Estimates Say the Mobile Payment Market is Hitting $780 Billion in 2017

According to a new report released by TrendForce, we're going to see huge growth within the mobile payment market this year. Their research says that people who own smartphones spent over $585 billion using mobile payments services in 2016. This includes Android Pay, Samsung Pay, Apple Pay and all of the other mobile payment solutions that are available. This means we could see an increase of more than 25% in this year alone.

Even though Google is pushing Android Pay pretty hard, TrendForce's research believes Samsung Pay and Apple Pay are the two who have an advantage over the current competition. They were impressed with how Android Pay entered the Japanese market though, as it has been tough for other foreign services to do. Still, they feel the advertising arm of Samsung and Apple are big enough that they will be the two to dominate the mobile payment market next year.

They did reveal some details about Google working with Sony to incorporate FeliCa into an NFC-enabled IC card though. FeliCa is an RFID smart payment solution that Sony has created, and they are a highly regarded company within Japan. The idea is that this NFC-enabled IC card will work with smartphones and could help strengthen their presence within the country. Google is also said to be working with eMoney, Visa, MasterCard, and Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, as well as other payment services and financial institutions.

TrendForce believes this year will see some much-needed security solutions for the mobile payment market. We've been seeing momentum toward the integration of different hardware technologies in encrypted chip design that has improved the security aspect of mobile payments. But they also feel that advances in encryption algorithms and multi-factor authentication methods will help to increase efficiency when verifying the user, confirming payments and securing the transfer of data.

Source: TrendForce

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Version 10 of Magisk Adds a New Way to Vendor Mirrors, and More

We've talked about Magisk here at XDA multiple times in the past, and it's been great to watch the development of this modification since it was first introduced. The goal of Magisk is to overcome the limitations of systemless mods for the Android platform. By creating a universal systemless interface, this enables developers and users to apply software mods in a way that doesn't interfere with the system partition.

Version 9 of Magisk was released just last month, and it came with a number of new changes like removing the interface for post-fs modules, re-writing the certain features, and preparing itself for MultiROM support. MultiROM support is still a work in progress, but you can watch a proof of concept video for that feature right here. This version 10 update comes with a new way to mount system (vendor) mirrors, a universal way of dealing with /vendor, and the ability to add anything to any place. Magic Mount will now use symlinks to mirroring back (if possible), which reduces bind mounts for adding files. It will also check init namespace and zygote namespace in an attempt to prevent Magic Mount from breakage. Magisk Hide will now send SIGSTOP to pause a target process ASAP so that it will cause a crash less if the unmounting was too late. And hiding should also work under any conditions now, even when adding libs and /system root.

Yesterday, we saw a quick 10.2 update released that adds a few new changes to Magisk as well. The changelog mentions removing apps/priv-app from whitelist as a fix for crashes, it comes with a fix for the phh binary being out-of-date. And it fixes a bug that caused root to disappear when upgrading within Magisk Manager. You can find the full changelog for these two updates listed below. . .

v10.2

• [Magic Mount] Remove apps/priv-app from whitelist, should fix all crashes
• [phh] Fix binary out-of-date issue
• [scripts] Fix root disappear issue when upgrading within Magisk Manager

v10

• [Magic Mount] Use a new way to mount system (vendor) mirrors
• [Magic Mount] Use universal way to deal with /vendor, handle both separate partition or not
• [Magic Mount] Adding anything to any place is now officially supported (including /system root and /vendor root)
• [Magic Mount] Use symlinks for mirroring back if possible, reduce bind mounts for adding files
• [Magisk Hide] Check init namespace, zygote namespace to prevent Magic Mount breakage (a.k.a root loss)
• [Magisk Hide] Send SIGSTOP to pause target process ASAP to prevent crashing if unmounting too late
• [Magisk Hide] Hiding should work under any conditions, including adding libs and /system root etc.
• [phh] Root the device if no proper root detected
• [phh] Move /sbin to /sbin_orig and link back, fix Samsung no-suid issue
• [scripts] Improve SuperSU integration, now uses sukernel to patch ramdisk, support SuperSU built in ramdisk restore
• [template] Add PROPFILE option to load system.prop

Source: XDA Forum

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Unofficial Build of CM13 is Now Available for the Galaxy View (SM-T670)

The development forum for the Galaxy View has been bare since the product was released, but XDA Recognized Contributor deadman96385 has recently released unofficial builds of both TWRP, as well as CyanogenMod 13, for the huge 18.4″ Android tablet.

