It’s never been easier to keep an eye on your kids and/or pets at home while you’re away, all thanks to affordable home security cameras. And they’re even more affordable when you can catch a good sale, like today’s massive 55% price drop on the Blink Mini 2. Amazon is selling it for just $17.99 (was $39.99), a new all-time lowest price! The Blink Mini 2 captures sharp 1080p video, works in daylight and darkness with its built-in LED spotlight, in full color even during the night. You can view the live feed via your phone, and you can even chat with whoever’s on the other end with two-way audio. This compact security camera is perfect for any room, as long as you’re able to place it near an outlet. (It comes with a power adapter and 6-foot USB-C cable.) The best part, if you ask me, is that you can even use it outdoors. The Blink Mini 2 is waterproof and weather-resistant, so you can mount it to a wall and get an exterior view. Note, however, that you’ll need a Blink Weather Resistant Power Adapter if you’re going to use it outside (sold separately). Other handy features include motion detection with real-time alerts and integration with Alexa and Echo devices. The Blink Mini 2 is already a pretty good value at full price, but now it’s an insane value with this 55% discount. Get it for just $17.99 on Amazon while you still can! Or maybe even grab a few and set them up around your home for maximum peace of mind. An indoor/outdoor 1080p Blink security cam for only $18? That`s a deal!Buy now on Amazon Read...

You’ve probably heard of Grammarly, the AI spelling and grammar checker. But with a rebrand, a consolidation, and a new AI agent, Grammarly now fact-checks your business communications using what it knows about current context. It’s difficult to describe this iteration of Grammarly, now renamed Superhuman, and its suite. (Fortunately, the company put together a short GIF describing how it works, which is embedded below.) Essentially, the Superhuman suite and its Superhuman Go app run various agents against your own (or AI-generated) copy, correcting any mistakes you inadvertently made about a variety of topics. Consider this example: you’re emailing a coworker, Erica, about a sales call to be held tomorrow at noon. If you misspelled “Erica,” you’d expect that it would be underlined, indicating an error. In this case, if the meeting was moved–and if Superhuman was connected to your Google Calendar–it would underline the meeting time and suggest you rewrite it with the new time instead. If the subject of the call changed, this too would be highlighted, as long as the CRM service was looped in. The Superhuman suite is fact-checking your email, but it functions more like a spellchecker. Superhuman The Superhuman suite includes Grammarly, the Superhuman Mail program, the Coda all-in-one workspace, and the Superhuman Go AI program, which connects all of them together. It certainly isn’t cheap; Superhuman is charging $25 per user per month for a Starter subscription, with a more advanced Business sub that pulls in some additional features. However, the Go features will be free at no additional cost through Feb. 1, 2026, and the technology will be available to Grammarly and Superhuman suite users on Chrome and Microsoft Edge. Windows and Mac users will add the new Go capabilities “soon,” Grammarly said. The Superhuman suite allows users to move between the apps themselves, such as the Superhuman Mail interface, the Grammarly AI writing tool, and the Coda workspace. But the secret sauce will be the agents themselves. Superhuman is launching an agent store where users can download specific agents. These include Google Workspace tools, Microsoft Outlook, Atlassian Jira, and Atlassian Confluence, available today. Some partner agents are designed for specific tasks, like Fireflies, Common Room, Latimer, Parallel, Radical Candor, and Quizlet, which are also available today. The premise is familiar: connect more agents to the applications, give them access to more of your data and, supposedly, your productivity will improve. Superhuman and some of the available agents.Superhuman Grammarly/Superhuman said that “nothing changes” in terms of the products and their privacy protections. “The company does not sell or monetize user content, ensures users are in control of their data and own what they write, and does not allow its third-party service providers to train their models on user content,” the company said. Read...

