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...
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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...
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...
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,...
Twitter’s new audio feature will transform it, for better or worse
Heated political discussion is no longer confined to your phone’s keyboard, as Twitter begins to test out new audio tweet features for iOS. You only need to browse Twitter for five minutes to notice that it’s a very political space where anyone can argue via aggressive tweeting and reactionary gifs. This...
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...
Halo Infinite’s reveal proves that Xbox isn’t doing enough
The big reveal for Halo’s next instalment showed off lacklustre graphics and dated gameplay. It’s clear that Microsoft isn’t keeping up with Sony. Microsoft premiered eight minutes of brand new campaign gameplay from its upcoming Halo reboot, Halo Infinite, yesterday evening as part of a livestreamed reveal event. We also got a glimpse of a handful of new smaller, indie titles, as well as the announcement of a new...
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...
China successfully launches first ever mission to Mars
The secretive space mission is called Tianwen-1 and is scheduled to land on Mars in seven months time. China has officially entered the Mars space race with the successful launch of Tianwen-1, an unmanned rover that will land sometime in February if all goes well. It would make China the second country to land and operate a rover on Mars after the US. The Tianwen-1 consists of an orbiter, lander,...
