Google, undisputed king of search, problematic ruler of browsers, and somewhat even-keeled competitor for mobile operating systems, can’t catch a break from the United States Department of Justice. In addition to the fallout from being declared a monopoly for search and browsers, an entirely separate case has just found Google guilty of monopoly practices in web advertising. It’s a huge blow.
US District Judge Leonie Brinkema found Google guilty of violating the Sherman Antitrust Act by “willfully acquiring and maintaining monopoly power in the open-web display publisher ad server market and the open-web display ad exchange market.” Here’s a PDF of the ruling, via The Verge. It’s the conclusion of a case brought by the federal government and eight states over two years ago.
Though Google competes in dozens of categories—from manufacturing its own phones to providing “big iron” data to some of the world’s biggest companies—advertising is arguably its most important business. Ads keep much of the web profitable and allow Google to provide its primary search engine for free, in addition to other services like Gmail, Google Docs, YouTube, etc. According to Statista, Google reaped over 250 billion US dollars from advertising in 2024, and Google owns 80 percent of the search market worldwide.
The determination that Google is operating an illegal monopoly—the second such determination from the US DOJ in two years—could be devastating to its business. The punishment or remedy currently isn’t known, but previous corporations found guilty of intentional monopoly behavior have been broken up or forced to divest themselves of portions of their business. That’s one possible end to the ongoing case: Google might be forced to sell or otherwise dispose of the Chrome browser.
And the United States isn’t the only country with a bone to pick. In an earlier news story today, Google is facing a possible $6.6 billion USD fine in the United Kingdom, again, for violating its market-leading position in search. It’s only the lastest problem the company has had in the region, as the European Union has been cracking down on Google for advertising and other monopoly violations for over a decade.
It’s possible, though far from certain, that the US federal government might force Google to abandon both the advertising and browser markets in 2025. That would be absolutely devastating for the big G, though it has plenty of other assets that would allow it to survive in a diminished capacity. But full divestment is only one of many ways both cases could shake out, and Google will undoubtedly exhaust every option in its legal arsenal to mitigate the damage. It’ll be months, at least, before we see a full conclusion to either story.
Instagram is launching Blends, a new custom Reels feed
The idea is you add this to a DM or Group Chat and watch Reels that will appeal to the people who make up the group
You can react and add comments that live within the DM
If you’re anything like me, you can spend maybe too much time (though I’ll never admit it) scrolling through Reels on Instagram, and clips on TikTok. But not so surprisingly, Instagram wants to keep you within the walls of its app and has a new feature that lets you make a custom Reels feed for you and your friends.
Dubbed Blend, and launching right now, you can set up this custom feed for you and a friend and be served Reels that match both of your interests. It’s an invite-only Reels feed that you can scroll within your chat window and reply to at the bottom to strike up a conversation about whatever you’d like.
And if you were guessing it lives within DMs, you’d be right, as that’s where Instagram invites you to keep the conversation going. Further, if you’re concerned that the Reels will live in line next to your messages, GIFs, and potentially other shared Reels … fear not.
Blend will live via an icon at the top of the chat that looks like a merge of two basic emojis. You’ll tap on that to access your Blend, which is a Blended feed of Reels that hit your interests, and it’s also where you can invite someone to join your blend.
Another important note – you can’t force someone to join your Blend on Instagram; whoever you invite will need to accept it. Instagram also says you can set up blends for you and one other person or for a group of people.
Here’s how Blend will work
(Image credit: Instagram)
So once you’ve set up a Blend with, say, two of your besties, you’ll open that group message within Instagram and tap the new icon next to the call buttons on the top right of the chat.
Tap that, and you’ll be taken to your customized Reels feed. It should look pretty similar. You’ll see the Reel creator’s username, the audio used, a snippet of the caption, and the ability to like it, comment, and even share it.
The difference is that you’ll see a bubble that says “Suggested for [insert username here],” so Instagram will clue you in as to who it thinks will like the Reel the most. And yes, this is based on whatever Reels you’ve engaged with and what Instagram knows about you.
More specifically, Instagram says “Suggested are based on each person’s activity on Instagram, including the reels they watch and interact with. They can also be based on reels sent in the chat.”
As you scroll, if you feel compelled to, you can send a message back to your group about the Reel you’re watching or even drop a reaction like an emoji. For instance, if it’s a particularly epic one, you might use the fire emoji.
(Image credit: Instagram)
It’s pretty neat and a new way to explore Reels with friends on your own time, while still interacting with each other. Not for nothing, you won’t need to risk SharePlaying on iOS or screensharing on Android, not knowing what might appear in your regular feed.
