Didn’t we already have Prime Day? Yes, but that was Amazon’s Prime Day in July – this one is in October. While it doesn’t usually offer the same range of deals (or steep discounts) as the OG day, if you’ve been eyeing AirPods, Kindle tablets or randomly a lot of Lego this year, you might be in luck.
Some highlights include the AirPods Max (both Lightning and the recently launched USB-C version) for $154 off, the recently launched Ring pan-and-tilt security camera for $50 off and Anker’s travel-friendly MagGo 3-in-1 charging station that can charge an Apple Watch, AirPods and smartphone simultaneously for $88. Sony’s best headphones, which are always included in Prime Day, are also on sale: the WH-1000XM5 are on sale for $298, that’s a $101 discount.
However, if you’re buying a phone, there’s no discount on any iPhone. Boo. However, the Pixel 8a is $100 cheaper ($399) and the OnePlus 12 is down to $650. We’ve rounded up the best deals in one place, right here.
If you’re using Meta’s Threads, you’ve probably encountered some engagement bait in your For You feed — if it’s not clogging it up completely. Now, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri says the company is “working to get it under control” after another surge in posts.
Since the app defaults to the algorithmic For You feed, these engagement bait-style posts that attract lots of replies often go viral on the app, even if it’s the kind of content many people don’t want to see. And are low quality. And stupid. And repetitive.
Addressing this issue can be tricky because engagement bait takes many forms. This can be rage-bait, AskReddit-style questions, Facebook copy-paste, and more. Mosseri and Meta did not explain why it proved so easy to game the threads’ algorithm to go viral, but it seems the social network prioritizes replies.
Epic Games antitrust ruling orders Google to open Play Store
US District Judge James Donato issued a permanent injunction forcing Google to open its storefront to competitors for three years and make Android apps available in alternative stores.
The ruling stems from Google’s four-year antitrust battle with Epic Games. The injunction will also lead to changes in billing. Google cannot force developers to use its own billing system, nor can it prevent developers from informing users about less expensive payment options. Google said it would appeal the injunction.