IT General

SAVE $10: As of Oct. 15, the Tile Mate Bluetooth tracker is on sale for just $14.99 at Amazon. That's 40% off its typical list price of $24.99 and a new record-low.

Opens in a new window Credit: Life360 Tile Mate $14.99 at Amazon
$24.99 Save $10.00   Get Deal

If you're regularly misplacing important items and you haven't invested in Bluetooth trackers yet, this deal on the Tile Mate is the perfect excuse to start.

As of Oct. 15, the Tile Mate is on sale for only $14.99 at Amazon. That's 40% or $10 off its usual cost of $24.99 and its lowest price on record.

Tile is kind of the OG of Bluetooth trackers and the Mate was one of the first to hit the market way back in 2016. Since then, it's had quite a few upgrades and facelifts, ensuring it's still a solid option in an increasingly crowded category. It remains one of our top picks in 2025 — specifically for households with Apple and Android devices under one roof. Many Bluetooth trackers are specifically built for Apple, Google, or Samsung devices, but Tile has its own network via the Life360 app and is device agnostic.

The Tile Mate's features are competitive — it can ring your phone from the tracker and trigger a silent alarm with an SOS alert. However, because it has its own network, it's a bit less developed than other trackers. The Bluetooth range is also smaller at only 350 feet, which makes the Mate better for finding household items than locating lost luggage. We recommend attaching these little trackers to things like your keys, wallet, remote control, or any other device you tend to lose track of around the house.

While the Tile Mate comes in all sorts of fun colors, you'll only get the all-time low $14.99 price on the black option. Otherwise, it'll cost you an extra $5 per tracker. FWIW, that's still cheaper than an AirTag.

In a move that you might've expected already happened years ago, TiVo has officially killed off its DVR recording boxes.

The company is no longer selling the boxes that revolutionized the way folks watched TV. Remember the neighborhood family that first got a TiVo? It was like magic. Now, well, it's the era of streaming. And recording a live show — if you need to do it at all — does not require a different set-top box.

The disappearance of the TiVo DVR was first reported by Cord Cutter News. The news has since been confirmed by the company.

“I can confirm that as of October 1, 2025, TiVo stopped selling physical DVR products, including hardware and accessories, both online and through agents,” spokeswoman Caroline Anson told PC Mag. “TiVo no longer manufactures hardware, and our remaining inventory is now depleted, though we will continue to offer support for the products going forward.” 

(Disclosure: PC Mag is owned by Ziff Davis, which also owns Mashable.)

TiVo has pivoted to being a software company, creating an operating system mostly used by TVs sold in Europe.

SAVE $266.01: As of Oct. 15, get the iRobot Roomba Plus 405 Combo for $398.99, down from its usual price of $665. That's a discount of 40% and the lowest price we've seen.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon iRobot Roomba Plus 405 Combo $398.99 at Amazon
$665 Save $266.01   Get Deal

Looking for a way to streamline your cleaning routine? You could hire a maid, but that's going to be pretty costly. And you could farm out cleaning tasks to the kids if you have them. But even better than both of these methods is using a robot vacuum and mop to save you some time while you handle other things. And thanks to this great deal from Amazon, you can get an excellent combo unit for the lowest sale price yet.

As of Oct. 15, get the iRobot Roomba Plus 405 Combo for $398.99, down from its usual price of $665. That's $266.01 off and a discount of 40%. It's also the lowest price we've seen.

SEE ALSO: The best robot vacuums in 2025

This robot vacuum and mop combo is built for deep cleaning, with 70x of suction power to pull up tough dirt and debris from your carpet and old stains when mopping. It can handle pet messes, crumbs, spills, hair, and anything else you can think of by powering through everything like a hot knife through butter.

Thanks to its ClearView LiDAR setup, it can create a floorplan while cleaning your space so it knows which obstacles to avoid, when to mop instead of vacuum (it can switch between functionality automatically), and set up zones for it to stay in and out of. You can even use special Clean Zones to target specific messes and Keep Out Zones so your robot vacuum knows exactly where it belongs (and where it doesn't).

If you're tired of manually handling all of these tasks, maybe it's time to sit back, relax, and let the robots do everything, especially since you can save a ton of money right now by automating your cleaning routine. Ah, the future.

A new MacBook is here — and it's using Apple's new M5 chip.

On Wednesday, Apple unveiled the new 14‑inch MacBook Pro. It's powered by the M5 chip and macOS Tahoe, is loaded with AI features, and has 24 hours of battery life.

