Xiaomi introduces Mi Air Charge technology that can remotely charge devices without cables or wireless charging stands

Xiaomi today introduced self-developed remote charging technology called Mi Air Charge that enables users to charge electronic devices over-the-air without any cables or wireless charging stands. Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun said that this technology has 17 technical patents.

How does Xiaomi Mi Air Charge work?

• Xiaomi’s remote charging lies in space positioning and energy transmission.
• Xiaomi’s self-developed isolated charging pile has five phase interference antennas built in, which can accurately detect the location of the smartphone.
• A phase control array composed of 144 antennas transmits millimeter-wide waves directly to the phone through beam forming.
• On the smartphone side, Xiaomi’s self-developed miniaturized antenna array with built-in beacon antenna broadcasts position information with low power consumption.
• The receiving antenna array composed of 14 antennas converts the millimeter wave signal emitted by the charging pile into electric energy through the rectifier circuit, to turn the sci-fi charging experience into reality.

Xiaomi’s remote charging technology is currently capable of 5-watt remote charging for a single device within a radius of several meters. Apart from that, multiple devices can also be charged at the same time (each device supports 5 watts), and even physical obstacles do not reduce the charging efficiency.

Xiaomi said that this new charging technology will also be able to work with smartwatches, bracelets and other wearable devices in the near feature. Soon living room devices, including speakers, desk lamps and other small smart home products, will all be built upon a wireless power supply design, completely free of wires, making our living rooms truly wireless, according to Xiaomi. Hope we can see this remote charging technology in commercial devices soon.

Huami introduces Amazfit PowerBuds with built-in heart rate monitor, Amazfit ZenBuds that helps you sleep

Along with the T-Rex and Bip S smartwatches, Huami has also introduced Amazfit PowerBuds wireless earbuds with a built-in heart rate sensor to monitor your heart rate during workout and the Amazfit ZenBuds will help you to get a good sleep, says the company.

Amazfit PowerBuds features and specifications:

• Magnetic sports ear hooks to keep the PowerBuds in place during workout
• Monitors your heart rate with a built-in Huami PPG heart rate sensor, keeping you up-to-date with real time heart rate data, workout status and rapid heart rate alert.
• Dust and water resistant (IP55)
• Advanced composite diaphragm for high-fidelity sound experience.
• Thru Mode supports ambient sound enhancement
• Weight: 7g
• Intuitive touch control customized with tap function.
• 55mAh battery on the earbuds offers up to 8 hours of play time on a single charge, 450mAh battery on the magnetic charging box offers 24 hours of usage

The Amazfit PowerBuds comes in White, Black and Yellow colors, is priced at $99.9 (Rs. 7,160 approx.) and will be available in February 2020.

Amazfit ZenBuds features:

• Noise-blocking design to insulate from outdoor noises providing the best night’s sleep.
• Earplugs are made of silicone earmuffs, which are soft and skin-friendly, smooth and comfortable.
• Knowles Balanced Armature a Smart Interference, supporting your sleep goals by creating the right environment and generating soothing sounds.
• Soothing sounds automatically turn off once you are asleep.
• Gathers data on heart rate, body position and movement, giving an analysis of your sleep patterns.
• Amazfit ZenBuds wake you gently with a personal alarm that increases gradually and doesn’t disturb anyone around you.
• Single earbud weighs just 1.78g, which is 68% lighter than ordinary TWS headphones
• 12-hour battery life on a single charge, charging case offers 7x extra battery life for 8 nights of sleep

The Amazfit ZenBuds comes only in White color and will be released later this year, and there is no pricing yet

Xiaomi to launch it’s first Wear OS smartwatch with its own Mi Wear companion app names Mi Watch.

Xiaomi is popular for its Mi Band fitness bands and has also released Amazfit smartwatches in partnership with Huami. Now, the latest Wear OS companion app tear down has revealed that Xiaomi might be working on a smartwatch powered by Google’s Wear OS platform, according to a new report.

