Primebook 2 Pro Review: The Budget Laptop That Challenges Chromebooks
We’re halfway through 2026, and if there’s one thing we’ve all noticed this year, it’s rising tech prices. Everything is more expensive than last year, all thanks to AI, which has scooped up all memory production, driving prices to insane levels. This has almost killed the budget smartphone space, and the same is happening to laptops. Even Apple raised MacBook prices by well over ₹1 lakh in some configurations. Imagine this: you’re a student or a parent, and you need a budget-friendly laptop to complete schoolwork. Maybe it’s completing a project, or studying for the next exam on a bigger screen; you get the point.
That’s exactly the problem PrimeBook aims to solve. For the uninitiated, it’s an Indian startup that focuses on making Android laptops, similar to Chromebooks, that help you write documents, study using online tools like YouTube, and don’t cost a bank. One example is the PrimeBook 2 Pro, which features a 14-inch full HD display and runs on the Helio G99 processor. Since you get all that for ₹26,999, I knew I had to test it. I’ve been using the Primebook 2 Pro for the better part of two weeks, and this review should help you decide whether it’s worth it.
Primebook 2 Pro Review
Hisan Kidwai
Summary
The Primebook 2 Pro is a unique machine. The design is way more premium than I expected. The keyboard is great to type on, and even the performance is serviceable. Where Primebook still needs to work on is the optimization. People shouldn’t need to request apps they want to install. Still, it’s a capable studying machine
Design & Hardware
It’s very hard to judge a laptop’s design on such tight budgets because, you know, brands simply don’t have the budget for extensive R&D. While this is what I’ve thought about many of the budget laptops I’ve tested, the PrimeBook 2 Pro is actually designed rather well. Don’t get me wrong, you won’t get the premium metal design, but for the price, the plastic build is excellent. The silver color mimics aluminum, which I quite like, and I observed no flex in the chassis, no matter the pressure. The top has a matte finish that looks sophisticated and doesn’t pick up any fingerprints. I could use the laptop in a trendy cafe without looking out of place.
Open the laptop, and you’re greeted by the same premium feel, except this time the keyboard deck has a MacBook-esque finish. The lid extends slightly below the chassis, making it easier to open. The hinge, however, isn’t much to write home about. It keeps the screen steady, but I found it to be quite stiff. I always had to use two hands to open the laptop, which is a nitpick. Still, the best part about the PrimeBook 2 Pro is the portability. The 14-inch form factor was perfect for slipping into any backpack, and the 1.38 kg weight was light enough to carry the laptop anywhere.
As far as ports are concerned, Primebook hasn’t taken the MacBook route. That’s because you get dual USB-A ports for connecting accessories, a USB-C port for charging, a microSD slot, and a 3.5mm headphone/microphone combo jack. While I couldn’t find the speeds for the mentioned ports, it’s hard to complain much at this price.
Keyboard & Trackpad
When making a budget laptop, the keyboard is usually first on the chopping board to cut costs. While I agree with this sentiment, the keyboard is one of the main ways to interact with the laptop, and I’m glad Primebook 2 Pro doesn’t follow the norm. Its keyboard is perfectly fine. There are no highlight features, but, most importantly, no glaring issues. I got used to the layout pretty quickly. The feedback, while not as tactile as my MacBook, was good enough for long typing sessions. There’s an extra row of shortcuts to get home, end task, and scroll the page, all of which were useful during my testing.
Where things went south was with the trackpad. First up, its sensitivity is way too high. A small flick raced the pointer from one end to the other when all I was trying to do was click the publish button on an article. The second issue is the gestures. Remember the extra row on the keyboard for page-up and page-down. Yeah, you’d be using that quite a lot since scrolling with two fingers moves the page by just an inch. I tried finding settings to adjust both of these things, but I couldn’t. So keep that in mind.
Display & Camera
The PrimeBook 2 Pro features a 14-inch FHD IPS display with a 60Hz refresh rate. For the price, it’s pretty serviceable. The text was easy to read, even the smaller fine print. The colors were decent, making it a good experience to watch YouTube. Even the viewing angles were quite good. There was some color shifting when viewed from an angle, but not as much as with TN panels. The anti-reflective coating also did its job well, keeping background reflection at bay. The only complaint regarding the display would be the brightness. It’s not enough to overcome the light on a sunny day inside a brightly lit cafe.
The best way I can describe the alleged 1440p webcam is that you can use it for video calls. Don’t expect it to represent how your face actually looks or to have any sharpness, and you’d be good to go.
Performance & Battery
Inside the Primebook 2 Pro is the MediaTek Helio G99 processor, which, I agree, isn’t the newest kid on the block. It’s paired with 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and an unnamed 128GB UFS storage. PrimeOS runs smoothly on the hardware. I could open and close applications reasonably quickly without waiting long. Most of my work happens in Chrome, so I used the laptop for a bit of news writing, along with my usual suite of research tabs. It kept over 10 tabs in memory without stuttering, so I believe studying with the 2 Pro should work out fine.
Where I did notice the 4-year-old processor was when running YouTube. The UI loaded quickly and fine, but when I clicked to play a video, there was a brief hitch before it actually played. This was the case with every video I tried playing. The issue became even more noticeable when I opened WhatsApp Web, which I believe many students would. The laptop took a long while loading my messages, and navigating between the different message tabs was a less-than-ideal experience.
