Technology

If you're having trouble logging into Microsoft services this morning, you're absolutely not alone. A major outage across the company’s platforms appears to be happening, with issues with Azure knocking out a ton of services like Microsoft 365 and even Minecraft.

SAVE $11.80: As of Oct. 29, students can save 20% on The Brick by proving their educational status. That makes The Brick $47.20, down from its usual price of $59.

Opens in a new window Credit: The Brick The Brick $47.20 at The Brick
$59 Save $11.80 Save 20% off The Brick with a student discount. Get Deal

When you get bored, what's the first thing you reach for? If you said your phone, so you can switch between social media platforms, you may want to give all that a rest. Scrolling fatigue can be real, and sometimes you need a break. The Brick is a device that can help with all that, and right now, students can get a great deal on it.

As of Oct. 29, students can save 20% on The Brick by proving their educational status. That makes it $47.20, down from its usual price of $59. You save $11.80 thanks to the discount.

SEE ALSO: The Brick taught me how to be bored again

To access this discount, you'll need to prove your student status. The Brick website will direct you to create a free Student Beans account, where you'll input all of the required information to set things up. From there, you'll verify your status and can return to The Brick to get a discount code. From there, all you need to do is enter the code at checkout to get The Brick for its sale price.

The Brick is a small gray device that you can use to lock certain apps on your phone. You just tap your phone to the device and it works immediately. It's available for both iOS and Android, and can be a huge help if you're looking to stop mindlessly and aimlessly scrolling. With that in mind, it's a productivity tool and mental health tool that you can use to improve your life.

Mashable's Samantha Mangino reviewed The Brick and praised it as "the only thing that cuts [her] screen time in half." There are a ton of reasons to try it if you're struggling to cut down on your phone use, but being in school and needing to focus is certainly a big one. Luckily, it's even more affordable right now, so you can take it for a test drive.

TL;DR: Live stream Newcastle United vs. Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup for free on ITVX. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Newcastle United have been wildly inconsistent in the early stages of the new Premier League season. You could make the same argument for Spurs, but Thomas Frank's team have secured some big results to climb the table and currently sit in third place. Now these two sides meet in the fourth round of the EFL Cup.

If you want to watch Newcastle United vs. Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Newcastle United vs. Tottenham Hotspur?

Newcastle United vs. Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup kicks off at 8 p.m. GMT on Oct. 29. This fixture takes place at St. James' Park.

How to watch Newcastle United vs. Tottenham Hotspur for free

Newcastle United vs. Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup is available to live stream for free on ITVX.

ITVX is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock ITVX to stream the Champions League for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Newcastle United vs. Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup for free by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

4. Visit ITVX

5. Watch Newcastle United vs. Tottenham Hotspur for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the Carabao Cup without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Newcastle United vs. Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for ITVX?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on ITVX, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including the UK

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.95 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Newcastle United vs. Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup for free with ExpressVPN.

SAVE $100: The Ninja Foodi Smart XL 6-in-1 indoor grill and air fryer is on sale for $199.99 at Amazon, down from the usual price of $299.99. That's a 33% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Ninja Ninja Foodi Smart XL 6-in-1 indoor grill and air fryer $199.99 at Amazon
$299.99 Save $100   Get Deal

Outdoor cooking these days is out. Unless you like frosty fingers, you've probably put the grill away for the year. But if you miss perfectly grilled steaks and vegetables, there's a Ninja appliance that is designed for indoor use and can help ease your pain of missing barbecue. It's also the perfect appliance to help out with holiday food cooking this year. If that sounds appealing, check out this deal.

As of Oct. 29, the Ninja Foodi Smart XL 6-in-1 indoor grill and air fryer is on sale for $199.99 at Amazon, marked down from the normal price of $299.99. That's a 33% discount that shaves $100 off the price.

The Ninja Foodi Smart XL indoor grill and air fryer is the perfect assistant in the kitchen. It's designed with six cooking functions that include air fry, roast, bake, broil, dehydrate, grill, and air crisp. Ninja even mentions you can get frozen protein from a solid chilled brick to perfectly char-grilled in as little as 25 minutes.

