On September 26^th, Epic Games launched Fortnite: Battle Royale, an open-world multiplayer which raised a lot of controversies. The creators of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds condemn the game for the similarities with their own creation but, even so, the title managed to gather 10 million players only two weeks after its release.

Fortnite: Battle Royale has already gathered a lot of players

Epic Games had already popularized the original Fortnite game, where players had to work together to erect buildings and protect themselves from zombies. This title still benefits from Early Access, but the game studio decided to bring out Fortnite: Battle Royale.

Here, players can still be creative and make use of their strategy skills, but it adds something new. It borrows the open-world setting and the apocalyptic atmosphere from the already popular PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, sparking a lot of debates on the subject.

Battlegrounds is in Early Access as well, but 13 million people have already bought it. By comparing the numbers with the release date, a bright future seems to lie ahead of Battle Royale. However, there is still a big difference between the two titles.

Bluehole Studio is not so happy about Battle Royale’s advantages

Fortnite: Battle Royale poses some big advantages for many gamers – it’s free to play. On the other hand, Battlegrounds is available for purchase for $30. Also, Battle Royale can be played across all platforms, while Battlegrounds only benefits from a PC version. However, Bluehole Studio, the owner of the latter game, announced there should come an Xbox version for Battlegrounds soon enough.

However, these are not the only reasons why Bluehole should be upset. The two games bear a lot of similarities, and the studio thinks it might not be fair for Battle Royale to have so many advantages. The studio is upset about about Epic Games making use of the same tool to develop its game that it used for Battlegrounds, so the debate might be far from over.
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Google loves celebrating anniversaries, be it for some of its platforms or its own. Yesterday, the tech giant turned 19, and the day couldn’t go without a proper celebration. Therefore, the company released a special doodle, where users could go back in time and enjoy 19 of the most popular games in the world.

Google turned 19 yesterday

Google forgets no anniversary, and has always released special features or surprises when one of its platforms “aged”. For instance, Google Earth and Google Photos got updates, and YouTube received a special Rick-Rolling montage when it turned 10. This time, it was a big holiday, as the tech giant itself turned 19.

Google wanted to take its users back through all these 19 years of history, so it decided to revive 19 of the most popular games of the past, including piñata, cricket, or tic-tac-toe, and there’s more. If you enjoyed one of the past doodles, you could actually get the chance to find it, as you could access an archive with the most interactive ones launched so far.

The anniversary doodle revived classic games everybody loves

Of course, the classic Snake game couldn’t be absent from such an oldies mix. However, Google offered a new take on the game, which is still set to get you addicted. To enter the vintage arcade, users had tp spin the wheel in the doodle. It was just a matter of luck but, if they didn’t like what they got, they could spin the wheel how many times they liked.

Pac-Man was probably the star of the ‘revival’ doodle, as this has always been procrastinators’ favorite game. It was launched as a doodle for the first time in 2010, when it gathered an impressive number of hour of play – 4.82 million. It was already present in the Doodles Archive, but players had to go search for it. The anniversary doodle now made it easier to access.
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BoJack Horseman is back with a new season, and a more creative and random announcement couldn’t have made it public. Netflix decided to air a new season of the animated series, and the creators launched the news it through a fun video posted on Twitter, showing a text message from Netflix sent to the main character.

BoJack Horseman returns with Season 5

BoJack Horseman is made after a successful recipe of nihilism mixed with anthropomorphic animals making friends with humans, all of them coping with depression and feelings of uselessness. There’s literally nothing you shouldn’t like about it, so fans should brace themselves and wait for a fifth season of the show.

The announcement couldn’t come in a different way than in the classical cynic style typical of the show. This is great, since the short and serious news posted by Netflix couldn’t fit the show, as they are too serious. Therefore, the news of the fifth season comes from BoJack Horseman himself.

The creators of the show could only make an innovative announcement

BoJack received the news of the new season from an executive from Netflix. However, he couldn’t afford to disturb the actor, or maybe wake him up, so he sent him a text message. This is what the video shows us, and it was posted on Twitter via an account of the fictional character himself. Users reacted to it in the same amusing manner, to which BoJack didn’t hesitate to reply.

