Tech Boys

"Fortnite: Battle Royale's" newest limited-time mode was taken offline shortly after launch this week, after an influx of players caused the game's matchmaking systems to crash. Developers at Epic Games have said the mode will be brought back online "as soon as possible," but have not provided any estimation for when it will happen. When it eventually comes back online, "Playground Mode" will be the game's first non-competitive practice arena, which will allow players to take a break from the fast-paced battle-royale formula by roaming through the island with up to three of their friends. "Fortnite: Battle Royale" creators launched the game's first non-competitive mode this week, only to have the influx of players crash the entire game for several hours, forcing them to take the new mode offline indefinitely. When Epic Games first announced they would be introducing "Playground Mode" early this week, fans and str...

GDPR, Europe's tough new privacy rules, haven't had much impact on Facebook. But analysts are warning there could be bigger risks on the horizon if regulators decide to take aim at the company. If this happens, it could "spook" marketers and seriously impact the social network's bottom line — a risk one analyst says investors are far too "complacent" about. It's been a month since Europe passed tough new privacy rules, and Facebook isn't breaking a sweat. Analysts are predicting that GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) , the EU's new rules on how companies can handle European data, won't have any meaningful impact on Facebook's bottom line — but it might mask bigger dangers on the horizon. Brian Wieser, an analyst at Pivotal Research Group, warned in a recent research note that investors may be getting "too complacent" over the risks to Facebook. But there's a growing sentiment that Facebook isn't pr...

After leaving hints and Easter eggs alluding to a missile launch in the game, the "Fortnite: Battle Royale" creators at Epic Games have confirmed that something will be taking place Saturday at exactly 1:30 p.m. EST. The in-game event will only happen once, according to Epic, meaning fans will need to be in the middle of a match when the event happens in order to see it. The mysterious announcement is likely referring to the launch of a missile, which many fans theorize will change the game forever.  "Fortnite: Battle Royale" creators have confirmed that something big is going to take place on the island on Saturday, June 30 at 1:30 p.m. EST, probably having to do with the  huge missile embedded into the side of the mountain just northeast of Snobby Shores, which many fans theorize will change the game forever. On Friday, an in-game message confirmed fan theories about a one-time-only event taking place in the game, and that players will have to be logged i...

Apple currently licenses much of the data underpinning the Apple Maps app from companies like TomTom. But soon, Apple's own homegrown database will provide all the information needed for Apple Maps. Apple will start to roll out its new maps to iPhones and iPads starting later this year.  Apple announced on Friday that it had been rebuilding Apple Maps since 2015, and that the next-generation maps will be released for beta testers in San Francisco later this summer. The underlying map data itself, like the location of roads, businesses, and signs, will be all Apple's for the first time ever, the company revealed to TechCrunch. This means that Apple will reduce its reliance on data providers like TomTom and OpenStreetMap, which have historically provided most of the data for Apple Maps.  Apple has been collecting a lot of the data with its Apple Maps vans, which have been spotted on streets as far back as 2015. This is the first time that data will be used in the...

SpaceX launched a Dragon ship to the International Space Station just before dawn on Friday. The launch of the Falcon 9 rocket created a miles-high pillar of exhaust stretching toward space. One witness called the smoke trail a "Dragon's Tail." If the timing is right, rocket launch plumes can bounce high-altitude sunlight toward dark, pre-dawn locations. Most rocket launches happen in early daylight, when the weather most often cooperates — and nervous engineers can keep a clear eye on their precious space vehicles. But for those lucky enough to witness a dark, pre-dawn launch, an incredible sight sometimes awaits. Such was the case Friday morning, when SpaceX fired a Falcon 9 rocket from a launch pad in Cape Canaveral, Florida, and toward the International Space Station. The SpaceX mission, called CRS-15 — NASA's designation for Commercial Resupply Service — sent a Dragon spaceship with nearly 6,000 lbs of supplies (including a floating robotic head ) ...