$3 million for winning a game of Fortnite? It just happened to a U.S. teen
A 16-year-old gamer from Pennsylvania won $3 million for winning the solo contest at the Fortnite World Cup in New York City on Sunday. Champion Kyle "Bugha" Giersdorf came through an online qualifying period involving a colossal 40 million hopefuls from around the world to take the top prize.
Steve Ballmer shows us he’s still crazy after all these years
Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer made a name for himself for his displays of wild enthusiasm at company events. As owner of the L.A. Clippers, he's quietened down a bit ... but not that much. At a recent press conference introducing NBA stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, Ballmer rolled back the years.
Sony’s Reon Pocket is a smartphone-controlled wearable air conditioner
Sometimes it feels like there's no escaping extreme temperatures, especially when you have to venture outside and face the weather. Sony may have a solution in the form of a wearable air conditioner called the Reon Pocket. The small device fits in a pocket on an undergarment, with the temperature controlled via an app.
Attempt to pilot a flyboard across the English Channel ends in the water
It was going so well for French inventor Franky Zapata as he attempted to become the first person to fly 20 miles across the English Channel with a flyboard. But when he tried to make a brief refueling stop on choppy waters, he toppled off the boat and into the sea. Zapata says he’ll try again soon.
Setback for GM’s autonomous car unit as it delays launch of robo-taxi service
GM's autonomous car unit wanted to launch a robo-taxi service before the end of this year. But Cruise Automation's CEO said on Wednesday it needed more time to test its self-driving vehicle in real-world conditions. The San Francisco-based company couldn’t offer a new date for the launch of its driverless taxi service.
SpaceX’s latest Starhopper test goes up in a puff of smoke (again)
SpaceX wanted to send its Starhopper spacecraft skyward on Wednesday but had to abort the effort at the very last moment. It was only destined to travel 20 meters above the ground in what would have been its first untethered flight, but something went wrong as the engine fired.
Coffee lovers, Starbucks and Uber Eats are going all-in on U.S. deliveries
For Starbucks fans, there may be times when a coffee is required but getting to a store is impossible. To prevent such a situation reaching crisis level, the coffee giant is planning to expand its delivery partnership with Uber Eats throughout the U.S. from early next year.
UPS sees a way forward for drone delivery and is going for it
UPS is getting serious about drone deliveries. The shipping giant has been exploring the idea for several years, and has even been testing a service delivering medical samples across a hospital campus in North Carolina. Now it has set up a new drone subsidiary called Flight Forward to take its plans to the next level.
Flyboard Air inventor plans daring 20-mile flight over English Channel this week
Franky Zapata is planning to fly his jet-powered hoverboard across the English Channel on Thursday. The 20-mile trip is a big challenge, though, with the Flyboard Air inventor admitting he only has a 30% chance of succeeding. Zapata hit the headlines last week when he flew his board at France’s Bastille Day parade.
Toyota shows off mascot robots and tiny autonomous car for Tokyo Olympics
Toyota has shown off seven robots that it says will assist and entertain at the Tokyo Olympics next summer. The collection includes mascot and telepresence robots, as well as a tiny autonomous car to help in field events. The robots form part of Toyota’s efforts to broaden its business beyond just auto sales.
Facebook admits to Messenger Kids security flaw but insists it’s fixed
Facebook has confirmed that it missed a design flaw in its Messenger Kids app that meant children could have communicated with users who hadn’t been parent-approved. The error involved group chats, though Facebook says it has now fixed the issue and contacted those affected.
Elon Musk’s Hyperloop pod race sees German team zoom to victory (again)
A German team of student engineers has come first in the latest Hyperloop pod speed contest in California. The team's design reached 288 mph (463 kph) along a straight, three-quarter-mile test track, beating three rival teams. Next year’s contest will increase the challenge by using a much longer, curved track.
Jetpack pilot flies around Sydney Harbour and stays dry, unlike before
Ten years ago, a jetpack demonstration by Aussie entrepreneur David Mayman saw him end up in Sydney Harbour, but on Sunday he returned with a far more sophisticated design that this time kept him dry. The flight was part of promotional efforts for a new documentary about his ongoing quest to build the perfect jetpack.
Parrot retires its mini-drones to focus on its Anafi quadcopter
Parrot is retiring its mini-drones to focus on developing its more advanced Anafi quadcopter for the commercial market. The decision means an end to sales of devices such as the Mambo and Swing. The company recently won a contract with the U.S. Department of Defense to develop a drone for soldiers.
Amazon Prime Day glitch saw pricey camera gear given crazy discounts
It seems like a few lucky photography enthusiasts had the best time during this year's Prime Day(s). Thanks to an apparent glitch on Amazon’s shopping site, a wide selection of pricey camera gear ended up being sold for a fraction of the usual price— and some of the bargains have already shipped!
Elon Musk says SpaceX’s Starship can land on the moon by 2021
SpaceX boss Elon Musk says he believes its Starship spacecraft can land on the moon by 2021, adding that he hopes his company can help to build a "permanently occupied lunar base" there. However, the comments came a few days before a prototype Starship rocket suffered a fiery mishap during a ground test this week.
Uber’s in-car shopping service now sells way more than just snacks
The Cargo Box launched in 2018 to offer Uber drivers an easy way to sell snacks and drinks to riders. The service is now expanding to include lots more items, including tech products and travel accessories. With each purchase, riders receive 10% back in Uber Cash, while drivers receive a commission.
Stalking apps: Google deletes 7 Android trackers from the Play Store
Google has removed from the Play Store seven stalking apps that let a snoop track someone's phone without them knowing about it. The sneaky software also offers access to a handset’s contact list, as well as its SMS and call history. Such apps are sometimes used by abusive partners or dodgy employers, among others.
Google Maps has just become a whole lot more useful for bikesharing fans
Google Maps now offers a lot more bikesharing information for riders in 24 cities globally. Starting this week, you can see the location of nearby bikesharing stations, as well as data on bike availability. The feature also lets you check ahead to confirm which nearby stations have an available space for parking.
Elon Musk’s Neuralink wants to start operating on human brains next year
Elon Musk shed more light on his secretive Neuralink company on Tuesday, revealing new technology for brain surgery that would allow people with paralysis to use thoughts to control computing devices. But he said that Neuralink’s ultimate goal was to “achieve a sort of symbiosis with A.I.”
You won’t believe how quickly Red Bull changed all four tires on this F1 car
Red Bull has just bagged the record for the fastest pit-lane stop in the history of F1 racing. The team of highly trained mechanics changed all four tires on the car in just 1.91 seconds at the British Grand Prix on Sunday, shaving just 0.01 seconds off the previous record held by McLaren.
Space food: Humble chili pepper to become first fruit grown in space
The Española chili pepper could become the first fruiting plant to be grown and harvested in space as part of an experiment taking place soon on the International Space Station. If successful, it will expand the range of foods able to be used for future, more ambitious missions to planets such as Mars.
This compact drone gun can down a rogue quadcopter at 500 meters
The latest drone gun from DroneShield is its most compact yet and can be comfortably operated with one hand. The DroneGun MkIII can tackle rogue drones up to 500 meters away, using jamming technology to take control of the machine before landing it safely. Target customers include operators of airports and prisons.
Waze now tells you the cost of toll roads along your route
Navigation app Waze now tells you how much you'll be paying for toll roads, should you decide to take them. Enter your route and the app will display the various tolls you'll be paying on that particular trip. The update rolled out this week and is available for Waze on both Android and iPhone.
Airport hotel builds a full-sized flight simulator into one of its guest rooms
Aviation fans flying out of Tokyo's Haneda Airport, there's a new hotel room designed just for you. It features a full-size Boeing 737-800 flight simulator, though you'll have to pay extra to use it. The Haneda Excel Hotel Tokyu opens the room this week, with flight lessons offered by a qualified flight instructor.
Flyboard Air soars over Paris during France’s national day celebrations
Franky Zapata, the inventor of the jet-powered Flyboard Air, showed off his machine during France's Bastille Day celebrations on Sunday. The impressive display was even given a nod of approval by French President Emmanuel Macron. The Flyboard Air can fly for 10 minutes at a time and reach speeds of up to 87 mph.
YouTube offers creators more ways to boost their bank accounts
YouTube has unveiled several new features aimed at helping creators to monetize their channel outside of the usual ad-based system. Super Stickers, for example, lets fans buy animated stickers to drop into livestream chats, while Channel Memberships now lets you offer various price points for different perks.
NASA video celebrates the discovery of the 4,000th exoplanet
Exoplanets are celestial bodies outside of our solar system, with some potentially able to sustain life. A new NASA video celebrates the discovery of 4,000 exoplanets by powerful space telescopes since 1992. The now-retired Kepler telescope found most of them, but the new TESS satellite is expected to find many more.
Uber driver becomes unwitting getaway driver for a gas station robber
A rookie Uber driver unwittingly played the part of getaway driver for a man who robbed a gas station recently. The first he knew about it was when cops surrounded his home and demanded he come out with his hands up. The robber used his Uber account, making it pretty easy for the cops to make an arrest.
Hayabusa2 probe collects first-ever subsurface samples from an asteroid
It can be hard waiting for news from 200 million miles away, but on Wednesday night, Japan's space agency said it believes its Hayabusa2 probe had successfully collected the first subsurface material from an asteroid. Now comes the tricky job of getting it back to Earth.