News Weekly: Nothing Phone 2a launches, Pixel March feature arrives, and more

This is Android Central’s News Weekly, your go-to source for a concise summary of the week’s most important tech news. This is where we take a look at the top headlines that showcase the latest developments contributing to the digital landscape.

This week, Nothing Phone 2a launches, a Google employee is accused of stealing AI technology, Pixel drops its March update, Windows 11 drops support for Android apps, and YouTube gets a version of the TikTok video editing tool.

Nothing, phone 2a arrives

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Earlier this week, Nothing finally dropped its new Phone 2a, aiming to be a budget Android phone. The phone comes with a MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro processor, a 120Hz AMOLED display, and a dual camera system.

Nothing Phoen 2a is made from 100% recycled aluminum, tin and copper. The company told Android Central that it used scraps from its Nothing Ear 2 production to make this phone.

The 2a phone runs on Nothing OS 2.5, which is based on Android 14 and comes with three years of OS updates and four years of security updates. The phone 2a’s camera system features a 50MP Samsung GN9 rear primary sensor with an f/1.88 aperture. There is also a 50 MP ultra-wide Samsung JN1 sensor with a 114-degree field of view. The Phone 2a features a 32MP Sony IMX615 sensor on the front.

Although Nothing wants to make its phone available worldwide, Americans can only get their hands on this phone through the Nothing Developer Program, for a fee of $349.

Former Google employee accused of AI theft

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A former Google employee was charged Wednesday (March 6) with stealing Google’s artificial intelligence technology and secretly working with two Chinese companies.

The report states that Linwei Ding, 38, is a Chinese national who was arrested in Newark, California. Ding was hired by Google in 2019 and had responsibilities that included developing software deployed in Google’s supercomputing data centers. Having access to this information, Ding allegedly began transferring sensitive Google trade secrets and other confidential information to his personal Google Cloud two years ago.

The U.S. Department of Justice said: “Ding continued periodic downloads until May 2, 2023, when Ding downloaded more than 500 unique files containing confidential information. »

Following the theft, Ding was offered a position as chief technology officer at an AI startup in China and attended investor meetings for that company. The report also claims that Ding founded and served as chief executive of a China-based startup aimed at training AI models powered by supercomputing chips.

He was charged with four counts of theft of federal trade secrets and, if convicted, Ding faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for each count. ‘charge.

Pixel features released in March

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Google is back with another feature for the Pixel Watch and Pixel phones this week. Users can now post 10-bit HDR videos directly to Instagram Reels and Ultra HDR images to the social media app. These features will be available via a feature drop for Pixel phones, including the Pixel 7 series, Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, and Pixel Fold.

The Pixel 6 series and above, including the Pixel Fold in the US, are getting an upgraded Call Screen feature. The new update introduces a “hello” chip, which users can tap while screening a call. It triggers the Google Assistant, which will then “prompt the caller to speak, helping you understand why they’re trying to reach you.”

Circle to Search is coming to the Pixel 7 series. Users can long-press the Pixel’s home button or navigation bar and circle the screen to learn more about an image, text, or video at the screen, all without leaving the application.

Additionally, several other Pixel devices benefit from Quick Pairing, Casting, and the ability to convert handwritten finger or pen annotations into a document format.

Microsoft abandons Android

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On Tuesday, March 5, Microsoft announced that it would remove support for Android apps for Windows 11 through its Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) in a year. So users have until 2025 before support for the app disappears completely.

Microsoft first introduced native support for Android apps on Windows 11 in 2021. The service allowed Windows PC users to discover popular Android apps through the Microsoft Store and download them through the Amazon Appstore. The company states that all apps and games that rely on its subsystem for Android apps will no longer work after the specified date.

The company did not immediately reveal the reason for the cancellation. However, they said: “We are grateful for the support of our developer community and remain committed to listening to feedback as we evolve our experiences. »

Finally, it was revealed that the decision was driven, of course, by revenue, as well as lack of support from Google.

YouTube expands video editing functionality

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After launching the YouTube Create app last September, YouTube is now offering its video editing tool in other markets. The streaming platform announced that YouTube Create has now expanded to 13 additional countries. The application, initially exclusive to eight countries, will now be available in Spain, Hong Kong, Brazil, Australia, and more.

YouTube Create is intended to give video creators a user-friendly toolkit for creating videos on the go. The app looks a lot like CapCut, owned by TikTok owner ByteDance. CapCut has nifty built-in creative tools and cool AR and AI filters, and YouTube is trying something similar for its Shorts.

Creators can split and trim videos, experiment with effects, and select royalty-free music to blend in with the original audio of video clips. The app also has another tool called Audio Cleanup, which attenuates background and ambient noise, thereby improving the audio quality of clips recorded on smartphone.

With this new Creator app, YouTube wants to simplify an otherwise complicated video editing process.

These are some of the biggest stories this week. In the meantime, here are a few other stories from this week worth catching up on: