Xiaomi is selling smartphones by the bucket load. Photo: Xiaomi

Call it a ripoff artist that rides on Apple’s coattails if you want, but Xiaomi continues to go from strength to strength in its position as the world’s third-largest phone manufacturer.

Having recently announced a new valuation of $46 billion — making it the most valuable tech startup in existence — China-based smartphone maker Xiaomi Technology recently announced that its sales revenue leaped up by more than 100 percent in 2014, as the company sold a massive 61.1 million smartphones to customers.

Love it or hate it, those are some pretty big numbers!

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You know that feeling when your 5-year old kid drives a better car than you? That may be set to become a reality thanks to Henes, which recently revealed its Broon F8 child-sized electric supercar — boasting state-of-the-art design, adjustable driving modes and, oh yes, a 7-inch Android tablet in-dash infotainment system.

Not only can the tablet be used for controlling headlamps, alerting the driver of potential faults, and switching between manual and auto braking modes, but it’s also possible to switch the car over to a Bluetooth-based remote control — letting mom or dad pilot it around, while your kid uses the screen to watch movies or play around with the car’s sound system.

Samsung’s speakers take advantage of its “Ring Radiator” tech. Photo: Samsung

Samsung has taken a bit of a beating as of late, thanks to the decline of its mobile division, but that doesn’t stop us from noticing that these new pill-shaped speakers from being absolutely gorgeous.

Scheduled to be properly unveiled at CES 2015 in Las Vegas, the speakers are designed to project sound in a 360-degree radius, using Samsung’s proprietary “Ring Radiator” technology.

There are two speakers set to be introduced in the range: a larger model called the WA7500, which is described as a “stand type” and the lantern-style WA6500, which features a built-in battery and is more easily movable. Both speakers are wireless, utilizing Bluetooth technology.

We’ll have full details when we get a closer look at CES (along with the other gadgets on display at the much-anticipated tech show), but for now this is a great sneak peak at a line of speakers that is already filling us with envy. Check out more images after the jump:

Xiaomi the money! Photo: Xiaomi

Xiaomi is known for “borrowing” many aspects of Apple’s identity, and here’s one more to add to the list: its sky high valuation.

Having just announced the raising of an extra $1.1 billion in funding, Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi announced on Monday that it is now valued at a whopping $46 billion — making it worth more than any other tech startup.

“This round of funding is an affirmation of Xiaomi’s achievements in more than four years of business and a prelude to a new stage of development,” founder Lei Jun wrote on Monday.

It’s not over until the fat lady Samsings. Photo: Najeeb Khan

While Apple Stores go from strength to strength, the so-called Samsung Experience Stores sadly aren’t faring so well.

Would-be shoppers at Samsung’s flagship store in London, England, were today greeted by a message telling them about the permanent closure of the outlet.

The store was located in the Westfield Stratford shopping center, and followed an Apple-inspired layout, with an open plan design, staff in blue shirts, and plenty of space to try out new Samsung products — many of which arrived there first, before going on general release.