The XDA Crew at the Big Android BBQ

Have you ever wondered who is behind the XDA-Developers website? Here are some of the people that work to create great content for the community and keep everything running smoothly. Check out this video to see all the XDA people that attended the BBQ.

There were a few awesome booths this year at the Big Android BBQ. We took a tour of the event and checked out some of the best booths.

We had a lot of fun at the Big Android BBQ which was made possible by our sponsor UMi. Their latest phone, the UMi plus, has 4GB RAM, a 4,000mAh battery, and stock Android for $149. Click here to check it out!
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Samsung Pay to Launch in 3 New Countries, New Features Coming

Samsung Pay was able to jump ahead of the other mobile payment services in part because Samsung acquired LoopPay back in February of last year. They ended up announcing Samsung Pay the very next month, but the service wasn't launched until August. Samsung Pay was first introduced in both the United States as well as South Korea and Samsung has been working hard to get it widely adopted ever since.

The company has had an advantage over other mobile payment services because of the technology it uses. Instead of requiring the payment terminal to be upgraded for contactless payments, Samsung Pay will actually work with payment systems that only support magnetic stripes. Samsung is able to do this by transmitting the credit card data to the terminal's swipe slot using an an electromagnetic field.

Samsung has just announced that Samsung Pay will be launching in Malaysia, Russia and Thailand by the end of the year. This brings the total number of countries that Samsung Pay is available in up to 10. Similarly to the announcement that Google recently made with Android Pay, Samsung Pay has also partnered up with MasterCard to offer a simplified and fast online payment and checkout option.

In this latest announcement, Samsung also talked about three new features that will be coming to their mobile payment service in the near future. Starting in November, users of Samsung Pay will be able to find deals from retail locations that are close to them. Another feature coming in November is the ability to use Samsung Pay for in-app payments thanks to a partnership with select merchants. Samsung say this feature is coming to Velocity, Raise, Fancy, Hello Vino, Wish, Touch of Modern and promises that more will be coming too.

With the company's latest financial partners (Capital One and USAA), Samsung Pay now supports over 500 banks and credit unions that represent over 85% of the debit and credit card market in the United States.

Source: Samsung Newsroom

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HTC’s Q3 Financial Results Reveal $57 Million Loss

Since the glory days of the HTC Evo 4G, HTC has failed to make significant waves with most of their smartphone products. Even the much venerated HTC One was unable to dethrone its Samsung flagship counterpart. Continuing on that downward trend, it seems HTC is still struggling to recover from the financial issues they've been having all year. HTC has been able to slow down their continual revenue loss each quarter, but their efforts haven't been enough to actually bring a net profit to the company. Although, HTC fans and investors can still point to the fact that there is a slight upward trend in revenue each quarter when they discuss how the company is improving the business.

For the third quarter of 2016, HTC was able to bring in $700 million in overall revenue. This is good news for the company because the earnings are actually up 18% when compared to the second quarter of this year. The overall revenue for HTC in the third quarter of 2016 is also up by 4% when compared to the third quarter last year. HTC attributes this short-term success due to how well the company did in September when revenue was up 42% compared to August, and up 31% compared to last September.

Unfortunately, HTC was still unable to bring in any profits for the quarter. It's unclear exactly where all of the money is distributed, but it's possible they are investing in future technology, future designs, or simply pumping it into the company's marketing budget. We have been hearing rumors about the HTC Ocean series of phones and how HTC is attempting to innovate when it comes to how we interact with our smartphones, so it's possible that they are betting big on some unannounced project.

Still, for the third quarter of this year, HTC actually lost $63 million, which adjusts to be $57 million post-taxes. This is much better performance than we have seen from HTC in the past, but there still isn't any profit to be found. The company will either need to bring down costs somewhere, or they will need a new product that boosts sales to finally be able to take them out of the red.

Source: HTC (PDF)

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Google: A Fix for the Pixel & Pixel XL Camera Flare is Coming

At the launch event for the Google Pixel and Pixel XL, Google advertised that its camera would be the best camera currently available on any smartphone. They backed up their claim by citing a stellar early review score from DxOMark, but some people were still skeptical. As early hands-on reviews started going live from various Android and technology publications, it became obvious that Google was definitely onto something with the camera optimizations they had touted.

The camera on the Pixel phones is easily one of the best we've ever seen on a smartphone and many feel that it has finally knocked the iPhone off its throne. However, as time went on and as more people started using their phones on a daily basis, one issue repeatedly surfaced. Some users began to notice a lens flare/halo effect in some of their photos. This issue was even discussed here in our forums, and many others across the Internet who are using it have also noticed similar artifacts in their photos.

This issue was raised in Google's official product forums within the newly launched Pixel User Community Forums and a Google employee confirmed they are aware of the issue. At first, Isaac begins talking about how the flare is a property of all camera lenses, but then moves on to mention that the shape, color, amount, etc. of the flare is attributed to a large number of different parameters when it comes to the lens structure and inclement light.

However, the Googler states that the issue will be fixed due to the fact that many users find the halo effect undesirable. Isaac says they are working on some algorithms that will be able to recognize the halo/arc flare and will then subtract it from the image entirely. We're told that a software update to resolve the issue is coming "in the next few weeks," but that users will need to use HDR+ to see the benefits of the update.