AutoHotkey (AHK) is a free and simple yet powerful Windows scripting language. It doesn’t get a lot of press these days, but Windows geeks used to love writing and swapping AHK scripts. You can learn AHK and write the scripts yourself if you want to—the AutoHotkey documentation is pretty good—or you could use an AI tool like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Copilot, etc. to do the work for you. Well, that’s what I did. Months ago, I vibe-coded a script that changes how scrolling works on Windows. (Vibe coding is when you use prompt instructions to generate code via AI.) I still use it every day because it’s a huge help on my desktop PC’s big monitor. With AI, creating the script took less than an hour. All I needed was the right idea. What can you vibe-code with AutoHotkey? AutoHotkey scripts can create custom hotkeys, remap existing shortcuts, create custom text expansion rules, transform how your mouse works, and even take actions based on game controller inputs. AutoHotkey is also powerful enough to create full graphical user interfaces, so you can use AHK to create your own little utilities. Imagine creating a custom quick access launcher with shortcut icons to commonly used apps when you press a specific shortcut. Or your own unique canned response utility where you press a key to bring up a menu of responses that can be inserted into emails, productivity apps, etc. These are just a few examples that are simple and quick to create. AutoHotkey Vibe coding with AI is simple, too, and it feels like magic when it works… but it doesn’t always work on the first try. The simpler the software you want to create, the easier it is for an LLM to generate it—and not only that, but easier for you to troubleshoot any bugs that might arise. Because AutoHotkey scripts are short and simple, and because you can quickly test an AHK script to see if it’s working as intended, this is an excellent use case for AI-driven vibe coding. How to vibe-code an AutoHotkey script First, you need an idea. Then, before the actual coding part, you need to figure out if AutoHotkey can actually do what you want it to do. AutoHotkey is powerful, but it has limitations. Simply ask your AI model of choice: “Could you write an AutoHotkey script that [does whatever it is you want to do]?” If it responds in the negative, ask what similar things it can do instead. (Or simply ask for your desired AHK script anyway and see what happens!) Be very specific about what you want it to do. If it’s a simple request (for example, remapping your PC’s Copilot key to some other action), then it’ll probably succeed on the first try. But once you start getting into complicated territory (like adding a Recycle Bin to the system tray), you may have to go back and forth a while. Also, be sure to specify that you want an AutoHotkey v2 script. Both v1 and v2 versions are still available, but the older AHK v1 is deprecated. You might as well start with the current supported version! Chris Hoffman / Foundry Don’t know where to begin? Try these basic prompts: “Write an AHK v2 script that makes the Caps Lock key function as a Mute key unless I hold the Ctrl key. While I hold the Ctrl key, it functions as a normal Caps Lock key.” “Write an AHK v2 script that pops up a custom app launcher window with buttons to open Chrome, OneNote, Spotify, Steam, and my Documents folder. Make it open when I press Ctrl + Alt + L.” “Write an AHK v2 script that asks me to type a time like ’30s’ or ‘5m’ and then waits that long before showing a pop-up message saying ‘Time is up.’ Make it ask for a time when I press Ctrl + Alt + T.” Chris Hoffman / Foundry The vibe-coding process is normally a back-and-forth. You may want to make refinements. You will need to test the resulting script yourself and see if it works. If it doesn’t work the way you want it to—or if you encounter an error message—you’ll need to continue the conversation and explain that something isn’t working the way you want it to. The more complex your idea, the more likely you’ll have to go back and forth. Be specific! The more information you can share, the better the LLM can understand what you’re looking for. If you see an error message, copy-paste it and show the LLM. (Providing lots of context is the overall secret to using AI chatbots effectively.) How to run an AutoHotkey script AutoHotkey scripts are trivial to run. To get started, download and install AutoHotkey. Don’t worry, it’s free! I highly recommend AutoHotkey v2 because AutoHotkey v1.1 is obsolete. AutoHotkey scripts are just text files with an .ahk file extension. To create one, open Notepad (or any other text editor) and paste in the script text that’s generated by the LLM. Then, save it with the .ahk file extension (for example, script.ahk). Chris Hoffman / Foundry Double-click any AHK file in File Explorer and it’ll open in AutoHotkey. Now, you can test it. Does it work like you’d expect? Do you want it to do something different? Do you see any errors? In any of those cases, tell your LLM and continue the conversation. To update the script, just change the contents of the .ahk file in the same text editor, then save the file again. You’ll need to reload the script in AutoHotkey, too. (To reload AHK scripts, look for a green “H” icon in your system tray, right-click it, and select “Reload Script.”) Chris Hoffman / Foundry If you’d like the AHK script to run at startup, just add a shortcut to it to your user account’s startup folder. How would you change Windows? If you’ve always wanted Windows to work differently—like I did with the middle mouse button scrolling script—now’s your chance. You can add new features, change existing behaviors, and eradicate annoying system headaches, all without being a programmer. Thanks to the power of LLMs and vibe coding, you just need imagination. Subscribe to Chris Hoffman’s newsletter, The Windows ReadMe, for more Windows experiments. The AI may write the AutoHotkey scripts, but a real human writes this newsletter. Read...

