Technology
Solar-powered blimp could bring high-speed internet to your area
![Solar-powered blimp could bring high-speed internet to your area Solar-powered blimp could bring high-speed internet to your area](https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/09/4-Solar-powered-blimps-could-bring-high-speed-internet-to-your-area.jpg)
Have you ever felt the frustration of losing internet access while camping, hiking or living in a remote area? Whether you’re trying to connect with family, access important information or simply enjoy your favorite streaming service, losing internet access can be a real bummer. For many, this is a daily struggle. However, new technology from a company called Sceye could be the answer to these connectivity woes, offering a solution to the digital divide that leaves so many people in the dark.
GET SECURITY ALERTS, EXPERT TIPS – SIGN UP FOR KURT’S NEWSLETTER – THE CYBERGUY REPORT HERE
Sceye HAPS (Sceye) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Enter the Sceye HAPS: A blimp-like aircraft with a mission
The Sceye HAPS is not your average aircraft. This 213-foot-long uncrewed helium-filled behemoth is designed to soar to stratospheric heights, hovering between 60,000 and 65,000 feet above the Earth’s surface. What makes it truly special is its ability to beam high-speed internet to areas that traditional infrastructure cannot reach.
![Solar-powered blimp could bring high-speed internet to your area](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/09/1200/675/2-Solar-powered-blimps-could-bring-high-speed-internet-to-your-area.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Sceye HAPS (Sceye) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
IS THIS 656-FOOT AIRYACHT THE LUXURY TRANSPORTATION OF THE FUTURE?
Solar-powered stratospheric sentinel
One of the most impressive features of the Sceye HAPS is its power source. The aircraft is covered in a “solar cape” made of gallium selenide and gallium arsenide solar cells, allowing it to harness the sun’s energy to stay aloft for months at a time. This sustainable power approach enables the HAPS to perform its critical tasks continuously, from providing internet access to monitoring environmental conditions.
HOW TO REMOVE YOUR PRIVATE DATA FROM THE INTERNET
![Solar-powered blimp could bring high-speed internet to your area](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/09/1200/675/3-Solar-powered-blimps-could-bring-high-speed-internet-to-your-area.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Sceye HAPS (Sceye) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
THIS FLYING ELECTRIC VEHICLE BREAKS RECORD WITH 523-MILE NONSTOP FLIGHT
Breaking records and bridging divides
The Sceye HAPS is already making waves in the real world. It set a long-range record by maintaining a data connection across a distance of over 87 miles, far exceeding the typical LTE range. This achievement has significant implications for bridging the digital divide, especially in areas like the Navajo Nation, where the HAPS is part of a project to provide universal broadband access. By demonstrating its ability to connect over such vast distances, the Sceye HAPS is proving its potential to revolutionize internet access in remote and underserved communities.
![Solar-powered blimp could bring high-speed internet to your area](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/09/1200/675/4-Solar-powered-blimps-could-bring-high-speed-internet-to-your-area.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Sceye HAPS (Sceye) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
NASA’S DRAGONFLY DRONE CLEARED FOR FLIGHT TO SATURN’S MOON, TITAN
More than just internet
While providing internet access is a key function of the Sceye HAPS, its capabilities extend far beyond that. The aircraft is also being used for climate and environmental monitoring, disaster response, forest fire detection, and tracking and measuring methane emissions as part of an EPA study.
![Solar-powered blimp could bring high-speed internet to your area](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/09/1200/675/5-Solar-powered-blimps-could-bring-high-speed-internet-to-your-area.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Sceye HAPS (Sceye) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Recent milestones and future plans
The Sceye HAPS continues to impress with its technological advancements. In a recent flight, it demonstrated its ability to charge its batteries during the day and use that power to stay airborne overnight, a crucial step towards long-duration missions. With 20 test flights under its belt and commercial deployment planned for 2025, the future looks bright for this stratospheric innovation.
SUBSCRIBE TO KURT’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR QUICK VIDEO TIPS ON HOW TO WORK ALL OF YOUR TECH DEVICES
![Solar-powered blimp could bring high-speed internet to your area](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/09/1200/675/6-Solar-powered-blimps-could-bring-high-speed-internet-to-your-area.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Sceye HAPS (Sceye) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Kurt’s key takeaways
The Sceye HAPS is shaking things up in the world of global connectivity. Think of it as a high-tech blimp that’s on a mission to bring the internet to places that have been left in the digital dark ages. By floating way up in the stratosphere, this clever contraption is tackling problems that have stumped tech experts for years. This flying innovation could be a game-changer in making our world more connected and better prepared for whatever Mother Nature throws our way. Sure, there are still some kinks to work out. But the way things are going, it looks like the Sceye HAPS is proving that when it comes to solving big global problems, sometimes the best solution is to aim high, really high.
Do you have any concerns about high-altitude aircraft like the Sceye HAPS floating in the stratosphere? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.
For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.
Ask Kurt a question or let us know what stories you’d like us to cover.
Follow Kurt on his social channels:
Answers to the most asked CyberGuy questions:
New from Kurt:
Copyright 2024 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.
![](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/np-logo.png)
Technology
Microsoft’s new Qualcomm-powered Surface devices are heading into the workplace
![Microsoft’s new Qualcomm-powered Surface devices are heading into the workplace Microsoft’s new Qualcomm-powered Surface devices are heading into the workplace](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VGoEiz2IBoiSZegUT8GLuYKtEe0=/0x0:1600x900/1200x628/filters:focal(800x450:801x451)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25603016/Commercial_Blog_Image_1920_1600x900.png)
Microsoft is ready to start selling its Qualcomm-powered Surface devices to businesses. Starting on September 10th, both the Surface Pro 11 and Surface Laptop 7 will be available for business customers for the first time, after launching in June to consumers as part of Microsoft’s Copilot Plus PC wave of devices and its Windows on Arm push.