The PrimeBook 2 Pro is powered by a 60Wh battery. When coupled with the non-flagship internals, the laptop’s battery life is excellent. When working on Chrome, it lasted me two full days of use, with the screen on time hovering around the 9-hour mark.
PrimeOS
It’s time to talk about PrimeOS. It’s Primebook’s custom Android-based operating system that takes the big-screen Android experience and adds a few desktop-inspired features. It was my first time using PrimeOS, and it’s a decent take. Apps are neatly tucked away into a Finder-like place. The file manager is inspired by both macOS and Windows and does a very good job of organizing files into easily understandable tabs. App support, though, is a bit complicated. Primebook claims you get access to the “entire Android app ecosystem,” but I couldn’t find all the apps. Sure, most of the important apps like PowerPoint, Docs, and others are included, but it’s not a complete list. If you need more apps, you’ll need to request them specifically, which is a bit counterintuitive in my opinion. It’s worth checking that the apps you need are available before buying.
Beyond that, since not everything can run on Android, Primebook offers Cloud PC functionality. It lets users emulate Windows or Linux on their laptop, albeit with a fee. Subscriptions start at ₹99 for Linux and ₹499 for Windows. Sadly, I did not get the opportunity to test the functionality during my review period. There is also PrimeCoding, the brand’s own beginner-friendly coding platform. The implementation is simple but useful for beginners learning the basics of programming. Do I see PrimeOS becoming big in the next few years? Yes.
Verdict
At ₹26,990, the PrimeBook 2 Pro is a unique machine. It’s neither a traditional Windows laptop nor a Chromebook. It’s something in between, and there are a lot of good things about the laptop. The design is way more premium than I expected. The keyboard is great to type on, and even the performance is serviceable. Where Primebook still needs to work on is the optimization. People shouldn’t need to request apps they want to install. Everything that runs on Android should already be there. Still, the Primebook 2 Pro is a capable machine that, if you’re looking for something to study on, will work just fine and serve you for a few years.
We’re halfway through 2026, and if there’s one thing we’ve all noticed this year, it’s rising tech prices. Everything is more expensive than last year, all thanks to AI, which has scooped up all memory production, driving prices to insane levels. This has almost killed the budget smartphone space, and the same is happening to laptops. Even Apple raised MacBook prices by well over ₹1 lakh in some configurations. Imagine this: you’re a student or a parent, and you need a budget-friendly laptop to complete schoolwork. Maybe it’s completing a project, or studying for the next exam on a bigger screen; you get the point.
That’s exactly the problem PrimeBook aims to solve. For the uninitiated, it’s an Indian startup that focuses on making Android laptops, similar to Chromebooks, that help you write documents, study using online tools like YouTube, and don’t cost a bank. One example is the PrimeBook 2 Pro, which features a 14-inch full HD display and runs on the Helio G99 processor. Since you get all that for ₹26,999, I knew I had to test it. I’ve been using the Primebook 2 Pro for the better part of two weeks, and this review should help you decide whether it’s worth it.
Primebook 2 Pro Review
Hisan Kidwai
Summary
The Primebook 2 Pro is a unique machine. The design is way more premium than I expected. The keyboard is great to type on, and even the performance is serviceable. Where Primebook still needs to work on is the optimization. People shouldn’t need to request apps they want to install. Still, it’s a capable studying machine
Design & Hardware
It’s very hard to judge a laptop’s design on such tight budgets because, you know, brands simply don’t have the budget for extensive R&D. While this is what I’ve thought about many of the budget laptops I’ve tested, the PrimeBook 2 Pro is actually designed rather well. Don’t get me wrong, you won’t get the premium metal design, but for the price, the plastic build is excellent. The silver color mimics aluminum, which I quite like, and I observed no flex in the chassis, no matter the pressure. The top has a matte finish that looks sophisticated and doesn’t pick up any fingerprints. I could use the laptop in a trendy cafe without looking out of place.
Open the laptop, and you’re greeted by the same premium feel, except this time the keyboard deck has a MacBook-esque finish. The lid extends slightly below the chassis, making it easier to open. The hinge, however, isn’t much to write home about. It keeps the screen steady, but I found it to be quite stiff. I always had to use two hands to open the laptop, which is a nitpick. Still, the best part about the PrimeBook 2 Pro is the portability. The 14-inch form factor was perfect for slipping into any backpack, and the 1.38 kg weight was light enough to carry the laptop anywhere.
As far as ports are concerned, Primebook hasn’t taken the MacBook route. That’s because you get dual USB-A ports for connecting accessories, a USB-C port for charging, a microSD slot, and a 3.5mm headphone/microphone combo jack. While I couldn’t find the speeds for the mentioned ports, it’s hard to complain much at this price.
Keyboard & Trackpad
When making a budget laptop, the keyboard is usually first on the chopping board to cut costs. While I agree with this sentiment, the keyboard is one of the main ways to interact with the laptop, and I’m glad Primebook 2 Pro doesn’t follow the norm. Its keyboard is perfectly fine. There are no highlight features, but, most importantly, no glaring issues. I got used to the layout pretty quickly. The feedback, while not as tactile as my MacBook, was good enough for long typing sessions. There’s an extra row of shortcuts to get home, end task, and scroll the page, all of which were useful during my testing.
