Author: Eternity Lab

Even if some people think there’s no need for an Amazon Fire TV Stick anymore, someone must not have told Jeff Bezos, as Amazon has announced a new Fire TV Stick HD model. With the ability to turn any television with an HDMI port into a smart TV, a Fire TV Stick can be a good option for accessing a variety of streaming services and content, as well as offering additional features. Now, the new Fire TV is USB-powered and has a few more surprises.

Announced in a press release and now available for preorder, the new Fire TV Stick HD promises to be the company’s slimmest design yet. Amazon is touting that the new Stick is 30% narrower than the previous model, and the company aims for users to take advantage of its portability. Additionally, it includes new UI elements that Amazon is bringing to other devices, along with some additional quality-of-life improvements.

Whether you decide to go with the new Amazon Fire TV HD Stick or not, there are still plenty of accessories that can upgrade your viewing experience, though the new UI elements should also be a big help for older models. As of now, the new Fire TV HD will begin shipping on April 29 to those who preorder in the U.S., Mexico, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, Australia, and the UK. The company states that those in France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Poland, Belgium, Sweden, and the Netherlands may visit their local Amazon page to learn more about availability.

What’s included with the new Amazon Fire TV HD Stick

Available for preorder for $34.99, the new Amazon Fire TV HD Stick features several improvements over previous models, including the newly redesigned UI that we explored earlier this year. The software redesign includes access to shortcuts, faster speeds, and new free, ad-supported streaming channels, also known as FAST. For those in Japan, the new experience is arriving later in April and will include an exclusive hub just for Anime. The new update is also rolling out to international users at the end of April.

For the new hardware, Amazon is also promising 30% faster speeds over the last generation, and a big thing for the new Stick is that it can be powered directly through the USB port of a television via a small cable without the need for an additional power adaptor (though that’s still an option). The new Fire TV HD also includes Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3, which Amazon promises will deliver more reliable connections for users.

If you live in the UK, Canada, or the U.S., the new Fire TV HD also includes support for Alexa+, Amazon’s latest AI assistant and “entertainment expert.” Alexa+ can offer streaming recommendations or provide information about the content you’re watching (such as information on a specific actor) while also controlling smart devices. Amazon is also adding a new Adaptive Display setting that makes smaller items, such as menus and text, larger for those who may have trouble viewing them while also scaling other UI elements accordingly. 

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The best portable chargers let you keep your phone running long after its battery would normally run out. However, not all power bank stories end happily, and if you purchased a power bank from Amazon between January and September 2024, you’ll want to make sure it wasn’t just included in a major recall. The affected power bank, the VEEKTOMX VT103 Smart Portable Charger Mini Power Bank, has been recalled after three reports of fires, according to the recall information. These fires do not appear to have caused any major injuries based on the recall information shared, but they did result in minor property damage in three cases. 

In total, it appears only 8,000 of these power banks were sold on Amazon during the time listed above. Additionally, the recall only pertains to the white, pink, and purple color options of the affected model. VEEKTOMX says that only models without a serial number in the bottom-right corner on the back of the power bank are affected. If you own one of the VT103 power banks that is black or blue or has the serial number on the back, you can continue to use it as normal, the company claims.

Additionally, the company’s recall page says that it will offer free replacements for any customer who purchased one of the affected power banks.

How to safely recycle your recalled power bank

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If you do find yourself dealing with one of the recalled power banks listed above, then you’ll need to make sure you dispose of it properly, too. The company says you should stop using it immediately and store the power bank in a cool place, avoiding excessive heat. Additionally, you should contact your local Household Hazardous Waste department to find the nearest facility that accepts recalled power banks for disposal.

You should never simply throw the power bank in the trash, as it is a fire hazard that could lead to additional property damage and potential injuries if disposed of incorrectly. The exact rules for disposing of these materials and products may vary by location, so it is best to speak directly with your local community organizations to ensure you follow the correct safety procedures.

This is far from the first recall we’ve seen of power banks in the past couple of years. Anker recalled over 1 million power banks in 2025, and Belkin recalled some of its power banks the year before. As of the time of this article’s publishing, VEEKTOMX hasn’t shared any details about what caused the issue.

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Amazon recently announced that it would stop supporting Kindle and Kindle Fire devices released in 2012 and earlier. Owners of those models will be unable to use the Kindle Store as of May 20, 2026, though they can still read ebooks they’ve already downloaded to the device. Kindle ereaders tend to last a long time, but as a result of this change, anyone who bought a Kindle before 2013 will have a decision to make, as they’re about to lose key functionality.