However, since this is based on your interests, your friends might learn something – those I invite to Blend will know I like Bruce Springsteen, Disney Parks, Lego, and Star Wars.
That’s the risk of the Blend: it essentially shows your Instagram Reels interests to a friend (assuming they accepted the invite). If you’re up for the fun and the challenge, you can give Instagram’s latest feature a try as it’s rolling out now.
Just make sure that the Instagram app on your iOS or Android device is up to date.
For most people, a laptop is the default option when shopping for a new computer. It can work at home, it can work on the go, and it has everything built right into it: a screen, a keyboard, a trackpad, speakers, a webcam, and the computer itself.
But as convenient as that might be, a laptop might not be the best choice depending on how you’re going to use it. You may not need the whole kit and kaboodle. Plus, there’s a good bit of engineering that goes into laptop designs — and that adds to the cost.
If your laptop is going to be used at home all the time, tethered to your desk with an external monitor and keyboard and mouse, and you’re only picking a laptop because you don’t want to spend tons for a bulky pre-built desktop PC… then consider a mini PC instead.
Mini PCs offer several benefits over laptops that are totally worth it if you don’t need the innate portability that laptops offer.
While there’s no guarantee that a mini PC will always be cheaper than an equivalent laptop, it’s typically true that you can get a solid mini PC for a lower price than you’d pay for a laptop with similar hardware.
That’s because the mini PC can forego the costs of other elements that aren’t included: display, keyboard, mouse, speakers, battery, etc. If you already have all that stuff, or if you plan to equip your laptop with lots of external peripherals, then you’re wasting money with a laptop.
For an extreme example that drives home the point, compare the M2 Mac Mini with the M2 MacBook Air. By skipping out on all the other “laptop” elements, the Mac Mini only costs $599 — significantly less than the MacBook Air’s $999 price tag.
Which means if you’re in the market for a specific range (e.g., entry-level, mid-tier, high-end), then you’ll likely pay less for the same options if you go with a mini PC instead of a laptop.
Mini PCs have better performance
Mattias Inghe
Mini PCs have an advantage that allows for even greater performance than you’d get in similar laptops: they aren’t constrained by the size limitations that laptops require, so mini PCs have greater freedom when it comes to their internal components.
The physical design of a laptop determines how air flows through the laptop, which affects cooling. Laptops have to balance heat management with performance. Meanwhile, mini PCs can shape themselves however they want — and with more effective cooling, they can push their components further and eke out more performance.
For example, the $479 Beelink SER8 runs its Ryzen 7 8745HS CPU fast enough to score over 13,000 points in Cinebench R23’s multi-core test and 1,600 points in its single-core test.
That puts it pretty close to the $850 Asus Zenbook 14 OLED laptop, which scores 13,777 and 1,508 in the same tests, respectively — and that’s with a Ryzen 7 8840HS CPU, which is an upgrade over the mini PC’s chip.
It’s a similar story on the Mac side of things. Our friends over at MacWorld saw the $699 M1 Mac Mini outperform the $999 M1 MacBook Air in Cinebench R23 and Geekbench 5 tests. Talk about huge savings!
Mini PCs don’t have batteries
Panos Sakalakis / Unsplash
Ignoring the cost and performance factors that push mini PCs ahead of laptops, here’s another big one to consider: since mini PCs aren’t portable, they don’t have any batteries.
Batteries can be problematic, not just in laptops but in any portable device. The constant charging and discharging generates extra heat that can harm the other internal components if pushed too hard, and it also wears down on the battery’s lifespan.
Mini PCs have fewer parts to worry about as far as longevity is concerned, which means they generally last longer.
Mini PCs are easier to upgrade
Jared Newman / Foundry
Most laptops don’t have enough internal space for upgrades. Maybe you can swap out a piece here and there, but generally you’re stuck with whatever configuration you buy.
Mini PCs are a different story. The $399 GMKTec M5 Plus Gaming might be a mini PC, but it’s spacious enough for an M.2 slot, a 2.5-inch SATA slot, and two SO-DIMM slots. So, despite coming with an M.2 drive, you can upgrade with an extra SATA drive if you want to — and you can upgrade the RAM modules beyond the initial configuration, even though this model already comes with an ample 32GB installed.
In fact, a quick search for “mini PC” on Newegg shows that most available mini PCs explicitly offer user-accessible RAM and support multiple storage drives (i.e., both SATA and M.2 slots).
