Tech
Mini Kindle Pods are trending on TikTok, but these devices arent what they seem

Among passionate TikTok communities, BookTok, may be the most influential.
BookTok is where book lovers and e-reader obsessives to come together to discuss their favorite books and device hacks. For readers who use e-readers, Kindle, Kobo, and Boox lead the charge as the most popular devices, so it's notable when a new device goes viral. "Mini Kindles" appear to be the latest device to cause a stir on BookTok, with hundreds of videos showcasing the tiny e-readers.
On TikTok, searching for "mini Kindle" (or "mini Kindle pods") brings up dozens of user videos showing someone walking into a Barnes & Noble or Target and then cutting to an unboxing of a so-called "mini Kindle". As someone who tests e-readers for a living, this confused me.
I have no reason to believe these e-readers are actually being purchased at Barnes & Noble, nor do they have any apparent affiliation with Amazon Kindles.
In fact, the devices being hyped in these videos appear to be sold by the users who post them.
In a since-deleted video, user @aurealeaf directs viewers to the website NovaLeaf, where the "NovaLeaf Mini Kindle" is listed. (Editor's note: As of this writing, the @aurealeaf account is no longer available.) Another user, @hydro_scope, directs viewers to their website with a listing for a NOVA Mini Pink Kindle. Both devices claim to be pocket-sized e-readers under the Kindle name, despite no affiliation with Amazon.
We reached out to both @aurealeaf and @hydro_scope, and we'll update this post if we receive a response.
Are mini Kindle pods actually Kindles?
These mini Kindles do not seem to be actual Kindle e-readers or associated with Amazon at all, nor does Amazon sell any mini version of the Kindle e-readers. We reached out for comment from Amazon and have not heard back at the time of publication.
By performing reverse image searches on Nova and NovaLeaf websites, I found that the "mini Kindles" listed for sale there are visual matches for devices manufactured by a company called Oilsky. They appear to be 4-inch touchscreen MP3 and 1080p video players. With built-in access to the Google Play store, the Kindle app is available to download onto the device; however, that appears to be the only connection to Amazon.
The Oilsky MP3 player and copycat versions are currently listed on Amazon. These TikTok-based sellers have their mini Kindles listed for $79.99, about $10 more than the direct Oilsky listing on Amazon. Oilsky MP3 players are not listed for sale at Barnes & Noble or Target.
In short, the viral TikTok videos are using the word "Kindle" to refer to any e-reader-like device and may be at risk of legal action from Amazon.
As of this writing, the @aurealeaf TikTok account is no longer available.
Tech
Where can you stream Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen?

Horror series Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen delivers atmospheric thrills and chills by the bucketful, so if you haven't already checked it out, consider this your sign to add it to your watchlist.
Created by Haley Z. Boston (Brand New Cherry Flavor) and executive produced by Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers, the eight-episode miniseries is now streaming on Netflix. It premiered March 26 and pulled in 28.3 million hours viewed in its first week, according to Netflix. It's remained in Netflix's top 10 series globally every week since its release, although as of this writing, it no longer appears on Netflix's top 10 TV shows carousel.
The series follows engaged couple Rachel Harkin (Camila Morrone) and Nicky Cunningham (Adam DiMarco) in the week leading up to their wedding at Nicky's parents' remote cabin. As their special day approaches, Rachel can't shake the feeling that — you guessed it — something very bad is going to happen. (Maybe the remote cabin should have been the first red flag.)
Based on Nicky's off-putting family, you may expect that "something very bad" to look like something out of Ready or Not, where a filthy rich family turns on their newest addition. But Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen takes a different turn, looping in strange curses and family trauma to examine anxieties around marriage and finding the perfect soulmate.
The carnage that follows certainly lives up to the show's title, creating one of the most engrossing Netflix binges of 2026.
Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen is now streaming on Netflix.
Tech
Bluesky breaks silence on outage and reveals cause

Bluesky, the social media app popular with X expatriates, suffered a widespread outage on Thursday, April 16.
And in a thread posted on the official Bluesky profile, the app's leaders revealed the cause of the outage — a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack.
"Our team received a report of intermittent app outages at about 11:40pm PDT on April 15, 2026," the post read. "They worked through the night to mitigate a sophisticated Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack, which intensified throughout the day."
Fortunately, Bluesky also said there was no evidence that any user data had been compromised in the attack, which affected the Bluesky app, feeds, notifications, and search. The company said it would provide further information by 1 p.m. ET Friday.
The Bluesky status page indicated the app was fully online as of this writing; the app reports a 99.983 percent uptime over the past 90 days.
A DDoS attack is relatively simple and low-effort for cybercriminals. In this type of attack, hackers send a massive number of requests to overwhelm servers. DDoS attacks have been around since the early days of the World Wide Web, and as the Bluesky outage shows, they can still cause problems.
The Bluesky outage began affecting users in the early morning hours, with the service DownDetector recording thousands of user error reports. (Disclosure: DownDetector and Mashable are both owned by the same parent company, Ziff Davis.)
Bluesky saw massive growth after Elon Musk took over Twitter, and again following the second election of President Donald Trump. However, its growth has stalled more recently, and data shows that daily active users on Bluesky have declined.
Mashable reached out to Bluesky with questions about the attack, and we'll update this story if we receive a response.
Tech
iPhone 18 colors and cameras appear in new leaks

We're still several months away from Apple showing us the iPhone 18, but we can still bask in leaks until then.
This week, we've got a pair of leaks involving the cameras and colors for the upcoming flagship iPhone.
On the camera side, Korean outlet ETNews (via MacRumors) reports that Apple will debut a new variable-aperture rear camera system on the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max in September. Prior to this year, all iPhones had fixed-aperture cameras, meaning the lens remained completely open during image capture. A variable aperture will allow the lens to open and close gradually depending on the situation, letting in more light in darkness or keeping excess light out in bright settings.
That would give iPhones an even greater level of flexibility in photography, and this report is backed up by prominent Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who said Apple would incorporate a variable aperture in the iPhone 18 all the way back in 2024.
What do the latest iPhone rumors have to say about colors?
Macworld claims to have received some information about Apple's chosen colors for 2026. According to their sources, the headline color this year will be "Dark Cherry," a dark red that will replace the controversial cosmic orange color from the iPhone 17 Pro. Macworld also said that light blue, dark gray, and silver options are also possibilities for the iPhone 18 Pro. A previous leak also suggested Apple would ditch black for the iPhone 18 Pro, which may not go over well if it proves true.
All will be revealed in September, though the iPhone Fold may get most of the attention.
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