SEE ALSO: The coolest kitchen gear and gadgets we'll always recommend

When it comes to holiday meal prep, the Ninja Foodi grill can help out with grilled protein, side dishes, and quick appetizers. The indoor cooker includes a grill grate, an air fryer basket, a cooking pot, a cleaning brush, and a thermometer. This thermometer is the Ninja Foodi Smart Thermometer that takes the guesswork out of deciding when your protein has finished cooking. Just remove the thermometer from its magnetic coil that attaches to the grill, insert it into the meat, set your desired doneness level, and the Foodi will let you know when cooking is complete.

Instead of getting stressed about cooking holiday meals this year, enlist the help of the Ninja Foodi Smart XL 6-in-1 indoor grill and air fryer while it's on sale at Amazon for under $200. Its large capacity makes it ideal for feeding a crowd, whether that's holiday guests or the kids on a busy weeknight.

While SSDs are the preferred storage medium today, hard drives are far from obsolete. They're still the best way to store data that doesn't benefit from SSD speed, and of course people use them for cold data storage too. Something SSDs aren't suited for.

Amazon's Eero routers are among the best when it comes to mesh networking. But there's one small problem with them—they're expensive, even compared with other comparable routers. If you want to check them out now, the Eero 7 routers are currently heavily discounted.

Toyota has built its whole reputation on cars that last. They may not always be the most exciting choice, but they hold up and usually hold their value too.

SAVE $10/MONTH: The ESPN and Fox One bundle deal is now live. Get both sports streaming apps for just $39.99 per month instead of $49.98 per month. That's a savings of 20% for the best streaming lineup in sports.

Opens in a new window Credit: ESPN / Fox One ESPN + Fox One bundle $39.99/month (save $9.99/month) Get Deal

Watching live sports in the streaming age has become such a headache. Two new services joined the mix this year, and they're teaming up to bring us the best streaming lineup in sports.

In August, ESPN redesigned its streaming service to offer two separate tiers: the existing ESPN+ as ESPN Select and a new ESPN Unlimited tier. ESPN Unlimited brings the suite of ESPN networks and services to sports fans in a direct-to-consumer subscription, including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, SEC Network, ACC Network — in addition to ESPN on ABC, ESPN+, ESPN3, SECN+, and ACCNX. On its own, the direct-to-consumer Unlimited tier costs $29.99 per month.

The same day, Fox launched its first-ever streaming service called Fox One. Like ESPN Unlimited, it brings the entire Fox TV portfolio (live and on-demand) to viewers in one app. That includes Fox News, Fox Sports, Fox Weather, FS1, FS2, Fox Business, Fox Deportes, Big Ten Network (B1G), local Fox stations, and Fox Network. It costs $19.99 per month as a standalone service.

Each streamer is great on its own, but earlier this month, they joined forces to bring sports fans the best deal in live sports streaming. You can now get both ESPN Unlimited and Fox One for just $39.99 per month, which saves you $9.99 per month. That includes over 50,000 live events and over 100,000 hours of live event coverage.

Once you sign up for the bundle deal via ESPN, you'll be prompted to activate your Fox subscription on the confirmation screen. You'll also receive an email confirmation with an activation link.

With ESPN Unlimited, you'll be able to watch Monday Night Football, tons of college football, NBA and WNBA games, college basketball, and NHL games live without cable. That's already a well-rounded live sports lineup in itself. Add the Fox One portfolio into the mix, and you'll also be able to tune into the NFL's NFC games on Sunday afternoons, Big Ten college football games, international soccer, and the MLB World Series.

In the past, you would need a cable alternative like YouTube TV or Fubo to watch ABC, ESPN, and Fox networks live without cable. These services cost between $80 and $90 per month. So, while $39.99 per month might seem steep to some folks, it's actually the best value for your money — and the best streaming deal in sports.

If you have physical media, and you like making backups of those media to your own personal server using a NAS, then you may have noticed something a little odd when it comes to file sizes.

The next wave of Google's AI rollout is in the process of happening right now.

Earlier this month, Google announced a bunch of Gemini-powered smart home devices, but several existing ones are also getting Gemini support this week. Specifically, users who have requested Early Access via the Google Home app should have gotten the ability to use Gemini on compatible devices on Tuesday.

