The Latest Mac Mini Is $500 Right Now

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 is coming October 7-8, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over.


Apple’s Mac Mini lineup, a desktop computer that fits in the palm of your hand, has offered excellent value for the money ever since the company introduced its own M-series chipsets. The latest M4 Mac mini is quite powerful, takes up very little space on your desk, and it has (probably) enough ports for you to get work done: a headphone jack, two USB-C ports, three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI, and an Ethernet port. During October Prime Day, you can get the M4 Mac mini for as low as $499, which is $100 off its list price. While you do have to purchase a monitor, keyboard, and mouse separately, it’s still a good deal overall.

I think the Mac Mini at $499 is a sweet deal, even if it’s not the lowest ever price. It went down to $470 a few months ago, but the current offer is the second lowest price I’ve seen since the M4 Mac Mini launched a year ago. The base model has 16GB RAM, but its 256GB storage is measly. If you store lots of photos, videos, and want to install large apps on the Mac, you’re going to run out of 256GB pretty soon. 

The good news is that you can easily connect external storage to expand the Mac mini’s capacity, but it does come with a caveat. It’s just not as convenient as having more internal storage. Apple’s upgrade pricing for RAM and storage on Macs is a complete rip-off, so going for higher variants of the Mac Mini will lead to a significantly higher cost. Even during October Prime Day, the Mac mini models with more RAM and storage don’t really have good discounts. At the time of writing, the same computer with 512GB storage costs $760, which is really hard to justify. Another annoyance with the Mac Mini is the awkwardly placed power button, which is at the base of the device for some unknown reason.

If you’re the kind of person who wants a fuss-free desktop to do basic tasks and you’re sure you can live with the relatively low internal storage, $499 is a great price for the M4 Mac mini’s base model. Having said that, be aware that new Macs are just around the corner and if the Mac Mini gets refreshed this month, you may be able to score an even bigger discount on the outgoing model.


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

Apple Turned the CrowdStrike BSOD Issue Into an Anti-PC Ad

An anonymous reader shares a report: It’s been a while since Apple last mocked Windows security, but the iPhone maker has just released an ad that hits Windows hard. The eight-minute commercial pokes fun at the CrowdStrike Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) issue that took down millions of Windows machines last year.

Apple’s ad follows The Underdogs, a fictional company that’s about to attend a trade show, before a PC outage causes chaos and a Blue Screen of Death shuts down machines at the convention. If it wasn’t clear Apple was mocking the infamous CrowdStrike incident, an IT expert appears in the middle of the ad and starts discussing kernel-level functionality, the core part of an operating system that has unrestricted access to system memory and hardware.


Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Meta makes Facebook Reels more like their Instagram counterparts

Meta is rolling out some serious changes to Facebook Reels to make the experience more like Instagram Reels. First of all, the Reels will now be accompanied by friend bubbles. This shows users which posts their friends like and makes it “easy to start a chat instantly about what you’re both interested in.” Instagram does something similar and also lets users send Reels as direct messages.

The tool in action.
Meta

The recommendations engine is also getting a refresh, with Meta claiming that it “learns your interests quicker and shows you newer and more relevant Reels.” The company says that the new engine recommends 50 percent more reels that have been published that day.

The new algorithm will also take preferred video length into account, as it will recommend Reels that are longer if you’ve been watching longer content or the opposite. Reels are now accompanied by a “Not Interested” button for improved recommendations.

The search algorithm in action.
Meta

This is 2025, so you know Meta is also throwing some AI into the mix. Reels will now offer AI-powered suggestions for deep dives into particular interests. This is going to be a boon for my dad when he wants to watch hundreds of short Sopranos clips in a single sitting.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-makes-facebook-reels-more-like-their-instagram-counterparts-180822646.html?src=rss

My Favorite GoPro Action Camera Is Down to Its Lowest Price Ever for Prime Day

Amazon Big Deal Days is October 7-8, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over.

  • Follow our live blog to stay up to date on the best sales we find.

  • Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox.

  • New to Prime Day? We have a primer on everything you need to know. Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.


It’s October Prime Day again, and the deals are flowing—so the Lifehacker team is scouting for the best discounts on Amazon. I’ve come across a substantial discount on a gadget that I actually own myself, and that I’m actually very happy with: The GoPro Hero 13 Black, the flagship action camera that launched last year.

This deal is actually for the Ultra Wide Lens Edition, which is reduced to its lowest ever price. It’s now $329.99 rather than $479.99, which is a drop of almost a third. This camera is now actually cheaper than the regular GoPro Hero 13 Black, but you get the Ultra Wide lens mod included, so act fast before Amazon notices.

