Latest Stories from Jamie
Is Instagram ‘Reels’ a genuine threat to TikTok?
With TikTok edging closer to possible elimination in the US market, Instagram has decided to launch its own short-bite video platform ‘Reels’. But is it good enough to rival TikTok? Last week Instagram rolled out its newest feature ‘Reels’ across 50 countries, with the intention of gaining a lucrative slice of the short-form content space. Rising like a phoenix from the ashes of Vine in 2016, TikTok recognised – and...
Exclusive – Meet Ketnipz, the Instagram sensation spreading positivity and mental wellness
At the age of just 21, Harry Hambley has already become an internet sensation through spreading positivity and mental wellness one doodle at a time. An afternoon Zoom call with Harry Hambley (aka Ketnipz) had me rifling through old school planners to see if my brainless scribbles had any kind of value or potential. In the least surprising revelation of 2020, they did not. From personal experience of the comprehensive schooling...
Google transforms recycled bottles into Pixel phone cases
In its quest to build more sustainable infrastructure, Google has released a series of phone cases made from recycled plastic for the Pixel 4a.
It’s becoming common knowledge that the amount of waste in landfill sites is growing every year, and proprietors of annually renewing tech must take part of the blame. We’re currently on course to hit 110 million tons of waste by 2050, and with
Microsoft offers TikTok US lifeline with potential deal
Microsoft is in advanced discussions over a potential TikTok purchase in the US, as President Trump looks to address the platform’s privacy concerns. After TikTok’s meteoric rise during lockdown saw it become the most downloaded app of 2020, parent company ByteDance and host-nation China were dragged through the mud in the mainstream media. Reports of invasive data collection software within TikTok’s programming sparked global trepidation over Chinese surveillance, with India...
Amazon gains approval to launch internet satellite initiative ‘Project Kupier’
Amazon has just received the long-awaited go ahead to launch Project Kupier, and an initial constellation of internet satellites 578 strong is being readied. After a 12 month wait, Jeff Bezos has finally received approval from the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to launch Amazon’s broadband satellite operation Project Kupier, and the world’s richest man is pledging future investment to the sum of $10bn. Like Starlink, which is headed up by...
Huawei trumps Samsung as top smartphone vendor this quarter
Thanks to a Covid-19 slump from Samsung, China’s smartphone giant Huawei has shipped more handsets than any other vendor in the last quarter. Huawei’s long harboured ambition to trump Samsung to the title of biggest smartphone seller has finally come to fruition, according to a new report from analyst firm Canalys. Like most industries, smartphone manufacturing and sales have been altered drastically by circumstantial conditions imposed by...
Instagram rolls out ‘Personal Fundraisers’ to support small businesses
In response to the economic fallout caused by Covid-19, Instagram has released a crowdfunding feature to keep small businesses afloat. Instagram pumping out updates has become one of the constants of 2020, but the latest feature is far from just another quirky AR addition. Parent company Facebook has already played host to thousands of independent crowdfunding projects in wake of the pandemic, and the next logical step is for Instagram to...
Lisa Jackson is heading up Apple’s roadmap to zero climate by 2030
Reporting the most profitable quarter for any corporation ever, Apple has plotted a roadmap to achieving climate neutrality by 2030. Lisa Jackson is the driving force behind that mission. Growing up in 70s New Orleans, a US hotspot for petrochemical facilities, Lisa Jackson witnessed first-hand the adverse effects of pollution and the disparity it brings to different communities. Today, as the Vice President of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives at...
Metacritic combats game ‘review bombing’ with 36-hour delays to user scores
Metacritic, widely renowned as the ultimate review aggregator, is introducing 36-hour delays to user scores on new games in an effort to combat ‘review bombing.’ Metacritic is tightening its defence against premature user scores by implementing 36-hour delays to all new games on its platform. With a view to maintaining its status as the most authentic review aggregator on the web, this precaution aims to prevent players from hastily throwing...
KFC is rolling out lab-produced chicken nuggets
As part of its ‘Meat of the Future’ campaign, KFC is developing laboratory-produced chicken nuggets to roll out in 2020. As the food industry vies for a more regenerative and sustainable future, fast food chains are being pressured to meet growing demands for animal alternatives. On that front, KFC are plotting something potentially ground-breaking for 2020. The fried chicken mecca is opening its chest of secret ingredients and seasonings to a...
