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Now that Threads has grown to more than 400 million users, Meta is adding more features that could help the platform establish an identity. The company is testing a new “communities” feature that creates dedicated spaces for people to chat about specific topics and interests. Meta describes the feature as an evolution of its custom feeds and topic tags, with the goal of creating “casual spaces for you to share unique takes on topics like basketball or TV with other people who love them too.” The company has already created more than 100 communities around topics that already have large followings on the platform, like “NBA Threads,” “Book Threads” and “Tech Threads.”  Several users have already reported seeing the feature and joining these spaces over the last few days. (Meta says that “leading voices” in these communities will get to add blue badges to their profiles to showcase their involvement in the groups.)  Meta For now, community feeds don’t look all that different from Threads’ topics feeds, but there are subtle differences. According to Meta, posts in communities will be ranked to surface more relevant posts higher up in the feed (the app’s current topic-based feeds tend to be more of a random jumble of posts from anyone who has tagged the topic). And, when you’re browsing a community’s feed, liking posts will trigger a custom emoji, like a basketball for the “NBA Threads” community. Meta isn’t the first to try out the idea. Twitter created a communities feature back in 2021, and X said last year that the feature had seen a “495% jump” in “user active minutes.”Communities could also make Threads feel more cohesive. Since Threads’ algorithm so heavily emphasizes recommended posts from random, unconnected accounts, users have regularly complained about the app’s feed. Now, Meta says that the communities people join will also influence the content they see in their main feed, so joining more communities could also help tune its recommendations overall. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/threads-is-getting-a-communities-feature-for-better-conversations-170006903.html?src=rss

Amazon has announced its Prime Gaming October update, which sees it add a fresh batch of games that users can add to their libraries for free. The most noteworthy additions are probably Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition and Fallout: New Vegas. With the second season of Prime Video’s surprisingly excellent Fallout TV show arriving in December, it’s an ideal time to acquaint yourself with the games it’s based on. New Vegas is particularly relevant, as season two looks like it’ll primarily be set in that game’s world and will presumably be heavily influenced by Obsidian’s beloved 2010 RPG. Beyond that, XCOM 2 is probably worth a look, and there’s a handful of games that are giving Halloween vibes — how can you go wrong with Tormented Souls or Hellslave as we approach spooky season? Here’s the full list of October games that you can claim for free. Most come in the form of codes you can redeem on GOG, though some others are available on the Epic Games Store or Legacy Gaming. DragonStrike XCOM 2 Vampire: The Masquerade – Reckoning of New York Tormented Souls Empty Shell Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate Edition True Fear: Forsaken Souls Part 1 Hellslave True Fear: Forsaken Souls Part 2 Lost & Found Agency Collector’s Edition Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition You Will Die Here Tonight Werewolf: The Apocalypse — Heart of the Forest Amazon also announced yesterday that it’s giving its cloud gaming platform a bit of an update. As well as continuing to offer a rotating library of free games to Prime members, the company will also introduce a collection of party games designed to be played with friends on your phone. The new GameNight library will include original games developed by Amazon, such as the excellently named Courtroom Chaos: Starring Snoop Dogg, as well as classics like Angry Birds and Ticket to Ride. The company also announced that Prime Gaming’s Twitch-related benefits will remain available after Prime Gaming is absorbed into Luna. Prime Gaming actually got its start as Twitch Prime, a benefit to Amazon Prime subscribers that eventually grew into the wider gaming offering it is now. The name is changing yet again, but it might be better in the long run for Amazon to put all of its gaming offerings under the Luna brand. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/prime-gamings-october-2025-lineup-will-get-you-in-the-mood-for-fallout-season-2-170052175.html?src=rss

