Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.
Today’s NYT Connections puzzle features a fun mix of categories. The purple one isn’t too hard today, it’s actually a fun one! Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.
The Times has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Shank is the cult-classic revival of the sidescrolling beat-em-up. Play as Shank in an over-the-top grindhouse game, packed to the rim with enemies, bosses, combos, and more by the award-winning team at Klei Entertainment.
The 2D sidescroller beat-em-up is finally on Steamplay, now with improved controls and tuning updates based on popular feedback! Shank will have you shooting and slashing your way through hordes of enemies in a stylized slaughter fest. Embark on a brutal path of blood soaked revenge as Shank battles his way through the criminal underground in his quest for retribution. Boasting fast-paced bloody action, silky smooth controls and a signature pulpy grindhouse art style, Shank is a must-play for action fans.
Violent graphic novel art style: Beautiful and fluid graphic novel art and animation styled by veteran director Jeff Agala. MINOS
Weapon-based combo system: String together endless combos of mayhem and destruction on the fly and pummel your opponents to the ground using an exhaustive arsenal of weapons.
Gorgeous, fully animated story cinematics: Watch Shanks brutal story unfold through beautiful fully animated cut scenes.
Brutal Boss Battles: Over 8 different massive and unique bloody boss battles.
Two-Player Local Co-Op: Murder with a friend. Play in a separate backstory in the two-player co-op mode and face a legion of well-armed enemies in the prequel to the single player experience.
Drawing and exterior rendering services may be called an art. When creating a design, every brick must have a story. It should not be a mere picture only, but a group of bricks with a memorable story to tell. No matter what your profession is, a building design has a great impact on how a person decides, perceives, and invests in something. A design that is so simple can be enhanced by using the right angle, making it more attractive and useful. The right choice of technicalities on one hand and creativity on the other hand makes it even more perfect. Here, we will present to you the best 5 angles for architectural exterior rendering that will surely improve your projects and make you stand out from the rest.
1. The hero shot
Behind every great design is a good architect. The outside view may be compared to the protagonist in a film. It is the one behind the exposure of the building, giving access to everyone who wants to see, and making a distinct difference. There is a frame, and the design most typically shows an elevation that gives the viewers a great picture while not overwhelming the frame. Apart from the picture itself, the shadows as well as the kind of lighting that architectural designers use contribute to the overall beauty of the picture. The light coming from the sun makes it more beautiful; you just have to choose between the afternoon or the morning sunlight. It adds a story to the architectural design. What is a hero shot? Is it all about beauty? The answer is no.
It has the power to tell stories, and as such, you will be confident that the architectural design is better than before. As such, when your clients try to look at the designs, they will have no other option but to avail themselves. One good thing about exterior designs is that the building must complement its neighbors around it. Not only the neighbors, but it also complements the other living things around it, like trees, plants, and all. Surely, your proposal will be successful if you use the hero shot. In every design, there will always be a challenge. In this hero shot, the challenge is not to make it stagnant. It should not look so formal and old. As such, you only need to have some shifts in the designs. Other elements should be included in the shot, such as cars and other people. As I mentioned above, lighting is a very good point. It makes a normal picture attractive, and it gives it life as well. It is not just a shot, but a shot with a story.
We do not just see the buildings with our naked eye. Instead, we see ourselves living in them and experiencing life through them; they are just there around us. We see buildings using our eye-level angle, and it is so important because there is no excess or lack when we use the eye-level walkthrough. This is vital consideration that the exterior design expert must keep in mind. There is a natural way of experiencing a particular home, working environment, and even public spaces. It can be compared to imagining what is inside when we have never opened the door. The design makes itself personal and up close.
The hero shot is so dramatic, as discussed above. This makes the difference because the eye-level walkthrough talks about connection. It does not make an impressive goal; rather, it speaks to inviting people to see through their eye level and makes it feel real-life rather than a hero shot. It is as if when you look at it, it has this natural approach. From walking to entering the building, to the beautiful façade and gardens, these are the aims of the eye-level walkthrough. In the render, if you include natural elements like children playing and laughing, children, passerby on the road ahead, and a lot of bikers, surely, it will have a natural touch.
If we are talking about flexibility, it will be the eye-level view because it works better for streets, parks, and other public spaces. Through this architectural design, the walkthrough designer must show the connection between the shops, houses, and walkways. Because it is eye-level, it gives people the best view when they are already inside the building, living there, walking there, and exploring inside. Marketing teams and design viewers will surely love it because of the natural feeling it has and how it is people-focused. If you want to get the right shot, it takes a lot of planning as well. The camera placement plays a vital role. For example, if you put it too close, the building may be overwhelmed.
