AC News Weekly: Top Tech Stories
Welcome to Android Central’s News Weekly, your go-to source for a concise roundup of the week’s most significant tech stories. This week, we bring you the latest updates on the tech landscape, including the launch of Nothing Phone 2a, an ex-Google employee charged with AI theft, Pixel’s March feature drop, Microsoft ending Android app support, and YouTube expanding its video editing tool.
Nothing Phone 2a: A Budget Android Phone with Sustainable Design
Earlier this week, Nothing, a tech company founded by Carl Pei, finally unveiled its highly anticipated Phone 2a. The phone aims to provide a budget-friendly option for Android users. The Phone 2a boasts impressive features such as a MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro processor, a 120Hz AMOLED display, and a dual-camera system.
What sets the Phone 2a apart is its commitment to sustainability. The device is made of 100% recycled aluminum, tin, and copper. Nothing utilized scrap material from its Nothing Ear 2 production to create this eco-friendly phone. Running on Nothing OS 2.5, based on Android 14, the Phone 2a offers three years of OS updates and four years of security updates.
The camera system of the Phone 2a includes a rear 50MP Samsung GN9 main sensor with an f/1.88 aperture, an ultrawide 50MP Samsung JN1 sensor with a 114-degree field of view, and a front-facing 32MP Sony IMX615 sensor. While Nothing aims to make the Phone 2a globally available, customers in the U.S. can only access it through the Nothing Developer Program for a fee of $349.
Ex-Google Employee Charged with Stealing AI Technology
In a shocking turn of events, an ex-Google employee was charged with stealing Google’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology and collaborating with two Chinese companies. Linwei Ding, a Chinese national, was arrested in Newark, California. Ding had been hired by Google in 2019 and was responsible for developing software deployed in Google’s supercomputing data centers.
Ding allegedly transferred sensitive Google trade secrets and other confidential information to his personal Google Cloud over a period of two years. The U.S. Department of Justice revealed that Ding uploaded more than 500 unique files containing confidential information. Following the theft, Ding was offered a chief technology officer position at a startup AI company in China and participated in investor meetings for that company.
Ding now faces four counts of federal trade secret theft, with a potential maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine for each count.
Pixel’s March Feature Drop: Enhanced Functionality for Pixel Devices
Google has released another feature drop for Pixel Watch and Pixel phones this week. Pixel users can now post 10-bit HDR videos directly on Instagram Reels and share Ultra HDR pictures on the social media platform. These features are part of the 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 U.S., will receive an upgrade to Call Screen functionality. The new update introduces a “hello” chip that users can tap while screening a call. This triggers Google Assistant, which prompts the caller to speak, helping users understand why they’re being contacted.
Additionally, the Pixel 7 series is getting a new feature called Circle to Search. Users can long-press the Pixel home button or navigation bar and circle the screen to learn more about an image, text, or video without leaving the app.
Microsoft Ends Android App Support for Windows 11
In a surprising move, Microsoft announced that it will be discontinuing Android app support for Windows 11 through its Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) in a year. Users will have until 2025 before app support completely disappears. Microsoft initially introduced native support for Android apps on Windows 11 in 2021, allowing Windows PC users to discover and download popular Android apps via the Microsoft Store and Amazon Appstore.
The company did not provide an immediate reason for this decision but expressed gratitude for the support of the developer community. Lack of support from Google and revenue considerations were cited as factors behind the cancellation.
YouTube Expands Video Editing Tool
YouTube has expanded its video editing tool, YouTube Create, to 13 additional countries. This tool was initially exclusive to eight countries but is now available in Spain, Hong Kong, Brazil, Australia, and more. YouTube Create aims to provide video creators with a user-friendly toolbox for making videos on the go.
The app offers features similar to CapCut, owned by TikTok-owner ByteDance. Creators can split and trim videos, experiment with effects, and select royalty-free music to enhance their content. The app also includes Audio Cleanup, a tool that improves the audio
