Technology

A good weekend of real documentary viewing relies on a nice mix of fascination, education, and exasperation. A little music is also welcome, too. Luckily, HBO Max has been in the documentary game long enough to have a deep library of films and series that tick all those boxes and more, and it's just there for the taking.

Netflix has been rolling out some pretty sweet shows and movies so far this summer. Harlan Coben's I Will Find You and the streamer's latest chilling docuseries, Worst Neighbor Ever, have both been squatting comfortably in the Netflix Top 10, and Hamnet is pulling on all the heartstrings. Not a bad problem to have.

My Google Pixel 10 Pro is an excellent phone with a ton of exclusive features, many of which I use every day. Pretty darn good cameras, slick performance, and a stunning design. But there's something that sticks out like a sore thumb. I'm talking about the Pixel Launcher.

For years, we've been told that SUVs have made the traditional sedan obsolete. Automakers have cut four-door lineups, buyers have flocked to crossovers, and it seemed like the writing was on the wall. Yet the latest sales figures tell a far more interesting story.

There are plenty of benefits to running local LLMs, not least of which is that you don't have to share all your personal data with an AI company. The problem is that even fairly small LLMs run slowly on my mini PC or MacBook Air. Despite this, there are plenty of ways that I use local LLMs every day.

Netflix's catalog usually steals the spotlight with its Originals, but every month, it also adds licensed classics that deserve just as much attention. July's lineup includes several acclaimed films that earned major awards and critical praise, making it a great time to revisit some of cinema's best.

Kia is recalling 462,869 Telluride SUVs due to a front power-seat defect that can potentially cause a fire, although many owners may have already had the defect in question repaired under a different recall in June 2024. This updated recall notice covers 2020 through 2024 Telluride models built between January 9th, 2019, and May 29th, 2024.

I prefer local external storage to the cloud, but until now, I've been missing out on the most cost-effective kind. I've used external hard disk drives, but I never tried building one myself. But when I bought a hard disk drive enclosure, it turned out to be the solution I didn't know I needed.

Upscaling and frame generation are critical features today, especially since game optimization has seemingly only gotten worse. If you're using a GPU that doesn't natively support either, you're in luck: There is a third-party option that works on any GPU.

Excel has hundreds of features, and I still discover new ones every year. Some solve very specific problems, while others become so useful that they quietly earn a place in every workbook I create. Whether you're building your first spreadsheet or your thousandth, these are the built-in Excel features I rely on to keep my data organized, accurate, and easy to work with.

Last year, I said the ultra-thin Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 was the best foldable we've ever tested. That means the rumored successor device has big shoes to fill.

After months of speculation, Samsung finally confirmed that it will hold a Galaxy Unpacked event in London on July 22, where it will presumably announce its newest batch of foldable devices, among other things. While this means we haven't yet seen the follow-up to the Z Fold 7 in an official capacity, there's been enough reporting online to build a decent profile of the phone before its unveiling.

Here's everything we know about the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra so far.

SEE ALSO: Samsung Health app gets big refresh ahead of Galaxy Watch 9 release Latest Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra rumors: Price and release date

As mentioned previously, everyone expects Samsung to show off the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra in London on July 22. That means the phone will most likely launch shortly after that, as per usual. As for its price, last year Samsung charged $1,999 for the Z Fold 7, which was itself a $100 price increase over the previous model.

There haven't been any concrete reports about the price of the new Z Fold just yet, but based on the way things are going in the tech world, thanks to RAMageddon, it might be reasonable to expect an even higher price this year. If we're lucky, it might "only" be another $100 price hike. It's just hard to see it staying the same considering the market conditions right now.

Galaxy Z Fold 8, Fold Wide, or Fold Ultra: Will the name change?

This is where things start getting a little confusing regarding the Z Fold series.

Multiple reports have suggested that the device will be called the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, with the regular Z Fold 8 name going instead to a rumored third foldable that Samsung is allegedly going to announce at the show. More on that in a bit. Given that there have now been multiple official certifications referring to the device as "Z Fold 8 Ultra," we're going to stick with that name for the duration of this article, even though Samsung hasn't confirmed it yet.

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There have been a bevy of leaks all but confirming the existence of the new "Wide Fold" phone, alongside the Z Fold 8 Ultra and the Z Flip 8. Prominent leaker Sonny Dickson, for example, posted photos of some dummy units that very clearly show a new device that looks a lot like the Z Fold 7 next to one that looks like the Z Flip 7, and one that doesn't look like any Samsung foldable we've seen before.

Last year, the Z Fold 7 had a 6.5-inch outer display and an 8-inch unfolded inner display, and all signs point to Samsung maintaining a size profile similar to that for the Z Fold 8. What differentiates it from the "Wide Fold" phone is that the latter would have a smaller 5.4-inch outer display alongside a 7.6-inch inner display with a 4:3 aspect ratio.

You might wonder why Samsung is doing that. Well, that would be because Apple is reportedly working on an iPhone Fold to launch late this year with a wider design than book-style foldables like the Z Fold 7 and Pixel 10 Pro Fold. Thus, Samsung's "Wide Fold" device is clearly gearing up to compete with Apple's handset. There have been leaked images of an iPhone Fold dummy case, and it does look a lot like the wide phone in the earlier Samsung dummy image.

So, expect a head-to-head battle between the Z Fold 8 Wide and the iPhone Fold Ultra later this year.

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The Z Fold 7 was impressive last year because of its incredibly svelte size for a foldable; it measured in at just 8.9mm when folded and merely 4.2mm when unfolded, with a light weight of 215g. We don't yet know how much smaller the Z Fold 8 Ultra will be, if at all, but one Korean news report suggested it could be even lighter, coming in at 200g. That would be very exciting, as the thinness of last year's model was a huge reason it stood (and continues to stand) above most of the competition.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra: Specs

We don't yet know a lot about what will be inside the Z Fold 8 Ultra, unfortunately. But there is a little bit of info we can chew on for now.

Namely, the same Korean news report with the weight information also suggested Samsung could upgrade the battery cell from 4,400mAh to 5,000mAh. The battery life in the Z Fold 7 was really the only disappointing aspect of the device, so this would be a hugely welcome change. It could work in tandem with a new chipset, most likely a Snapdragon chip like the powerful ones seen in the Galaxy S26 line earlier this year.

That increased battery size might also come with up to 45W charging speeds, which would be lovely. Other than that, we don't know what to expect from the Z Fold 8 Ultra in terms of everyday performance. That said, the Z Fold 7 was quite a nice phone to use, so Samsung doesn't need to fix what isn't broken in that regard.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra: Cameras The camera array on the Z Fold 7. Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

Lastly, an intriguing update from Dutch outlet Galaxy Club suggested that Samsung could somewhat dramatically improve the rear camera array on the Z Fold 8 Ultra. For reference, the Z Fold 7 had a 200MP main shooter to go with a 12MP ultrawide lens and a 10MP telephoto lens.

If this report is to be believed, Samsung is keeping the 200MP lens, but upping the ultrawide lens from 12MP to 50MP, and the telephoto from 10MP to 12MP. It's hard to say without doing any testing how much of an effect that will have, but these new lenses should produce sharper images, at least in theory. You can probably also expect at least a few new AI image editing tricks this year, to go along with better hardware.

The reveal of the Z Fold 8 Ultra is still a couple of weeks away, but at least now we have a basic idea of what to expect from the phone, even if its name is confusing.

The internet is all around us, but when you aren’t taking advantage of public Wi-Fi, you have to pay for it—and hotspot plans can be particularly pricey. Fortunately, I've come across a hotspot that works in exactly the way I want—one I can buy outright, use every month, and never pay for again.

Nine months ago, OpenAI announced the launch of its brand new web browser known as Atlas. Now the AI giant has announced it is sunsetting the product.

OpenAI's James Sun, a member of the product staff, announced a slew of OpenAI updates Thursday. These included the new ChatGPT 5.6 and a new desktop app called ChatGPT Work.

But then at the end of the announcement, Sun revealed that the company was shutting down Atlas — having learned what it could from user behavior. 

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"All these capabilities were built on what we learned from Atlas users who took a leap of faith on a new browser," Sun said. "You taught us how agents can help make browsing and doing work on the open web better, and we are applying these learnings to these new products."

Atlas was the company's bid to build a browser with AI built in, via a ChatGPT integration. Users could prompt ChatGPT to interact directly with the web page they were currently on.

SEE ALSO: ChatGPT’s AI market share slips to a historic new low

The new ChatGPT Work, meanwhile is basically Atlas plus.

ChatGPT Work focuses on AI agents. For example, users can provide ChatGPT Work with tasks involving documents or files, and the AI assistant will get to work on those tasks in the background. These include both local tasks and online tasks, which can be completed through ChatGPT Work's built-in web browser.

In short, the idea is that ChatGPT Work brings more AI functionality to users' computers, including Atlas' featureset, rendering a standalone web browser unnecessary.

OpenAI's current target date for shutting the Atlas browser down is August 9. 

Sometimes it feels like the European Union is the only entity on Earth that's interested in reigning in big tech companies.

Case in point: On Thursday, the European Commission preliminarily found that Meta apps like Facebook and Instagram were in breach of the EU's Digital Services Act, on the grounds that they feature "addictive design." The commission noted features such as autoplaying videos, infinite scrolling, personalized recommendations, and more as evidence that these apps encourage users to keep using them.

Meta is facing a possible fine of up to 6 percent of its annual turnover, per CNBC. Given that this is a preliminary finding, there is presumably still time for Meta to get out of paying the fine.

SEE ALSO: Meta Ray-Ban glasses brick the camera if you mess with recording light

"We disagree with these preliminary findings, which don't accurately take into account the significant steps we’ve taken to protect teens," a Meta spokesperson told CNBC.

In fairness to Meta, the company did recently launch new settings for teen accounts across its services. With teen accounts, parents can block their kids from using the apps at night and set daily time limits. Meta also told CNBC that it "[shares] the European Commission’s commitment to providing teens with safe, positive online experiences" and will continue to work with the organization.

