TLDR 2021-10-28

Google has released a developer preview for Android 12L, a new version of Android designed for larger screens like tablets and foldables. The public version will arrive early next year. Android 12L features a two-column layout for the notification shade and lockscreen on wider screens, a taskbar that simplifies the process of launching things in split-screen mode, an API for developers to make apps aware of hinges, and much more. Screenshots from the preview are available in the article.

LinkedIn is opening up its Service Marketplace, a service that lets freelancers advertise to those looking to hire people for short-term engagements. Service Marketplace began as a test in February and has picked up 2 million users since. The service is now available globally, featuring 250 job categories, with a plan to expand to 500. Service Marketplace currently does not charge any fees, but there are plans to introduce fees down the line. The service is still in development and many features are yet to be implemented.

Auckland-based tech company Soul Machines makes digital people. Right now, the company mostly makes digital people for customer service and public outreach, but the company wants to eventually fill the metaverse with NPCs that can complete tasks for people as extensions of themselves. Soul's technology can create digital people in real-time, so people can speak to avatars that they feel most comfortable with. While digital people can be useful in areas like customer service, there are still fields, like teaching, where they are unlikely to replace humans. A couple of videos from Soul showing off their technology are available in the article.

Physicists in China have built two quantum computers with performance speeds way above their Western competitors. Zuchongzhi 2 is a 66-qubit light-based machine that is 10 million times faster than the world's fastest supercomputer. Jiuzhang 2 is also light-based, but it has a narrower field of applications. At this stage, the machines can only work in protected environments for short periods on highly specific tasks. The researchers hope to achieve quantum error correction over the next five years so that the machines can be more useful.

Bandit is a pure Elixir HTTP server for Plug applications. It can serve HTTP/1.x and HTTP/2 clients over both HTTP and HTTPS. The project prioritizes correctness, clarity, and performance, and seeks to demystify infrastructure code by being approachable and easy to understand. Bandit is still young and not yet ready for production use.

This article provides an overview of the new features and improvements in Next.js. The Next.js 12 update is the team's biggest release ever. It features a backward compatible Rust compiler that is 17 times faster than Babel, middleware, URL imports, experimental React features, and much more. Many more details are available in the article.

Underline is a new startup that wants to break up broadband monopolies across the US by building an open access fiber network. Multiple service providers will be able to use the network and offer service to customers, with a residential service starting at $49 per month for a 500 Mbps connection. Underline's first open access fiber network will be built in Colorado Springs. The network will consist of 400 miles of fiber and offer service to 55,000 residences and businesses. Underline has a target list of about 2,500 cities.

Spotify recently released new Car Things for purchase. Car Thing is a touchscreen and voice-enabled device that makes Spotify easier to navigate in cars. It was launched as a free, highly limited release in April. Users who were interested in a device had to sign up on a waitlist, which accumulated over 2 million preorders. Car Thing is currently only available to Spotify Premium members in the US.