Where things went south was with the trackpad. First up, its sensitivity is way too high. A small flick raced the pointer from one end to the other when all I was trying to do was click the publish button on an article. The second issue is the gestures. Remember the extra row on the keyboard for page-up and page-down. Yeah, you’d be using that quite a lot since scrolling with two fingers moves the page by just an inch. I tried finding settings to adjust both of these things, but I couldn’t. So keep that in mind.
Display & Camera
The PrimeBook 2 Pro features a 14-inch FHD IPS display with a 60Hz refresh rate. For the price, it’s pretty serviceable. The text was easy to read, even the smaller fine print. The colors were decent, making it a good experience to watch YouTube. Even the viewing angles were quite good. There was some color shifting when viewed from an angle, but not as much as with TN panels. The anti-reflective coating also did its job well, keeping background reflection at bay. The only complaint regarding the display would be the brightness. It’s not enough to overcome the light on a sunny day inside a brightly lit cafe.
The best way I can describe the alleged 1440p webcam is that you can use it for video calls. Don’t expect it to represent how your face actually looks or to have any sharpness, and you’d be good to go.
Performance & Battery
Inside the Primebook 2 Pro is the MediaTek Helio G99 processor, which, I agree, isn’t the newest kid on the block. It’s paired with 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and an unnamed 128GB UFS storage. PrimeOS runs smoothly on the hardware. I could open and close applications reasonably quickly without waiting long. Most of my work happens in Chrome, so I used the laptop for a bit of news writing, along with my usual suite of research tabs. It kept over 10 tabs in memory without stuttering, so I believe studying with the 2 Pro should work out fine.
Where I did notice the 4-year-old processor was when running YouTube. The UI loaded quickly and fine, but when I clicked to play a video, there was a brief hitch before it actually played. This was the case with every video I tried playing. The issue became even more noticeable when I opened WhatsApp Web, which I believe many students would. The laptop took a long while loading my messages, and navigating between the different message tabs was a less-than-ideal experience.
The PrimeBook 2 Pro is powered by a 60Wh battery. When coupled with the non-flagship internals, the laptop’s battery life is excellent. When working on Chrome, it lasted me two full days of use, with the screen on time hovering around the 9-hour mark.
PrimeOS
It’s time to talk about PrimeOS. It’s Primebook’s custom Android-based operating system that takes the big-screen Android experience and adds a few desktop-inspired features. It was my first time using PrimeOS, and it’s a decent take. Apps are neatly tucked away into a Finder-like place. The file manager is inspired by both macOS and Windows and does a very good job of organizing files into easily understandable tabs. App support, though, is a bit complicated. Primebook claims you get access to the “entire Android app ecosystem,” but I couldn’t find all the apps. Sure, most of the important apps like PowerPoint, Docs, and others are included, but it’s not a complete list. If you need more apps, you’ll need to request them specifically, which is a bit counterintuitive in my opinion. It’s worth checking that the apps you need are available before buying.
Beyond that, since not everything can run on Android, Primebook offers Cloud PC functionality. It lets users emulate Windows or Linux on their laptop, albeit with a fee. Subscriptions start at ₹99 for Linux and ₹499 for Windows. Sadly, I did not get the opportunity to test the functionality during my review period. There is also PrimeCoding, the brand’s own beginner-friendly coding platform. The implementation is simple but useful for beginners learning the basics of programming. Do I see PrimeOS becoming big in the next few years? Yes.
Verdict
At ₹26,990, the PrimeBook 2 Pro is a unique machine. It’s neither a traditional Windows laptop nor a Chromebook. It’s something in between, and there are a lot of good things about the laptop. The design is way more premium than I expected. The keyboard is great to type on, and even the performance is serviceable. Where Primebook still needs to work on is the optimization. People shouldn’t need to request apps they want to install. Everything that runs on Android should already be there. Still, the Primebook 2 Pro is a capable machine that, if you’re looking for something to study on, will work just fine and serve you for a few years.
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#Primebook #Pro #Review #Budget #Laptop #Challenges #Chromebooks
“There’s only been one Blade. There’s only ever gonna be one Blade.” When Wesley Snipes spoke those lines in 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine, audiences cackled. Sure, Deadpool and the characters around him love to make self-referential jokes, but something about Snipes—playing Blade for the first time since 2004’s Blade: Trinity—delivering the joke hit extra hard.
Comic-book movie lovers know, of course, that Marvel announced a Blade reboot starring Mahershala Ali all the way back in 2019. It’s had a stop-and-start progression since then and slowly became a bit of a punchline, with many fans coming to believe it would never actually happen.
It’s not unheard of in Hollywood that a movie gets announced, then never actually goes into production. But it is unusual when a high-profile Marvel project starring a two-time Oscar winner that was trumpeted from the Hall H stage at San Diego Comic-Con gets quietly shoved to the bottom of the TBD list.
However, Marvel hadn’t made any statement putting Blade to rest until very recently, when Happy Sad Confused podcast host Josh Horowitz came right out and asked Marvel head Kevin Feige for an update on the status of Blade. Horowitz shared the clip in an Instagram reel you can watch here, but this is what they said:
“How much time in therapy have you spent talking about Blade?” Horowitz joked to Feige. “This poor project. We just need to get this done, Kevin … We all want it. Mahershala wants it. How are you feeling at this moment?”
Feige replied, “I’m feeling very excited that we got Wesley back for a time in Deadpool & Wolverine and like a gigantic loser and a failure that we didn’t get off the ground with Mahershala.”
