The Nothing Phone (1) never officially went on sale in the US, but that would all change when the sequel, The Phone, arrived.

The Nothing Phone (2) isn’t a thing yet, but Nothing CEO and co-founder Carl Pei has already confirmed opposite That it will ship to the US later this year.

Pei added that the US will be a priority market for the company, saying that the company will work with carriers to ensure the phone (2) can meet their needs.

“We’re building a smartphone that’s more premium than the Nothing Phone (1) and software will be a big focus area for us,” Pei said. “When you make a smartphone for the US you have to work with carriers to get certifications and adapt some of their features to your OS. Before we didn’t have the resources for that and now we do.”

Pei explained in an interview with Inverse why it decided to skip the US for the first time. He says this was partly down to the carriers and their certification requirements, while he added that nothing was simply ready for such an undertaking. However, that has all changed now and we can expect the phone (2) sometime after 2023.

The Nothing boss also said the company would continue to invest in its own retail outlets, something he also noted meant releasing new products to complement them.

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After vaguely suggesting that Nothing could someday, perhaps, launch a phone in the US whenever the time feels right, Nothing CEO Carl Pei has finally confirmed more details of the plan. Nothing is indeed launching the Nothing Phone (2) in the US later this year.

In an interview with Dr oppositePei talked more about his company’s US plans, calling the phone (2) a “premium” offering that will arrive in 2023. He reiterated the reasons for not bringing the original phone (1), reminding us again that they were too small for a company that didn’t want to spend to enter this market, that introducing earbuds helped them gauge interest, and that the US carrier system is wack. Well, he didn’t call it that, but you can tell he’d love to scream about how annoying US carriers and their certification systems are. I sure would if I were in his position.

Beyond the phone (2) being “premium”, Pei didn’t mention much else. He still feels that Nothing can offer an attractive alternative to Samsung and Apple because his company is young and mobile and can try things out, while those two old heads have to play it safe. He’s probably not wrong in that assumption, but I wonder if fancy lighting and a very-simple OS only have so much reach. There’s no need to bring anything special with a phone that doesn’t just include a decent price tag and years-old parts.

One area where I think Pei is saying all the right things is software and in-house development. He’s not shy about admitting that Nothing was so short-staffed with the phone (1) that they had to outsource a lot of software. The company has now hired enough (they jumped from 200 to 400 people in total, including 100 in mobile) that they developed Android 13 entirely in-house and will likely do the same for their next phone. These are big steps that will lead to a better overall hardware-to-software experience.

In another bit of news, Pei suggested that their first retail store in the UK is already so successful that they want to open more physical stores around the world. It seems like an odd time to expand into physical retail, but hey, give it a shot. I’m all for finding success where others have failed.

To recap, Phone (2) is coming to the US this year and will be a more premium device than Phone (1). Hoping for the best.

Apple has confirmed that it has increased the price of App Store purchases and in-app purchases in several countries, including the UK.

Apple said the move will begin on February 13, though auto-renewable subscriptions will not be affected. There will also be some other adjustments related to the change in value added tax, but some of them will reduce prices.

On February 13, 2023, the price of apps and in-app purchases (excluding auto-renewable subscriptions) on the App Store will increase in Colombia, Egypt, Hungary, Nigeria, Norway, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.

A reduction in Uzbekistan’s value-added tax from 15% to 12% will lower prices. However, prices in Ireland, Luxembourg, Singapore and Zimbabwe will not change but the revenue paid to app developers will be adjusted based on changes in the amount of tax due in those countries.

• Ireland: VAT rate on electronic newspapers and periodicals reduced from 9% to 0%
• Luxembourg: Value Added Tax Rate Cut from 17% to 16%
• Singapore: Goods and Services Tax rate hiked from 7% to 8%
• Zimbabwe: Increase in value added tax rate from 14.5% to 15%

Apple also confirmed that local developers selling in Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, Indonesia, Singapore, South Korea, Tajikistan, Thailand, and Uzbekistan will receive revenue increases by the end of January.

Apple often changes App Store prices based on a variety of factors, one of which is a change in value added tax.

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It just doesn’t make sense to me to update in months 1 and 2 without going back to another one in month 3, so hey, we’re back a quarter of a year later to talk briefly about life with the Pixel Watch. Yes, I’ve been wearing Google’s first smartwatch for the past 3 months if you can believe it.

For those who missed it, my review, 1 month check-in and 2 month check-in before going to this post might be worth it as it will be really short. I don’t have much to add after 3 months, since nothing has really changed. I do have a few notes though.

Much the same

After a full 3 months of life with the Google Pixel Watch, I can’t quite say that I expected major changes to it or that the experience would change much from those first few weeks, and well, there we are. The Pixel Watch today is the same as the Pixel Watch from month 1 and that’s fine.

That means the design is still great, performance is great, battery life is a full day+ (with AOD off), and I’m thoroughly invested in the Fitbit integration. This means that I have similar issues with software changes that I’d like to see, the band situation isn’t great unless you buy these cheap adapters, and I’d like to be able to leave the display on all the time. on Every day without a thought.

