IT General

Who'd have thought that we'd still be talking about printers in the 2020s? Wasn't it all supposed to be paperless by now? The reality is that we're about as likely to give up paper as we are to get flying cars, which means we have to deal with all the things wrong with the printing industry.

Streaming TV shows and movies used to be affordable when there were only one or two major streaming platforms. These days, there are almost too many to count, and the prices continue to rise. I've ditched several of my streaming subscriptions, but here are the four I've kept.

Having a Windows and Linux PC doesn’t mean you need entirely different toolsets for each platform. Many apps offer seamless cross-platform experiences, ensuring productivity without the hassle of relearning software. Here are seven apps that work smoothly on both Windows and Linux.

I used to wish that I had an awesome supercomputer so I could run my own AI, but then I found out that I didn't have to. Just like with other DIY projects, you can make a server with what you already have; you just need to think outside the box. If you own a spare PC, can find one, or can buy one cheaply, you're one big step closer to an AI server. What's even better is that LM Studio was built to make this easier for you.

Drills and impact drivers are great for driving lag bolts or self-tapping screws, but they are also the fastest way to ruin a DIY project if you don't respect their power. If you're constantly using your impact driver on 3 (or the fastest setting) and stripping heads, snapping screws, or overdriving, you're using it wrong.

Instagram has a new feature that lets you share an unedited photo dump with your pals that disappears once viewed. Yes, we have questions.

The Meta-owned social media platform announced Instants on Wednesday, a tool that lets you send a batch of snaps to Close Friends or mutual followers. You can't edit the photos, which might throw some folks off, but you can add captions.

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Notably, Instants will disappear after being viewed or after 24 hours. In this capacity, the feature sounds exactly like Instagram's existing disappearing messages, as well as similar options on Snapchat, Signal, Telegram, and WhatsApp. Plus, there's an undo button if you want to take back a sent photo.

Credit: Instagram / Mashable

Instants will appear in your Instagram DMs inbox appearing like a pile of photos. Once you've sent a glut of Instants, the recipients can react with emoji, reply like a regular DM, or send their own collection of Instants, as you both throw mountains of unedited snaps back and forth until the comet finally hits. Recipients cannot screenshot the photos (more on that below), and your Instants will be saved in a folder only you can access — you can repost them from here to Stories.

SEE ALSO: Instagram users claim they're getting censored. Here's what Meta says. Featured Video For You Is U.S. TikTok censoring its users? Now, for the important caveats.

Firstly, if you use a tool like disappearing messages, I cannot stress this enough but your recipient can always record the screen or take a photo with another device. Though Instagram's Instants cannot be screenshotted, that doesn't mean the person you're sending the image to can't capture it.

Secondly, Instagram monitors Close Friends content even if you think it's some kind of incognito mode. It is not.

Next, all posts will need to comply with Instagram's nudity guidelines, which run a fine line between protection and censorship. Something tells me this won't be the last we talk about this when it comes to Instants.

Finally, Instagram has officially pulled end-to-end encryption on DMs, so the security of your Instants is under standard encryption.

Mashable has reached out to Instagram for comment.

Windows 11 Pro costs more than the Home Edition of Windows, but many people who own Pro aren't making use of some of its most interesting features. They're not flashy, but they provide a very noticeable improvement over Home editions, especially if you like to experiment with applications or customize your PC.

In a surprising turn of events, the Trump Mobile T1 smartphone might actually start rolling out.

On Tuesday, Trump Mobile CEO Pat O'Brien told USA Today that the golden phones will start shipping to customers who've pre-ordered them "this week."

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It's good news for buyers, but the Trump Organization-licensed company sure did test their patience before it got to this point. The phone was originally announced in June 2025 by the U.S. president's sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., with a planned launch in September, but the launch date kept moving into the future.

To make matters worse, Trump Mobile's terms and conditions changed in April 2026 to say that the $100 pre-order deposit does not guarantee customers will actually get the phone, prompting some to call the entire scheme a "scam".

Besides the launch date, the original promise of the phone being made in America was changed, too, with the company now calling it an "American-proud design."

SEE ALSO: Seth Meyers reacts to Trump saying he doesn't 'think about Americans’ financial situations'

In his interview this week, O'Brien said that the first T1 phones were "assembled in the United States," while new models will use components that were "primarily manufactured in America."

Despite reports that roughly 600,000 people paid the $100 deposit for the T1 phone, O'Brien wouldn't confirm the exact number of pre-orders. Instead, he said that Trump Mobile is "incredibly pleased" with the interest in its products.

Featured Video For You Moltbook's real risk isn't AI. It's your data

Is bigger always better? For your bank account, absolutely. For the spider currently sprinting across your living room floor? Definitely not.

Do you have two minutes to spare and a craving for stunning animation? Then you're in luck, because LAIKA, the animation studio behind Coraline, ParaNorman, and Kubo and the Two Strings, has released the teaser trailer for its upcoming film, Wildwood. No surprise here, given LAIKA's past track record, but it looks absolutely gorgeous.

Directed by Travis Knight (Kubo and the Two Strings) and based on the novel by the Decemberists' frontman Colin Meloy, Wildwood transports us to Portland, Oregon, and a magical world just beyond its boundaries.

The film centers on headstrong teenager Prue McKeel (voiced by Peyton Elizabeth Lee). Despite warnings from her parents not to leave their house, she does so anyway, bringing her baby brother with her. When a murder of crows abducts him, she has no choice but to venture into the Impassable Wilderness, an enchanted forest full of talking animals and dangerous bandits. With the help of her classmate Curtis Mehlberg (voiced by Jacob Tremblay), will Prue be able to rescue her brother and make it home?

LAIKA previously released a first look at Wildwood focused on one character: the majestic golden eagle known as the General (voiced by Angela Bassett). With this teaser trailer, it fleshes out the rest of the Impassable Wilderness even further, showing off animal armies, menacing witches, and a mysterious boy who appears to be made of clockwork. It all comes to life in captivating stop-motion, promising a handmade fantasy of epic proportions.

Wildwood's voice cast also includes Carey Mulligan, Richard E. Grant, Awkwafina, Amandla Stenberg, Tom Waits, Charlie Day, Blythe Danner, Arthur Knight, Maya Erskine, Jake Johnson, Tantoo Cardinal, Rob Delaney, Jemaine Clement, Marc Evan Jackson, Len Cariou, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, and Mahershala Ali.

Wildwood hits theaters Oct. 23.

Mesh Wi-Fi is one of those upgrades that genuinely changes how your home network feels, often doing a lot more than an expensive router ever could. The dead zones disappear, the streaming gets smoother, and you stop fighting with your router every time you walk into the wrong room. For most people, that's the whole story, and honestly, that's where the experimentation ends.

Loop Earplugs are Mashable favorites — partly because they work really well, but also because they come in a bunch of luxe finishes. Unlike traditional earplugs, they look like jewelry, not boring foam nubs.

Loop's Engage 2 earplugs became instant bestsellers when they dropped in an iridescent lavender colorway across two launches last June. Then, they became highly coveted finds on the resale market. ("this is embarrassing to I admit but I’m honestly willing to pay a RIDICULOUS price for these at this point," reads one "DESPERATE" post on r/LoopEarplugs.) Loop said they were "the most in-demand look the brand has ever released."

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Mercifully, Loop dropped another batch of iridescent earplugs this month, just in time for the start of music festival season. They're available in the triple-duty Switch 2 style this go-around, and they retail for $64.95 only on Loop's website. That's $5 more than the standard Switch 2 colors, for reference.

Opens in a new window Credit: Loop Loop Switch 2 Iridescent $64.95 at loopearplugs.com
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The iridescent Switch 2s aren't just a limited release, but a "strictly limited" release with "no planned restock," per a company blog post. If you can't believe we're at a point where earplug drops are in such high demand, well, just look how pretty they are.

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The Switch 2s have three different audio-muffling modes for different scenarios. You can switch between them by turning a dial on the earplugs' housing:

• Quiet — offers the most noise cancellation for when you're trying to sleep or focus.

• Experience — filters a moderate amount of noise to protect your hearing at concerts.

• Engage — lowers ambient noises just enough to where you can have conversations without getting distracted or overwhelmed.

The iridescent Switch 2s come with a matching case that you can hook on a keychain, plus four sets of different-sized ear tips.

If this particular colorway doesn't do it for you, or if sells out by the time you go to buy a pair, stay tuned for Loop's collab with Pleasing, singer Harry Styles' lifestyle brand. It's set to launch on Thursday, May 21, but you can get early access 24 hours prior by signing up for email notifications on loopearplugs.com.

Like many people, I bought Amazon Echo smart speakers, thinking that they were the future of the smart home. Being able to control your smart home using your voice seems ideal, but the reality is that Amazon's proprietary system is restrictive and only supports fairly basic automations.

Obsidian might help you build a second brain, but it won’t help you collaborate with a second person. It’s famously a local-only tool. If you want to share your notes with someone else, you have to zip up your vault and email it over—which is a clunky solution. Alternatively, you can upload your vault to a cloud service like Google Drive—but then your local notes are exposed to a third-party server.

TL;DR: Amazon has the LG 27-inch UltraGear OLED gaming monitor (27GX704A-B) on sale for $477.99, down from its $799.99 list price. With a $300 saving, you get a glossy QHD OLED display with a 240Hz refresh rate, 0.03ms response time, and much more.

Opens in a new window Credit: LG LG OLED 27-inch OLED QHD UltraGear Gaming Monitor (27GX704A-B) $477.99 at Amazon
$799.99 Save $322 Get Deal

Although in-demand OLED gaming monitors aren’t exactly known for being cheap, this new LG deal will earn you one of the popular 27-inch UltraGear models for just below $480. 

As of May 13, Amazon has the LG 27-inch UltraGear OLED gaming monitor listed for $477.99, down from $799.99. With this 40% discount, you’ll save $322 on a display built for players who want the speed of a competitive monitor without giving up OLED picture quality.

At 27 inches, this UltraGear keeps things desk-friendly while still giving you a proper QHD 2560x1440 resolution. This means you’re still getting a sharper jump over 1080p without needing the costlier firepower of a full 4K setup, which makes it a nice middle ground for anyone playing fast multiplayer games like League of Legends, big single-player releases on the level of Crimson Desert, or just using the same screen for work and streaming on Netflix. 

This is also where the major benefits of this UltraGear monitor’s OLED panel come in. This glossy display reaches a standard 275 nits of brightness and peaks at 1300 nits, while VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400 and a 1.5M:1 contrast ratio help keep blacks actually black. It also covers up to 98.5% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, so any game you play or TV and film you watch, will now come with darker worlds, neon-heavy cities, or colorful effects that should look sharper than ever.

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Performance is just as strong, with a 240Hz refresh rate and 0.03ms response time designed to keep motion crisp in shooters, racers, and anything else where a few missed frames can cost you. At this speed, fast-paced titles — like Rocket League or Counter-Strike 2 — will run like a dream. 

What’s more, NVIDIA G-SYNC compatibility and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro are also included to help reduce screen tearing — alongside dual HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4, USB ports, and a height, tilt, swivel, and pivot-adjustable stand. 

If you also need a budget-friendly monitor to add to another setup in your household, the Samsung G5 gaming monitor has just hit a record-low price at Amazon. If you’re looking for an even larger display, the 39-inch curved OLED UltraGear gaming monitor is on sale for only $749. 

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SAVE OVER $500: As of May 13, the LG gram Pro 16-inch laptop (Intel Core Ultra7 255H Processor, NVIDIA RTX 5050, 32GB RAM, 2TB SSD) is down to its lowest-ever price of $2,299 at Amazon. That's $500.99 off its list price of $2,799.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: LG LG gram Pro 16-inch Laptop $2,299 at Amazon
$2,799.99 Save $500.99   Get Deal

If you're in the market for a new laptop, but don't want something that's too bulky to carry around, the LG gram Pro 16-inch laptop deserves your attention. Coming in at just three pounds, it's perfect for those who want a lightweight device for work or personal use. At the moment, it's even marked down to its lowest-ever price at Amazon, making now a great time to pick it up.

As of May 13, the LG gram Pro 16-inch laptop has dropped from $2,799.99 to $2,299 at Amazon, making for $500.99 in savings.

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The LG gram Pro is a tiny but mighty device. Alongside its lightweight feel and thin frame, this particular model is packed with an Intel Core Ultra7 255H Processor, NVIDIA RTX 5050 graphics card, 32GB RAM, and a 2TB SSD. It also has a 16-inch display with 2560x1600 resolution, making what's on your screen shine with sharp details and bright colors.

On top of all that, everything on screen will look smooth thanks to a Variable Refresh Rate that adapts from 31Hz to 144Hz. So no matter if you're using it for streaming, gaming, or just flipping between different tasks, you won't have to deal with stutter on screen.

This is the time to make a move on the LG gram Pro 16-inch laptop before the offer is gone for good.

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I am having way too much fun with the terminal on my phone. When I learned that Termux was available on Android, I downloaded it and immediately started playing around with the command line itself and integrating the API. I was pleasantly surprised by the experience.

There's no denying that so-called "suitcase" record players are stylish and would look pretty awesome on a shelf or mantle. Even better, you can pick up a cheap one from your local supermarket these days, and all the kids are getting into vinyl records again, so why not?

The Windows Registry is a large database that includes a mountain of settings and configuration data used by Windows programs, services, system components, and hardware. It also includes paths to programs and files stored on your PC, as well as a wide range of other information needed for Windows to function properly.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus' interview with Stephen Colbert may start with a kiss, but the gloves quickly come off.

In the clip above, the Veep star surprises the Late Show host with two pages of roast jokes written by the Veep writers, which she performs in character as Selina Meyer while Colbert cracks up.

The one that makes him laugh the most? "When my people said I should come and say farewell to you I was hoping it would be more of a hospice-type situation."

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