Here’s the full list of Kindle ereaders impacted by the change:

• Kindle 1st Generation
• Kindle 2nd Generation
• Kindle DX
• Kindle DX Graphite
• Kindle Keyboard (3rd Generation)
• Kindle 4
• Kindle Touch
• Kindle 5
• Kindle Paperwhite 1st Generation

There are other ways to get ebooks onto a Kindle, but none are as easy as buying or borrowing from the Kindle Store. At this point, you might be wondering how to figure out if your Kindle will continue to receive support or if you need to get familiar with sideloading and other alternatives. With that in mind, here’s how to find out which Kindle model you have and when it was made.

Three ways to identify your Kindle model and generation

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There are three ways to find out which Kindle you have. The first and easiest way is to check the device settings. First, swipe down from the top of the screen. Next, tap All Settings > Device Options > Device Info. The model name, generation, serial number, and other information is listed on this page. It doesn’t specify the year it was released, but, as noted above, Amazon has shared a full list of affected models.

If you can’t find a Device Info page in Settings, log into your Amazon account, which has a list of all your connected devices at amazon.com/mydevices. Click the Devices tab and click a device name to get more information, including the serial number and registration date. If that date is from 2012 or before, your Kindle is affected.

The serial number and model number is also printed on the back of your Kindle device. If you do a web search on the model number, you can find its release date and determine whether or not you’ll soon lose access to the Kindle Store.

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Achievements have been a staple feature of Xbox consoles for over two decades, and now they’re getting a major facelift. This visual refresh is meant to make achievements feel more rewarding and better reflect your accomplishments as a gamer. Once this achievement update rolls out to all users, you’ll start to notice that certain achievement notifications will come with special icons and animations. This gives rare and iconic achievements an extra flourish, celebrating the effort it takes to overcome the biggest challenges.

The achievement pop-up will also match the custom color you’ve chosen for your Xbox Home screen. Home screen customization is one of the things you might not know you can do with your Xbox Series X, and it recently got better with the introduction of custom color options in March 2026. Matching the notification overlay to your color preference is meant to add an extra layer of personalization to your achievement-hunting exploits.

Changes are coming to the achievements list on your Xbox profile as well. Games with 100% achievement completion will be highlighted on your profile. There will also be an option to filter games based on completion. This will make it easy for you and your friends to identify which games you’ve mastered. Combine these updates with the TrueAchievements app — one of the best apps to download on Xbox overall — and you’ll be ready to take your gaming to a higher level.

You can hide games from your achievement list now

Possibly the most exciting part of the upcoming achievement update will be the option to hide games from your achievement list. This gives you complete control over how your gaming history is presented. You can curate your profile to only show 100% completed games or only show games from your favorite genre, so everyone knows exactly what kind of gamer you are at a glance.

Every single achievement you earn adds to your account’s overall Gamerscore, which serves as a quantitative indicator of how much you’ve accomplished in all the games you’ve played and all the virtual worlds you’ve explored. However, you might see some games as a blemish on your record. Even after the Xbox Game Pass price hikes, the games-on-demand subscription service is still a great way to try out a variety of games, many of which you may never pick up again. Having dozens of games stuck at 2% completion can be an eyesore that clogs up your achievement list.

According to Xbox Wire, the ability to hide games from one’s achievement history has been one of the most requested features from Xbox Insiders for quite some time now. Members of the Xbox Insiders program are currently testing the major facelift to the achievements feature, but it will roll out to all users soon.

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For a long time, if you made a mistake in an Instagram comment, it would remain indefinitely as a pockmark on your personal typo progress bar. Everyone who visited that particular post and saw that comment would know that you messed up. Okay, that’s a bit dramatic, and typos happen; they’re really not that bad, and everyone makes one from time to time. But the point is that, really, there has been no way to go back and edit your comments. Until now, that is. 

As of April 2026, you can finally edit Instagram comments, but only within the first fifteen minutes. As of Instagram version 424.1, you’ll see an edit button alongside each new comment you post. If and when you tap that button, you’ll be able to edit the content for up to fifteen minutes after it initially went live. You can make as many edits as you want within that fifteen-minute window, but once it has passed, the edit button will disappear. When you edit a comment, other people can see that it’s been edited, but they cannot see the original. 

What other user experience changes has Instagram made?

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Alongside the newly added option to edit your Instagram comments, creators can now schedule trial reels, access new Instagram story features, attach longer songs (up to 20 seconds) to story posts, and add AI font styling and other content.

