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Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers for April 12 #1036

Posted on April 12, 2026 by faz_business

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.

Hints for today’s Connections groups

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.

Yellow group hint: Clothing element.

Green group hint: Viewpoint or outlook.

Blue group hint: Send out from something.

Purple group hint: Barbie is one.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Pants features.

Green group: Perspective.

Blue group: Emit.

Purple group: ____ doll.

What are today’s Connections answers?

The completed NYT Connections puzzle for April 12, 2026.

NYT/Screenshot by CNET

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is pants features. The four answers are belt loop, cuff, fly and pocket.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is perspective. The four answers are angle, position, stance and take.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is emit. The four answers are cast, project, radiate and shed.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ____ doll. The four answers are paper, rag, Russian and troll.

Toughest Connections puzzles

We’ve made a note of some of the toughest Connections puzzles so far. Maybe they’ll help you see patterns in future puzzles.

#5: Included “things you can set,” such as mood, record, table and volleyball.

#4: Included “one in a dozen,” such as egg, juror, month and rose.

#3: Included “streets on screen,” such as Elm, Fear, Jump and Sesame.

#2: Included “power ___” such as nap, plant, Ranger and trip.

#1: Included “things that can run,” such as candidate, faucet, mascara and nose.

Rockstar Games has confirmed it was hit by third-party data breach

Posted on April 12, 2026 by faz_business

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.”

I stopped guessing which AA batteries are dead – this charging station keeps them in check for me

Posted on April 11, 2026 by faz_business

pros and cons

Pros

Simple to use.
It has plenty of techy features to please the geeks.
It does a very good job of sorting out batteries that can’t or shouldn’t be charged.

Cons

It is expensive.
It takes up a fair bit of desk space.
It can be a little noisy in use.

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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.

Also: I tried a unviersal battery tester from Amazon, and it’s already saving me money

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.

Best generators deals of the week

Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.

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.

Also: The best rechargeable batteries of 2026

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. — 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.

Also: This charger made alkaline batteries completely unnecessary for me in 2026

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).

Also: I bought a thermal camera for my Android and it spotted a hidden hazard right away

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.

Also: Should you still buy rechargeable batteries in 2026? These USB-C ones say yes

It’s super easy and super convenient, and it makes it super hard for the user to mess something up.

Last mention of the productThe Olight Ostation 2 Pro retails for $140 for the charging unit alone, or $200 for the charger and 24 Olight Ni-MH batteries (which is a good deal). It’s a superb charger, but if you want a cheaper option, the Ostation 2 (which replaces the touchscreen with an LED display, uses a slower 5.0V/2.0A USB-C charger, and doesn’t include the magnetic charging ports for Olight flashlights) is priced at $100 for the charger alone and $160 if you want the 24 batteries.

3 underrated Amazon Prime Video movies you should watch this weekend (April 10-12)

Posted on April 11, 2026 by faz_business

This weekend’s watchlist covers three different genres of movies, so you can pick whatever you are in the mood for. We have a trio of hidden gems on Amazon Prime Video that deserve way more attention.

There is a gritty Michael Caine revenge thriller you should not miss, a micro-budget 1950s sci-fi mystery that thrives on atmosphere and dialogue. For horror fans, we have a psychological horror bout a hospice nurse whose faith tips into something far more dangerous that gets inside your skin.

We also have guides to the best new movies to stream, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best free movies, and the best movies on Amazon Prime Video.

Saint Maud (2019)

Saint Maud is not a horror film in the traditional sense, and going in expecting one will work against you. What it actually is is a deeply unsettling psychological portrait of a young hospice nurse named Maud, a recent Catholic convert who becomes dangerously fixated on saving her terminally ill patient’s soul in ways that grow increasingly disturbing.

Morfydd Clark’s performance is the engine of the whole thing, holding a fragile, frightening line between piety and paranoia throughout. I really like how the film gets under your skin without ever fully explaining itself. You finish it feeling like you witnessed something you were not supposed to see, and that feeling does not leave quickly.

You can watch Saint Maud on Amazon Prime Video

Harry Brown (2009)

If you have a soft spot for slow-burn British crime dramas, Harry Brown is the movie you need to watch this weekend. Michael Caine plays the title character, a widowed, retired Royal Marines veteran living on a decaying South London housing estate overrun by gang violence. When his only friend is murdered, Harry stops looking the other way.

