IT General

We live in an era where the lines between our physical and digital lives are increasingly blurred. Smartphones are indispensable companions, seamlessly integrating into nearly every facet of our daily existence. However, that comes with a significant trade-off in the form of location tracking. Many of us operate under the assumption that we control our digital footprint, especially when it comes to our whereabouts, but that’s not very accurate.

SAVE $200: As of October 19, Amazon has a 2025 Sky Blue MacBook Air with an M4 chip on sale for $999 down from its list price of $1199.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple 2025 MacBook Air 13-inch Laptop with M4 chip $999
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If you’ve been on the fence about investing in a new laptop or computer, this Amazon sale on a 2025 Sky Blue MacBook with an M4 chip might just be the deal you’ve been waiting for. This model on sale right now has a 13-inch Liquid Retina Display, 16GB of Unified Memory, and 512 GB of SSD storage. This deal is particularly nice because it is situated in the categories of excellent price and some of the most modern accouterments Apple has to offer.

The M4 chip in this particular computer is essentially the brain of the computer. Apple’s cutting-edge system on a chip (SoC) is what powers the ultra-rich and crisp Liquid Retina Display. It’s also the reason this MacBook and MacBook Pro can be so slim and lightweight and work hard without getting so hot they could cook an egg. This 2025 Sky Blue MacBook with an M4 chip is also built to handle and work with Apple Intelligence.

This model also offers a 12MP Center Stage camera and touch ID for better ease of use and higher quality images on your Zoom calls. Spring for this particular deal could definitely level up your productivity this fall.

Thanks to the built-in Recorder app, my Google Pixel 9 Pro XL takes better notes than I could ever do in my meetings. It gives me full transcripts for all my meetings, and all it requires is just a tap of a button. Here’s how you can do that, too.

Toyota’s built more underrated cars than just about anyone—which makes sense when you’re the world’s biggest automaker. Between the everyday Toyotas and the posh Lexuses, they’ve cranked out everything from bulletproof commuters to sneaky-quick performance machines.

SAVE $350: As of Sunday, Oct. 19, the Shark AV2501AE is 54% off, coming in at $300, down from the list price of $649.99 on Amazon.

Opens in a new window Credit: Shark Shark AV2501AE Robot Vacuum $300 at Amazon
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There are a lot of robot vacuums on the market. It can be hard to know what is right for your home and sanitary needs. This particular model from Shark (the Shark AV2501AE AI Robot Vacuum) has a few key features that make it particularly suited for pet parents. Now, you can totally snag this Shark AV2501AE deal even without a furry friend taking up residence in your home.

This might be attractive to pet parents (especially if allergies are a concern) because it is a bag-free, hands-free, self-emptying base equipped with HEPA filtration. The HEPA filtration in this Shark AV2501AE is said to trap up to 99.7% of dust and dander particles down to the size of .3 microns.

This powerful robot vacuum is designed with intense suction for all surfaces of your home. It cleans with Shark’s proprietary Matrix Clean Navigation, which involves cleaning your floors in a precise grid pattern. The vacuum has up to 120 minutes of run time and can return to its dock and recharge on its own.

This model also has a self-cleaning brush roll suited to catching as much pet hair as possible. Save yourself the allergy-inducing explosion of dander and dirt that comes with constantly emptying your vacuum's dirt chamber straight into the trash. 

Are you looking for an alternative to Docker that’s fully open source and doesn’t have any vendor-lock in? Well, there are four tools that you can use which are completely free of Docker’s influence.

It’s not Saturday Night Live without Weekend Update, hosted as always by Colin Jost and Michael Che.

This week’s desk segment tackled a grab bag of headlines from the past few days, including the presidential pardon of former Republican representative George Santos, Politico’s report on a leaked racist Young Republicans group chat, and — of course — the latest bizarre comments and antics from President Trump.

"Trump told reporters, ‘I don’t think there’s anything that will get me into heaven,’" Jost joked. "Then he paused for ten full minutes waiting for someone to say, ‘That’s not true.’" He added, "Because Trump can’t go to heaven. He’s too busy here running hell."