There are also just a ton of user experience optimizations; too many to list them all, actually. Saved posts are getting different tabs based on the type of content they contain, allowing you to better organize user posts you’ve saved to reference or view later. There’s also a new UI for post descriptions and comments that’s much more fluid and visually appealing. Let’s not forget the incredibly useful ‘Vanish Mode’ that hides you from others online for those moments when you want to seem unreachable.

Among the myriad of improvements from the development team, there are also updates to how Instagram restricts content on teen accounts in response to legal cases on the matter in New Mexico and Los Angeles. Ultimately, there are a lot of new features and updates, but the option to edit comments riddled with typos will be the one users notice most often.

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The iPhone 17 series introduced a selfie camera upgrade via a square sensor that lets users take better-quality selfies than before. Notably, you can take selfies in either portrait or landscape mode without flipping the phone. This reduces fumbling with the handset to get the perfect shot. That said, iPhone users who take lots of selfies and record themselves using the front camera may want to use the more capable primary sensor on the back of the phone instead of the selfie camera. That’s where a cool new Insta360 gadget comes in handy. The Insta360 Snap Selfie Screen is a 3.5-inch magnetic monitor that attaches to the back of the phone and lets users utilize the rear-facing camera for selfies. The fact that it takes advantage of the iPhone’s MagSafe ring to attach securely to the back of the iPhone is why most Android users can’t really use it with ease.

If the Insta360 Snap sounds familiar, it’s because a Kickstarter project went viral recently, proposing a similar solution for improving iPhone selfies. The Selfix case targets iPhone 17 Pro users, featuring a small, circular screen on the back. The Insta360 Snap is thicker than a case, but it works with more iPhone models. The magnetic monitor is compatible with iPhone 15 models or later. Also, the Snap is available for purchase right away, and users won’t need to wait for a crowdfunding campaign to conclude.

What can the Insta360 Snap do

The Insta360 Snap will definitely appeal to content creators — especially those who record themselves. The same goes for iPhone users who take lots of selfies. The Snap doesn’t come with a battery of its own, which means it uses the iPhone’s battery when connected. It comes with a built-in USB-C cable, though, which is how it connects to the iPhone after you attach it magnetically to the back of the handset. Insta360 says the monitor consumes about 6% of battery life when used for 10 minutes of continuous shooting. So, you’ll want to turn the screen off or disconnect it from the phone when not in use.

The Insta360 Snap’s 3.5-inch display offers 550 nits of brightness and an 800×480-pixel resolution. The touch screen allows users to control the camera app just as they would when using the iPhone’s display. You can switch between cameras, zoom in and out, and click the shutter button. Since the monitor mirrors the iPhone’s display, the Insta360 Snap will work with other camera apps too, and not just the iPhone’s default Camera app. The Insta360 Snap also features a protective cover that can be folded to cover the iPhone display so you don’t accidentally tap the handset’s screen.

Insta360 is offering two versions of the Snap – a standard one, and one with a light ring around the display for those who take a lot of photos in the dark. The former starts at $79.99, while the Insta360 Snap Selfie Screen with Light is priced at $89.99. The cheaper model weighs 75.5 grams and is 7.3 mm thick. The version with a light ring around the screen is slightly thicker and heavier at 8.2 mm and 88.6 grams.

What about Android support?

Insta360’s marketing materials, images, and videos feature only iPhone devices, suggesting the Snap Selfie Screen is targeting Apple users primarily. That’s because MagSafe is the key iPhone feature that makes the Insta360 Snap stay in place. The monitor needs to be attached firmly to the handset’s rear panel so you can use it without worrying about keeping it in place. That’s why Android devices aren’t featured in Insta360’s announcement or presentation, as most of them lack magnetic rings on the back. The Google Pixel 10 series supports Pixel Snap, so they would work just fine.

However, Insta360 has a solution for Android users who want to take selfies with the rear-facing camera module with the help of the Snap monitor. The device comes with a magnetic ring that can be attached to the back of any Android phone. Another alternative is to use a MagSafe-compatible case with your phone. Once you have that sorted, any phone can be connected to the monitor as long as it supports screen casting via USB-C.

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It has been a rough few months of price hikes, with Netflix recently raising prices on its plans, and now YouTube Premium subscribers are the next to take a hit. YouTube is increasing the cost of its subscription, and the changes will likely take effect starting with your next billing cycle. Google hasn’t announced the price hike in a press release, but e-mails are rolling out to subscribers, and some are already seeing it when trying to upgrade to a Family plan.

Overall, the prices for YouTube Premium will be going up across the board, with Music Premium even being affected. The biggest price jump will come from YouTube Premium Family subscriptions, rising from $22.99 to $26.99 a month. Individual subscribers will see their monthly bill rise to $15.99 a month from $13.99, while Premium Lite users will now be charged $8.99 per month, instead of the previous $7.99 that the service launched with in 2025. Those who subscribe to YouTube Music Premium will also see their monthly price rise from $10.99 to $11.99.

