Microsoft has sharply raised prices across its Surface lineup as RAM and component costs keep climbing. “Both its midrange and flagship Surface lines are now significantly more expensive than they were just a few weeks ago, with the flagship Surface Laptop 7 and Surface Pro 11 now starting at $500 more than they launched at in 2024,” reports Windows Central. From the report: The Surface Pro 12-inch, which was previously Microsoft’s cheapest modern Surface PC at $799, now starts at $1,049. The flagship Surface Pro 13-inch, which originally launched for $999, now starts at an eyewatering $1,499. It’s the same story for the Surface Laptop lines, with the entry-level 13-inch model originally priced at $899, now starting at $1,149. The 13.8-inch flagship Surface Laptop launched at $999, but now costs $1,499, with the 15-inch model now starting at $1,599. This means that Microsoft’s midrange devices now cost more than the flagships did when they launched in 2024.
[…] Microsoft has raised prices for all SKUs on offer, meaning the high end models are now more expensive too. A top end Surface Laptop 15-inch with Snapdragon X Elite, 64GB RAM and 1TB SSD storage now costs a staggering $3,649. To compare, the 16-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 Pro, 64GB RAM, and 1TB SSD is $3,299, and that comes with a significantly better display and much more power under the hood.
Bigme has launched the HiBreak Dual smartphone, which it previously teased as a world-first dual-screen phone.
The phone has a color E-Ink screen on the front and a tiny, circular LCD panel on the back.
We expected the phone to offer a full-sized LCD screen on the back.
E-Ink device manufacturer Bigme teased the arrival of a dual-screen phone last week. The firm said it would be the world’s first phone with both a color E-Ink display and an LCD screen. The HiBreak Dual smartphone is now official, and I’m rather disappointed.
When Bigme first revealed that it would launch a dual-screen phone with a color E-Ink display and an LCD screen, I immediately thought that it would have two full-sized screens. After all, devices like the YotaPhone series and Hisense A2 Pro both took this route over a decade ago, featuring a full E-Ink screen on the front and a full-sized LCD panel on the back.
Don’t want to miss the best from Android Authority?
The Hibreak Dual indeed features a full-sized color E-Ink display, but eschews a full rear LCD panel in favor of a watch-sized rear screen. You can use this circular rear display to view the time, notifications, music playback info, call details, and the weather. An official promo video also shows that you can use this rear display to interact with a virtual pet and preview selfies. You can also use any app on the rear screen, although the promo clip reveals that apps like Gmail have significant black borders.
My biggest reason for wanting a full-sized LCD screen on the HiBreak Dual is because video playback and gaming isn’t a smooth experience on most E-Ink screens (color or monochrome). However, the aforementioned video clip shows that you can still view YouTube and TikTok videos via this rear panel. Why would you want to watch videos via this tiny rear screen? I have no idea. What makes things worse is that the screen seems to have a choppy refresh rate, resulting in juddery videos and camera previews.
Bigme HiBreak Dual: Hot or not?
15 votes
Otherwise, the HiBreak Dual specs suggest some budget-tier internals on par with other Bigme phones. Expect a low-end Dimensity 1080 processor, 8GB or 12GB of RAM, 128GB or 256GB of storage, a 4,500mAh battery, a 20MP camera on one side, and a 5MP camera on the other. Bigme adds that the phone supports an optional stylus pen. Keen on the phone? It has a recommended retail price of $519 for the 8GB/128GB variant, while early bird pricing for this model ranges from $359 to $409.
In any event, I’m pretty disappointed that Bigme didn’t offer a dual-screen phone with both full-sized LCD and E-Ink displays. So fans of this form factor will need to keep waiting for a proper successor to these phones. If it’s any consolation, Bigme suggested that this type of phone isn’t out of the question.
“We’ve also heard your requests for a full-screen dual E-Ink + LCD phone (both displays large), and we will include that in our future product planning,” the company explained in a YouTube comment.
Thank you for being part of our community. Read our Comment Policy before posting.
An Amazon employee at the Troutdale, Oregon warehouse passed away at work last week, a company spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch.
