I spoke with Cody "Clix" Conrod, who has millions of followers on social. He has been playing Fortnite since a young age and now he is world famous.Read More

From the Apple Watch Series 10 and Samsungs new Galaxy S25 to the top-of-the-line Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra, Amazons Big Spring Sale has brought steep discounts on some of our favorite gadgets. Theres just one problem: a large chunk of them will set you back at least several hundred dollars, if not more. That can be a tough sell in a day and age when eggs are twice as expensive and tariffs loom large.RelatedWere well aware of the current financial climate here at The Verge, so were highlighting some of our favorite budget-friendly picks alongside the best deals overall. These are gadgets and gizmos that are cheap-ish in price but not in quality. In fact, many of the items featured below, all of which can be had for $100 or less, are some of the best available.Whats more, many of them dont require you to sign up for Amazon Prime, meaning everybody can join in on the savings.In this articleNothing Ear (a)$78$9921% off$78Nothings Ear (a) earbuds have the same general design as the companys previous earbuds but you can get these in a snazzy yellow. They include ANC, more than decent sound quality, and other features like multipoint for just under $100.$78 at Amazon$99 at NothingBeats Studio Buds Plus$100$17041% off$100The Beats Studio Buds Plus offer better sound and noise cancellation than the original pair, and they now come in a unique translucent color option. Read our review.Ankers Soundcore Sport X20 earbuds are on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart for $63.99 ($16 off), matching their second-best price to date. The fitness-friendly buds are a lot like the Sport X10 which were once our favorite budget earbuds for the gym only they offer longer battery life, a more robust IP68 water resistance rating, and multipoint support. They also supposedly offer better noise cancellation and continue to sport an adjustable ear hook, which is a boon if youre someone who struggles with keeping traditional earbuds in during intense gym sessions.If youre in the market for a pair of headphones, Sonys WH-CH520 are on sale at Amazon starting at $35.95 (about $24 off), their lowest price to date. The over-ears offer a solid set of features for their price, including up to 50 hours of battery life, decent sound, and support for both Google Assistant and Siri.Apple AirPods 4$100$13023% off$100Apples AirPods 4 improve on previous models with better sound, clearer voice calls, and an even more comfortable design. For $50 extra, you can purchase a model with active noise cancellation and wireless charging.JLab Go Air Pop$18$2528% off$18The JLab Go Air Pop is an affordable pair of wireless earbuds with eight hours of battery life (or 32 hours with the included charging case). The case also houses a built-in USB-A charging plug, so youre never without a charging cable.$18 at AmazonBluetooth speaker dealsUE Miniroll$59$8026% off$59Ultimate Ears latest disc-shaped Bluetooth speaker is small and affordable, with a built-in strap for attaching it to your belongings. It also charges via USB-C and features an IP67 rating against dust and water, along with up to 12 hours of battery life.Echo Pop$30$4025% off$30The Echo Pop is one of Amazons newer Alexa-enabled smart speakers. It offers a unique semisphere form factor and can function as an Eero mesh Wi-Fi extender. Read our review.Amazons latest Echo Dot is down to $39.99 ($10 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Kohls. The tiny, orb-shaped smart speaker features onboard microphones and produces good sound for its size, making it a solid option for listening to music, issuing smart home commands, checking the weather, and making other various Alexa requests. It also includes a built-in temperature sensor, which can tell you the temperature in the room and trigger various Alexa Routines, if necessary. Read our review.The Echo Spot is also on sale for $64.99 at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target, which is a decent $15 discount. The Alexa-enabled smart alarm clock offers a customizable 2.83-inch screen that displays information like the weather; however, unlike Amazons larger smart displays, the Spot lacks a camera, so theres less of a need to worry about privacy when you place it on your bedside table. Read our review.JBL Go 3$30$4025% off$30The last-gen JBL Go 3 may not be quite as powerful as larger models in JBLs current lineup, but it remains a great pool-ready Bluetooth speaker that can fit in your pocket.Sonys SRS-XB100 speaker is available at Amazon and Best Buy for around $48 ($12 off) or at Target for $39.99 if youre a member of the retailers free loyalty program. Despite the fact its tiny, the Bluetooth speaker delivers crisp, clear sound along with up to 16 hours of continuous battery life. It also sports IP67 dust and water resistance, so you can take it hiking or to the pool without worrying. Read our review.Soundcores Select 4 Go is on sale at Amazon starting at just $19.99 ($10 off), which matches its all-time low. The floatable Bluetooth speaker can last up to 20 hours on a single charge and can be paired with a second Select 4 Go for stereo sound.Charging accessory deals$76Ankers latest GaN charger features an integrated display and four USB ports on the underside of the device, as opposed to the side, which helps keep it in place while charging.