Watch this giant ‘Lego’ helicopter drone take to the skies

It’s the kind of toy that most kids would no doubt pester their parents endlessly for — a Lego helicopter that actually flies.

Inspired by the flying machine in Lego’s 6396 International Jetport set, Adam Woodworth recently set about building a version 10 times larger than the original, which you can see perched on the tail of his creation in the video above.

Take a closer look, though, and you’ll notice that it’s not the helicopter’s rotors that get it airborne. Rather, it’s the small quadcopter on which it rests.

“This one took a little longer than anticipated, but came out flying great,” the creator wrote in a message accompanying his YouTube video.

To tell the truth, it’s not really made out of Lego, either. Instead, the contraption was constructed using polystyrene foam to keep the weight to a minimum so it could get airborne.

Clearly a man with an eye for detail, Woodworth also created the Lego pilot for his helicopter. “Really enjoyed carving this little guy, now I really can’t crash this thing,” he wrote in one of several Instagram posts detailing his progress with the build.

The final result is a wonderful testament to Woodworth’s effort and skill, with the demonstration video showing the helicopter enjoying a stable and controlled flight lasting several minutes.

Describing himself on Instagram as an “airplane stuff doer and aspiring foam whisperer,” Woodworth has said in the past how much he enjoys “having some strange project on the workbench.” Take a quick look at his YouTube channel and you’ll see a myriad of flying-machine designs, with Star Wars clearly one of his big inspirations. Check out his awesome Speeder Bike for starters.

A couple of years back Woodworth also came up with this brilliant model of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. Just like the real thing, this miniature version can also land itself, though admittedly it requires a little remote control to achieve the feat. And just like many of his other designs, the “rocket” also has a small quadcopter attached to help it stay airborne.

The creator says he builds his aircraft purely for fun, and invites suggestions via his YouTube channel for ideas on “anything you’d love to see fly.” He’s also happy to offer help to anyone interesting in making their own flying machine.

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Smelly shoes? Panasonic’s deodorizer kit promises to waste the whiff

Panasonic

If your sneakers reek after a run in the park, how do you get rid of the whiff?

Throwing them in the freezer for 24 hours apparently kills off the odor-causing bacteria, but maybe you’re worried about trying to cook them as a midnight snack at the end of a boozy night out. So bang goes that option.

Other solutions involve stuffing them with lemon peel or wood chips, or throwing them in water fizzing with denture cleanser. Hardly ideal, eh.

Spotting an apparent gap in the market for an effective shoe deodorizer, Panasonic has come up with a high-tech solution to get your shoes smelling as fresh as the day you bought them.

Launching with a name that’s drier than an acute case of athlete’s foot, the “MS-DS100” uses nano-sized electrostatic atomized water particles, or “nanoe X” as Panasonic calls its system, to dissolve and eliminate unpleasant smells inside your shoes.

To begin the process, you place the mains-powered MS-DS100 device on your shoes and hit the “on” button, whereupon your funky footwear is blasted with ion particles from six outlets “to every corner of the shoes … from the heel to the toe.”

Panasonic

Downsides? Well, you’d better not be in any hurry to get the shoes back on your feet because the two available deodorizing modes take longer than you might think.

“Normal” mode needs no less than five hours to get your shoes smelling of roses, while the “long” mode — presumably for shoes with an odor so pungent it’s close to breaking some kind of international environmental law — takes a whopping seven hours to get the job done. Best leave it on overnight, then.

If you think the MS-DS100 sounds like the device your smelly shoes have been waiting for, then you’ll have to come to Japan to get it, or find it online, as it’ll only be sold on Panasonic’s home turf when it launches next month. The price of the device is yet to be announced.

This isn’t Panasonic’s first foray into the world of odor-busting kit. Last year the company launched a high-tech hanger that deodorizes clothes using the same technology as the MS-DS100.

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This Saturday, a NASA probe will brave the heat to try and ‘touch’ the sun

On Saturday, August 11, when most of you are enjoying what will hopefully be a relaxing and enjoyable day off work, NASA engineers will be facing one of their most stressful days in a long while. That’s because it is the day on which the Parker Solar Probe will enter the very edge of the corona, the atmosphere of the sun, and make the first in-situ measurements to be taken there. The goal? To uncover crucial details about the origins of the solar winds, which go on to bombard Earth and pose a major challenge to our spacecraft and communications systems. Oh, and to unravel a giant mystery about the sun’s temperature, too.

