Who is Mi?

French symbolist poet Arthur Rimbaud said “I is another” – and that’s kind of how it is with the Xiaomi “Mi” brand.

According to Xiaomi: The Mi in our logo stands for “Mobile Internet”. It also has other meanings, including “Mission Impossible”, because Xiaomi faced many challenges that had seemed impossible to defy in our early days.

That’s in English.

In Chinese it’s a different story.

Xiaomi is the Chinese word for “millet” (a cereal grain). In 2011 Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun suggested there are more meanings than just the “millet and rice.” He linked the “Xiao” part to the Buddhist concept that “a single grain of rice of a Buddhist is as great as a mountain,” suggesting Xiaomi wants to work from the little things, instead of starting by striving for perfection. He also stated that he thinks the name is cute. In 2012 Lei Jun said that the name is about being able to bring innovation into a new area.

Founded in 2010, the Chinese company is now in its tenth year, and it continues to have a meteoric rise to stardom. By 2018 Xiaomi had become the world’s fourth-largest smartphone manufacturer, leading in both the largest market, China and the second-largest market, India.  

Now at Cool Stuf – Xiaomi Mi 10

The Mi 10 smartphone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor, with 128 GB and 8GB RAM. The smartphone comes with a 6.67 inches and 1080 x 2340 pixels resolution.

The screen of the device is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and comes with features such as DCI-P3, HDR10+, 90Hz, 180Hz touch-sensing, and 500 nits typ. brightness.

The rear camera consists of a 108 MP (wide) + 13 MP (ultrawide) + 2 MP (macro) + 2 MP depth sensor.

The front camera has a 20 MP (wide) sensor. The phone’s sensors include Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, and barometer.

The smartphone is fueled by a Non-removable Li-Po 4780 mAh battery + Fast battery charging 30W + Power Delivery 3.0 + Fast wireless charging 30W + Power bank/Reverse wireless charging 10W.

The phone runs on Android 10.0 + MIUI 11. The Mi 10 5G comes in different colors such as Ice Blue, Peach Gold, and Titanium Silver. It features GPS, NFC, Bluetooth, Infrared port, and USB.

Like almost all phones at Cool Stuf this is an unlocked dual-SIM device – giving you easy access to your choice of multiple networks.

Now at Cool Stuf – Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite

The smartphone is powered by the Qualcomm SDM730 Snapdragon 730G Octa-core processor, with with 128 GB and 8GB RAM. The smartphone comes with a 6.47 inches and 1080 x 2340 pixels resolution. The screen of the device is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5. Additionally, it comes with 430 nits typ. brightness + HDR10.

The rear camera consists of latest five-camera: 64 MP (wide) + 8 MP (ultrawide) + 2 MP (macro) + 5 MP (depth) while on the front there is a 16 MP (wide). The sensors integrated on the device are Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, and compass.

The smartphone is fueled by a Non-removable Li-Po 5260 mAh battery + Fast battery charging 30W. The phone runs on the Android 10.0 operating system with MIUI 11.

The Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite comes in various colors such as Midnight Black, Glacier White, and Nebula Purple. It features a 2.0, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector.

Like almost all phones at Cool Stuf this is an unlocked dual-SIM device – giving you easy access to your choice of multiple networks.

We all know what being locked-down is like, right? Losing your freedom of movement and freedom of association is not a pleasant experience.

So imagine buying a new smartphone, getting home and realising that it is locked to one network.

By owning a locked phone you have lost your freedom to associate with another network and you have lost your ability to benefit from some of the great plans that are on offer from a growing number of other networks.

What’s the difference between a locked and unlocked phone?

The difference is that a locked phone has a software code on it that prevents you from using it on another network. An unlocked phone either doesn’t have the software lock on it or someone was able to get a code that unlocks the software.

If a device is unlocked, you can pop out the SIM card and put in a different SIM and get service. Or if you are fortunate enough to have a dual-SIM phone you can run two networks at once. More about that later.

What’s the benefit of having an unlocked phone?

The biggest benefit of having an unlocked phone is that if you want to access networks, you can easily do that. All you have to do is pop in a new SIM. There’s no need to buy a new phone. This is great because it lets you shop around for the cheapest service instead of being stuck with a particular carrier.

It is also handy if you are travelling overseas (not that there’s much of that going on right now) – just pop out the home SIM and pop-in the local SIM of the country you are visiting. Handy if you are going to be stuck in quarantine for two weeks, right?

New players will bring new benefits

Mobile phone users in Papua New Guinea look ready to enjoy even more advantages of having multiple players in the market.

In July last year, Business Advantage reported that a Fiji-based company Amalgamated Telecom Holdings (ATH) has acquired a 70 per cent shareholding in the Digitec Group.

ATH is Fiji’s principal telecommunications holding company, owning 100% of Telecom Fiji and Vodafone Fiji. While their entry in to the PNG market has been most likely delayed by CV-19, ATH’s entry into the market is coming soon.

In other words, things look like getting competitive and consumers stand to win if they can take advantage of the offers available from a number of players. That is, if they have the freedom of an unlocked phone.

The advantages of a dual-SIM phone

This brings us to the hot topic of dual-SIM phones. Just about all the phones sold by Cool Stuf are dual-SIM and for good reasons.