Meanwhile, modern laptops typically come with a single M.2 slot with no room for an extra drive, and they commonly come with RAM modules that are soldered on. This means you can only upgrade your data drive by replacing it and you can’t upgrade your RAM at all.
As laptops have gotten slimmer and smaller, certain aspects had to be sacrificed to get there — like ports and connectivity.
These days, you’d be lucky to get two USB ports and a headset jack. Bonus points if you also get an HDMI port. High-end laptops in particular have just about given up on ports, such as the Dell XPS 13 that only offers two USB-C ports. This means an extreme reliance on hubs and docks.
Mini PCs play to a different tune. The very first mini PC in my Newegg search includes four USB-A ports on one side, and then two HDMI 2.0 ports, two Ethernet ports, and a headset jack on another side.
And that’s not even one of the more impressive mini PCs. The Minisforum UM690S has four 10Gbps USB-A ports, two HDMI ports capable of 4K@60Hz, a 2.5Gbps Ethernet port, and a Kensington lock slot — and all of that’s just on the rear. The front additionally has a 10Gbps USB-C port, a USB4 port, and a headset jack.
Mini PCs might be what you need
In short, mini PCs offer more bang for your buck than laptops, able to wring out more performance from equivalent hardware and costing less than laptops on the same tier.
Of course, you’re giving up the innate portability of a laptop by opting for a mini PC, but that’s fine if you’re always at home anyway. You’ll also have to provide your own keyboard, mouse, and monitor, but you can get them for cheap and still pay less than you would for a laptop.
If you’re in the market for a new device and you think your only choices are laptop, desktop, or tablet, think again. The mini PC might be exactly the thing that serves you best for the price. We regularly highlight mini PC deals in our editorial coverage, so hit that link and poke around if you want to save even more money.
Twitch has long been the king of live streaming, unfazed by the likes of YouTube Live, Kick, and Mixer (RIP). But there’s a new challenger on the block in Patreon, which will start allowing its creators to conduct live broadcasts directly on the platform, reports TechCrunch.
What’s interesting is that Patreon’s native live streaming feature won’t need any third-party apps. Say goodbye to OBS and Crowdcast, because you’ll be able to broadcast live using the Patreon mobile app or website.
When broadcasting, creators will be able to mark their streams as free or exclusive to paid subscribers. Streams will have live chat, moderation tools, and support for popular third-party streaming tools. It won’t have co-hosting (yet?), for which you’ll need something like OBS.
The real standout feature of Patreon’s native live streaming, though, is that creators will be able to stream 24/7 without end. (Compare that to Twitch’s 48-hour limit and TikTok Live’s 1-hour limit.) However, depending on the creator’s plan, they may be limited in how many videos they can upload, with the option to lock videos behind a paywall.
Patreon will start rolling out its native live streaming feature to select creators this week, with wider availability coming this summer.
OLED monitors are the latest and greatest thing in PC gaming. But like just about everything related to PC gaming hardware, they don’t come cheap—so when you find an OLED gaming monitor for well under the going rate, you might want to leap on it. This Pixio 27-inch 1440p model is $549.99 on Amazon, which is about as cheap as it gets for an OLED outside of a major holiday sale.
You’ve probably seen this same model a time or two if you’ve been hunting for a low-priced OLED. It has a familiar 1440p resolution, a 240Hz refresh rate that’ll satisfy all but the twitchiest of multiplayer gamers, and support for Adaptive Sync if you’re playing something more cinematic. It also has more connections than you usually get in budget displays, including USB-C video with 65 watts of power delivery and two USB-A ports. It even includes a KVM switch for handling multiple input devices simultaneously.
The final episode of Daredevil: Born Again season 1 brought the bloody brutality that fans were hoping for, but the story is far from over.
Filming for season 2 was confirmed back in February by executive producer and Marvel Studios’ Head of Streaming, Brad Winderbaum, to Screen Rant. The latest update has given us a release date, and it may surprise you.
When will Daredevil: Born Again season 2 be released?
We already knew that the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen would return next year, but showrunner Dario Scardapane has now confirmed we have less than a year to wait.
Daredevil: Born Again will hit Disney+ in March 2026.
How many episodes will Daredevil: Born Again season 2 have?
Season 2 of Born Again will feature eight episodes… but there’s something else on the way – a Punisher one-shot special.
While no release date has been confirmed for Frank Castle’s solo outing, the post-credits scene in the final episode of season 1 strongly indicates that this will bridge the gap between seasons 1 and 2 of Born Again.
Once we know more, we’ll update this article.
Disney
Who’s starring in Daredevil: Born Again season 2?
