Technology - Google News

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• Apple MacBook Air M2 storage speed testing: yup, it's slow - The Verge
• The Twitter app has a new chirp sound - The Verge
• Nothing OS walkthrough: How close is it to Google’s Pixel flavor? [Video] - 9to5Google

Apple MacBook Air M2 storage speed testing: yup, it's slow - The Verge Posted: 15 Jul 2022 02:13 PM PDT Previously, a number of reviewers have reported that Apple's entry-level M2 MacBook Pro's SSD is significantly slower than that of the M1 MacBook Pro due to the configuration of the storage models in the computer. Apple confirmed to The Verge that the base M2 MacBook Air has the same storage configuration as the Pro, so, naturally, we've been wondering if it would suffer from the same issue. Well, we've finally gotten our hands on a base model (including 256GB of storage and 8GB of memory) and the answer is: yes, it does. Going by the results we're seeing in Blackmagic's Disk Speed Test app, the base model of the M2 MacBook Air has write speeds that are generally 15 to 30 percent slower than those of the 512GB model Apple sent The Verge to review — and read speeds that can be 40 to 50 percent slower. This is not an unexpected result since the base Air only includes a single NAND chip, while the M1 models and 512GB (and up) M2 models have two, which can allow for nearly twice as fast speeds. While I wouldn't go so far as to say the speeds we're seeing from this base MacBook Air are bad, they are (especially when it comes to reading data) the kind of speeds you can easily get on laptops that are a bit more, well, meh. For example, the base model is only a bit faster than my 2019 Intel MacBook Pro when it comes to write speeds, and its read speeds are significantly worse. To pick a Windows machine out of a hat, Microsoft's Surface Laptop Go 2 (which starts at $600) also loses to the base Air on write but demolishes it on read. (Read speeds are generally more important for general usage, measuring how fast your device can access files on its system.) We didn't have an M1 Air with 256GB to test, but the 512GB model we do have on hand is also faster than the base M2 model on both read and write, as you can see in the results below. As Verge editor Dan Seifert explains in his review of the M2 Air, slower storage speeds can impact a number of tasks, including file transfers, and can also slow down overall performance since Macs use SSD space as temporary memory (swap memory) when their onboard RAM is used up. That said, will these particular differences impact you? People the Air is marketed to will likely not see a life-changing contrast between the 256GB and 512GB models when it comes to everyday performance. I ran two 4K YouTube videos over 25 open Chrome tabs for 30 minutes on both machines without either needing to dip into swap memory. Boot time was also pretty identical — I turned the two devices on side by side a number of times. And I didn't see much of a difference when it came to opening any of the apps I normally use, including Chrome, Safari, Messages, Photos, Activity Monitor, Slack, Music, etc. For the MacBook Pro's target audience, though, a limitation like this could be a deal-breaker. If you're someone with a heavier workload (who very well may notice a difference), we generally recommend that you buy a MacBook Pro with an M1 Pro or Max chip instead of an Air. That said, these results certainly will matter to some people. If you're in that camp, you'll need to pay $200 to upgrade from 256GB to 512GB, bringing the eight-core M2 MacBook Air's price from $1,199 to $1,399. If that seems like a lot, you can also get 512GB of storage and 8GB of RAM in the still-excellent M1 MacBook Air for $1,199 (the same price as the base M2 Air). My real-world comparisons have found that M2 machines are visibly better for graphics-heavy use cases (such as running games) but that their performance differences are not hugely impactful in other tasks (photo and audio editing, internet work, etc.) that a casual user might do. We've reached out to Apple for comment on these specific results and haven't received a response yet. When we asked the company about the different storage configurations for our review of the device, spokesperson Michelle Del Rio provided the following statement: Thanks to the performance increases of M2, the new MacBook Air and the 13-inch MacBook Pro are incredibly fast, even compared to Mac laptops with the powerful M1 chip. These new systems use a new higher density NAND that delivers 256GB storage using a single chip. While benchmarks of the 256GB SSD may show a difference compared to the previous generation, the performance of these M2 based systems for real world activities are even faster. Adblock test (Why?)