I don’t use the camera as much as I should, but when I finally get myself sorted enough to undertake some fun film projects, I’m always hugely impressed by the 5.3K resolution video (up to 30 frames per second) or 4K resolution (up to 60 frames per second), plus of course the excellent video stabilization that GoPro is known for.

The Ultra Wide lens attachment gives you even more versatility and flexibility when it comes to capturing the perfect video clips and still images, and something else I love about this GoPro camera is that you can mount it just about anywhere on just about anything—for truly impressive results.


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

My Favorite Foldable Treadmill Is $350 Off for Prime Day

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 is on October 7-8, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools.


Unless you plan on opening your own professional gym, there’s no reason you need to spend thousands of dollars on a treadmill. And you’re in luck: Right now, the NordicTrack T Series 10 is 27% off, down to $949.04, on Amazon for Prime Day.

My colleague Beth Skwarecki also recommends the 6.5S as a top option, and points out how other models in the T series line have great deals right now. If you’re looking for a smaller or more affordable option, the Series 5 is 25% off—down to just $449. All of the NordicTrack T Series are marked down for Prime Day, but with its 10” Tilting HD Touchscreen, the T10 is the best value to take advantage of during today’s sale.

Plus, the coolest part of joining the NordicTrack ecosystem is the access to over 10,000 workouts through iFIT. For $39/month (or $396/year), you can follow expert trainers through runs, hikes, strength training, yoga sessions, and more. I love how the system automatically adjusts your treadmill’s speed and incline to match the workout, so you can totally focus on the workout at hand. And for those of us who like to track their progress across multiple platforms, iFIT syncs with your Strava, Garmin, and Apple Health.


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

Steam is back online after outage

Steam went down on Tuesday. Steamstat.us indicated earlier that the Steam Store, Steam Community and Web API were all down. But it’s been all systems go for the better part of the past hour.

Engadget staffers’ experience matches that. Earlier, when trying to access the Steam Store on Steam Deck and in the mobile app, only the UI loaded as an empty wrapper. Now everything appears to be loading normally.

At the peak of the outage, Steamstat.us showed over 1.5 million page views in the previous hour. That typically means lots of annoyed gamers are trying to find out why they’re having problems. PC Gamer reports that APIs for Valve’s first-party games (including Counter-Strike 2 and Deadlock) were also offline earlier.

We’ll keep an eye on the situation and update if the problems return.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/steam-is-back-online-after-outage-170514965.html?src=rss

Natural disasters are a rising burden for the National Guard

This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy, and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here.

The National Guard logged more than 400,000 member service days per year over the past decade responding to hurricanes, wildfires, and other natural disasters, the Pentagon has revealed in a report to Congress.

The numbers mean that on any given day, 1,100 National Guard troops on average have been deployed on disaster response in the United States.

Read full article

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This Ring Spotlight Camera Four-Pack Is 35% Off for Prime Day

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 is coming October 7-8, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over.


If you’re looking for total coverage of your property, the Ring Spotlight Cam Plus 4-Pack bundle is currently 35% off—its lowest price ever.  This battery-powered model might’ve come before the Ring Spotlight Cam Pro, but it’s still a solid surveillance pick to keep your property visible and secure. 

With four cameras and motion-activated LED spotlights, this rechargeable version (Powered by a Quick Release Battery Pack) offers more flexibility and convenience than wired outdoor cameras. However, compared to the wired version, the battery-powered version isn’t as tamper-proof, as it keeps functioning even when unplugged. 

According to PCMag, it lacks HDR video, dual-band wifi, and the aerial view of the more advanced Spotlight Cam Pro, but the 1080p HD video footage is crisp, and the built-in spotlights further improve the color night vision. A 110 dB siren also deters intruders. The Ring app allows you to speak to visitors through two-way audio and access alerts and live view; however, you’ll need a Ring subscription to unlock all the features. While there are customizable motion zones, there’s no AI human motion detection, so you’ll have to manage alerts for the potential of false notifications.

Ultimately, the Ring Spotlight Cam Plus 4-Pack bundle is a reliable, wireless outdoor security camera that’s ideal for those in the Ring/Alexa ecosystem and packed with smart features. If you’re okay with monitoring battery life and alerts, it can’t replace a more high-end wired camera with advanced AI and local recording. If you want more bells and whistles, you may prefer the Spotlight Cam Pro, but at just $90 per camera, it’s still a well-rounded option that offers strong value.


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 Prime Day Deals on Headphones

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 is coming October 7-8, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over.