Everyone knows what a password is. But we can’t say the same for two-factor authentication or passkeys, which is a shame because these two security features dramatically boost the safety of your online accounts. Using both is actually your best bet, but when to use one over the other can be confusing. If you don’t know much about 2FA or passkeys or you’re unsure which is better, this guide should clear that right up. What is 2FA? Two-factor authentication is a second layer of security you add to an account—think of it like another deadbolt on a door. In order to successfully log in, you must verify yourself a second time. Traditionally, a password (your first “factor”) is something you know. Your second “factor” is something you have (like a phone or a security key) or something you are (like a fingerprint). Two-factor authentication methods include one-time-use codes sent via text message or generated by an app, push notifications via phone app, and a hardware security key (e.g., a YubiKey). Hardware security keys like this YubiKey make 2FA very simple.Alaina Yee / Foundry Not all forms of 2FA are equally secure. Text message codes are the weakest due to the security weaknesses of SMS and mobile phone line porting. (For example, text messages can be intercepted via SS7 attacks, while a SIM jack can steal your phone number from under your nose.) Hardware security keys are the strongest. An attacker would need physical access to the dongle to use it. What is a passkey? A passkey is actually a set of encryption keys used for account authentication. It’s a form of asymmetric encryption (aka public-key cryptography) based on the WebAuthn standard. Creating a passkey generates a unique public-private key pair, bound to the device and website it was made for. The website stores the public key. You keep the private key, which always remains secret—though part of the authentication process, it’s never directly shared. It can’t be derived from the public key, either. You can store a passkey in several ways. For more convenience, save them to a cloud-based password manager. Such a service can be the one built-in to your Google or Microsoft account, or an independent company like Bitwarden or Dashlane. For greater security, save them to a specific device like your Windows PC (not your Microsoft account) or a hardware security key. You can secure a passkey in several ways. You can also create more than one passkey for an account, in case you need backup methods of logging in.PCWorld You can create more than one passkey per account. Though each is unique, they still serve as backups for one another—in the sense that if you lose one, you can still log in with a different one. Making more than one passkey to store on different devices is smart, because you can lose a phone or security key, or have your laptop stolen. And recently, the group behind passkeys (the FIDO Alliance) enabled support for passkey transfers—so if supported by your password managers, you can move between ecosystems or services with little hassle.(Currently, only a handful of password managers support passkey portability, with Apple as the biggest participant. But the list continues to expand.) To use a passkey, you must first initiate an authentication request on the site you’re logging into. (Basically, choose the option for signing in with a passkey.) Then you’ll use biometrics like your fingerprint or a PIN to authorize use of your passkey. Security experts consider biometrics more secure, but privacy experts advise a PIN in certain circumstances. (For example, in the United States, the government cannot compel you to share a PIN, but biometric data is not protected in the same way.) So, which is better? Fun fact about passkeys and 2FA—they’re not mutually exclusive! A website or app can choose to allow you to enable 2FA in addition to a passkey for login. However, you won’t find this combination much at all, at least for now. (Amazon is the only major website I’ve seen that still asks for 2FA codes after using a passkey.) If 2FA is enabled, Amazon will still text a one-time use code to your phone after successfully logging in with a passkey.Mark Hachman / IDG Why? A passkey is inherently more secure than a password, since it can’t be stolen or easily shared like passwords. It also blends both information you have (a private cryptography key) and something you are or know (either biometrics or a PIN). Two-factor authentication becomes less necessary to protect against phishing, credential stuffing, and other common attacks that rely on weak or compromised passwords. So our showdown here is more about when best to use one or the either—if you even get the choice. 