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Nothing releases beta launcher on the Play Store

Nothing releases beta launcher on the Play Store
Image: Nothing

Nothing today announced that it is releasing its Nothing Launcher for other Android devices on the Google Play Store.

The Nothing Launcher, currently in beta, is very similar to a no-nonsense stock Android launcher. It features a set of standard circular app icons and a single custom wallpaper.

For those who like to use widgets, the launcher comes with two, a clock and a weather widget. Both feature the same dot matrix typography as Nothing’s branding and both can be had with a clear or black background.

The launcher also includes an interesting feature called Max Icons and Max Folders. You can press and hold on any icon or app folder on the homescreen and click a button to supersize it. This makes the icon or folder go from a 1×1 size to 3×3.

Nothing says the launcher will be available on Samsung Galaxy S21 and S22 series, Google Pixel 5, and Google Pixel 6 series, with OnePlus support coming later. However, we were able to install and run the launcher on a OnePlus 10 Pro just fine.

You can download the launcher from the link below. Additional wallpapers and ringtones by Teenage Engineering can be downloaded here.

From Gsmarena

Apple had a record quarter from January to March

Apple had a record quarter from January to March
Image: Gsmarena

Apple has just reported its quarterly results for its fiscal second quarter, which ended on March 26 and is thus confusingly the first quarter of the year (fiscal years are funny like that sometimes). Anyway, it’s good news for the Cupertino company, as it’s posted record revenue for a March quarter.

Apple’s revenue was $97.3 billion in that quarter, up 9% year-on-year (aka compared to the 2021 March quarter). This resulted in quarterly earnings per diluted share of $1.52, which you should care about only if you own Apple shares. Also for shareholders, it’s important to note that Apple’s board of directors has declared a cash dividend of $0.23 per share of common stock, an increase of 5%. This will be payable on May 12 to those who owned shares as of May 9.

From Gsmarena

Huawei Band 7 launches in China with a 1.47-inch AMOLED display

HUAWEI BAND 7
Image: Huawei

At Huawei’s recent event, the firm announced its latest entry in its foldable phone lineup the Mate Xs 2. During the event, the company also announced two new wearables, the Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro and the Huawei Band 7. There’s a lot to unpack about the latter, so let’s get started.

The Huawei Band originally made its debut in 2016, offering consumers an affordable fitness tracking solution. Over the years, the Band line has slowly evolved, adding notable features, while still maintaining a reasonable price point. The Band 7 is no exception, offering more than its predecessor, in an even more svelte package.

The Huawei Band 7 features a 1.47-inch AMOLED display and weighs in at just under 16g. The overall package is quite compact, measuring 44.35mm x 26mm, and being only 9.9mm thick. This is 1mm thinner than the previous model. When it comes to aesthetics, there are four different colors and over 8000 watch faces to choose from. As far as battery life goes, you’re looking at about two weeks or around ten days under heavy use. Luckily, if you ever find yourself running out of battery, a quick five-minute charge will yield you two days of battery life.

From XDA

Counterpoint: Supply chain issues caused decline in India phone market in Q1

Counterpoint: Phone market in India declined in Q1 following supply-chain issues
Image: Counterpoint

The India phone market had a tough first quarter of the year. According to Counterpoint Research, makers pushed 38 million smartphones, which is 1% less than they did twelve months ago.

Feature phones sales between January and March 2022 went off a cliff though, falling 39%. This brings the overall sales decrease to 16%.

The first quarter of 2022 began with a slow start due to the third COVID wave in the Asian country, Senior Research Analyst Prachir Singh revealed. The supply chain issues affected all major manufacturers who had to adopt different strategies for dealing with the problem. Some makers decided to expand the supplier portfolio, while others increased local sourcing.

However, the market is likely to remain stagnant in Q2 due to the current COVID situation in China which certainly will not help with bringing production and logistics to pre-pandemic levels.

From Gsmarena

Realme brings the affordable Realme Pad Mini & Buds Q2s to the Indian market

Realme brings the affordable Realme Pad Mini & Buds Q2s to the Indian market
Image: Realme

Realme lifted the covers off its first 150W fast charging phone, the Realme GT Neo 3, in India today. Along with the affordable flagship, the company has also launched the Realme Pad Mini and the Realme Buds Q2s in the region. If you’re in the market for a budget-friendly tablet or TWS earbuds, here’s everything you need to know about Realme’s latest offerings.

From XDA

OnePlus 10R, Nord CE 2 Lite, and Nord Buds officially launch in India

Image: Oneplus

Just a few days after the Chinese launch of the OnePlus Ace, the rebranded OnePlus 10R has now officially been unveiled in India alongside the Nord CE 2 Lite and Nord Buds Bluetooth earbuds.

This trio of affordably focused hardware provides Indian buyers with yet more options within the growing OnePlus lineup. Starting with the OnePlus 10R, thanks to teases, leaks, and the fact that this is simply a rebranded OnePlus Ace, we know a fair bit about it already. It comes with a 6.7-inch flat FHD+ 120Hz AMOLED panel, utilizes the MediaTek Dimensity 8100 MAX processor with 8/12GB RAM, and 128/256GB of onboard storage also available.