SEE ALSO: How to use Google Meet's new AI makeup tool This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

You might be wondering: Which devices are compatible with Gemini right now? It's not a super long list, but here it is, courtesy of Android Authority:

• Google Home (2016 model)

• Google Home Mini (2017 model)

• Google Home Max (2017 model)

• Nest Mini (2019 model)

• Nest Audio (2019 model)

• Google Home/Nest Hub (2018 model)

• Nest Hub Max (2019 model)

• Second generation Nest Hub (2021 model)

It should be noted, also per Android Authority, that there is a smaller list of models that support Gemini Live, the more advanced, conversational version of Gemini. You also need to pay for Google Home Premium to use Gemini Live. Here are the supported devices:

• Nest Mini (2019 model)

• Nest Audio (2020 model)

• Nest Hub Max (2019 model)

• Second generation Nest Hub (2021 model)

If you've got one of those, you're golden. If not, well, the new one is coming out next year.

SAVE $50: Amazon has both sizes of the new Apple iPad Pro (M5, WiFi, 256GB) on sale as of Oct. 29. Get the 11-inch model for $949 (normally $999) or the 13-inch variant for $1,249 (usually $1,299).

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple iPad Pro, 11-inch (M5, WiFi, 256GB) $949 at Amazon
$999 Save $50   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple iPad Pro, 13-inch (M5, WiFi, 256GB) $1,249 at Amazon
$1,299 Save $50   Get Deal

At this point, I'm starting to feel bad for anyone who preordered Apple's new M5 iPad Pro: Amazon hasn't stopped lowering its price since launch.

As of late October, both sizes of the supercharged tablet are on sale for $50 off at Amazon. The 11-inch base model is marked down to $949, while the 13-inch version has fallen to $1,249; both include 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Those prices beat last week's release-day discounts by up to $35, making them cheaper than ever before.

(Cheaper is all relative here, of course. If you don't need the latest specs and just want the cheapest iPad available, check out Walmart's current deal on the standard iPad from 2022 — it's only $242.)

SEE ALSO: Review: The new M5 iPad Pro is a victory lap for Apple

ICYMI, the M5 iPad Pro is our new favorite iPad for creative professionals. It retains the same beautiful tandem OLED design as last year's M4 version but tacks on extra horsepower, blowing past competitors like the 13-inch Microsoft Surface Pro 11 with the powerful Snapdragon X Elite chip.

"For the average user, it's overkill," wrote Mashable tech editor Timothy Beck Werth. "That being said, if you like to run AI models on your device, you're a professional illustrator or designer, or you need to deliver professional-quality video, the new iPad Pro is up for the job." Read his full review.

Last I checked, both sizes of the M5 iPad Pro are still full price at Best Buy and in the Apple Store.

On-screen keyboards are pretty great these days thanks to gesture typing and all sorts of autocorrect and next-word suggestion features. Things can always improve, which is why Google Keyboard, also known as Gboard, just got a nifty feature that'll help you type faster.

If you’ve spent any time with open-source software, you know the terrible feeling that comes when a project you depend on suddenly goes dark. One week it’s humming along with new updates, fixes, and community activity, and the next, it’s a ghost town.

Microsoft has announced that Formula by Example, an intuitive tool that generates formulas based on patterns in your Excel spreadsheet, has arrived in Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows. Before now, this feature was only available in Excel for the web, so it's a welcome extension if you prefer using the desktop version of the spreadsheet software.

Disney and Fubo have officially completed a new deal that combines Fubo and Hulu + Live TV into one powerhouse. This should help the company better compete with YouTube TV and other rivals.

GET HALLOWEEN CANDY IN AN HOUR: Waited too long to buy Halloween candy? A Walmart+ membership ($98/year) can get it delivered from a local store in about an hour, and it also includes perks like gas savings and a free streaming service.

Opens in a new window Credit: Walmart Annual Walmart+ Membership $98
  Shop Now

Halloween is just a couple of days away, and if you're just now realizing your candy bowl is empty, you're probably not alone. The thought of going to a store right now and fighting over the last bags of fun-size candy sounds... awful. Luckily, if you have a Walmart+ membership, you might be able to save the day from your couch.