What makes this film work so well is how it refuses to glamorize what follows. Harry is not an action hero. He is an old man with emphysema who stumbles during a chase and collapses on a canal path.

I really like how the film earns every moment of tension because it keeps Harry vulnerable and the world around him genuinely threatening. Caine is absolutely extraordinary here, and there are sequences in this film that will make you forget you are watching a 77-year-old man.

You can watch Harry Brown on Amazon Prime Video

The Vast of Night (2019)

Have you accidentally tuned into a late-night radio broadcast and could not bring yourself to switch off. Well, The Vast of Night is exactly that kind of sci-fi movie.

Set over a single night in 1950s small-town New Mexico, the film follows Fay, a teenage switchboard operator, and Everett, a fast-talking local radio DJ, as they stumble onto a mysterious audio frequency that sends them down a strange and increasingly eerie rabbit hole.

There are no big set pieces or alien invasions. The tension is built almost entirely through dialogue, long unbroken camera takes, and an incredibly precise sound design that makes the night feel alive and watchable.

What I really love about this movie is how it makes stillness feel tense. A long phone call, a quiet street, a voice crackling through static, and somehow all of it keeps you completely locked in. For a movie made on a low budget, The Vast of Night makes an entertaining watch.

You can watch The Vast of Night on Amazon Prime Video

Halfbrick Launches Free ‘Jetpack Joyride Racing’ Game With Multiplayer Support For Up to Six Players

Posted on April 10, 2026 by faz_business

Mobile game developer Halfbrick today launched a new iOS game in its popular Jetpack Joyride series. Jetpack Joyride Racing is a multiplayer racing game that supports up to six players for real-time racing competitions.

Players can take on the role of Barry Steakfries, Dan, Josie, Professor Brains, Robo Barry, and more, with four circuits and a zone system that changes gameplay on the fly. Purple zones slow you down, red zones cut your engine, and green zones speed you up.

Races feature items to collect for boosts, drift mechanics, and different tactical designs to master in each level. In addition to the competitive racing mode with support for Discord voice chat, players can also team up with friends for collaborative gameplay in Party Mode. The game has easy-to-learn controls, but it will take some time to master drifting and boosting to win.

Players can collect in-game cards for rewards, and the cards are part of the Halfbrick+ collectible card system. Cards unlock ships, characters, and cosmetic items, and will eventually integrate with other Halfbrick+ games similar to Nintendo’s Amiibo. With Season Pass rewards, players can make their way through a progression system laden with prizes.

Jetpack Joyride Racing is free to download and play, with no ads included. The optional Halfbrick+ subscription provides access to other Halfbrick games like Fruit Ninja, plus it includes exclusive rewards, premium cosmetics, faster progression, and subscriber-only content. Halfbrick+ starts at $2.99 per month, but there is no need to subscribe to play Jetpack Joyride Racing.

Jetpack Joyride Racing can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

“Negative” views of Broadcom driving thousands of VMware migrations, rival says

Posted on April 10, 2026 by faz_business

Amid customer dissatisfaction around Broadcom’s VMware takeover, rivals have been trying to lure customers from the leading virtualization firm. One of VMware’s biggest competitors, Nutanix, claims to have swiped tens of thousands of VMware customers.

Speaking at a press briefing at Nutanix’s .NEXT conference in Chicago this week, Nutanix CEO Rajiv Ramaswami said that “about 30,000 customers” have migrated from VMware to the rival platform, pointing to customer disapproval over Broadcom’s VMware strategy, SDxCentral, a London-based IT publication, reported today.

“I think there’s no doubt that the customer sentiment continues to be negative about Broadcom,” Ramaswami said, per SDxCentral.

Since Broadcom acquired VMware in November 2023, numerous VMware users have sought to reduce or end their reliance on VMware technologies. The most common drivers for migrations are that VMware is getting too expensive; users are being forced to bundle products; the company ended perpetual licenses; and VMware has become harder to work with after Broadcom culled channel partners.

Broadcom’s strategy has made VMware unaffordable or impractical for most small- to medium-size businesses (SMBs) and narrowed VMware’s focus to enterprise-size customers.

