The Big Android BBQ just gets bigger and bigger every year. There were tons of attendees this year, which makes for a great opportunity for phone/device companies to show off their pride n’ joy. However, compared to last year there was not as big of a phone manufactures presence this year. Last year Samsung, Oppo, OnePlus, HTC, and Huawei all made the trip. This year only Sony, HTC, Nexbit, and Oppo made it. Some reps from Huawei were in attendance, but did not have a booth. NUU Mobile also had a couple reps as well, but no booth either. Interestingly enough the companies who were at the BABBQ last year that made it this year did not have the same level of presentation.
Enough about last year, let’s talk about this year. As I mentioned things were a bit different this year with who was boasting their product the most. Here is my top 3 phone company presentations!
HTC – Coming in at #1 is by far HTC! They brought a huge tractor trailer sized VR tour attraction showing off the Vive. Outside of the tour were displays of their newest devices and plenty of em were showcased. Although I am no longer much of an HTC fan, I can’t deny that they brought the thunder this year. The attraction was fun and state of the art. This was a huge turn-a-round compared to last year. The reps showed that they could care less about being at the BBQ. They sat back in their chairs and barely interacted with people. I’m glad those guys didn’t show this year as they were a total buzz kill.
Nexbit – This was a booth I was very excited to see this year. I am a backer of the Kickstarter and can’t wait to get my device soon. The team was very enthusiastic and interactive with the crowd. Their swag wear was cool and complimented their personalities. As soon as I walked up I was greeted with fun and knowledgable reps. Best of all they had a few Robin units on hand for us to check out.
Oppo – While Oppo didn’t live up to their booth from last year, they still had a fun vibe about em. Well, not at first. The first guy we walked up to barely spoke English and had no personality at all. I’m not sure why he was there to be honest. Fortunately, their other rep was the polar opposite. She was fun, talkative, and energetic. They also had a few devices on hand to check out and hosted some cool giveaways. Oppo is pushing their new VOOC charging tech by using a Flappy Bird styled game called VOOCUS. RootJunky and I are calling it a new cuss word, because it’s one of the insanely addicting, difficult games to play. Not as bad as Flappy Bird, but still challenging nonetheless.
Part of the giveaway festivities they had us gather around and play the game, whoever got the highest score won a prize such as an Ollie toy, power banks, and stickers. The best giveaway was by random drawing that both RootJunky and I were only one spot off from winning a R7 Plus! Either way it was fun to hang out with Oppo for a little while.
The other guys – Sony…was…pathetic. Day one the dude had a table with a few phones laying down. He hardly interacted with anyone and was totally awkward. Day two he brought some signage that helped the presentation, but I don’t know what the deal was. Clearly not ready for the event.
While Huawei and NUU did not have official displays, they were still fun to hang out with. Sean from Huawei remembered me from last year and we chatted about the new Nexus 6P, etc. Great guy and it’s cool to see how far Huawei has progressed in just a year.
NUU Mobile is a new company with an emphasis on budget friendly phones. Scott and I got talk about a couple of their products, which are pretty good for being so cheap.
The Big Android BBQ is a great place to meet company reps and check out what’s coming out next. It’s fun to be able to put my hands on devices that are not yet released. This makes for one of the best parts of going to the BABBQ. Next year I hope to see more company vendors and take their presentations to the next level. It’s gonna be hard to beat HTC, but I hope everyone else accepts that challenge.
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