The hardware inside the Surface Pro 11 and Surface Laptop 7 for businesses will be identical to the consumer options. Businesses will be able to pick between two main options for the Surface Pro 11. There’s the 10-core Snapdragon X Plus Surface Pro 11 with 16GB of RAM, up to 512GB of storage, and the regular LCD display, or the OLED model with the 12-core Snapdragon X Elite, up to 32GB of RAM, and up to 1TB of storage.
The Surface Laptop 7 will be available in Snapdragon X Plus or X Elite models for the 13.8-inch models, or just the X Elite for the larger 15-inch model. All Surface Laptop 7 models have options for up to 32GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage.
Microsoft is also launching a 5G model of the Surface Pro 11 on September 26th, and a 5G variant of the Surface Pro 10, which is powered by Intel’s Ultra Core processors. Microsoft previously launched the Intel-powered Surface Pro 10 exclusively to business customers earlier this year, alongside the Surface Laptop 6.
In addition to the new Surface options for businesses, Microsoft is also releasing a new Surface Keyboard on October 3rd. The full-size keyboard includes Microsoft’s new Copilot key and an expanded keyset to cover options like call, mute, and Snip & Sketch function keys.
Technology
You’ll soon be able to leave comments on Instagram Stories posts
![You’ll soon be able to leave comments on Instagram Stories posts You’ll soon be able to leave comments on Instagram Stories posts](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/oI2pxbSFckh3A-gnFCC6bnexdok=/0x0:1920x1080/1200x628/filters:focal(960x540:961x541)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25602421/Instagram_Story_Comments_4.png)
Instagram is adding the ability to leave comments on Instagram Stories, the ephemeral posts that many people use even more than traditional posts these days.
Previously, replying to an Instagram Story sent a private message visible only to the person who posted the content. The addition of comments adds a more public way to respond to Stories. The ability to comment in the first place is more limited, though: only people who follow the poster and who the poster follows back will be able to leave a comment. Instagram explains how most of it works in this video.
Just like Stories, the comments are temporary and will last for up to 24 hours; Instagram spokesperson Emily Norfolk says users will have the option to turn comments on or off for any Story they share. It’s not clear whether comments will be archived after a Story post expires, but we’ve asked Instagram for clarification.
Instagram has steadily added new features to surfaces like Reels and Stories that seem to suggest the company views them as key places for user engagement with friends, not just casual content meant to be scrolled through.
Earlier this summer the platform added disappearing “notes” (essentially comments) to grid posts and Reels, meant to draw more attention to how your friends are engaging with content. Those disappearing notes expire after three days, and users can choose who’s able to see their notes — either mutual follows, or a curated list of close friends. Temporary notes are overlaid on top of the post, making comments from friends more prominent.
Instagram also announced today that some likes on posts will now appear more prominently as floating hearts, similar to how they appear on the disappearing notes.
Technology
Snapchat is going to put ads next to messages from your friends
![Snapchat is going to put ads next to messages from your friends Snapchat is going to put ads next to messages from your friends](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BgReAXdHJwGNA68gB-pkYpmXCGU=/0x0:2040x1360/1200x628/filters:focal(1020x680:1021x681)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23982579/acastro_STK466_01.jpg)
Snapchat will soon start “experimenting” with placing sponsored messages next to chat threads from friends, according to CEO Evan Spiegel.
These “Sponsored Snaps” from brands will appear as unread messages in Snapchat’s main Chat tab, implying that they’ll sit above messages from a person’s contacts until they’re acted on. This is the first time Snap will show ads in the most used part of its app.
In an employee memo also posted on the company’s website, Spiegel says that Sponsored Snaps will appear “without a push notification, and opening the message is optional.” It’s unclear how easy it will be to get rid of a Sponsored Snap without opening it, or if doing so will even be possible. (Snap declined to comment beyond Spiegel’s memo.)
“Sponsored Snaps empower advertisers to communicate visually with the Snapchat community, making the core functionality of Snapchat accessible to advertisers,” writes Spiegel, who goes on to note that, “As always, your conversations with friends are private and are not used for advertising purposes.”
To understand why Snap is doing this now, look no further than its stock price, which is hovering near an all-time low. Despite now reaching over 850 million monthly users globally, Snap’s ads business is still tiny compared to its biggest competitors, including Meta. Snap also still isn’t profitable.
“The growth of our digital advertising business is one of the most important inputs to our long term revenue potential, and investors are concerned that we aren’t growing faster,” writes Spiegel in his memo, which is timed to the company’s 13-year anniversary. He writes that Snap will also start letting advertisers pay to promote places in its Map tab, where Snapchat users can see the whereabouts of their friends.
-
Politics1 week ago
Why won't Pennsylvania voters have results on Election Night?
-
Politics1 week ago
Trump sets intense pace with campaign events as questions swirl about Harris' policy positions
-
World1 week ago
Portugal coast hit by 5.3 magnitude earthquake
-
News1 week ago
Former national security adviser McMaster says he won’t work for Trump again
-
World1 week ago
Who is Telegram CEO Pavel Durov? What to know about his arrest in France
-
Science1 week ago
How much more water and power does AI computing demand? Tech firms don't want you to know
-
World1 week ago
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 915
-
World1 week ago
Commission mandarin flags convergence of digital with industry