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Apple’s Best iPad (for Most People) Is Still 20% Off Before Prime Day Ends Tonight

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We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

Amazon Big Deal Days end tonight, Oct. 8, and until then, Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over.

If you’re in the market for an iPad, you have no shortage of options to choose from. Apple now sells some powerful iPads, with the same components you’d find in a Mac. But while all of Apple’s iPads are excellent in their own right, when it comes down to it, most of us don’t need the extra power, hardware, or features that come with these more expensive tablets. In fact, most of us would probably be perfectly suited to Apple’s entry iPad—appropriate called, iPad.

If that’s true for you, you’re in luck. For just a few more hours, you’re able to save 20% off Apple’s most recent iPad. Apple sells this tablet for $349, but during the final hours of October Prime Day, you can pick one up for $279.

Apple’s entry-level iPad doesn’t feel entry-level. The tablet comes with an 11-inch display with minimal edges. It fits right in alongside Apple’s other, more premium iPads, without the added price. You get a single 12MP camera on the back of the tablet, and a 12MP selfie camera on the front. In fact, the camera is placed on the landscape side of the iPad, rather than the portrait side as you might be used to. This makes it easier to frame yourself during video calls when the iPad is held in the same position you’d keep a laptop display.

Powering this iPad is the A16 chip, which is why some call this the iPad A16. That’s the same chip powering the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15, and while it isn’t the most powerful hardware Apple includes in its iPads, it’s perfectly capable of running the apps you likely use on your tablet. Unless you’re looking to do some graphically-intensive work, or play some extremely demanding games, the A16 chip should handle iPadOS without issue.

While this iPad works great as-is, you can also add on some additional accessories. An Apple Pencil is a must for anyone who wants to use their iPad for art or for taking hand-written notes, while the Apple Magic Keyboard Folio turns the iPad into more of a laptop.

Really the only hitch I see with this iPad for most people is the storage size. This tablet only comes with 128GB of internal storage, which might fill up fast if you store a lot of photos, videos, and files on your device. If you need more storage, you can bump up to the 256GB, which is currently 16% off for Prime Day. ($379, down from $449.) If you know most of your data is in the cloud or accessible via streaming, you can probably get away with 128GB. But $379 isn’t a bad price to future-proof your iPad.

Looking for something else? Retailers like Walmart and Best Buy have Prime Day competition sales that are especially useful if you don’t have Amazon Prime.

Our Best Editor-Vetted Prime Day Deals Right Now


Meta Quest 3S 128GB All-In-One VR Headset


—
$249.00

(List Price $299.99)

Ring Battery Doorbell Plus


—
$79.99

(List Price $149.99)

Amazon Fire HD 10 (2023)


—
$69.99

(List Price $139.99)

Deals are selected by our commerce team

The Best Last-Minute Bluetooth Speaker Deals to Get Before Prime Day Ends Tonight

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We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

Amazon Big Deal Days end tonight, Oct. 8, and until then, Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over.

The October Prime Day sale clock is running out, but you can still nab a good deal on a Bluetooth speaker.

Most versatile Bluetooth speaker

Bose SoundLink Flex This outdoor/indoor speaker is going for $99 (originally $149). It’s been a top-performing portable option since its release in 2024.

Best mid-priced Bluetooth speaker

Ultimate Ears Wonderboom: If you prefer more modern features for a bit less money, UW’s Wonderboom is just $66.49 (originally $99.99). You won’t get the same sound quality as the SoundLink Flex, but it’ll be close.

Best Bluetooth speaker if you need it extra loud

Soundboks Go: This speaker boasts a volume of 121 decibels in a small 20-pound speaker. It is splash and dust-proof, too, with an IP65 rating. It’s on sale for $599 (original price $799).

Best budget Bluetooth speaker

Anker Soundcore 2 Portable Bluetooth Speaker: Anker has been killing it in the budget speaker and headphone department for some time, and the Soundcore 2 is a great example. It’s currently $27.99 (originally $44.99).

