Trump signs executive order adding a $100,000 fee to new H-1B petitions (one-time) President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that imposes a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa petitions. The White House later clarified — via Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt — that the fee is a one-time payment applied to the petition and is not an annual charge. Key points One-time fee: The administration says the $100,000 charge applies only once to the petition, not per year. Applies to new applicants outside the U.S.: The rule targets new H-1B applicants who are currently outside the United States; current H-1B holders and renewals are exempt. Exemptions and national interest: The Secretary of Homeland Security can grant case-by-case exemptions if it’s in the national interest. Legal challenges likely: Experts expect…

8Bitdo Pro 2 drops to $40 for Prime members; Pro 3 discounted — details & verification Summary: Engadget reported that Prime members can get the 8Bitdo Pro 2 wireless Bluetooth controller + travel case for $40 (was $60), and that the 8Bitdo Pro 3 is available for $70 with a 10% checkout discount (~$63). I attempted to verify these deals—details below. Deal status and verification Per a web check, the specific $40 Pro 2 + case deal and the Pro 3 10% checkout price were reported but not independently confirmed at the time of this post. Availability and exact discounts may vary by region, stock, and Prime-only restrictions. Always confirm the final price and Prime eligibility on Amazon before purchasing. Why it matters The Pro 2 remains a strong PlayStation-style…

Samsung EVO Select 256GB microSD on Sale — $20 Good deal: the Samsung EVO Select 256GB microSD card is currently on sale for $20 (down from $27). This UHS‑I card offers read/write performance up to 160 MB/s and provides an affordable way to expand storage on smartphones, tablets, cameras and gaming consoles. Quick Specs Capacity: 256GB Read/Write: up to 160 MB/s (advertised) Form factor: microSD (with adapter where needed) Works with: smartphones, tablets, Nintendo Switch family (Switch, Switch OLED, Switch Lite), cameras and other devices that accept microSD Price: $20 (sale) Where to buy Check current availability on Amazon (affiliate search link): Search Samsung EVO Select 256GB on Amazon Why consider it The EVO Select is a popular budget-friendly option for expanding storage without major performance compromises. It’s suitable for…

AirPods Pro (3rd gen) — $10 off at Amazon: features, specs & should you buy?Apple's AirPods Pro 3 are already seeing early discounts — Amazon lists them for $239 (regular $249). If you want a quick, reliable place to check availability, use our Amazon link below.Buy AirPods Pro (3rd gen) on AmazonWhat's newSignificant ANC improvements — better noise cancellation via improved microphones, computational audio and new foam-infused tips.Improved sound quality and longer battery life — Apple claims up to ~8 hours with ANC enabled.Live Translation support (requires iPhone with Apple Intelligence).Built-in heart-rate tracking and integration with Apple Fitness for up to 50 workouts.Price & alternativesCurrent deal: $239 on Amazon (vs $249 usual). If that’s too rich, AirPods Pro 2 are on sale for about $199 in many retailers.VerdictThe AirPods Pro…

Review roundup: iPhone 17 lineup, iPhone Air, AirPods Pro 3, Apple Watch Series 11 & more Last week's Apple event unleashed a wave of new hardware. We tested the iPhone 17 family (including the new iPhone Air), AirPods Pro 3 and Apple Watch Series 11, plus reviews of a premium Chromebook and Tamagotchi Paradise. Below are concise takeaways and links for more info. Apple iPhone Air Apple replaced the iPhone 16 Plus with the ultra-thin iPhone Air. It prioritizes sleekness without massively sacrificing battery life — and may preview Apple's foldable strategy. Official page: iPhone Air — Apple Apple iPhone 17 The iPhone 17 brings a 120Hz display and noticeable camera upgrades, making it a worthwhile update even from iPhone 16 for many users. Official page: iPhone 17 — Apple…

How to combine PDF files — Quick guide PDFs preserve formatting but sometimes you want multiple files as a single document. Below are easy ways to merge PDFs, whether you prefer online convenience or local privacy. 1) Adobe Acrobat (desktop and free online) Adobe Acrobat desktop lets you open Tools > Combine Files, add documents (PDF, Word, Excel, images), reorder pages, remove unwanted pages and click Combine to save a single PDF. If you don’t have the desktop app, use Adobe’s free web merge tool: Adobe Merge PDFs. 2) Free online alternatives iLovePDF — easy drag-and-drop merging; free tier limits (25 files / 100 MB). Sejda — emphasizes security and auto-deletes uploaded files after processing; free tier has task limits. Foxit Online Merge — simple online merge (suitable for small,…

AirPods Pro (3rd gen) already on sale — $239 reported on Amazon Apple’s AirPods Pro (3rd generation) are reportedly already available at a slight discount — listed at $239 on Amazon — and the AirPods Pro 2 are showing deals around $199. Prices can change quickly; check the links below (affiliate) for the latest listings. Amazon (AirPods Pro 3): https://www.amazon.com/s?k=AirPods+Pro+3&tag=f1rede-20 Amazon (AirPods Pro 2): https://www.amazon.com/s?k=AirPods+Pro+2&tag=f1rede-20 What’s new in Gen 3 Significantly improved Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) — reported to be much better than Gen 2 thanks to new microphones, computational audio and foam‑infused tips for a better fit. Live Translation support (requires an iPhone with Apple Intelligence to use). Improved sound quality and longer battery life (Apple cites up to ~8 hours with ANC on, though real-world results vary). Better…

U.S.-China TikTok deal said to be nearing signature White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said a TikTok deal is expected to be signed "in the coming days," after President Donald Trump posted that he had "approved the TikTok deal" following a call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Chinese state media described the call differently, saying Beijing "respects the wishes of the company in question" and favors a market-based solution that complies with Chinese law. "We thank President Xi Jinping and President Donald J. Trump for their efforts to preserve TikTok in the United States. ByteDance will work in accordance with applicable laws to ensure TikTok remains available to American users through TikTok U.S." — ByteDance statement Leavitt said reported terms include: Majority ownership of the U.S. TikTok business by American…

xAI launches Grok 4 Fast — faster, cheaper unified reasoning model xAI has announced Grok 4 Fast, a new variant of its Grok 4 family optimized for speed and cost-efficiency. According to xAI, Grok 4 Fast delivers similar performance to Grok 4 while using roughly 40% fewer "thinking" tokens on average and reducing cost to achieve the same frontier-benchmark performance by about 98%. Key highlights Unified architecture: One model can operate in a deeper "reasoning" mode or a quicker "non-reasoning" mode via system prompts. Efficiency: ~40% fewer tokens used vs. Grok 4; xAI claims ~98% cost reduction to match Grok 4 on frontier benchmarks. Large context: Reported to support very large contexts (reports mention up to a 2M token context window). Benchmarks: Ranked #1 in LMArena's Search Arena and #8…

EPA scientists ordered to halt Office of Water publications — political review underway According to reporting, scientists in the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Water were instructed by political appointees to stop work on studies headed for publication because they will now be "subject to a new review process." Staffers reportedly learned of the order during a town-hall this week. The move could halt "millions" of dollars of research, one employee told reporters. Why this matters The Office of Water helps ensure the safety of the nation’s drinking water. Pausing or re-reviewing scientific publications can delay crucial public-health protections. This is the latest in a series of changes at the EPA, including proposed rollbacks on PFAS limits (keeping only PFOA and PFOS), thousands of layoffs, and plans to close the…