare departure for the U.S. company and part of what the two companies say is the start of a long-term partnership. The deal, announced on Wednesday includes a patent cross-licensing arrangement and a commitment by Xiaomi to install copies of Microsoft software, including Office and Skype, on its phones and tablets. Both companies declined to disclose the financial terms of the deal. "This is a very big collaboration agreement between the two companies," said Wang Xiang, senior vice president at Xiaomi in a telephonic conversation to Reuters. Analysts said Xiaomi's ambitions to be a major player outside China were hampered by weak patent protection and a fear of a prolonged legal battle. "This deal might just give them enough of a patent trove to move to Western markets," said Sameer Singh, a UK-based analyst. He further added that their position in China has been under constant attack from even lower-end Android vendors, so moving overseas is now a necessity. Shipments of Xiaomi phones fell 9 percent year-on-year in China in the first quarter, according to Strategy Analytics, and its market share dipped to 12 percent from 13 percent, squeezed not only by Huawei [HWT.UL] and Samsung Electronics <005930.KS> but also smaller contenders including Oppo and Vivo. Wang said the acquisition of Microsoft patents, which included voice communications, multimedia and cloud computing, on top of some 3,700 patents the Chinese company filed last year, were "an important step forwards to support our expansion internationally." Xiaomi launched its first U.S. device earlier this month, a TV set-top box it developed in cooperation with Alphabet Inc's <GOOGL.O> Google, which owns the Android operating system it and most Xiaomi devices run on. Xiaomi has also launched a tablet which runs a version of Microsoft's Windows operating system. Jonathan Tinter, corporate vice president at Microsoft, said the company was keen to tap into Xiaomi's young, affluent and educated users by having its products pre-installed on their devices. He declined to go into detail about the patent deals, but said the overall deal was something "we do only with a few strategic partners." Microsoft has cut licensing deals with many Android device makers over the years, but has had less luck with Chinese manufacturers. Florian Mueller, a patents expert who consulted for Microsoft in the past, said it was rare for Microsoft to actually sell its patents, adding "it's possible Microsoft found it easier to impose its Android patent tax on Xiaomi as part of a broader deal that also involved a transfer of patents."

Microsoft sells 1500 patents to Xiaomi, builds partnership

xiaomi

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