5 Xiaomi Products That Cost Less Than $50

With currencies fluctuating and the holiday period on the way its good to know that we can still buy some amazing tech even on a super tight budget, but it’s even better when that tech comes from one of China’s biggest and best-known brands.

If you have $50 or less to spend but won’t some decent Xiaomi tech, this is the post you really need to read, save and bookmark!

Xiaomi Mi WIFI Amplifier – $7.15

Oh, come on! How can you not buy one of these or even 2? If you find that your current WIFI router doesn’t quite have the juice to give you wireless connectivity to all of your home, apartment, business, office (delete where applicable) then this super smart dongle is THE item you need!

Xiaomi WIFI Amplifier

Xiaomi Mi WIFI Router – $28.99

Ok, perhaps we jumped the gun a little with that first post! Before you might need an amplifier you are going to need a router. The Xiaomi Mi WIFI Router is a super slim quad antenna device that takes up very little space on your desk. Best of all at this price you can by the router and an amplifier and still have money left over for one of these.

Xiaomi Router

Xiaomi Mi Bluetooth Speaker – $13.39

When we send $50 we’re guessing you thought of a bunch of products that would cost $49.99, not a handful of tech that you can go home with for $50 and still have money left over. Anyway, the Mi Bluetooth speak does exactly what it says on the tin I.E streams music and allow you to have hands-free phone calls, and it won’t break the bank.

Xiaomi Mi Bluetooth Speaker

Xiaomi Mi Band 1S – $13.51

Yup, a list of low-cost Xiaomi tech wouldn’t be a proper list without mentioning the Xiaomi Mi Band. The Mi Band, if you don’t already know, is a very simple wearable that will monitor your sleep and exercise while updating the Xiaomi app on your phone (Android or IOS).

Xiaomi Mi Band 1S

Xiaomi Mi Smart Temperature Sensor – $7.68

Last but not least is the Xiaomi Mi Smart Temperature Sensor in fact, this handy piece of wall mounted tech will also monitor humidity too! Leave this in your home connect to your phone and monitor the environment.

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Snapchat Spectacles are $130 sunglasses with a built-in camera

"With the foray into hardware, Snapchat's parent company has also been rebranded to Snap Inc."

Snapchat had been rumoured in the past to be working on a pair of glasses (yup, you read that right), and today, the brand has unveiled them in the form of Spectacles. The $130 sunglasses feature an integrated video camera with a 115-degree lens, which Snapchat says lets you capture video from a human perspective.
Spectacles connect to your phone either over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, and recorded video is automatically added to your Memories in a new circular video format.
The video can also be played in full screen on any device in both landscape and portrait orientation. You can tap a button on the top left corner to record a 10-second snap, and the surrounding lights will light up to let your friends know you're Snapping. Spectacles can record a day's worth of video on a single charge, and are charged in the case they ship with. They are priced at $130, and will be available this fall in black, teal and coral colours.

Apart from making its foray into hardware, Snapchat has also announced that it is rebranding its company to Snap Inc. The reasoning behind this is that with Spectacles, Snapchat is no longer just an app. The company has even launched new Twitter accounts for both Snapchat and Spectacles.

In a statement on Snapchat's new news website, CEO Evan Spiegel said:
When we were just getting started it made sense to name our company Snapchat Inc., because Snapchat was our only product! Now that we are developing other products, like Spectacles, we need a name that goes beyond just one product - but doesn't lose the familiarity and fun of our team and brand.

It remains to be seen if Spectacles are just a gimmick or a product serial Snappers will actually use, but one thing's for certain - this is only the beginning.

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Nokia Reaches 1Tbps Data Transfer Speed

Nokia Bell Labs and the Technical University of Munich are responsible for a new technique of data transmission that can offer a terabit per second (Tbps) which is much higher than the Google’s fiber network. It means with 1Tbps, we could download the entire series of Game of Thrones in HD in one second.

Nokia Reaches 1Tbps Data Transfer Speed

We all know that the NOKIA is a Finnish multinational company which only manufactures mobile phones, but, hold on, actually many of us are unaware of the true potential of the Finnish multinational company. NOKIA is a Finnish multinational communications and information technology company, founded in 1865.

After the sellout of its mobile phone business, the Finnish multinational company Nokia began to concentrate more broadly on its telecommunications infrastructure business, marked by the divestiture of its “Here Maps” division, its venture in virtual reality, and the acquisitions of French telecommunications company which is known as Alcatel-Lucent and digital health maker Withings in 2016.

However, the Nokia Bell Labs which became a subsidiary of Nokia Corporation after the takeover of Alcatel-Lucent. It was subsequently renamed Nokia Bell Labs. Nokia Bell Labs and the Technical University of Munich are responsible for a new technique for data transmission that can offer a terabit per second (Tbps) over fiber (could download the entire series of Game of Thrones in HD in one second).

But, for now, Google’s 1Gbps fiber network offers the best speeds to the home users. The new technique for data transmission is known as Probabilistic Constellation Shaping (PCS), competes directly with another advance technology in the world of optics presented by the researchers at University College London (UCL) earlier this year, ensuring speeds up to 1.25Tbps.

These Terabit networks could help to evolve into a more nimble Internet, as well as operators and companies that could improve the range and transmission capacity with the high-speed data networks.

The present system uses quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) to achieve greater transmission capacity through a given channel, thus improving the spectral efficiency of optical communications, as indicated from Nokia.

The actual idea is to modify the probability with which the constellation points, the alphabet of the transmission, are used. Traditionally, all constellation points are used with equal frequency. PCS cleverly uses constellation points with a large amplitude less frequently than those with lower amplitude to transmit beacons that on average, are more repellent to noise and other deteriorations. This allows the transmission rate to be adapted ideally to the transmission channel.

