Home - Computing - Raspberry Pi Latest Update Adds Searchable Main Menu, Picamera2 Support & More

The UK-based educational charity organization Raspberry Pi foundation has unveiled a reworked Operating System to upgrade the look and feel of several significant areas like camera, keyboard, audio, etc.

The update was released on September 7, 2022.

Raspberry Pi is a low-cost, “credit-card sized” mini computer. It aims to further the knowledge of computers, computer science, and other related domains. The foundation enables people from all demographics, income levels, and ages to find access to rudimentary computer technology and digital services.

In order to be used, Raspberry Pi can be easily plugged into a tv/ computer screen along with accessories like a keyboard and mouse. It is also compatible with other platforms such as Windows, Linux, macOS, etc.

The new update brings several user-focused changes. Let’s take a look:

Searchable Main Menu: Users can access the modified main menu plugin and text search for items. Upon pressing the Raspberry key on the Raspberry keyboard (in case of non-raspberry keyboards, use the Windows key,) the main menu with a search box would open.

Although, Raspberry notes that the existing main menu will not change. The search box will appear if you start typing anything.

It signals good news for people who like to use their keyboards more than the mouse.

Picamera2 Support For Raspberry: Picamera2, a Python library providing easy access to Raspberry’s camera system, is also receiving an upgrade to its interface.

After the update, it will become better in terms of interface and accessibility compared to the existing Libcamera.

Reworked Audio Input Control: The current release of Raspberry Pi OS will split the volume icon on the taskbar into two different icons. After a user connects an input audio device with USB/Bluetooth, a microphone icon will be visible alongside the existing speaker icon on the taskbar.

Furthermore, a list of available input devices will appear once the microphone icon is right-clicked. Left-clicking the same icon will bring up volume control settings.

Raspberry Pi’s Compatibility with the Network Manager:

Network Manager is a piece of software many Linux users have been using to control WiFi network connectivity. Owing to its set of extra features, it has become a de-facto standard.

In response, Raspberry has decided to add the option for using NetworkManager.

However, dhcpcd would remain the default network, accessibility controller. Users have to switch to NetworkManager. However, Raspberry did not rule out the possibility of NetworkManager being the default setting in the future.

Added Keyboard Shortcuts: The new Raspberry Pi OS comes with additional keyboard shortcuts that enable users to access the Bluetooth and WiFi menu without having to use the mouse.

Ctrl-Alt-B will open the Bluetooth menu, and Ctrl-Alt-W will lead to the WiFi menu.

Also read: Intel’s Upcoming Core i9-13900K Reaches An Amazing 6.5GHz With Overclocking

The new OS can be downloaded from the official download page. Also, users may take advantage of Raspberry Pi Imager to flash it straight into an SD card.

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