Quick Shots-166

MediaTek confirms the Dimensity 9000 will debut in the OPPO Find X5 series

MediaTek’s first foray into a proper flagship chipset in years comes in the form of the MediaTek Dimensity 9000. It’s a 4nm chipset manufactured by TSMC and packs a serious punch, featuring’s Arm’s most powerful Cortex-X2 core, an 18-bit image signal processor, Bluetooth 5.3 support, and much more. While we hadn’t heard what devices would run it yet, it’s now been confirmed that the Dimensity 9000 will debut in the OPPO Find X5 series.

From XDA

Here are some details about the upcoming Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro

Today we got the first details about Google’s upcoming Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro phones, which, if the company sticks to its usual shenanigans, should only become official in October. And yet, here we are in February with some bits and pieces of the puzzle already in view. How neat is that?

Anyway, according to a new report, the Pixel 7 duo will use a second-gen Tensor chipset with a Samsung-made Exynos Modem 5300 for connectivity purposes.

The codenames for the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are reportedly Cheetah and Panther, which is interesting because up until before the Pixel 6 generation Google’s only used codenames related to fish or other sea life. Then the 6 and 6 Pro were Oriole and Raven, and apparently the avian nomenclature continues with the yet-unannounced Pixel 6a which is allegedly codenamed Bluejay. And then we’re onto feline themes, it seems.

So it looks like Google is now changing its codename scheme for Pixels with each generation – until it runs out of animals, presumably. That might take a while, however.

The last bit of info that got out today has to do with a third Pixel codename attached to the Exynos Modem 5300, which is Ravenclaw. Now this may be a Hogwarts reference and nothing more, or things could be more interesting.

Last year when the first Tensor was under development Google tested it internally by replacing the Snapdragon 765 in some Pixel 5 units with the Tensor. These models were then codenamed Whitefin – a mashup including “white” from “Whitechapel”, the Tensor project’s codename, and “fin” for “Redfin” – the Pixel 5’s codename.

Similarly, the speculation goes, maybe “Raven” in “Ravenclaw” refers to the Pixel 6 Pro and “claw” is just a feline reference, in which case this would be a Pixel 6 Pro device with Pixel 7 innards, created for testing purposes.

Of course there’s plenty of time left before the Pixel 7 generation officially launches, and for things like these to thus get confirmed by further rumors and information. Or not.

From Gsmarena

Qualcomm rumored to be adding AV1 support with next flagship Snapdragon chip

Google is a big proponent of the open AV1 video codec, especially on the YouTube and streaming device front. On Android, Qualcomm is a notable holdout and has so far not supported AV1 on its Snapdragon chips, but that might be changing this year.

Protocol, in its Entertainment newsletter, shared today that Qualcomm is “planning to add support for AV1 to its upcoming flagship Snapdragon mobile processor.” The publication is specifically referring to the Adreno GPU of the “SM8550,” with today’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 being the SM8450. 

This chip was presumably called the Gen 2, per Qualcomm’s new naming strategy, and should follow the same end of year announcement for early 2023 adoption. Android’s main chipmaker has long been a holdout, and today only supports the following: 

Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10, HLG, H.264 (AVC), H.265 (HEVC), VP8, VP9

Samsung added support for AV1 decoding with the Exynos 2100 in 2021 and continued this year. The company cited its inclusion in the Exynos 2200 as allowing for longer playback time. 

Qualcomm previously cited long (two to three years) product roadmaps, and made its addition sound like an inevitability. Meanwhile, AV1 features a royalty-free licensing model that’s attractive to companies. Besides YouTube, Netflix is adopting the codec for higher quality streaming at reduced bandwidth.

From 9to5Google

What Are P-Cores and E-Cores on an Intel CPU?

There are many benefits to having this hybrid architecture approach in a CPU. Laptop users are going to benefit the most since the majority of daily tasks are not performance intensive. If all you need is the power of your E-cores, you’ll enjoy a cooler and quieter computer with longer battery life.

When you’ve got your laptop plugged into the wall or if you’re using a desktop computer, those E-cores are still important. Let’s say you’re playing a video game that needs all the CPU power you can throw at it. The game can have full access to all performance cores, while your E-cores take care of background processes and applications such as Slack, Skype, downloads, etc.

In the future, intensive applications that are written with hybrid CPUs in mind may even spawn threads that are assigned to both kinds of cores depending on their demands. E-cores are simpler and less expensive to produce, so using them to augment and free up cutting-edge performance cores is a smart idea.

In the case of Alder Lake CPUs at least, the P- and E- cores have been designed in such a way that they don’t interfere with each other so each can do their jobs independently.

Unfortunately, this radical shift in x86 CPU architecture isn’t happening without some teething troubles.

From Howtogeek

Pixel 6 fingerprint sensor might stop working if you replace the screen

Rossmann Repair Group owner Louis Rossmann addressed the Pixel 6 display repair issue in a video. He looked at the various complaints from Pixel 6 owners who have had to replace their phone’s display.

The repair activist cited numerous posts from threads where Pixel 6 owners complained about running into a specific software issue that makes it impossible to operate the Pixel 6 fingerprint sensor after a screen replacement.

Google has a tool that repair shops can use to calibrate the fingerprint sensor during a screen replacement. But it looks like many have run into issues using it. The calibration tool is failing, and Google has yet to come up with a fix. Pixel 6 owners encountered the issue all the way back in November, but there are still reports of problems with the fingerprint sensor after repairs.