Charlie Cox will return as Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil, and Vincent D’Onofrio will again star as Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin.
As Jon Bernthal is starring in the Punisher special, we expect he may also return for season two of the Daredevil revival.
According to Phase Hero, Deborah Ann Woll will return as Karen Page, as will (surprisingly) Elden Henson as Foggy Nelson. We assume this will be via a flashback.
Wilson Bethel was spotted filming for his role as Ben Poindexter, AKA Bullseye – unsurprising, given that he has plenty of unfinished business.
While we’ve not heard anything about Ayelet Zurer, who plays Vanessa Marianna-Fisk, we’d be very surprised if she doesn’t also return. The same goes for Margarita Levieva as Matt Murdock’s girlfriend, Heather Glenn – her new role in the Kingpin’s cabinet may be a source of contention for her partner.
We’d also expect Nikki M. James to return as Kirsten McDuffie, Matt’s law partner. The same goes for detective and private investigator Cherry, played by Clark Johnson.
One strong rumour is that we will see some of the Defenders cast returning – Winderbaum has discussed wanting to see Jessica Jones again, and actress Krysten Ritter fuelled rumours further when she confirmed that she had spent some time with Charlie Cox:
— Best of Daredevil cast (@ddcastarchive) April 13, 2025
If that is true, it’s unclear whether we’ll also see the return of Mike Colter as Luke Cage and Finn Jones as Danny Rand/Iron Fist.
Finally, we may also see the return of Camila Rodriguez’ Angela Ayala, and Genneya Walton as reporter, BB Urich. Both women have justified reasons to come after Fisk.
What is the plot of Daredevil: Born Again season 2?
In season 1 of Daredevil: Born Again, ultimately, Fisk won.
After gradually manipulating the local government and police into doing his bidding, he set up the perfect excuse to outlaw vigilantism in New York City for good, with the area being held under Martial Law.
Mayor Kingpin’s new ban on vigilantes will present a huge problem for superheroes. Matt Murdock will almost certainly be the first to feel the heat, but this could have even wider repercussions for the MCU, with heroes such as Peter Parker and Kate Bishop also affected.
Marvel Television
Potential threats of his are quite literally locked away in cages… though the post-credits scene revealed that iron bars aren’t enough to hold the Punisher back, with Frank hitting a security guard and (presumably) fighting his way out.
As for Matt, he’s finally embraced his alter ego of Daredevil, after struggling with his morals throughout the season. He’s ready to take a stand against Fisk once again, and this time, he’s looking for an army.
He already has Karen at his back, along with Cherry, Josie and Kirsten… but is this discussion of an army a hint that the Defenders are returning? We may also see Angela Ayala take on the persona of the White Tiger, in honour of her late uncle.
Though Matt has the longest-standing feud with Fisk, it’s Vanessa who put the hit out on Foggy Nelson. Will he take the chance at revenge if the opportunity presents itself?
That could be the case, as Vincent D’Onofrio revealed to IGN that he had a very intense reaction to the scripts for season 2:
“There’s already information about what we’re about to start shooting in the second season that I had to have a little cry about… So it’s quite something. This show can be quite intense as an actor.”
Matt and Heather’s relationship was on the rocks, with the lawyer not willing to be honest about his true identity. To complicate things further, there seemed to be a lot of romantic tension between Matt and Karen – something that could be explored further in season two.
Marvel 2024 / Giovanni Rufino
Will there be a season 3 of Daredevil: Born Again?
Brad Winderbaum gave a promising quote to Screen Rant about the future of the show:
Season 2 will come out next year, and then hopefully season 3 and season infinity after that. I think this world is extremely rich, and there are many stories to be told on the streets of New York.
That means we could have many years of Daredevil to come.
Back in 2023, the PDF engine in Edge was switched over to Adobe’s PDF engine, but the rollout only made it the default engine on consumer devices. Business devices had to opt into the new engine, while consumer devices could switch back by tweaking a browser flag setting.
Now Microsoft has confirmed its intent to force ALL users onto Adobe’s PDF engine, Windows Latest reports. Starting September 2025, admins will have to apply an opt-out policy if they want to delay the PDF engine rollout on their PCs. That delay will only last until early 2026, when Microsoft plans to officially retire the legacy PDF engine in Edge.
The main complaint against Adobe’s PDF engine is that users are asked to pay to access several advanced and not-so-advanced features, such as editing text and images, converting between formats, merging documents, and more. It’s yet another reminder of how Microsoft seems to nickel and dime its users at every opportunity.