“The corona is very hot, millions of degrees Centigrade, and we don’t know why,” Stuart Bale, a University of California, Berkeley professor of physics, who was one of the four principal investigators responsible for developing the FIELDS suite of instruments on board the probe, told Digital Trends. “The sun itself is a relatively cool — 6,000-degrees Celsius — star. Somehow this cool star makes the corona very hot. This hot corona then escapes the sun’s gravity and becomes the ‘solar wind.’”

As you might imagine, a mission that essentially involves flying into the Sun (or, at least, to its periphery) involves dealing with a fair amount of heat. While the Parker Solar Probe is equipped with a heat shield for protecting its various onboard sensors, it will nonetheless have to contend with temperatures almost hot enough to melt steel.

Bale has been working on the project since 2009 (“a long time,” he said), and everything since then has been building up to this point. Should all go according to plan, the instruments he helped develop will be used for measuring electric and magnetic fields in the corona and solar wind, before relaying this information back to Earth.

So spare a thought for the folks at NASA HQ when you’re out having your BBQ Saturday night, or sitting down to watch a movie. And if, through some miracle, you do happen to spot a tiny solar probe traveling at 340,000 mph (note: unless you have Superman-level vision, this is extremely unlikely) make sure to wish it good luck on its journey!

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To infinity and beyond? Space Force may be a real thing by 2020

On Thursday, August 9, Americans found out that President Donald Trump is serious about the creation of a Space Force, and it will be here sooner rather than later. In a morning speech at the Pentagon, Vice President Mike Pence laid out the administration’s plans, which state the Space Force may be established as soon as 2020.

“As President Trump has said, in his words, it is not enough to merely have an American presence in space — we must have American dominance in space. And so we will,” Pence said to attendees. “Space is, in his words, a war-fighting domain just like land and air and sea.”

According to a Department of Defense report released Thursday, the Space Force would be the sixth branch of the military, tasked with protecting United States security interests in space. Its aim would be “to deter and if necessary degrade, deny, disrupt, destroy, and manipulate adversary capabilities to protect U.S. interests, assets, and way of life.”

Some of these strategies would involve the development and use of anti-satellite weapons, communications jamming technologies, and enhancements to the U.S. radar and GPS systems. The Space Force itself would be created from the reorganization of pre-existing space programs and personnel, Pence says, and is designed to respond to efforts by countries like Russia and China, who have already stepped up efforts to develop space weapons.

“As their actions make clear, our adversaries have transformed space into a war-fighting domain already, and the United States will not shrink from this challenge,” Pence argued.

The report specifies three different agencies coming under the Space Force umbrella: The Space Development Agency, the Space Operations Force, Services and Support, and the Space Command, to be led by a four-star general. Given that the creation of a new military branch requires Congressional authorization, plans are to formally request the establishment within the 2020 budget.

Given the timing, it seems fairly likely that Trump plans to make his Space Force plans a significant part of his 2020 re-election campaign.

When Trump alluded to his idea for a new American branch of the military in space, the idea was met with a combination of excitement, dread, and derision. Pro-military analysts lauded it as a way to protect our increasing dependence on technology, much of which is served from satellites in space. But others have criticized the plan as wasteful.

That’s what former NASA astronaut Capt. Mark Kelly did on Thursday, telling MSNBC that “it doesn’t make sense to build a whole other level of bureaucracy in an incredibly bureaucratic DoD,” pointing out that the Air Force Space Command already is doing much of the Space Force’s work already.

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Samsung Gear owners may want to wait before upgrading to Android 9.0 Pie

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Those who own a Samsung Gear and also looking to update their device to Android 9.0 Pie, Google’s latest operating system, may want to wait. Users are running into an issue when pairing a Gear device to an Android smartphone.

According to a thread on Reddit, one user wasn’t running into any issues until they tried to pair and use their Samsung Gear S3 with a Pixel after upgrading to Android Pie. Apparently, the Samsung Gear app will not connect to the wearable once the phone is running the new OS.

While the app opens and begins to load, it then crashes a little while later. Even if your device was already connected prior to the update, Android P reportedly breaks the connection. Meanwhile, some users in the thread appear to have no issues at all — so, you may want to give it a try just in case it does end up working for you.

