Microsoft is adding a bunch of new features to Paint, a graphics editing app that had been pretty barebones up until recently. The company is also rolling out experimental new updates to the Windows Subsystem for Linux.
And the first performance notes about a new Amlogic processor that could power next-gen Google and Android TV boxes are in… and while performance hasn’t changed much, the Amlogic S905X5 is said to bring major efficiency improvements.
Here’s a roundup of recent tech news from around the web.
Paint app update adding support for layers and transparency begins rolling out to Windows Insiders [Windows Blogs]
Shortly after announcing support for one-click background removal in MS Paint, Microsoft has unveiled initial support for new (to Paint) features including layers and transparency (opening and saving transparent PNG files).
The update is rolling out first to members of the Windows Insider program, but should eventually make its way to stable channel builds.
SEI Next-gen Box with Amlogic S905X [SEI Reobotics / LinkedIn]
SEI Robotics says its new Android TV box featuring a 6nm Amlogic S905X5 processor uses 50% less power than models with 12nm S905X4 chips, while delivering the same performance for 4K HDR video The new chip is likely to power many upcoming Google & Android TV devices (possibly including next-gen Chromecast hardware).
Windows Subsystem for Linux September 2023 update [Microsoft Command Line Blog
Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) updated with support for optional experimental features to do things like automatically reduce the RAM and storage used by WSL virtual machines, apply Windows firewall rules to WSL, and more.
Refurbished Librem 5 for $799 [Purism]
Our recent article about the Librem 5 noted that its new $999 price tag after a $300 price cut is still… a lot. People seem to have a lot of thoughts about whether the price is reasonable or not. But it looks like there is a slightly cheaper option: Purism is selling refurbished models of the Linux phone for $799.
Weekly GNU-like Mobile Linux Update [LinMOB]
Mobile Linux distro Droidian has released a new snapshot based on Debian 13 and featuring the GNOME 44 user interface, Purism has launched a new tablet, and more.
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MS Paint has always been good. I often open it for quick simple edits. To this day as a mac user, I still open JSpaint occasionally
@thadec – sorry to have to continued replying in separate (non-nested) comments like this but whenever I click on “Reply” at the bottom of your comments, it just reloads the page and takes me back to your comment without creating a comment field beneath so that just leaves the main (unnested) comment box in which to reply…
Why? Exactly so that you can use all the computing potential of your TV box, as you wish, rather than be artificially limited by gatekeepers. Something particularly handy in small form factors (which is quite relevant to the name of this website!)
Some people may just want to be able to benefit from the developments in the Kodi and *ELEC communities.
@thadec “You aren’t going to see more performance on Android TV boxes before Google releases a version of Android TV that is more capable.”
…or people reflash it with GNU/Linux 😝
Then why do that with an Android TV box? Funny that people would say that of all things on a mini PC site 🙂
Well, Android TV box ARE essentially mini PCs, once you flash them with Linux. They use the same hardware of some SBC and they tend to be cheaper, if you consider that they come with case, cables and power adapter. Take for instance the Orange Pi Zero 3, it sells for 25€ (1GB RAM, no accessory) on AliExpress, while the Vontar H618, which uses the same SoC, is selling (on sale) for 26€ (4GB RAM, 64GB eMMC). If you don’t need the extra connectivity of a SBC, because you’re just going to use it as a Kodi box, an emulation system or a mini-server for PiHole, then the Android Box could be a fairly interesting choice.
microsoft now sucks badly
an overrated piece of shit? the future of shit software
You aren’t going to see more performance on Android TV boxes before Google releases a version of Android TV that is more capable. The OS is 9 years old and the biggest update to its functionality was adoptable storage back in 2017. Nvidia TRIED to push the platform forward but gave up, including reverting from a 64 bit version of the OS back to the 32 bit one due to a lack of 64 bit apps (not even Google’s own YouTube, YouTube Music, YouTube TV, Google Play Movies and TV and Chromecast apps were 64 bit).
The SOC going from 12nm to 6nm will help. One of the most frustrating things about Android TV devices is their requiring a FULL BLOWN POWER ADAPTER on cheap devices that can’t do much. So even if Android TV is never going to become the full blown gaming, HTPC etc. platform that Google promised when they launched it – and Nvidia invested their best ARM chip as well as game streaming technology to support it, plus got Plex to write a server edition for it AND paid for ports of PS3 and XBox 360 era console games that they upscaled to 4K … man they wasted a ton of money on that platform only for Google to strand them and focus on smart TVs and smart cable boxes with the minimum specs instead – at least this new SOC will allow you to run Android TV boxes off smartphone chargers and even USB power. That was the neatest thing about the old 1080p Roku sticks … you could use the TV’s USB 3.0 port for power. You “should” be able to with the Android TV devices made on a 6nm SOC also.