On the other hand, if you put it too far, the connection you are trying to create will be lost to the surroundings. There must be a see-saw-like balance, wherein on the one side, there is a focus on the building, and on the other side, it shows that the environment still has other details like humans, playing children, and something that makes it relatable. Again, as opposed to the hero shot, the eye-level view suggests more emotion in the picture, which connects the hearts of the viewers and the picture they are looking at. Meaning, it does not stay as far as before; it shows a clearer view of what the building is showing.
3. The bird’s eye view
When it comes to 3D architectural rendering services, aside from the hero shot and the eye-level view, one of the best views to understand the entirety of a building is a view using a drone. This is called the bird’s eye view, and it offers a combination of scope on one hand and context on the other hand. Imagine looking from above like a bird, you can see the surrounding materials, the entirety of the building, and the layout itself. This is perfect for a big landscape with a building at the center. There are things that are best captured from an aerial view compared to the first two views discussed. When you look from the top view, you see how the traffic flows, you see gardens, the walkways, and everything that you cannot see from the ground-level views.
By using the bird’s eye view, you will definitely be thoughtful of the designs and the strategies used in conveying the story to the clients. Lighting is very important for this kind of view. The building may be emphasized using the shadows, particularly its form and how firm it looks. On the other hand, the light coming from the sun gives a perfect view for the client to see how delicate and perfect the design is. It is a cinematic view when you incorporate the formations of the clouds as well as the skies that complement them. If, for example, you want to convey an exaggeration when it comes to telling a story, you use a different scale. If you want a simpler one, you may use a simpler scale.
A view may be impressive, like this bird’s-eye view, but you need to be precise. You need not only a camera, but also a perfect height, the length, the surrounding circumstances, and, of course, the lighting. If anything is missing, particularly an important detail, the perfect scene you are imagining will not be attained. With architectural visualizations, when you add people, cars, and other natural details in a small scenery of a picture, that will be great and even better to convey the story you are trying to tell. This kind of view does not mean the building’s view only, but instead, it also shows the perfect place where that building belongs.
Ordinarily, the side views or even the center views are good. Apart from that, when you try to look at the viewpoint of a bird, you will see the difference and every angle as well. But if you try the low-angle position view, particularly if the camera is placed on the ground, you will be able to realize that it gives emphasis on the height and the vertical lines of a building. This one is a better choice for buildings to make it appear taller than it actually is. The angle is so powerful, and the lighting as well. It gives an impression of tallness and stiffness. Good lighting also exudes perfection in a picture; added to the exaggeration of height, it becomes attractive to viewers and clients.
Aside from the angle, I would like to emphasize the kind and the choice of lighting to use. If it is a little darker, it creates an illusion of mystery. If it is a little brighter, it creates an illusion of hope and beauty. The side lighting emphasizes the texture. If the rendering artist includes things naturally surrounding the building, it will create a good impression on the clients. The only bad thing or kind of negative thing about a low-angle view is that it does not create distortion. Sometimes, if you take a picture from the ground floor view, there will be a slightly distorted portion of the subject of the picture. Like, if a building, for sure, there will be a portion of the building that may look sideways or distorted. The key is balance. Balance of the lighting and the angle used.
5. The contextual panorama
The last view or angle is the so-called contextual panorama. Through this, the picture does not only focus on the building itself, but also on the relationship of the building to the surrounding elements like people, trees, walkways, and others. With 3D 360 degree panorama rendering services, you can create an illusion that the building is unbreakable enough to be linked with the surrounding things nearby. This kind of view is not about the technicalities of the view, of the picture, and of the building. It is about the connection, the relationship, and the story of the building in connection with the things surrounding it. It is like a story in a movie wherein the protagonist is the building and the antagonist is either the streets or the bystanders. But it may be a combination of two protagonists because, through the lighting, it conveys a story.
In a picture, choosing the perfect angle or view is a difficult task. Even if difficult, it must be done correctly to achieve perfection in your picture. Aside from that, the proper lighting is a plus factor. When combined, it creates a good picture, if not the best, and it conveys a story even without words in it. Thinking about choosing only one is not good. The 3D rendering designer must choose a combination of 2 or more because it has a complete set of elements when taken. The kind of views that modern people are using has evolved over the years. Before, it was all simpler. Now, it becomes a little complex to get that perfect picture in mind. Although it is a little complex, modern cameras and other techniques learned through workshops make the image become the perfect picture in mind.
