MakeUseOf

Netflix paid $500 million for a show NBC made in the 1990s — and it's still better than most Netflix originals

Dan Selcke — Mon, 11 May 2026 23:01:18 GMT

Netflix is home to a great many terrific comedies, movies and TV shows alike. That includes original series like Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, I Think You Should Leave, and Grace and Frankie, shows that are native to Netflix and you'll never be able to get anywhere else. But none of those shows have become pop culture phenomenons. In the age of the streaming wars, where there are as many platforms as there are fans to watch, perhaps nothing can.

3 ways to soundproof your entertainment setup without ruining the room

Dave Meikleham — Mon, 11 May 2026 22:00:19 GMT

My surround sound system used to be hideously noisy. Though I was oblivious to this at the time, my Sonos setup was so bass-heavy, my neighbors two floors above me could hear every onscreen explosion when I was watching movies. Suffice to say, I definitely didn’t have the telltale signs that my speakers were underpowered.

4 bedroom upgrades that can turn a profit when it’s time to sell your home

Chris Hachey — Mon, 11 May 2026 21:00:17 GMT

It's never an easy decision to sell your house. Maybe you need to upgrade to a bigger one because you have a new family member on the way. Maybe you need to move for a new job. There are a number of reasons why it might be time to list your home. But with that comes a few things that you need to do first.

This default setting is why your Samsung phone battery doesn’t last all day

Pankil Shah — Mon, 11 May 2026 19:30:17 GMT

I recently upgraded to the Galaxy S26, and while I love it with all my heart, the thing that constantly bothers me is its relatively smaller, 4300mAh battery. Because of that, I’ve been looking for ways to stretch the battery life as much as possible without, of course, compromising the performance. And that search led me to Samsung’s default performance profile.

Those letters on printer ink cartridges mean something — and ignoring them is costing you money

Jorge Aguilar — Mon, 11 May 2026 18:30:20 GMT

When it's time to replace empty printer ink, most people follow a routine they know well. You go down the office supply aisle or find an online store, look for your printer brand, match the colors it needs, and usually pick the box with the lowest initial price. This is a mistake.

This free app fixed what Netflix, Max, and Prime still get wrong

Oliver Haslam — Mon, 11 May 2026 18:00:17 GMT

We now have access to more TV shows than ever before. The days of having a few channels to choose from and only watching what's on, when it's on, are a distant memory. Streaming services mean that there are untold bounties at our fingertips at any given moment, and they're great at showing off their next big thing. But what about the shows that you already know and love?

Finally, a free app that syncs my clipboard across every device I own

Manuviraj Godara — Mon, 11 May 2026 17:30:18 GMT

I own a Windows laptop, an iPhone, and a MacBook. For most of my daily work, I use a MacBook. A small reason for that is how easy it is to use Apple devices together, including copy-pasting stuff between them. The Windows laptop is another story altogether. I have no qualms with the default Windows clipboard app, it does its job well; no notes. What I do have qualms with is the fact that I have to email copied text to myself when I want to paste stuff from my Windows machine to my MacBook, and vice versa.

Confused by USB-C? Read this before you buy your next cable

Oliver Haslam — Mon, 11 May 2026 17:00:18 GMT

When it debuted in 1996, USB (Universal Serial Bus) promised to fix a very real issue that computer users had dealt with for far too long. By offering a truly universal cable, it was hoped that computing would be simplified at a time when the personal computer was coming into its own. And it did, to a point, but fast-forward to 2014, and it took USB-C to really make cables universal. But, as ever, there's a catch.

This smart home upgrade solved the laundry problem I kept forgetting

Chris Hachey — Mon, 11 May 2026 16:30:18 GMT

I knew it was going to be something that I'd have to upgrade eventually. When we moved into our house, the previous owners left their washer and dryer for us. While this was helpful, they were about 10 years old at that point. We got three years out of each of them before the dryer started to malfunction and it was no longer safe to use them.

I tried a Windows laptop with Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme, and I never want to use Intel again

Brady Snyder — Mon, 11 May 2026 16:00:17 GMT

It's no secret that Apple silicon revolutionized mobile computing. The Arm-based chips brought snappy performance, high efficiency, and long battery life to the Mac lineup, and especially to MacBooks. Windows laptops weren't left out for very long, as Qualcomm launched its own Snapdragon X-series processors in 2024. These weren't the first Windows on Arm chips from Qualcomm, but they were the ones good enough to make people consider leaving Intel and AMD. Now, the Snapdragon X2 series is here, and Qualcomm's second try at making laptop Arm chips, and they iron out the (very few) kinks of the first generation.