$76 at Amazon$76 at Anker (with code WS7DV2S6COSS)ESR Qi2 Magnetic Wireless Car Charger$20$4050% off$20A compact, flexible Qi2 charger for vent and dash mounting. Read our review.$20 at Amazon$28 at ESR (with code NWESR)If youre someone who owns (or, someday, envisions owning) USB-C gadgets that draw a lot of power, its wise to buy cables with high wattage passthrough, just so youre ready for the future. Ankers six-foot 240W USB-C cable is a great candidate, especially since its discounted to $16.99 ($8 off) at Amazon.Ugreens Uno lineup of charging accessories aims to be more personable. To that end, its 6.6-foot 1ooW USB-C cable which is currently discounted to $10.39 ($2.61 off) at Amazon has expressive, Tamagotchi-like eyes. The reason? Theres no reason its just cute, okay?Power banks with built-in USB-C cables are the hot thing right now. As it turns out, having a battery pack that can charge your device in a jiffy and double as a lanyard is pretty great. Luckily, you can snag one of the most affordable 20,000mAh models out there, Ankers 30W Zolo power bank, for $24.61 (about $11 off) at Amazon. While its not powerful enough to quickly charge a Steam Deck thats running games, itll do just fine for charging it (as well as other USB-C devices) while they sleep.Anker MagGo Qi2 Certified 15W Wireless Charger$20$2520% off$20The latest version of Ankers magnetic MagGo charging pads supports 15W Qi2 and has a five-foot USB-C cable.Anker 621 Magnetic Battery (MagGo)$26$4035% off$26Ankers 621 Magnetic Battery is a slim, 5,000mAh charger that can attach magnetically to the back of any MagSafe-ready iPhone.$26 at Amazon$26 at AnkerThe Baseus Free2Pull Retractable USB-C Cable that changed how Verge editor-at-large David Pierce packs his tech bag is on sale at Amazon for just $10.39 ($7 off), its best price yet. The 3.3-foot cable supports 100W passthrough, and perhaps itll revolutionize your gadget loadout, too.The Sharge Retractable 65 is on sale for $36 at Amazon for Prime members, down from $49.99. The transparent 65W travel charger sports a classy look, while featuring a built-in retractable USB-C cable and USB-C port so you can charge laptops, phones, and other devices at the same time.If youre not ready to pony up for a Qi2 charger, Ugreens Magnetic Wireless Charging Station has fallen to an all-time low of $21.99 ($14 off) at Amazon. Unlike the newer Qi2 offerings that provide 15W charging speeds, Ugreens charger can only supply 7.5W of power to MagSafe-compatible devices, or 5W to a pair of wireless earbuds or any Qi-ready device if youre using the integrated charging stand located on the bottom.Smart home dealsEcobee Smart Thermostat Premium$219$25012% off$219The Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium is an excellent option for adding smarts and some style to your HVAC system. As well as being a smart way to control your energy use, the thermostat can also act as a video intercom for Ecobees new doorbell camera.Philips Hue Smart 60W A19 LED Bulb (three-pack)$80$13541% off$80Philips Hues Bluetooth-enabled, 800-lumen smart bulbs feature simple functionality and allow for a broad range of colors, giving you a quick means of controlling your lighting.$80 at AmazonGovee may be best known for its ambient TV backlighting, but it also makes lighting products to illuminate your entire living space in shades of RGB. One of its most stunning lights, the Smart Table Lamp 2, is on sale for $55.99 ($14 off) at Amazon. It can provide vibrant lights for a gathering, or you can adjust its color temperature to suit your bedtime and wake-up rituals better.Want a compact smart display for your nightstand? Amazons latest Echo Show 5 is on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and B&H Photo for $69.99 ($20 off), which is a pretty typical discount. The Alexa-enabled smart display is Amazons smallest at 5.5 inches, though its still plenty big enough for managing smart home devices and controlling music playback. It also has a 2-megapixel camera (with an integrated privacy shutter), just in case you want to use it for more than a smart alarm clock.You can buy the Eve Energy Smart Plug and Power Meter at Amazon for $29.95 ($10 off), an all-time low. Like other smart plugs, Eves handy device can turn traditional indoor gadgets like lamps and fans into smart devices; its also capable of monitoring your energy use and works with all the major smart home platforms (Amazon Alexa, Google Home, etc.) thanks to its support for the newer Matter standard.Meross Smart Wi-Fi Garage Door Opener$39$5022% off$39Meross makes a handy add-on that can transform a variety of garage door models into smart doors that you can open remotely. It works with Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings.$39 at AmazonYou can grab a four-pack of Meross Smart Plug Minis on sale at Amazon for an all-time low of $28.99 ($15 off) when you clip the on-page coupon. That brings the handy, hubless smart plugs down to just over $7 a pop, allowing you to control a range of traditional devices via Apple Home, Google Home, or Amazon Alexa without breaking the bank.Amazons Smart Thermostat has returned to $61.99 ($18 off) at Amazon and Kohls, which has sort of become its base sale price in recent months. The modern, easy-to-use thermostat allows for easy control of your HVAC even while youre not home and supports Alexa hunches to try and predict what changes you need based on your habits, which could help you save on your monthly bill. Read our review.Amazons Smart Air Quality Monitor is on sale for $54.99 ($15 off) at Amazon, which is $10 shy of its best price yet. Not only does the budget-friendly gadget let you know when your air quality is poor, it can also help improve it by automatically turning on Alexa-enabled devices including smart thermostats and air purifiers via Alexa Hunches. Read our original review.SwitchBot Smart Switch Button Pusher$22$2924% off$22If youve ever wished you had a robot that could push a button for you, thats precisely what SwitchBots Smart Switch does. Its simple, smart, and works on anything with a button. Stick it on the device you want to turn on or off, and youre set.$22 at AmazonSmart security dealsBlink Mini 2$20$4050% off$20The 1080p Blink Mini adds weather resistance so you can use it both indoors and outside, while continuing to offer a ball-and-socket mount so you can mount it to the wall. However, youll need to pay $3 a month for the optional Blink subscription plan if you want to use cloud storage and features like person detection. Read our review.Blink Video Doorbell$33$6045% off$33Blinks Video Doorbell is the best if youre looking for a budget-friendly buzzer that offers motion-activated recording and alerts, night vision, two-way audio, and up to two years of battery life.Rings latest Indoor Cam is on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and The Home Depot for $39.99 ($20 off), matching its second-best price to date. The 1080p security camera boasts all the same features as the prior model including two-way talk, color night vision, and a built-in siren only its equipped with a redesigned mount that makes it easier to adjust. That said, youll need a Ring Protect Plan ($4.99 a month / $49.99 a year) to share or view video recordings.The Blink Wired Floodlight Camera is on sale for $69.99 ($20 off) at Amazon and The Home Depot, which is $20 shy of its all-time low and the best price weve seen since the holidays. The inexpensive, Alexa-compatible outdoor security camera offers decent 1080p video, sports a 105dB siren, and provides 2,600 lumens of brightness via two onboard floodlights. You can also mount it horizontally or vertically, and the camera provides local recording assuming you opt for the optional Sync Module 2 and a USB stick.Ecobee Smart Doorbell Camera$120$16025% off$120This is a great wired doorbell camera, and the only one that can use an Ecobee thermostat as a video intercom, making it a no-brainer for Ecobee households, as long as you can hook it to your doorbell wiring.Other Verge favoritesFitbit Inspire 3$70$10030% off$70The Fitbit Inspire 3 is a minimalist fitness band that delivers notifications and tracks your activity on a bright OLED screen.Glocusent book light$18$2218% off$18Glocuscents book light hangs around your neck to illuminate whatever youre reading, while offering adjustable brightness and warmth settings.$18 at AmazonPet owners who strive to keep pet hair to a minimum shouldnt overlook the ChomChom Roller, especially since its currently on sale at Amazon for $19.59 ($5 off). This simple tool can de-fur your couch faster and more effectively than most vacuums, even if its not the best tool for ridding clothes of unwanted hair.Backbone One (USB-C) with carrying case$70$12544% off$70If you own an Android phone or an iPhone 15 or newer, you can grab one of Backbones phenomenal One controllers at a discount, and it comes with an official zip-up, hardshell case.$70 at WootAmazon Fire TV Stick 4K (2023)$30$5040% off$30The latest version of Amazons zippy Fire TV Stick 4K streams in 4K resolution, as its name suggests, and features support for Wi-Fi 6, Dolby Atmos / Vision, and HDR10 Plus.The AeroPress Go is nearly matching its best price to date at Amazon, where you can pick it up for $31.95 ($18 off). Its basically a lighter, more self-contained version of the original AeroPress, which has become a well-known staple amongst Verge staffers. Its a simple way to make great coffee on the go, especially since it comes with a filter holder, a scoop, a mug, and other accessories designed to make life a little easier.The Blue Yeti microphone is on sale at Amazon in a myriad of colors starting at $90.99 ($39 off). Thats not the lowest price weve seen its fallen to around $70 in the past but its still a good deal on what has become a certifiable classic USB mic in the era of never-ending Zoom meetings. The versatile mic is easy to set up and simple to use, with a three-capsule microphone that can capture clear, warm sound that should appeal to both amateur podcasters and anyone wanting a more professional setup.The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom$47$6022% off$47Princess Zeldas first solo adventure as a playable character tasks her with saving her people, including Link, who have been taken away through mysterious rifts.