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Samsung’s flagship Galaxy Book 6 Ultra laptop has the premium build, processor and graphics muscle required by creative pros. Can it replace a MacBook Pro?

Sideloading is a hot topic in the mobile sphere, and Google recently made a huge change for how it works on Android. I think it’s a fantastic change, and I wish Google would have added the 24 hour delay for sideloading unverified apps years ago, but I’m glad they’ve finally done it.

Unlike its rival Apple, Samsung products run on various operating systems, such as Android, ChromeOS, Windows, and Tizen. While this is great if you prefer flexibility, it also means that users rarely get a consistent and cohesive experience across their devices. But this could be changing with a new product that's reportedly in the works.

Low-cost airline carrier Spirit is running on fumes right now, potentially ceasing operations this weekend as rising fuel costs have brought it to the brink of closure.

News reports from last month indicated that the federal government might bail out the Florida-based airline for over $500 million and a 90 percent stake in the company. The airline is facing its second bankruptcy in two years, CNBC reports.

That deal with the federal government did not materialize, but President Trump told reporters on Friday that, "I guess we're looking at [bailing Spirit out]. If we can do it, we'll do it. No institutions been able to do it. I'd like to save the jobs, but we'll have an announcement sometime today. We gave them a final proposal."

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CBS News' Kris Van Cleave reports that only two of the Spirit's three major creditors have signed on to the government's aid package, and its bondholders have not signed off on the deal.

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Spirit, which has more than 10,000 employees, hasn't announced any updates on its website or X feed, but it is responding to posts on the social media site.

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If the airline shuts down, people who have booked flights will likely get refunded by their credit card companies, CBS News reported. Those flying when and if the airline is grounded would likely have to book their connecting flights on another airline. Spirit competitors may offer "rescue fares" to those flyers, possibly allowing them to reach their destination at a discounted price. If Spirit shuts down, the airline's frequent flyer miles will likely be worthless.

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Spirit is often the butt of jokes for its bare-bones (though inexpensive) service — they charge for all carry-on luggage and do not offer free water or snacks.

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Do you remember Friendster?

The early-2000s social networking platform has now returned roughly 24 years later with a whole new gimmick: Users can only connect with real-life friends.

The founder of the new Friendster, Mike Carson, is promoting the relaunched social media platform as being free of any ads and algorithms. But, that's not all that's missing either.

Friend currently exists as an iOS app. And once a user downloads the app and sets up their account, they'll see completely blank space. Friendster doesn't show users any posts. In fact, there are no suggestions about who to follow at all.

The new Friendster is built for users to strictly follow people they know in real-life. And the platform makes sure it's being used that way too. In order to follow someone on Friendster, the two users need to physically tap each other's phones while the app is open. This is the only way to connect with someone on the platform.

SEE ALSO: It's time for MySpace to make a comeback What happened to Friendster

Before even MySpace took off, there was Friendster. 

Friendster was officially launched in March 2002 by its founder Jonathan Abrams and is largely considered to be the first major online social networking platform. However, shortly after its launch, other social networks like MySpace quickly took off and Friendster was unable to maintain a foothold with American users.

The platform did find a significant user base in Asia and was eventually sold to a Malaysian company, before Friendster pivoted to become a social gaming website in 2011. Eventually, however, Friendster was completely shut down in 2015.

Carson, the new owner, said he noticed that the Friendster.com domain was once again resolving to a website filled with pop-up ads in 2023. Carson reached out to the new owner of the domain and found out that they had won Friendster.com at an expired domain auction one year earlier for just $7,456. Carson eventually struck a deal with the domain owner, purchasing Friendster.com for $20,000 in Bitcoin along with another domain Carson owned that generated $9,000 per year.

In a blog post discussing his journey acquiring the Friendster domain, Carson said he has plans to enable a Friends of Friends feature, that will allow users to connect solely online if they are already connected to another friend that one of the users have actually met. 

In addition, Carson would like to roll out a Fading Connection feature which nudges users when they haven't been in the same room with one of their Friendster connections for more than a year.

"Not a punishment — a gentle nudge that real friendships are kept alive in person, not online," Carson explains.

After downloading the app, I must point out that all the nothingness makes it feel daunting to use the app. However, the new Friendster seems like a very interesting idea – if it can take off. The real challenge seems to be getting users on there to begin with, because they too will see an app with empty space until they start making real-life connections.

A cozy, long weekend is here, which means it's the perfect time to dive into our watch lists for the day and night. Netflix has many new releases to explore as May rolls in, but if you're looking for something a bit more classic, nostalgic, or acclaimed, we have you covered.

