WhatsApp on Thursday began letting select organizations try a new feature called "Channels" that lets them broadcast to followers on...

Researchers have come up with a new way to generate electricity with solar panel technology by harvesting the energy produced by raindrops. The method, proposed by a team from Tsinghua University in China, involves a device called a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) that creates electrification from liquid-solid contact. These are typically used to harvest energy from waves, as droplet-based TENGs (D-TENGs) have previously faced technical limitations that prevented them from working at any significant scale. By using solar panel bridge arrays, the researchers discovered such barriers could be overcome “Referring to the design of solar panels in which multiple solar power generation units are connected in parallel to supply the load, we are proposing a simple and effective method for raindrop harvesting,” said Professor Zong Li, who led the research. “The peak power output of the bridge array generators is nearly five times higher than that of the conventional large-area raindrop energy harvesting. The results of this study will provide a feasible scheme for large-area raindrop energy harvesting.” A study detailing the breakthrough, titled ‘Rational TENG arrays as a panel for harvesting large-scale raindrop energy’, was published in the journal iEnergy. “As an important part of the natural energy and water cycle, rainfall contains abundant renewable energy,” the study notes. “However, this kind of renewable energy lacks effective utilisation today... Therefore, finding a reasonable topology to relieve the inherent constraints of D-TENGs is of great significance for realising the large-scale raindrop energy harvesting.” It is one of a number of promising advances with solar panel technology in recent months, with an Australian team of researchers developing self-healing cells capable of recovering 100 per cent of their original efficiency after suffering degradation from space radiation. Earlier this week, scientist’s at the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) unveiled a design for a double-sided solar panel capable of boosting efficiency rates by up to 20 per cent by harvesting reflected sunlight. Read More Scientists invent double-sided solar panel that generates vastly more electricity How tech could turn our homes into renewable energy power stations Scientists invent double-sided solar panel that generates vastly more electricity Scientists invent self-healing solar panels with ‘miracle material’ ‘Miracle material’ smashes solar panel efficiency threshold

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Apple has revealed the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, its new cheaper phones. The new handsets borrow a host of features from last year’s more expensive, Pro models. It gets the “Dynamic Island” at the top of the screen, its predecessor’s processor, and upgraded cameras. But it packs that into a cheaper and brighter design. Apple said it is the first time that anyone has made the colour run all the way through the glass, and that it has used “metallic ions” to build colour into the material itself. It comes in five different colours: pink, yellow, green, blue and black. The design is changed ever so slightly, too. Apple said that it should feel “even nicer in your hand” because of a “new contoured edge” on the side of the phone. But the main upgrades from the iPhone 14 appeared to be in the camera. That will now be 48 megapixels – compared with 12 in the previous model – and new machine learning tools that will improve those pictures. The iPhone 15 also comes with a new ultra-wide band chip for finding other devices. That can be used to find other people: using the Find My app, the phone will show precise directions for finding people in busy places, for instance. Phone calls are also due to improve, Apple said. That should filter out distracting noises from the background to make them clearer. That was part of a host of connectivity improvements, which also added new features to Apple’s satellite features. If drivers have trouble with their car, they can use that extra satellite connectivity to get in touch with roadside service, for instance. Read More Apple is changing the plug on the bottom of your iPhone Apple to stop using leather in all new products Here’s the brand new Apple Watch

Mike Novogratz’s Galaxy Digital Holdings has won the dismissal of a BitGo lawsuit over its abandoned $1.2 billion

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 14, 2023--

Football fans on social media have discovered a favourite new meme, and it features Jamie Carragher as you’ve never seen him before – as a broadband salesman. Users have been having a little fun on photoshop after a picture of the former Liverpool star holding an ipad and wearing a lanyard around his neck went viral. He was presumably snapped outside a media centre somewhere preparing for commentary on a game, but people couldn’t help but compare him to a salesman looking to stop people on the street and flog them a new deal on their internet provider. In one of those wonderfully organic trends that still happen from time to time on Twitter, people shared their own versions of the pic. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Carragher seemed to like the trend too, and even retweeted a selection of them. It’s hardly the first time Carragher has been making us laugh this year, after the former Liverpool player cracked people up in the BT Sport studio attempting to pronounce Inter Milan’s full name. Micah Richards was left with tears streaming down his face after a hilarious interview following a Champions League game, when Inter Milan player Rafael Leao had a little difficulty understanding Carragher’s accent. At the time, he appeared to do what many of us have done in a foreign country and speak more slowly and in a different accent in a bid to make ourselves understood. Carragher tried his best, but it was his pronunciation of the Italian club name “Internazionale” which tipped his co-hosts over the edge. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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Hector Bellerin FC 24 Road to the Knockouts SBC is now live in Ultimate Team. Here's how to complete the SBC and if players should spend the coins or fodder based on Real Betis in the Europa League.

SYDNEY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 16, 2023--