$47 at AmazonEA Sports College Football 25$10$7086% off$10After a decade-long wait since the last college football video game, EA Sports delivered a triumphant return (and its best football title of the year) in College Football 25.$10 at AmazonCagiwirus Cordless Air Blower / Duster is down to an all-time low of $18.04 ($7 off) at Amazon (at checkout). It might not be as powerful as a can of compressed air, but its close, and its much more versatile with its swappable tips, built-in light, and ability to recharge via USB-C.Having access to clean drinking water everywhere you are is a privilege, but not guaranteed. If youll be out in the wild, or if youre vacationing but want to be cautious when it comes to water intake, the LifeStraw Peak is worth picking up at Amazon for its current price of $18.62 ($6 off). Its essentially a thick straw outfitted with a filter thats capable of removing 99.9 percent of bacteria, parasites, and microplastics from the water youre drinking.Thermacell E90 Mosquito Repeller$42$40-5% off$42Thermacells long-lasting repeller uses replaceable cartridges and a built-in battery to create a 20-foot bug-free zone thats fit for any BBQ or outdoor shindig.$42 at AmazonSee More:

Ever since Nintendo officially revealed the Switch 2, all eyes have been on the upcoming April Direct. Thats when well presumably get an official Switch 2 release date, price, and confirmed line-up of games. So the last thing I was expecting was for Nintendo to drop another Direct the week before then, packed with big names like Pokmon Legends Z-A and Metroid Prime 4. But maybe given Nintendos commitments to backward compatibility, I shouldnt be too surprised.Prior to this weeks Nintendo Direct, Nintendo was careful to temper expectations by declaring There will be no updates about Nintendo Switch 2 during the presentation. While thats technically true Switch 2 wasnt mentioned apart from a reminder about the upcoming Direct and the new Virtual Game Card sharing system its not a huge leap to say that everything we saw this week will be playable on the Switch 2, even if, officially, these games are coming to the original Switch. PlayIts a win-win situation for everyone involved - those sticking with the OG Switch still have plenty to be excited about as the console enters its eighth year, and anyone upgrading to Switch 2 can do so safe in the knowledge it will have an extensive back catalogue of games right from the get-go.Nintendos commitment to backward compatibility is contributing to what I think will be one of the smoothest transitions weve ever seen between console generations. Of course, most are excited to see what the Switch 2 can do and what new games are incoming, but by playing it safe with the hardware, Nintendo has all bases covered. Based on the most recent Nintendo Direct, you wouldnt think Nintendo is trying to sell as many Switch 2 pre-orders in the run-up to launch and convince people to upgrade. And that inclusive approach should be applauded. Nintendo is essentially saying everyone is welcome, whether youre looking to buy a Switch 2 at launch, upgrade further down the line, or are content to keep the Switch you already own.Thats why there was no risk in showcasing the multitude of Switch games less than a week before a dedicated Switch 2 Direct drops, even when just beneath the surface of the Direct Nintendo was putting down even more groundwork for the coming succession. Im talking about the Virtual Game Card system, which is an update that allows Switch owners to link two consoles together and share digital games. Its a useful feature, especially with digital games sales on the rise, and its similar to the family sharing system Steam has. But why announce it at the very end of the Switch life cycle when the Switch 2 is literally weeks or months away? Presumably to make the transition to Switch 2 even smoother.PlaySome have pointed out that the fine print for the Virtual Game Card indicates the existence of a Switch 2 Edition for certain games. Whether that means there are exclusive enhancements to Switch 2 Edition games that make them unshareable with the older Switch, exclusive re-releases that will only work on Switch 2, or something else entirely, is still a mystery. But in the same way Nintendo said Certain Nintendo Switch games may not be supported or fully compatible with Switch 2 when it was announced, this fine print likely covers Nintendos bases in the case of there being any unshareable games.Whatever that fine print means, it feels like Nintendo is treating the road to Switch 2 almost like a procession, a bit like the way Apple moves from one iPhone to the next. You dont have to upgrade but there are definitely benefits if you do, and you can bring whatever games you had before along for the ride. Matt Kim is IGN's Senior Features Editor.