Over the years, I’ve subjected my ears to more headphones and earbuds than I care to admit, and they’re not all winners. But these are. In my opinion, here are the best deals on headphones right now.

The best Prime Day deals on headphones

The Sony WH-1000XM4 is a pretty old headset at this point, but it’s no less capable. It has some of the best noise canceling around, in a slick, minimalist design. Right now it’s down to $188, which is a downright steal compared to the newer XM6, which—even at $20 off—is still north of $400.

Over in the Apple ecosystem, the Beats Studio Pro are down to $170 from their normal $350. These also have excellent noise cancellation, and include a built-in digital-to-analog converter (or DAC) over USB-C for when you want better audio quality than Bluetooth can provide.

There are also solid deals on the Soundcore Anker Life Q20 for $35, the Beats Solo 4 headphones for $130, and the Sennheiser Momentum 4 noise-cancelling headphones for $230.

The best Prime Day deals on gaming headsets

If you’re looking for something a bit more gaming-focused, the HyperX Cloud Mix 2 ($140) is one of my favorites. It can get a whopping 110 hours of battery life in Bluetooth mode, has solid ANC in 2.4GHz mode, and comes with a handy slot inside the left ear cup to hold the low-profile USB-C adapter.

I still can’t get over how the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless—now down to $143—get well over 300 hours of battery life on a single charge. I thought this claim was absurd until I tested it and it actually beat the estimate by multiple days. After a few years of using these, I can say the faux leather on the headband is coming apart a bit, but for battery life this headset just can’t be beat.

There are also some great deals on SteelSeries’ excellent DAC-powered Arctis Nova Pro for $264, the more budget-friendly Nova 7P for $120, and the stylish Razer Blackshark V2 Pro headphones for $130.

The best Prime Day earbud deals

Almost every day, I use the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds, but don’t let the name fool you. They’re not just for gaming. In fact, I can’t recall the last time I used them for gaming, but if you want to, you can use them with any console. The Xbox version is $128, but even that’s a misnomer. The Xbox version’s USB-C dongle has a switch to enable Xbox compatibility, but in PC mode, it works with the PlayStation just fine. So save yourself some cash and get support for every platform.

For Apple users, both the AirPods Pro 2 ($170), and the AirPods 4 ($119) are on sale right now. The former has somewhat better active noise cancellation and longer battery life, but the latter is no slouch in either department. Both get up to 30 hours with the use of the charging case, though the Pro 2 can do that with ANC on, while you might need to keep a close eye on ANC usage with the Airpods 4 to get comparable battery life.

For the more budget-inclined, the Soundcore by Anker P20i earbuds are down to$18, and on the other end of the spectrum, the Beats Studio Buds+ are down to $150.

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 Smartphones on Sale Right Now for Prime Day

Amazon Big Deal Days is October 7-8, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over.

The October Amazon Prime Day is a great time to consider swapping your current phone for a shiny new model. I’m seeing discounts across a lot of the big names in smartphones—and having spent over a decade reviewing handsets, these are my current picks.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7

Samsung’s latest and greatest flip foldable only came out in July, but that hasn’t stopped Amazon from discounting the 256GB model by 23%—it’s now $849.99 rather than $1,099.99, in a choice of three colors. Go up to 512GB and you’ll pay more ($919.99) but the discount is greater (25%).

As per price trackers, it’s the lowest this phone has ever been, and you can’t get a flip foldable from the likes of Google or Apple. The handset boasts a 6.9-inch main display and a 4.1-inch cover screen and a dual-lens rear camera, and is powered by the Samsung Exynos 2500 processor.

Google Pixel 10

Speaking of recently launched Android handsets now being sold for their lowest price yet, here’s the Google Pixel 10. The 128GB version is down to $649 from $799. The 256GB model is now $749 rather than $899, a drop of 17%, so make your choice based on your budget and storage needs.

Google has brought a lot to the table with the new Pixel 10. There’s an upgraded triple-lens rear camera system which includes 5x telephoto capabilities, a brighter screen (though the 6.3-inch size stays the same from the Pixel 9), and a larger capacity battery. There’s also a stack of Gemini AI on board as well.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

If you prefer the Samsung flavor of Android, then the 512GB version of the Galaxy S25 Ultra is down a substantial 27% from its original price. This flagship will now cost you $1,029.98 rather than $1,419.99, as long as you pick the Whitesilver or Silverblue colors, and it’s the lowest price we’ve seen to date.