Perplexity’s Comet AI browser is now free for everyone worldwide. The browser had previously only been available to Perplexity Max users at a cost of $200 per month. The company says that it has “become the most sought-after browser on the internet with millions signed up to the waitlist.” Now that waitlist is gone and everyone can get to downloading. Perplexity went on to note that this isn’t a limited-time promotion as Comet “will always be free.” Comet is here. A web browser built for today’s internet.pic.twitter.com/cFPeghl2YM — Perplexity (@perplexity_ai) July 9, 2025 For the uninitiated, Comet is a browser that uses Perplexity AI as the default search engine. A chatbot accompanies each search in the sidebar and users can ask it to answer questions, summarize text and, in some cases, take actions like sending emails or looking up directions. Comet pulls information from the web and correlates that data into AI-generated responses, so make sure to double-check the important stuff. This is just the latest step for the company. Perplexity is currently working on a mobile version of the browser and an integrative AI assistant. It’s also far from the only company stuffing AI into a web browser. Comet joins Google Chrome and The Browser Company’s Dia in this effort. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/perplexitys-comet-ai-browser-is-now-free-for-everyone-170017509.html?src=rss

Smart plugs can infuse some intelligence into regular old things around your home. When you’re comfortable in bed, rather than getting up to turn off your light, you can connect it to a smart plug to control it from your phone or with your voice. They’re some of the most affordable ways into the IoT world, but it’s always great when you snag them on sale. Right now, you can pick up the Amazon Smart Plug for a record-low price of $13, down from $25. The 48 percent discount comes as part of Amazon Prime Day sales. Prime members can even get a two-pack for $24 — 52 percent off its normal price. The Amazon Smart Plug is our pick for best smart plug if you have an Alexa-enabled home. You can tell Alexa to turn off the lights or control it with the Alexa app. It’s compatible with most plugged in devices, from lamps and fans to even kitchen appliances. You can also set it to turn on lights or devices at a certain time each day. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazons-smart-plug-drops-to-only-13-for-prime-day-130446086.html?src=rss

If you’ve never considered adding a solid-state drive (SSD) to your PC or game console, October Prime Day is a great time to start — and if you already know what a difference extra storage can make, October Prime Day is the perfect time to outfit your build. For those who haven’t heard of SSDs, they’re physical upgrades that stack on top of a device’s storage to make more files accessible at once. The more data a console or PC can hold at a time, the quicker it can retrieve and process that data, which makes everything run faster. Here are the best SSD deals we’ve managed to find on Amazon. Best October Prime Day SSD deals Crucial X10 4TB Portable SSD for $240 (39 percent off): The Crucial X9 is our current favorite portable SSD, but the X10 is a step beyond. Based on USB 3.2, it’s compatible with a wide range of devices, and reaches reading speeds of 2,100MB/s — all in an extremely portable pocket-sized case. Crucial BX500 1TB 3D NAND SATA 2.5-inch Internal SSD for $60 (36 percent off): The BX500 is Crucial’s budget-conscious SSD option, but that doesn’t mean it disappoints. This internal solid state drive cuts down on battery consumption and improves processing with read speeds reaching 540MB/s. It comes with a three-year warranty, too. Samsung 990 Evo Plus 1TB for $70 (33 percent off): This is an incredible deal on an internal SSD from a reliable brand. All capacities of the Samsung 990 Evo Plus are currently on sale, but even the 1TB option can visibly boost your performance with top read speeds of 7,250MB/s. There’s no heatsink, but nickel plating on the controller reduces both heat output and energy use. Samsung Fit Plus 256GB for $23 (30 percent off): The Samsung Fit Plus isn’t just the best thumb drive on the market right now — it’s one of the best SSDs, period. This deal gets you 256GB of storage and read speeds of 400MB/s for almost unfathomably cheap. It’s also built to resist water, extreme temperatures, magnets and even radiation. Kingston SX1000 1TB High Performance for $89 (23 percent off): If you can’t swing a Crucial X9 or X10 right now, Kingston offers a much more affordable alternative. The SX1000 can handle both PC backups and gaming storage with ease, nearly matching the X9 in our speed tests. It’s also easy to carry around, though keep a tight grip as it’s not officially rated for any drop height. SanDisk 2TB Extreme Portable SSD for $148 (29 percent off): The SanDisk Extreme line of portable SSDs provides a great middle ground in both price and performance. Read speeds of 1,050MB/s are enough for transferring most files you’ll encounter day-to-day. Its external design holds up too, with a large carabiner loop, IP65 waterproofing and dustproofing and drop protection as high as three meters. Seagate Storage Expansion Card 2TB for $220 (39 percent off): This SeaGate SSD is specifically for expanding storage on the Xbox Series X and S, and it’s designed to meet Xbox specs exactly. You’ll get exactly the same performance booting a game from this card as you would from internal Xbox storage, which makes data management infinitely easier. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/best-october-prime-day-ssd-deals-discounts-on-gear-from-crucial-samsung-and-more-170039440.html?src=rss

