[jjindev]

Convergence devices have a long history. I read in Steward Brand's 1988 book, The Media Lab, about devices that would converge, collect the functions of our small electronics. Xerox PARC was starting on ubiquitous computing and "pads, tablets, and slates" in the timeframe.

A 30 year progression has brought that old dream to hundreds of millions, who just call it a "phone."

I have a hard time seeing the long history in terms of just one brand, or even a few. The trend is much bigger.

I actually like the confusion of the Android market, but I chose a purely conforming Nexus for myself.

Still I like an ecosystem that is really that, and Xiaomi contributes to diversity, even if I don't buy one.

[Apofis]

Grabbed a Nexus 5 myself, because hey, it's pretty hard to beat for $300 and also because of it's tight integration with Google service, with which I myself am tightly integrated.

But, for my mother? She couldn't give a damn less, which is where I think a lot of these smaller manufacturer's will succeed. I actually quite like the idea of a simplified/dumbed-down Android experience that Xiaomi is offering and would seriously consider it for my mother and less tech inclined friends/relatives.