Final thoughts
The purpose of architectural design or exterior design is not only for aesthetic purposes. The truth is, it is about telling a story, communicating with the viewers or clients. Every view has a purpose, such as the hero shot view, which has the purpose of creating dominance above all. On the other hand, the eye-level view creates a connection between the viewer and the picture. Another one, the bird’s eye view, creates a wide coverage. The dramatic low angle creates an impression of exaggeration when it comes to height and scope. Also, the contextual panorama creates an integration between the building and the elements surrounding it.
How Cad Crowd can help
Cad Crowd has an extensive network of exterior rendering designers to help you create the perfect design. Talk to our design experts for a free quote.
MacKenzie Brown is the founder and CEO of Cad Crowd. With over 18 years of experience in launching and scaling platforms specializing in CAD services, product design, manufacturing, hardware, and software development, MacKenzie is a recognized authority in the engineering industry. Under his leadership, Cad Crowd serves esteemed clients like NASA, JPL, the U.S. Navy, and Fortune 500 companies, empowering innovators with access to high-quality design and engineering talent.
I truly wonder when enough will be enough for Roblox Corporation. We all know how much money Roblox is raking in, and yet yesterday it was announced that a shiny new subscription service called Roblox Plus is on the way. This new subscription is effectively replacing Roblox Premium, which for varying monthly fees you’d get varying amounts of the in-game currency Robux. Except Roblox Plus sounds like a worse deal.
Roblox Plus will apparently cost $5 a month (a price I’m sure we’ll see go up in the coming years), but unlike Premium, you won’t get any Robux for your real money. Instead, for starters, you get a 10% discount on in-game items, avatars, and “more,” with that discount increasing to 20% after subscribing for three consecutive months. Worth noting is that Roblox say they will cover the discounts, “meaning creators will continue to earn the same amount as they do today on any individual purchase.”
The subscription will also net you “access to free and unlimited private servers across all supported games.” This includes games where you’d normally have to pay a fee to do so. It also lets you transfer Robux to anyone without having to pay any additional fees, but the blog post detailing the subscription is quick to note that you have to be age-checked and over 18 to do so without parental approval. Hopefully no cons to be found here.
“Soon after launch,” there will also be optional bundles to add on. These bundles are just varying amounts of Robux, in packages of 500, 1000, or 2000, so essentially you’re just paying more a month with slightly more features than Premium. I’m not entirely sure the benefits outweigh the negatives.
Perhaps most shady of all is the way Roblox is encouraging its gamemakers to promote the subscription. Through a new Roblox Plus subscription prompt, a gamemaker can get a 250 Robux bonus per month when a user subscribes through said prompt. “This bonus applies for each of the subscriber’s first three months so long as they remain subscribed, allowing creators to earn up to 750 Robux for every new subscriber they attract,” explain Roblox Corporation.
Those that are currently subscribed to Roblox Premium will be able to continue to do so, but new members will not be able to join when Roblox Plus arrives on April 30th. However, from May 30th, the additional 10% bonus on additional Robux purchases for Premium subscribers will be going away. Certainly sounds like a move to encourage Premium subscribers over to Plus. I pray for a regular move from Roblox. One day.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes’ case against prediction market Kalshi appears to have hit a snag.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission announced Friday that it has won a temporary restraining order preventing the state from pursuing its criminal case against Kalshi (whose CEO Tarek Mansour is pictured above).
“Arizona’s decision to weaponize state criminal law against companies that comply with federal law sets a dangerous precedent, and the court’s order today sends a clear message that intimidation is not an acceptable tactic to circumvent federal law,” said CFTC Chairman Michael S. Selig in a statement.
While the CFTC normally has five commissioners, Selig is currently the only one on the commission, following his confirmation in December and the departure of previous acting chairman Caroline Pham (who left to join crypto company MoonPay).
Arizona has filed charges against Kalshi accusing the company of operating an illegal gambling business in the state without a license. The announcement of the restraining order comes just a couple days after a federal judge allowed Arizona’s case to move forward, according to Bloomberg.
The CFTC also filed suits seeking to stop similar cases from moving forward in Connecticut and Illinois.