Black Friday remains the best time to grab a new TV at a discount, but Amazon’s latest October Prime Day sale should be a decent time to take the plunge if you need to upgrade right away. While the two-day Prime Big Deal Days event doesn’t officially start until October 7, a small handful of well-regarded TVs from the likes of TCL, Hisense, Sony and Samsung are cheaper than usual right now. You can find our full list of the best October Prime Day TV deals below. We’ll update this roundup as prices change and new offers arise in the days ahead.  Best Prime Day TV deals Hisense U8QG 65-inch Mini-LED TV for $1,082 ($416 off): Several reviews suggest that the Hisense U8QG ticks most of the requisite boxes for a LCD TV in 2025: robust local dimming and mini-LED backlighting, exceptionally high brightness, vibrant quantum-dot colors, a fast refresh rate (165Hz in this case), support for the major HDR formats and so on. It’s a higher-end option than something like the TCL QM6K with much better brightness and contrast, though it still falls short of a good OLED TV when it comes to the latter. Like most LCD panels, it’ll also look a bit washed out if you view it from an angle. It has three HDMI 2.1 ports, which is one fewer than many other TVs in this price range, though it uniquely includes a USB-C video input if you want to hook up a gaming laptop or Nintendo Switch. (Just note that you won’t get VRR or HDR when using that.) You’d mainly get it over an OLED TV if you’re willing to trade some picture quality for something that’s better-suited in a bright room. This deal on the 65-inch model isn’t an all-time low, but it matches the best price we’ve tracked since July. Samsung S90F 55-inch QD-OLED TV for $1,498 ($100 off): The Samsung S90F is an upper-tier model with a QD-OLED panel, which blends the usual perks of a quality OLED set — near-perfect contrast, wide viewing angles, clear motion, low input lag — with a layer of quantum dots. This helps it produce a wider gamut of more vivid colors compared to traditional WOLED TVs. It also comes with four HDMI 2.1 ports and has a fast refresh rate of 144Hz. It doesn’t support Dolby Vision HDR, however, and reviews we trust say that the LG C5, a competing WOLED model, retains darker black levels in a bright room. (The S90F has a more colorful image, though.) We saw this 55-inch model go for $100 less earlier in the month, but this deal matches the best price we’ve tracked otherwise. The 65-inch version is similarly discounted. Just make sure you only buy the 55-, 65- or 77-inch model, as every other size in the US uses a lesser WOLED panel. Shady, we know. Sony Bravia 8 II 65-inch QD-OLED TV for $2,998 ($502 off): It’s certainly not cheap, but the Sony Bravia 8 II has earned plaudits for its excellent image processing, upscaling and overall accuracy alongside the expected color, contrast and motion benefits of its QD-OLED display. This should help it make lots of movies and shows look closer to their original intent. It also uses the handy Google TV interface. Outside of an extremely brief dip in June, this deal matches the best price to date for the 65-inch version. That said, if you can’t stomach the high price, other reviews note that the older Sony A95L offers similar performance a bit less, while more recent competitors like the LG G5 and Samsung S95F can get noticeably brighter (even if they’re not always as accurate). Those two should be better for gaming as well, as the Bravia 8 II only has two HDMI 2.1 ports — one of which is an eARC port for soundbars — and its input lag is slightly higher. Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K for $25 ($25 off): The standard Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K offers the same core experience as the pricier Fire TV Stick 4K Max, only it comes with a slightly slower processor, half the storage (8GB) and Wi-Fi 6 instead of Wi-Fi 6E. For most people just looking for a casual streamer on the cheap, those shouldn’t be huge losses. This model is also more powerful than the just-announced Fire TV 4K Select, though its Fire OS interface can still be messy and ad-heavy, with special emphasis on Amazon’s own services. This deal is $3 more than the stick’s all-time low, though it matches the best price we’ve seen since Black Friday last year. Amazon Fire TV Stick HD for $18 ($17 off): The Fire TV Stick HD is the budget pick in our guide to the best streaming devices. It can only stream up to 1080p, and it can run a bit choppier than the 4K models since it has a slower chipset and half the RAM (1GB). The usual issues with the Fire TV interface still apply here too. But if you just want to add streaming apps to an aging TV or basic monitor for as little cash as possible, it should get the job done. This discount ties the device’s lowest price to date. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-best-early-october-prime-day-tv-deals-save-on-sets-from-tcl-sony-hisense-and-more-180051769.html?src=rss