2FA vs Passkeys: Convenience You can make 2FA pretty seamless — my favorite trick for this is to use a hardware security key and leave it plugged into your PC. Any time you need to authenticate for 2FA, you just touch the key. Meanwhile, a passkey works across all devices without extra setup or purchases, assuming you’re signed up for a free cloud storage service. A Microsoft account will be the most seamless way to get started for PC users, but a Google, Apple, or even Bitwarden account works great too. Ultimately, what’s best for you will be based on personal preference. But for most people, the win goes to passkeys for how cheap (free!) and easy they are to set up and use. Winner: Passkeys 2FA vs Passkey: Security First, so we don’t lose sight of the big picture—any form of two-factor authentication is better than no 2FA. That said, 2FA is only as secure as the method you choose. As mentioned above, text messages (SMS) have exploitable weaknesses. Push notifications are a little better, but they too can be compromised by hackers. If a bad actor knows your password, they can try an MFA fatigue attacks to get into your account—that is, spamming you with successful password use, hoping you accidentally approve a 2FA push notification request during the deluge. I recommend starting with app-generated one-time codes, since they cannot be easily compromised or attacked. But they’re still vulnerable to phishing attacks, where an attacker can steal your 2FA code after you input it into a fake website they control. (This very kind of attack managed to trip up a security guru earlier this year.) The strongest method of 2FA is a hardware security token, which requires human touch to work—and are encrypted in a way not easily compromised. An attacker would need physical access to use such a security key. Meanwhile, for passkeys, its pair of encryption keys are theoretically not crackable by today’s computers. However, storing them in a cloud-based password manager does run a theoretical risk. If that account becomes compromised, your passkeys could be used across the web by the attacker—or ported to another service you don’t control. So in my opinion, this head-to-head works out to a draw. Both of these methods greatly improve security in their own ways, but cannot be compared directly. Also, not all websites support both two-factor authentication and passkeys, so you may not have a choice. I think of these more as complementary security options, rather than head-to-head competitors. That said, if you don’t use strong passwords and will also realistically never turn on 2FA, then passkeys win every time. Winner: Draw 2FA vs Passkey: Price Passkeys are free. The ways you store them may not be. (Maybe you like hardware security keys best.) Many forms of 2FA are free, too. But again, how you approach them could require extra devices. For example, I know individuals who maintain a second cheap cell phone line, used exclusively for 2FA text codes. (Some banks don’t offer other methods of 2FA.) They never share the number, so it can’t be associated with them publicly, and thus minimizes the risk of a successful SIM jacking attack. But paying to use either is optional, even if you don’t own a smartphone. My take? For each person, the winner of this comes down to what forms of 2FA are available to you, your take on security versus convenience, and the supported security features of the websites and apps you use. Plus, how paranoid you are about losing your primary and secondary forms of 2FA or the device(s) with passkeys stored on them. But broadly speaking, I think it’s a draw—convenience and security will play bigger roles in which one you choose. Winner: Draw Read...

TL;DR: For just $14.97, get a lifetime license to Microsoft Windows 11 Pro (MSRP $199). Still cruising on Windows 10 and pretending nothing’s broken? Relatable—“Remind me later” is muscle memory. But support for Windows 10 just officially ended. With this deal, you can finally make the jump to Windows 11 Pro for just $14.97. That’s a full-fledged, professional-grade operating system for the price of two fancy lattes. First of all, Windows 11 Pro is smooth. Like, way smoother than its predecessors. The redesigned interface is clean, centered, and customizable, which is great for focus and flow. Plus, it comes with features that make multitasking feel like second nature: snap layouts, virtual desktops, and lightning-fast search tools. You get enterprise-grade features like BitLocker encryption, Windows Hello biometric login, and TPM 2.0 compatibility — all designed to protect your work, files, and peace of mind. And Windows Copilot is now baked in, meaning you can ask for help, automate tasks, summarize web pages, or even brainstorm new ideas, all from your desktop. If you’re a developer, creative, remote worker, or small business owner, Windows 11 Pro is an upgrade that can give you a serious productivity boost. Don’t miss upgrading to Windows 11 Pro while it’s on sale for just $14.97 (MSRP $199) for a limited time. Microsoft Windows 11 ProSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

OPPO launches Find X9 Series in New Zealand, featuring advanced cameras, durable design, and powerful specs starting at NZD $1,999. Read...

