Ola, Xiaomi prank consumers with robotic wheels, smart bikes

Social media on Saturday went agog over smartphone maker Xiaomi's plans to launch a smart motorcycle and cab aggregator Ola's robotic 'Wheels' for rides within offices –only if they were not the All Fool's Day pranks!

Technology giant Google, which has pranked consumers for years with some quirky product teasers ahead of April 1, this time showcased 'Google Gnome' –a smart speaker for outdoors.

Similar to Google Home, Google's smart speaker for indoors, Gnome was also to tell the wind speed and also take control of yard tools like tiller and water hose. It was only at the end of Google Gnome's page that the company said, "Google Gnomes are real, but only in our hearts –for now. Happy April Fools'!"

Google was quicker to tell the unsuspecting consumers about the prank, while Ola and Xiaomi decided to play it along a little more by deciding to reveal later about the teasers of their so-called new products being just pranks.

Ola released a video interview of its co-founder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal to announce that it was launching 'Ola Wheels' –designed for ultra-short commute inside corporate parks and equipped with voice-based artificial intelligence.

The cab aggregator went on to announce that it was hiring voice artists for the product andwas looking for people with "soulful voice".

Xiaomi also roped in its CEO Lei Jun for a video teaser for its new 'smart motorcycle'.

The video showed Jun addressing Mi fans in India, where in he said, "We have createda very special product for our Indian Mi fans, the Mi Smart Motorcycle. Like our devices, it is of very high quality and at a great price. It is launching very soon."