In the meantime, he also states that users should not send the phone in for an RMA and that all Pixel phones will have the same flare characteristics.

Source: Pixel User Community

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Bootloader Unlock Achieved on Verizon-based Google Pixel

Back when the Google Pixel duo were still in the leak stages, there were reports that the Verizon based Pixel devices would come with their bootloaders locked, and with no way to officially unlock them in a straightforward manner. This created an important distinction between the carrier-unlocked Pixel as it was sold directly from Google, and the carrier-locked Pixel sold from Verizon, despite having virtually no differences in hardware.

In case you bought the Pixel from Verizon despite their past history with locked bootloaders, here is a bit of good news. The Firewater dev team has announced that they have managed to unlock the bootloader on the Verizon variant of the Google Pixel.

unlocking a verizon HTC, err "Google" Pixel is so easy its barely fun. @therootninja @jcase Maybe we'll release someday. Maybe. http://pic.twitter.com/elnq1kx2HP

— fire water (@firewaterdevs) October 26, 2016

Before you jump on and celebrate, do keep in mind that the dev team, known famously for their SunShine unlocks and S-Off solutions for HTC devices, has not yet released the unlock for the device. There is a "maybe" attached to their announcement, indicating that there is a possibility that this does not get released for the public at large.

There could be a few reasons why one would prefer buying the device from Verizon rather than from Google. One of the main draws for people often is the trade-in value that they receive when they hand in over their older devices, which can be as high as $200. This removes the hassle of selling a device which otherwise would not command such a high value in the second-hand market. The other reason often is staggered payment plans, but since Google is also offering the same with the Pixels in the USA, this does not stand as strongly.

The Pixel devices on Verizon do come with bloatware, but the bloatware can be disabled and uninstalled. Early reports mentioned that the Verizon based devices would have their updates routed through Verizon, though it was later clarified that both the Verizon and non-Verizon Pixels would receive updates at the same time. The locked bootloader still remains a valid concern for XDA readers, that is until the devs release their unlock solutions.

The reasons to not buy the Google Pixel from Verizon continue to shrink down. Still, I would personally avoid Verizon, just out of principle.

What are your thoughts on this development? Did you purchase your Pixel from Google, or from Verizon? Let us know in the comments below!

Source: Twitter: Firewater Devs

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BlackBerry Launches the DTEK60, Available for $499

BlackBerry is determined to remain in the smartphone market for as long as it can. In this endeavor, the company also had to take the tough decision to drop its hardware division, and concentrate solely on its security and enterprise solutions, one of their biggest USP's.

The BlackBerry DTEK60 is the second smartphone that comes out of their collaborative relationship with TCL, which is known for its Alcatel sub-branding in the Western markets. Just like the predecessor DTEK50, the DTEK60 is based off a reference design from Alcatel, and in this case, the device closely resembles the Alcatel Idol 4S. BlackBerry has upgraded a few specs off the spec sheet, making the DTEK60 a much more competitive device against the flagships of 2016.

The DTEK60 bears a metallic mid frame, sandwiched between glass on the front and back of the device. The device does have a much more premium appeal to it than its preceding DTEK device, but unfortunately, it also has a noticeably large camera hump on the back.

The DTEK60 comes with a 5.5″ QHD AMOLED display, and is powered by the still very competitive Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC. You get 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, along with the option to expand it further via a microsd card as well. The phone comes with a 3000 mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 support via the USB Type-C port. The fingeprint sensor finds space on the back of the device, and there is also a programmable button on the side. A 21MP rear shooter with 4K video recording and an 8MP front shooter complete the camera setup on the device.

The BlackBerry DTEK60 comes with Android 6.0 Marshmallow out-of-the-box, although Nougat is already planned for it. Devices from BlackBerry are amongst the best you could purchase in the Android market from a security standpoint, as the company has taken Android's security updates very seriously (something we can appreciate). The hardened security of the device works best for Enterprise users, but this also means that the devices see absolutely no third-party development. The BlackBerry Priv is yet to be rooted, so if you are looking for a phone that can be rooted, the DTEK60 should be amongst your absolute last choices.

The BlackBerry DTEK60 is available for purchase from BlackBerry's official website for $499. If you purchase the device before November 8th, BlackBerry will also drop in a Soft Shell case and a Rapid Charger as part of the deal (depending on markets).

What are your thoughts on the BlackBerry DTEK60? Let us know in the comments below!

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Xiaomi Unveils The Mi Note 2, The Mi MIX Concept Phone and Mi VR

It has been an eventful day for Xiaomi, as the company took the wraps off several products at an event in Beijing. While the Mi Note 2 is what most people were expecting out of the event, Xiaomi did surprise all by releasing their own VR headset called the Mi VR, and unveiling a "concept phone" called the Mi MIX.

Xiaomi Mi Note 2

Starting off with the Mi Note 2, the device is just about everything that the leaks built it up to be (but with a single rear camera). The Mi Note 2 builds up on the curved glass back of its predecessor Mi Note, and brings the curves onto the front sides as well by making use of a flexible OLED display. The mid-frame of the device is made of aluminum, and the back is made of glass.