So he doesn’t say there will never, ever be a new Blade film, no matter what Deadpool & Wolverine would have us believe. But it sure sounds like the Mahershala Ali Blade movie is no longer in play.
Horowitz also asked if there’s a chance Secret Wars could be two films (no), if Doomsday is sticking to its release date (yes), and what the MCU will look like after Secret Wars arrives in late 2027. “I look to the comics as I always do in terms of our storytelling,” Feige said, after noting he doesn’t consider Secret Wars to be a reboot. “And after both the Secret Wars, but particularly the [Jonathan] Hickman Secret Wars from 10 years ago, there’s a nice road map to where we can go.”
Horowitz also asked if any actors have signed on for X-Men characters that we don’t know about yet, and Feige said, with supreme vagueness, “Not necessarily.”
Perhaps we’ll learn more about that when Marvel’s Hall H panel happens this weekend at San Diego Comic-Con. Marvel didn’t hold its traditional Saturday night panel in 2025, so Feige and company have some catching up to do.
“There’s only been one Blade. There’s only ever gonna be one Blade.” When Wesley Snipes spoke those lines in 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine, audiences cackled. Sure, Deadpool and the characters around him love to make self-referential jokes, but something about Snipes—playing Blade for the first time since 2004’s Blade: Trinity—delivering the joke hit extra hard.
Comic-book movie lovers know, of course, that Marvel announced a Blade reboot starring Mahershala Ali all the way back in 2019. It’s had a stop-and-start progression since then and slowly became a bit of a punchline, with many fans coming to believe it would never actually happen.
It’s not unheard of in Hollywood that a movie gets announced, then never actually goes into production. But it is unusual when a high-profile Marvel project starring a two-time Oscar winner that was trumpeted from the Hall H stage at San Diego Comic-Con gets quietly shoved to the bottom of the TBD list.
However, Marvel hadn’t made any statement putting Blade to rest until very recently, when Happy Sad Confused podcast host Josh Horowitz came right out and asked Marvel head Kevin Feige for an update on the status of Blade. Horowitz shared the clip in an Instagram reel you can watch here, but this is what they said:
“How much time in therapy have you spent talking about Blade?” Horowitz joked to Feige. “This poor project. We just need to get this done, Kevin … We all want it. Mahershala wants it. How are you feeling at this moment?”
Feige replied, “I’m feeling very excited that we got Wesley back for a time in Deadpool & Wolverine and like a gigantic loser and a failure that we didn’t get off the ground with Mahershala.”
So he doesn’t say there will never, ever be a new Blade film, no matter what Deadpool & Wolverine would have us believe. But it sure sounds like the Mahershala Ali Blade movie is no longer in play.
Horowitz also asked if there’s a chance Secret Wars could be two films (no), if Doomsday is sticking to its release date (yes), and what the MCU will look like after Secret Wars arrives in late 2027. “I look to the comics as I always do in terms of our storytelling,” Feige said, after noting he doesn’t consider Secret Wars to be a reboot. “And after both the Secret Wars, but particularly the [Jonathan] Hickman Secret Wars from 10 years ago, there’s a nice road map to where we can go.”
Horowitz also asked if any actors have signed on for X-Men characters that we don’t know about yet, and Feige said, with supreme vagueness, “Not necessarily.”
Perhaps we’ll learn more about that when Marvel’s Hall H panel happens this weekend at San Diego Comic-Con. Marvel didn’t hold its traditional Saturday night panel in 2025, so Feige and company have some catching up to do.
“There’s only been one Blade. There’s only ever gonna be one Blade.” When Wesley Snipes spoke those lines in 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine, audiences cackled. Sure, Deadpool and the characters around him love to make self-referential jokes, but something about Snipes—playing Blade for the first time since 2004’s Blade: Trinity—delivering the joke hit extra hard.
Comic-book movie lovers know, of course, that Marvel announced a Blade reboot starring Mahershala Ali all the way back in 2019. It’s had a stop-and-start progression since then and slowly became a bit of a punchline, with many fans coming to believe it would never actually happen.
It’s not unheard of in Hollywood that a movie gets announced, then never actually goes into production. But it is unusual when a high-profile Marvel project starring a two-time Oscar winner that was trumpeted from the Hall H stage at San Diego Comic-Con gets quietly shoved to the bottom of the TBD list.
However, Marvel hadn’t made any statement putting Blade to rest until very recently, when Happy Sad Confused podcast host Josh Horowitz came right out and asked Marvel head Kevin Feige for an update on the status of Blade. Horowitz shared the clip in an Instagram reel you can watch here, but this is what they said:
“How much time in therapy have you spent talking about Blade?” Horowitz joked to Feige. “This poor project. We just need to get this done, Kevin … We all want it. Mahershala wants it. How are you feeling at this moment?”
Feige replied, “I’m feeling very excited that we got Wesley back for a time in Deadpool & Wolverine and like a gigantic loser and a failure that we didn’t get off the ground with Mahershala.”
So he doesn’t say there will never, ever be a new Blade film, no matter what Deadpool & Wolverine would have us believe. But it sure sounds like the Mahershala Ali Blade movie is no longer in play.
Horowitz also asked if there’s a chance Secret Wars could be two films (no), if Doomsday is sticking to its release date (yes), and what the MCU will look like after Secret Wars arrives in late 2027. “I look to the comics as I always do in terms of our storytelling,” Feige said, after noting he doesn’t consider Secret Wars to be a reboot. “And after both the Secret Wars, but particularly the [Jonathan] Hickman Secret Wars from 10 years ago, there’s a nice road map to where we can go.”