Overall, the largest price increase is $4 on the Family plan. YouTube last raised prices on the Family plan in 2022, so it’s not wholly unexpected to see the company increasing it almost four years later. Regular Premium subscriptions last saw the cost rise in 2023.

YouTube Premium Lite remains the best value for most

While the rising price of YouTube Premium is disappointing, especially since there hasn’t been any significant value added to it recently, there are options for those who want to save a little money. For starters, if you don’t subscribe to the Family plan, then downgrading to YouTube Premium Lite can save you some money each month. Lite gives you the basic ad-free features that regular Premium offers, as well as support for background play and video downloads.

You will lose access to YouTube Music and the Jump Ahead functionality that lets you easily skip the least-watched sections of videos, but if you don’t care about all of that, you can easily save around $7 a month by switching. There are some other caveats to Premium Lite that YouTube outlines, which basically amount to the fact that Lite benefits work on “most” videos, excluding music content and YouTube Shorts. Additionally, you might see ads when browsing through for content on the web or in the app, but you shouldn’t see them on longer-form videos.

Premium can still be great value

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While you could always use ad blockers, YouTube Premium has quickly become one of the best ways to get the most out of YouTube without being bogged down with ads. That’s because YouTube has been on a bit of a crusade as it fights back against people using ad blockers on the site. It has tried to cut down on this by introducing options like Premium Lite and even putting some features into place behind the scenes that make it more difficult to use ad blockers on YouTube.

Google has even started to block AdBlock users in Google Chrome. Considering some of the reports, like YouTube testing unskippable 90-second ads and the fact that the company made your TV experience worse by pushing unskippable ads to the YouTube app on smart TVs at all, means having a Premium plan is a good way to avoid sitting through those without having to jump through extra hoops to try to block them outright.

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Samsung is finally adding support for Google Cast, Google’s protocol that lets you send media from your phone or browser to a TV or speaker, which then streams the content from the internet while your device works like a remote. This long-requested feature will be available through a One UI Tizen update for select models released in 2023 and 2024. 

Sam Mobile reports that this broad rollout happened, with the new 2026 Samsung TV lineup introduced during CES 2026 also including Google Cast support. That lineup includes the company’s Crystal UHD, Mini LED, OLED, Micro RGB, The Frame, and Neo QLED TVs.

With Google Cast, users can finally stream content from their Android smartphones, ChromeOS devices, and Google Chrome browsers, making it easy to see a photo, a video you have on your phone, or even browse something on the web on the big screen, where more people can look at it at the same time. With the pace at which the company is offering support for Google Cast, it’s likely that more Samsung TVs will get this feature over the upcoming weeks and months.

Samsung TVs now support Google Cast and AirPlay 2

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What’s most intriguing about Samsung finally supporting Google Cast on its TVs is that AirPlay 2 has been available on the company’s televisions since 2019. At the time, the South Korean company announced that iTunes Movies and TV Shows, along with AirPlay 2 support, would be coming to Samsung TVs.

Even though Samsung competes with Apple in many markets, both companies have collaborated to deliver a better experience on Samsung’s TVs. In 2019, users got AirPlay 2 and Apple TV app support. Then, in 2020, Samsung also announced that Apple Music would be available on the company’s TVs. During the release, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Samsung, Salek Brodsky, said: “Our goal has always been to deliver the best entertainment experiences to consumers, and as people spend more time at home, we are more committed to that mission than ever. Last year, we were the first TV manufacturer to offer the Apple TV app, and today, we are the first to offer Apple Music.”

With these partnerships, Samsung customers can now have a better experience with their TVs, whether they use Android, Samsung, or iPhones. To check if your Samsung TV has an update, go to Settings, select All Settings, and then Support. Then go into Software update, and select Update Now if there’s a new version waiting for you to unlock new perks.

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A couple of weeks after Apple released iOS 26.4 to iPhone users, the company is now making iOS 26.4.1 available. With this version, Apple is fixing an annoying bug that was preventing users from syncing iCloud data, including apps like Apple Passwords. While Apple has been vague about this software update, 9to5Mac discovered a thread on the Apple Developer Forums that reveals iOS 26.4.1 fixes the iCloud Sync issue.

This thread was created after iOS 26.4 was released. One developer said that making changes to a document on a Mac didn’t trigger the same file on the iPhone to be updated. After this complaint, one Apple Worldwide Developer Relations suggested fixing the issue through macOS, as the app might have failed to export data to CloudKit. However, as more users reported the same issue, Apple started taking the reports very seriously, which led to this update.

