The Chinese phone maker Xiaomi has collaborated with the U.S.-based toy company Hasbro to turn its Mi Pad 2 into a Transformer-like robot. Xiaomi's official Twitter page currently showcases a teaser of Soundwave, as the new product name goes.
The collaboration is a crowdfunding project meant to appeal to the Xiaomi fans. Priced at CNY 169 (approximately $26), the toy will be available in the China market starting May 13. However, there is no news of its availability in other international markets.
Soundwave looks exactly like a Mi Pad 2, with Lego-like chips forming the robotic structure and which can be attached from the tablet assembly. "R&D worked really hard to ensure that the color, details and feel are exactly the same as Mi Pad 2. They were challenged at turning such a slim [7-millimeter] tablet into a 3D robot, but they managed to do so with a 30-step folding assembly," stated Xiaomi's Hugo Barra on Facebook.
The Mi Pad 2, which was launched by the Chinese company in November 2015 with the Redmi Note 3, packs quite a punch. Available for both Android and Windows 10 variants, the device was the first Xiaomi product to run on Intel's power with the 64-bit quad-core Intel Atom x5-Z8500 processor, paired with 2 GB of LPDDR3 RAM and Intel HD GPU. The LED-flash-driven 8-megapixel front camera is accompanied by a 5-megapixel wide-angled front camera. The metallic 6,190 mAh battery provides a standby time of 648.8 hours. Launched in Dark Grey and Champagne Gold colors, the device weighs 322 grams (about 11 ounces) and is yet to be launched in India.
This Transformers special edition toy made by Xiaomi and Hasbro also marks its entry into the sixth year on April 6. Given that the project is crowd-sourced, it has surpassed its original target by 200 percent when it raised CNY 384,306 (almost $60,000) at the time of writing. Looks like the Soundwave is about to create some waves upon its launch next month.
