Samsung Upcycles Phones, Ubuntu 21.04 Arrives, and Microsoft Brings Linux GUI to WSL

Samsung Upcycles Old Galaxy Phones into IoT Devices

Samsung announced the “Home of Galaxy Upcycling” program, which updates software on older Galaxy smartphones (Android 9 and higher) to turn them into IoT devices such as baby monitors, pet‑care products, light sensors, and battery‑managed smart‑home accessories that integrate with Samsung SmartThings.

Chengdu Announces New High‑Demand Tech Professions

The Chengdu talent white‑paper lists emerging high‑need occupations, reflecting the city’s shift toward new‑infrastructure and advanced manufacturing. Key growth areas include:

5G, big data, artificial intelligence, rail transit, and TOD construction.

Aerospace, mechanical manufacturing, CNC equipment, industrial and service robots, and green smart vehicles.

New service roles such as on‑demand delivery, beverage mixing, health passport specialists, and beverage design.

Smart‑city management positions like community planners and smart‑community operation managers.

Biopharma research, including vaccine, gene‑product, and nucleic‑acid synthesis development.

Diverse talent needs across production‑service industries, emphasizing coordinated “people‑city‑industry” development.

Ubuntu 21.04 Released with Wayland, AD Integration and New Themes

Canonical launched Ubuntu 21.04, featuring native Microsoft Active Directory integration, a Flutter SDK for multi‑platform app development, and Wayland enabled by default, replacing the 36‑year‑old X Window System.

The release upgrades the Linux kernel to 5.11, improving hardware support, while retaining GNOME 3 for stability. It also introduces a redesigned dark theme (Yaru) and accessibility enhancements.

Microsoft Adds Preliminary Linux GUI Support to WSL

Microsoft released a preview of GUI support for the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) in Windows 10 Insider Build 21364. The new WSLg stack combines Wayland, an X server, PulseAudio, and FreeRDP to enable seamless running of Linux graphical applications with audio, microphone, and GPU‑accelerated 3D graphics.

Users can enable the feature by updating WSL (wsl --update) or installing it fresh (wsl --install). Detailed documentation is available on Microsoft’s developer blog.