When it comes to specs, the Mi Note 2 comes with a 5.7″ FHD OLED display, curved on the sides. The device is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 SoC along with the Adreno 530 GPU. The device comes in two RAM (LPDDR4) + Storage (UFS 2.0) variants: 4GB + 64GB and 6GB + 128GB. There is a third variant as well, which is called the Global 4G+ variant although its memory specs are the same as the top variant. There is no support for microsd expandability on the device, though.

For extras, the Mi Note 2 has support for Qualcomm AQSTIC on-chip decoding with support up to 192kHz/24bit decoding. There is full NFC support, Bluetooth 4.2, 3.5mm headphone jack, fingerprint sensor (integrated on the home button on the front) and an IR Blaster, among other features. The Mi Note 2 also has a USB Type-C port, and a 4,070 mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 support.

For the camera, the Mi Note 2 bears a single rear camera, with the 23MP Sony Exmor RS IMX318 sensor with an aperture of f/2.0 and support for EIS and PDAF. The front camera on the Mi Note 2 is the 8MP Sony Exmor RS IMX268 with an aperture of f/2.0.

The most interesting part about the Mi Note is the band support on the device. The device supports dual nano-SIMs, but 4G LTE is supported in the first SIM slot only. This is the first Xiaomi device with Global network support as it has support for 37 global bands, including 22 for LTE. However, although this information is not confirmed from Xiaomi, we suspect that the global band support is present on the aptly named "Global 4G+" variant only.

The Xiaomi Mi Note 2 will be available in Silver and Black colors. The Mi Note 2 will cost CNY 2,799 (~$415) for the base 4GB/64GB variant, CNY 3,299 (~$490) for the 6GB/128GB variant and CNY 3,499 (~$520) for the Global 4G+ variant.

The question then remains, when can you buy the Xiaomi Mi Note 2? The Mi Note 2 will be available from the first of November in China. Availability and pricing of the device beyond China is unknown at this stage. Since the band support on this device is rightfully suited for using around the world, we strongly suspect that this will be the first flagship smartphone that Xiaomi launches in the USA.

Mi MIX

The Mi MIX is an interesting device. Xiaomi is calling this a "concept phone", which is a very curious term to use for a device that is actually in production and scheduled to go on sale in the very near future, and that too, at a price that is not obscenely expensive.

Xiaomi is using the Mi MIX as a ground for giving consumers a taste of the innovation processes that they are undertaking. The Mi MIX is a virtually bezel-less device, with a 6.4″ edgeless FHD OLED display with an astonishing 91.3% screen-to-body ratio. The device frame and even the buttons are made of ceramic. The device also does not use any adhesives on the inside, relying on just connectors to hold everything in place.

Since the front is almost entirely dominated by the display, Xiaomi had to move around or innovate around a few parts like the front camera, the proximity sensor and the earpiece. The earpiece has been removed in favor of a Pizoelectric ceramic unit, that converts the sound into mechanical energy which the phone's metallic frame converts into sound. The infrared-based proximity sensor is replaced by an ultrasonic proximity sensor. The front camera module has been shrunk down and moved to the bottom right corner, though we doubt the practicality of the positioning.

The Mi MIX also gets rid of hardware-based keys in favor of software keys. The fingerprint scanner finds its place on the back of the device. The usual extras with Xiaomi flagships, like the IR Blaster, full NFC support, USB Type-C port and the 3.5mm headphone jack are also present on the MIX.

On the spec ends, the Xiaomi Mi MIX is no slouch either, which is what happens otherwise with niche and unique devices. The device brings the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 SoC and comes in two RAM (LPDDR4) + Storage (UFS 2.0) variants — 4GB + 128GB and 6GB + 256GB. There's a hefty 4,400 mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 support. The camera setup consists of a 16MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera.

The Mi MIX comes only in black color, and will be available for purchase in China from 4th November. The device will cost CNY 3,499 (~$520) for the base 4GB + 128GB variant, while the higher-end 6GB + 256GB variant will cost CNY 3,999 (~$590). The higher-end variant will also come with an 18k gold trim around the camera lens and fingerprint sensor. There is no word on global availability, and since this is a "concept" device, we would not be surprised if this remains restricted to China.

Mi VR

Xiaomi also made use of the event to unveil the second gen of their own VR headset. Dubbed the Mi VR, the headset builds up on the Mi VR Play by adding in a built-in dedicated motion sensor. The device also comes with a 9-axis inertial motion controller.

The Mi VR is compatible with the Mi Note 2, Mi 5s, Mi 5s Plus and the Mi 5. The device is priced at CNY 199, which comes out to be around $30.

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The Xiaomi Mi Note 2 and the Xiaomi Mi MIX were the main highlights of the event. We are particularly excited about the Mi Note 2, thanks a lot to its global band support. With LeEco already entering the US market recently, it was just a matter of time before Xiaomi rolled up its sleeves.

What are your thoughts on the new Xiaomi launches? Do you look forward to purchasing any of these devices? Let us know in the comments below!

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