Google launched Android 9.0 Pie earlier this week. For now, the new operating system is only available on the Pixel, Pixel 2, and the Essential Phone, but will be released on additional devices in the near future. The OS comes with a slew of new features from improvements to Do Not Disturb to new gesture features, and more.

News of an issue with pairing the smartwatch comes the same day as Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event in Brooklyn, New York. In addition to products like the Galaxy Note 9, Wireless Charger Duo, and more, Samsung also announced its Galaxy Watch. The new smartwatch also happens to be the successor to the Gear S3 and Gear Sport.

As for the connectivity issue, Samsung is aware of the problem Gear S3 users are having — a spokesperson has responded to related comments in Play Store reviews. The company made it clear it is aware of the issue and that an update to the Samsung Gear app will be released for Android Pie as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a quick fix other than downgrading back to Android Oreo. Otherwise, you will have to just wait to use your device until the Samsung Gear app update is available.

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Denon and Marantz AV Receivers Updated With AirPlay 2 Support

Audio accessories from Denon and Marantz are gaining support for AirPlay 2 through firmware updates that are being distributed starting today.

With the AirPlay 2 update, compatible Denon and Marantz devices offer support for multi-room audio and are able to work with other AirPlay 2 devices such as the HomePod, the Apple TV, and Sonos speakers.

Both companies offer multiple AirPlay 2-compatible receiver options that are being updated with AirPlay 2 support.

Apple maintains a list of AirPlay 2-compatible speakers, both released and upcoming, on its HomeKit website, but its listings for Denon and Marantz are not complete. A full list of the AirPlay 2-compatible devices the two companies are said to be offering was shared in May by Poor Audiophile.

Both the Marantz and Denon brands are owned by Sound United, which also owns the Polk brand. Polk is not listed on Apple’s HomeKit site, but it is a partner on the main AirPlay website. It’s not clear when Polk devices will receive AirPlay 2 updates, but it does not appear that new firmware is rolling out as of yet. The same goes for Definitive Technology, another Sound United brand that is expected to get AirPlay 2 support at some point.

Denon and Marantz join Sonos in offering AirPlay 2-compatible devices, but many other brands are working on AirPlay 2 support as well, including Beoplay, Devialet, Libratone, Naim, Bowers & Wilkins, McIntosh, Bose, and others.

Tag: AirPlay 2
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Here’s how to buy the new Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Samsung has finally taken the wraps off of its latest and greatest smartphone, the new Samsung Galaxy Note 9. The device is jam-packed with new features, a beautiful design, and, in typical Galaxy Note fashion, a massive display.

Now that the new device has been announced, you might be wondering how you can get your hands on it for yourself. Samsung announced that pre-orders for the device start on Friday, August 10, with availability for the phone starting on August 24.

Whether you’re looking to buy it through a carrier or unlocked, here’s everything you need to know about buying the Samsung Galaxy Note 9.

Unlocked

As you might expect, the Galaxy Note 9 is available unlocked — though you have to pay for it up front. According to Samsung, the device will be available through its website, but you will also be able to get your hands on it through Amazon, Best Buy, Costco, Target, and Walmart. The phone will be available unlocked starting on August 24 and will cost $1,000 for the 128GB version. It does not seem as though the 512GB version will be available unlocked, so you may need to go through carriers to get your hands on it.

Carriers

Thankfully, you don’t have to shell out all that cash for the device at once if you don’t want to. Instead, you can buy the device through your carrier, which may break up buying the phone in installments. Here’s the low-down on how to get your phone through a carrier.

AT&T

AT&T is offering the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 for pre-order starting on August 10 at 12:01 a.m., with sales beginning on August 24. The company is also offering a free Galaxy Note 9, Galaxy S9, or Galaxy S9 Plus to those that purchase a Galaxy Note 9. Pricing for the device can be found below.

• 128GB: $1,000 outright, or $33.34 per month for 30 months on the AT&T Next installment plan.
• 512GB: $1,250 outright, or $41.67 per month for 30 months on the AT&T Next installment plan.

Sprint

Sprint will offer the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 for pre-order starting on August 10 at 12:01 a.m., with sales beginning on August 24. Sprint has also announced that customers who buy the Galaxy Note 9 will be able to choose between a $300 pair of AKG noise-canceling headphones, or the Galaxy Fortnite skin. Customers can also go for both by paying an extra $99. Next up is the fact that Sprint is offering the phone for 50 percent off through the Sprint Flex lease, which equates to $20.83 per month. Notably, Sprint will not be carrying the 512GB version of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9.