Image by Getty / FuturismThe ability to grow full facial hair is often considered,however unfairly,a key indicator of masculinity and virility.And hose who can't grow their own now have transplant options available to them though they may not all be safe. In interviews withThe Guardian, men who sought beard transplants explained what inspired them to finally go under the scalpel.Vikram Arora, a 47-year-old man in Essex, England, told the newspaper that the sleek facial hair trends of the 1990s and early 2000s left him feeling lacking. He even, at one point, stole his sister's mascara to try to fill in his "patchy whiskers.""Through most of my teens and early adulthood, I was left feeling that I didnt look mature enough," Arora told the newspaper, "and definitely not masculine enough."The Gen Xer had heard about beard transplants years before he ever began considering it seriously, for fear of the procedure. He wasn't wrong to do so like with any other hair transplant, beard transplants involve taking hair grafts, or "follicular units" as they're called in industryspeak, from other parts of the body and inserting them onto the desired area.After everyone began growing fuller beards during the COVID-19 lockdowns, however, Arora decided to finally book a consultation. In 2022, he met a hair transplant specialist named Nadeem Khan and one of his surgeons at their London clinic, and the next year he got the procedure done for himself, with 780 hair follicles transplanted from the back of his head to his beard area and was absolutely thrilled with the results.Like some of the other specialists who spoke toThe Guardian about the trend, Khan the owner of the clinic Arora went to had been doing hair transplants for more than 15 years.Initially, he said, his main patients were soldiers or others who'd experienced some sort of trauma that made growing hair difficult. After celebs began speaking out about restoring their hairlines with transplants, however, the taboo surrounding the practice began to diminish and in the years since the COVID lockdowns, requests for beard transplants have soared, Khan said.As Turkey has become known as a medical tourism destination for those looking for hair transplants, some men are finding their way to Istanbul to get their beards done, too. The results from those trips vary from satisfied customers to those less fortunate like 24-year-old French student Mathieu Vigier Latour, who tragically died by suicide after his Istanbul beard transplant by an unqualified technician led to pain, scarring, and body dysmorphia.With beard transplants as with any other cosmetic procedure, the gap between legitimate practitioners and dangerous charlatans is huge, and the results might not just be dangerous, but potentially deadly. Whether you're shelling out to have hair removed from your head and shoved onto your chin in the UK, Turkey, or anywhere, side effects can and do occur and someone is going to be profiting off your insecurities regardless.More on body mods: Lets Talk About Botched Weiner ImplantsShare This Article

The internet: a once wacky world of strange forums and obscure memes, a tool to harness the sum total of human knowledge at a moment's notice.At least, that was before AI slop ruined everything. To feed data-hungry AI models, companies and individuals are deploying a growing army of AI "web crawlers," bots tasked with sifting the internet for text, pictures, and other data. Once set loose, these bots bog down web servers, destroy search engines, and flood rival crawlers with AI babble.Thanks to these crawlers or, more accurately, those holding their reins once-real images are now lined up next to AI-generated goop, millions of websites are being whipped up by robots, for robots, and social media is a sloppified shell of its former self. Though well-funded publishers are resorting to shady backroom deals to keep their sites clean, there's very little the rest of us can do to resist the AI hoards.Thankfully, one company is standing up against the AI onslaught.The network platform Cloudflare is now offering a service it calls an "AI labyrinth" meant to beat third party AI crawlers at their own game.Cloudflare is a network platform that works as a go-between for web users and web servers, basically managing web traffic so hosts don't get overloaded. Rather than blocking crawlers with what it calls a "never ending arms race," Cloudflare has chosen to protect servers by "trapping" crawlers in an endless loop of content.It works like this. AI crawlers make their way to a Cloudflare site via a link. Instead of blocking the bot outright, Cloudflare will send it forwardvia a series of AI-generated links, complete with AI-generated content, that a hungry bot will be powerless to resist. By trapping crawlers in a deeper series of fake AI sites, Cloudflare says the labyrinth forces them to waste time and resources and become laden with worthless synthetic data while enabling the platform to gather info on bots and tag them in case they return.While Cloudflare might be the biggest network provider to offer this service, it isn't alone in thefight. In fact, anti-AI AI labyrinths are becoming something of a bedroom industry lately, with cybersecurity platforms and disgruntled hacktivists taking matters into their own hands.Though these are pretty ingenious tools in the fight against bot slop, they underscore the speed with which AI companies have moved to let AI loose on the internet, and the sheer scale of the disaster they've unleashed.Cloudflare claims that it fields about 50 billion bot requests to its network daily,or about 1 percent of all internet traffic. That's a tonof bots scraping old internet data, and some researchers are saying that it's already causing irreparable harm not just to the internet as we know it, but to the AI bots feasting on it, leading to a kind of "mad cow disease" that can't be undone.With the AI-fueled race to the bottom on, the only question left to ask is: who is this all for?More on AI innovation: Pinterest Is Being Strangled by AI SlopShare This Article

The M2 Mac Mini is now just $600, which is a staggering 50% off at Best Buy. But act fast, as this deal won't be around for long.