First, there was generative AI, allowing creators, editors and memelords to create artificial worlds with just a few words. Now, Adobe is offering the ability to edit those worlds with Prompt to Edit, a new feature within Firefly plus audio. Photoshop is also adding generative upscaling and a “harmonize” feature, too. Adobe announced the new capabilities at its Adobe MAX conference, where it typically rolls out new capabilities within its Adobe Creative Cloud suite as well as Firefly, its AI image generator — which now includes soundtracks and AI voiceovers. Obviously, users have the ability to use Firefly to create entirely new images or use one of Adobe’s other tools to make edits to the finished product. But Prompt to Edit is probably one of the more interesting additions to Adobe’s set of tools. Firefly’s Prompt to Edit capability is generally available to customers today, Adobe said. However, it remains to be seen how effective it is and how much Adobe will “charge” in terms of image credits. Firefly’s new capabilities also include new models from ElevenLabs and TopazLabs, and the ability to create 4-megapixel models, which means images up to 2560×1440 pixels. Until December 1, however, that’s a moot point. Adobe will allow unlimited AI image generations as well as the Firefly Video model until then, the company said. Adobe added a Firefly Video Editor in private beta, which includes a timeline editor for trimming and organizing clips, with the ability to add start or end frames. Users will be able to perform edits using the video editor or via a text transcription. Concept art of Adobe’s new music soundtrack generator.Adobe Firefly users will also be able to add a soundtrack, too. Adobe is debuting the commercially safe Firefly Audio Model for background music as well as the Firefly Speech Model (plus another from ElevenLabs) for voiceovers. This comes as OpenAI reportedly is thinking about its own music generator. Suno, a dedicated AI music generator, also released an updated “4.5 All” model to the general public on Tuesday. Adobe also previewed “Project Moonlight,” an AI assistant which sniffs out a creator’s social channels and makes recommendations based upon the existing content. Photoshop, Premiere, Lightroom add AI improvements Adobe’s additions to Photoshop include generative upscaling and a new “harmonize” feature. Generative Upscale is a feature that Topaz Labs has offered for years; image upscaling is also built into Windows, though you’ll need a Copilot+ PC to enable it. Essentially, upscaling takes a low-resolution photo or image and intelligently adds pixels to it, effectively turning it into a more detailed image. Adobe says that you’ll be able to create up to 4K images using the new feature. Harmonize also uses AI to blend people or objects into new scenes, which very much sounds like the traditional “Photoshopping” of images that the online community has embraced. Harmonize is used for “matching light, color and tone for natural, realistic results—completing the bulk of the compositing process,” Adobe says. Photoshop is also adding Google Gemini 2.5 Flash Image, Black Forest Labs FLUX.1 Kontext and Firefly Image Models to its Generative Fill capabilities. All of these are available today. Adobe doesn’t seem to have added the Prompt to Edit capability to Photoshop yet, but the company did show off a “limited private beta” of an AI assistant in Photoshop that appears to offer similar changes. It’s an improved version of tools like Copilot Vision in Windows. Adobe is testing an AI assistant for Photoshop.Adobe Meanwhile, Adobe is adding an AI Object Mask to Premiere, a public beta. The technology “automatically identifies and isolates people and objects in video frames so that they can be edited and tracked without the need for manual rotoscoping,” Adobe said, “Object Mask makes the process of color grading, blurring and adding special effects to a moving background quicker and easier.” Finally, Adobe is testing “assisted culling” in Lightroom, which will assess and pull out the “best” images in a collection, using focus, angles and sharpness as metrics. Read...