Best for Amazon’s infrastructure

Amazon Echo Dot: You can’t take this speaker outdoors, but you can command it to turn devices on and off, ask it questions, or play music in multiple rooms if you own multiple Echo speakers. You can get this newest model for $34.99 (originally $49.99).

Looking for something else? Retailers like Walmart and Best Buy have Prime Day competition sales that are especially useful if you don’t have Amazon Prime.

Our Best Editor-Vetted Prime Day Deals Right Now


Meta Quest 3S 128GB All-In-One VR Headset


—
$249.00

(List Price $299.99)

Ring Battery Doorbell Plus


—
$79.99

(List Price $149.99)

Amazon Fire HD 10 (2023)


—
$69.99

(List Price $139.99)

Deals are selected by our commerce team

The Galaxy S25 Edge Is 40% Off for the Last Hours of Prime Day

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We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

Amazon Big Deal Days end tonight, Oct. 8, and until then, Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over.

It’s the year of the thin and light smartphone—as if smartphones weren’t already thin and light. Apple certainly had its moment last month with the iPhone Air, the thinnest iPhone the company has ever made. But don’t forget: Samsung beat them to the punch.

Samsung announced its thinnest and lightest smartphone ever, the Galaxy S25 Edge, back in May. The phone started at $1,099.99, but if you wanted to upgrade to the 512GB model, it’d cost you $1,219.99. That’s an expensive device, but you don’t have to pay that to snag an S25 Edge today: Amazon has the phone on sale for October Prime Day by 40%. The 512GB model is now available for $729.99.

The S25 Edge is, as mentioned, quite thin and light. It’s 5.8mm thick, which is thinner than any of Samsung’s other smartphones, while only weighing one gram more than the S25. Even with those dimensions, it comes with a 6.7-inch 1440p AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 120Hz. It skips the telephoto camera found on other S25 devices, but comes with a 200MP wide lens, 12MP ultrawide lens, and a 12MP selfie cam.

Powering the S25 Edge is the same Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip found in the other S25 devices, complete with the same 12GB of RAM. That means the phone can run all of the Galaxy AI features Samsung is pushing with its latest lineup of smartphones—whether or not you actually want to use them.

The Galaxy S25 Edge is definitely a phone for people who want a flagship experience in a stylish form factor. You miss out on an extra camera, but if you can live without it, $730 is a great price for this device—especially for 512GB of storage. If you want to save even more, you can pick up the 256GB model in titanium silver for $684, though I think you’d find doubling your internal storage worth the additional $46.

Looking for something else? Retailers like Walmart and Best Buy have Prime Day competition sales that are especially useful if you don’t have Amazon Prime.

Our Best Editor-Vetted Prime Day Deals Right Now


Meta Quest 3S 128GB All-In-One VR Headset


—
$249.00

(List Price $299.99)

Ring Battery Doorbell Plus


—
$79.99

(List Price $149.99)

Amazon Fire HD 10 (2023)


—
$69.99

(List Price $139.99)

Deals are selected by our commerce team

Germany To Allow Police To Shoot Down Drones

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Germany’s cabinet has approved a new law allowing police to shoot down or disable rogue drones that threaten airspace security, following recent airport disruptions attributed to Russian reconnaissance. “Other techniques available to down drones include using lasers or jamming signals to sever control and navigation links,” notes Reuters. From the report: With the new law, Germany joins European countries that have recently given security forces powers to down drones violating their airspace, including Britain, France, Lithuania and Romania. A dedicated counter-drone unit will be created within the federal police, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said, and researchers would consult with Israel and Ukraine as they were more advanced in drone technology. Police would deal with drones flying at around tree-level, whereas more powerful drones should be tackled by the military, Dobrindt said.

Germany recorded 172 drone-related disruptions to air traffic between January and the end of September 2025, up from 129 in the same period last year and 121 in 2023, according to data from Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS). German military drills last month in the northern port city of Hamburg demonstrated how like a spider, a large military drone shot a net at a smaller one in mid-flight, entangling its propellers and forcing it to the ground, where a robotic dog trotted over to seek possible explosives. Shooting down drones could be unsafe in densely populated urban areas, however, and airports do not necessarily have detection systems that can immediately report sightings.


Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The 10 Prime Day tech deals you should shop before Day 2 ends

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This year’s fall Prime Day is almost on the books. But you still have time to save on some of our favorite tech. Yes, it’s October and it’s a little early to start thinking about holiday shopping. But it would be remiss to ignore the upcoming festivities entirely because you can actually save some money on good gadgets during this sale.

But let’s be real: Amazon doesn’t always make it easy to find what you’re looking for. Amongst the pages and pages of bad deals you could sift through, you may come across a couple of actually good deals on tech that’s worth your money to begin with. You don’t have to go sifting through that nonsense though — that’s where we come in. We’ve curated the top ten Prime Day deals on tech you should shop for before the event ends tonight. And no, not all of them will cost you an arm and a leg.

Apple AirTag (four-pack) for $65 (34 percent off): If you’re an iPhone user, there are really no better Bluetooth trackers than AirTags. Attach one to your keys with an AirTag holder, slip one into your wallet or throw one into the bottom of your carry-on suitcase to monitor the location of your belongings using the Find My app. As is usually the case, picking them up in a multi-pack like this is cheaper than buying just one AirTag alone. And while you’re at it, you can pick up a pair of Belkin AirTag holders for less thanks to Prime Day deals, too.

Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar 2025 75418 for $31 (30 percent off): ‘Tis the season for advent calendars. They’ve flooded the internet, as they usually do this time of year, and there are plenty to choose from (and stock up on) before we get to December. Lego has a bunch, and this Star Wars one will be fun for everyone, not just kids, to open up each day at the end of the year.

PNY microSD Express card (128GB) for $38 (15 percent off): This is really the first time we’ve seen Switch 2-compatible microSD Express cards on sale since they started coming out in earnest earlier this year. No, you unfortunately cannot just buy any microSD card on the market and use it with your new Switch 2. The console only works with these newer cards, and thankfully they are more available now than they were back in April when the Switch 2 went on pre-order for the first time. We’ve tested a good number of the cards on the market today and found that they’re all pretty solid, so the best microSD card for Switch 2 is the microSD Express card you can most easily afford.

DJI Neo drone for $159 (20 percent off): The DJI Neo may be an inexpensive, beginner-friendly drone, but it has powerful features like subject tracking and quick shots. It can shoot video at up to 4K 30 fps and is quick and maneuverable, though it’s also fairly loud. In our DJI Neo review, we praised it for its speediness and general ease of use, even for folks who have never operated a drone before. You can also grab one with three batteries and a charger for $229 (21 percent off).

Anker Nano portable charger (5K) with built-in USB connector for $20 ($10 off): Small? Check. Easy to use? Check. No need to remember a cable? Check. We tested this one for our battery guide and found it to be a good option for anyone who wants a no-fuss (and very compact) way to power up their phone on the go. It works particularly well with the latest iPhones, but it also works with other gear that carry USB-C charging ports.

Leebein 2025 electric spin scrubber for $38 (46 percent off): This is an updated version of my beloved Leebein electric scrubber, which has made cleaning my shower easier than ever before. I bought the old version not too long ago, and it’s become one of the most used pieces of tech in my house. It comes with seven brush heads so you can use it to clean all kinds of surfaces, and its adjustable arm length makes it easier to clean hard-to-reach spots. It’s IPX7 waterproof and recharges via USB-C.

Anker Laptop Power Bank (25K 100W) for $90 ($45 off): This might be the only power bank you need if you’re a commuter or you travel often. It’s one of our favorites because it has a high enough capacity and wattage to power laptops (as its name suggests), and it has two built-in USB-C cables: one attached to the side, and a retractable one that extends up to two feet. That means you don’t have to remember to bring a cable with you in your kit. It also has a handy display that shows the amount of charge the battery still has, and the output wattage flowing to your devices.