In total, the upgraded laptop has significantly faster AI performance and faster graphics than the previous generation, a faster CPU, an enhanced Neural Engine, and higher memory bandwidth, according to Apple. It has a Liquid Retina XDR display, a 12MP Center Stage camera, a six-speaker sound system, and, of course, plenty of Apple Intelligence capabilities. Apple promises apps like Draw Things and LLMs will run even faster on the new laptop.

"MacBook Pro continues to be the world’s best pro laptop, and today, the 14-inch MacBook Pro gets even better with the arrival of the M5 chip," John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, said in a press release. "M5 marks the next big leap in AI for the Mac and delivers a huge boost in graphics performance, accelerating demanding workflows for everyone from students to creatives, developers to business professionals, and more. With its amazing performance, extraordinary battery life, and unrivaled display, M5 takes the new 14-inch MacBook Pro to another level."

Some fans on X have complained that the new laptop doesn't have much new besides the M5 chip — but that M5 chip might make all the difference.

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You can pre-order the new MacBook Pro in space black and silver today, starting at $1,599. It'll begin arriving at customers — and be available to check out at the Apple Store — starting on Wednesday, October 22.

Apple announced a slew of new products today, including the new 14‑inch MacBook Pro, the new Apple Vision Pro, and the iPad Pro.

SAVE 23%: As of Oct. 15, you can get the Gendome Go 300 Portable Power Station for $119.99, down from $155.54, at Amazon. That's a 23% discount and a $35.55 savings.

Gendome Go 300 Portable Power Station $119.99 at Amazon
$155.54 Save $35.55   Get Deal at Amazon

Camping and really roughing it can be great, but just because you’re spending a little time in the great outdoors doesn’t necessarily mean you should deprive yourself of all the comforts of modern technology — especially in an emergency. A portable power station is one way to keep your essentials charged, whether you’re on a weekend getaway or need a backup at home.

SEE ALSO: The best portable chargers and power banks in 2025

As of Oct. 15, you can get the Gendome Go 300 Portable Power Station for $119.99, down from $155.54, at Amazon. That's a 23% discount and a $35.55 savings. It's also the lowest price we've seen for this model.

The Gendome Go 300 Portable Power Station has a 288Wh capacity and a 300W output, which is more than enough to power your laptop, smartphone, or router. Plus, with seven output ports (two of which are 140W USB-C ports for fast charging), you can charge multiple devices at once.

What's really great about the Gendome Go 300 is that it's built to last. Its LiFePO4 battery has a lifespan of up to 10 years, so you won't have to worry about replacing it anytime soon. It’s also super flexible when it's time to recharge; you can power it up with a solar panel, plug it into your car, or use a standard USB-C cable. There's also a companion app to monitor power consumption and schedule charging times right from your phone.

Apple announced on Wednesday a new, upgraded version of its headset, the Apple Vision Pro. Don't expect major changes, however.

The biggest difference is that Apple swapped in its powerful M5 chip, which the company wrote in a press release would lead to "a leap forward in performance, improved display rendering, faster AI-powered workflows, and extended battery life."

“With the breakthrough performance of M5, the latest Apple Vision Pro delivers faster performance, sharper details throughout the system, and even more battery life, setting a new standard for what’s possible in spatial computing,” said Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of worldwide product marketing, in a press release.

SEE ALSO: Apple launches iPad Pro with powerful, new M5 chip

In general, the new M5-powered Vision Pro promises smoother visuals, quicker load times, and, Apple hopes, an improved, more immersive experience. The company promised, for instance, that the M5 chip means the Vision Pro now "renders 10 percent more pixels on the custom micro-OLED displays compared to the previous generation, resulting in a sharper image with crisper text and more detailed visuals"

The company also introduced a new Dual Knit Band, which is aimed at improving comfort while wearing the headset. Instead of just one strap, it now has two, which fit snugly to the top and bottom of a user's head. The idea is that a user can "make fine-tuned adjustments to achieve their ideal fit." The Dual Knit Band can also be bought separately and fits with the previous generation of the Vision Pro.

SEE ALSO: Samsung names the date: Project Moohan is coming for the Apple Vision Pro

The Apple Vision Pro with the M5 chip starts at $3,499, and is available with 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage capacities. It went on sale Wednesday in most markets, including the U.S. The Dual Knit Band is available to buy separately for $99.

Apple’s MacBook Pro range is, quite likely, the best range of computers your money can buy. The M-series chips are really just that good. And now, with Apple unveiling the new M5 chip, the MacBook Pro series is getting upgraded with the new chip.

How many times have you fixed your network problems by restarting your router or computer? That works in a pinch, but it doesn't solve persistent problems; instead, you must identify the root cause. I have four tools I often use to precisely pinpoint most network issues on Linux.

