Xiaomi: Radio

Hakim had no use for Bluetooth. He had no songs to stream, no phone to pair. What he needed was the short crackle of a human voice.

The dust hadn't settled on the border town of Lashkar Gah, but an old man named Hakim had already dug his Xiaomi radio out from the rubble. It was a cheap, brick-like thing—a Mi Portable Bluetooth Speaker with an FM tuner, the kind you bought for twenty dollars at a bazaar. The screen was spiderwebbed with cracks, and the battery cover was held on with black tape. But when he pressed the power button, the blue light blinked. It still had life. radio xiaomi

One evening, the battery light turned red. Bilal gestured at the speaker. “It’s dying, Baba. Like everything else.” Hakim had no use for Bluetooth