Fortnite brings in $1.5M/day in its first 200 days on Apple devices

Fortnite brings in $1.5M/day in its first 200 days on Apple devices 1

Fortnite, the current most popular battle royale game in the world, has done produced some deep profits with its recent iOS release on mobile for Apple devices.

Based on a report from marketing intelligence company Sensor Tower, they’ve concluded that Fortnite on iOS has brought some huge profits- in excess of $300M in the mere 200 days the game has been available on the App Store on March 15th, 2018.

Fortnite brings in $1.5M/day in its first 200 days on Apple devices 2

However, you shouldn’t really be too surprised given the current state of the game. But on mobile, the release had the momentum from the PC’s popularity as a crutch to start the snowball effect, so the PC’s start was likely (a lot) less profitable compared to the mobile version.

Fortnite is completely free-to-play that’s currently available on every modern system and generates cash through in-game purchases of purely cosmetic-only objects. In essence, Epic Games, the developer, makes money by selling virtual goods like pretty much any other game or app on the planet. This is nothing new, but I thought I’d clarify for non-gamers.

Fortnite also has a paid mode called Save the World, but the profits from this don’t hold a candle to regular cosmetic purchases. Players can buy virtual pixels on any platform: PC, iOS, Android, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch using the game’s V-Bucks virtual currency, which can be automatically synced across all systems using the same account.

The report from Sensor Tower shows that Fortnite beat out other games like Clash Royale, Honor of Kings, and Knives Out in its first 200 days. Worldwide players have spent an average of $1.5M per day on iOS alone since the launch and that number increased to $2.5M since Season 6 went live on September 27, 2018. Fortnite is no joke. It’s not even the most popular game in just the battle royale genre- you could say it’s the most popular game in the world.

Microsoft’s “Surface Phone” Andromeda Will Have Dual Screens and Hinge

Microsoft's "Surface Phone" Andromeda Will Have Dual Screens and Hinge 3

Recent patent filings and leaked timelines from Microsoft have surfaced and it seems like they’re working on a new dual-screen phone with the codename Andromeda. APIs on the W10 preview provide some more evidence and clues to what it can do. The new “Surface Phone” will likely have two screens and be the first mass-produced phone of its kind.

WalkingCat, a Twitter user, found an API for devices that support dual screens and a hinge. Applications can check the positions of the hinge and the screens- it can be concave, convex, flat, full, or simply shut. This suggests that it’ll be a full 360-degree hinge similar to convertible laptops like the Lenovo Yoga. It’ll likely have various functions depending on the positions.

However, rumors have it that the software giant wants to have a phone similar to the Surface Pro with a brand-new form factor just the like the laptop. Andromeda’s form factor is expected to be like a smartphone with the same form factor as the Surface but on a smaller level.

Whether or not the form factor rumors are true with its hinge and dual screens, they still need to create something that’ll garner attention from the public enough o buy it. What’s the point of having two screens if you have no applications being developed for it?

ASUS ROG Smartphone – price, specs, and details

ASUS ROG Smartphone - price, specs, and details 4

The ASUS ROG smartphone has some impressive features. If you’re a gamer and you want the most gamer-forward smartphone on the planet, the ASUS ROG is a worthy contender. We’ve scoured the web and got our hands on some of the finer specs on this phone and compiled it into one place for easy reading.

Display

The phone has glass on the front and rear. It has a black glass display that offers the phone extra protection and a nice little shimmer to it. Gaming smartphones have unconventional designs and the ROG is no exception. It has speakers on the top and bottom for surround sound and a single front camera with some photosensors.

It’s powered by a 6-inch super AMOLED touchscreen with a 1080 x 2160 pixel resolution with a 402 PPI density. It has an 18:9 aspect ration with a refresh rate of a buttery-smooth 90Hz for full gaming immersion and HDR support.

Hardware

It’s powered by the Qualcomm SDM845 Snapdragon SoC with an octa-core CPU clocked at 2.9GHz. As for the GPU, it’s loaded with the trusty and reliable Adreno 630GPU. It’ll take nano sim cards (up to two).

Dimensions and Weight

It measures 158.5 x 76.2 x 8.6mm and weighs 200g.

Operating System and Storage

Android Oreo OS is the core operating system with the ASUS ROG gaming UI. It’s been tweaked for better performance and allows an overclocked CPU with 8GB of RAM and a choice of 128GB or 512GB of onboard storage.

Camera

The phone has a standard 12MP camera in the back with an 8MP front-facing cam with a slew of features like PDAF, face detection, and dual tone dual-LED flash. IT can record 4K, 2K, and standard 1K video. The rear camera can capture 2160p video at 30FPS and the front can do 720p at 30FPS. The rear cam can also do panoramas, touch focus, geo-tagging, autofocus, and face detection. Pretty much standard now.

Battery

The battery is a 4,000mAh removable unit with a 24 hour 3G talk time. It charges 66% in 35 minutes with Quick Charge 3.0 technology. It also has dual USB Type-C ports.

Sensors/Connectivity

Digital compass, accelerometer, proximity sensor, light sensor, gyroscope, fingerprint scanner (rear), 3.5mm jack, loudspeaker, USB Type-C 3.1, USB Type-C 2.1, and face unlock.

Software

Video streaming, active noise cancellation, image/video editor, document viewer/editor, MP3/WAV/WMA/eAAC+/FLAC player, MP4, WMV/H.265, FM radio, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, maps.

Networking

It’ll support 2G GSM, 3G WCDMA, 4G LTE. It’ll also support GPRS, EDGE, 3G/WCDMA/HSPA, WLAN, HSPA+, WiFi hotspot, 4GLET, and NFC.

Suggested Price

The ASUS ROG smartphone will retail for approximately $780-$950 USD, though this unconfirmed at the moment. It’ll only be available in Black at the time of this writing.

Apple rumored to be ditching physical buttons on the Apple Watch

Apple rumored to be ditching physical buttons on the Apple Watch 5

FastCompany released a report today saying that Apple will release a future version of the Apple Watch that’ll have touch-sensitive buttons instead of clickable ones.

This applies to both the crown and traditional single button watches that currently show the apps recently used. However, the button configuration won’t change. They’ll stay the same and the user will be able to touch each one and the watch will provide haptic feedback.

A similar change was made to the iPhone 7, which was filed with mixed reactions. MacBook trackpads did the same thing with localized feedback.

It’s also said that the change will be made to free up space in the device for other parts. This could also help with water resistance also as Apple is rumored to be working on a new biometric sensor to the buttons. This shouldn’t be surprising given their history of ditching buttons when possible.

The next Apple Watch is due for release this Septemeber. If this feature isn’t implemented yet, it’ll likely be next year’s model instead.

The Huawei Mate 10 Pro has Corning Gorilla Glass and is water-resistant

huawei mate 10

The new Huawei Mate 10 features some impressive features that will really bring in some fanfare. For starters, it’s now equipped with stylish curved Corning Gorilla Glass casing. This offers extra protection to its already durable body. Instead of aluminum like previous generations, the Huawei Mate 10 is now a lot meaner on both sides. … Read more