TechCapsules

Meta’s Facebook and Instagram experienced a widespread outage in the United States on Sunday evening, with Downdetector reporting over 17,000 Facebook and 5,000 Instagram problem reports around 9:11 p.m. ET. Messenger also saw a spike in outages, while WhatsApp’s impact was smaller. By 9:25 a.m. IST the India status pages indicated no major nationwide issues, though isolated user complaints persisted. The disruption also affected users in Singapore, the Philippines, Australia, the US, and Mexico. Meta has yet to release [...]

The Smart Home Insider podcast reviews Apple’s iOS 27.2 beta, highlighting the new Health app and Apple TV app profile support. It reports Amazon’s price hikes for Echo Dot and Fire Stick 4K Max, and compares smart speaker costs. Ikea introduces a Matter‑over‑Thread 30 W driver for cabinet lights. Adam Foot updates the HomeBatteries app with battery insights for iOS 27. Govee launches Matter‑enabled Wallwash Table Lamp and outdoor ball lights. The episode tests Aqara’s FP400 spatial sensor, which tracks [...]

In September, South Korea’s used‑car market saw a near‑flat decline, with average prices dropping only 0.82% month‑to‑month. Tesla models led the rebound, with the Model Y Long Range AWD up 4.31% and the Model 3 Long Range AWD up 2.24%, reflecting strong new‑car demand and the rollout of Full Self‑Driving on older vehicles. Hybrid SUVs also gained modestly, while conventional internal‑combustion models fell. The shift toward electric and hybrid vehicles coincides with rising oil prices and a 113.6% jump [...]

Google has launched Gemini, a multimodal AI platform that processes text, images, audio, video, and code within a single system. Developed by DeepMind, Gemini powers a range of Google services—including Search, Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Android, and Windows—offering smart search, voice conversations, writing assistance, coding help, image creation, and real‑time document analysis. The new family includes specialized models such as Gemini 3.8 Flash for speed, Gemini 3.1 Pro for advanced reasoning, Gemini 3.1 Deep Think for scientific tasks, and Gemini 3.8 Live for natural voice interactions. [...]

At TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, Benchmark will present its entire current partnership—Jack Altman, Peter Fenton, Chetan Puttagunta, Everett Randle and Eric Vishria—on a single stage for the first time. The “What We Believe Now” session will shift from retrospective venture analysis to forward‑looking speculation about where the next wave of startups will emerge, which founder assumptions need revisiting, and which hidden opportunities remain. Benchmark, fresh from raising roughly $2 billion across a $750 million flagship fund and a $1.25 billion growth fund, will leverage its diversified [...]

Microsoft announced the Community-First Grants program, allocating $1 million to nonprofit organizations in King County, Washington. The initiative, open for applications until October 23, 2026, targets 501(c)(3) groups that do not already receive Microsoft funding and aims to address community needs such as facility upgrades, youth and senior services, and transitional housing. Grants will be awarded across four focus areas—civic life, education and workforce development, housing and basic needs, and sustainability and transportation—and recipients will be notified in November 2026, with [...]

Tesla’s Full Self‑Driving (Supervised) system received provisional type approval in Czechia after the Czech Ministry of Transport accepted the Dutch RDW’s earlier decision, making the country the seventh EU member to permit the Level 2 driver‑assistance feature on public roads. The ministry cited resolved concerns over speed‑limit compliance, traffic‑sign recognition and driver‑attention monitoring following months of expert review, data from existing deployments, and talks with Tesla and other states. Eligible Tesla models must be equipped with the AI4 [...]

Apple has announced a second wave of layoffs within its Fitness+ division, targeting the audio‑content team that produces programs such as “Time to Walk,” “Time to Run,” and guided workouts for Apple Watch users. Bloomberg reports the cuts may reduce the frequency of new audio releases but are unlikely to shut down Fitness+ entirely. The exact number of employees affected remains unknown, and Apple has not commented publicly. These layoffs follow earlier reductions in August that impacted [...]