The segment also gave a nod to Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, who led his team to a series-clinching NLCS win over the Milwaukee Brewers by hitting three home runs and pitching six scoreless innings with ten strikeouts.

"It’s a feat previously only accomplished by George Santos," Jost quipped.

As TV technology has improved over the years, Mini-LED TVs, once considered a premium product, have become much more affordable. You can buy some budget Mini-LED TVs from brands such as Hisense and TCL for under $500.

Saturday Night Live kicked off its latest episode with something rare these days — a non-political cold open. Sabrina Carpenter pulled double duty as both host and musical guest, and instead of skewering President Trump or one of his cabinet members, the show dusted off something else: the Domingo sketch.

The original bit aired a little over a year ago and centered on a chaotic bridesmaid speech that casually reveals the bride’s been cheating on her new husband with a man named Domingo. The confession unfolds through a performance set to Sabrina Carpenter’s "Espresso," with the whole joke being that Ariana Grande, that week's host, is singing really badly.

SNL struck gold with that sketch — but maybe a little too much. In the past year, it’s been revived three separate times, including this sketch.

This time, the setup moves from a wedding to an Olive Garden birthday dinner, where the "happy" husband (Andrew Dismukes) is blindsided by his wife (Chloe Fineman) and her friends (Carpenter, Sarah Sherman, Ashley Padilla, and Veronika Slowikowska) performing a medley to Taylor Swift’s "The Fate of Ophelia" and Lady Gaga's "Abracadabra."

Naturally, both songs turn out to be about — you guessed it — Domingo (Marcello Hernández).

You probably have used Spotify's "Add to Queue" feature countless times. While a bit clumsy, it gets the job done. But did you know that the app also supports a much faster queue feature, allowing you to add songs to the queue with just one swipe? Here's how it works and why you should start using it.

Pop star Sabrina Carpenter pulled double duty on Saturday Night Live this weekend, serving as both host and musical guest — and yes, she joined in on one of the show’s most chaotic recurring bits: the Shop TV sketch.

In this episode, hosts Rhett and Beth (played by Mikey Day and Ashley Padilla) are once again hawking bizarre products ahead of Halloween — including a questionable Jesus-themed trick-or-treat bucket. But that’s all background noise once they introduce young luxury designer Virginia Duffy, played by Carpenter, who’s on set to sell some stylish neck pillows.

The only problem? When snapped together and hung up, the pillow looks... suggestive, to say the least. That’s the entire gag, and the cast leans all the way in.

"It’s available in ten different colors," Carpenter’s character proudly declares.
"Why would you bring the pink one?" Day shoots back.

In just a few short months, George R.R. Martin fans will find themselves back in Westeros with HBO’s new, highly anticipated series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. The upcoming show marks the third installment set in the author’s beloved land of fire and ice, following the mainline Game of Thrones series and its successor, House of the Dragon. So, will this new series bring more magic, dragons, and drama? Let's find out!

Your computer stores the time in a hardware clock on its motherboard. The clock keeps track of time, even when the computer is off. By default, Windows assumes the time is stored in local time, while Linux assumes the time is stored in UTC time and applies an offset. This leads to one of your operating systems showing the wrong time in a dual boot situation.

In iOS 26, Apple finally introduced custom iMessage background wallpapers. Not only are these fun and almost infinitely customizable, they serve a practical purpose in helping you quickly identify who you’re currently chatting with.

Found-footage horror was all the rage in the 2010s, starting with the small film Paranormal Activity. The low-budget horror movie about a recorded spooky house became a franchise and spawned a series of similar horror films, ranging from the claustrophobic AsAbove So Below to the screenlife terror of Open Windows. While Paranormal Activity fizzled out, another found-footage horror franchise enthusiastically marches onward.

The bat program describes itself as “a cat clone with wings,” which is a fun analogy, but a slightly misleading one. bat is a tool with two main purposes: highlighting syntax and marking git diffs.

Google Messages is constantly adding new features that enrich its interactivity, safety, and spam protection capabilities. Through recent iOS updates, Apple's Messages app, too, has been leveling up with new features.

I came for the kitty ears and stayed for the Razer Kraken Kitty V3 Pro headset’s comfort, RGB lighting, and stellar sound quality. Between its sound, lighting, and plush comfort, I can confirm this is a gaming headset I’d happily use every gaming session.

