Sea sensors to change the world in 2020?
Researchers are looking to deploy 50,000 ocean sensors to track ships, storms, wildlife, and weather in 2020. With Muskβs 60 Starlink satellites already filling the sky, oceanographers are now looking to build an interconnected network of sea sensors spanning an area larger than Texas.Β As we sit here today itβs feasible...
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PlayStation 5 controller finally revealed
Weβve yet to get a proper look at the PlayStation 5, but the new controllerΒ suggestsΒ weβre likely to see a drastic design change from lastΒ gen consoles.Β With the Xbox Series X'sΒ official unveiling happening back in December 2019, Sony were expected to follow suit shortly after. However, here we sit four months...
Mobile-only streaming platform Quibi launches in lockdown
After sinking $1.8 billion into star power and content production,Β QuibiΒ execs have decided to launch the mobile-centric service in lockdown. Businesses all across the globe are trying to keep their heads above water in this time of global crisis, but a select few are flourishing under the circumstances. With a large...
WhatsApp combat the spread of COVID-19 misinformation
WhatsApp is looking to stem the βdissemination of fake newsβ by imposing limits on forwarded messages. WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging platforms in the world, with upwards of 1.5 billion recorded users across its chat and video call features.Β A large part of the appeal comes from WhatsAppβs...
YouTube to rival TikTok with short-bite feature ‘Shorts’?
YouTube is looking to ride the coattails ofΒ TikTokβsΒ recent success by launching its own video-bite feature in 2020.Β Itβs fair to say YouTube is getting a little greedy taking names in 2020. Despite sitting atop the podium of biggest video platforms (and second in the most visited site), pipping Twitch to...
The unstoppable rise of video calling apps in COVID-19 lockdown
Video calling platforms have gone from professional obligation to recreational pastime during the Covid-19 lockdown.Β Trying to muster positives in a time of global crisisΒ is like searching for a needle in a haystack. Businesses are going belly up every day that the lockdown persists, with most global stock markets down...
Instagram is bringing ‘Selfie Stickers’ to Stories
If your Instagram stories werenβtΒ zhushyΒ enough already, the social meccas are now testing a feature dubbed Selfie Stickers. With social media platforms reporting peaksΒ in user engagement throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, now seems the perfect time to introduce and test new features. Instagram are doing just that.Β Over 500 million usersΒ were already viewing and uploading Instagram Stories every day before the virus. Now with studies showing an increase in...
Netflix to lower European streaming quality
Itβs a temporary measure, but Netflix, Amazon Prime, and YouTube will be reducing their streaming resolutions across Europe due to a surge in web traffic. Who would have thought COVID-19 would affect our ability to watch internet content in HD? Starting from today Netflix, Amazon Prime, and YouTube will be capping their picture quality on all platforms. This means that most, if not all, of the videos youβll be viewing...
Facebook ramps up moderation team amidst Covid-19 mental health crisis
Facebook is gearing up for an increase in anxious and depressed users, as the world is forced to hunker down into self-isolation. This week has certainly been an unusual one, to say the very least. As most of Europe and the US begin working from home on mass due to the Coronavirus pandemic, big social media platforms including Facebook are preparing themselves for an increase in traffic and anxious users. The...
Newly discovered βSuper-Earthβ planet could inhabit life
A nearby exoplanet called K2-18b has been analysed by astrophysicists and could be host to life, despite being far bigger than Earth. The idea of other life forms being somewhere out there in the vast, slightly terrifying abyss of space has been discussed for centuries, but weβve still yet to find anything concrete that proves we arenβt alone in the universe. Thereβs reason enough to be a little more hopeful...