The turn of the millennium was a good time to be into tech. Devices we use every day, like digital cameras, portable media players, and early handheld computers, were becoming mainstream, yet they all ran into a bottleneck with storage costs. Floppy disks held too little data, and the new solid-state flash memory was expensive, costing hundreds of dollars for only a few megabytes. This gap let established companies try to innovate, and one firm tried to use its history with removable media to launch a tiny, affordable format meant to act as the first reusable, digital roll of film. This was clever engineering that ultimately could not save a product line already collapsing under the weight of its tarnished brand history, and then market pressures finished the job.

When it comes to content, there's little I love more than a good, gritty crime drama. From their dark, cynical, often realistic portrayals of criminal underworlds, violence, and justice systems to their heavily flawed, obsessed, anti-hero protagonists and intense, gritty tones, it all sucks us in, and it’s why we can’t look away. These types of criminal shows have carved out a powerful space in television by refusing to glamorize the worlds they depict and being willing to confront uncomfortable truths.

The Toyota GR Corolla has quickly become one of the benchmarks for affordable performance, offering serious capability and all-wheel-drive grip in a compact package. But that reputation comes at a cost, with pricing that pushes it beyond what many budget-conscious enthusiasts are willing to spend. And once you look past the hype, it’s not the only car delivering that level of excitement.

California police will finally have the authority to issue tickets for robotaxis running afoul of the law. The state's Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will enact a law on July 1st, 2026 that allows citations for driverless cars.

Looking for a good documentary to watch this weekend (or whenever)? Don't be wooed by Netflix's big red logo—they don't have the market cornered on docs. In fact, HBO Max has one of the most prestigious libraries of excellent and award-winning documentaries of any streaming service, and they're all there for the taking.

Are you ready to try out some fun new homelab projects this weekend? Well, today I’m showing you how to save some cash by deploying actually useful services in your homelab, like social media automation, invoicing software, and a Linktree replacement you’ll actually like.

Modern GPUs have soldered memory. What you see is what you get, and while some PC hardware modders have been adding more VRAM to graphics cards (and handheld PCs) by soldering memory chips and modifying the BIOS, regular people like you and me are stuck with the original amount of memory our graphics cards shipped with.

It’s the first weekend of May, and I’ve got three Linux apps that earned a spot in my workflow the hard way—by actually being useful. These picks solve specific problems I didn’t even realize had better solutions. If you’ve got a few hours free this weekend, they’re definitely worth installing.

It may be May, but documentary zealots still have a few new titles to check off their lists on Netflix that squeaked in at the tail end of April, and are just getting traction on the streaming service now. Which is really good news, because as we enter the month and wait anxiously for everything coming to Netflix to arrive, there are still some good doc options to be had for U.S. subscribers.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is currently embroiled in some courtroom drama, but the engineers back at the OpenAI lab just solved a minor drama (really a comedy) with ChatGPT.

OpenAI published a lengthy, detailed report on its website about goblins. No, really. Since the release of GPT 5.1, ChatGPT models have developed a weird fixation on goblins and gremlins, regularly bringing up both in contexts where it doesn't make sense. Users took note of this and OpenAI noticed it, too, prompting an investigation. You can read the full report if you want all the juicy details, but basically, it all goes back to an arguably poor understanding of what nerds are like.

SEE ALSO: DeepSeek V4 is here: How it compares to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini

If you don't use ChatGPT, the AI chatbot offers a variety of "personalities" you can choose to tailor the tone of its responses. One of those personalities was (until recently being removed) "nerdy." According to OpenAI's research, while "nerdy" responses accounted for only 2.5 percent of all ChatGPT queries, a staggering 66.7 percent of all mentions of goblins came from that 2.5 percent. From there, these responses somehow became "rewarded" and spread to other personality types beyond "nerdy."

"The rewards were applied only in the Nerdy condition, but reinforcement learning does not guarantee that learned behaviors stay neatly scoped to the condition that produced them," OpenAI wrote. "Once a style tic is rewarded, later training can spread or reinforce it elsewhere, especially if those outputs are reused in supervised fine-tuning or preference data."

Anyway, after all that, OpenAI retired the "nerdy" personality in March and has instructed its latest models not to mention goblins or gremlins unless it makes sense.

To be productive, human beings need periods of focus without interruption. If you're constantly interrupted, you keep wasting mental energy to get back on track, and that gets old fast.

The Linux community is dealing with its gravest security risk since 2022's Dirty Pipe. Researchers at cybersecurity firm Theori have shared details of Copy Fail, a vulnerability that gives attackers root access to nearly all Linux distributions with relatively little effort.

There's a lot to enjoy with an Amazon Prime membership: a plentiful streaming service full of acclaimed originals, same-day shipping, and Grubhub+. But that's just a sampling of the extensive benefits for members. Prime members who also happen to be bookworms can maximize their monthly reading with the Amazon First Reads program.

Similar to Book of the Month, every month, Amazon First Reads drops a new collection of discounted titles. However, unlike Book of the Month, these books are totally free for Prime Members. Here's everything you need to know about Amazon First Reads.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon First Reads   Learn More What is Amazon First Reads?

