Xiaomi plans major expansion in India with new factories and phones

Xiaomi, the Chinese smartphone maker that has taken the mobile market by storm in recent years, is planning a massive expansion. The company is already making incredible headway in China, where it has been able to face up against some of the largest OEMs in the world, and now it’s going to spread its wings further in yet another incredibly important emerging market: India.

The Times of India said that Xiaomi will open two new manufacturing plants in India in addition to releasing several new devices later in the year. Xiaomi is best known for its smartphones, but also makes everything from fitness bands to battery packs and more.

“We believe China will be a flat market, if not, even decline, Xiaomi’s president and co-founder Bin Lin told ET recently. “Also, people buying smartphones from e-commerce are also going to grow very rapidly, and we’re a big part of that,” he said, suggesting Xiaomi will bolster its online store in India as well.

Discussions are ongoing with Foxconn, which will reportedly operate the factories for Xiaomi. New phones coming to the market include the Mi 5 and “new product categories” later in the year, Times of India said.

SOURCE XIAOMI

Apple vs. Samsung appeal heading to Supreme Court

Apple’s drawn out legal battle with Samsung isn’t over yet. The two companies are now headed to the Supreme Court after the South Korean giant appealed the ruling, which found it guilty of copying several design patents from its Cupertino rival.

According to SCOTUSBlog, the Supreme Court hearing will focus on one specific issue. The ruling should decide how much Samsung should pay for copying an individual component of a product rather than the entire device. If the Galaxy-maker wins, Apple could be forced to return the $548 million it was previously awarded in court.

Samsung was originally ordered to pay Apple $1 billion for copying multiple iPhone design patents. The ruling has been revised several times since. Last December, Samsung formally agreed to pay while also appealing to the Supreme Court, arguing that the case could set a dangerous precedent.

It’s unclear when Apple and Samsung will present their cases to the Supreme Court. The new hearing may not reveal any new juicy details about the two companies, but it could still have huge ramifications for both tech giants and the entire industry.

SOURCE SCOTUSBLOG

Salt and Sanctuary is the 2D Dark Souls you’ve been looking for

Ska Studios makes no apologies about the inspiration behind its game, Salt and Sanctuary. In fact, it revels in it. This game is a 2D Dark Souls, and it’s proud of it. What sets it apart from the rest of those games trying to fill in this niche, though, is that it is the best at what it does.

Stumbling through the dark and atmospheric halls of Salt and Sanctuary leads to  familiar experiences found in FromSoftware’s formula: brutal boss fights against towering monsters that reveal very little about their combat patterns, hacking and slashing to the place your character died to regain his salt, and saving at shining “shrines” throughout the darkened land.

Players can also inscribe messages on the floor, leaving them behind for other players to read. I mean, come on guys!

If it wasn’t so brazen about is motivations, and if it also wasn’t half as fun as it is, Salt and Sanctuary could be dismissed as a cheap knock-off riding in someone else’s wake. However, the craft and obvious homage here don’t trump the quality, and fans of the revolutionary Dark Souls franchise should really give this one a try. I’m only an hour into the darkness, but from what I’ve seen so far, I’m here for the long haul.

Salt and Sanctuary is available now for the PlayStation 4, and a PS Vita and PC version will be released on a TBA date later this year.

source: technobuffalo