An experienced hacking group has claimed to have infiltrated Rockstar Games‘ cloud servers, while the game publisher has confirmed that there was a “third-party data breach.” ShinyHunters, a hacker group that’s been linked to data breaches targeting Microsoft, Google, Ticketmaster and others, posted a message on its website with a final warning to Rockstar to “pay or leak.” The hack was first spotted by Hackread and the Cybersec Guru.
ShinyHunters didn’t detail what Rockstar data it gained access to, only adding that the company had until April 14 to reach out or that the group would leak the compromised info that would lead to “several annoying (digital) problems.” Rockstar Games confirmed the breach to Kotaku, explaining that “a limited amount of non-material company information was accessed in connection with a third-party data breach,” and that the incident had “no impact on our organization or our players.”
Previously, Rockstar had to deal with a major hack that led to a leak including plenty of gameplay footage and assets for Grand Theft Auto VI in 2022. Following the hack, one of the 18-year-old members of the Lapsus$ group responsible for the leak, was sentenced to an “indefinite hospitalization.”
It’s no secret that arcade fighters reward absurd precision and reaction times, and that means you need robust netcode if you want to play these games online and have a good time. While rollback netcode has recently become the standard for big name fighters, the communities behind older games are understandably eager to see it come to the classics—so much so in one case that there’s a big pile of cash in it for capable modders.
FGC streamer and YouTuber Maximillian Christiansen (known online as Maximilian Dood) is prepared to make it raaaain for anyone who can “solve the issue of making rollback netcode work in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3,” which is on Steam but uses less responsive delay-based netcode. If you’re not sure he’s good for it, just take a look at the Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite mod he’d put nearly $30,000 into as of 2024.
It’s hard to overstate how transformative the tech can be for a fighting game—it’s so prized that players will drown out its announcement with cheers and applause. Where delay-based netcode won’t honor your button mashing until both players receive the input data, rollback netcode predicts what will come next and will quickly, you know, roll things back if it was wrong. It’s as good a solution as has been cooked up for a genre where every frame of information matters, and it feels much better than the sluggish stretches that characterize a bad match played with delay-based netcode.
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Christiansen reposted a stream highlight on X sharing his announcement. “I want to do something special,” he said. “We’ve done a lot for the modding scene of Marvel vs. Capcom, I just am willing to put my money where my mouth is. Maybe just maybe we can move beyond this Parsec era of Ultimate Marvel 3 online.”
Parsec is a third-party application that allows players to remotely use local play features through streaming, not unlike Steam’s Remote Play Together. While it can be an improvement over delay-based netcode if all parties have a strong internet connection, Christiansen wants more for the venerable fighting game.
“The Smash Melee community did it, man. They did it in a freaking emulator wrapper. Somehow, they made matchmaking, they had rollback netcode,” he said. “I’d be willing to put my money towards it to help support this community, and to help support this game for the long run.”
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3on3 Freestyle’s new Career Mode is a PvE experience with its own, character-based progression and resources.
Incorporating roguelike elements for replayability, Career Mode serves as a great way to master the game’s core mechanics and get ready for competitive PvP play.
3on3 Freestyle is free to play and available now on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox on PC, and Xbox Play Anywhere.
3on3 Freestyle continues to evolve with the introduction of Career Mode, a new solo experience designed to help players learn the game, build confidence, and grow their skills at their own pace.
Built as a stage-based PvE experience, Career Mode lets players take control of their chosen character and progress through a structured journey, where difficulty gradually increases over time. Through hands-on play, players naturally learn core systems, positioning, and strategy, creating a more approachable experience for both new and returning players.
A Character-Driven Progression System with Scalable Challenge
Career Mode is built around character-focused progression. Each character features their own set of stages, and as players continue to develop their character, higher difficulty stages become available.
With increased difficulty comes more demanding challenges, along with access to Career Mode-exclusive resources that reward progression. In addition to scaling difficulty, players can further customize their experience by applying different conditions — such as strengthening opposing AI, applying limitations to their own character, or modifying match rules.
This flexible system allows players to shape their own challenge while steadily pushing toward higher levels of play.
Strategic Gameplay Built on Player Choice
Career Mode incorporates roguelike-inspired elements to ensure that each run feels fresh and dynamic.
At the start of each stage, players select from a set of randomized buffs that impact gameplay. These buffs persist across all stages within the current difficulty tier, meaning each decision plays a meaningful role in the overall run. Rather than serving as short-term boosts, these choices require players to think strategically about how they approach each stage.
Once all stages are cleared and players move to the next difficulty level, buffs reset, allowing for new combinations and strategies in the next run. This structure naturally encourages experimentation and replayability.