Roku Streaming Stick Plus 2025 for $24 (40 percent off): This is our top pick for the best streaming device for accessing free and live content. The dongle supports 4K video and HDR and doesn’t need to be plugged into the wall for power. It’s a great way to access any streaming service you could ask for: Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max and many more. Plus, if you’re not on the market for a new TV, it’s also a good way to make an old set feel new again.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (3 months) for $57 ($33 off): Microsoft recently jacked up the price of Game Pass Ultimate to $30 per month, but you can get around that by stacking codes — at least, for now. Pick up this code for three months of the service at the old rate and you’ll save some cash. Amazon’s even offering a small discount on the typical $60 price.

Shark AI robot vacuum with self-empty base for $230 (58 percent off): A version of one of our favorite robot vacuums, this Shark machine has strong suction power and supports home mapping. The Shark mobile app lets you set cleaning schedules, and the self-empty base that it comes with will hold 30 days worth of dust and debris.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-10-prime-day-tech-deals-you-should-shop-before-day-2-ends-190018499.html?src=rss

The Best Headphones and Earbuds You Can Get for Under $150 Before Prime Day Ends Tonight

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Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

Amazon Big Deal Days end tonight, Oct. 8, and until then, Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over.

If you need a pair of less-expensive headphones or earbuds, Amazon has a ton of choices for under $150, but you better hop on it quick: October Prime Day is coming to a rapid close.

Best earbuds for under $150

  • Apple AirPods 4: The lower-end line of AirPods are still fantastic, especially for $89.00, which is 31% off the list price of $129.00. The noise-cancelling variety of AirPods 4 are marked down too; they’re $118.98 down from $179.00, but unless you’re frequently in very loud places, you won’t need it.

  • Bose QuietComfort Bluetooth Earbuds: If you’d rather avoid the Apple infrastructure altogether, these Bose QuietComfort Bluetooth Earbuds feature noise-cancelling, and Bose-quality sound for $129, down from $179.

  • If you want really inexpensive earbuds, Soundcore by Anker P20i earbuds are down to $18.

Best open air headphones for Under $150

  • Shokz OpenRun Pro 2: If you want to listen to music without drowning out the sound of the world around you, Lifehacker’s Daniel Oropeza swears by Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 bone conducting headphones, calling them “the best sounding headphones for runners who need to be aware of their surroundings.” They’re on sale for $124.95, 31% off the list price of $179.95.

  • Soundcore V20i by Anker: Anker makes serviceable audio components for low prices, like these open air headphones. They’re on sale for only $23.49, down from $49.99, and feature 16mm drivers and customizable lights.

Best over ear headphones for under $150

  • BlueAnt Pump X: If you’re looking for headphones that cost less than $100, the BlueAnt Pump X are on sale for $99.99, and feature active noise cancelling and cooling pads for sweaty workouts. They come in black and gold and white and gold.

  • Sennheiser ACCENTUM: These wireless headphones feature 50 hours of battery life and hybrid noise cancelling for $99.95, down from $158.89

Best gaming headset for under $150

  • HyperX Cloud Mix 2: These wireless headphones will run for 110 hours on a charge! They feature solid ANC in 2.4GHz mode, and come with a slot inside the left ear cup that hides a low-profile USB-C adapter, all for $132.99.

  • Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless: These PlayStation-licensed headphones feature a noise-isolating design and tuneable audio profiles so you can customize what you hear. They’re a steal at $129.99, down from $199.99.

  • HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless: If you want long battery life, these headphones will run for over 300 hours of battery life on a single charge, and they’re on sale for $143.

Looking for something else? Retailers like Walmart and Best Buy have Prime Day competition sales that are especially useful if you don’t have Amazon Prime.

Our Best Editor-Vetted Prime Day Deals Right Now


Meta Quest 3S 128GB All-In-One VR Headset


—
$249.00

(List Price $299.99)

Ring Battery Doorbell Plus


—
$79.99

(List Price $149.99)

Amazon Fire HD 10 (2023)


—
$69.99

(List Price $139.99)

Deals are selected by our commerce team

You Can Get the Pixel 9a for 30% Off Before Prime Day Ends Tonight

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We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

Amazon Big Deal Days end tonight, Oct. 8, and until then, Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over.

