Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 2: Top Secret Is Live - A Spy-Themed Affair With Deadpool, New Skins, Locations

Fortnite Chapter Season 2 has been dubbed ‘Top Secret’ and will be live for 10 weeks till April 30.

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Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 2 Promotions Include Real World Ads and Cryptic Messages

The campaign for Fortnite’s Season 2 is in full effect with people spotting cryptic messages on social media and the real world. They have reported hearing pre-recorded messages that mention agents, explosive specialists, and safes.

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Dont be fooled by the alleged iPhone 9 hands-on video, it could be a custom iPhone 8

Apple is rumoured to be working on a new low-cost iPhone 9, which is also alleged to be the iPhone SE 2. We’ve already come across a couple of reports hinting at the possible existence of the new device. Now, a new hands-on video of the alleged iPhone 9/SE 2 is making the rounds on the internet. First uploaded on TikTok, the video is now being shared on the microblogging platform Twitter. The video shows off a new iPhone, which looks like someone fused the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 8 together. However, the video seems dubious and fueling our scepticism, the well-known tipster Ben Geskin says that it’s not really a new iPhone but just a custom iPhone 8. 

The video hints at the return of the home button with the alleged iPhone 9 and there are also noticeable thick bezels both above and below the display. The sides are flat though and the rear panel’s colour suggests a cyan colour variant might be in the works. However, we now know that the device is actually an iPhone 8 with a custom cover slapped over the rear panel. Even without the knowledge that it is a custom iPhone 8, it wouldn’t be tough to rule out the video as a fake. Previously leaked renders of the alleged iPhone 9 by OnLeaks, which is a reliable tipster, suggests that Apple might be planning something else. 

No. That’s custom iPhone 8.

— Ben Geskin (@BenGeskin) February 19, 2020

Following the usual schedule, Apple is expected to host its spring event late in March this year too. Rumours suggest that a low-cost iPhone, allegedly called the iPhone 9 or the iPhone SE 2 could be unveiled at the event. We have come across some leaked renders of the device, which suggest that the handset could have a frosted glass finish for the back panel, similar to the one seen on iPhone 11 Pro. There could be a stainless steel frame holding the display and the internals, which looks like something borrowed from the iPhone X. 

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TikTok finally adds Screen Time Management features to limit kids access: All you need to know

After being banned and making a comeback, TikTok is now the top free app on the Google Play Store. It has over 500 million downloads and enables users to create short lip-synced or standard videos with an option to throw in various effects and filters. However, the app didn’t have any digital wellbeing features, until now. Developers of the app have now announced some new features for the popular app such as Family Safety Mode and some new Screen Time Management features. With the new features, TikTok is aiming to enable parents and guardians to keep their teens safe on TikTok.

Family Safety Mode features

The new Family Safety Mode will link a parent’s TikTok account to their teen's. After enabling the feature, parents will be able to access some new digital wellbeing features on their kid’s TikTok account like Screen Time Management, Direct Messages and Restricted Mode. As the name suggests, Screen Time Management will enable parents to set how long their teen can use TikTok every day. They can also set a limit on who can send direct messages to your teenager’s account and there’s also an option to turn it off completely. With Restricted Mode turned on, appearances of content that may be deemed inappropriate for all audiences would be restricted. 

Screen Time management in TikTok Feed

The Screen Time Management feature is also being implemented in the TikTok feed. TikTok says, “We have partnered with some of our most followed and loved creators to create unique and proactive in-app prompts that remind our community to be aware of the time they spend on TikTok and to encourage them to consider taking some time out.” The feature sounds like the Instagram reminder Facebook introduced a while back so that users are aware when they spend too much time on the app. 

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OnePlus 7T gets OxygenOS 1031 with January 2020 security patch, new features

Better late than never, users of the OnePlus 7T will say as they begin receiving the new OxygenOS software update on their handset sometime later this week or the next. The new update, called OxygenOS 10.3.1 in India and OxygenOS 10.0.8 globally, contains the long-awaited January 2020 security patch and a bunch of software optimisations and new features, many of which are made only for India. To check for the update manually, head to Settings > System > System updates on your OnePlus 7T.

According to the changelog shared on the OnePlus Community, the global and Indian versions of the new OxygenOS update receive the following software enhancements: optimised RAM management, a fix for a black screen issue with some apps, reminders for privacy alerts, improved system stability and bug fixes, and the January 2020 security patch. However, the OxygenOS update for the OnePlus 7T sold in India comes with a little more.

The changelog mentions that the OxygenOS update for the Indian OnePlus 7T brings integration of VoWiFi registration for Reliance Jio SIM cards. In addition, the software now supports synchronisation of notes and contacts with OnePlus’ cloud service. Lastly, the update brings a few software optimisations for the handset’s inbuilt Work-Life Balance feature. It includes optimised “message notification”, optimised “mode and app selection”, and the addition of “location, calendar, auto-track” features.

OnePlus launched the OnePlus 7T in the market late last year. The handset is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ chip with up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage space. The OnePlus 7T sports a 6.55-inch Fluid AMOLED screen with a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels. The screen features Corning Gorilla Glass 5 for protection and a 90Hz refresh rate for added smoothness. The OnePlus 7T packs a 3800mAh battery with support for 30W fast charging through the company’s proprietary Warp Charge 30T charging technology. You can read our review of the OnePlus 7T here.