A court in the Netherlands has ordered Meta to change Facebook and Instagram’s timelines, after finding that the element ran afoul of the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA). As reported by Reuters, the Dutch court said that the company needs to provide users with simpler options — namely ones that don’t rely on an algorithm. “People in the Netherlands are not sufficiently able to make free and autonomous choices about the use of profiled recommendation systems,” the court said in its decision. It ruled that the timeline must honor a user’s choice of chronological order or other non-profiled options, instead of reverting to the algorithm-driven version whenever a user closes and reopens either app. The case was brought by Bits of Freedom, a Dutch digital rights group. “It is unacceptable that a few American tech billionaires can determine how we view the world,” said the group’s spokesperson, Maartje Knaap. Meta said it will appeal the decision, and that these DSA issues should be handled by the European Commission and other EU regulators, not by the courts of individual nations. “Proceedings like this threaten the digital single market and the harmonized regulatory regime that should underpin it,” a Meta spokesperson said. Meta faces a potential fine of $117,450 for every day it fails to comply with the court’s order, up to a maximum of $5.8 million. The DSA has been a common thorn in the side of big tech companies since its approval in 2022. The European Commission has levied hundreds of millions of dollars in fines against the likes of Apple, Meta and Alphabet for violations of the DSA. The regulations have also been used to effect certain changes on these platforms in the name of privacy, data security and the protection of minors. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/dutch-court-orders-meta-to-change-its-facebook-and-instagram-timelines-185106583.html?src=rss

It’s been quite the year for Aggro Crab. After stopping production on a sequel to Going Under (with funding issues and burnout both factoring into that decision), the studio decided to focus on self-funded game jam projects before moving onto another big game. Some of the team collaborated with Content Warning developer Landfall to create Peak. With the help of clever marketing, that co-op climbing game turned out to be a huge hit, selling 10 million copies in just two months.  The rest of the Aggro Crab squad focused on a different multiplayer game, which is called Crashout Crew. This is a party game for up to four players (there’s a single-player option too) in which you’ll try to complete orders in hazard-filled warehouses using cute, color-coded forklifts. Time is of the essence as you race to meet quotas by loading boxes into trucks, so it’s just as well that you can drift around corners. Just be careful not to drop any explosives. You’ll be skidding around icy environments and spinning out if you run over a broken egg. Falling rocks, bees and blackouts all add to the chaos. You can upgrade your forklift and warehouse, though they’ll reset after the level ends. The reveal trailer reminds me quite a bit of Overcooked. I wonder if this could turn out to be just as effective as a litmus test for how well you communicate with family and friends. I adore Another Crab’s Treasure, Aggro Crab’s last large-scale game, so I’ll always be interested in whatever the studio is cooking up. I’m looking forward to trying out Crashout Crew when the demo goes live on October 13 as part of Steam Next Fest. The game is scheduled to hit Steam next year. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/crashout-crew-looks-like-overcooked-style-mayhem-from-one-of-the-studios-behind-peak-193854718.html?src=rss