As expensive as smartphones are these days, we’re kind of used to it. It’s just a fact of life that the newest iPhone is going to cost upwards of $1,000, or a foldable smartphone could actually retail for $2,000.

The thing is, you don’t actually need to spend a grand or two to grab a great phone. There are options out there for both midrange and budget phones that balance features, performance, and price, to offer a better overall value. You might not be getting the flashiest phone on the market, but you’re getting one that does exactly what you need it to, all without emptying your wallet in the process.

The Pixel 9a is a prime example here. Google’s “budget” Pixel is a fantastic smartphone in its own right: It comes with a 6.3-inch 1080p OLED display, with a variable refresh rate up to 120Hz. Google says the phone’s 5100 mAh battery is rated for 30 hours or more in between charges, or up to 100 hours when using “Extreme Battery Saver.” It packs in Google’s Tensor G4 chip, the same chip found in the more expensive Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro. It also comes with two rear cameras—one 48MP mainh camera and one 13MP ultrawide camera—as well as a 13MP selfie camera.

All of those features come in a phone that retails for $499. Not bad. But when you consider Amazon’s Prime Day deal, which slashes 30% off the MSRP, you can pick up a very capable smartphone for $349. Even better. If you can justify the added expense, however, I’d consider upgrading to the 256GB model. That’ll double your internal storage, taking some pressure off your file management, and while it does cost an extra $100, that’s still a 25% discount over this model’s $599 MSRP.

Don’t feel that just because the Pixel 10 is now out—and also on sale for Prime Day—that you need to buy it over the Pixel 9a. Our editor, Michelle Ehrhardt, still feels that the Pixel 9a is the better deal compared to Google’s latest and greatest smartphones. In fact, she calls it “the best Google phone for most people.”

Looking for something else? Retailers like Walmart and Best Buy have Prime Day competition sales that are especially useful if you don’t have Amazon Prime.

Our Best Editor-Vetted Prime Day Deals Right Now


Meta Quest 3S 128GB All-In-One VR Headset


—
$249.00

(List Price $299.99)

Ring Battery Doorbell Plus


—
$79.99

(List Price $149.99)

Amazon Fire HD 10 (2023)


—
$69.99

(List Price $139.99)

Deals are selected by our commerce team

Polymarket Founder Is Youngest Self-Made Billionaire After Deal With NYSE Owner

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Shayne Coplan, a 27-year-old NYU dropout who founded Polymarket from his bathroom in 2020, has become the youngest self-made billionaire after Intercontinental Exchange (owner of the NYSE) invested up to $2 billion in his once-controversial prediction market platform. Bloomberg reports: A couple of years after dropping out of New York University with dreams of making it big in crypto, Shayne Coplan was so broke that he took an inventory of his Lower East Side apartment so that he could sell belongings to make rent. Fed up with crypto grifts, in 2019 he started to explore economist Robin Hanson’s ideas on prediction markets and their potential for improving society’s ability to identify likely outcomes. “This is too good of an idea to just exist in whitepapers,” he recalled thinking in a later post on X. Then Covid struck — the perfect time to develop an app for stuck-at-home folks to bet on real-world outcomes, he reasoned. He began building Polymarket from his bathroom and launched the platform in June 2020.

It wasn’t a smooth road. The company’s move-fast, ask-permission-later approach repeatedly ran afoul of regulators, who forced it to ban US-based users for years because it wasn’t a registered exchange. A week after the 2024 presidential election — one that Polymarket users wagered more than $3 billion on — Coplan’s apartment was raided by FBI agents. But he and his company are now riding high after Intercontinental Exchange Inc., the owner of the New York Stock Exchange, said it would invest as much as $2 billion in Polymarket at an $8 billion pre-money valuation. That deal makes its 27-year-old founder the youngest self-made billionaire tracked by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.


Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The Best Workout Accessories Under $50 to Buy Before Prime Day Ends Tonight

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We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

Amazon Big Deal Days end tonight, Oct. 8, and until then, Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over.

Every day, I venture to the gym with a pink bag containing pink cable attachments or pink yoga blocks, then return home to make a smoothie in a pink blender. Is it possible to work out without being all matchy-matchy? Absolutely! Does the thrill of having an arsenal of helpful, color-coordinated tools motivate me to get up and head to the gym? Even more absolutely.

