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An apparent Microsoft Azure outage on Wednesday took down important parts of the internet.

The tech giant's cloud computing service confirmed it was having issues.

Wrote Azure on its status page:

"Starting at approximately 16:00 UTC, we began experiencing Azure Front Door (AFD) issues resulting in a loss of availability of some services. We suspect that an inadvertent configuration change as the trigger event for this issue.

We are taking several concurrent actions: Firstly, where we are blocking all changes to the AFD services, this includes customer configuration changes as well. At the same time, we are rolling back our AFD configuration to our last known good state."

Azure has since updated that it had "initiated the deployment of our last known good configuration, which is expected to complete within 30 minutes. As this deployment progresses, customers should begin to see initial signs of recovery."

Microsoft wrote that it did not have an estimated time for when it would be fixed.

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User-reported issues on Downdetector indicated people were having issues accessing Microsoft services like Outlook and 365, as well as platforms like Minecraft. (Disclosure: Downdetector is owned by Ziff Davis, the same company that owns Mashable.) User-reported issues were especially high for both Minecraft and Xbox, which means it was quite the tough day for gamers. There were lots of posts complaining about it online.

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By about 2:30 p.m. ET, user-reported issues for some services appeared to be trending downward, but it was still unclear if the issue was fully resolved. The outage comes just days after last week's massive Amazon Web Services (AWS) outage that took down large swaths of the internet.

Azure provides cloud services for lots of companies and platforms, which means it hosts data, websites, and provides key infrastructure for large portions of the internet. Azure actually crashed earlier this month, too, taking down Microsoft services like 365 and Outlook in the process.

This story is developing and will be updated as necessary...

Screen Time might be one of the most underutilized yet powerful features. Beyond monitoring how much time you spend on your device, you can do so much more with this easy-to-overlook feature.

The developers of Bazzite, a gaming-focused Linux distribution based on Fedora, have announced a major fall 2025 release. It rebases Bazzite to the newly released Fedora 43 and adds support for a few new gaming handhelds and other peripherals.

YouTube has videos dating back 20 years, and while it currently supports videos up to 8K, this wasn't always the case—we used to not even have HD. Likewise, some newer videos uploaded today might still be under 720p. If you've ever come across one of these, thankfully, there's a new option for you, which might either make things better or way worse.

If you’re a Linux user, you’ll quickly find that many big-name VPNs don’t cater to you. These five VPN services offer solid clients for Linux users that will keep you safe and private while online.

Lovehoney's pre-Black Friday deals: Best deal overall Lovehoney Couple's Advent Calendar (24 Day) $199 (save $418.77) Get Deal Best vibrator deal Lovehoney Power Play Rechargeable Mini Wand Vibrator $39.99 (save $25) Get Deal Best anal sex toy deal Rocks-Off 7 Speed Ass-Berries Raspberry butt plug $26.99 (save $3) Get Deal

Alright, let’s talk sex toy deals. As Mashable’s resident expert in this area, I see a lot of questionable sales pop up, especially as we get closer to Black Friday. It’s super easy to get swindled online — honestly, places like Amazon and Walmart aren’t the best sources for buying pleasure products thanks to sketchy third-party sellers hawking potentially unsafe knock-offs. My advice? Stick to reputable retailers you trust. That’s why I’m spotlighting Lovehoney today. Its pre-Black Friday sale is totally legit, and the discounts are real and good.

SEE ALSO: Is the male sex toy revolution upon us?

Right now, you can get up to 50% off a pretty wide selection of toys, lingerie, bondage gear, and more at Lovehoney. On top of those markdowns, you’ll also get a free gift if you spend $89 or more (which shouldn’t be too hard to do). Note: This offer excludes Advent calendars.

Sorting through hundreds of discounted nightstand goodies can be overwhelming (especially if it’s your first time), so here are three of the best deals I’ve found so far:

Best deal overall Opens in a new window Credit: Lovehoney Lovehoney Couple's Advent Calendar (24 Day) $199 at Lovehoney
$617.77 Save $418.77   Get Deal Why we like it

Even though Lovehoney’s Advent calendars aren’t eligible for the free gift promotion, I still think that Lovehoney Couple's Advent Calendar (24 Day) is the best deal you can get on the site right now. According to the product page, this calendar is only $199 but holds goodies worth over $617 (so you’re saving over $418). Inside, you’ll get 24 items, including the Womanizer Classic 2 and the We-Vibe Sync Lite, and a bunch of other fun little treats. (If you want to know exactly what’s inside, the product page lists each item under the description section, but if you’d rather it be a surprise, I’ve kept this blurb spoiler-free.)

Advent calendars are a quirky and exciting way to celebrate the holiday season, and with a pleasure-focused calendar, you might be able to rekindle a spark with your partner or discover even better ways to love yourself. Like I always say, an orgasm a day keeps the blues away (it'll also give you flawless, glowing skin).

Best vibrator deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lovehoney Lovehoney Power Play Rechargeable Mini Wand Vibrator $39.99 at Lovehoney
$64.99 Save $25.00   Get Deal Why we like it

It’s always hard for me to recommend a vibrator for someone I don’t know (there’s so much that goes into picking a sex toy), but wand vibrators are usually a safe bet. Right now, you can get the Lovehoney Power Play Rechargeable Mini Wand Vibrator for just $39.99 (save $25). It’s waterproof, available in black or purple, has a travel lock, and is small enough to throw in your purse (I’d recommend putting it in a pouch or bag first). There are seven vibration modes, and it’s USB-rechargeable (so you could potentially charge it at the airport or even in your car if you run out of juice).

This little wand has 88 reviews, all of which are pretty positive. Most give it a five-star “orgasm rating” and praise its compact yet powerful design. “My girlfriend and I love to travel, and our usual wand was just too big to bring with us on holiday, so I purchased this little cute thing, and boy did it impress,” one reviewer writes. “So happy with this purchase and so was my partner.”

Best anal sex toy deal Opens in a new window Credit: Rocks-Off Rocks-Off 7 Speed Ass-Berries Raspberry butt plug $26.99 at Lovehoney
$29.99 Save $3   Get Deal Why we like it

Not everyone is into anal, and that’s OK! But, if you are, the Rocks-Off 7 Speed Ass-Berries Raspberry butt plug is only $26.99 right now. Sure, that’s only a $3 discount, but it’s totally worth it for the quality and unique design of this plug. You’ll notice that the head is textured (like a raspberry; you can get as graphic with that as you want) with raised nubs, and the base is super flared out, so there’s no chance this cutie will accidentally disappear during playtime. It also vibrates, which isn’t something most butt plugs at this price point can do (or do well, that is).

With tons of five-star reviews (some as recent as last week), you can’t beat this price. But please, for the love of God, USE LUBE. Do not attempt to play with this toy (or any anal toy) without a generous amount of water-based lube.

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.