This reveals Mi Wear companion app, which should be similar to HUAWEI Wear app that helps you manage your Huawei Watch. The smartwatch could be called Mi Watch, according to the code. This will be Xiaomi’s first Wear OS smartwatch since all the Amazfit watches run on proprietary OS. This would also be the first new OEM for Google’s wearable platform in quite some time.

Evidence of Wear OS adding support for another companion app surfaced back in July with Wear OS 2.26. The development was codenamed Baiji. The line in version 2.28 was updated to “Mi Wear,” even though it is not there on Google Play Store yet, says the report.

There is no image of the smartwatch or the features that are expected in the smartwatch, but we should know more details in the coming weeks. Google might announce the partnership and the first Mi Watch at the Made by Google 2019 next month along with Pixel 4 series.

However, a recent report said that Google abandoned two possible Pixel Watch projects that has been in the news for quite sometime now, so these are not expected next month.

Huami all set to announce Amazfit Smart Sports Watch 3 with AMOLED display on August 27th.

Huami Technology has confirmed that it will announce Smart Sports Watch 3, successor of last year’s model in China on August 27th.

Huami’s CEO Huang Wang confirmed the name of the smartwatch after the company posted  ‘Run, Amazfit! Run!’ invite, inspired from ‘Run, Forrest! Run!’ from the movie Forrest Gump. The company also sent invites to the media with running shoes and running tees.

Huami’s VP last week posted the official image of the smartwatch that looks heavily inspired to the Apple Watch with a curved screen.

He also added that the Amazfit smartwatch will feature 341 PPI AMOLED screen, compared to the 326 PPI on all the Apple Watch models, and also that it will be cheaper than the Apple Watch Series 4. Though, the ECG and Fall detection features haven’t been revealed yet which can be a major features when compared to the Apple Watch Series 4.

The Amazfit Smart Sports Watch 2, last year won reddot design award 2018 and Good Design Award 2018, making it one of the popular smartwatches. Hopefully the successor can stand firm on those awards and get even more awards for it’s design.

The Amazfit Smart Sports Watch 3 will likely come with improved internals including a faster processor, Bluetooth 5.0, 5ATM (50m) water resistance, and probably a bigger battery for improved battery life.

Even before the launch of the watch there is quite a hype built around it, we should know all the details once it goes official next Tuesday.

Amazfit Verge Lite smartwatch with AMOLED display, GPS, 20-day battery life launched in India for just ₹6999/-

After the launch of Amazfit Verge smartwatch earlier this year, Huami today launched the Amazfit Verge Lite, a cheaper version in India.

The Amazfit Verge Lite has the same 1.3-inch AMOLED Screen, has several Sports Modes, including Outdoor Running, Treadmill, Walking, Outdoor Cycling, Indoor Cycling, Elliptical Trainer, Exercise and more.

It comes with a water resistant body with IP68 ratings, comes with continuous heart rate monitoring, but it doesn’t come with a microphone or a speaker, so you can’t take calls on the watch like the Verge.

It has GPS + GLONASS to precisely track your sports activities and promises up to 20 days of battery life, but it loses Wi-Fi connectivity, Gyroscope, Geomagnetic sensor and the Air pressure sensor present on the Verge.

Amazfit Verge Lite specifications

• 1.3-inch (360 x 360 pixels) AMOLED display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection
• Dust and Water Resistant (IP68)
• Bluetooth 5.0 LE, GPS+GLONASS
• Compatible with Android 4.4 devices or later, iOS 9.0 or later
• Smart Notifications (Call/Text, Calendar, Email and Other Smartphone Apps)
• Sleep Monitoring, Music Control, Silent Alarms with Customized Vibration, Event Reminder
• Detailed sports tracking: running, walking, cycling, elliptical, climbing, skiing, and more
• Optical heart rate monitor (PPG)
• Sensors: 3 Multi-axis acceleration sensor,  Ambient Light Sensor
• 390mAh battery with up to 20 days of battery life

The Amazfit Verge Lite comes in Shark Grey and Snowcap White colors with a matching silicone strap, is priced at ₹6999 and is already available from Flipkart.