Uh oh, Meta is implementing a change that some users aren’t going to like (and others are going to applaud). Due to new guidelines for WhatsApp business accounts, soon AI chatbots will no longer be allowed when they’re used as the main purpose of the messenger app. The relevant policy text says: Providers and developers of artificial intelligence or machine learning technologies, including but not limited to large language models, generative artificial intelligence platforms, general-purpose artificial intelligence assistants … are strictly prohibited from accessing or using the WhatsApp Business Solution, whether directly or indirectly, for the purposes of providing, delivering, offering, selling, or otherwise making available such technologies when such technologies are the primary (rather than incidental or ancillary) functionality being made available for use, as determined by Meta in its sole discretion. In layman’s terms, this means that AI tools like ChatGPT will be removed from WhatsApp, and AI providers (such as Perplexity) will no longer be allowed to offer chatbots via WhatsApp. The only AI you’ll be allowed to use for support on WhatsApp will be Meta’s own AI. Officially, the change won’t take effect until January 16th, 2026, but it’s possible that OpenAI will remove ChatGPT from WhatsApp before then to avoid conflicts with Meta. Why is WhatsApp banning AI chatbots? According to Meta (via TechCrunch), chatbots like ChatGPT “placed a lot of burden on its system with increased message volume and required a different kind of support, which the company wasn’t ready for.” However, the fact that Meta’s own AI has also been available in WhatsApp since earlier this year is also likely to be a factor that led to this decision, especially as Meta’s AI can’t be deactivated or deleted. Starting January 2026, it’ll still be possible to use chatbots and AI in WhatsApp, for example to provide support or customer service. But there can no longer be a real AI assistant. Anyone who fails to adhere to the guidelines risks being banned from WhatsApp Business Solutions. What should you do about this? To date, over 50 million people are said to have used ChatGPT via WhatsApp, which should be seen as a huge success for both apps. Nevertheless, the end of the brief collaboration is inevitable. Starting January 2026, anyone who wants to continue using ChatGPT will have to use one of ChatGPT’s apps (like the Android version on the Play Store) or directly in the web browser. Both options offer more features than ChatGPT via WhatsApp, and they’re less limited when it comes to uploading files or voice input. Alternatively, you can start chatting with Meta AI via the search bar in WhatsApp. Meta AI is currently based on the Llama 4 language model, which offers efficient and solution-oriented answers but isn’t as good at working with context as ChatGPT is. Note that Meta AI will start snooping on your chats soon for personalizing ads and content. If you don’t want to lose access to your chat history with ChatGPT, you should back it up by January 15th, 2026. To do this, you need to link your WhatsApp account to your ChatGPT account, which you can do via ChatGPT on WhatsApp by clicking the three-dot menu and then View contact. Scroll down, then select Link your ChatGPT account. Further reading: Fun ways to use ChatGPT when you’re bored Read...

When your doorbell rings, can you be sure it’s just a pack of trick-or-treating kids? Or is it someone else? With a video doorbell, you can peek at your doorstep using your phone and even talk to whoever’s there. And if you don’t have a video doorbell yet, here’s a deal worth jumping on: the Ring Battery Doorbell is now 50% off on Amazon. Instead of its usual $99.99, you can now get it for just $49.99! That matches its historical low price, by the way. This is the ideal video doorbell for first-time smart homers thanks to its built-in battery that charges via USB-C. You don’t need to worry about hooking up any doorbell wires! Recharging is as simple as detaching it from its mount (which stays attached to your outside wall) and plugging it into an outlet for a bit, then snapping it back in when it’s done. Just connect this video doorbell to your home Wi-Fi network and you’re good to go. It’ll capture head-to-toe footage in 1080p with clear night vision for day and night surveillance. With live view and two-way audio, you can check in on your phone at any time and even chat with whoever’s outside. You can do stuff like telling your delivery person what to do with a package or instructing trick-or-treaters to candy. Another nice feature is integration with Alexa and other Echo devices, allowing you to (for example) check your video feed on your Echo Show. And with a paid Ring subscription, you can unlock advanced features like motion detection notifications. This is one of the best starter video doorbells for smart home newbies, and it’s a steal with this 50% discount. Get the Ring Battery Doorbell for $49.99 before this limited-time deal expires! Save 50% on the popular Ring Video Doorbell while you canBuy now at Amazon Read...

If you use the Microsoft 365 app on your mobile phone or tablet, you should think carefully before updating to the latest version. For a long time, the Microsoft 365 app was great for its focus on Office, allowing you to view your recent documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and more—both local and cloud-synced. It was also a great way to create new files and launch them in their respective apps. Unfortunately, a recent update for both Android and iOS versions of the Microsoft 365 app has pushed aside those “basic” features in favor of Copilot, Microsoft’s AI tool. When you open the new app, front and center are options to chat with Copilot and create AI-generated images. To access your Office files like before, you now need to open the three-line “hamburger” menu and perform a search for them, which is more complicated and less efficient. Microsoft is reeeeally stretching for ways to promote Copilot, seemingly hoping that people will eventually cave and start using it if they’re inundated by it in every Microsoft product for long enough. But most users are extremely unhappy with the latest update, with many choosing to give it 1-star ratings on the App Store and Google Play Store, reports Windows Latest. Read...