It is that time of the year when seemingly everything is wonderful for Xiaomi fans and employees. No, it’s not because of the upcoming holidays (and bonuses) but because of several good news to look forward to next year are being shared publicly. Recently announced at the MIDC 2019 in Beijing, China are changes to the MIUI, the new Xiao Ai 3.0, some open-source initiatives, Mi MIX Alpha innovations, and updates on Xiaomi Finance. The Mi Developer Conference is an important event for Xiaomi.
The MIUI 11 is already made public even before the official launch. It was expected to arrive with the Mi Mix 4 which turned out to be the Mi MIX Alpha. The new MIUI is said to deliver new features and enhancements to the Mi 6 and Redmi K20 Pro.
MIUI 11’s schedule of release for Xiaomi and Redmi devices have been announced while a recent update brings app drawer to Xiaomi and Redmi phones. This week, we’re learning the new MIUI version will get an earthquake warning function. The UI has this new integration that sends alerts to phones running MIUI 11 and Mi TVs before an earthquake arrives.
An earthquake alert will be sent seconds to tens of seconds before the quake actually arrives as a warning. The feature has been ready on trial since September. Xiaomi has teamed up with the Institute of Care-life for this project. The main goal is to help prepare and warn people of natural disasters. The institute was started after the Sichuan earthquake in 2008. The group’s head shared, “Comparing with the earthquake warning alerts sent via smartphone apps available in a few countries, this function integration into the operating system saves users from having to download the apps. It also ensures a timely alert delivery by prioritizing the warning messages and reducing latency.”
When it comes to artificial intelligence, Xiaomi’s very own Xiao AI is getting an upgrade. There is Xiaomi’s Smartphone + AIoT dual-core strategy that will aim to make 5G and AIoT more common in our everyday life. The smart home will be advanced further with the help of AIoT, 5G, and even the new Xiao Ai 3.0.
The Xiao Ai voice assistant has been upgraded with a male voice option and naturally continuous dialogue. The company has been investing in AI R&D so the technologies keep on improving. More active users are being added. At the moment, there are now 49.9 million Xiao Ai users.
Other important announcements during the MIDC 2019 include the MACE-Kit being open-source soon and the Mi MIX Alpha innovations (layered lamination technology + optimized quad antenna solutions + own UI software solution). We also learned about the industrial finance innovations and investments of Xaomi that may help improve smart hardware and lifestyle product development.