Mastodon Introduces “Packs” — a Bluesky‑style Follow List for Newcomers Mastodon is testing a new feature called “Packs” — curated collections of accounts new users can follow to jumpstart their timeline. Inspired by Bluesky’s Starter Packs, Mastodon’s approach emphasizes user control and Fediverse compatibility. Key points What Packs are: Curated lists of accounts you can follow in one go to help new users find interesting people faster. User control: Mastodon gGmbH says users can opt in or out of appearing in Packs by toggling the existing “Feature profile and posts in discovery algorithms” setting. Neutral removal: Unlike Bluesky (where removal required blocking or reporting), Mastodon will let users remove themselves from a Pack in a neutral way after they’re notified. Fediverse standard: Mastodon is collaborating on a Fediverse Enhancement Proposal…

Meta updates Facebook Reels (2025) Meta is rolling out several changes to Facebook Reels to make the experience more like Instagram Reels. Key updates include: Friend bubbles: Reels will show friend bubbles indicating which friends liked a post, making it easier to start conversations around shared interests. Refreshed recommendation engine: Meta says the recommender learns interests faster, surfaces about 50% more Reels published the same day, and will factor in preferred video length (recommending longer or shorter Reels based on your viewing habits). A new Not Interested button aims to further improve relevance. AI-powered suggestions: Reels will offer AI-driven suggestions for deeper exploration of specific topics or interests. These features are described in recent coverage and align with Meta's posts about improving recommendations with AI. For the official announcement and…

Prime Day Anker Charging Deals — What to Buy and WhyPrime Day is a great time to pick up Anker charging essentials at a discount. Below we cover the best categories to consider and tips for choosing the right gear.Power banksPower banks come in many sizes and with different features. For phones, a 5,000–10,000 mAh charger is often enough. If you need to charge tablets, laptops, or multiple devices, look for higher capacity bricks with multiple ports.Shop power banks on Amazon: Anker power banks on AmazonWireless chargersWireless chargers reduce cable clutter. Choose a stand if you want to see notifications while charging, or a flat pad for bedside use. Consider multi‑device stations for phones, watches and earbuds.Shop wireless chargers on Amazon: Anker wireless chargers on AmazonCharging gear & cablesExtra USB‑C…

Steam outage Tuesday — Services restored after major disruption Steam experienced a significant outage on Tuesday affecting the Steam Store, Steam Community and the Web API. Services have been coming back online and, for the past hour, most users report normal access. Key points Steamstat.us recorded ~1.5 million pageviews in one hour at the outage peak — a sign many users were checking status updates. PC Gamer and other outlets reported that APIs for Valve first‑party games (including Counter‑Strike 2 and Deadlock) were offline during the outage. There has been no detailed official statement from Valve as of publishing; Steam’s public-facing status pages are limited, so community trackers were the fastest source of real-time info. Where to check live status Steamstat.us — unofficial real-time tracker for Steam services DownDetector —…

Prime Day Deal: Apple iPad (11th gen, A16) — $280 (Record Low) Amazon Prime Day has knocked the entry-level Apple iPad (11th generation, A16 Bionic) down to $280, about $70 off and a new record-low price for this model. If you want a solid-budget iPad that handles everyday tasks well, this is one of the best Apple deals we've seen this Prime Day. Key specs Model: Apple iPad (11th generation) Chip: Apple A16 Bionic Display: 10.9" Liquid Retina (commonly rounded to 11") RAM: 6GB Battery: ~10 hours typical use Connectivity: Wi‑Fi 6, USB‑C Cameras: Dual 12MP cameras Biometrics: Touch ID What it lacks No Apple Pencil Pro support No support for the full Magic Keyboard (no trackpad Magic Keyboard compatibility) No ProMotion or some higher-end display features found on iPad…