T-Mobile

T-Mobile’s pre-orders for the Galaxy Note 9 start on August 10 at 12:01 a.m., with sales beginning on August 24. Here’s the pricing T-Mobile has in store for the new device.

• 128GB: $1,000 outright, or $30 per month for 24 months with a $280 down payment through the Equipment Installment Plan, or $29 per month for 24 months with an $280 down payment through Jump! On Demand.
• 512GB: $1,250 outright, or $30 per month for 24 months with a $530 down payment through the Equipment Installment Plan, or $26 per month for 18 months with a $530 down payment through Jump! On Demand.

Verizon

Verizon, like other carriers, will offer the Galaxy Note 9 for pre-order starting on August 10 at 12:01 a.m., with sales beginning on August 24. The company is also offering a few promos for the phone. For starters, for a limited time, if you buy a 128GB Galaxy Note 9, you’ll get a second 128GB Galaxy Note 9, Galaxy S9, or Galaxy S9 Plus for free. To take advantage of that offer, both devices will need to be purchased on the Verizon payment plan, and will require one line of service.

On top of that, Verizon Up members that buy the new phone will get $10 off Samsung accessories, and, if you order the phone before August 23, you get a choice of either a pair of $300 AKG noise-canceling headphones, or the Fortnite Galaxy skin with 1,500 V-bucks. You can also go for both by paying an extra $99.

Here’s the pricing Verizon has for the Samsung Galaxy Note 9.

• 128GB: $1,000 outright, or $41.66 per month for 24 months on Verizon device payment plan.
• 512GB: $1,250 outright, or $52.08 per month for 24 months on Verizon device payment plan.

U.S. Cellular

Apart from the big four carriers, you can also get the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 from a few other companies like U.S. Cellular. The company is offering the device for pre-order starting on August 10 at 12:01 a.m., with sales beginning on August 24. U.S. Cellular also announced that anyone who purchases the phone on a new line of service will get $150 back in bill credits. On top of that, anyone who pre-orders the device before August 24 can choose between a pair of AKG noise-canceling headphones worth $300, or the Galaxy Fortnite skin and 1,500 V-bucks. Customers can also choose to get both for $99. U.S. Cellular did not share specific pricing information for the Galaxy Note 9, but we expect it to be in line with everyone else’s pricing.

Xfinity Mobile

Comcast Xfinity announced that the Galaxy Note 9 will be up for pre-order starting on August 10 at 12:01 a.m., with sales beginning on August 24. Xfinity has also announced that new customers who buy the phone, activate a new line, and port over their phone number to Xfinity Mobile will get a $300 prepaid card.

Here’s the pricing Xfinity Mobile has to offer for the Samsung Galaxy Note 9.

• 128GB: $1,000 outright, or $41.70 per month for 24 months.
• 512GB: $1,250 outright, or $52.08 per month for 24 months.

Updated on August 9: Added U.S. Cellular’s offers, and additional information about Sprint.

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Samsung Galaxy Watch hands-on review

Research Center:

Samsung Galaxy Watch

Battery life has always been the Achilles heel of smartwatches. Charging an extra device every evening is annoying enough, but it’s even worse when that device can’t even survive the day, and you end up with a dead watch on your wrist. Samsung is trying to fix that with its new Galaxy Watch, a successor to the Gear S3 and the Gear Sport.

We’ve spent some time with the watch at Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event in New York City, and here’s what it’s like.

Design and display

The Galaxy Watch retains one of the best features of Samsung’s smartwatches — a rotating bezel to control the user interface. It’s still just as satisfying to rotate, like twisting the dial on a combination padlock.

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Samsung has gone with a sporty look, with markers around the bezel of the watch, and an inner bezel that slopes into the screen with markers for every 5 minutes. Two elongated buttons on the right edge act as a back and home button, and the lugs slope down to eliminate the usual gap between the strap and the wrist.

It’s a watch that can look at home in the gym, but won’t feel out of place in the office. A wide variety of watch faces to choose from mean you can personalize the Galaxy Watch to your liking.

Some of the watch faces will trick you into thinking you’re looking at a real, analog watch.

There are two size options: A 46mm in silver, and a 42mm in black and rose gold. The larger variant uses 22mm straps, while the smaller watch allows 20mm straps.