Horowitz also asked if any actors have signed on for X-Men characters that we don’t know about yet, and Feige said, with supreme vagueness, “Not necessarily.”
Perhaps we’ll learn more about that when Marvel’s Hall H panel happens this weekend at San Diego Comic-Con. Marvel didn’t hold its traditional Saturday night panel in 2025, so Feige and company have some catching up to do.
There’s nothing more natural, simple, and affordable than a mushroom log. Many mushroom logs available for purchase are meant exclusively for outdoor use, as they’re just plain old logs with sealed holes full of colonized mushroom spawn. But this 12-inch-tall option from Williams Sonoma is meant for indoor display (though you can also place it outside if you’d prefer), with smooth waxed ends and a rustic metal tag printed with its creation date.
Soak it for 24 hours and—theoretically—you’ll have mushrooms pinning in about 30 days. Even though oyster mushrooms are the easiest variety to grow, for reasons known only to me at the time, I chose a shiitake log, which came with a piece of paper identifying it as a “younger log.” This means the spawn was still in the process of colonizing and should fruit seven to nine months from the date stamped on its tag, which was December 2025. I soaked the log in mid-May and again in early July, but I’m still waiting to see any pins. Williams Sonoma says the log is guaranteed to fruit, so it continues to sit on my dining room table, in a saucer full of water, tented with a plastic produce bag. Some green mold has started to appear on the top, but I remain optimistic, even though this is not my first shiitake mushroom log failure (I tried to grow one from a different brand some years ago, outside under a bush).
#Year #Growing #Mushrooms #Badlyapocalypse wow,food and drink,biology">
There’s nothing more natural, simple, and affordable than a mushroom log. Many mushroom logs available for purchase are meant exclusively for outdoor use, as they’re just plain old logs with sealed holes full of colonized mushroom spawn. But this 12-inch-tall option from Williams Sonoma is meant for indoor display (though you can also place it outside if you’d prefer), with smooth waxed ends and a rustic metal tag printed with its creation date.
Soak it for 24 hours and—theoretically—you’ll have mushrooms pinning in about 30 days. Even though oyster mushrooms are the easiest variety to grow, for reasons known only to me at the time, I chose a shiitake log, which came with a piece of paper identifying it as a “younger log.” This means the spawn was still in the process of colonizing and should fruit seven to nine months from the date stamped on its tag, which was December 2025. I soaked the log in mid-May and again in early July, but I’m still waiting to see any pins. Williams Sonoma says the log is guaranteed to fruit, so it continues to sit on my dining room table, in a saucer full of water, tented with a plastic produce bag. Some green mold has started to appear on the top, but I remain optimistic, even though this is not my first shiitake mushroom log failure (I tried to grow one from a different brand some years ago, outside under a bush).
#Year #Growing #Mushrooms #Badlyapocalypse wow,food and drink,biology">My Year of Growing Mushrooms Badly
Mushroom hunting is cool and fun, but you know what’s not cool and fun? Having slugs or other mushroom hunters discover your secret spot. Or, worst of all, accidentally collecting the wrong kind of mushroom that could make you quite sick—or worse.
Ideally, you’d be able to grow your favorite kind of mushrooms safely in your own home or yard, whether that’s shiitakes, morels, or lion’s manes, just like you would vegetables. But like many gardening-adjacent pursuits, it’s not that simple. Mushrooms, like all fungi, need just three things to grow: spores, a food source, and a humid environment.
However, because mushrooms are incredibly sensitive to light, heat, and contamination, it doesn’t take much to create a prohibitive growing environment. And then there’s the question of whether it’s possible to simulate the critical symbiotic relationships that many mushrooms, especially more coveted ones like porcinis and chanterelles, must maintain with tree roots to thrive.
I am far from a mycology expert, but during the past year, I, a busy full-time-working parent, have engaged in five different attempts to grow mushrooms in my house and backyard: shiitakes on an inoculated log, oysters on a cardboard-enclosed fruiting block, wine caps in spawn buried in bark chips in my garden, oysters from grain spawn in a bucket, and oysters and lion’s manes in a monotub setup.
I laughed, I cried, I made an epic mess of chopped straw in my bathroom, and only two of the five methods succeeded. If you, too, are mushroom-curious and looking to grow your own, here’s what I did—and, in some cases, wish I had done differently.
There’s nothing more natural, simple, and affordable than a mushroom log. Many mushroom logs available for purchase are meant exclusively for outdoor use, as they’re just plain old logs with sealed holes full of colonized mushroom spawn. But this 12-inch-tall option from Williams Sonoma is meant for indoor display (though you can also place it outside if you’d prefer), with smooth waxed ends and a rustic metal tag printed with its creation date.
Soak it for 24 hours and—theoretically—you’ll have mushrooms pinning in about 30 days. Even though oyster mushrooms are the easiest variety to grow, for reasons known only to me at the time, I chose a shiitake log, which came with a piece of paper identifying it as a “younger log.” This means the spawn was still in the process of colonizing and should fruit seven to nine months from the date stamped on its tag, which was December 2025. I soaked the log in mid-May and again in early July, but I’m still waiting to see any pins. Williams Sonoma says the log is guaranteed to fruit, so it continues to sit on my dining room table, in a saucer full of water, tented with a plastic produce bag. Some green mold has started to appear on the top, but I remain optimistic, even though this is not my first shiitake mushroom log failure (I tried to grow one from a different brand some years ago, outside under a bush).