The EU has been a watchdog for big tech companies for years, in the absence of much scrutiny from the U.S. government. Earlier this year, the EU also accused Meta of not doing enough to keep children off its apps, and it also just recently won a lengthy legal battle with Google over anti-competitive practices.

Netflix helped end the dominance of cable. However, it might resurrect some of cable's concepts to stay afloat. Insiders claim the streaming video giant is considering the introduction of live TV and bundling to make up for sagging interest.

Ethernet is pretty self-explanatory. Plug it in, and voila, you have internet without having to worry about Wi-Fi dead zones. But there are a lot more uses for Ethernet than the simple internet access angle. Here are some ways you might not have thought of—let me know how many of these surprised you.

Paramount+ is stacked right now. Conor McGregor makes his long-awaited return to the Octagon against Max Holloway on Saturday night, Big Brother's epic 28th season is underway, and Dane DeHaan's hacker thriller Wardriver made its streaming debut earlier this week week. That’s a lot of adrenaline and backstabbing for one streaming service.

Finding good software has become harder than ever. The biggest names aren't always the best anymore—they're just the ones with the biggest marketing budgets. Meanwhile, plenty of excellent open-source apps quietly keep improving without locking features behind subscriptions, stuffing AI into every menu, or collecting more data than they need. If you're looking to upgrade your setup this weekend, these three free, open-source apps could easily replace the defaults you've been using for years.

SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) started out as a physical interface for connecting peripheral devices, primarily storage drives, to computers. Over time, it evolved into a collection of storage standards that are still in use today. You might not know it, but your Windows PC still relies on SCSI in multiple ways.

China flew and then recovered a new Long March rocket booster, a first for the country and a key step toward cheaper, reusable spaceflight.

China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported Friday that the Long March-10B rocket lifted off from Hainan Province and placed whatever it was carrying — the announcement did not say — into orbit on its debut flight. After the upper part of the rocket continued toward space, the booster — the powerful first stage that does the heavy lifting at launch — turned around and flew back toward Earth.

Instead of crashing into the ocean, the booster steered itself onto a special ship at sea, where a huge net caught it and left it hanging in place. Engineers described the system as the world's first cross-shaped, high-strength "arresting" net for rockets, paired with hooks on the booster that help it grab. You can watch a video of the booster's catch below.

Reusing boosters can sharply cut launch costs, let rockets fly more often, and give countries an edge in the intensifying space race. The United States — especially through companies like SpaceX — has pushed reusability for years, and China is now moving to match that capability. For national space programs and private companies, flying the same hardware again and again turns space access from a rare, expensive event into something closer to routine transportation.

SEE ALSO: A NASA spacecraft just woke up from a nearly yearlong nap

SpaceX first proved this kind of reuse was possible in Dec. 2015, when one of its Falcon 9 rockets launched satellites and then steered the first-stage booster back to a landing pad. The booster plunged back through the atmosphere, fired its engines to slow down, and touched down upright rather than falling into the ocean. 

Since then, SpaceX has proven it can also catch a Starship booster with giant mechanical arms, called "chopsticks," at the launchpad. Blue Origin also successfully landed a New Glenn booster on a barge about eight months ago — before the rocket exploded in May, resulting in a disastrous setback for the company. 

According to Xinhua, the Long March-10B's booster went through a six-minute "extreme return journey" after it separated from the upper stage. It coasted, adjusted its position, fired its engines to slow down, and used the air itself to brake before it reached the ship.

Waiting below was a large sea-based platform delivered in late 2025, Xinhua said. The vessel measures about 470-feet-long and 160-feet-wide. A tall tower anchors the net system, while sensors like LIDAR — a type of laser-based rangefinder — track the falling booster's path and angle in real time.

Rather than having landing legs, China's new system had the booster fly straight into a massive net. Specialized cables then absorbed the booster's energy and left it hanging motionless in the center, in a fully automated process, according to officials quoted by Xinhua.

Engineers say this catch approach lets them simplify the booster itself. By skipping heavy landing gear and other equipment, they can lighten the rocket and free up more room to carry satellites, the sources said.

A crowd watches a Long March-10B rocket launch in China's Hainan Province on Friday, July 10, 2026. Credit: Xinhua

The Long March-10B, a liquid-fueled rocket, stands over 200 feet tall and about 16.5 feet wide, according to Xinhua. It produces close to 1,000 U.S. tons of thrust at liftoff and weighs roughly 840 tons when fully fueled. In its reusable mode, it can carry up to 18 tons of cargo to low-Earth orbit — the region of space around the planet where many communications and Earth-watching satellites fly.

Chinese officials say the rocket targets the growing commercial launch market, where companies want to send up networks of satellites quickly and at lower cost. The Long March-10B can handle jobs like creating satellite internet constellations.

Chen Muye, from the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, said the maiden flight marks a breakthrough in low-cost, heavy-lift reusable rocketry for China and is meant to boost the country's commercial space competitiveness. He added that the technology will also support China's future crewed rocket program.