The Twitter app has a new chirp sound - The Verge Posted: 15 Jul 2022 02:38 PM PDT A few of us at The Verge have noticed something new about Twitter's iOS app: when you pull down to refresh your feed, you might hear a couple of new noises. One is a little windup trill that plays when you first pull the feed, and after your feed is done refreshing, you might hear a short confirmation chirp. (Though the sounds are more robotic than any real-life bird I've heard.) I made a recording so you can hear what I'm hearing. It's a little different from the short "pop" you might have heard when refreshing before. We're not exactly sure when the change kicked in, but we first noticed it Friday afternoon, and we've seen a bunch of tweets about the new chirp from Friday as well. There are also a handful of tweets mentioning a chirp over the past couple of weeks, which could mean that Twitter has been rolling it out slowly ahead of a bigger release. This seemingly isn't an iOS-only change. One Verge staffer on Android is occasionally hearing the second new noise I described, and a few of the tweets I've found about the chirp were sent from Android. If you want to hear the noise for yourself on your phone, just try pulling down to refresh your feed. If you don't hear it, try force closing the Twitter app and opening it again (this is what worked for me), and make sure you're on the latest version of the app. We're not sure how widely this is rolled out, so you may not have the sounds just yet even if you try those steps. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to refresh the app to hear the lovely new sounds again. And again. Maybe just one more time. Last time, I promise... Adblock test (Why?)