The default straps on the models we looked at are made of high-quality silicone: ideal for when you get sweaty. The straps are interchangeable, so you can really just add whatever you fancy.

The 46mm Galaxy Watch has a 1.3-inch Super AMOLED screen with a 360 x 360 resolution, and it’s protected by Corning’s Gorilla DX+ glass. The smaller 42mm model has a 1.2-inch Super AMOLED with the same resolution and glass. The blacks on the screen are so incredibly deep that some watch faces will trick you into thinking you’re looking at a real, analog watch. The colors are vibrant, and it was bright enough to see in the area we were in, but we’ll have to do more testing to see how it fares outdoors.

Both watches feel relatively lightweight and supremely comfortable on the wrist, though people with smaller wrists may prefer the 42mm model.

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Performance, battery, and software

The Galaxy Watch is powered by a dual-core 1.5GHz processor with 768MB of RAM, and it runs version 4.0 of Samsung’s Tizen wearable operating system. Rotating the bezel to move throughout the interface is quick, and we ran into no slowdowns opening apps, though we’ll need to do more rigorous testing.

It’s paired with 4GB of internal storage, in case you want to store some music for a run or workout without your phone. Spotify integration is also new, allowing you to listen to songs offline or without a phone.

The Galaxy Watch can automatically detect six workouts, such as walking, running, and cycling.

New fitness features will be a major draw for anyone considering the Galaxy Watch over a dedicated fitness tracker. A breathing exercise mode lets you monitor your stress levels and helps calm you down, similar to what you can find on a Fitbit. You can also continuously monitor your heart rate, and the watch can automatically detect six workouts, such as walking, running, and cycling. There are 21 new indoor exercises, and an overall list of 39 activities. We’ll be working out with this watch to put it through its paces.

Thanks to an internal microphone, the Galaxy Watch also responds to voice commands via Samsung’s Bixby virtual assistant. It could come in handy for controlling smart-home devices, but we wish Samsung would give up on Bixby and just use Google Assistant like everyone else.

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

You’ll still be able to connect the watch to most Android and iOS devices, which allows you to interact with or dismiss notifications, and more.

Perhaps what’s most interesting, however, is the Galaxy Watch’s battery life. Samsung claims the 46mm model can last around four to six days due to a huge 472mAh battery and processor optimizations — impressive for a smartwatch. This depends on your usage, though, so constantly running workout tracking and the heart-rate monitor will deplete the battery much quicker.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Compared To

Tag Heuer Connected Modular 41

Mondaine Smart Helvetica

Nixon Regulus

Alpina AlpinerX

Garmin Vivoactive 3

Apple Watch Series 3

Motorola Moto 360 (2015)

LG Watch Sport

Huawei Fit

Apple Watch Series 2

Martian Passport MP100WSB

Garmin fenix 2

LG G Watch R

Martian Notifier Watch

Phosphor Touch Time

Sadly, it doesn’t look like these battery claims apply to the 42mm model, which only has a 270mAh battery. We’re not sure what Samsung is claiming battery life is on this model, but we’d be happy with at least two to three days.

Price and availability

The 46mm Galaxy Watch costs $350, and the smaller model will cost $330 — both will be available starting August 24 from Amazon, Best Buy, and Samsung’s website. Pre-orders kick off on August 10.

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

There’s also an LTE model coming later this year, and it will be supported by AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, and Verizon. Prices will vary by carrier. You’ll be able to place calls and stream music with this model — all without the need of a smartphone.

The Galaxy Watch looks like a solid upgrade over the Gear Sport or the Gear S3, but what we’ll mostly be looking at is if it can deliver four to six days of battery life. If it can, then Samsung may have a real winner here.

This underwater camera drone can auto-follow and film while you dive

Chalk it up to a misspent youth watching movies like The Abyss if you want, but we’re total suckers for underwater robots. However, the majority of machines we see in this space are either aimed at industry or used exclusively as research and development projects within university research labs. Thankfully, Chinese startup Youcan Robot is throwing a bone to the regular working man and woman — courtesy of its new underwater drone, which just launched on Kickstarter.

Called BW-Space, it’s a remote control drone that’s capable of descending more than 300 feet below the waves, attached to dry land via a communications cable which reaches up to a Wi-Fi module on the surface. So long as you’re within range of this module, you can then control the underwater drone using your trusty smartphone or tablet. What better way to spend a day at the beach than taking well-illuminated 4K videos or 12MP stills of the depths, right?