One of the big perks of Walmart+ is free, fast delivery from your local store. On its Halloween candy page, Walmart is showing delivery times like "as soon as 26 minutes." This means you can get those giant variety bags of Haribo, Nerds, Tootsie Rolls, or M&M's delivered in about an hour, all without having to put on real shoes.

SEE ALSO: We found all of the stores with the best Halloween clearance sales so far

If you're not a member and this last-minute candy rescue sounds tempting, a Walmart+ membership costs $12.95 per month or $98 for the year. In addition to dodging the crowds in the checkout line, you'll get savings on gas (10¢ off per gallon at over 13,000 stations), free returns from home (no more post office lines), and a free subscription to a streaming service — you can choose between Peacock Premium or Paramount+ Essential. So, it's a pretty good deal for procrastinators, but it's an even better deal if you'll actually use the other perks, too.

Has your Chromebook been freezing more and more lately? The good news is, it's likely not broken. There are several reasons why it might freeze up, so here are a few things to check before you consider a new machine.

Anker makes some of the best phone accessories available out there. But some of its stuff can be in the pricier side compared to the hardware by other companies. This Anker 200W charging station is pretty good, and right now, it's just $50—the price of most other high-end regular charging bricks.

A massive, slow-moving hurricane is making its way through the Caribbean.

After slamming through Jamaica and causing extensive damage, according to The Guardian, Hurricane Melissa has hit Cuba. The news outlet reports that this is the strongest category 5 storm to hit Jamaica since it began recording storms in 1851, but has slowed to a category 3 over Cuba. Still, it will continue to cause destruction as it likely moves into the Bahamas.

The storm is remarkable in that its speed (very slow, moving at 7 miles per hour) and strength (up to 180mph winds) create the ultimate environment for destruction.

Videos of the storm and its impact are all over social media.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

The most shocking and viral videos on X of the hurricane are from @FlynonymousWX, aka the Tropical Cowboy of Danger, an anonymous U.S. Air Force hurricane hunter who posted videos from Hurricane Melissa's eye. (Since @FlynonymousWX is anonymous, it is difficult to confirm the authenticity of the videos, but they do seem to be real and the account has a history of posting this sort of content.)

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

But, of course, AI videos have also gone viral, which pop up during natural disasters with remarkable frequency. Take this video of a shark in someone's pool. It is not real.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

A good rule of thumb in times of natural disasters with regards to AI-generated videos is to follow what agencies like the National Hurricane Center are posting — and to not believe everything you see.

SAVE $107: As of Oct. 29, the 10th-generation Apple iPad (A14 Bionic, WiFi, 64GB) is on sale for just $242 at Walmart. That's a 31% discount and its lowest price ever.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple iPad, 10.9-inch (A14 Bionic, WiFi, 64GB) $242 at Walmart
$349 Save $107   Get Deal

The brand-new M5 Apple iPad Pro is awesome — and overkill for most people, between its high price and laptop-beating power. For a cheaper Apple tablet that gets the job done, we recommend the standard iPad, which has a super lightweight design and a 10.9-inch display that's great for doodling and note-taking.

If current-gen performance isn't high on your priority list, consider getting the 10th-generation iPad from 2022: It's on sale for just $242 at Walmart as of late October. That's 31% off its usual sticker price of $349 and a new all-time low that beats its 2024 Black Friday deal by $17. (Walmart's price only applies to the silver model, by the way.) Its product page notes that stock is low, so don't dawdle.

SEE ALSO: The 4 best iPads of 2025 put other tablets to shame (to shame!)

For reference, the 2022 iPad features the same design as its predecessor but older, pared-down internals. Instead of the A16 chip, 6GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage, you get the A14 Bionic chip, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. That's going to make it a tad slower and leave you with less room for storing photos and documents, but you can always put your savings toward an external hard drive down the road if necessary. (It may not be, if you're a very casual user.)

The most important spec tidbit is that this iPad supports iPadOS 26, which means you'll get access to all of Apple's latest tablet features. See: the Liquid Glass design update, Live Translation, and a laptop-like windowing tool.

The 10th-gen iPad was also on sale at Best Buy the last time I checked, but it was $38 pricier. It was only available refurbished from a random third-party seller on Amazon (at a $37 premium to boot).