Nintendo's upcoming live-action Legend of Zelda movie could be the first of a trilogy of Zelda-flavoured films. Read more

SAG-AFTRA firms up support for student devs and game jam participants"Our members are passionate and want to participate in projects where the future of games is being shaped."Image credit: SAG-AFTRA News by Vikki Blake Contributor Published on March 30, 2025 SAG-AFTRA - the union that represents 160,000 American media professionals, including voiceover artists - has launched two new agreements: the Student Interactive Waiver Agreement and the Game Jam Waiver Agreement.The union said the new agreements "provide video game developers at every stage of their careers the opportunity to work with union performers, even as the video game strike continues".Xbox currently has more first-party games coming to PlayStation 5 this year than Sony.Watch on YouTubeThe Student Interactive Waiver Agreement has been designed for students currently taking video game courses at accredited educational institutions and "provides an opportunity for students to work with SAG-AFTRA performers to satisfy course requirements during game development" providing the project is recorded entirely in the US and is owned by the student.The Game Jam Waiver Agreement, on the other hand, is designed for developers contributing to game jams. Under this agreement, participants can work with SAG-AFTRA performers and session fees and secondary payments are deferred "provided that the project does not generate revenue" and material is not recorded prior to the commencement of the event.In the event that a project does generate revenue, SAG-AFTRA will work with participants to "sign the project to the appropriate agreement"."With these new agreements, SAG-AFTRA can help support game developers at all levels who want to work with union talent and who want to learn more about producing video games under a union contract. Plus, our members are passionate about this industry and they want to be able to participate in these types of projects where the future of video games is being shaped," said SAG-AFTRA national executive director and chief negotiator, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland.Earlier this month, the actors' union stated the strike would continue due to "alarming loopholes" allowing for "AI abuse". Negotiators on behalf of the bargaining video game companies, meanwhile, stated "meaningful progress" had been made, but voice actors on games like Genshin Impact and Zenless Zone Zero have been replaced due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA actors' union strike.For more on why the strike remains ongoing, check out our interview with Mass Effect's Jennifer Hale, who told our Ed that AI was "an existential issue for all of us".