A Progression System That Connects Play, Rewards, and Growth
Career Mode is designed so that gameplay directly feeds into progression.
By clearing stages, players earn Career Mode-exclusive resources, which can be used to invest in progression systems that strengthen their characters. These include both character-specific growth trees and shared progression trees that benefit multiple characters.
Completing all stages within a difficulty tier grants additional rewards, providing further incentives to take on greater challenges. As players develop multiple characters, shared progression becomes more impactful, enhancing overall growth efficiency across their roster.
Built for Growth While Preserving Competitive Balance
Career Mode integrates naturally with existing progression systems, allowing players to bring in characters they’ve already developed through upgrades, ability cards, and P-Buff setups, while continuing to grow them further within the mode.
At the same time, all progression gained in Career Mode is limited to solo play and does not carry over into PvP modes. This ensures players can freely experiment and grow without affecting competitive balance.
Visual enhancements powered by Lumen also bring added depth to the experience, introducing more dynamic lighting and environmental detail that make on-court action feel more natural and readable, while maintaining the fast-paced gameplay players expect.
A Natural Path Toward Competitive Play
Career Mode serves as more than just a standalone experience — it acts as a bridge into the broader 3on3 Freestyle ecosystem.
By learning systems and mechanics in a controlled environment, players can build confidence and transition more smoothly into multiplayer and competitive gameplay, preparing them for higher-level play.
Step Onto the Court
With Career Mode, 3on3 Freestyle introduces a new way to experience the game — from learning the fundamentals to refining strategies and taking on greater challenges. It’s a space to experiment, grow, and prepare for what comes next.
3on3 FreeStyle
JOYCITY Corp.
☆☆☆☆☆ 2872
★★★★★
3on3 FreeStyle!
Welcome to the world of 3on3 FreeStyle street basketball.
Choose from 57 unique characters, each with their own signature skills, and lead your team to victory in intense 3v3 matches.
Experience fast-paced, stylish street basketball action.
Master each character’s skills and strategic team play to dominate the court.
Enjoy both single-player and multiplayer modes:
Grow your character in My Career (PVE) or compete in real-time 3v3 matches.
Play solo or together—create your own style and become the best.
Probability Item Info: http://3on3.fsgames.com/newNews/drawRate/5583/view
Google Translate has been a staple in my life for many years, as I’m quite close with people from all over the world. And while they all speak English to varying degrees, I often try to help by speaking to them in a language they’re more familiar with. Google Translate helps to some degree, but having to open the app, copy the text, and paste it into a separate app is a clunky way to go about it.
Fortunately, Google has integrated its Translate capabilities across other apps and features in Android, making it easier to access these features where they’re most needed. Gboard and Circle to Search are two such apps, and they’ve helped me make sense of what my international friends are saying when speaking to me in their native languages, while allowing me to respond in a way they can easily understand.
Google Translate everywhere
(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)
Circle to Search is one of the best features Google introduced to Android, and the company continues to add new capabilities to make it more useful each year. A couple of years ago, Google added a Translate button to Circle to Search to easily translate whatever’s on your screen, and it’s been one of my favorite (and probably most-used) features.
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In fact, I hardly use Circle to Search for its original intended purpose, which is to easily identify and search for items on your display.
Meanwhile, Gboard is easily one of the best keyboard apps on Android, and what’s better is that it’s preinstalled on many Android phones as the default option. One reason it’s so great is its extra features, and text translation is one of them. With this tool, Gboard will automatically translate whatever you type in a text field into your selected language.
(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)
Some OEMs have their own features that are a bit more streamlined, such as Samsung’s Writing Assist. However, those features are usually brand-specific and often require you to use that brand’s apps, such as Samsung Keyboard. Fortunately, my method is brand agnostic, so I tend to default to it.
Translate like a pro
1. Tap and hold the bottom bar or the home button at the bottom to open Circle to Search.
Get the latest news from Android Central, your trusted companion in the world of Android
2. Tap the Translate icon and Circle to Search will translate everything on your screen.
3. If you have a supported phone, tap the hand icon to continue translating the conversation as you scroll.
4. To end continuous translation, tap the x icon.
(Image credit: Android Central)
5. Open Gboard and tap the icon with four squares to open the shortcuts/features menu.
6. Drag the Translate icon to the main shortcuts bar. Note that you can only have five options, so you may need to remove one.
7.Exit the shortcuts/features menu. Tap the Translate shortcut.
