Xiaomi launches Redmi 2 with LTE, Snapdragon 410 CPU, improved 2MP front camera; goes on sale in China Jan. 9 for about $112  —  Xiaomi Announces Redmi 2 Smartphone Packing LTE, A 64-Bit Snapdragon, And More  —  Xiaomi doesn't have much of a presence in the US, but it's one of the most prominent smartphone makers in Asia.

Withings launches Activité Pop, a $150 version of its $450 fitness-tracking wristwatch  —  The Withings Activité Pop is a cheaper brand of beautiful fitness-tracking wristwatch  —  It's not Swiss Made, but it's not $450 either  —  The Withings Activité is a watch.

Netflix Cracks Down on VPN and Proxy “Pirates”  —  Due to complicated licensing agreements Netflix is only available in a few dozen countries, all of which have a different content library.  —  Some people bypass these content and access restrictions by using VPNs or other circumvention tools that change their geographical location.

Seagate debuts 7mm thin, 500GB HD for $100; 500GB wireless drive for $130; and 3-5TB Personal Cloud drives  —  Seagate outs a fleet of cloud, wireless and super-thin hard drives  —  If getting your digital life better organized is tops on your list of New Year's resolutions, Seagate has a trio of options that cover all the bases.

Benefits of selling software outside the Mac App Store: lower fees, bundles, getting customers' contact information  —  The Benefits of Selling Software outside the Mac App Store  —  When you get swept along in the shininess of the App Store it's easy to forget that you no longer know who your customers are.

Roku TV to support 4K content, starting with Netflix and a TV set from TCL; Insignia and Haier to offer Roku TV on select models  —  Roku to stream 4K Ultra HD Netflix on future models  —  CES is a prime occasion for all parts of the TV industry to promote the slow but inevitable march …

At Facebook, Google, and Yahoo minorities are underrepresented in non-technical jobs such as sales and administration  —  Few minorities in non-tech jobs in Silicon Valley, USA TODAY finds  —  SAN FRANCISCO — In 2014, leading technology companies released data showing they vastly underemploy African Americans and Hispanics.

Belkin expands its WeMo line of connected devices with door, window, keychain, alarm, and motion sensors; coming second half of 2015  —  Belkin expands WeMo line with four new sensors  —  Belkin has added a variety of sensors to its popular WeMo line of connected home products …

Acer announces first 15-inch Chromebook with Core i3 processor, 1080p display  —  To kick off CES 2015, Acer has announced its first ever 15-inch Chromebook.  The 15.6-inch screen makes it the biggest Chromebook released to date, but keeping trend with other Chromebooks on the market, the device is still affordable, starting at $250.

What to expect at CES 2015: wearables, Intel Broadwell devices, retail-ready VR headsets, more  —  Here's what to expect from CES 2015  —  The future will be wearable, autonomous, and always connected  —  With 2014 now firmly in the rearview mirror, the tech industry is gearing …