Microsoft’s game streaming service is coming to the web — which means it’s coming to iOS without giving Apple a cut of revenue. Pine64 has announced the default GNU/Linux distribution and user interface that will ship with its PinePhone devices in the future. And the new company from the co-founder of OnePlus has bought the remnants of the defunct company from the creator of Android… and the puns write themselves, but essentially it all probably means nothing.
Here’s a roundup of tech news from around the web.
- Essential is now officially owned by Carl Pei’s Nothing Technologies [9to5Google]
Nothing is Essential (OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei’s new company acquires the remnants of Android creator Andy Rubin’s now-defunct company, Essential Products). It could mean smartphones are on the way, or it could just be a move to acquire patents. - Roku Seeds Rechargeable Remote [ZatzNotFunny]
Roku has quietly launched a new “Voice Remote Pro” remote control with a rechargeable battery (and a micro USB port), but the $30 accessory appears to be a limited-edition device with only 2,000 units available for now. - Google proposes way for Fuchsia OS to run Android and Linux programs ‘natively’ [9to5Google]
Google may be considering implementing a method for running Linux and Android apps in Fuchsia OS without the need for a virtual machine. This could be a sign that Fuchsia could eventually replace Android and/or Chrome OS without losing app compatibility. - OpenMandriva Lx 4.2 “Argon” Officially Released with Linux 5.10 LTS, ARM64 Port
This is the first release of the OpenMandriva Linux distribution with an ARM64 port. - Here’s a first look at Microsoft’s xCloud for the web [The Verge]
Microsoft has begun beta testing xCloud game streaming through a web browser. Up next will be a public preview, allowing users to stream games to an iPhone, iPad, or other devices without a native app. @verge has a sneak peek. - Future PinePhones will ship with Manjaro and Plasma Mobile [LinuxSmartphones]
The PinePhone Community Edition program has ended and in the future, Pine64’s Linux phone will come with Manjaro Linux and the KDE Plasma Mobile UI pre-installed. But you can still run alternate GNU/Liunx distros from a microSD card or flash them to the built-in eMMC storage., - DIY smartphone keyboard made from salvaged Psion 5 PDA parts [LinuxSmartphones
More than two decades after the Pison 5 palmtop computer was discontinued, its keyboard is still one of the best options for touch typing on a pocket-sized device. This project involves recycling some old Psion 5 keyboards for use with modern smartphones.
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Essential always was a dumb name for a premium brand. It would have been fine if they were selling $200 phones that only featured… the essentials.
Nothing? That’s even worse.
I mean, I guess if you need a name for a company, it’s better than nothing… or something.