From 9to5Google

Google details I/O 2022 schedule, providing a brief overview of keynotes and sessions

Google details I/O 2022 schedule, providing a brief overview of keynotes and sessions
Image: Google

Google says the schedule is slightly different this year. All keynotes and product announcements will take place on day one, while on-demand technical sessions will go live on day two.

Here’s the list of major keynotes and sessions that will take place on day 1:

  • Google I/O keynote: Tune in to find out how we’re furthering our mission to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.
  • Developer keynote: Learn about the latest updates to our developer products and platforms from Google Developers.
  • What’s new in Andriod: Hear the latest news on everything happening in the world of Android development: Android 13, Jetpack, tooling, performance, and more!
  • AI and machine learning for developers: Learn what Google is doing in the AI and machine learning space, from developer APIs to state of the art research.
  • What’s new in AR: Get the latest on our AR developer tools, including updates to ARCore, Google’s AR platform for developers.
  • What’s new for the web platform: Learn how Google is investing in the web platform.
  • What’s new in Google Play: Discover new features designed to help you optimize acquisition, engagement, and monetization, and build safer apps.
  • What’s new in Chrome OS: Learn how Google is supporting innovation with Chrome OS and enabling developer success with tools and guidance.
  • What’s new in Google Home: Discover a new era for Google Home — the best platform for smart home developers to build and innovate.
  • What’s new in Google Pay: Payments are constantly evolving and so is Google Pay. Join this session to learn more about what’s new in Google Pay.
  • A path to a world without passwords: Learn your options towards a world without passwords.
  • Building the Privacy Sandbox: Join the Privacy Sandbox team as they answer popular questions that span across the Chrome and Android initiatives.

You can check out the full schedule for all sessions and keynotes at the Google I/O website. Although Google I/O 2022 will be an in-person event, the attendance is limited to Google employees and partners.

From XDA

MIT develops a speaker thinner than sheet music

acoustic-surface
Image; MIT

If you’re into cars, you may have heard of vinyl wrapping, which can change the appearance of a car. Engineers from MIT have taken a similarly thin material and created a skinny film that can turn pretty much any surface into a speaker. According to its inventors, it can create high-quality audio with minimal power consumption.

To achieve these properties, the researchers created a fabrication technique. They claim it can be scaled up to produce ultra-thin loudspeakers large enough to cover the inside of an automobile or to wallpaper a room, whispering a promise of immersive sound without an obvious source. The audio nerd in me is definitely feeling a cochlear hard-on coming on. (Yes, that’s a dick joke, but if your cochlear fuzzies were to stiffen you’d be deaf, so anatomically it makes absolutely no sense. The lengths I’m willing to go to for an infantile joke are legendary.)

The loudspeaker could be used in active noise cancellation, for example — combine the speaker tech with some electronics and microphones, and it could cancel out sound. The inventors also envision immersive sound experiences, and other low-energy use cases such as smart devices, etc.

From Techcrunch

Intel warns of chip shortages due to Chinese COVID lockdowns

Intel Pat Gelsinger 18A wafer
Image: Intel

Inflationary pressures, component concerns, and a drop in demand dragged down Intel’s PC chip business by 13 percent versus a year ago, a black mark against what was an otherwise strong first quarter of 2022 results.

That group, the Client Computing Group (CCG), reported revenue that fell 13 percent to $9.3 billion. Overall, Intel reported net income of $8.1 billion, which grew a whopping 141 percent versus a year ago. Revenue dipped by 7 percent to $18.4 billion, however.

The dip in CCG revenues, Intel’s largest business segment, hurt its overall business. Intel’s Datacenter and AI Group, its second largest business group, saw revenue increase 22 percent to $6 billion. Intel’s Network and Edge Group (NEX) also recorded revenue growth of 23 percent to $2.2 billion, and its other groups all grew, too.

“In our PC business, we continue to see strong commercial demand, offset by low-end and consumer and education softness and the impact of no longer shipping to customers in Russia and Belarus,” said David Zinsner, the Intel chief financial officer who was appointed in January.

“Further, component supply constraints continue to be a challenge with the most recent COVID lockdowns in Shanghai further increasing supply-chain risks and contributing to inflationary pressures that are having a negative impact on PC TAM [Total Available Market] for the year. As a result, we’re seeing OEMs continue to lower inventory levels to better match demand and align with other system components. We expect elements of this inventory burn to continue in [the second quarter] subsiding in the second half of the year.”

From The PC world

Elon Musk Sells $4 Billion Worth Of Tesla Shares, Says He’s Done Selling

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been selling Tesla shares recently.

According to four new SEC filings, Musk sold about 4.4 million TSLA shares for roughly $4 billion on Tuesday and Wednesday, the CNBC reported.

The move comes as Musk prepares to take ownership of Twitter, which recently agreed to Musk’s $44 billion takeover bid at $54.20 per share.

From Mashable

I’m a tech savvy person who occasionally cook and party. I am an engineer by profession and tech enthusiast by passion.
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