More than two decades after Microsoft released the desktop version of OneNote, picture cropping is finally available to those using the program on Windows as part of a long-awaited new tab on the ribbon.

Apple's new iPad Pro is here, and it's one of the first devices to get the company's new M5 chip.

The new chip is significantly more powerful in the context of AI workloads; Apple says the new iPad Pro has 3.5x the AI performance of its predecessor.

The M5 chip, which has up to 10 CPU cores, 10 GPU cores, and 16 Neural Engine cores, also boosts CPU and graphics performance. Apple says the new iPad Pro has four times the graphics performance compared to the iPad Pro with the M4 chip.

Other improvements include more RAM (up to 12GB of unified memory), faster memory bandwidth, 2x faster storage read and write speeds, and faster charging.

The new iPad Pro is available in black and silver. Credit: Apple

Apple also equipped the new iPad Pro with its C1X cellular modem which offers up to 50 percent faster cellular data performance, as well as Apple's new N1 wireless chip.

Outside, the new iPad Pro devices haven't changed all that much. You still get a choice between an 11-inch and a 13-inch model, both of which are very thin (5.3mm and 5.1mm, respectively). Both tablets have Apple's Ultra Retina XDR display, with a tandem OLED that enables very high brightness; Apple says the new iPad Pro has up to 1,000 nits of full-screen brightness for SDR and HDR content, and 1,600 nits peak brightness for HDR.

SEE ALSO: We found 12 of the best iPad deals live for October Prime Day

The new iPad Pro is available in black and silver, starting at $999 for the 11-inch model, and $1,299 for the 13-inch model.

Back in high school, all I wanted was a mechanical keyboard. There was one in particular I had my eye on—the Corsair K70—but I couldn’t afford it. When I finally got it, I thought I’d use it for decades, but with the benefit of hindsight, I now know I couldn’t have been more wrong.

We've already found lots of great deals for Nintendo Switch at Walmart, and now the retailer is sporting some ridiculous savings on PlayStation 5 first party titles and peripherals. Whoever is looking after pricing at Walmart, you are a legend. There's over $40 off modern classics such as God of War Ragnarök, The Last of Us Parts I and II, LEGO Horizon Adventures, and even more savings on more must-own titles.

SEE ALSO: 'Pokémon Legends: Z-A' on Switch 2 is the turbo-charged 'Pokémon' combat of my dreams

Need more convincing? How about over $30 off Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition? Just to clarify, that includes Marvel's Spider-Man upgraded for PlayStation 5 and Miles Morales for $39.88. There's so many must-play games here that I want to buy them all. Alas, I am not made of money, but the money I do have will stay in my pocket for longer with these deals. Let's get into it.

Best PlayStation 5 game deals

• God of War Ragnarök — $29.83 $69.99 (save $40.16)

• Death Stranding 2: On The Beach — $54 $69 (save $15)

• The Last of Us Part I — $29.83 $69.99 (save $40.16)

• The Last Of Us Part II Remastered — $29.83 $69.99 (save $40.16)

• Helldivers 2 — $28.50 $41 (save $12.50)

• LEGO Horizon Adventures — $19.93 $59.99 (save $40.06)

• Rise of the Ronin — $39.88 $69.99 (save $30.11)

• Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered — $29.83 $49.99 (save $20.16)

• Until Dawn — $39.88 $59.99 (save $20.11)

• Returnal — $42.90 $69.99 (save $27.09)

• Sackboy: A Big Adventure — $34.84 $59.99 (save $25.15)

• Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection — $28.68 $49.99 (save $21.31)

• Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition — $39.88 $69.99 (save $30.11)

• Demon's Souls — $35.99 $69.99 (save $34)

• The Nioh Collection — $27.99 $69.99 (save $42)

• Death Stranding Directors Cut — $38.90 $49.99 (save $11.09)

• Horizon: Forbidden West Launch Edition — $30.12 $37 (save $6.88)

• EA Sports College Football 26 Plus Steelbook — $49.94 $69.99 (save $20.05)

• EA Sports Madden NFL 26 Plus Steelbook — $49.94 $69.99 (save $20.05)

Best PlayStation 5 peripheral deals

• DualSense Edge Wireless Controller — $179 $199 (save $20)

• Sony PlayStation 5 (PS5) Vertical Stand — $21.99 $29.99 (save $8)

Best PlayStation 5 headset deals

• Nyko 87305 NS-2600 Wired Over-Ear Headset — $13.97 $24 (save $10.03)