During these October Prime Days, I added to my collection and saved some money in the process. Here’s what I picked up.

(The brilliant Beth Skwarecki has already outlined all the best deals on fitness equipment you can find during this shopping holiday, so if you’re looking for heavy hitters to round out your home gym, head over there. What I have to offer is smaller, but I am pleased.)

This blender bottle

First up, I finally got a new blender bottle for the shakes I make full of various powders. Last week, my old blender broke and I hate the blender bottles with the metal ball you shake around to mix up your drinks, which led me here:

Originally $26, this Fans-One electric blender bottle is now $20.79. The reviews are positive, and I can’t wait to receive it.

Adjustable dumbbells

Next up, I got some Equipro adjustable dumbbells. All I have are eight-pound ones and, even though you’re supposed to use two- or three-pound weights when you are cycling or doing Pilates, I always just let it rip with the bigger ones and suffer later. Instead of $43, these are $33 right now and you can remove or add plates to take them from two to five pounds each.

Cable attachments

I am a big proponent of bringing your own stuff to the gym whenever possible: little things like floor mats and, crucially, cable attachments. I bring my own mats, attachments, yoga blocks, and resistance bands with me, to name a few. First, it’s nice not to have to wait for someone to finish up with something so you can use it. Second, it’s nice to use things no one else may have just sweated all over and not wiped off. Third, I’ve been to some gyms that don’t even have a variety of cable attachments or other resources and others that make you trade something of yours, like your ID card, to get access to them because people steal them. Avoid all that drama and wasted time by spending a few dollars on your own.

I can’t recommend this Vulken tricep rope enough. The regular rope attachment at the gym hurts my hands and I can’t stand it. This thing is cushy, it has tiered grips so it’s adaptable, and it’s on sale for $14.39.

Something I almost got but didn’t (yet) is this set of Renranring Gym Exercise Handles for the cable machine, which are down to $10.39. If you’re looking to start your own attachment collection, though, these are among the least expensive and most useful things you can get.

You could also get this Turakan cable machine attachments set that includes a lat pulldown bar, double-d handle, tricep rope, and much more. Usually $53, it’s now $42.38.

Looking for something else? Retailers like Walmart and Best Buy have Prime Day competition sales that are especially useful if you don’t have Amazon Prime.

Our Best Editor-Vetted Prime Day Deals Right Now


Meta Quest 3S 128GB All-In-One VR Headset


—
$249.00

(List Price $299.99)

Ring Battery Doorbell Plus


—
$79.99

(List Price $149.99)

Amazon Fire HD 10 (2023)


—
$69.99

(List Price $139.99)

Deals are selected by our commerce team

Verizon Buys ISP Starry To Expand Wireless Broadband

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Verizon is acquiring Starry, the struggling wireless ISP that beams high-speed internet via millimeter-wave antennas. The company said the acquisition “advances” its ability to offer high-speed internet in apartments, condominiums, and other multi-dwelling units. The Verge reports: Starry made its debut in Boston in 2016, offering gigabit speeds via its unconventional approach to internet connectivity. Instead of carrying connectivity across a web of wires — which are expensive and time-consuming to deploy — Starry beams its internet service from a larger antenna into homes via high-speed, short-range mmWave broadcasts. The challenge with those broadcasts is that Starry connections generally require an uninterrupted line of sight between the transmitter and the receiver, as mmWave signals can be easily blocked.

In recent years, Starry has run into trouble, with the company laying off half of its workers in 2022 and filing for bankruptcy in 2023. It also pulled out of one of its markets, Columbus, Ohio, leaving Starry with nearly 100,000 customers across Boston, Denver, Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington, DC. It sounds like Starry’s tech will end up getting used by Verizon. Through the acquisition, Verizon plans on expanding its ability to deliver internet connectivity in urban locations, building on its 5G home internet and growing fiber footprint. Verizon expects the deal to close in 2026, subject to regulatory approval. “Verizon is uniquely positioned to accelerate this expansion because of its significant fiber backbone and extensive holdings of mmWave spectrum,” the company said in its press release.