Overall, I still like the Pixel Watch, even if I can clearly admit that it’s not perfect. It’s currently my smartwatch of choice and likely will be for some time because there’s nothing on the horizon that I see replacing it. Samsung watches are just not for me.

A couple of updates

If there’s one area that has surprised me, it’s in updates. Google has been pushing updates to the Pixel Watch out of the box and in both December and January to address several bugs. Although I wouldn’t necessarily call them a major update, they were updated!

I think my surprise comes from the lack of updates from most Android smartwatch manufacturers. Samsung is pretty good at updating their watches, but the rest of the industry is terrible at it. My brain has clearly been poisoned by history and I probably should have expected Google to be better. I’m glad they did.

I’m waiting for the regularly scheduled update and hope it leads to feature drop goodies.

I bought this stupid new case-band and the like

The folks at Caseology have created a Pixel Watch case/band called the Nano Pop that costs $29.99 ( buy it here ). It’s a silicone case that wraps around the Pixel Watch and then doubles as a band that wraps around your wrist. It completely changes the overall feel of the Pixel Watch, making it more of a sport watch out of the box than the classic style I prefer (like a Garmin or Polar).

That being said, I totally bought it. Yes, I know how stupid it is and it hides the excellent design of the Pixel Watch, but I like to try new things. I also spend a lot of time at the gym and strap the Pixel Watch on enough that I’m worried it won’t be long before I seriously scratch its domed glass or crack it. So I’m giving this a spin! I can let you know how it goes.

Went on a trip, left the Pixel watch behind

If there’s one piece of news about the past month with the Pixel Watch that I absolutely have to share, it’s that I decided about a week ago before going on a trip. While assessing all the crap I would need to bring with me on a 4-night trip, I looked at my Pixel watch and then spoke softly to it before taking it off and putting it on my office desk. I swapped it for an Apple Watch Ultra instead.

Why? Battery life and charging. As easy as it is to turn off the Pixel Watch every morning and plug it into the charger while at home, I was worried that finding the time to let this happen while traveling wouldn’t be so easy. When we travel, we try to stuff Full time, so that means in and out of the rental, to the forest or a brewery or a kid adventure and back again.

I knew the Apple Watch Ultra would last 2-3 days on a single charge and wouldn’t be something I was concerned about. It charges pretty quickly and I realized that during the trip it would take a single charge instead of the 4 on the Pixel Watch.

So what it really boiled down to was that it was different thing I didn’t want to worry. I’m back to the Pixel Watch now with this stupid case, but thought I’d let you know about the decision in case you’re thinking about your upcoming trip for some reason. That’s the choice I made. I might do a different one next time.

To other Pixel Watch owners, thinking after 3 months?

TikTok has made a change to the way its direct messages work, allowing users to DM anyone for the first time.

Previously, TikTok only allowed direct messages to people whom they had marked as friends or recommended, but now all that has changed.

TikTok has begun emailing users to inform them of the change, with The Information reporting that the new direct message settings were actually rolled out in November. However, the rollout was a limited one and only applicable to some users.

Now, it is rolling out to all TikTok users.

On Tuesday, TikTok sent an email to some users to highlight changes it made in November to expand its private messaging settings, according to an email reviewed by The Information. Users who want to receive DMs can now choose to receive messages from everyone, as well as recommended friends (such as synced phone contacts or Facebook friends), or mutually followed friends (those who follow each other).

For now users have the option to enable this new, more open messaging feature. But it’s also possible that the option will go away as TikTok struggles to become more like Instagram and compete with it on every level.

The ability to send direct messages to everyone can be another vehicle for hate and abuse, one particular reason we hope TikTok continues to provide the ability to disable it.

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Razor’s Edge, Razer’s Android-powered gaming handheld that I wish I had for an upcoming flight, is now available for pre-order in the US for a starting price of $399. If you need 5G connectivity for the Razer Edge, the retail price is $599 and the model is sold exclusively through Verizon.

The device has all the buttons and processing power one might need for some serious mobile gaming. The device features a specially designed Snapdragon G3X Gen 1 gaming platform, console-class haptics, a 6.8 FHD+ AMOLED screen with a refresh rate of up to 144Hz, as well as 8GB of RAM. We have a full write-up featuring all the features of the device here.

Razer originally said the device would be available on January 26. While I suppose that’s technically true, Razer’s own website is still listing the device as a pre-order, with units expected to ship on February 8. It’s annoying, but hey, it’s not that far off.

Here’s what potential buyers need to ask themselves. Has Razer made any public promises for improved software updates for this device? If history is an indicator, Razer doesn’t offer much support for its Android devices. We expect more from Razer. Price also needs to be discussed. The WiFi model has plenty of specs and features to warrant $399, but adding 5G connectivity to add a $200 premium is a little ridiculous to me. It doesn’t seem worth it to me.

Again, I called Razer to send me a unit for review. Come on, Razor!