Nutanix hasn’t specified how many of the customers that it got from VMware are SMBs or enterprise-sized; although, adoption is said to be strongest among mid-market customers as Nutanix also tries wooing larger customers, often by starting with partial deployments.

During this week’s press briefing, Ramaswami reportedly said that some of the customers that moved from VMware to Nutanix during the latter’s most recent fiscal quarter represented Nutanix’s “strongest quarterly new logo additions in eight years.”

“Most of the logos came from our typical VMware migrations on to the [hyperconverged infrastructure] platform,” he said.

During the Nutanix conference, Brandon Shaw, Nutanix VP and head of technology services, said that Western Union has been migrating from VMware to Nutanix for six months, The Register reported. The financial services company is moving 900 to 1,200 applications across 3,900 cores.

Shaw said that Western Union has been exploring new IT suppliers to help it become more customer-focused. Despite Broadcom’s history of “decent lines of communication” with Western Union, Shaw said that Western Union had “challenges partnering with them.”

Anthropic Loses Appeals Court Bid To Temporarily Block Pentagon Blacklisting

Posted on April 9, 2026 by faz_business

A federal appeals court denied Anthropic’s bid to temporarily block the Pentagon’s blacklisting, meaning the company remains shut out of Defense Department contracts while the case continues, even though a separate court has allowed other federal agencies to keep using Claude for now. CNBC reports: “In our view, the equitable balance here cuts in favor of the government,” the appeals court said in its decision. “On one side is a relatively contained risk of financial harm to a single private company. On the other side is judicial management of how, and through whom, the Department of War secures vital AI technology during an active military conflict. For that reason, we deny Anthropic’s motion for a stay pending review on the merits.” With the split decisions by the two courts, Anthropic is excluded from DOD contracts but is able to continue working with other government agencies while litigation plays out. Defense contractors will be prohibited from using Claude in their work with the agency, but they can use it for other cases.

[…] In the ruling on Wednesday, the court acknowledged that Anthropic “will likely suffer some degree of irreparable harm absent a stay,” but that the company’s interests “seem primarily financial in nature.” While the company claimed the DOD was standing in the way of its right to free speech, “Anthropic does not show that its speech has been chilled during the pendency of this litigation,” the order said. Because of the harm Anthropic is likely to suffer, the appeals court said “substantial expedition is warranted.”

An Anthropic spokesperson said in a statement after the ruling that the company is “grateful the court recognized these issues need to be resolved quickly” and that it’s “confident the courts will ultimately agree that these supply chain designations were unlawful.” “While this case was necessary to protect Anthropic, our customers, and our partners, our focus remains on working productively with the government to ensure all Americans benefit from safe, reliable AI,” Anthropic said.

Gemini meets NotebookLM is Google’s latest powerful integration

Posted on April 9, 2026 by faz_business

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

TL;DR

Google is adding “Notebooks” to Gemini to help users organize chats, files, and projects in one place.
Notebooks sync with NotebookLM, allowing you to use features across both apps seamlessly.
The feature is rolling out now to paid users on the web, with mobile and free access coming later.

Gemini and NotebookLM are two of Google’s most powerful AI tools right now, and the company is now bringing them together with a new Gemini feature called “Notebooks.”

Don’t want to miss the best from Android Authority?

We’ve been tracking the feature in our APK teardowns for a while now. Google was previously referring to it internally as “Projects” before coming up with this final release name, i.e., “Notebooks.” It makes all the sense too since the feature is directly tied to NotebookLM.

Notebooks in Gemini are designed to help you manage complex tasks and ongoing projects. The company says Notebooks act like personal knowledge bases that live inside Gemini and sync with NotebookLM. This means you can keep your chats, files, and research neatly organized in one place instead of juggling multiple conversations.

With Notebooks, you can group related chats, add documents or PDFs, and even give Gemini custom instructions for better responses. You can do this by heading to Gemini’s side panel and clicking “New notebook.”

Once everything is inside a Notebook, Gemini uses those sources alongside its own tools and web search to generate more useful answers.

The best part is that any content you add to a Notebook in Gemini will automatically sync with NotebookLM. This lets you use NotebookLM features like video overviews or infographics, even if you started your work in Gemini.

