Microsoft’s Original Surface Duo Finally Gets Android 11 Update

It is clear that Microsoft is very interested in the mobile space, but the company has made some questionable choices over the years. The Surface Duo, which would be the first official Microsoft branded smartphone, was announced in 2019 but only released in late 2020 with hardware that was a year old.

Plus, it also launched with an older build of Android despite there being a newer version already available. The good news is that if you were one of the Surface Duo’s original adopters, you’ll be pleased to learn that Microsoft has since announced that they are releasing the Android 11 update for the phone.

Yes, you read that right, in 2022 where Android 12 is already available, Microsoft is only releasing an Android update that was originally launched back in 2020. We suppose it is better than nothing, but we have to wonder why Microsoft didn’t just jump straight to Android 12 given that it has been out for a while already and where other Android phones have gotten the update.

In any case, the update is still one that users can look forward to with changes like a revised app draw, better drag-and-drop support, and more. For more details about the update, you can head on over to Microsoft’s support page.

Microsoft’s Original Surface Duo Finally Gets Android 11 Update

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Georgia DA Granted Special Grand Jury In Trump Election Interference Probe

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis will be able to seat the special grand jury May 2, moving forward with her investigation into the ex-president’s actions.

Microsoft’s original Surface Duo foldable finally gets Android 11

<img width="1280" height="720" src="https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/surface-duo-android-11-1280×720.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="man holding Surface Duo" loading="lazy" style="margin: auto;margin-bottom: 5px;max-width: 100%" data-attachment-id="708678" data-permalink="https://www.slashgear.com/microsofts-original-surface-duo-foldable-finally-gets-android-11-24708677/surface-duo-android-11/" data-orig-file="https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/surface-duo-android-11.jpg" data-orig-size="1440,810" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="surface-duo-android-11" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="

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” data-medium-file=”https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/surface-duo-android-11-1280×720.jpg” data-large-file=”https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/surface-duo-android-11-1280×720.jpg” />Microsoft has finally released the Android 11 update for the original Surface Duo. The foldable smartphone was meant to get the update in 2021, but Microsoft missed that original deadline. Now, though, Surface Duo owners will finally be able to take advantage of the changes that Android 11 brings to the foldable. Android 11 comes to the Surface Duo at … Continue reading

Amazon allegedly retaliates against worker at its Bessemer facility

Isaiah Thomas is a 20-year-old Amazon worker at the company’s Bessemer, Alabama facility, BHM1. He is also a vocal supporter of unionizing the warehouse. In a conference with press Monday evening, he described what he believed were surveillance and retaliation by his employer, solely because of his support for collective bargaining efforts. The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), which has been working to represent employees at BHM1, has filed two unfair labor practice complaints with the National Labor Relations Board over the incident. 

In a screenshot provided by the union, a letter addressed only from “BHM1 Management” to Isaiah claims the worker was “soliciting in working areas, during working associate times.” The letter concedes that these activities “may have occurred during your break time” but nonetheless contends that Isaiah was “in violation” of the company’s solicitation policy. 

RWDSU, however, believes this action was itself in violation of “the settlement agreement the employer recently executed with the NLRB.” That agreement, which was reported late last month, pertained to several instances of Amazon impeding union activity. The union filed a separate ULP, alleging that the company or its agents “created the impression Mr. Thomas was under surveillance.” Amazon has been known to hold captive audience meetings meant to discourage union interest, and after one such meeting at BHM1 wherein Isaiah allegedly questioned a “labor relations manager,” RWDSU states in its ULP that “Mr. Thomas observed the employer’s agents circling his work area for no other purpose than to watch him work” and later assigned him to a different area where he could be “more easily observed.”   

While RWDSU have described the letter as a “reprimand” in an email to Engadget, it’s unclear if it represents a formal write-up. We’ve reached out for comment from Amazon.

The news comes two days after the NLRB ruled Amazon had illegally fired another pro-union worker at its Staten Island facility. If that case doesn’t go to settlement, the Board plans to issue a formal complaint against the company.

BHM1 famously became the first large Amazon facility on US soil to hold a union vote. While the vote swung heavily in favor of the cloud-and-ecommerce giant, it was challenged on procedural grounds by RWDSU. The NLRB found merit to the challenge, ruling that Amazon had, in fact, illegally interfered with the unionization vote. Ultimately the Board determined a new vote should be held. It’s scheduled to take place on February 4th (though the ballot count will not begin until the end of March.) 

Amazon is, beyond is preference for a non-unionized workforce, well known for its rate of employee attrition. Seemingly, the speed at which it churns through workers would disadvantage efforts to build a cohesive bargaining unit at BHM1. According to RWDSU, the current voter list at the facility it 6,143 people, just over half of which were present for the previous vote, which took place almost exactly one year ago. 

Cameos On Google Will Be Shutting Down

A while ago, Google launched a new app/service called Cameos on Google. Basically the idea is that this would allow celebrities or public figures to answer popular questions in a video format. It sounded like it had a lot of promise, especially since Reddit’s AMAs have done pretty well in the past.

However, it looks like it might have been a bust because Google has since started to send out emails to users informing them that come 17th of February, the service will be shutting down. The email informs users that they will be able to download their existing content until the 17th of March, a month after the service will no longer allow users to record new content.

As 9to5Google notes, Cameos by Google was only downloaded 50,000 times on the Play Store, but they believe that the number of actual users is much less. This is because the service required an invite in order to be used, meaning that it was a very exclusive club that probably ended up hindering its adoption rather than bolstering it.