An increasing number of Smartphone users are choosing dual-SIM as they like to keep their professional and personal contacts distinct; therefore, such phones are an ideal option for them.

Also with a dual-SIM phone you can ‘kill two birds with a single stone’ – it has an in-built feature of the device, which allows you to operate two SIM cards (two different numbers) simultaneously on the same mobile phone.

Here are the top 10 advantages of dual-SIM

Widened Network: The cumulative services of two different networks provide you ‘no coverage gaps’ and ease of traveling; hassle-free in remote locations. You also get the flexibility of two plans – and even more if you simply replace a SIM.

Ease of Carrying: You need to carry only one Smartphone; yet, make use of two or more SIM cards, thus killing two birds with one stone.

Multiple Service-providers: Take advantage of different plans offered by different networks at different times by simply switching between SIMS.

Free of Blockage: Since the dual SIM Smartphone is not locked to a particular network, you will not be required to change your SIM while traveling to other countries. You can sign up for free with any network provider of your choice. Some service providers offer free international credit that saves up to 85% of the roaming charges.

Professional v Personal Calls: You can use one SIM for your professional purpose and the other for personal use such as play and social media interaction. When an incoming call comes, you are notified whether it is professional or personal. Thus, you are mentally-prepared before answering the call.

Work v Play: The SIM earmarked for ‘work’ shows your bill for work and the other for play. If you are conscious of your budget, you can draw a limiting line between the two. You don’t need to have a calculator or a highlighter to find out what is what. Your Smartphone expenses will be more cost-effective.

Text v Data: If you get an awesome deal with different charges for calls and texts and data, you have the option of apportioning your budgeted expenses more prudently. Moreover, you can streamline your data requirement and text & calls.

Overcoming Constraints of Missing Network: As we well know in PNG, the network coverage becomes erratic and goes out of your network without any prior notice. Think of a situation when you encounter such an eventuality when you have an urgent call to make. The second SIM will take care of such an emergent situation. This probably is the greatest plus point of dual-SIM. There is a particular advantage; if you are traveling in an area where a particular SIM has poor coverage

Simultaneous Calling: You will have the least possibility of a missed call if you have a dual SIM. Even while talking on one line, you still can receive a call from the other. Instead of going to voice mail, you can hold on the first call and can answer the other that you feel it is more important.

Customizable Storage: You can store data on your dual SIM card to your exact need.

A final word for trivia buffs.

SIM is an acronym for Subscriber Identity Module.

As an owner of a smartphone, that was purchased with your hard-earned money, and as a paying subscriber to one or (hopefully) more networks then it is not he, or she, or it, or them that you belong to! 

Protect your freedom of choice, stay unlocked, stay dual and stay cool.

There are two main choices when it comes to selecting the type of printer cartridge you need – genuine or compatible / generic. Genuine cartridges are produced by manufacturer of your printer such as HP, Canon, Brother, Lexmark, Epson and so on. These genuine ink and toner cartridges are also called OEM’s (Original Equipment Manufacturer) and are usually sold at a premium price.

However, you can often find a non-genuine brand available for your make and model of printer. These are known as ‘compatible’ or ‘generic’ ink cartridges. Compatible ink cartridges are usually much cheaper than the premium priced genuine cartridges.

Printer ink cartridges are one of the costliest expenses associated with owning a printer. Depending on the type of printer you get, buying a replacement ink cartridge may cost you half of what the printer itself did. For this reason, you might find yourself gravitating toward generic ink cartridges to save money.

In an office environment the cost savings could be quite significant and reflected immediately in your company’s bottom line – and let’s face it, these days every kina counts! 

 Look for ISO Quality certification

When buying generic brands there are a couple of things to take in to account. ISO quality certification and environmental standards.

These are the two biggest concerns. Using a generic ink cartridge will NOT void your manufacturer warranty. However the only thing you have to be certain of is that the replacement part (in this case, the printer ink cartridge) was intended for your specific make and model of printer. In other words, if you install the wrong type of ink cartridge in your printer and damage it as a result, then you only have yourself to blame.

Cool Stuf recommends MIPO

With its headquarters in Hong Kong, MIPO brand offers compatible ink solutions for laser printers, copier toner cartridges, toners, and inkjet printer cartridges.

MIPO is perfectly compatible for major printer brands such as HP, Canon, Epson, Samsung, Brother, Lexmark, Ricoh, Minolta / Kyocera and so on.

MIPO’s range of printing solution products uses the best-in-class manufacturing technology, with a full set of automated production lines, selected high-quality imported materials with strict quality control.

The MIPO range of printing solution products meet international standards with both ISO 9001 and environmental certifications.

MIPO has been around 19 years now and is distributed in 160 countries globally. Their manufacturing plant is over 100,000 square meters with 10 laser printer cartridge production lines pushing out 1.2 million pieces per month with a similar output achieved by four inkjet production lines.  

Cool Stuf is proud to be an exclusive stockist of MIPO print solution products in Papua New Guinea and we are here to talk to businesses that are interested in exploring the significant cost-savings that can be made by using MIPO products instead of OEM products.

For more information please email sales@coolstuf.com.pg