Read more of this story at Slashdot.

One NASA science mission saved from Trump’s cuts, but others still in limbo

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NASA has thrown a lifeline to scientists working on a mission to visit an asteroid that will make an unusually close flyby of the Earth in 2029, reversing the Trump administration’s previous plan to shut it down.

This mission, named OSIRIS-APEX, was one of 19 operating NASA science missions the White House proposed canceling in a budget blueprint released earlier this year.

“We were called for cancellation as part to the president’s budget request, and we were reinstated and given a plan to move ahead in FY26 (Fiscal Year 2026) just two weeks ago,” said Dani DellaGiustina, principal investigator for OSIRIS-APEX at the University of Arizona. “Our spacecraft appears happy and healthy.”

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Teens Arrested In London Preschool Ransomware Attack

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An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Register: London cops on Tuesday arrested two teenagers on suspicion of computer misuse and blackmail following a ransomware attack on a chain of London preschools. London’s Metropolitan Police said the two men, both aged 17, were taken into custody during an operation at residential properties in Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire. The arrests followed a September 25 referral from the UK’s Action Fraud reporting center detailing a ransomware attack on the preschools. While the Met police didn’t name the schools, the timing of the referral coincides with a digital break-in at Kido International, a preschool and daycare organization that operates in the UK, US, and India.

In a very aggressive — and disgusting — attempt to extort a ransom payment from Kido, the criminals published profiles of 10 children, including photos, names, and home addresses, along with their parents’ contact details and in some cases places of work, threatening to expose more if the ransom demand wasn’t met. A new crime crew calling itself the Radiant Group claimed responsibility for the attack, and posted the preschool’s name, along with its pupils’ profiles, as the first leak on its dark web site. The ransomware gang later deleted the kids’ and parents’ data, apparently under pressure from other criminals — but not before some of the parents reported receiving threatening calls.


Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Crumpled McDonald’s Bag Realistically 3D Printed

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This is a short video of artist prusaguy using a Prusa XL printer to print a McDonald’s food bag model created by Surfalex2000. From a distance I would swear that was paper. Up close though I’d mutter “Oh, nope, that’s plastic” before taking a peek inside to see if there were any fries left.

Discord now says 70,000 government IDs may have leaked in provider hack

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Over the weekend, Discord revealed that its users may have had their data compromised when a third-party service provider was hacked. At the time, the platform said that a “small number” of government IDs may have been illicitly accessed. Today, however, claims circulated that the attackers had obtained more than 2 million photos that had been used for age-verification purposes. In response, the company said that about 70,000 users “may have had government-ID photos exposed.” Other user data that could have been compromised includes the users’ “name, Discord username, email and other contact details if provided to Discord customer support,” as well as a limited amount of billing information. 

Engadget reached out to Discord for comment, but did not receive a response. However, Discord spokesperson Nu Wexler shared a statement about the issue with The Verge and said that some of the figures being shared were “inaccurate” and came from the attackers.

“The numbers being shared are incorrect and part of an attempt to extort a payment from Discord,” Wexler said. “We will not reward those responsible for their illegal actions. All affected users globally have been contacted and we continue to work closely with law enforcement, data protection authorities, and external security experts. We’ve secured the affected systems and ended work with the compromised vendor.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/discord-now-says-70000-government-ids-may-have-leaked-in-provider-hack-225753321.html?src=rss

Stoke Space gives us another reason to take it very seriously

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Stoke Space announced a significant capital raise on Wednesday, a total of $510 million as part of Series D funding. The new financing doubles the total capital raised by Stoke Space, founded in 2020, to $990 million.

The infusion of money will provide the company with “the runway to complete development” of the Nova rocket and demonstrate its capability through its first flights, said Andy Lapsa, the company’s co-founder and chief executive, in a news release characterizing the new funding.

