A few weeks back, Chinese content provider-turned phone maker LeEco got itself a bit of a rebrand. The company wanted it’s branding to signify the fact that it was beyond just a phone maker, an ‘ecosystem’, in fact.

Xiaomi are up to the same, and have announced a sub-brand in “Mi Ecosystem”. Honestly, it was about time; Xiaomi happen to be among the first Android producing companies that tapped the ecosystem market with their MIUI ecosystem.

The announcement event is actually progressing as you read this. Xiaomi are expected to announce a couple more details, so stay tuned. Post updated. See below.

MiJia: Xiaomi’s Biggest Step Towards Being a Lifestyle Company

Xiaomi have always had a profound interest in producing smart gadgets beyond just smartphones and tablets. You’ll already be aware of the kind of stuff Xiaomi produces, including a scooter, routers, luggage, water purifiers and what not.

However, this is the first time Xiaomi have actually given the cause a name — Miria, Chinese for ‘Xiaomi Smart Home’.

The idea is to club its already existing and future smart home products in a sub-brand. From the pictures Xiaomi have been sharing, it looks like you’ll soon be able to buy MiJia branded good old style notebooks and notepads.

The first product from the MiJia line though, happens to be a rice cooker. Xiaomi built this with inputs from Japanese engineer Naito Takeshi.

The cooker is smartphone controlled. Xiaomi say you can ‘use your phone to control the softness of your rice’. Fair enough.

The induction cooker is priced 999 Yuan ($153).