Unfortunately, we cannot say when Season 5 will be ready. Given the fact that Season 4 has just started streaming, we might have a lot to wait until then. However, the creators of the show took care of us, and released the episodes for streaming just in time.

SO, THIS HAPPENED… pic.twitter.com/ZgRcG7anIF

— BoJack Horseman (@BoJackHorseman) September 21, 2017

i live life on the edge.

— BoJack Horseman (@BoJackHorseman) September 21, 2017

Image Source: Vimeo

Microsoft was responsible for one of the biggest technological revolutions, as Windows changed computers forever. The Microsoft founder, Bill Gates, is proud of everything he has achieved, and of the great improvements he brought to technology. However, he still has one big regret. He wished there could have been a Ctrl+Alt+Del button.

Bill Gates is not a fan of Ctrl+Alt+Del

This keyboard combination is well-known among all users, as it always comes to their help when they are experiencing problems with their PCs. Their role and use became so popular that everybody adopted them as a saying, wishing they could benefit from their magical power anywhere, not only on Windows.

You might think that everybody is a big fan of Ctrl+Alt+Del, but it seems the situation is a bit different. No matter how many troubles it avoided, some people seem to hate it. Surprisingly, one of them is Bill Gates himself, as he has recently revealed.

When asked what he would like to change about his iconic operating system, he quickly mentioned the Ctrl+Alt+Del command. If he could go back and redesign the software again, he would create such a command that should get activated by a single key, not by a combination of three.

IBM is responsible for the three-key command

If you think about it, pressing three keys at the same time might seem a bit unpractical. If your computer is frozen and you need to get hold of it, you have to perform that uncomfortable command on the keyboard. Bill Gates knows how ugly it is, and wishes he could have made a single key for the operation.

However, don’t blame him for it. IBM seems to be the real culprit here, as the keyboard they provided had only one way to perform the interrupting operation. Therefore, Ctrl+Alt+Del is the result of a hardware limitation. If we can overlook this minor slip we have already gotten used to, we can regard Windows as the software which permanently changed our lives.
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On September 5^th, Destiny 2 was released in the acclaims of the gaming community, bringing a better storyline and an improved gaming experience. However, not even a month after the release, several controversies were created around the game. Developer Bungie posted a few tweets claiming they had found a gauntlet in the game displaying a hate symbol. This wasn’t intentional, and it will be removed.

The signs in questioned resembled the Kekistan flag

Bungie said it was brought to the company’s attention that a specific gauntlet which one of the characters wore displayed a hate symbol. The developer didn’t want to offend anybody, so they made the thing public, and agreed to remove the sign. However, the interesting thing was that nobody among the Destiny 2 players had noticed.

Redditors decided to take immediate action, and they quickly managed to find the so-called offensive armor. The gauntlet, Road Complex AA1, in question displays two K letters placed back to back, and four horizontal lines which separate them. These signs are placed on the shoulder and the upper arm of the green armor.

Some Reddit users couldn’t help noticing how these signs resemble a white supremacist symbol, namely the Kekistan flag. This is nothing more than a sign used by supporters of the alt-right doctrine, which is also incredibly similar to a Nazi flag.

Bungie did exactly the right move

Even though the Destiny 2 community didn’t notice the sign, this was the best thing Bungie could do. As they are a big company, they cannot allow to promote political or social causes, even though this wasn’t their intention. Therefore, they couldn’t have allowed one of their artists to promote the cause he supports, even though the design wasn’t flashy.

On the other hand, the artist in question might not have even known about Kekistan, or that his design resembles a white supremacist symbol. However, at a certain point, someone would have noticed, and the situation wouldn’t have been too pleasant for Bungie.

1/2 It’s come to our attention that a gauntlet in Destiny 2 shares elements with a hate symbol. It is not intentional. We are removing it.

— Bungie (@Bungie) September 12, 2017

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

You might have heard that Samsung has started a self driving car project. What you probably haven’t heard is the fact that this project is coming to the US. The South Korean company has just received permission from California DMV to test these vehicles on the state’s roads. This branch of vehicles which are to be tested in the US represent an expansion on Samsung’s project.