(Image credit: Android Central)
8. Tap Detect language.
9.Select your desired language from the menu. Once selected, you may need to swap the languages with the switch button in the middle.
(Image credit: Android Central)
Once you’ve selected a language, begin typing in the translator text box. As you type, it will immediately enter the translated text into the main text field of whatever app you’re communicating in.
Gets the job done
(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)
My main smartphone for the past year has been the Motorola Razr Ultra 2025, which is a great phone but doesn’t come with some of the more useful app translation features found on Samsung or Pixel phones. However, this one-two combo has been pretty effective for me, whether I’m using the Razr or some other Android device, the experience is relatively consistent.
Of course, Google Translate isn’t always 100% accurate, and some context can get lost in translation, especially when idioms are involved. However, none of my friends flinch when I randomly switch the conversation to their language with relative fluency, and they seem to always understand me just fine, and vice versa. They way I see it, it’s a nice way to give them a break from having to think in a language they’re not used to.
Olight is a name that’s been synonymous with quality flashlights for a number of years. I’ve owned more than a few Olights in my time, and they have been high performers that have far surpassed my already high expectations.
So, when I got the chance to get my hands on Olight’s new AA/AAA battery charger — the Olight Ostation 2 Pro — I jumped at it. After all, if it was anywhere near as good as its flashlights, it was going to be excellent.
And it was.
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The Ostation 2 Pro is a beast
The Ostation 2 Pro (there’s also a standard version that omits some of the features) is quite hefty as chargers go, and it has quite a desk presence. It features a modern, all-plastic construction that’s both tough and stylish.
On the front is a 2.8-inch touchscreen for real-time monitoring of battery cycles, health, and status, which really adds to the high-tech, geeky feel of the unit.
I like the touchscreen on the Ostation 2 Pro.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
The charger is powered by a 12V/1.5A PD 3.0 USB-C input for faster charging under full load (a small wall charger is included), and there’s an app available (iOS and Android) for those who want to dive deeper into the details than the display offers.
The app offers a deeper dive into charging.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
What can you charge?
The Ostation 2 Pro can handle any brand of AA and AAA Ni-MH batteries, as well as Olight’s own Ostation 1.5V AA rechargeable Li-ion batteries (Olight doesn’t yet have any Li-ion batteries in AAA size).
I quite like Olight’s own AA Ni-MH batteries.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
However, be aware that it won’t charge random Li-ion batteries because the charger uses a secure handshake protocol to communicate with Ostation batteries for maximum Li-ion charging safety.
It’s just so easy to use!
Once it’s plugged in and switched on (and I recommend downloading the app to check for any firmware updates), it’s easy to use.
Yup, assume everything needs a software update nowadays.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
You load batteries into the top (it can take a dozen AAs and another dozen AAAs), and then the Ostation 2 Pro checks, tests, and charges them. Freshly charged batteries appear in the appropriate drawer at the bottom of the unit over the course of the day (an AA battery takes about 2.5 hours to fully charge).
My batteries making their way through the Ostation 2 Pro.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
The unit can charge four batteries at a time (two AAs and two AAAs).
Any batteries that fail to charge, are defective, or are alkaline batteries that shouldn’t be recharged end up in a separate drawer.
And it all just works. I’ve loaded it with all sorts of AA and AAA batteries — Olight Li-ion batteries, random Ni-MH batteries, defective rechargeable batteries, and even a sprinkling of unrechargeable alkaline batteries — and the unit performed perfectly, charging all the rechargeable batteries and rejecting all the ones that couldn’t or shouldn’t be charged.
The Ostation 2 Pro forces me to be tidy!
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
No fuss whatsoever!
There’s a hidden secret for Olight fans
On the side of the unit is a flap that hides two magnetic charging (MCC) ports that can be used to charge compatible Olight flashlights (the Baton, Warrior, Seeker, Marauder Mini, Arkfeld/ArkPro, and Perun 2 series of flashlights).
Since I have a few Olight flashlights, the MCC ports are a nice touch!
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
ZDNET’s buying advice
What I really like about the Ostation 2 Pro is just how easy it is to use. Yes, I love the touchscreen and the deeper dive that the app offers, but it’s the simplicity that is the real winning bit for me. There’s no need to load batteries into some spring-loaded contraption, no need to remember to check on them every few hours, and no need to worry that someone might load the wrong batteries into the charger. I love the simplicity of just piling discharged batteries into the top and pulling charged ones out of the drawer at the bottom.