However, the technology is yet to be released to the market, as there is still nothing confirm dates were announced for the implementation of this technology in real networks, but it seems to be the part of the revolution “5G” that we could actually expect to see on 2020.

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Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 might not be released in India

Many have waited the release of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, and Indians couldn’t wait to get their hands on this handset. Unfortunately, but according to some reports, this device might not hit the Indian stores. It seems that this happens because the Qualcomm Snapdragon variant of the smartphone will not be available.

According to Pau Jiutang, a Chinese analyst, Xiaomi will most likely NOT release a Qualcomm Snapdragon variant of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, which means that there are very high possibilities that the launch of the this smartphone in India will not happen.

It is good to know that the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 has been launched with a Mediatek SoC chipset in China, but it seems that this edition can’t be released in India because of Xiaomi’s patent battles with Ericsson in his country. In other words, Xiaomi is allowed to sell only Snapdragon-powered smartphones in India.

Pan Jiutang has added that the Snapdragon-powered Redmi Note 4 is not on Xiaomi’s list of objectives, which means that there are high chances that this variant of the device will not be released in India. This means that the Xiaomi fans will have to purchase the Redmi Note 4 via some unofficial online stores.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (with Mediatek SoC chipset) is sold for only $169.99 on XiaomiDevice website, which claims that it will start shipping out the device after September 30, 2016.

Display: 5.5-inch that supports a resolution of 1080 x 1920 at 401 ppi

Operating System: Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) operating platform

Chipset: Mediatek MT6797 Helio X20 SoC

Primary Camera: 13 MP

Secondary Camera: 5 MP

RAM: 2GB or 3GB RAM

Storage: 16GB or 64 GB that can be expanded up to 256GB using a microSD card

Connectivity: LTE, HSPA, Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi and microUSB

Battery: non-removable battery of 4100 mAh.

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Xiaomi may launch its crowdfunding platform in India

Chinese smartphone and internet company, Xiaomi could bring its crowdfunding platform to India for helping startups working on consumer electronics to sell their wares online.

"We are open to bringing the programme but we will have to change certain things before we can launch it in India, something we have been focused on in China for a long time," Xiaomi Vice President Hugo Barra told PTI.

Xiaomi runs a crowdfunding platform in China where hardware startups submit their products and consumers can book them, helping these companies raise funds in the process through the ' Mi Home' app.

Xiaomi is planning a similar model in India where the Mi Home app will aid consumers to buy products while paying for them. While doing that, they'll be contributing to the crowdfunding.

Talking about the challenges of bringing the platform to India, Barra cited the example of certifications that electronics products need for selling in the country, which takes anywhere between 3-6 months to get.

"Consumers pay the money in advance and it wouldn't be fair if they had to wait for such a long time before they get the product delivered. We will have to figure out these challenges before we can bring the programme here," he said.

The crowdfunding platform, if launched, could not only prove to be a much-needed boost for hardware tech startups in India but can also be extremely helpful for those who lack initial funds. Xiaomi has already helped over 55 startups that work on connected devices, ranging from vacuum cleaners to smart rice cookers. All these products are currently available through the Mi Home app in China.

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Xiaomi Mi Note 2 Pro will run Android Nougat: Report

Mi Note 2 Pro will be powered by a quad-core (Snapdragon 821 rumoured) processor clocked at 2.6GHz. It will run MIUI 8 with Android Nougat.

Xiaomi Mi 5s is expected to launch on September 27 in China and the company has already started sending media invites for the same. Apart from Mi 5s, rumours surrounding Mi Note 2 – another smartphone from Xiaomi’s stable – has been doing rounds for some time now. Now, according to a fresh set of leaks, specifications of a Mi Note 2 Pro variant has been spotted on Weibo. Android Pure put out a screenshot of ‘About Phone’ of the alleged Mi Note 2 Pro which is said to run Android Nougat out of the box. If rumours are anything to be believed, Mi Note 2 Pro will be the first Xiaomi smartphone to come with Android Nougat.

The screenshot reveals Mi Note 2 Pro will be powered by a quad-core (Snapdragon 821 rumoured) processor clocked at 2.6GHz. It is said to come with 8GB RAM and 256GB internal storage. Xiaomi Mi Note 2 Pro will run MIUI 8 with Android Nougat. However, the website warns the screenshot may well be a fake one.

Xiaomi Mi Note 2 is expected to launch anytime soon. Android Pure recently posted a teaser image, which hinted at September 24 as its launch date. The teaser has Xiaomi Mi Note 2 written on the top and 9.24 written in a smaller text at the bottom. The image also has Xiaomi’s logo at right hand corner. But we think it might be too soon for Xiaomi to launch the device, plus it is a Saturday. It is highly unlikely the Mi Note 2 will be unveiled on a Saturday. While the company has sent out invites for the launch of Mi 5s; there’s no official word on Mi Note 2’s launch date yet.

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Earlier reports have given out specifications of Xiaomi Mi Note 2. The smartphone is said to feature a 5.5-inch OLED screen with dual curved display. Mi Note 2 Pro will launch in two variants based on display resolution: 2K and 1080p. Mi Note 2 is reported to run on Snapdragon 821 processor, coupled with 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage.

The highlight of Mi Note 2 is the dual rear camera set-up, which was leaked in official renders. The smartphone will come with a metal unibody design. Xiaomi is reportedly dropping external memory support for Mi Note 2. Xiaomi Mi Note 2 will support QuickCharge 3.0 for fast charging. The front home button will double up as fingerprint scanner. According to Phoneradar, Mi Note 2 will cost 2,799 Yuan (approximately Rs 28,000).

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