Google is pitching Notebooks as especially useful for students and long-term projects. For example, you could upload class notes into a Notebook, generate a video summary in NotebookLM, and later return to Gemini to create an essay outline based on the same material.

Notebooks in Gemini start rolling out this week for Google AI Ultra, Pro, and Plus subscribers on the web. Google says mobile support, wider regional availability across Europe, and free user access will arrive in the coming weeks.

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These are the countries moving to ban social media for children

Posted on April 8, 2026 by faz_business

Over the past several months, many countries have announced plans to restrict social media access for children and teens. Australia became the first to implement such measures at the end of last year, setting a precedent that other countries are now closely watching.

Australia’s regulations, along with other countries’ proposals, aim to reduce the pressures and risks that young users may face on social media, which include cyberbullying, addiction, mental health issues, and exposure to predators.

Of course, there are concerns about privacy regarding invasive age verification and excessive government intervention. Critics, including Amnesty Tech, have said such bans are ineffective and that they ignore the realities of younger generations. Despite this, many nations are moving ahead with proposed legislation.

We’ve compiled a list of countries that are considering or have already moved forward with bans on social media for young users.

Australia

Australia became the world’s first country to ban social media for children under 16 in December 2025. The ban blocks children from using Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, Reddit, Twitch, and Kick. It notably doesn’t include WhatsApp or YouTube Kids.

The Australian government has said these social media companies must take steps to keep children off their services. Companies that fail to comply may face penalties of up to $49.5 million AUD ($34.4 million USD).

The government says these platforms should use multiple verification methods to ensure that people using their services are older than 16. It also notes that they can’t rely on users simply entering their own age.

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Denmark

Denmark is set to ban social media platforms for children under 15. The Danish government announced in November 2025 that it had secured support for the ban from three governing coalition parties and two opposition parties in parliament.

The government’s plans could become law as soon as mid-2026, according to the Associated Press. The Danish digital affairs ministry is also launching a “digital evidence” app that includes age verification tools that may be used as part of the ban.

France

In late January, French lawmakers passed a bill that would ban social media for kids under 15. President Emmanuel Macron has supported the measure as a way to protect children from excessive screen time.

The bill still has to get through the country’s Senate before a final vote in the lower house.

Germany

In early February, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservatives discussed a proposal to bar children under 16 from using social media, Reuters reported. However, there were signs that his center-left coalition partners were hesitant to support an outright ban.

Greece

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced in April that the country is going to ban access to social media for children under 15 starting January 2027. Mitsotakis says the move is aimed at tacking rising anxiety and sleep problems among children, as well as the addictive design of social media.

Indonesia

Indonesia said in early March that it’s banning children under the age of 16 from using social media and other popular online platforms. The country plans to start with platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live, and Roblox.

Malaysia

The Malaysian government said in November 2025 that it plans to ban social media for children under 16. The country plans to implement the ban this year.

Slovenia

Slovenia is drafting legislation to prohibit children under 15 from accessing social media, the country’s deputy prime minister announced in early February. The government wants to regulate social networks where content is shared, citing platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram.

Spain

Spain’s prime minister announced in early February that the country plans to ban social media for children under the age of 16. The ban still needs parliamentary approval. The Spanish government is also seeking to create a law that would make social media executives personally accountable for hate speech on their platforms.

UK

The United Kingdom is weighing a ban on social media for children under 16. The government says it will consult parents, young people, and civil society for their views to determine whether a ban would be effective.

It will also consider whether to require social media companies to limit or remove features that drive compulsive use, such as endless scrolling.

This story was originally published in February 2026 and is updated regularly with new information.

Today’s Hurdle hints and answers for April 8, 2026

Posted on April 8, 2026 by faz_business

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it’ll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today’s Hurdle, don’t worry! We have you covered.

Hurdle Word 1 hint

Composure.

Hurdle Word 1 answer

POISE

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Hurdle Word 2 hint

A park seat.

SEE ALSO:

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 8, 2026

Hurdle Word 2 Answer

BENCH

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

Hurdle Word 3 hint

To unnotice.

Hurdle Word 3 answer

UNSEE

Hurdle Word 4 hint

A small island.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

ISLET

Final Hurdle hint

A cat breed.

Hurdle Word 5 answer

TABBY

If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.