Baseus PrimeTrip VD1 Pro: Dual Dashcam with Solar Power The Baseus PrimeTrip VD1 Pro is a dual-channel dashcam designed for drivers who want continuous vehicle monitoring without complex hardwiring. It pairs a 4K front camera with a 1080p rear camera and combines a built-in lithium battery with a solar panel to extend parking mode runtime. Key Features Front camera: 4K UHD (3840×2160 @30fps) with a wide field of view (~170°) Rear camera: 1080p with ~120° field of view Power: Built-in lithium battery plus solar panel — enables long-term parking monitoring without hardwiring Parking mode: Extended standby (reports mention up to ~14 days depending on use and sunlight) Sensors & image processing: Sony Starvis sensor + HDR/night enhancements Connectivity: 5GHz Wi‑Fi (Wi-Fi 6 support reported) and app control Placement: Designed to…

Prime Day SSD Deals — Top Picks October Prime Day brings big SSD discounts across brands like Samsung, Crucial, SanDisk and more. Below are the standout deals and quick Amazon links (affiliate tag added). Prices vary by seller and can change during the sale—check the product pages for the latest. Top internal SSD deals Crucial BX500 1TB — budget SATA boost. Buy: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Crucial+BX500+1TB&tag=f1rede-20 Crucial P310 2TB — compact high-speed NVMe. Buy: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Crucial+P310+2TB&tag=f1rede-20 Samsung 990 Evo Plus 1TB — top NVMe value. Buy: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Samsung+990+Evo+Plus+1TB&tag=f1rede-20 Samsung 990 PRO 2TB — high-end NVMe with heatsink. Buy: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Samsung+990+PRO+2TB&tag=f1rede-20 Samsung 9100 PRO 4TB — extreme capacity & speed. Buy: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Samsung+9100+PRO+4TB&tag=f1rede-20 Samsung Fit Plus 256GB — ultra-compact flash drive/SSD. Buy: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Samsung+Fit+Plus+256GB&tag=f1rede-20 Portable SSDs SanDisk 2TB Extreme Portable SSD — rugged, fast. Buy: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=SanDisk+2TB+Extreme+Portable+SSD&tag=f1rede-20 Kingston SX1000 1TB…

Steam outage: Services returning online Steam experienced an outage on Oct 7, 2025. The Steam Store, Steam Community and Web API were reported offline earlier, causing errors in the Steam Deck and mobile app UIs (pages loaded as empty wrappers). Services appear to be coming back online and pages are loading normally again. Steamstat.us recorded heavy traffic during the outage — about 1,534,000 page views in the past hour — indicating many users checking status. PC Gamer also reported that APIs for Valve first-party titles (including Counter-Strike 2 and Deadlock) were affected earlier. We'll continue to monitor the situation. If you're still seeing problems, check the official Steam status at steamstat.us and report what you're seeing below. Developing — updated Oct 7, 2025, 13:14 ET

October Prime Day TV Deals — Top Picks & Streaming Gear Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days (Oct 7–8) brought strong TV discounts across brands. Below are the highlights — top models, what they're best for, and affiliate search links to check current prices. TCL QM7K 55-inch (Mini-LED) — Noticeably improved contrast, brightness and color over lower models; 144Hz refresh and 288Hz support at 1080p. Search: TCL QM7K 55-inch on Amazon Hisense U8QG 65-inch (Mini-LED) — Very bright, strong local dimming, quantum-dot color and 165Hz refresh; a great LCD for bright rooms. Search: Hisense U8QG 65-inch on Amazon Samsung S90F 55-inch (QD-OLED) — QD-OLED for vivid colors and excellent contrast; multiple HDMI 2.1 ports. Search: Samsung S90F 55-inch on Amazon LG C5 65-inch (OLED) — Outstanding OLED performance and Dolby Vision…

Prime Day Laptop Deals — Top Picks & Links If your laptop isn’t cutting it, October Prime Day has solid deals across MacBooks, Windows laptops and Chromebooks. Below are top picks and Amazon search links (affiliate tag included) so you can quickly find the models mentioned in recent deal roundups. MacBooks Apple’s newest: MacBook Air (15-inch, M4) — $999 (17% off). Apple MacBooks may not always be listed directly on Amazon for new configurations; check Apple or authorized retailers if you want configurable models. Windows laptops (top picks) HP Ultrabook 14 (Intel N100) — $280 (20% off) — Search on Amazon Lenovo IdeaPad 1i (15-inch, Intel Celeron) — $280 (30% off) — Search on Amazon Dell Inspiron 3530 (15-inch, Core i3) — $284 (29% off) — Search on Amazon Acer…