If you want reliable tech that performs well without causing heartache when you check your bank account, Anker is your best friend. From travel-friendly chargers to massive projectors, Anker (and its brand family of Soundcore, Solix, and Eufy) consistently nails offering excellent products with thoughtful design that do not cost a sob-worthy amount.

Portable power stations have become the hot product recently, and that’s for good reason. Who doesn’t want to keep their phone charged while camping or the WiFi router on during a power outage? Anker has proven itself to be a leader in the portable power station world, and in testing, we found the Solix C1000 to strike the perfect balance between usability and affordability. Now, Anker has released the Solix C1000 Gen 2, which comes with a handful of noticeable tweaks. Which one is better? We put the new model to the test to decide which version wins our charged-up hearts (and gadgets).

Show-off features of the Anker Solix C1000 Gen 2

The Gen 2 version of the Anker Solix C1000 feels like the original went to a finishing school and came out with a new level of refinement. It’s a bit shinier, has a fancy LCD display, two of its USB-C ports can now handle 140W, and it charges quicker. Its charging capabilities have earned it a Guinness World Record for the fastest recharging portable power station in the 1,000Wh category, clocking in at a time of 49 minutes. 

Recharging the Solix C1000 Gen 2 can take under 50 minutes. Credit: Lauren Allain / Mashable

This whizzing-fast time comes with the asterisk that you’ll need to head into the accompanying Anker app and activate UltraFast recharging. Simply plugging it into AC wall power won’t be quite as quick. If you opt for recharging with solar panels, you can connect up to 600W to get a full recharge in about two hours.

The LCD display on the Solix C1000 Gen 2 is slick, and it’s incredibly user-friendly, especially for beginners. If you’re searching for a portable power station to take camping, the Solix C1000 Gen 2 weighs just under 25 pounds, and the two side handles make this model incredibly portable. I found it easier to carry compared to the original Solix C1000.

Coming in at just under 25 pounds, the Solix C1000 Gen 2 is pretty easy to carry around. Credit: Lauren Allain / Mashable

It’s powerful enough to keep your refrigerator cooling during a power outage and operate the espresso machine in the morning. Its quiet operation of under 20 decibels when powering at under 200W means it’s awesome for a CPAP machine or keeping the air purifier going in the nursery at night.

Anker also upped its game with the Solix C1000 Gen 2 in terms of uninterrupted power supply (UPS), which comes in at just 10 milliseconds. That’s handy if you’ll be powering your desktop workstation and can’t afford for it to power off during an outage. The same could be said for medical devices. 

The layout of the ports on the Gen 2 is also great, and there’s ample space around each AC outlet to plug in chunkier chargers like camera batteries or rechargeable batteries. 

The Solix C1000 Gen 2 provided morning espresso from a beastly De'Longhi machine with no issues. Credit: Lauren Allain / Mashable

The C1000 Gen 2 comes with 1,024Wh of capacity, and it cannot accept an expansion battery. That’s in contrast to the original C1000, which has 1,056Wh and can be connected to one additional battery, which doubles the capacity for a total of 2,112Wh. Here are some specs to study when deciding if the Gen 2 Solix C1000 is a good fit for your needs:

Specs

• Capacity: 1,024Wh

• Continuous output: 2,000W pure sine wave

• Peak output: 3,000W

• Weight: 24.9 pounds

• Dimensions: 15.1 in. L × 8.2 in. W × 9.6 in. H

• Power options: AC, USB-C (140W), USB-A

• Recharging options: Grid power, solar, car

• Battery type: LiFePO4 (lithium iron phosphate)

• Life cycles: 80 percent capacity after 4,000 cycles

How does the Solix C1000 Gen 2 compare to the original Solix C1000?