“BW-Space Underwater Drone is the second-generation product developed by the Youcan Robot team,” Jenny Pan, chief marketing officer of Youcan Robot, told Digital Trends. “It is the world’s first underwater drone with intelligent tracking. Users who operate our drones can use the intelligent tracking function to automatically follow divers and swimmers, and can free their hands without having to operate the machines all the time. We also have the intelligent function of automatically adjusting the light. As the depth of the dive deepens, the BW-Space can intelligently adjust the light according to the brightness of the external environment to achieve the optimal shooting effect.”

As if that wasn’t smart enough, Pan said that the aquatic drone also boasts a fixed depth and direction motion control algorithm that ensures that the BW-Space will stay in a stable position in the water even when faced with a current. This is achieved courtesy of thrust provided by two horizontal and one vertical propellor, capable of moving the BW-Space through the waves at a maximum of 6.6 feet per second.

“Our BW-Space will appeal to divers, fishing enthusiasts, photography enthusiasts, drone enthusiasts, and [just general] technology enthusiasts,” Pan continued. “Since the emergence of BW-Space, we have participated in many exhibitions and won many awards. Users adore BW-Space Underwater Drone.”

As ever, we offer our usual warnings about the potential risks associated with crowdfunding campaigns, which can fail to materialize on time or as described to customers. However, if you’re aware of these risks and still want to get involved, head over to the BW-Space Kickstarter page to pledge your cash. Prices start at $659 for the basic kit, although pricier options with more accessories are also available. Shipping is planned to take place in October.

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Fortnite is finally available for Android!

The hottest game of 2018 has finally arrived on Android.

Fortnite has been blowing up lately. Millions of people have become obsessed with the game, both as players and just watching popular Twitch streamers play the game.

Interested to learn more about what the heck Fortnite is all about? Just keep reading.

What’s new with Fortnite?

August 9, 2018 — Fortnite Beta for Android is officially live, exclusive to Samsung Galaxy devices until August 12

In spite of all of those clickbait ads you’ve probably seen over the past several months, the Fortnite Beta was officially announced today at the Samsung Unpacked event alongside the Samsung Galaxy Note 9.

Samsung and Epic Games have teamed up to make Fortnite exclusive to Samsung Galaxy phones until August 12, at which point the beta will be opened up to other Android devices. If you’ve got a Samsung Galaxy S7 or better, you can download and start playing Fortnite on your phone right now!

August 3, 2018 — Epic confirms that it won’t be offering Fortnite for Android via the Google Play Store

It’s official, folks. A few days after rumors started piling up, Epic has confirmed that Fortnite for Android won’t be offered on the Google Play Store. Instead, users will have to download the game directly from Epic’s website.

Talking to The Verge, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney said:

Epic wants to have a direct relationship with our customers on all platforms where that’s possible. The great thing about the Internet and the digital revolution is that this is possible, now that physical storefronts and middlemen distributors are no longer required.

In addition to having a more direct relationship with players, Epic’s second reason for bypassing the Play Store is that it won’t have to hand over 30% of all sales from in-game purchases to Google. According to Sweeny, “30 percent is disproportionate to the cost of the services these stores perform.”

Sweeny also went on to say that Fortnite for Android will be available globally except for China. However, Epic is currently working on finding a way to bring both the iOS and Android version of the game to the country at some point in the near future.

All the big details

What is Fortnite?

Fortnite is what would happen if you combined two of the most addictive games out there — Minecraft and PUBG.

Fortnite offers a free 100-player Player Vs Player (PvP) Battle Royale game mode. Just like PUBG, you’re dropped onto the large island map and must arm yourself and outlive your competition. But in Fortnite, you always start out armed with a pickaxe which can be used as a melee weapon or to harvest raw supplies for building walls, ramps, and shelters.

It certainly adds extra layers of strategy to the format, creating essentially a perfect storm of addictive gaming action that’s as fun to watch as it is to play. Oh, speaking of storms all the action takes place in the eye of a deadly electrical storm meaning you can’t just hunker down and hide out the whole game. You got to keep moving.

How do you play the game?

Just like PUBG, your goal is to be the last man standing — with up to 100 players involved in each match, that’s no small task.

