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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Google is Reportedly Working on a AR & VR Hybrid Headset

We have seen multiple reports about Google working on a standalone VR headset for a while now. However, in July of this year we also saw a report that claimed the company has cancelled its plans for a standalone unit. As with most reports and rumors, they should never be taken as fact since they likely do not have all of the information.

So it shouldn't come as a surprise that Google have decided to pivot from their previous VR headset plans to something a little different.

The latest report about this mysterious device is that it will incorporate eye tracking from the user. For a regular VR headset, eye tracking could be used as an additional interaction method (instead of controllers), but it's easy to see how software and games could use this data in their products too. On the same day that this report was published, we also saw an announcement about Google acquiring Eyefluence, a company that worked on eye-interaction software.

So with this report about Google's vision for a standalone VR headset, it's easy to see why they would be interested in a company like Eyefluence. The report goes even further though and talks about how this VR headset will "map out the real-world space in front of a user." This should sound familiar as this is what Google's Tango project can do. Instead of just a typical AR headset though, the report cites a source who describes it as "bringing the world into VR."

We are likely a long way from finding out exactly what Google's vision for this headset really is. It's been known that Google feels AR, not VR, will be more successful in the long run. They might feel this way because of the work they've already been doing with Tango, or they might have a different vision of how AR or "mixed reality" can be used in our everyday lives.

Source: Engadget

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[Winner Announced + Coupon Code] Win a Pixel XL from XDA and RhinoShield

We recently held a contest to giveaway a new Pixel XL thanks to our friends at RhinoShield. Their CrashGuard bumper case has some impressive engineering behind it to give your device tremendous drop protection, while staying super minimal since it does not cover the back of your phone like a traditional case. You can read more about the honeycomb structure that contains pockets of pressurized air as well as its custom-formulated polymer makeup in our CrashGuard explainer post. But without further delay, we wanted to announce the winner of the Pixel XL: Kyle Gospodnetich. He has already been contacted.

For everyone else, RhinoShield has provided a 15%-off coupon code to be used on their website for any of their awesome products. The code is "XDAFTW" and it is valid until November 10, 2016.

In the coming days, we're going to be putting CrashGuard to the test with some pretty abusive drop tests with a Pixel XL. Stay tuned.

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Neko Collector Brings Android 7.0’s Easter Egg to Android 4.0+ Devices

Want to try out the Android 7.0 mini-game easter egg, but don't have Nougat yet? Check out the open source Neko Collector app, which brings the mini-game experience to all Android 4.0+ devices!

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Unofficial CyanogenMod 14 Lands on Moto X 2013

If you're looking to run Android 7.0 on your original Moto X (that came with Android 4.2), XDA Senior Member Megatron007 has brought CM14 to the device. The bug list is pretty small, so check it out!

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New Rowhammer Exploits use Hardware Vulnerabilities to Root LG, Samsung, and Motorola Devices

Google is constantly at war with hackers seeking to maliciously exploit security vulnerabilities in their products. Back in the middle of 2014, Google assembled a team of security analysts called 'Project Zero' to report zero-day exploits to the company so they can be patched before any nefarious third-party can take advantage of the undisclosed security hole. One such vulnerability, dubbed the 'Rowhammer' exploits, involves repeatedly accessing a row of memory to cause 'bit-flips' in adjacent rows of memory. This exploit occurs in some DRAM devices and can be used to gain read-write privileges to all of physical memory even within a user-space process.

Researchers from Carnegie Mellon and Intel Labs disclosed this bit-flip exploit in certain DRAM devices manufactured in 2012-2013. At the time, however, the researchers believed that Rowhammer was not readily exploitable due to it relying on "chance hardware faults" that were mostly repelled by adapting some advanced memory-management features. But in March of 2015, Google's Project Zero discussed possible methods of exploiting this DRAM vulnerability to gain kernel privileges, however they were unsure to what extent this vulnerability could be used on other machines or operating systems. It now appears that various Android devices from LG, Samsung, and Motorola are exploitable via a new proof-of-concept attack named 'Drammer.' The new attack demonstrates a reliable method of attaining root access from a user-space app without any permissions.

One of the security researchers responsible for the proof-of-concept, Victor van der Veen, states there isn't a "quick software update" that can protect users from these types of attacks. While the attack is not completely consistent on all of the tested devices, the success rate of the exploit is still alarming. So far, the researchers have stated they were able to root the Nexus 4, Nexus 5, LG G4, 2013 Moto G, 2014 Moto G, Galaxy S4, Galaxy S5, and the OnePlus One. To give you an idea of the exploit's consistency, the team states they were able to break into 12 out of 15 Nexus 5 smartphones that they tested. On the other hand, the team was able to successfully exploit only one out of two Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphones they could test.

The team has already disclosed the exploit to Google back in July of this year and were awarded $4,000 for their efforts. Since then, Google has been working on patching this critical vulnerability and informing Android OEMs on how to patch their devices. An update to patch this exploit is said to be included in the upcoming November security update. For those of you who have devices that will not be receiving the November security update, the researchers state that they will be publishing an application in the Play Store so you can test to see if your device is vulnerable.

The team has even uploaded a video to YouTube to demonstrate the hack happening on a Nexus 5 running Android 6.0.1 with the latest October security patches.

Source: Ars Technica

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Huawei Mate 9 Pro Rumored to Sport 4X Optical Zoom & Cost up to $1,300 (For Specced-out Variant)

We've known for a while that Huawei is preparing to launch their flagship for the year, and that it will be called the Huawei Mate 9. We recently talked about how this is the perfect time for the company to introduce the smartphone to the market because of the issue Samsung has been having with the Galaxy Note 7. Huawei has already been taking some of Samsung's smartphone market share in China, and this launch will likely take more from them.

A couple of weeks ago Evan Blass leaked some small press renders that claimed to show the front of Huawei's upcoming smartphone. We didn't get to see much detail here since they were so small, but we did learn that Huawei was planning to launch two different variants of the device. The rumor indicated that they would be going the flat/curved route that Samsung has been doing with the Galaxy S series for a couple of years.

This weekend though, we learned some additional information about the Pro (curved) variant of the Huawei Mate 9. If the rumors are true, the Huawei Mate 9 Pro will have a 5.9″ 1440p display, Kirin 960 SoC, 4GB of RAM, storage ranging from 64GB to 256GB, Android 7.0 installed out of the box, it'll be Daydream VR ready, and a similar rear camera setup to what we saw earlier this year with the Huawei P9 (with improved sensors).

Later that day, Evan tweeted out some additional information about what his sources are telling him for this variant. He says the Mate 9/Pro will feature a 4X optical zoom thanks to its rear-facing camera setup. Not only that, but we're told the most expensive version of the Mate 9 Pro will be priced at $1,300. We saw a lot of complaints about how much Samsung decided to charge for the Galaxy Note 7, and saw more complaints about how much Google is charging for the Pixel and Pixel XL. So we ask you:

Do you think $1,300 is too much to pay for a smartphone that has 256GB of internal storage, top internals and a 4X optical zoom rear camera setup?

Source: VentureBeat

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