After a few years of mostly humming along in the background, Amazon’s game streaming service is receiving a bit of an update. Amazon Luna will still act as a game streaming service with a rotating library of free games for Prime users, but now, Amazon also plans to offer “GameNight,” a collection of social party games that you can play with your friends with just a smartphone. The expansion is about more than just new games: Amazon’s Prime Gaming brand is now also part of Luna. Amazon says the new GameNight collection includes over 25 multiplayer games, some that are reinterpretations of classic games like Angry Birds, Exploding Kittens or Ticket to Ride, and others that are entirely original and developed by Amazon, like Courtroom Chaos: Starring Snoop Dogg. If you’ve played any of Jackbox’s various multiplayer games, GameNight seems to use a similar setup. You load up the game in Luna, whoever’s playing scans an onscreen QR code with their phone and then they can join the game using their device as a controller. The hope is that these smartphone-controlled games will lower the barrier to entry for anyone intimidated by a controller, or who hasn’t already taken advantage of Luna as part of their Prime subscription. For everyone else, though, Amazon says the service is getting a collection of new high-profile games in the near future, including Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II and Dave the Diver. As before, if you’re willing to pay for one of Amazon’s add-on subscriptions you can add even more games to your library, too. Unlike GameNight games, though, all of these titles will require a controller to play, whether it’s Amazon’s Luna Controller or a Bluetooth controller connected to the Luna app. As far as Prime Gaming is concerned, Amazon’s not retiring the benefits of the plan, but rather using them to bolster Luna. Prime Gaming launched as Twitch Prime, a program that unlocked unique emotes, one free Twitch sub and free PC games every month if you linked your Twitch and Amazon accounts. Those benefits will still be available after Prime Gaming is retired, and Twitch says that any free PC games you redeem will be available “wherever Amazon Prime is available as part of Luna Standard.” That includes regions where you can’t stream Luna yet. While confusing, adding more games and folding Prime Gaming into Luna suggests that Amazon views the service as the gaming project it’s prioritizing moving forward. It doesn’t have the library of Xbox Cloud Gaming and it’s not clear if Amazon is as gun-ho about streaming as Microsoft is, but if the company is willing to pay, offering more games and more ways to play them seems like a good move. Update, October 1 2025, 6:07PM ET: The story and its headline have been updated to include details about Amazon’s changes to Prime Gaming. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/amazon-luna-will-offer-controller-free-party-games-in-an-attempt-to-woo-prime-subscribers-130004416.html?src=rss

Forbes has published an investigation into Amazon’s efforts to court law enforcement clients for artificial intelligence and surveillance services. The article reveals that not only is the company promoting Amazon Web Services as a potential police tool, but it has been partnering with other businesses in that sector to use its cloud infrastructure. According to the Forbes report, Amazon’s partners that are pitching police departments include car tracking tools and license plate readers from Flock Safety, gun detection by ZeroEyes, real-time crime center apps from C3 AI and Revir Technologies, and AI that helps compose police reports from Abel Police and Mark43. The piece estimated that the police tech business is worth $11 billion. Based on emails sent by members of Amazon’s law enforcement and safety team, the company is working awfully hard to get a share of those billions. The company’s aggressive sales work has raised outcry for privacy issues around how police officers might use these tools, which is unsurprising given that AI tools can create inaccuracies and easily be misused. Regulation is still a piecemeal affair and some law enforcement departments have failed to follow what laws do exist about tech use. “​​It’s dismaying to see one of the largest and most powerful companies pushing authoritarian surveillance tech in this way,” ACLU Senior Policy Analyst Jay Stanley told Forbes. “I didn’t realize Amazon was serving as a midwife for AI law enforcement technologies.” This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/amazon-is-reportedly-aggressively-pitching-law-enforcement-on-its-cloud-services-215334082.html?src=rss