As our Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review will tell you, this is a seriously powerful smartphone, leading the way for Samsung’s flagships this year. You get a quad-lens rear camera, a super-fast Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset from Qualcomm, and of course the integrated S Pen stylus for even more functionality.

Google Pixel 9a

Maybe you don’t need the power bump of the Pixel 10, or don’t have a budget big enough for it—in which case the Google Pixel 9a might fit you perfectly instead. This perfectly capable mid-ranger is now down to $349 from $499 for the 128GB version.

The Pixel 9a is powered by the same Google Tensor G4 as the flagship Pixel 9 is, so it’s no slouch, and you also get 8GB of RAM, a dual-lens rear camera, and all the latest Gemini AI bells and whistles. If you prefer the 256GB model of the Pixel 9a, it’s now $449 instead of $599, which is a drop of 25%.

OnePlus 13

We’re expecting the OnePlus 15 in the not-too-distant future, but that doesn’t mean you should discount this hefty discount on the OnePlus 13. Despite the numbering, it only launched last year, and remains one of the most polished and powerful Android handsets around, powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite on the inside.

You can currently get the 512GB OnePlus 13 for $150 less than normal, which is a significant savings: It’s $849.99 as part of the Prime Day sale, rather than $999.99. If you don’t need as much storage, the 256GB version is down to $749.99 from $899.99, a reduction of 17%.

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

Denmark Aims To Ban Social Media For Children Under 15, PM Says

The Danish government wants to introduce a ban on several social media platforms for children under the age of 15, as Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced Tuesday. From a report: “Mobile phones and social media are stealing our children’s childhood,” she said in her opening speech to the Danish parliament, the Folketing. “We have unleashed a monster,” Frederiksen said, noting that almost all Danish seventh graders, where pupils are typically 13 or 14 years old, own a cellphone.

“I hope that you here in the chamber will help tighten the law so that we take better care of our children here in Denmark,” she added. However, Frederiksen did not give further details on what such a ban would entail, nor does a bill on an age limit appear in the government’s legislative program for the upcoming parliamentary year.


Read more of this story at Slashdot.

This Multitool Pen Is the Perfect Gift for Any DIYer, and It’s on Sale for Prime Day

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 is coming October 7-8, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over.


One of my minor superpowers is noticing when things are just a little … off. Loose screws, crooked pictures, missing bolts—they jump out at me, and once I notice them, I can’t walk away. I have to fix them immediately, if not sooner. My wife used to think it was weird, but since buying a house she’s come around, and now regards it as a blessing. She doesn’t have to worry about stuff breaking around here, because she knows it’ll get fixed before she can even mention it.

You probably know someone like that, too (or you’re one yourself). And buying gifts for folks like us can be a challenge, because we already have all the tools. It’s a compulsion, really: Every DIY repair is an opportunity to research and acquire new toys. But if you need a quick gift for a DIYer like that, don’t worry—Prime Day has a deal for you. This multitool pen from RAK is perfect for the handy people, contractors, and DIY enthusiasts in your life, and it’s 31% off for Prime Day.

Aside from being a pen, this tool is also:

  • A flashlight

  • A screwdriver

  • A level

  • A ruler

  • A bottle opener (you’d be surprised how often this comes in handy)

What I like about it is that I can throw it in my bag and it works just as a pen, so I use it every day regardless—but when something needs a quick adjustment, or if I’ve forgotten to bring a specific tool with me when I’m doing a project, I can use this instead of trekking back to retrieve what I forgot. It’s a perfect gift for anyone who likes to tinker or do work around the house—and at 31% off for Prime Day, you can get one for yourself, too.


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

Dead celebrities are apparently fair game for Sora 2 video manipulation

When OpenAI launched the Sora 2 video generator last week, the company wrote that it was taking measures to “block depictions of public figures” by default. But creators and viewers of Sora 2 videos are finding that prohibition has a rather large loophole, allowing for videos of public figures that happen to be dead.

Examples of celebrities being posthumously inserted into Sora 2 video creations are not hard to find all over social media these days. Tupac Shakur chatting with Malcolm X. Bruce Lee running a “dragon energy” DJ set. Michael Jackson doing kitchen-based standup comedy. Stephen Hawking’s wheelchair wiping out on a giant skateboard ramp. Mister Rogers doing a cameo on Jackass. Kurt Kobain stealing KFC chicken fingers. Martin Luther King Jr. stuttering through a major speech. The list goes on and on.

OpenAI places a moving Sora watermark over each generated video, which limits the risk of viewers being fooled by fake footage of real people. Still, seeing these deceased celebrities used as props by an AI tool can obviously be upsetting to their living relatives and fans.

Read full article

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