Many tech companies involved in the self driving car industry

The self driving car industry is quite big in the US, with many companies attempting to design autonomous vehicles. California DMV is the main authority these companies need to talk to, if they want to legally test their cars on public roads. Therefore, the agency’s website contains a complete list of all self driving car manufacturers they are collaborating with.

As expected, almost all big carmakers are on this list. However, they are not the only one interested in this business. Tech companies are up to developing clever systems as well, with Apple, Nvidia, and Waymo being some of them.

Samsung is at the beginning, but its project is slowly growing

Most of these tech companies have publicized their attempts at self driving car development. However, Samsung wasn’t really eager to do that, so the company’s works in the industry are not as popular as others. In May, Samsung received the South Korean authorities’ permission to test the autonomous vehicles. Apart from this, no other important news has been made public.

Some rumors indicate Samsung is using Hyundai cars for testing. These cars are equipped with special sensors, which collect data from the road before starting the driving session. Then, this data will power the self driving system, and direct the car on the road.

Although Samsung took quite a big step by taking its self driving car project to the US, it will still have plenty of rivals. Waymo, for instance, has already collected a huge amount of valuable data on how their system should work in real life. Even so, one more competitor in the industry is always a good thing, as customers have the chance to choose from the best.
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Microsoft users have not heard the last from MS Paint as the software, which was scheduled to be removed following the next Windows 10 Update, will live on in a new form.

Microsoft Paint has a longer than might be expected history, as the software was first released with the first-ever version of Windows, version 1.0, in 1985. Many users have used it as an initial editing tool and watched it pass through various changes and updates. Paint also came to be considered a core element of Windows.

Back in April, Microsoft released its Windows 10 Creators Update, which introduced their newest editing software, Paint 3D. Initially coming alongside the traditional MS Paint, this comes as a new version and not an update to the original.

Then, the company also announced its decision to phase out the original Paint, which sparked a wave of outrage among its users.

MS Paint, Back From Technical Death

Initially, Microsoft announced that Paint is on the list of features that will be deprecated or removed in its Windows 10 Fall (or Autumn) Creators Update. It would have joined others such as Outlook Express, the Reading list or Reader app.

However, on July 24, Microsoft turned the page and revealed that MS Paint would not be completely removed. Instead, it will be changing forms and become available as an app in the to be released Windows 10 Fall Creators Update.

In a blog post, Microsoft declared that “Today, we’ve seen an incredible outpouring of support and nostalgia around MS Paint. It’s been amazing to see so much love for our trusty old app.”

Then, it went to “set the record straight” and clearing up “some confusions”, which should come as ‘good news’. Namely, the post pointed out that MS Paint will transition to an app.

This will start being available in the Windows Store and for free. It will also be featured alongside the Paint 3D app, which will continue getting new features and updates.

Microsoft is also asking users to keep returning feedback about the Paint 3D app.

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In 2016, Google released a new app specially designed for iOS and called Motion Stills. Its purpose was to help users achieve more control and further advance their feature Live Photos. Motion Stills could assist them in stabilizing photos, cropping out blurry faces, even turn the Live Photos into more easily shareable GIFs.

Starting with July 20, Android users will be getting a Motion Stills app of their own. This will be specially adapted to suit this other platform and will come with a set of unique features of its own.

Motion Stills App for Android to come With Fast Forward, Among Others

According to a company statement accompanying the release, the Motion Stills Android app will be including a new “recording experience”. Thanks to this, all images shot will be immediately transformed into short clips. Ones which can be easily shared across other platforms. After recording a clip, users will be able to adjust its playback speed on a scale of 1x to 8x.

Capturing a Motion Still will also be just as simple as taking a photo, all thanks to a single tap. One interesting feature of available on the Android app version will is Fast Forward. This will help users reduce longer recordings and transform them into shorter clips.

Processing will take place straight on the phone, but the feature will only work with recordings up to one minute long.

Google also points out that “In addition to stabilizing your recordings, Motion Stills on Android comes with an improved trimming algorithm that guards against pocket shots and accidental camera shakes.”

