"Does anyone thing that relatively new hand-held anayzer will give us at least a hint as to mineral presence?"

Yes, XRF can do that.  It's instantaneous.  However, I don't think there is any clear reporting standard on XRF readings.  I see the larger portion of explorers not sharing it, though some do if it looks good.  So, not hearing anything about XRF readings may not be meaningful.  Besides, wouldn't one want to wait to release news on the highest readings instead of the first ones encountered, which are likely low (if not ultra-low)?