HeyWhatsNew: Huawei Releases Another Chipset and Goodbye to Google Play Movies & TV
Hey there Heyuppers, welcome back to HeyWhatsNew for your roundup of the latest tech news and developments impacting the world for the week beginning 11/12/2023.
Google Is Letting Go of Google Play Movies & TV
In what has been a build-up of a few months, Google is finally and officially letting go of the Google Play Movies & TV app and replacing it with the more inclusive Google TV app. This is similar to Apple's recent move, in which they dropped both the iTunes Movies and TV Shows apps for the central Apple TV app on tvOS 17.2.
According to an article originally shared by 9to5Google, Google started implementing the changes in October. Starting January 17, Android TV users will access all their downloaded content directly from the Google TV app because the Google Play Movies & TV app will be gone for good.
Amazon’s New Feature Lets You Access All Your Books In One Place
Amazon has launched a new feature that allows you to see all your Audible, Kindle, or print downloads, purchases, and saved titles in one place. The new Your Books feature conveniently arranges all your content in one place making it easier to navigate existing titles while streamlining the process of discovering new books.
The new feature has several tabs such as Library, Saved Book, and Recommendations & Discovery. Under each tab, you’ll be able to find personalized recommendations, see all the titles you’re interested in, or read through books you’ve already purchased.
Microsoft Puts Its Trust In a New Director to Sell More Xbox
Xbox parent company Microsoft has a new director of Japan partnerships, Mena Kato, who they hope will be able to cement Xbox’s position as the third player in the global gaming market. This is because Kato has more than two decades of experience building Sony’s console division into the giant it is today.
As it stands, the current leaders in the console gaming market are PlayStation and Nintendo who recently sold 4.8 million and 31 million units respectively, compared to the 500 000 units sold by Xbox. In an interview, Kato said that it may be difficult for Japanese publishers to expand their business with PlayStation alone, so they do need Xbox in the market.
The 2025 Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 Specs Have Already Leaked
While we’re still fixated on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 release and waiting to see how more of our favorite manufacturers will put it to use in their devices, Qualcomm is already working on their next big thing. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 was confirmed as a future project at the Snapdragon Summit a few weeks ago, and the recently leaked pictures and specs suggest that it’s already underway.
It’s alleged that the new chipset is built on a 3 nm TSMC process and will not include any little cores, featuring two big and six medium cores only. There is still some time before we hear any official news, so all we can do for now is speculate.
Are e-books Being Used as Surveillance Tools?
We’ve become familiar with the idea of websites and apps sharing our data for marketing purposes, but it’s surprising to learn that e-books are fast becoming another way our data is being fished out by Big Tech.
Big Tech can now keep an eye on material that you read from virtually anywhere, and publishers are allowing them to do it. This is according to a coalition of groups who issued a congressional letter urging lawmakers to investigate further.
Intel Is Using AI to Accelerate the Development of its AI Processors
Over recent months and years, AI has been incorporated into almost every bit of new technology. Intel has taken it a step further by using AI-powered machinery to perfect the building of the Meteor Lake processors for the upcoming laptops Intel has dubbed AI PCs.
Essentially, the building process of the Meteor Lake chipset is more fine-tuned, and according to the co-leader of the company’s design and engineering department, this ensures that more sellable units are produced each time.
Huawei Releases Yet Another New Chip Despite U.S. Sanctions.
Despite being unable to access the U.S. market due to sanctions, Huawei and Chinese chipmaker SMIC have succeeded in creating a 5 nm chip known as the Kirin 9006C just months after launching a 7nm chip.
These accomplishments will help the Chinese tech giants to meet the demand for more powerful processors in their devices. This also demonstrates Huawei’s commitment to innovation and self-reliance as a Tech Giant.
That’s it for this week's edition of tech news and updates. Join us again next time for your roundup of the latest updates on new tech developments that are shaping our world.
