In an interesting pairing of two of the world’s hottest startups, Xiaomi is partnering with Uber to help deliver phones in Singapore and Malaysia.
Xiaomi Teams Up With Uber to Deliver Smartphones in Singapore and Malaysia
Ordering a phone is as easy as calling for a ride, with the phone delivered in minutes, Xiaomi said.
Xiaomi
Customers in those countries will be able to order a Mi Note smartphone the same way they hail a ride.
“Ordering a Mi Note follows the exact same process as calling for an Uber — you simply open the Uber app, use the slider at the bottom to select ‘Xiaomi’ (which shows Xiaomi-orange colored Uber cars on the map equipped to deliver the new smartphone), and hit request,” Xiaomi international chief Hugo Barra said in a post on Facebook. “Payment will be charged directly to the credit card tied to your Uber account and a Mi Note will be delivered to you within a few minutes. Pretty cool, right?”
Xiaomi has been aggressively trying to expand beyond its home market of China, recently launching in Brazil, its first market outside Asia.
Barra also said earlier this month that the company is bulking up its patent portfolio in order to support its long-term goal of entering the U.S. market.
Uber, meanwhile, has been experimenting with delivering various types of goods through its network of drivers.
“The power of the on-demand economy is transforming the consumer experience, and we are excited to take this to another level in Southeast Asia,” Uber regional general manager Mike Brown said in a statement.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