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Renewable energy generating microbes could one day power smartphones, smartwatches and maybe even homes

With technology progressing rapidly and our needs for energy consumption going up, it’s logical to find more sustainable energy sources. While we are lowering our reliance on fossil fuels, our requirement for energy has not gone down and the renewable energy sector is currently lagging behind. However, researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have developed a new low-cost solution to generate clean energy out of thin air. Named Air-gen, the device employs natural protein and generates small electrical current utilising moisture in the air. The device was built at the laboratories of electrical engineer Jun Yao and microbiologist Derek Lovley at UMass Amherst.

Air-gen: What is it made up of?

Derek Lovley discovered the Geobacter microbe over 30 years ago in the Potomac River. His labs found out the microbe can be used to produce electrically conductive protein nanowires. Yao had been working on engineering electronic devices with silicon nanowires at Harvard University before teaming up with Lovely to figure out whether electronic devices could be run on protein nanowires harvested from Geobacter. As per the researchers, Air-gen requires a film of protein nanowires a bit thinner than 10 microns to work, along with electrodes. The whole apparatus utilises water vapour from the atmosphere to generate electricity. 

How Air-gen works

The whole working of Air-gen relies on connecting electrodes to the protein nanowires in a manner that generates an electrical current. This is done by utilising water vapour present in the atmosphere. The bottom of the film of protein nanowires rests on an electrode, while on top is a smaller electrode covering that partially covers the nanowire film. The film adsorbs water vapour from the atmosphere and creates electricity between the two electrodes. To be specific, the entire bundle uses electrical conductivity and surface chemistry of the protein nanowires, coupled with the fine pores between the nanowires within the film to reach conditions required for the generation of an electrical current.

The current Air-gen device can power small devices. Photos courtesy: UMass Amherst/Yao and Lovley labs

Possible impact

Since Air-gen uses microbe, water vapour and electrodes to generate electricity, it is renewable, non-polluting and low-cost. The device is said to work even in regions with extremely low humidity such as a desert and is touted to deliver notable advantages over other renewable energy production methods. This is since it doesn’t require sunlight or wind and it can apparently work indoors as well. “We are literally making electricity out of thin air,” says Yao. “The Air-gen generates clean energy 24/7.” Lovely adds, “It’s the most amazing and exciting application of protein nanowires yet.”

Currently, Air-gen devices are said to be capable of powering small electronics but with further research and development, researchers are positive it could be applied commercially too. An Air-gen patch is being deliberated that will apparently be able to power small electronic devices like health and fitness monitors and smartwatches. Doing this would eliminate traditional batteries. Later, Air-gens might also be developed further so that it can be used to power cell phones and eliminate the need to periodically charge a phone. 

Yao says, “The ultimate goal is to make large-scale systems. For example, the technology might be incorporated into wall paint that could help power your home. Or, we may develop stand-alone air-powered generators that supply electricity off the grid. Once we get to an industrial scale for wire production, I fully expect that we can make large systems that will make a major contribution to sustainable energy production.”

Lovley’s lab also recently developed a new microbial strain to more rapidly and inexpensively mass produce protein nanowires. “We turned E. coli into a protein nanowire factory,” he says. “With this new scalable process, protein nanowire supply will no longer be a bottleneck to developing these applications.”

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Microsoft launches all-in-one Office app for Android and iOS devices

Microsoft’s dream of integrating its three most widely used productivity apps into a single mobile app is finally coming true as the maker of the Windows desktop operating system announced the launch of its new Office app, yesterday. Available now on Android and iOS devices (tablets included) as a free download, the new Microsoft Office app serves as a one-stop-shop for opening and editing Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. It also allows the user to scan physical documents and convert hand-drawn tables into Excel sheets.

Microsoft launched the new Office app on the Google Play Store and Apple AppStore yesterday after many months of public preview. In a manner of speaking, it combines the power of the existing Word, Excel, and PowerPoint standalone apps but doesn’t replace them. Microsoft says it has created the new Office app to create a simplified Office experience on mobile devices and to reduce the amount of storage space taken up by them. On an average modern Android device such as the OnePlus 5, the new Office app takes up as much as nearly 500MB of storage space.

The new Microsoft Office app not only integrates the features of the Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps but also brings additional productivity features to users who frequently deal with documents and spreadsheets. For example, it can use the device’s camera to convert a physical document or whiteboard drawing into a PDF file. It can also convert hand-drawn tables into Excel sheets using OCR (optical character recognition). It also supports digital signing of PDF files and file transfers between a PC and a smartphone of sizes up to 10MB. It also offers a few note-taking features.

Unlike Microsoft’s Office 365, the new Office app does not require a subscription. However, Microsoft says that signing in to the app with a Microsoft account that is linked to Office 365 will unlock a few premium features. “We have made several enhancements since the public preview—such as support for third-party storage services including Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, and iCloud; templates to help you create new documents, spreadsheets, and presentations; and general performance improvements,” writes Microsoft in its blog post. Click here to download the app.

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