• Venom Sabre Universal Wired Stereo Gaming Headset — $16.96 $22 (save $5.04)

• Wired Gaming Headset - Pokémon Pikachu Gold — $30.58 $39.99 (save $9.41)

• SteelSeries Arctis Nova 1 Wired Multi-System Gaming Headset — $44.99 $59.99 (save $15)

• Razer Kraken V4 X Wired Gaming Headset with Chroma RGB — $59.98 $79 (save $19.02)

• Logitech G Astro A30 LIGHTSPEED Wireless Gaming Headset — $103.86 $149.49 (save $45.63)

• Razer Barracuda Wireless Gaming Headset — $143.99 $159.99 (save $16)

• Logitech G PRO X 2 LIGHTSPEED Wireless Gaming Headset — $219.99 $249.99 (save $30)

If you snap a lot of photos with your phone, it doesn't take long to fill up the free 15GB of storage that Google offers. The company is happy to offer you a Google One plan with more storage, of course. However, if you take these three actions, you can free up space on Google Photos and avoid paying for a subscription.

If the mention of algebra conjures bad memories of math classes, a Python library called SymPy could change your mind about the subject. With SymPy, algebraic operations become easier than tedious hand calculations and a lot more fun. Here's what you can do with SymPy.

After successfully breaking into the home server market with its NASync devices in 2024, UGREEN is now offering its first ARM-powered NAS boxes—the NASync DH2300 and NASync DH4300. These products offer extreme power efficiency but won't work with x86 server applications, so they'll mainly appeal to casual users who just want an easy-to-use photos or files server.

Spotify's free version has gotten slack for years due to its restrictive playback and shuffle features that have limited how new users enjoy the app's vast library of music and podcasts. But a recent update has changed the game and given the music streaming platform an advantage in drawing in new listeners.

SAVE OVER $50: As of Oct. 15, the AirPods Pro 2 are down to $197 at Amazon. This 21% discount makes for $52 in savings.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple AirPods Pro 2 $197 at Amazon
$249 Save $52   Get Deal

Amazon's October Prime Day sale was an excellent opportunity to save on earbuds, and while it's been a week since the sale event ended, we're still finding some nice offers at the retailer. This still includes a discount on the AirPods Pro 2. While they're not as low as they were during Prime Big Deal Days, they're marked down to $197 at the moment.

This saves you $52 off their usual retail price of $249, which is still a worthy discount to jump on while it's still available. The AirPods Pro 2 are certainly worth the investment as well, even if the AirPods Pro 3 are out in the world right now.

SEE ALSO: Mashable readers know best — here's what our readers bought during October Prime Day

Whether you're settling in to listen to an audiobook or jamming out to new music, the AirPods Pro 2 offer excellent sound quality thanks to the H2 chip. This is further enhanced by their noise-canceling features which can keep you immersed in the sounds you're listening to. They offer Active Noise Cancellation (for fully blocking out sounds), Transparency mode (which lets some sounds in while you're listening), and Adaptive Audio (which works as a blend of the other two features, depending on the environment you're in).

The silicone tips on these earbuds are an extra help in keeping noise out as they create a seal when placed in your ear. This also helps them stay in place a bit easier, which is good news if you're wearing them while you're working out or exploring outside.

If new earbuds have been on your shopping list, now is your chance to grab the AirPods Pro 2 for $52 off at Amazon. Alternatively, you can also save on the AirPods 4 (with ANC) right now at Amazon.

Bash scripts are powerful, but with power comes great responsibility. It’s very easy for sloppy or poorly-planned code to do real damage, so it’s a good idea to be careful and practice defensive programming.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult to solve if you're familiar with cars.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for October 13, 2025 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Water games

• Green: Used in military comms

• Blue: Types of cars

• Purple: An adhesive

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Types of pools

• Green: In the NATO phonetic alphabet

• Blue: Ford models

• Purple: ___ Seal

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #857 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Types of pools: INFINITY, KIDDIE, KIDNEY, OLYMPIC

• In the NATO phonetic alphabet: BRAVO, DELTA, GOLF, LIMA

• Ford models: BRONCO, FIESTA, MUSTANG, PINTO

• ___ Seal: ELEPHANT, GREAT, MAVY, VACUUM

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for October 13, 2025

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Connections.

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you're always in a lift.

Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for October 13, 2025 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for October 13, 2025 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Going up?

The words are related to movement.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe things found in an enclosed space.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Elevator Buttons.

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for October 15

• Alarm

• Ground

• Lobby

• Elevator Buttons

• Open

• Close

• Basement

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Strands.