According to a report from the Western Edge, an independent investigative outlet covering the Pacific Northwest, the worker collapsed on the floor at the PDX9 warehouse and lay dead as employees continued to work around him.
“We’re deeply saddened by the passing of a member of our team, and our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with their loved ones during this difficult time,” Amazon spokesperson Sam Stephenson told TechCrunch. “We’ve been in touch with his family and have provided resources to support them. For employees at our PDX9 facility, we’ve provided onsite grief counselors and additional support. We’re thankful for the work of the Multnomah County Sherrif’s Department and local emergency medical services.”
On a Reddit forum for Amazon fulfillment center workers, several people claiming to work at PDX9 said that the building had been especially hot after soundproof curtains were installed, which limited airflow. They speculated that the heat could have contributed to the employee’s death, as it would compound the physical demands of fulfillment center work. According to the Western Edge, some employees noticed that the building was cooler when they returned to work the next day.
Amazon, however, said that Oregon’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) determined the incident to be non-work related. Employees were sent home early and were paid for the remainder of their shift; the night shift was cancelled, and employees scheduled to work were paid as well, according to the company.
The PDX9 warehouse has a reputation for having harsh working conditions; in 2018, an investigation from Reveal, an investigative journalism outlet, found that 26% of employees at the warehouse had sustained injuries. A report based on 2024 OSHA data showed that the company’s fulfillment centers report serious injuries at a rate more than two times the warehouse industry average.
Amazon’s fulfillment centers have been subject to several probes by federal agencies and prosecutors over warehouse safety, with investigators alleging that the company manipulated data and failed to properly document workplace injuries. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York is conducting an ongoing investigation into workplace safety at Amazon warehouses.
Techcrunch event
San Francisco, CA | October 13-15, 2026
Amazon told TechCrunch that the company has seen a 43% reduction in its global recordable incident rate since 2019 — a metric that tracks any work-related injury requiring more than basic first aid. The company said it has invested more than $2.5 billion in safety improvements since 2019, including hundreds of millions of dollars in 2026 alone.
With no major sale or holiday on our radar, it’s surprising how many Apple deals we found this week. If you’re looking to save some money on a new MacBook, iPad, or set of AirPods, don’t head to the Apple Store. You’ll never find markdowns on new Apple products directly from the brand; hate it or love it, Amazon is the best place to shop for Apple discounts.
We hunted for the best prices across MacBooks, Apple Watches, iPads, and more to find the best deals to shop this week. Surprisingly, nearly every iteration of the M5 MacBook Air, M5 Pro MacBook Pro, and M5 Max MacBook Pro is down to a new record-low, beating its Big Spring Sale price from last month. AirPods and iPad deals are a bit more tame, but there are still savings to be had. We’ve rounded up all the best Apple deals below for the week of April 13, 2026.
Best MacBook deal
$949 at Amazon
$1,099 Save $150
Why we like it
Apple just dropped its latest MacBook Air last month, featuring an upgraded processor and a new wireless chip. It’s technically already $100 cheaper than its predecessor with the same storage capacity, but this discount saves you an extra $150 on top of that. Now $949 for the base model, it’s down to its lowest price since launch, inching it into more budget-friendly territory.
Besides the speedier processor and the N1 wireless chip, which brings support for WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 6, it’s kind of a boring upgrade. It still features the same 60Hz Liquid Retina display, 18-hour battery life, 12MP Center Stage webcam, and dual Thunderbolt 4 ports. Thus, it’s not an essential upgrade unless you’re rocking a MacBook that’s a few generations outdated.
The third-generation AirPods Pro are the best AirPods yet. Mashable’s reviewer called them “without a doubt, one of the best products of the year” in 2025. They feature even better noise cancellation, about eight hours of battery life with ANC turned on, and new foam-infused tips with five different sizes to choose from for the ultimate comfort. They also now offer heart rate monitoring tech (a la the Powerbeats Pro 2), Fitness app compatibility, and live translation. At $199.99, they’re not quite the cheapest they’ve ever been, but still a much better value than buying at full price.
