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

AC News Weekly(Image credit score: Android Central)News Weekly is our column the place we spotlight and summarize a number of the prime tales of the week so you’ll be able to make amends for the most recent tech information.This is Android Central’s News Weekly, your go-to supply for a concise roundup of the week’s most important tech tales. This is the place we delve into the highest headlines that present the most recent developments contributing to the digital panorama.This week, Nothing Phone 2a launches, an worker from Google will get charged for stealing AI tech, Pixel drops its March replace, Windows 11 offers up Android app assist, and YouTube will get a model of the TikTok video modifying device.Nothing Phone 2a arrives(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)Read extra right here.Earlier this week, Nothing lastly dropped its new Phone 2a, looking for to be a funds Android cellphone. The cellphone comes with a MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro processor, a 120Hz AMOLED show, and a dual-camera system. Nothing Phoen 2a is product of 100% recycled aluminum, tin, and copper. The firm instructed Android Central that it utilized scrap materials from its Nothing Ear 2 manufacturing to make this cellphone.Phone 2a runs on Nothing OS 2.5, which is predicated on Android 14 and comes with three years of OS updates plus 4 years of safety updates. Phone 2a’s digicam system has a rear 50MP Samsung GN9 foremost sensor with an f/1.88 aperture. There’s additionally an ultrawide, 50MP Samsung JN1 sensor with a 114-degree area of view. The Phone 2a features a 32MP Sony IMX615 sensor within the entrance. While Nothing desires to make its cellphone globally accessible, folks within the U.S. can solely get their palms on this cellphone via the Nothing Developer Program for a $349 charge.Ex-Google worker will get charged for AI theft(Image credit score: Google)Read extra right here.An ex-Google worker was charged on Wednesday (Mar. 6) with stealing Google’s Artificial Intelligence expertise and secretly working with two Chinese corporations.The report said that 38-year-old Linwei Ding is a Chinese nationwide who was arrested in Newark, California. Ding was employed by Google in 2019 and had duties that included creating the software program deployed in Google’s supercomputing information facilities. With entry to this data, Ding allegedly started transferring delicate Google commerce secrets and techniques and different confidential data to his private Google Cloud two years in the past.The U.S. Department of Justice said, “Ding continued periodic uploads until May 2, 2023, by which time Ding uploaded more than 500 unique files containing confidential information.”Following the theft, Ding was provided a chief expertise officer place at a startup AI firm in China and took part in investor conferences for that firm. The report additionally claims that Ding based and served as chief govt of a China-based startup firm set to coach AI fashions powered by supercomputing chips.He was charged with 4 counts of federal commerce secret theft, and if convicted, Ding may face a most penalty of 10 years in jail and as much as a $250,000 wonderful for every rely.Pixel’s March characteristic drop(Image credit score: Android Central)Read extra right here.Google is again with one other characteristic drop for Pixel Watch and Pixel telephones this week. Users can now publish 10-bit HDR movies instantly on Instagram Reels and Ultra HDR photos on the social media app. These options will likely be accessible via a characteristic drop for Pixel telephones, together with the Pixel 7 collection, Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, and Pixel Fold.Pixel 6 collection and above, together with the Pixel Fold within the U.S., is getting an improve to Call Screen performance. The new replace introduces a “hello” chip, which customers can faucet whereas screening a name. It triggers 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 collection. Users can long-press the Pixel dwelling button or navigation bar and circle the display screen to study a picture, textual content, or video on the display screen—all with out leaving the app. Additionally, a number of different Pixel gadgets are getting the quick pair characteristic, casting characteristic, and the flexibility to transform handwritten annotations written by finger or via a stylus to a doc format.Microsoft lets go of Android (Image credit score: Nick Sutrich / Android Central)Read extra right here.On Tuesday (Mar. 5), Microsoft introduced that will probably be eliminating Android app assist for Windows 11 via its Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) in a 12 months. So, customers have till 2025 earlier than the app assist utterly disappears. Microsoft first introduced native assist for Android apps to Windows 11 again in 2021. The service enabled Windows PC customers to find widespread Android apps through the Microsoft Store and obtain them through the Amazon Appstore. The firm states that each one apps and video games that rely upon its subsystem for Android apps will not work after the given date. The firm did not instantly reveal a cause behind this cancellation. However, they mentioned, “We are grateful for the support of our developer community and remain committed to listening to feedback as we evolve experiences.”Ultimately, it was revealed that the choice was fueled by, after all, income, in addition to a scarcity of assist from Google.YouTube expands video modifying characteristic(Image credit score: Jay Bonggolto / Android Central)Read extra right here.After launching the YouTube Create app final September, YouTube is now bringing its video-editing device to further markets. The streaming platform introduced that YouTube Create has now expanded to 13 further international locations. The app, which was initially unique to eight international locations, will now be accessible in Spain, Hong Kong, Brazil, Australia, and extra.YouTube Create is meant to provide video creators a user-friendly toolbox for making movies on the go. The app seems loads like CapCut, owned by TikTok-owner ByteDance. CapCut provides nifty built-in inventive instruments and funky AR and AI filters, and YouTube is making an attempt one thing comparable for its Shorts.Creators can cut up and trim movies, experiment with results, and choose royalty-free music to mix in with the unique audio of the video clips. The app additionally has one other device referred to as Audio Cleanup, which works by firming down background and ambient noise, boosting the audio high quality of smartphone-recorded clips. With this new Creator app, YouTube desires to simplify an in any other case sophisticated video modifying course of.Those are a number of the largest tales from this week. Meanwhile, listed below are another tales from this week which can be value catching up on: