MakeUseOf

Please don’t buy a Googlebook before reading this

Afam Onyimadu — Sat, 16 May 2026 13:00:18 GMT

I read Google's announcement about the Googlebook, and I couldn't help but be impressed by how promising this device looks. The three features that grabbed the headlines were the Magic Pointer, the Glowbar, and the seamless Android integration, which only reinforces the fact that the Googlebook will be released on premium hardware from Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, and Lenovo.

The smart TV OS nobody recommends but everyone should know about

Amir Bohlooli — Sat, 16 May 2026 12:21:18 GMT

There's a reason why self-hosted media servers like Jellyfin and Plex are popular. There's a reason why some people would rather buy Blu-rays and rip them rather than stream. And there was a reason why I attempted to build my own streaming box with Android TV on a Raspberry Pi: The smart TV market is one of the most aggressively monetized product categories in consumer tech.

I took 100 photos with the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Razr Fold — the camera fight was closer than I expected

Brady Snyder — Sat, 16 May 2026 11:00:18 GMT

Foldable cameras are historically neglected — only with the Galaxy Z Fold 7 did Samsung finally bring a 200MP camera sensor fit to match the Galaxy S26 Ultra to its top folding phone. Even then, the phone's secondary cameras are closer in quality to a base-model handset like the Galaxy S26. Innovation from companies like Google and Motorola are starting to give Samsung a run for its money. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold offers a telephoto camera with a low resolution but a long 5x optical zoom length. Now, the Motorola Razr Fold is here with a standout camera characteristic of its own: all three of the Razr Fold's rear cameras are 50MP sensors.

I turned my browser into a worldwide radio scanner, and I wasn’t ready for what I heard

Gregory Gibson — Sat, 16 May 2026 10:00:19 GMT

I used to think internet radio just meant streaming commercial stations, podcasts, or audio feeds of breakfast shows someone else had already packaged. If I really wanted to hunt through the world of live radio signals myself, it meant buying expensive equipment and putting a big, ugly antenna on my roof.

Don’t replace your slow Fire TV Stick until you try these fixes

Pankil Shah — Fri, 15 May 2026 23:00:18 GMT

Streaming devices aren’t meant to last forever, and your Fire TV Stick is no different. But that doesn’t mean you have to replace it the moment things start feeling slow. In most cases, it’s the cache buildup, unused apps, and outdated software that’s responsible for the slowdown rather than the hardware.

6 Linux distros that were huge once, but barely matter now

Oluwademilade Afolabi — Fri, 15 May 2026 22:00:20 GMT

Linux was the Wild West of computing in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Hundreds of distributions emerged with bold ambitions: to dethrone Windows, make open-source software accessible to everyday users, and redefine what a personal computer could be. As floppy disks gave way to LiveCDs, each new distro carried the promise of a better, freer operating system.

ChatGPT's new banking feature sounds convenient, but the privacy cost is steep

Josh Hawkins — Fri, 15 May 2026 21:06:32 GMT

It was only a matter of time, but now OpenAI is asking you to trust ChatGPT with access to your financial records. While the newly revealed feature utilizes a secure platform called Plaid to make the handshake between your bank and the AI, there are a lot of privacy concerns lying in wait beneath the surface.

PC gaming HDR is still a mess — this is how I get it to work properly

Dave Meikleham — Fri, 15 May 2026 21:00:19 GMT

In the biggest “spoiler” since the Titanic hit a big block of ice, HDR gaming on Windows devices remains a colossal clustermuck. Microsoft integrated support for the display format into its OS later than modern consoles did. As such, this tardy shift in embracing HDR is still being felt. Although I think these 5 Windows 11 settings matter more than HDR, there’s no question that even the best Steam games can struggle to convert High Dynamic Range signals properly.

This DNS switch blocked junk on my smart TV and game console, and I didn't need to install a thing

Jorge Aguilar — Fri, 15 May 2026 20:00:17 GMT

Smart TVs cost a lot of money, so you expect a good experience from them. Unfortunately, you're not going to get the speed you could until you start looking at how you can stop advertisers in their tracks. You paid for the hardware, don't let yourself get treated like the product. Changing your DNS settings is important, and one of the easiest ways to push back against that.

I turned on zram and my 8GB Linux laptop stopped choking on browser tabs

Afam Onyimadu — Fri, 15 May 2026 19:30:19 GMT

Having 8GB of RAM has always felt adequate for me when running Linux. It's enough for fast boot times, and even on older hardware, it feels fluid. However, my browser needs have increased over the years. Running YouTube on one tab, searching in others, and keeping a Reddit thread open at the same time makes my laptop feel fragile.