Technologies

Nothing Phone 2 Is Coming to the US With a Big Boost

Carl Pei teases his tech startup’s US debut, promising a phone packing Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 chip.

Nothing to see here — just the news that the second phone from UK-based tech startup Nothing is coming soon. The Nothing Phone 2 will be an even more high-end product than its predecessor and will pack the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen. And yes, it will be available in the US.

Unlike almost every other Android phone-maker you can name, Nothing doesn’t have an official presence this year at Mobile World Congress. But the world’s biggest phone show, which kicked off on Monday in Barcelona, featured a surprise announcement from Nothing.

The company piggybacked on the stand of its chipset partner Qualcomm to make a late-in-the-day statement on Tuesday about its much anticipated new handset. The day prior, Nothing founder Carl Pei tweeted that «having a stand at MWC doesn’t fit our vibe.»

The new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset is Qualcomm’s flagship mobile processor this year, with improved AI features for photography, more reliable 5G connectivity and even ray tracing to create more true-to-life reflections and shadows in games. The chip is likely to feature in many high-end Android phones this year; a modified version powers the Samsung Galaxy S23, which was launched earlier this month. Its inclusion lends the Nothing Phone 2 some flagship credibility.

Pei brought years of experience working at OnePlus with him when he founded the tech brand Nothing in 2020. His aim was to inject some of the fun and excitement back into the tech world. A major part of the company’s strategy has been to develop a distinctive design language that combines transparent elements with built-in lights, which give the Nothing Phone 1 and the Nothing Ear 1, released in 2022 and 2021 respectively, a look that sets them apart from pretty much all other tech on the market right now.

In his review of the Phone 1, CNET’s Andrew Lanxon said he found it just as exciting to spend time with as he’d hoped. He loved the flashy, unique design and found it a solid performer at an affordable price. One of the downsides of the phone was simply that it wasn’t available in the US at release. The international model is now available for $299 in the US as part of a beta program, but with limited carrier support.

That won’t be the case for the Phone 2, which will be sold in the US, UK and Europe when it launches at a yet-to-be-confirmed date later this year. Prices are also TBC, but for context the Nothing Phone 1 priced at £399 in the UK.

Technologies

Facebook Brings Back Local Job Listings: How to Apply

One of Facebook’s most practical features from 2022 is being revived by Meta.

On the hunt for work? A Local Jobs search is being rolled out by Meta to make it easier for people in the US to discover and apply for nearby work directly on Facebook. The feature is inside Facebook Marketplace, Groups and Pages, Meta said last week, letting employers post openings and job seekers filter roles by distance, category or employment type.

You can apply or message employers directly through Facebook Messenger, while employers can publish job listings with just a few taps — similar to how you would post items for sale on Marketplace.

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Facebook offered a Jobs feature before discontinuing it in 2022, pushing business hiring toward its other platforms. Its return suggests Meta is attempting to expand Facebook’s usefulness beyond social networking and to position it once again as a hub for community-driven opportunities.

«We’ve always been about connecting with people, whether through shared interests or key life events,» the press release states. «Now, if you’re looking for entry-level, trade and service industry employment in your community, Facebook can help you connect with local people and small businesses who are hiring.»

How to get started with Local Jobs on Facebook

According to Meta, Local Jobs will appear as a dedicated section in Facebook Marketplace starting this week. If you’re 18 or older, you can:

Tap the Marketplace tab on the Facebook app or website.
Select Jobs to browse available positions nearby.
Use filters for job type, category and distance.
Tap Apply or message the employer directly via Messenger.

Businesses and page admins can post jobs by creating a new listing in Marketplace or from their Facebook Page. Listings can include job details, pay range, and scheduling information and will appear in local searches automatically.

The Local Jobs feature is rolling out across the US now, with Meta saying it plans to expand it in the months ahead.

Technologies

Tesla Has a New Range of Affordable Electric Cars: How Much They Cost

The new, stripped-back versions of the Model Y and Model 3 have a more affordable starting price.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Oct. 22 #598

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Oct. 22, No. 598.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is a fun one — I definitely have at least two of these in my house. Some of the answers are a bit tough to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Catch all.

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: A mess of items.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

BATE, LICE, SLUM, CAPE, HOLE, CARE, BARE, THEN, SLAM, SAMBA, BACK

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

TAPE, COIN, PENCIL, BATTERY, SHOELACE, THUMBTACK

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is JUNKDRAWER. To find it, look for the J that’s five letters down on the far-left row, and wind down, over and then up.

Quick tips for Strands

#1: To get more clue words, see if you can tweak the words you’ve already found, by adding an «S» or other variants. And if you find a word like WILL, see if other letters are close enough to help you make SILL, or BILL.

#2: Once you get one theme word, look at the puzzle to see if you can spot other related words.

#3: If you’ve been given the letters for a theme word, but can’t figure it out, guess three more clue words, and the puzzle will light up each letter in order, revealing the word.