Google is apparently aware of the problem, and a fix might be in the works. Until then, you should take extra care of your Pixel 6. Damaging the screen might lead to losing access to the fingerprint sensor, at least until Google manages to fix the issues with the calibration software.

From BGR

Microsoft confirms minimum specs for running Android apps on Windows 11

Earlier this week, Microsoft launched the ability to run Android apps on Windows 11 computers. Now the company has revealed the official minimum specs for your Windows 11 PC to run Android apps and the Amazon Appstore.

Similar to how Windows 10 added the Windows Subsystem for Linux, which opens PCs to the world of Linux-specific applications, Windows 11 now has full access to over 1,000 apps made for Android. As you may expect though, not every computer that can run Windows 11 is also capable of having Android apps.

To that end, as spotted by Windows Latest, Microsoft has shared a new support page detailing exactly what specs your PC will need to have in order to use Android apps.

Minimum specs for Android on Windows 11

• RAM
  • Minimum: 8 GB
  • Recommended: 16 GB
• Storage
  • Solid State Drive (SSD)
• Processor
  • Intel Core i3 8th Gen (minimum) or above
  • AMD Ryzen 3000 (minimum) or above
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c (minimum) or above
• Processor architecture
  • x64 or ARM64
• Virtual Machine Platform
  • This setting needs to be enabled.

Generally speaking, these requirements aren’t too steep assuming you’ve bought a mid-range or better computer in the last three years. Of course, the more you can exceed these minimum specs, the better your experience will be.

The most notable difference here is that Intel Core processors from as far back as 2017 are supported, while those with AMD Ryzen processors need to have a model from at least 2019. Otherwise, the minimum requirements of a solid state drive and 8GB of RAM shouldn’t exclude too many Windows 11 PC owners from running Android apps.

From 9to5Google

Google Nest Doorbells Don’t Like Cold Weather, Apparently

Users are complaining that their Google Nest Doorbells are dying far too quickly when outside in the cold, even when hooked up to wires. As it turns out, a new support page from Google revealed that its Nest Doorbells (Battery) and Nest Camera (Battery) can’t charge in cold temperatures.

“At temperatures below freezing, the lithium-ion battery in your Google Nest camera or doorbell won’t be able to charge. Many devices, including popular models of doorbell cameras and cell phones, use lithium-ion batteries for their high power and long life, but these batteries are also affected by temperatures below freezing,” reads Google’s support page.

This seems like a bit of an oversight by Google, as a large portion of the population lives in places that routinely see temperatures below 32 degrees. For a device that’s designed to be left outside all year, not charging in the cold really limits its functionality.

From howtogeek

Intel hints at cloud gaming service to rival GeForce Now

According to Intel’s latest investor note, the tech giant may be preparing to go up against Nvidia GeForce Now with a new cloud-computing solution.

Dubbed Project Endgame, Intel’s upcoming service will be powered by its own Arc discrete graphics cards. But is Intel targeting the same gaming segment as GeForce Now, or will it hit a different audience with Project Endgame?

Following an investor meeting, Intel released a detailed road map of its plans for the year and beyond. As we now know, the company has huge plans for its upcoming line of discrete graphics cards, with the first Arc GPUs hitting the market this quarter in new gaming laptops. However, Intel also mentions Project Endgame, stating that it too will be available in 2022.

What exactly is Project Endgame? This is where Intel doesn’t say much. The project only receives two short lines of description, but that’s enough to gauge what we’re dealing with. Intel says that Endgame will give users access to Intel Arc GPUs through a cloud service, providing a low-latency computing solution without having the required hardware yourself. This sounds very much like Nvidia’s subscription-based GeForce Now service that lets users emulate a GPU for gaming purposes, offering up to an RTX 3080.

From Digital Trends

NASA Reportedly Plans to Destroy the Entire ISS Instead of Letting Museums Save Chunks

It looks like historical preservation won’t be a priority for NASA after the International Space Station shuts down, according to a new piece published by collectSPACE this morning.

NASA’s January ISS Transition Report, collectSPACE pointed out, includes plans to bring down the ISS in 2030 in an uninhabited part of the Pacific Ocean known as “Point Nemo” but doesn’t seem to make any mention of what will happen to artifacts on the station of cultural and historical significance. The publication says it reached out to NASA multiple times to talk to someone in charge of ensuring objects of importance make their way to museums, but couldn’t make contact.

“There has not been discussion in the International Space Station Program to return items solely for display,” NASA told the digital space publication in a statement. “No down mass has been set aside at this time on upcoming cargo flights as we remain focused on maximizing use of the International Space Station. Any decision to return artifacts from [the] space station would happen at a later date based on any available cargo space as we will prioritize science return.”

From The Byte

Mars Perseverance celebrates its one-year ‘landiversary’ in this week’s science news

This week’s science news was a little less earthy and a lot more spacey than usual, starting off with a couple of SpaceX news developments.

First, we had news of a trio of new privately-funded SpaceX missions in the works, including the first crewed flight of Starship. Meanwhile, we learned that it isn’t a SpaceX booster that’s set to hit the Moon, but that doesn’t make it better in the least bit.

We also got word of the largest radio galaxy ever found, and its size is genuinely mind-boggling (and also provides some fodder for the debate over how we classify galaxies).

We also heard from NASA astronomers about some new ways they plan to use the new James Webb Space Telescope, including taking a better look at interstellar visitors as they pass through our solar system.

Finally, we ended the week celebrating the NASA Mars Perseverance rover’s one-year “landiversary,” and dug into some of the celebratory NASA livestreams to look back on its first year on the Mars ground.

From Techradar