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Would you believe? The Next Web writes:

Scientists from the University of California, San Diego, have created a new robotic soft contact lens that lets you zoom by blinking twice. The lens can be controlled by your eye movements.

Of course, it’s a long way from the lab to commercial production. For now, it’s probably destined for use by spies. Or pilots.

Oppo revealed a new ‘Waterfall’ display Monday. It had 88-degree curved edges and the display extended nearly the whole way around the side of a smartphone. The Next Web took a look.

While the waterfall screen looks cool, Oppo will have figure out ways to prevent accidental taps and swipes, which seem inevitable given the nearly wraparound screen…At this point, it’s hard to say whether there’s any sense in such displays. They might seem more ‘immersive,’ but content that shows up on the sides will be hard to see and interact with. This might just be a passing fad – but I’m happy to be proven wrong.

An American teenager became Fortnite world champion Wednesday. 16-year-old Kyle Giersdorf scooped the $3 million prize at New York’s Arthur Ashe Stadium, BBC News reported. It was the biggest prize pot in the history of e-sports. A total of 40 million players tried to qualify online for the tournament.

Mr. Giersdorf, known online as Bugha, stood laughing and shaking his head as the crowd erupted when his name was announced. He told the BBC he wants to save most of his prize. “All I want is a new desk and maybe a desk for my trophy,” he said. The final game was described by the commentators as a “ridiculous victory lap” as the winner played with a smile on his face whilst beating his rivals.The event is seen as a major moment in e-sports, which is estimated to be a billion-dollar industry in 2019. However, its record for the biggest prize pool is already set to be broken by another event called The International, taking place in August. The Fortnite finals saw 100 players battling on giant computer screens.

Apple had asked the White House for a Mac Pro tariff exemption, but President Trump tweeted today that it won’t happen.

Trump has said that exemptions are available only to companies that can demonstrate they had no other manufacturing option or show the tariffs would cause “severe economic harm.” In his Friday tweet, he again championed products made in the United States.

The tariffs are 25% on certain parts, which means that customers might be footing the bill.

Apple and Intel announced Thursday that the iPhone will acquire the chipmaker’s smartphone modem business. Wired looked into the $1 billion deal. One analyst explained that it highlighted how Apple is slowly taking control of its 5G future with the purchase.

The modems in Apple devices have been an exception to the company’s usual tight integration. Competitors such as Samsung and Huawei build their phones around chips that bundle the main processor and modem circuitry. That offers cost and space savings. In Apple’s devices the custom processor and externally sourced modems have been separate components. Kevin Krewell, principal analyst at Tirias Research, says buying Intel’s modem unit will allow Apple to make integrated processors and modems of its own. As with Apple’s other chip programs, that should provide cost savings and opportunities to create unique new features. “Apple has long wanted to control its platform completely,” he says.

We’ve seen Apple’s billboards pushing its privacy credentials in the U.S. and Canada. Now,  they’ve appeared in locations around Europe, Cult of Mac reported.

Apple often makes privacy a selling point of the iPhone. It has long been considered one of the biggest advantages its smartphone has over Android-powered rivals. These billboards make it so that the privacy-conscious have only one handset in mind when they go shopping. Spotted in three locations around Germany, each of the ads has a big, bold message that is based on the location. One in Hamburg, which proudly calls itself the “gateway to the world,” reads, “Das Tor zur Welt. Nicht zu deinen Informationen.” It translates to “The gateway to the world. Not your information.

WhatsApp is to roll out a payments system in the crucial Indian market, Reuters reported. Users will be able to make and receive payments through the messaging app. Apple Cash offers a similar facility, although it is only currently available in the U.S.

WhatsApp is ubiquitous across India, where data consumption is surging thanks to cheap internet, but a full launch of its payments feature had been delayed amid some false messages circulating on the platform that have led to mob lynching and more government scrutiny, according to local media. The Menlo Park, California-based firm has also been trying to comply with Indian regulations including data storage norms that require all payments-related data to be stored locally…Digital payments, lending and e-wallet services have been growing rapidly in India, led by a government push to bring more of the country’s cash-loving merchants and consumers into the formal economy.