A year ago, Bluesky was opening up to the public and was known as one of the many X competitors that emerged after Elon Musk acquired the network formerly known as Twitter. Today, Blueskys social network has grown to over 33 million users, while the technology its built upon the AT Protocol (or ATProto for short) is being used to develop dozens more applications designed to work together as part of an open social web.The developers behind many of these apps attended the first conference dedicated to the AT Protocol, ATmosphere, held in Seattle last weekend. There, they learned whats ahead for ATProto, what challenges still need to be overcome, and what other things theyll need to think about as they build for this new social app ecosystem. Others attended online, watched the talks and presentations remotely, and participated in a growing Discord chat for community members.The ATProto community is working to rebuild Web 2.0, an earlier version of the social web that included social media websites, blogs, wikis, video- and photo-sharing sites, and other collaborative and hosted services. Except this time around, the apps are being built on open technology, not siloed into centralized services that tend to be operated by tech giants.Bluesky was the first of these services to emerge, but if the open social web movement has any staying power, it wont be the last. Below is a list of AT Protocol-based, consumer-facing apps that are either built on top of Bluesky or its underlying protocol, allowing users to take back control over their social networking experiences and personal data. Many of these are still in early development but showcase the potential for whats ahead in this expanding ecosystem.This is a work in progress! Apps are still being added. Feeling left out? Email sarahp@techcrunch.com. (Note that this list is focused on consumer-facing apps people can use now, not small projects or dev tools.)FlashesImage Credits:FlashesFlashes is an Instagram alternative based on Berlin developer Sebastian Vogelsangs earlier app, Skeets, a Bluesky client. Launched publicly at the end of February, Flashes grabbed 30,000 downloads in its first 24 hours for offering a classic Instagram experience. Users can upload up to four photos or videos of up to 3 minutes in length, up from 1 minute previously, thanks to an update Bluesky released. The app offers photo filters, curated feeds from artists, custom feeds, and a Portfolio Mode where photographers can showcase their work.SparkImage Credits:ReeloSpark (originally called Reelo) is a video-first app that is built on top of the AT Protocol, not just Bluesky. That allows the app to differentiate itself with a broader feature set that will include support for longer videos, filters, effects, a music library, and, eventually, livestreaming.Built by Seattle-based co-foundersVictoria (Tori) White andReed Harmeyer, Skylight is built on top of Bluesky, offering features such as likes, follows, comments, and profile pages. Users can follow the apps active development on its co-founders TikTok page as the team adds more features, including video support.The app is in testing on iOS and Android.Image Credits:Skylight SocialPinkskyPinksky is another one of many apps trying to build an alternative to Instagram using ATProto. Built by developer Ramon Souza, the app is available on both iOS and Android and will focus mainly on photo-sharing, like classic Instagram did. The app offers similar features to Instagram, including user profiles, a feed of photos and videos, and a Stories section where posts remain visible for 24 hours.Image Credits:PinkskyBluescreen (TikTok alternative)Bluescreen, also built by Vogelsang, is an upcoming app that will focus on videos posted to the Bluesky social network.Videos for BlueskyThe generically namedVideos for Blueskyis another app built on top of Bluesky from MszPro, aka Hoshida Takiyoshi, an indie Japanese developer. Like others, Videos for Bluesky lets you browse videos posted to the Bluesky social network by vertically scrolling in a TikTok-like user interface with familiar Like, Repost, and Reply buttons.LivestreamingStreamplaceImage Credits:StreamplaceStreamplace is the first livestreaming video service built on top of the AT Protocol. The service, which was recently used to livestream the ATmosphere conference in Seattle, offers a familiar streaming experience with support for high-quality videos, livestreaming, clips, and uploads. All the video content is also cryptographically signed by creators and respects their consent preferences. It is built on the same public key infrastructure as decentralized social networks.Founded by Eli Mallon, Streamplace was initially backed by his previous employer, Livepeer (another decentralized video platform), which operated a crypto treasury where funds are invested into other projects. That allowed him to get Streamplace off the ground. Now he sees potential in building out a technology that could appeal to creators like Twitch streamers, who would rather connect directly with fans through their own app or website instead of having to split their revenue with Twitch owner Amazon.Feed buildersGrazeGraze is a startup that lets you easily build, customize, publish, and manage Bluesky feeds and, eventually, monetize them with ads, sponsored posts, and subscriptions. The service is working with the Bluesky firehose, aka the Jetstream, which includes all the public posts on the social network.SurfImage Credits:Flipboard/SurfFlipboards newest app, Surf, lets you build your own custom feeds from across the open web, including not only Bluesky but also Mastodon, RSS, and more. That means you can mix in news articles, blog posts, podcasts, and YouTube feeds into the custom feeds you build in Surf, alongside social posts. You can then use Surf to browse your feeds and others from the community across a range of topics and interests. Surf is still in private beta testing, buta signup listis available.SkyFeedA web-based, TweetDeck-like client for Bluesky, SkyFeed lets you create a dashboard of your feeds and