Any time a brand offers an updated version, it’s worth closely comparing the specs. The original shines in a few areas, while the updated Gen 2 has some fancy upgrades. Here’s a breakdown of key differences:

Solix C1000

• List price: $999

• Power capacity: 1,056Wh

• Peak output: 2,000W

• UPS: 20 ms

• Weight: 28.44 pounds

• Dimensions: 14.8 in. L × 8.1 in. W × 10.5 in. H

• Light bar: Yes

• Expandable: Yes

• AC recharging time: 58 minutes

• Port options: 6 AC, 2 USB-C (1 at 100W), 2 USB-A

Solix C1000 Gen 2

• List price: $799

• Power capacity: 1,024Wh

• Peak output: 3,000W

• UPS: 10 ms

• Weight: 24.9 pounds

• Dimensions: 15.1 in. L × 8.2 in. W × 9.6 in. H

• Light bar: No

• Expandable: No

• AC recharging time: 49 minutes

• Port options: 5 AC, 3 USB-C (2 at 140W), 1 USB-A

The Anker Solix C1000 (left) is noticeably larger and heavier than the Solix C1000 Gen 2 (right). Credit: Lauren Allain / Mashable

Overall, Anker made some great improvements with the Solix C1000 Gen 2. It can recharge quicker, is lighter and more compact, has a higher peak output, and has a more responsive uninterruptible power supply (UPS). It also has dual 140W USB-C ports, whereas the original Solix C1000 tops out at 100W.

On the downside, the new Gen 2 holds slightly less power compared to the original Solix C1000: 1,024Wh compared to 1,056Wh on the original. Anker also removed the lightbar on the new model, and it’s not compatible with an expansion battery. Presumably, Anker had to axe these extras to cut down on weight and size.

The overall price is another major consideration. On list price alone, the Solix C1000 Gen 2 offers a much better value since it costs $200 less. But if we’re being honest, we hardly ever see either of these models selling at full price. They’re almost always at some discount on Amazon.

The Gen 2 version of the Anker Solix C1000 has two 140W USB-C ports, compared to the original C1000 which tops out at 100W. Credit: Lauren Allain / Mashable

Boiled down, unless you cannot live without a lightbar or you fully intend on adding an expansion battery, the C1000 Gen 2 is likely your best bet. However, if one model is significantly cheaper than the other, we’d opt for whichever is less expensive. The differences are slight enough that many people won’t notice much difference at all.

Buyer beware: the Solix C1000 Gen 2 has two versions, and one is not ideal

Life is hard enough these days that we do not need to overcomplicate things. But Anker has done something kind of confusing here, and you’ll need to take a few moments to fully inspect which Anker Solix C1000 Gen 2 you’re buying because there are two versions.

There’s the standard Solix C1000 Gen 2, which is what we tested, and it comes with a full-width LCD screen and five AC ports. But then there’s also the Anker Solix C1000X Gen 2. Take note of the added “X” on there. This “X” model, sold at some retailers including Best Buy, has a smaller LCD screen and only four AC ports. The guts and other stats of both portable power stations are exactly the same. Both the Solix C1000 Gen 2 and the Solix C1000X Gen 2 come with the same price tag, which leads us to discourage going with the C1000X Gen 2. You lose one AC port and get a smaller display with the X version, so the C1000 Gen 2 works out to be a better value.

Is the Anker Solix C1000 Gen 2 worth buying?

The Anker Solix C1000 Gen 2 builds on the perfection of the original Solix C1000, but it’s lighter, charges quicker, comes with 140W USB-C ports, and has a more user-friendly display. Its MSRP is lower, and at full price, the Gen 2 offers a better value. However, if you prioritize a lightbar, want the ability to add an expansion battery, or you don’t care about spending an extra 10 minutes to get a full recharge, you’re probably better off with the original Solix C1000.

All that being said, both models are so close in performance and features that most people should simply buy whichever model is currently cheaper. At the time of writing, the Anker Solix C1000 has seen better discounts at Amazon. That’s especially true during Prime Day events when we’ve seen the price drop all the way to $375.

In the end, you cannot go wrong with either Anker Solix C1000 model. The brand simply nails offering solid portable power that’s user-friendly and affordable.

Anker Solix C1000 Gen 2 $397.99 at Amazon
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Cement is everywhere, and with current urbanisation rates, the sturdy construction material isn't going anywhere. But this comes at a huge environmental cost, as cement amounts to nearly eight percent of annual global greenhouse gas emissions. Can it be otherwise? Rotterdam-based tech startup Paebbl surely thinks so.