Mashable Deals
By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
More AirPods deals
Best iPad deal
$646.50 at Amazon
$699 Save $52.50
Why we like it
The M4 iPad Air arrived last month alongside a slew of new Apple products and it’s quite the powerhouse. Mashable’s tech editor took it for a test drive and writes, “It delivers iterative updates that improve an already stellar tablet,” adding that it’s almost too impressive for the average user. Still, we think it’s the best iPad for most people. Every iteration of the 11-inch and 13-inch model is on sale, but we highlighted the 256GB 11-inch model, as it saves you $12.50 more than the base storage option.
If you Ask any bike shop owner or manager if they fix electric bikes, you get an interesting array of stories.
“I know a guy who has lost a finger working on ebikes,” says MacKenzie Hardt, owner of Hardt Family Cyclery in Aurora, Colorado, and the former executive director of the nonprofit bike shop and community hub Bikes Together. Hardt has torn tendons in his own hand after accidentally triggering a cadence sensor that caused the wheel to spin out of control on the stand, even when the motor and battery were disconnected.
He now has a message on the company voicemail that informs customers the shop will not repair any ebike without third-party UL 2849 certification, the gold standard that certifies that an ebike’s entire package, from electrical drive train to battery to charger system, has been thoroughly tested. (Check out our guide to How to Buy an Electric Bike for more info.)
The Wild, Wild West
A lot of the problem in fixing ebikes is related to the fact that a surprising number of electric vehicles that are sold as ebikes are not, in fact, ebikes. According to PeopleForBikes, the third-party advocacy group, an ebike is a low-speed electric vehicle that “closely resembles traditional bicycles in their equipment, handling characteristic, size, and speed.”
A mechanic works on a bicycle.Photograph: Dikushin/Getty Images
In 46 states, all ebikes fall under a Class 1, 2, or 3 distinction. The distinction depends on the bike’s maximum motor-assisted speed and how it’s powered. However, many ebikes sold online are way more powerful than the maximum 28 mph speed allowed on a Class 3 ebike, and they operate more like a moped or even a motorcycle.
“That’s really the heart and soul of the service problem,” says Cory Oseland, manager of the Ski Hut, a high-end bike shop in Duluth, Minnesota. “Once you slide out of the three classes, you run into a lot of parts and equipment that aren’t part of the bike industry.”
Repairing an ebike can also land the shop in a quagmire of liability issues. As bike shops are part of the product liability chain, they can be held responsible if they so much as inflate a tire on an electric vehicle and the rider later injures themselves or another person. Ebike-related injuries have jumped more than 1,020 percent nationwide from 2020 to 2024, according to hospital data, so this is not an unforeseen occurrence. “I have known people who have lost their shirt,” says Hardt.
In most states, if the bike doesn’t fit the Class 1-3 classification system, the shop’s insurance will likely be null and void. The problem, says Hardt, is that “we don’t regulate nationally what an ebike is. What is legal here may not be legal somewhere else.” Working on an unregulated bike, he adds, “is like if somebody brought in a Tesla to fix.”
It’s been nearly a decade since the film came out, and Hollywood’s moved on from it. Still, that hasn’t stopped Dacre Montgomery, who played Jason, opining about what could’ve been. While talking to Movieweb at the Faces of Death premiere, he revealed that Lionsgate had big hopes for the reboot—enough to offer the cast a four-movie deal. Before it came out, the studio had about seven movies in mind, and things were certainly leaning toward more adventures, given a post-credits tease hinted at Tommy Oliver joining the fray.
For Lionsgate, the plan was for Power Rangers to become the studio’s new Hunger Games as a reliable tentpole IP. But things fell apart after the reboot underperformed: it was a hit for merchandising and home release at the time, but in theaters, it “didn’t make enough on the investment that the studio had to continue making more,” Montgomery explained. There was some back and forth over whether a sequel could happen, but in 2019, it was he who revealed plans for another reboot without any of the cast returning.
Flash forward a few years, and now we’re meant to get a reboot for Disney+. We’re all waiting to see what comes of that, and you can count Montgomery among them. “Power Rangers means a great deal to a lot of people,” he said. “I know that whoever steps into those shoes will be great. And I had the best time.”
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