With iOS 26.4.1, the same Apple employee posted in the threads asking whether these users could update to iOS 26.4.1 to see if the problem was resolved. Replies from users report that everything works perfectly now. 

iOS 26.5 beta users don’t have to worry about this bug

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If you’re running iOS 26.5 beta 1, you don’t need to worry about this iCloud Sync bug as long as you’ve installed the latest revised version. While Apple is still in the early days of the new iOS 26.5 beta cycle, it has seeded a new version of the first beta to address the iCloud app sync issue.

While we wait for Apple to announce the new Siri powered by a Google Gemini model, iOS 26.5 looks like a small update. So far, it’s adding end-to-end encryption for RCS and setting up ads on Apple Maps in the U.S. and Canada, allowing businesses to place ads in search results and a new “Suggested Places” section in the app.

Last but not least, Apple is working to offer forward notifications on third-party smartwatches in Europe in accordance with the Digital Markets Act legislation. With this update, Apple will also expand answering notifications, Live Activities, and AirPods-like pairing to third-party smartwatches and headphones.

Here’s what else iOS 26.4.1 offers if you’re still running an outdated version

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If you’re still running iOS 26.3 or an older version, there are several reasons to update. Not only does it fix this annoying bug with iOS 26.4, but it also carries all the improvements introduced with the iPhone’s latest software update. For example, Apple Music added five new functions, including an updated look for albums and playlists, an Upcoming Concerts tab, a redesigned Profile section, the ability to add a song to more than one playlist at a time, and Playlist Playground, which uses Apple Intelligence to help you create new playlists.

Apple Podcasts got some upgrades, too, introducing a new HTTP Live Streaming technology that improves video quality for viewers. It also added new monetization opportunities for creators. iOS 26.4 brings eight new emojis, including a gender-neutral option for the ballet dancer and skin tone modifiers for people wrestling and dancers with bunny ears. The highlight of this small batch is the distorted face emoji, which has already proven to be really popular.

The company also added some under-the-hood improvements, like the ability to identify a song even when you don’t have an internet connection, new widgets for Apple’s Ambient Music, and a few other Liquid Glass tweaks that improve readability.

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Amazon is cutting off support for older Kindle models very soon. Amazon issued the following statement (via PCMag): “Starting May 20, 2026, customers using Kindle and Kindle Fire devices released in 2012 and earlier will no longer be able to purchase, borrow, or download new content via the Kindle Store.” Affected models include the Kindle 4, Kindle Paperwhite 1st Generation, Kindle Fire HD 7, and all other models released before 2013.

So, why is Amazon discontinuing support for so many working e-readers? No official reason was given, but Amazon is extending a telling offer to existing owners of older Kindle models. Affected users should soon receive an email offering, “20% off select new Kindle devices as well as a $20 eBook credit that will be automatically added to your account after purchasing a new device (valid through June 20th, 2026, 11:59pm).” The reality is that a Kindle is worth buying even if you own an iPad, which is exactly why Amazon is eager to sell you a new one.

Kindle devices tend to have a lifespan of five to eight years, and some users on Reddit report their Kindles are still going strong after more than a decade. Total Kindle sales were estimated at roughly 20 million as of 2013. Considering the popularity and longevity of Kindle devices at that time, it’s clear that many people will be affected by Amazon’s frustrating decision to discontinue support for a series of devices that still work perfectly fine.

Can you still use your Kindle after Amazon cuts off support?

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After Amazon discontinues support for older Kindle models, you will still be able to read books that are already downloaded to the device. However, Amazon has explained that you should be careful not to deregister a device that has been cut off from support. “If you deregister or factory reset these devices, you will not be able to re-register or use these devices in any way,” the company said.

Another way to continue using your unsupported Kindle is by sideloading books from third-party sources. Sideloading is used for getting around app restrictions on your smart device, but manufacturers don’t like it when users bypass their official storefronts. Apple enforces a “walled-garden” approach that prevents sideloading in regions where such restrictions are allowed. Google’s new rules for sideloading Android apps have recently made the process more difficult for users in that ecosystem as well.

Sideloading books on Kindle is still a viable option for building a virtual library without connecting to the official Kindle Store. Third-party solutions, like the popular Calibre e-book management software, should theoretically continue to work on older Kindle models even after Amazon cuts off support on May 20. However, only time will tell whether or not Amazon attempts to roll out anti-sideloading measures as part of the company’s effort to phase out old devices and promote the purchase of newer models.

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