#Year #Growing #Mushrooms #Badlyapocalypse wow,food and drink,biology
Thanks to BTS member J-Hope, we now have our first look at Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide in the wild, ahead of the July 22 Galaxy Unpacked event.
According to a report from 9to5Google’s Ben Schoon, the singer was filmed using the device during soundcheck footage at a BTS World Tour stop in Paris, with the compiled clips circulating on X. The footage shows J-Hope holding and filming with the device from both front and back angles. The device in the video matches leaked renders of the new wide version of the Galaxy Z Fold 8, which is expected to go head-to-head with the iPhone Ultra Fold later this year.
The clips show a purple finish, though the phone isn’t shown unfolded, leaving its inner display still unseen. Samsung maintains a marketing partnership with BTS, and 9to5Google suggested the phone was likely supplied to J-Hope through that relationship rather than as an intentional early reveal.
Mashable Light Speed
The device is widely expected to carry the Galaxy Z Fold 8 name, though as we’ve noted, the branding may cause confusion. This version reportedly isn’t a direct successor to last year’s Z Fold 7, with that role instead going to a separate Z Fold 8 Ultra.
In our guide to Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide leaks, the reported specs point to a 5.5-inch external display, 7.6-inch internal display, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, 12GB RAM, and a 4,800mAh battery, alongside a camera setup: 50MP wide, 50MP ultrawide, dual 10MP selfie. This marks a step down from the Z Fold 7’s 200MP main sensor.
Samsung is set to formally unveil the device alongside the Z Fold 8 Ultra, Galaxy Z Flip 8, and new smartwatches at the July 22 Galaxy Unpacked event in London.
Thanks to BTS member J-Hope, we now have our first look at Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide in the wild, ahead of the July 22 Galaxy Unpacked event.
According to a report from 9to5Google’s Ben Schoon, the singer was filmed using the device during soundcheck footage at a BTS World Tour stop in Paris, with the compiled clips circulating on X. The footage shows J-Hope holding and filming with the device from both front and back angles. The device in the video matches leaked renders of the new wide version of the Galaxy Z Fold 8, which is expected to go head-to-head with the iPhone Ultra Fold later this year.
The clips show a purple finish, though the phone isn’t shown unfolded, leaving its inner display still unseen. Samsung maintains a marketing partnership with BTS, and 9to5Google suggested the phone was likely supplied to J-Hope through that relationship rather than as an intentional early reveal.
Mashable Light Speed
The device is widely expected to carry the Galaxy Z Fold 8 name, though as we’ve noted, the branding may cause confusion. This version reportedly isn’t a direct successor to last year’s Z Fold 7, with that role instead going to a separate Z Fold 8 Ultra.
In our guide to Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide leaks, the reported specs point to a 5.5-inch external display, 7.6-inch internal display, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, 12GB RAM, and a 4,800mAh battery, alongside a camera setup: 50MP wide, 50MP ultrawide, dual 10MP selfie. This marks a step down from the Z Fold 7’s 200MP main sensor.
Samsung is set to formally unveil the device alongside the Z Fold 8 Ultra, Galaxy Z Flip 8, and new smartwatches at the July 22 Galaxy Unpacked event in London.
Mashable will be at Samsung’s London event, so check back on Wednesday for our live blog and the latest Galaxy Unpacked news.
#wide #Galaxy #Fold #revealed #BTS #member #JHope">The new, wide Galaxy Z Fold 8 revealed by BTS member J-Hope
Thanks to BTS member J-Hope, we now have our first look at Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide in the wild, ahead of the July 22 Galaxy Unpacked event.
According to a report from 9to5Google’s Ben Schoon, the singer was filmed using the device during soundcheck footage at a BTS World Tour stop in Paris, with the compiled clips circulating on X. The footage shows J-Hope holding and filming with the device from both front and back angles. The device in the video matches leaked renders of the new wide version of the Galaxy Z Fold 8, which is expected to go head-to-head with the iPhone Ultra Fold later this year.
The clips show a purple finish, though the phone isn’t shown unfolded, leaving its inner display still unseen. Samsung maintains a marketing partnership with BTS, and 9to5Google suggested the phone was likely supplied to J-Hope through that relationship rather than as an intentional early reveal.
Mashable Light Speed
The device is widely expected to carry the Galaxy Z Fold 8 name, though as we’ve noted, the branding may cause confusion. This version reportedly isn’t a direct successor to last year’s Z Fold 7, with that role instead going to a separate Z Fold 8 Ultra.
In our guide to Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide leaks, the reported specs point to a 5.5-inch external display, 7.6-inch internal display, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, 12GB RAM, and a 4,800mAh battery, alongside a camera setup: 50MP wide, 50MP ultrawide, dual 10MP selfie. This marks a step down from the Z Fold 7’s 200MP main sensor.
Samsung is set to formally unveil the device alongside the Z Fold 8 Ultra, Galaxy Z Flip 8, and new smartwatches at the July 22 Galaxy Unpacked event in London.