That being said, many public figures and celebrities have been using alternative means to interact with fans and followers, whether it be through Twitter, Instagram Live or Q&A in Stories, YouTube, TikTok, Reddit, and so on, so Cameos really had its work cut out for it right from the get-go.

Cameos On Google Will Be Shutting Down

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Elon Musk’s Neuralink Is Getting Ready To Start Human Trials

Several years ago, Elon Musk announced a new venture called Neuralink. For those hearing about this for the first time, basically Neuralink is a company that hopes to create a brain-to-machine interface with the goal that will allow humans to communicate with machines using just their brains.

The idea is that it will help people who might be motor impaired due to brain or spinal injuries to use machines using their mind, instead of finding alternative methods of input which at times could be slower, even though it is functional.

For those who are interested in the progress of Neuralink, you might be interested to learn that the company has since announced that they are looking to start human trials. They are now recruiting a director to help run tests on humans. Prior to this, the company conducted trials on animals such as pigs and monkeys, where during the trial with the monkey, the primate managed to play video games on a computer called “Mind Pong”.

Musk had stated back in 2017 that he expects to see brain-to-machine interfaces in the next 4 years, so while we have since gone past the four year mark, it’s good to see that progress is still being made and that they are looking to start testing it out with human subjects now.

Elon Musk’s Neuralink Is Getting Ready To Start Human Trials

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This Gadget Lets You Snap Film Photos Using Your iPhone

There is a certain charm and aesthetic that comes with shooting on a film camera. The analog look is something that quite many photographers chase in their post-processing even when snapping digital photos, but if you’d rather not spend hours trying to fix your images in post, then this gadget could be of interest to you.

Dubbed the DIGI SWAP, this is an accessory that allows users to attach an iPhone to a film camera. Not much is known about it online, but from what we can tell, it looks like some kind of mount where your iPhone’s cameras are positioned in such a way that it can capture images through the lens of a film camera.

This means that if you happen to have several old film cameras around that are no longer in use, this could be a way to go about giving them a new lease on life without having to go through the effort of buying film and developing them later. Users can control the aperture and shutter speed on the camera itself, which are then synced on the accompanying iPhone app.

It looks like quite a bulky attachment and we’re not sure if there is going to be mass appeal for it, but like we said, if you have some film cameras at home and want to capture the film aesthetic with your iPhone without making too many edits, then the DIGI SWAP could be something to keep an eye out for.

This Gadget Lets You Snap Film Photos Using Your iPhone

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Taylor Swift Torches Damon Albarn For Saying She’s Not A Songwriter

When fellow musician Damon Albarn tried to say otherwise, the singer-songwriter put him in his place.

New Chromecast device leak hints at cheaper Google TV option

<img width="1280" height="800" src="https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/google-chromecast-with-google-tv-2020-04-1-1280×800.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" loading="lazy" style="margin: auto;margin-bottom: 5px;max-width: 100%" data-attachment-id="708693" data-permalink="https://www.slashgear.com/new-chromecast-device-leak-hints-at-cheaper-google-tv-option-24708691/google-chromecast-with-google-tv-2020-04-1/" data-orig-file="https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/google-chromecast-with-google-tv-2020-04-1.jpg" data-orig-size="1440,900" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="google-chromecast-with-google-tv-2020-04-1" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="

SlashGear

” data-medium-file=”https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/google-chromecast-with-google-tv-2020-04-1-1152×720.jpg” data-large-file=”https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/google-chromecast-with-google-tv-2020-04-1-1280×800.jpg” />With Google juggling so many platforms, it’s not easy to keep track of them, much less figure out which one will eventually get axed. This is even more uncertain on the entertainment and multimedia side, where Google has already retired a few services and platforms in the past years. Even the old Chromecast is not safe, with the advent of … Continue reading

Panasonic's higher-capacity Tesla battery could enter production in 2023

Panasonic could start mass producing larger-capacity batteries for Tesla as soon as next year. The 4680 cell is said to boost the range of electric vehicles by over 15 percent. As Nikkei notes, that could boost the range of the Model S from 650km (404 miles or so) on a single charge to 750km (around 465 miles).

Although the battery is said to be twice as big as previous versions, it has a fivefold increase in energy capacity, according to Nikkei. As such, cars need fewer of the batteries, which are already 10 to 20 percent cheaper to produce. It’s estimated that batteries account for 30 percent of the cost of EVs. A cost reduction could make EVs more affordable and hasten the transition to electric vehicles. What’s more, a longer range means drivers won’t need to charge batteries as often.

Panasonic, a long-time partner of Tesla, is reportedly investing around 80 billion yen ($704 million) on new equipment to produce the 4680. It’s said to be expanding an existing plant in Japan and making the batteries there to begin with. Nikkei reports the company will start making the cells on a small scale this year to develop safe and efficient processes before entering mass production in 2023. It may mass produce the batteries in other countries later.

The company confirmed to Reuters that it was setting up a test production line in 2022, though didn’t say when it will start making the batteries at a larger scale. “We are studying various options for mass production,” it said.

Panasonic started working on the cell following a request from Tesla. The head of Panasonic’s battery division said in November that the company hasn’t ruled out producing the cell for other automakers, though Tesla is its priority. Tesla CEO Elon Musk previously said that although his company plans to make its own batteries, it would continue to source them from other suppliers.

Tesla announced the 4680 at a Battery Day event in September 2020. At the time, Musk said the cell and other developments could enable Tesla to start selling a $25,000 EV.