profiles. However, most of its users come to SkyFeed because it also offers an easy way for even nondevelopers to build custom feeds based on lists or regexes.GermImage Credits:GermGerms big idea is not just to offer an alternative to your phone messages, like Signal, but to build a social platform where you could discover and connect with others for any reason: marketplace exchanges, dating, social networking, and more. However, it would be one where you were in control of the data you were sharing and could stop that sharing at any time.Currently an end-to-end encrypted messenger that you can download from the App Store, Germ lets you build and share multiple identities. Plus, you can start chatting with someone on Germ even if they dont have the app installed, thanks to its use of Apples App Clips technology. This allows you to have a lightweight app experience on your iPhone before you download the full application from the App Store.Germ was founded by writer and Stanford lecturer Tessa Brown (CEO) and former Apple privacy engineer Mark Xue (CTO). The team is now working on a Bluesky integration that would allow users to chat securely with their Bluesky friends.RoomyImage Credits:RoomyA peer-to-peer messaging app built on the AT Protocol, Roomy is similar in some ways to Discord but taps into open standards. For instance, ATProto is used for social discovery, while Automerge is used for peer-to-peer discovery. The app is backed by funding from Skyseed and is currently in alpha testing.You can log into Roomy with your Bluesky account and direct message other users to engage in chats. The messages are encrypted, but this is an experimental project and not audited, so be aware. Plus, some non-encrypted metadata shows who you were talking to but not the contents of those messages. (In other words, dont swap out Signal for Roomy yet.)Dazzle.fmImage Credits:Dazzle.fmFounded by former Stability AI engineer John Sabath, Dazzle offers a website that makes sense of the firehose of data from Bluesky and organizes it into categories, highlighting the trends across various topics. While much of the early discussion on Bluesky today leans political, Dazzles site can help you find other topics and conversations taking place.Dazzle lets you give it instructions to tune the site to your own interests, too. You could ask it to show you a topic but without any posts featuring political discussions, for example. That means you could use Dazzle to show you local news, but not national politics, or you could keep your experience focused only on those who are posting with a positive sentiment.The idea is that youll be able to switch between these different modes, generated using AI technology, without actually having to build custom feeds. Instead, you can just type in what you want to see (or not see) into a chat-like interface, then have Dazzle reconfigure itself to offer you posts that match whatever vibe you had just requested. SillImage Credits:SillLink aggregation serviceSill lets you keep up with what everyones talking about on alternative social media sites likeBlueskyandMastodon in one place. The service is similar to the older startupNuzzel, which was acquired by Twitter as part of itsdeal for Scroll in 2021, then integrated into Twitters app. Popular with news junkies, Nuzzel helped users keep track of what everyone on Twitter was talking about, reading, and resharing that day. Sill is also among the early adopters using Blueskys OAuth for the AT Protocol instead of app passwords, making it easier to log in. Once connected, youll see the most shared links across your services and the resulting conversations. FrontpageImage Credits:Frontpage.fyiA decentralized and federated link aggregator built on ATProto, Frontpage offers a simple interface for organizing and upvoting interesting posts and links being shared across the social network. It also supports commenting and notifications.Alternative Bluesky ClientsSkeetsAlso by Vogelsang, Skeets is an alternative to Blueskys main app thats optimized for accessibility and works well on both iPhone and iPad.Deck.blueAnother TweetDeck-style web app, Deck.blue lets you fill your screen with columns featuring your Home feed, Notifications, custom feeds, lists, and more. The app also supports multiple accounts and the scheduling of posts.Image Credits:deck.blue screenshotEventsSmoke SignalAn event and RSVP management system, Smoke Signal is the Bluesky alternative to something like Eventbrite or Facebook Events. Built on top of ATProto, Smoke Signal supports OAuth, allowing users to discover communities and create and RSVP to events while also keeping hold of their own personal data.Image Credits:Smoke SignalBloggingWhite WindA Markdown blogging service for the AT Protocol, White Wind lets you use your ATProto account to log in, then write in Markdown. The service includes tools for uploading images, previewing your post, and more, with everything stored in your accounts PDS (personal data service). When you post on Bluesky, those replies are included on your blog automatically.Image Credits:White WindAnalyticsBlueSkyHunterLargely a growth and analytics toolset for Bluesky, BlueSkyHunter also offers a way to tap into trends on the social network. One section in the app called Viral Posts showcases the more popular posts. This could help content planners pick up on trends and memes or find templates that are popular with other users that they could adopt.FedicaFedica offers an online dashboard that allows you to compose and schedule posts across social networks, including Bluesky, Threads, X, Mastodon, and Pixelfed, among others. It also supports more traditional social apps like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, and YouTube. Included in its plans are a variety of features for social listening, tools for tracking hashtags, keywords, and post reach, as well as those for follower analysis.

Hi,how can i parametrize this with custom color without having to duplicate my system ans setting color manually?is it possible?Thanks 1 post - 1 participant Read full topic