![Kevin Feige Has Finally Admitted ‘Blade’ Probably Isn’t Happening
“There’s only been one Blade. There’s only ever gonna be one Blade.” When Wesley Snipes spoke those lines in 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine, audiences cackled. Sure, Deadpool and the characters around him love to make self-referential jokes, but something about Snipes—playing Blade for the first time since 2004’s Blade: Trinity—delivering the joke hit extra hard. Comic-book movie lovers know, of course, that Marvel announced a Blade reboot starring Mahershala Ali all the way back in 2019. It’s had a stop-and-start progression since then and slowly became a bit of a punchline, with many fans coming to believe it would never actually happen. It’s not unheard of in Hollywood that a movie gets announced, then never actually goes into production. But it is unusual when a high-profile Marvel project starring a two-time Oscar winner that was trumpeted from the Hall H stage at San Diego Comic-Con gets quietly shoved to the bottom of the TBD list.
However, Marvel hadn’t made any statement putting Blade to rest until very recently, when Happy Sad Confused podcast host Josh Horowitz came right out and asked Marvel head Kevin Feige for an update on the status of Blade. Horowitz shared the clip in an Instagram reel you can watch here, but this is what they said:
“How much time in therapy have you spent talking about Blade?” Horowitz joked to Feige. “This poor project. We just need to get this done, Kevin … We all want it. Mahershala wants it. How are you feeling at this moment?” Feige replied, “I’m feeling very excited that we got Wesley back for a time in Deadpool & Wolverine and like a gigantic loser and a failure that we didn’t get off the ground with Mahershala.” So he doesn’t say there will never, ever be a new Blade film, no matter what Deadpool & Wolverine would have us believe. But it sure sounds like the Mahershala Ali Blade movie is no longer in play.
Horowitz also asked if there’s a chance Secret Wars could be two films (no), if Doomsday is sticking to its release date (yes), and what the MCU will look like after Secret Wars arrives in late 2027. “I look to the comics as I always do in terms of our storytelling,” Feige said, after noting he doesn’t consider Secret Wars to be a reboot. “And after both the Secret Wars, but particularly the [Jonathan] Hickman Secret Wars from 10 years ago, there’s a nice road map to where we can go.” Horowitz also asked if any actors have signed on for X-Men characters that we don’t know about yet, and Feige said, with supreme vagueness, “Not necessarily.” Perhaps we’ll learn more about that when Marvel’s Hall H panel happens this weekend at San Diego Comic-Con. Marvel didn’t hold its traditional Saturday night panel in 2025, so Feige and company have some catching up to do. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #Kevin #Feige #Finally #Admitted #Blade #Isnt #HappeningBlade,Kevin Feige,Marvel](https://i2.wp.com/gizmodo.com/app/uploads/2026/07/Blade_DeadpoolWolverine-1280x853.jpg?ssl=1 "Kevin Feige Has Finally Admitted ‘Blade’ Probably Isn’t Happening
“There’s only been one Blade. There’s only ever gonna be one Blade.” When Wesley Snipes spoke those lines in 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine, audiences cackled. Sure, Deadpool and the characters around him love to make self-referential jokes, but something about Snipes—playing Blade for the first time since 2004’s Blade: Trinity—delivering the joke hit extra hard. Comic-book movie lovers know, of course, that Marvel announced a Blade reboot starring Mahershala Ali all the way back in 2019. It’s had a stop-and-start progression since then and slowly became a bit of a punchline, with many fans coming to believe it would never actually happen. It’s not unheard of in Hollywood that a movie gets announced, then never actually goes into production. But it is unusual when a high-profile Marvel project starring a two-time Oscar winner that was trumpeted from the Hall H stage at San Diego Comic-Con gets quietly shoved to the bottom of the TBD list.
However, Marvel hadn’t made any statement putting Blade to rest until very recently, when Happy Sad Confused podcast host Josh Horowitz came right out and asked Marvel head Kevin Feige for an update on the status of Blade. Horowitz shared the clip in an Instagram reel you can watch here, but this is what they said:
“How much time in therapy have you spent talking about Blade?” Horowitz joked to Feige. “This poor project. We just need to get this done, Kevin … We all want it. Mahershala wants it. How are you feeling at this moment?” Feige replied, “I’m feeling very excited that we got Wesley back for a time in Deadpool & Wolverine and like a gigantic loser and a failure that we didn’t get off the ground with Mahershala.” So he doesn’t say there will never, ever be a new Blade film, no matter what Deadpool & Wolverine would have us believe. But it sure sounds like the Mahershala Ali Blade movie is no longer in play.
Horowitz also asked if there’s a chance Secret Wars could be two films (no), if Doomsday is sticking to its release date (yes), and what the MCU will look like after Secret Wars arrives in late 2027. “I look to the comics as I always do in terms of our storytelling,” Feige said, after noting he doesn’t consider Secret Wars to be a reboot. “And after both the Secret Wars, but particularly the [Jonathan] Hickman Secret Wars from 10 years ago, there’s a nice road map to where we can go.” Horowitz also asked if any actors have signed on for X-Men characters that we don’t know about yet, and Feige said, with supreme vagueness, “Not necessarily.” Perhaps we’ll learn more about that when Marvel’s Hall H panel happens this weekend at San Diego Comic-Con. Marvel didn’t hold its traditional Saturday night panel in 2025, so Feige and company have some catching up to do. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #Kevin #Feige #Finally #Admitted #Blade #Isnt #HappeningBlade,Kevin Feige,Marvel")
![Kevin Feige Has Finally Admitted ‘Blade’ Probably Isn’t Happening
“There’s only been one Blade. There’s only ever gonna be one Blade.” When Wesley Snipes spoke those lines in 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine, audiences cackled. Sure, Deadpool and the characters around him love to make self-referential jokes, but something about Snipes—playing Blade for the first time since 2004’s Blade: Trinity—delivering the joke hit extra hard. Comic-book movie lovers know, of course, that Marvel announced a Blade reboot starring Mahershala Ali all the way back in 2019. It’s had a stop-and-start progression since then and slowly became a bit of a punchline, with many fans coming to believe it would never actually happen. It’s not unheard of in Hollywood that a movie gets announced, then never actually goes into production. But it is unusual when a high-profile Marvel project starring a two-time Oscar winner that was trumpeted from the Hall H stage at San Diego Comic-Con gets quietly shoved to the bottom of the TBD list.