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CES 2017: Honor Launches the Affordable Dual-Camera Honor 6X in the US and Europe — XDA and Honor Collaborating to Seed Development

The mid-range smartphone market does not get as much media attention as the flagships usually do, and the issue has been compounded by the advent of affordable flagships — devices that are flagship-like but are priced cheaper, approaching the mid-end price bracket.

But even with affordable flagships in the picture, users with tighter budget constraints often find themselves in a fix as options in limited budget scenarios leave a lot to be desired.

Huawei's Honor sub-brand targets this audience with a lot of zest. The Honor 5X was crowned the Vanguard of the Mid-Range Segment when it was released, offering high value for the price it commanded upon launch. The successor to the Honor 5X, the Honor 6X, seems inline to deliver a similar package: high value at a low price. The device was launched in October in China, so we already knew what to expect in terms of specs.

honor 5X XDA Review: The Current Vanguard of the Mid-Range Segment

For a quick recap of the specs and build, the Honor 6X uses a metallic body, much like the Honor 5X. There's a 5.5-inch FHD LCD display on the front, with the "Honor" branding on the bottom chin. On the inside, you get an octa-core Kirin 655 SoC based on a 16nm process, with 4x cores at 2.1GHz and 4x cores at 1.7GHz, along with the Mali T830-MP2 GPU. The phone comes in three RAM + storage configurations: 3GB+32GB, 4GB+32GB and 4GB+64GB. There is microSD card support thanks to the hybrid dual SIM slot. The phone is powered by a 3,340 mAh battery with 5V/2A charging, and runs on EMUI 4.1 based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The device comes in three colors — gold, silver and gray.

The most advertised feature of the device is the dual-lens rear camera setup. It enables the Honor 6X to offer a wide aperture range (f/0.95 – f/16) and allows for good-looking bokeh shots, as seen on the Honor 8. The main camera provides images at 12MP resolution, while the secondary 2MP camera captures depth of field information. The wide aperture and the 1.25um pixel size aid in low light imagery as well. On the software side, EMUI adds in a few features like monochrome images with a color dash to provide wider use-cases for the camera.

Now, Honor has launched the Honor 6X in the US and European regions. Starting from January 4, the Honor 6X will be available for pre-order in the US for a price of $249.99 for the 3GB RAM variant. Sales of the device go live on January 15 in the US.

In other markets, like the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Russia and more, the device goes on sale on January 4 for a price of €249.

The 4GB RAM variant of the device will be up for sale in Q1 2017 in select markets. Expected price of the 4GB RAM variant is $299.99 / €299.

The Honor 6X focuses on our obsession with capturing great images, and provides a fulfilling mass-consumer oriented package at a price that many would find agreeable. Can it actually live up to its promises? Stay tuned for our in-depth and objective Honor 6X review written by Mario Serrafero.

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Seeding Development for the Honor 6X

As a separate announcement, we want to let users know that Honor has provided XDA with many Honor 6X units which we will be distributing to key developers in order to kickstart development for the device. We will also be gathering feedback regarding development and giving away several Honor 6X units in the following weeks, so stay tuned for our upcoming giveaways. For more information about Honor devices and discussion with fellow XDA members, visit the Honor 6X forums and the Honor Hub. Also, the Honor 6X's forums will be part of our Community Incentive Program, through which frequent contributors to the Honor forums receive swag and free hardware among other goodies.

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What are your thoughts on the Honor 6X? Let us know in the comments below!

>>> Check out XDA's Honor 6X Forums!

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We Are Hiring! Do You Have What it Takes?

Are you looking for a rewarding job, working with a great team of like-minded individuals? Want to work flexible hours from the comfort of your own home?

Then consider a career in journalism with xda-developers! We are looking for News Writers and Content Creators to expand our portal team — 2016 saw an incredible leap forward with the quality of original content we were able to deliver, and we hope to improve further in 2017.