Nothing OS walkthrough: How close is it to Google’s Pixel flavor? [Video] - 9to5Google Posted: 15 Jul 2022 02:01 AM PDT Very few Android phones stay close to AOSP these days, and while the Nothing Phone (1) won't come to the US, it's an interesting first entry for Carl Pei's startup. Sold as clean and lightweight, just what is different in Nothing OS? Here's everything you need to know. While there are similarities, Nothing OS contains a few key tweaks to take advantage of the unique design and hardware on this brand-new Android entrant. There are certainly a few hints of early OxygenOS here that might have former OnePlus fans looking at the GV-backed brand. Table of contents Video — Nothing OS full walkthrough Subscribe to 9to5Google on YouTube for more videos Pre-installed apps Nothing OS is a very light skin atop Android 12, and you are likely happy to hear that bloat or pre-installed apps are kept to an absolute minimum. Nothing Launcher – Although not technically an "app," the stock launcher that comes pre-installed Recorder – This app is developed in collaboration with Teenage Engineering. It includes options to focus on Voice, your immediate environment and even lets you record audio in higher bitrate formats up to 256kbps in AAC. Camera – Nothing has developed a camera app. It's basic and well organized with a hint of Google Camera and even the iOS camera app. There's a Night Mode, Google Lens integration, Expert Mode, plus video recording that is capped at 4K UHD 30fps. However, it is limited to 1080p 30fps when HDR mode recording is active. Quick settings Some of the most notable changes within Nothing OS over the Google Pixel series are found in the drop-down Quick Settings section or Notification Shade. Six tile layout – Unlike AOSP builds of Android 12, Nothing OS has room for six tiles rather than the standard four seen on Pixel phones running the latest mobile software. This includes two persistent toggles for internet and Bluetooth. These cannot be changed but reduce the number of Quick Settings toggles you can add to the panel. Wi-Fi section adds mobile hotspot – when expanding the Wi-Fi or Mobile data toggle, it opens the internet pop-up panel. There's a new mobile hotspot toggle here to quickly enable network and data sharing. Bluetooth floating menu – When tapping the Bluetooth toggle, this opens a quick selection tool that lets you reconnect to accessories or add new hardware. This differs from Pixel, where the same toggle simply disables or enables Bluetooth connectivity. As spotted in the Nothing Launcher Beta ahead of launch, there are a number of widgets designed based upon the Dot Matrix aestethic cultivated by Nothing since the launch of the Ear (1) earbuds. Analogue Clock – A simple Swiss-style clock with current date displayed. Digital Clock – Two-line digital clock in Dot Matrix font form. Weather – A large digital weather icon is visible with the temperature and weather conditions in text form below. Quick Look – Almost identical to the "At a Glance" widget found on Google Pixel devices, it shows current weather conditions and temperature with an icon and in text form with the current day and date also visible. This can be removed from the homescreen but is persistent at the Nothing OS lockscreen. Settings The Settings section of Nothing OS includes some minor alterations to accommodate some of the added hardware features. Glyph interface – New section dedicated for the custom lighting at the rear of the smartphone panel. About device screen – The "About phone" page has a PNG of the Nothing Phone (1) in the distinct color of your device. There are more details here including device specifications listed such as processor and RAM. Material You and customization Not all Android skins support Google's wider Material You and Dynamic Color changes right away even after updating to Android 12. Nothing OS supports both core components within Android 12 right out of the box. Customization – Nothing OS includes the "Wallpaper & style" section but rather than being the sole section for customization, the "Customization" section lets you choose an icon pack too. Wallpaper & style – This section is exactly the same as you'll find on Pixel phones. The wallpaper-based theming system automatically applies depending on the colors and tones within your preset phone background. You can also choose from four preset color options too. App grid – Sadly, the app grid for the Nothing Launcher only offers 4×5 and 5×5 layout options. Camera Of course, the Nothing Phone (1) camera needs an application and so Nothing OS includes a fairly standard suite of photography and videography options right out of the box. The dual camera setup consists of a 50-megapixel Sony IMX 766 main sensor and 50-megapixel Samsung JN1 ultrawide. Photos modes Portrait mode – A basic mode that allows for software-based background blur addition. Can be adjusted manually from f/0.95 up to f/16. Pano Macro – The JN1 ultrawide is used for close-focus macro shots. Expert – Includes controls for White Balance, Focus Point, Shutter Speed, ISO, and EV. RAW image support is also included for both wide and ultrawide lenses. Video modes HDR – High dynamic range video offers greater color space for clips. Capped at 720/1080p at 30fps using the main sensor. Time-lapse – Adjustable from 15x up to 960x for short video clips of long periods. Slow-mo – Capped at 120fps but can be set at 720/1080p. Glyph fill light – A new flash mode allows you to set the Glyph lighting panel to provide soft fill lighting in both video and photo modes. This mimics professional soft lights with diffusion rather than harsh light flashes. Display Always-on display – Out of the box, the always-on display feature is disabled. You'll need to access Settings > Display > Lock screen > Always show basic info of lock screen to enable. Glyph interface The most striking and biggest selling point of the Nothing Phone (1) is the "Glyph" lighting bands under the transparent glass panel at the back of the device. You cannot fully customize the lighting but, instead, use preset patterns for individual apps or contacts. Ringtones Pneumatic, Abra, Plot, Beetle, Squirrels, Snaps, Radiate, Tennis, Coded, Scribble. Notification sounds Oi!, Bulb One, Bulb Two, Guiro, Volley, Squiggle, Isolator, Gamma, Beak, Nope. Charging meter – When using a wired charging cable the light bar above the USB-C charge port will fill to show the current charge level. Google Assistant feedback – The light bar above the USB-C charge port will light up with animations to indicate that the Google Assistant is responding to feedback using the "Hey Google" or "OK Google" hotwords. Flip to Glyph – A clone of "Flip to Shhh" in Nothing OS that will set your device to Do Not Disturb, disable vibrations and sounds, and enable lights-only notifications when set face down on a surface. Bedtime schedule – A way to schedule that Glyph lighting is disabled during bedtime or preset hours. What do you think of Nothing OS? It's not often we see new Android skins arrive with new brand-new companies being just as rare. Should Nothing OS continue to adopt an AOSP-like design and aesthetic? Or would you like to see more tuning and adjustments to tailor the hardware? Do you like what you see so far? Let us know down in the comments section below. Check out 9to5Google on YouTube for more news: Adblock test (Why?)

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