However, Marvel hadn’t made any statement putting Blade to rest until very recently, when Happy Sad Confused podcast host Josh Horowitz came right out and asked Marvel head Kevin Feige for an update on the status of Blade. Horowitz shared the clip in an Instagram reel you can watch here, but this is what they said:
“How much time in therapy have you spent talking about Blade?” Horowitz joked to Feige. “This poor project. We just need to get this done, Kevin … We all want it. Mahershala wants it. How are you feeling at this moment?” Feige replied, “I’m feeling very excited that we got Wesley back for a time in Deadpool & Wolverine and like a gigantic loser and a failure that we didn’t get off the ground with Mahershala.” So he doesn’t say there will never, ever be a new Blade film, no matter what Deadpool & Wolverine would have us believe. But it sure sounds like the Mahershala Ali Blade movie is no longer in play.
Horowitz also asked if there’s a chance Secret Wars could be two films (no), if Doomsday is sticking to its release date (yes), and what the MCU will look like after Secret Wars arrives in late 2027. “I look to the comics as I always do in terms of our storytelling,” Feige said, after noting he doesn’t consider Secret Wars to be a reboot. “And after both the Secret Wars, but particularly the [Jonathan] Hickman Secret Wars from 10 years ago, there’s a nice road map to where we can go.” Horowitz also asked if any actors have signed on for X-Men characters that we don’t know about yet, and Feige said, with supreme vagueness, “Not necessarily.” Perhaps we’ll learn more about that when Marvel’s Hall H panel happens this weekend at San Diego Comic-Con. Marvel didn’t hold its traditional Saturday night panel in 2025, so Feige and company have some catching up to do. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #Kevin #Feige #Finally #Admitted #Blade #Isnt #HappeningBlade,Kevin Feige,Marvel](https://gizmodo.com/app/uploads/2026/07/Blade_DeadpoolWolverine-1280x853.jpg "Kevin Feige Has Finally Admitted ‘Blade’ Probably Isn’t Happening
“There’s only been one Blade. There’s only ever gonna be one Blade.” When Wesley Snipes spoke those lines in 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine, audiences cackled. Sure, Deadpool and the characters around him love to make self-referential jokes, but something about Snipes—playing Blade for the first time since 2004’s Blade: Trinity—delivering the joke hit extra hard. Comic-book movie lovers know, of course, that Marvel announced a Blade reboot starring Mahershala Ali all the way back in 2019. It’s had a stop-and-start progression since then and slowly became a bit of a punchline, with many fans coming to believe it would never actually happen. It’s not unheard of in Hollywood that a movie gets announced, then never actually goes into production. But it is unusual when a high-profile Marvel project starring a two-time Oscar winner that was trumpeted from the Hall H stage at San Diego Comic-Con gets quietly shoved to the bottom of the TBD list.
However, Marvel hadn’t made any statement putting Blade to rest until very recently, when Happy Sad Confused podcast host Josh Horowitz came right out and asked Marvel head Kevin Feige for an update on the status of Blade. Horowitz shared the clip in an Instagram reel you can watch here, but this is what they said:
“How much time in therapy have you spent talking about Blade?” Horowitz joked to Feige. “This poor project. We just need to get this done, Kevin … We all want it. Mahershala wants it. How are you feeling at this moment?” Feige replied, “I’m feeling very excited that we got Wesley back for a time in Deadpool & Wolverine and like a gigantic loser and a failure that we didn’t get off the ground with Mahershala.” So he doesn’t say there will never, ever be a new Blade film, no matter what Deadpool & Wolverine would have us believe. But it sure sounds like the Mahershala Ali Blade movie is no longer in play.
Horowitz also asked if there’s a chance Secret Wars could be two films (no), if Doomsday is sticking to its release date (yes), and what the MCU will look like after Secret Wars arrives in late 2027. “I look to the comics as I always do in terms of our storytelling,” Feige said, after noting he doesn’t consider Secret Wars to be a reboot. “And after both the Secret Wars, but particularly the [Jonathan] Hickman Secret Wars from 10 years ago, there’s a nice road map to where we can go.” Horowitz also asked if any actors have signed on for X-Men characters that we don’t know about yet, and Feige said, with supreme vagueness, “Not necessarily.” Perhaps we’ll learn more about that when Marvel’s Hall H panel happens this weekend at San Diego Comic-Con. Marvel didn’t hold its traditional Saturday night panel in 2025, so Feige and company have some catching up to do. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #Kevin #Feige #Finally #Admitted #Blade #Isnt #HappeningBlade,Kevin Feige,Marvel")
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