Fijian government representatives, including leader Frank Bainimarama, were at a lavish launch event a couple of weeks ago to announce the launch of a new app which is set to revolutionise our mobile phone use.

The app's inventor, Douglas Stewart, from Las Vegas, told Fiji officials that their country is a great place to test this new app. The app supposedly saves wasted power from charging a phone ("over-charge current") inside the app, and app can then be run when the phone's battery is low and will push its saved power into the battery, recharging it - "Accept, Store, Release".

The whole concept is scientifically ridiculous, and there are many red flags; the app only works on the inventor's phone, there's no technical description of how the app is actually meant to save the power, the choice of Fiji as the initial market, a faked video of global celebrations played at the launch party (opens new window) and said to be live streaming, etc. However, that hasn't stopped the Fijian government saying that this is a multi billion dollar opportunity for Fiji.

• https://www.facebook.com/instachargeapp/ (opens new window)
• https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/03/fiji-pm-endorses-instacharge-app-that-claims-to-recharge (opens new window)
• http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/319345/'red-flags-all-over-it'-instacharge-app-launches-in-fiji (opens new window)
• http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/319516/instacharge,-the-physics-defying-app,-insists-it's-legitimate (opens new window)