Xiaomi's wide range of partnerships is almost impossible to keep track of. Even nowadays, there are manufacturing names - among the partners - that neither we nor the majority of the world press have ever met. The manufacturer of the subject of my presentation today is just such a partner.
A little origin story
Beijing Mad King Technology Co., Ltd. was officially established in 2015. In July this year, it became the Xiaomi ecosystem member of. The company's portfolio includes the development of panoramic images and related hardware and software, and the management of production technology. The company's goal is to make panoramic images part of our everyday lives, to capture our experiences easily and conveniently from a unique perspective. Of course, they also make it as easy and quick as possible to share them once they have been captured, so that we can start using this new technology with minimal training. Development of the company's first usable product began earlier this year, with plans being finalised in February 2017. By April, the prototype was being tested in several locations around the world.
The test locations are North America, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Russia, the Middle East and other regions.
The image processing centre created by the team also includes post-doctoral developers, or experts from Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics from various fields. They have also worked on the software algorithm with people from Sony, Tencent/Huawei, Nokia, Daheng Image, Ferrari and other companies from various fields including image processing, electronics, industrial design and manufacturing. The resulting database and software is used by several manufacturers, including Huawei, for its own products.
The leaks gave 28 December as the date of the announcement. This proved to be true, at 8am Hungarian time, the announcement was made and the information was available. The Xiaomi marketing machine is brilliant. Every time it is a real puzzle what they will unveil in a day's time. I posted the promo to the members of the group, and several ideas came up. Most people guessed some kind of smart ring, but there were also some good guesses. We didn't have to wait long, the next day the curtain came down.
Let's see what this tiny 360-degree camera can do:
Specifications of the 360-degree camera
Compatibility: Android 6.0 or higher
Type: MADV Mini
Brightness: F1.8
Maximum resolution: 5376 x 2688 (5k)
Image compression: JPEG
Video resolution: 1920 x 960 / 1280 x 640
Video format: MP4
Frame rate: 30fps
Dimensions: 42.5 x 35.5 x 25.2 mm
Weight: 22g
Connectivity: USB Type-C
Operating temperature: 0-40 degrees Celsius
Storage temperature: -20 ~ 60 degrees Celsius
Humidity: max 90%
In summary
A great little accessory for those who like Xiaomi quality and products. Thanks to the bright lenses, you're guaranteed to get better results than what some Chinese brands offer integrated into the phone, or what the noname crap promises in Chinese webshops.
Google StreetView compatible, so you can even help update street images or take 360° videos of your own private property.
This is not the first tiny panoramic camera on the market. Among others, the Huawei CV60 is its main rival. However, Xiaomi always knows how to play smart with pricing, so the small MADV Mini is cheaper compared to the gross price of 39.900 Ft seen on one of Huawei's official Hungarian contacts. It can even remain cheaper if it is distributed domestically and the relevant charges are added on. Including the price difference, Hungarian web shops can easily sell the camera for under 32.990 Ft. For those who would rather buy it from abroad, there is a good chance ($61) 16-17e Ft-you can get it for.
The sales start date is set for 25 January 2018, but there may be over-demand, which could push back the purchase deadline by weeks.
You can ask your questions below the article or in the comments on our Facebook page.
If you've used a similar device or the Huawei product mentioned above, please share your experiences with us. One of our dear readers has indicated that the MADV Mini App is compatible with the Huawei product, so if you like it better, you might as well try it with another similar device.