In its post, the company also explains some of the technological changes brought to the iOS version. The ones that made it possible to introduce a new Motion Stills app for Android. It also offers further details about the base technology itself, and what helps encode videos, among others.

According to Google, this new app will be a place where it can continue experimenting with the short-form video technology. Some of the improvements brought to this technology could reportedly be used in other of the company’s products as well.

The Motion Still app for Android is now available for download, for free, on Google Play. It works on Android 5.1 or higher.

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On July 12, Microsoft released a new app called Seeing AI and which was specially designed to help those visually impaired navigate through the city. This makes use of the smartphone’s camera to narrate and describe the surroundings to the user.

It can do so thanks to computer vision. This identifies the objects and persons in the vicinity of the visually disabled owner. By doing so, it can then provide them with a context and a description of their environment and surroundings.

Seeing AI, a Step Forward Towards a Mobile Health Ecosystem

Microsoft describes its newest tool as “A free app that narrates the world around you. Designed for the low vision community, this research project harnesses the power of AI to describe people, text, and objects”.

As pointed out in its report, Seeing AI will try to be a universal tool. Namely, it will be able to read aloud text messages, email, or documents, among others. It will also be using the smartphone’s camera to scan barcodes. In doing so, it will be able to identify household products and maybe even provide instructions to the user.

Seeing AI’s system will also help it recognize currency values, which might make it a useful tool while paying bills or traveling.

As pointed out, the app will also be using the phone’s camera to take photos of and then describe surroundings, people. It can even try and describe their emotions, a feature already being tested and used by other apps as well.

By offering this and various other options, Microsoft seems to be ramping up its efforts to integrate artificial intelligence and make it useful to its users.

All of the features of the new app are looking to make visually impaired people as independent as possible. Being able to read aloud texts, besides those received on the phone, means being able to read anything from street signs to restaurant menus, among others.

This can help increase the user’s mobility and confidence. Ultimately, it could assist them in navigating easier through the usual or less routine daily tasks. Seeing  AI is currently available on iOS.

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Facebook just revealed the winners of its “FbStart Apps of the Year” competition on Monday, July 10, during the Rise conference held in Hong Kong.

The FbStart Apps of the Year awards the most successful applications and innovative startups created through its FbStart program. This helps users build native mobile applications for Android and iOS. In 2017, SoloLearn, a free app for anyone that wants to learn how to code, won the Grand Prize.

SoloLearn, the Mobile-First Coding App, Deemed Most Successful

Davit Kocharyan, SoloLearn’s Co-Founder and CEO, reportedly came up with the idea of creating that can teach anyone how to code in Armenia. Both him and most of the team are native Armenians. Initially, the plan was to teach the local population how to code.

The app can help educate its users in coding through user-generated content, peer-to-peer sharing, and game mechanics. SoloLearn offers 12 free courses, which include C++, HTML/CSS, JavaScript, Python, and Swift.

Community members can also compete in head-to-head challenges. In doing so, they can also unlock new lessons. The community in itself can reportedly give a very helping hand.

“You get an answer from your peers in our Q&A forum within minutes; we have over half a million public codes on SoloLearn today that are used as a great peer-to-peer learning tool; tens of thousands interactive peer-to-peer challenges are completed daily,” Yeva Hyusyan was reported as stating.

She is also a CEO and Co-Founder of SoloLearn. Hyusyan also pointed out that the users themselves are generating significant amounts of content every day.

Statistics show that 1.5 million quizzes get completed on a daily basis and that more than 1,000 answers are published daily. Some three codes are reportedly compiled every second, and the app now has over 5 million profiled learners.

Reports show that some 25 percent of SoloLearn’s users are based in the United States. Another 40 percent come from India, and the remaining percentages are spread across Europe.

Besides SoloLearn, Facebook also named four other “Apps of the Year”. These are Mondly, a language learning platform, and Maya, targeted at women and their health.  The other two are ReservaTurno, which can help “book beauty appointments on the go” and Golden, a global platform which helps find local volunteering opportunities.

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