Amazon First Reads is a monthly program in which eight editor-selected books are offered free to Prime members. Members are allowed to choose one book per month, which is then added to their library. Non-Prime members can still join in on the fun, but they have to pay $1.99 per book.

Featured Amazon First Reads books are totally free at checkout for Prime members. Credit: Screenshot: Amazon / Mashable composite

Some months, like Prime Day's July and Black Friday's November, offer two free books. And in others, you can select a free short story with your one free e-book.

To select your book, visit the Amazon First Reads home page to browse the options. As a Prime Member, you'll see the option to "read now for free " when you go to purchase the titles. Once you make your selection, it'll automatically be added to your Kindle library.

Which books are featured in Amazon First Reads?

Among the eight books selected each month, the book editors at Amazon provide a variety of genres for every reader. The books are typically new or soon-to-be-released books — many of the books are published under one of Amazon's publishing imprints, so they're exclusive to Amazon's shelves.

In addition to the eight full-length books offered each month, there's typically a short story available, too, exclusive to read through the Kindle Store. You'll find familiar names in the First Reads collections. Past authors include Abby Jimenez, Rebecca Yarros, Lee Child, Fredrik Backman, Alice Hoffman, and Dean Koontz.

Kindle Unlimited members are able to read most of the previous First Reads picks for free, so if there are multiple each month that you want to add to your digital bookshelf, consider a Kindle Unlimited membership.

May 2026 Amazon First Reads books May's First Reads picks include a short read by New York Times bestselling author Liv Constantine. Credit: Amazon / Mashable

May's First Reads lineup features eight novels and one short read. This month's short read, The Replacement, comes from New York Times bestselling author Liv Constantine. The suspenseful short story details the twisted relationship between a Hollywood icon struggling for relevancy and a newcomer with her own agenda. But in addition to this month's short read, there are eight novels featured, including the latest from Mindy's Book Studio, Two Lives with You.

Here are all of the First Reads picks for May 2026:

• The Replacement by Liv Constantine

• Two Lives with You by Lauren Ho

• Murder by Design by Lee Goldberg

• The Promise of Wonder by Katherine Webb

• The Confession Artist by Christine Carbo

• The Magic of Us by Beth Merlin and Danielle Modafferi

• The Girl in the Lake by Lauren Oliver

• Westerly by Susan Donovan Bernhard

• The Quitters Club by Jessica Strawser

Do you need a Kindle for Amazon First Reads?

All of the books selected are technically purchased through the Kindle Store. But does that mean you need a Kindle to read them?

Nope! No Kindle e-reader is necessary to read books collected through First Reads. All books purchased through the Kindle Store are available in the Kindle app, which can be read on a smartphone, tablet, or computer.

However, if you're asking if you should get a Kindle, that's a different question. While a Kindle is not required to enjoy the bounty of the Kindle store, it is our favorite e-reader brand if you're in the market.

Kindle Paperwhite $134.99 at Amazon
$159.99 Save $25   Shop Now at Amazon Shop Now at Best Buy

Still struggling to spot when you're streaming AI-generated music instead of human-made tunes? Spotify is trying to help.

On April 30, the streaming giant announced it would be launching an official "Verified by Spotify" badge across its platform to distinguish human artists from synthetic-only profiles.

The badge, a light green check mark next to the artist's name, is determined by an automatic filtering system based on the profile's engagement history and listener activity, its compliance with Spotify policies, and authenticity markers found on and off the platform. Spotify's system will look for live concert dates, merchandise, and linked social accounts, for example.

SEE ALSO: AI can reason like a doctor, study says

Spotify says it will also use human reviewers to verify profiles "behaving in good faith," based initially on the platform's most searched artists. The company says the policy will continue to evolve with the music industry, including considerations for human artists who use AI to create music.

In addition to verification, Spotify is beta-testing expanded artist information — akin to "nutrition facts" on food products — that will provide more context about an artist's history and authenticity. Artists will also be given greater control over what appears on their profiles.

The badge will roll out slowly over the coming weeks.

Users have called attention to a growing number of AI-generated songs and AI-only artist pages on Spotify, as well as a rise in algorithmic recommendations that push AI music into user playlists. Last year, the platform came under fire for allegedly adding AI-generated music to the profiles of deceased artists. Many Spotify listeners have bristled at the presence of entirely AI-generated profiles on the streaming app and have called for visible AI disclosures on music pages. Spotify has previously announced expanded spam filtering systems, AI disclosures, and impersonation policies.

In January, the company told Mashable editor Rachel Thompson that the platform "doesn't give AI-generated music any special treatment." A Spotify spokesperson added, "While we don’t penalize artists for using AI responsibly, we are aggressive about taking down content farms, impersonators, or anyone trying to game the system."