Buy: Razor’s Edge | Razer Edge 5G (Verizon)

Apple’s newly-released M2 Mac mini and M2 Pro/M2 Max MacBook Pro models have slower SSDs, according to new reports.

In a move that mimics the arrival of the M2 MacBook Air and M2 13-inch MacBook Pro, Apple has halved the number of NAND storage chips used in the new machines, affecting the speed at which they can transfer data.

The issue was first reported on the YouTube channel Brandon Gigabitbut MacRumors It has since been confirmed.

We confirmed with the Blackmagic Disk Speed ​​Test benchmarking app that SSD read and write speeds for the new 256GB Mac mini are around 1,500 MB/s, which is 30% to 50% slower than previous equivalent read and write speeds. – generation model, although benchmark results and real-world performance may vary.

It’s important to note that this only affects the base storage options of 256GB on the Mac mini and 512GB on the MacBook Pro, so those who specified their machines with more storage won’t be affected by this change.

When asked about Apple’s release of the M2 MacBook Air and M2 13-inch MacBook Pro last year, the company said that “while benchmarks with 256GB SSDs may show differences compared to previous generations, the M2’s performance is more geared toward real-world operations. quickly.”

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Now in private code, it appears Android 14 Will not play nicely with older apps. In what is being reported as a plan to help prevent malware targeting older Android apps, Google may put in very strict requirements for app installation starting with Android 14.

While this is understandable, it is big news in our view because this change could also affect very fundamentals characteristics Android – This is the ability to install any app you want through sideloading. By code, Android 14 can block installation of any app, whether from Google Play or sideloaded, if it doesn’t meet API requirements.

App installation procedures are relatively relaxed now. For example, even if an app is out of date but the user had previously installed it, it is still made available on Google Play as long as it is not pulled from Google’s servers. Same goes for sideloading. At this point, you should have no problem sideloading almost any app you want, but with this change and if your device is running Android 14, it looks like the app will need to target at least Android 6.0+ (Marshmallow). . The code made it clear that Google would be able to increase the limit at any time.

As for me, I don’t go around downloading and sideloading random apps anymore. Those days are long behind me. However, I know there are still plenty of people out there who do, and with that being said, I would ask you to be careful and be sure to only download and install apps from trusted sources.

// 9to5Google

Amazon is now selling the Deco XE75 Pro mesh router for just $399.99, a price that will now save you $100 and 20% off the original asking price of around $500.

At the time of writing, Amazon, unfortunately, is refusing to say when this deal will end, and that means potential buyers will have to be wary of when they’ll receive those orders. Any delay means that this deal is likely to be done Miss out, and no one wants it to happen.

On a positive note, Amazon doesn’t require you to enter a discount code or clip an on-screen coupon, so you can order any other product that way and you’ll get the discount. Assuming you do soon of course.

Buy: TP-Link Deco AXE5400 Tri-Band WiFi 6E Mesh System (Deco XE75 Pro) from Amazon: $399.99 | Original price: $500

Experience the latest WiFi frequencies by eliminating interference from all legacy devices. By default the 6 GHz band acts as a robust dedicated backhaul to ensure stable connectivity between nodes. You can switch it to Wi-Fi network mode and connect your WiFi 6E-compatible devices to the 6GHz network.

At the time of writing, the Deco XE75 Pro Mesh Router has over 130 reviews on Amazon with a combined rating of 4.1 stars out of a possible five. Amazon also labeled the Deco XE75 Pro as its number one new release.

The Deco XE75 Pro Wi-Fi is capable of covering up to 7,200 square feeds and features speeds of up to 5,400Mbps for up to 200 devices at any given moment. If you’ve previously struggled to get Wi-Fi to every corner of your home, this could be the answer you’ve been looking for.

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A very minor update labeled as Beta 2.1 for Android 13 QPR2 testers is now available for Pixel devices. Beta 2 was announced a few days ago if you haven’t seen it.

As for what’s new, this seems like a very small bug fixer, but Google is important enough to send this update. Inside, Google lists a cellular connectivity fix as well as a Bluetooth fix. Details are below.

If you own a Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a 5G, Pixel 5, Pixel 5a, Pixel 6 or 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, or Pixel 7 or 7 Pro, you can get the latest beta. Comes as build T2B2.221216.008 And comes up with a few notable things.

Android 13 QPR2 Beta 2.1

Release Date: January 20, 2023
Build: T2B2.221216.008
Security patch level: January 2023
Google Play Services: 22.41.13

Below you can see exactly what Google has cooked up inside this latest release.

what’s inside

• Fixed an issue that sometimes prevented devices from automatically connecting to a 5G network even when it was available. (Issue #265093352)
• Fixed an issue where devices did not drop or reset an existing, encrypted Bluetooth connection after receiving a command to disable link-layer encryption for that connection.

If you want to pick up the update, the easiest way is through the Android Beta Program. Sign up for that here. If you want to go the other way, you can manually flash the factory image or the OTA files linked below

Android 13 QPR2 Beta 2.1 Download: Photo of the factory OTA file