As a part of our News and Editorial team you will be expected to:

• Report on events and news as they are happening
• Research new technologies to write thorough editorial or analytical content
• Attend product launches and other events around the world
• Analyse and review new devices
• Represent the company at developer conferences or conventions
• Any other relevant duties that may be required of you

You must:

• Be able to read and write in English
• Have a passion for writing or mobile technology
• Know your way around Android
• Have an analytical mind

Bugs:

• You tell me!

To apply for a position, fill in the form below. If you have any questions about the position, feel free to ask them in the comments below and one of our Portal writers will reply. Feel free to link to some of your work in the application if you feel the sample field is limiting.

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Xiaomi Releases Kernel Sources for Redmi 3S/Prime/X

Xiaomi, an OEM not exactly revered for their GPL compliance, has now released the kernel sources for the Redmi 3S, Prime and X on GitHub. The company has been known in the past for being lax when it comes to the timely release of source code under GPLv2, which is a common occurrence among various OEMs.

While releasing the kernel source is required to be compliant, many companies fail to do so for a significant amount of time after the launch of a device, as seen in this case where it has taken them half a year to meet the requirements. Some companies do not release the source at all,  such as Micromax. In early 2015, Mario wrote about Xiaomi and their repeated infringement of the license after Xiaomi's Vice President Hugo Barra stated that they had to withhold sources in order to keep future devices secret, and just a few months later they began the process by starting to launch their Kernel sources. Xiaomi isn't alone in this, and even bigger, Westernized OEMs like Motorola found themselves under criticism for failing to comply with the GPL.

Pulser_G2 has previously written about releasing Kernel source and GPLv2 compliance on several occasions when OEMs have failed to provide kernel source and even wrote an article explaining XDA's stance on the GPLv2 where he reminded developers that:

"The GPL is a legally enforceable license agreement, and while it offers users freedoms to copy and redistribute code, that permission is conditional upon all changes which are released being made publicly available. If you require further advice on this matter, we suggest you review the license itself or consult a lawyer."

View the Kernel Source on Github Additional Reading:

Xiaomi Finally Release Kernel sources
GPLv2 and Its Infringement by Xiaomi
OEMs and GPL Compliance
xda-developers and the GPL

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ASUS ZenFone AR is a New Project Tango and Daydream-Ready Phone Running on a Snapdragon 821

While much of CES hasn't formally kicked off yet, we are seeing a bunch of new leaks and details emerging in preparation for one of the world's most renowned consumer electronics shows. We expect a lot of mobile technology announcements to arrive, but now we are hearing early details of what looks to be an ambitious new smartphone by ASUS.

The ZenFone AR is a Snapdragon 821-powered smartphone being announced by ASUS at CES, presumably on January 4th during the company's Press Event. We know this due to an accidental early post made on Qualcomm's website (it has since been taken down, but you can find an archive here) as well as images by @evleaks. The blog post gave us very few details regarding the ZenFone AR's specs, but we know that it'll be packing a Snapdragon 821 and that it earned its "AR" moniker by being the second Project Tango-enabled consumer product. Unlike the Lenovo PHAB2 Pro from June, however, this marks the first Tango device running a flagship processor. All of the Tango-related processing is done on this chipset, taking advantage of the Adreno 530 GPU, fast sensor processing and sensor data time stamping, and leveraging the Hexagon 680 DSP as well as the All-Ways-Aware sensor hub.

ASUS ZenFone AR (2nd Google Tango phone) http://pic.twitter.com/ctKQ9IKfeC

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) 2 January 2017

If Project Tango isn't exciting enough, it's also worth noting that this will be the world's first Tango-enabled phone that's also Daydream-ready, meaning the ZenFone AR can be a great VR smartphone as well. This makes the phone a powerhouse for people looking to get into these emerging technologies, and it has support for all of Google's VR apps as well as third party VR services like Netflix and Hulu. Other than these details, we don't know much else about the ZenFone AR yet — we presume it'll have a 1440p panel to match the premium processing package and make the best of its AR and VR capabilities, but in order to know the full specification sheet and price we'll have to wait for a proper announcement or more leaks.

We'll keep you updated on the ZenFone AR as more details emerge. Stay tuned for more coverage of all things CES 2017 including original and on-ground coverage !

Source: Qualcomm (Archived)

Via: 9 to 5 Google

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