Each game starts with the players jumping out of the flying “Battle Bus” and parachuting down onto a giant island. Once landed, you must loot nearby buildings for items, guns, and ammo to defend yourself and attack other players.

You also need to keep an eye on the map, as every few minutes the storm closes in on the play area. If you’re caught in the storm, you slowly die so you do not want to forget to regularly check where you are on the map. Eventually, the play constricts to a tiny area for the final showdown between the remaining players — there can only be one winner!

Unlike PUBG, you’re able to carry more than two guns. Instead, you’re limited to the number of weapons and items you can carry at one time. Also, guns are color-coded to denote their rarity — from grey (common) to orange (legendary) — and the rarer the gun, the deadlier it is.

Then there’s the crafting element. Every player starts out with a pickaxe which can be used as a melee weapon or used to break down trees and buildings to harvest the raw resources. You can then use these raw resources to build your own structures, whether it be a defensive wall to provide cover from an advancing enemy, a set of stairs to reach the second floor of a building or your own watchtower to snipe players from across the map. The resources you mine will determine the strength. Steel is stronger than brick, which is stronger than wood.

The latest update to the game for the Season 5 Battle Pass has introduced a slew of new map areas and gameplay features including the All-Terrain Kart (ATK) which let you and your squad move around the map faster than ever before. You can read more about the latest tweaks in the full release notes.

Where can I download the game?

Since Epic Games has decided to release Fortnite for Android outside the confines of the Google Play Store, you’ll need to download the Fortnite Installer APK to get the game on your phone.

As of August 9, the Android beta is only available on Samsung Galaxy devices (S7 or better, but you’ll want to be playing this game in the newest and biggest Galaxy phone — S8+, S9+, or Note 8 — if possible. If you sign up for the Android beta with Epic Games you’ll be emailed a link to the installer as soon as the beta is made available to non-Samsung devices.

How to download the Fortnite Beta on your phone

Is it free to play?

Fortnite for mobile includes the PvP Battle Royale game that’s free to play across all platforms. The console versions have a paid game mode called Save The World that’s Player vs Environment (PvE). Save The World plays more like Minecraft, where you’re harvesting more resources and stocking up on loot to survive waves of AI enemies in a sort of tower defense-style of gameplay.

The PvE mode will not be available in Fortnite Mobile due to CPU limitations and, frankly, it’s the PvP mode that everyone is crazy for so that’s quite alright with us.

Having said that, there are some reasons to spend money in Fortnite. The best way to spend money is to buy a Battle Pass which gives you daily challenges over the span of a Fortnite Season (typically lasts 10 weeks) which let you unlock a ton of cool outfits, dance emotes, and other goodies to customize your character. You can also spend V-Bucks, the in-game currency, to buy cosmetic items for your player and people sure have been buying stuff. According to this report from Sensor Tower analtyics, Fortnite Mobile players spent more than $1 million during the first 72 hours of its release on iOS. Fortunately, nothing you can buy will give you an actual advantage in the game to prevent people from paying to win. In this case, its a matter of playing to look cool

So, to answer the question, you have the option to spend money on Fortnite if you want a cool looking character, but the game is free to play and you won’t need to pay to win.

Where’s the support for Bluetooth controls?

Epic Games has confirmed that Bluetooth controller support is coming, but as of right now only touchscreen controls are available.

Is it cross-platform?

Epic Games have indicated that you will be able to play Fortnite across all platforms. Your Fortnite profile can be connected to all the platforms you play on so you can add to your stats however you connect to the game.

Don’t be worried about getting mismatched as the one mobile player in a server of PC and console players. If you’re playing solo on mobile, you will only be matched up against other mobile players. If you join a squad with friends playing on another platform, then that squad will be matched against a multi-platform population, essentially making cross-platform play opt-in.

• Learn more about Fortnite Mobile

How does it compare to the PC or console version?

If the iOS version of Fortnite is anything to go by, the Android version will enjoy feature parity with all other platforms, including PS4, PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. There will be minor differences to account for the form factor, such as (hopefully) support for Bluetooth controls, on-screen controls for those not using a controller, and certainly toned down graphics capability. But if you want to jump in for a quick game of Battle Royale, you won’t need to worry about playing a vastly different game. Fortnite on Android is still Fortnite.

Are you hyped for Fortnite?

We’ll be sure to let you know when the game launches for Android. Until then, you can create your Epic Games account and start playing on one of the other platforms to start getting a handle on the game

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