Stoke is working toward a 2026 launch of the medium-lift Nova rocket. The rocket’s innovative design is intended to be fully reusable from the payload fairing on down, with a regeneratively cooled heat shield on the vehicle’s second stage. In fully reusable mode, Nova will have a payload capacity of 3 metric tons to low-Earth orbit, and up to 7 tons in fully expendable mode.

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PC Sales Explode In Q3 As Windows 11 Deadlines Force Millions To Upgrade

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BrianFagioli shares a report from NERDS.xyz: IDC says global PC shipments jumped 9.4 percent in Q3 2025, reaching nearly 76 million units. Asia and Japan led the growth thanks to school projects and corporate refreshes tied to Windows 10’s end of support. North America was the weak link, with tariffs and economic unease keeping buyers on the sidelines even as aging fleets strain under Windows 11 pressure.
Lenovo kept its top spot with 25.5 percent market share, followed by HP at 19.8 and Dell at 13.3. Apple and ASUS both posted double-digit growth. IDC’s takeaway is clear: the PC market is not surging on flashy new features, it is being pulled forward by deadlines, old batteries, and the reality that five-year-old laptops do not cut it anymore.


Read more of this story at Slashdot.

New York City is suing Meta, Snap, TikTok and YouTube over ‘youth mental health crisis’

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New York City, its school district and healthcare system have filed a lawsuit against Meta, Snap TikTok and YouTube for allegedly contributing to a “youth mental health crisis” with intentionally addictive platforms. The lawsuit is the latest in a long string of legal actions against social media platforms over their handling of safety and other issues facing teens. 

The city of New York was joined in the lawsuit by the city’s school district and NYC Health + Hospitals, the city’s largest public hospital system. The lawsuit alleges that the social media companies have intentionally designed their platforms to be addictive to children and that they have failed to implement effective safeguards. 

The companies, the suit claims “have created, caused and contributed to the youth mental health crisis in New York City, causing damage to the public’s health and safety, interfering with the use of public places, including schools, and endangering or injuring the health, safety, comfort or welfare of a considerable number of persons, including youth.” It says the city, school district and hospitals have been forced “to devote significant resources—in terms of funding, employees, and time” to address the “youth mental health crisis” caused by the companies.

The lawsuit also specifically calls out the rise of viral posts about “subway surfing” in New York, noting that several teenagers have died attempting the stunt and more than 100 have been arrested. “Significantly, NYPD investigations have determined that the primary motivation of subway surfers is to imitate the subway surfing videos they see on social media, and to collect social media ‘likes,'” the lawsuit says. It also claims that teachers and other school staff “experience secondary trauma and burnout associated with responding to students in crisis” due to social media.

Meta, Snap and TikTok didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit. In a statement, Google spokesperson José Castañeda said that “the allegations are simply not true” and “fundamentally misunderstand” YouTube. “YouTube is a streaming service where people come to watch everything from live sports, to podcasts to their favorite creators, primarily on TV screens, not a social network where people go to catch up with friends,” he said. “We’ve also developed dedicated tools like Supervised Experiences for young people, guided by child safety experts, that give families control.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/new-york-city-is-suing-meta-snap-tiktok-and-youtube-over-youth-mental-health-crisis-223916712.html?src=rss

Man gets drunk, wakes up with a medical mystery that nearly kills him

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A 36-year-old man showed up to the emergency department of the Massachusetts General Hospital, severely unwell from a puzzling set of conditions. He had abnormalities in his lungs, intestines, blood, liver, and lymphatic system—and, of course, no single clear explanation. His case was such a riddle that a master clinician with an expertise in clinical reasoning was called in to help unravel it.

In a case report published today in the New England Journal of Medicine, the expert and the man’s other doctors lay out the masterful medical deduction that explained his remarkable case—which had an entirely unremarkable cause.

It all started about two weeks before his hospital visit. A mild, dull pain had developed in the patient’s right lower abdomen and back. Nine days later, a fever and body aches also developed. The next day, he went to urgent care, where clinicians gave him intravenous fluids and an intravenous pain reliever. His abdominal pain went away, and he was discharged. But the pain returned over the next few days, and with it came nausea and vomiting. He then started coughing and having trouble breathing.

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