Xiaomi - revolution to the mobile industry

Xiaomi has been the new revolution to the mobile industrty this few years.

who are they are why are their phones selling like hotcakes??

(this is where it gets technical)

"Xiaomi was founded in April 2010 by ex-Kingsoft CEO Lei Jun, as a software company creating a new custom ROM based on Google’s Android. Their aim was to provide additional functionality that Android had yet to offer and an easy to use user interface. MIUI, the ROM which the team created, became a huge success and has been ported to many devices. As of 2014 MIUI can be downloaded and installed to over 200 devices in both English and Chinese, even non developers can easily install MIUI to their phones using the MIUI Express APK. As of the end of 2013 Xiaomi had over 30 million MIUI users worldwide! Very impressive for such a young company!

The MIUI ROM was likened to Apple’s iOS for being very easy to use whilst providing sophisticated services such as cloud backup, an easy to use music player and their own app store. The team at Xiaomi have alwasy wanted users to feel part of the company and happily take on fan feedback via multiple channels and update the ROM every Friday with bug fixes, optimisation and additional features. To good to be true? Well try it out for yourself as it’s probably available for your device already..." from Gizchina

Xiaomi products

Xiaomi says it sold more than 26m smartphones in the first half of the year, almost four times the 7m it sold in the same period a year ago, and is on track to reach 60m handset sales by Christmas.

Xiaomi Mi 3

Based on specifications, the Xiaomi Mi 3 is superior to the other two Android flagship smartphones as compared below:

The Xiao Mi 3 phone reigns superior through a Faster Processor, Custom Android ROM (which updates weekly), a better Camera and Flash and a Larger Battery.

Specifications/Device	Xiaomi Mi 3	LG Nexus 5	Samsung Galaxy S4 with LTE+
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (MSM 8274AB) (MSM8974AB) quad-core 2.3GHz (WCDMA model) NVIDIA Tegra 4 quad-core 1.8GHz (TD model)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974) quad-core 2.26GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974) quad-core 2.3GHz
RAM	2GB	2GB	2GB
Android Version	Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean MIUI version 5	Android 4.4 KitKat	Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean Samsung TouchWiz
Display	5-inch 1,920 x 1,080 pixels IPS	5-inch 1,920 x 1,080 pixels IPS	5-inch 1,920 x 1,080 pixels Super AMOLED
Camera	Rear: 13-megapixel autofocus with Sony Exmor sensor, F2.2 aperture, 28mm wide angle lens and dual-LED flash Front: 2-megapixel	Rear: 8-megapixel autofocus with Sony IMX179 sensor, F2.4 aperture, optical image stabilization and LED flash Front: 1.3-megapixel	Rear: 13-megapixel autofocus with Sony IMX091PQ sensor, F2.4 aperture and LED flash Front: 2-megapixel
Storage	16GB	16/32GB	16GB micro-SD support up to 64GB
Dimensions	144 x 73.6 x 8.1 mm	137.84 x 69.17 x 8.59mm	136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9mm
Weight	145g	130g	130g
Battery	3,050mAh	2,300mAh	2,600mAh
Retail Price	US$327 (16GB) US$408 (64GB)	US$349 (16GB) US$399 (32GB)	US$669 (16GB)*

*Based on SGD to USD conversion rates at press time.


should samsung and apple be worried?

YES.

Having dinner at home.

Home cooked meal vs. Takeaways - I am a firm believer of having at least one meal a day to be prepared at home.  At least I know and I ensure my family has had that 1 portion of vegetables, meat/fish and fruits.

Where got time?? - On normal busy weekdays that meal would be dinner. I prefer to cook something less fancy that requires not more than 15 mins after a long day. Weekends of course are meant to play/experiment with time food. Since we have the luxury. 

Cook?? I only know how to boil egg and make instant noodles - I definitely don't think it is difficult to cook. Anybody who knows how to cook instant noodle or boil an egg, should be 'qualified' enough to make their own or their family's meal. I will start showing u how easy it is and hopefully more people start cooking their own dinners. :)

Recipe?? - it's not something you should fear. Never ever follow a recipe from A-Z. The keyword is read. Understand. Improvise. Recipes should be guides or inspirations unless you want to learn a basic technique. 

How to start?? - start simple. I'm not even chinese and I cook Chinese style very often. Here's how below. Good luck. 

Chinese dinner:

1) stir fry vegetables in garlic and soy sauce 

Ingredients:

- oil

- garlic; sliced or chopped 

- soy sauce

- Kailan or any leafy vegetables you like

Method:

stir fry

Garnish:

fried onions

Improvisations:

Try different types of vegetables.

Try adding shiitake mushrooms.

Try using oyster sauce.

2) ABC Soup

Ingredients:

- carrot, diced

- potato, peeled and diced 

- chicken/pork, sliced

- soy sauce/salt to taste

- water

Method:

boil till carrot and potato turn soft and breakable. 

Garnish:

fried onions

Improvisations:

Try adding celery/ lotus shoots or any of your favourite vegetables. 

3) omelette

Improvisations:

Try adding prawns

Garnish:

Spring onion

4) steamed fish (for those who have extra time)

Ingredients:

- fish whole or fillet; cleaned

- garlic; sliced

- ginger; sliced

- soy sauce/salt to taste

Method:

steam over boiling water. (Tip: I prepare this while cooking rice or while cooking soup)

Garnish:

spring onion

Improvisations:

Try with prawns. 

Try adding sesame oil.