We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

With so many options on the market, it can be tough to differentiate between vacuum robots and mop hybrids. But if you’re on a budget, one major factor to consider is whether it has a roller mop. A roller mop cleans hard floors better by preventing dirty water from spreading and is more effective at removing heavy-duty messes, similar to wiping up a mess with a wet towel. The new Eufy Omni C28 is the “most budget-friendly roller mop robot vacuum,” according to Mashable, and right now it’s 38% off for the Amazon Big Spring Sale, bringing it to a record-low price of $499.99 (originally $799.99).

Eufy Omni C28 Robot Vacuum and Mop

$799.99
at Amazon

$799.99
at Amazon

Along with being surprisingly affordable for its extra-long roller design, the C28 is a compact choice for apartments and smaller homes with a dock that takes up less space than other auto-washing and drying hybrid cleaners. The one drawback is the 15,000 Pa suction power, which, on the surface, appears underwhelming compared to higher-powered options costing four figures. Despite this, professional and consumer reviews consistently state that the C28 leaves floors sparkling and dust-free, especially when the wet, pressurized roller mop does double duty.

It also performs well in smart mapping, with setup taking just a couple of minutes. While the 10.7-inch roller mop (which self-cleans with clean water nine times a second) is the main standout feature, the robot vacuum’s 4.5-inch height may not be slim enough to fit under some dishwashers and low-clearance furniture or cabinets. And despite 15,000 Pa suction, it can be a little noisy, particularly during the auto-empty process. It can cross thresholds up to 20 mm, and the roller mop lifts up to 10.8 mm when carpeting is detected.

The five-in-one base station keeps the C28 hands-free for up to 75 days, handling mop cleaning, dust removal, water tank refilling, wastewater collection, and hot-air drying, which runs a bit faster than competitors thanks to a four-air duct system. If you want a genuinely hands-free setup with an effective self-cleaning roller mop, the mid-range Eufy Omni C28 robot vacuum and mop is a solid option, offering great value for near-high-end features at less than half the price, especially during the Amazon Big Spring Sale, when it’s at its lowest price ever.

Over the last 50 years, Apple reimagined personal computers, catalyzed the era of the smartphone, enlarged an iPhone and called it the iPad and garnered a strong position in wearable tech through its Watch series and its AirPods. It also popularized software and services like its App Store, FaceTime, iCloud, iMessages and many more. For a lot of us, the first time we pinched-to-zoom on a photo was likely on an iPhone.

However, Apple gives and it takes away. Things have had to change, be removed and consumers have to move on to whatever’s new. For better or worse, the weight of Apple’s influence has led to entire product categories following suit. Or, more typically, there’s resistance, complaining and then… following suit. With the benefit of hindsight, most of these cases are examples of Apple seeing where technology was going and getting ahead of a transition that would have been inevitable. Often, these transitions have caused short-term pain for some, but time has proven Apple (mostly) correct about dropping older tech.

As Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch once said: murder your darlings. Here are some of the darlings we’ve lost over the years.

The death of the disk drive (1998)

This is a two-parter. The iMac G3 marked Steve Jobs’ return. The colorful all-in-one Mac was a new start in many ways. In 1998, Apple ditched the standard ports and myriad cable types of personal computers, going all in on USB and a little-known thing called the internet. (In fact, that’s what the ‘i’ in iMac stands for.)

In doing so, it also ditched the 3.5-inch floppy disk drive — although it did have a read-only optical disk drive. Even with sluggish internet and USB transfer speeds at the time, the convenience was plain to see and it led to a decade of thumb drives of ever-increasing storage limits. High-capacity alternatives to the floppy disk, like the Zip disk and even Minidisc, attempted to bridge the gap, but never gained the widespread traction and adoption of the original disk drive. But flash drives and, later, internet-based file storage quickly made them obsolete anyway. Apple was just a little early with its dismissal.

Portable music players (2007)

Despite Apple’s iPod being the de facto music player at the time, it was supplanted by the company’s own biggest hit: the iPhone. At its peak, the iPod made Apple the zeitgeisty tech company it is today. It dominated the MP3 player market, and by 2006, iPods were responsible for 40 percent of the company’s revenue. And that was before the era of Apple including a free U2 album with every iTunes account.

When the iPhone launched in June 2007, it was swiftly followed by the iPod Touch in September. This was the iPhone without the phone part — indicating how the company saw the future of music listening. You didn’t need an iPod if you already had an iPhone in your pocket. It’s the best example of Apple cannibalizing a product that defined a decade with something far more impressive and, eventually, more successful.

It was a slow death. Ignoring the countless MP3-playing rivals, (RIP Zune), Apple dropped the classic iPod in 2014. It soon did the same to the tiny iPod nano and iPod shuffle in 2017. Finally, the company discontinued the iPod Touch in May 2022.

The physical smartphone keyboard (2007 plus change)

Unsplash / Thai Nguyen

When the iPhone’s capacitive screen and touch keyboard landed, there was a learning curve. Moving from physical keys (whether it was a 9-key alphanumeric version or the BlackBerry’s QWERTY experience) to a touch screen, especially on the tiny 3.5-inch panel of the first iPhone, wasn’t easy.

But it was the future. Physical keyboards took up physical space on devices — especially as those screens grew and grew. The adoption of touch keyboards sped up, thanks to third-party keyboard apps on Android, like Swype, SwiftKey and many others, introducing different input methods, smarter predictive text, typing algorithms and even touch heatmaps. Software keyboards were intrinsically more versatile, supporting multiple languages, infinite key arrangements and eventually emoji galleries. A colon-ellipsis smiley soon didn’t hit the same.

The death of the disk drive, part 2 (2008)

The MacBook Air, introduced by Steve Jobs in 2008, was famously pulled from a manila envelope to demonstrate its ultraportable design. To achieve that slimness, it had to ditch the internal optical drive entirely, making it the first MacBook without one. That move kickstarted an era of ultraportable laptops.

It was a major break from what laptop users were used to, and Apple tried to offer people some options. Apple introduced “Remote Disc,” a feature which allowed the Air to wirelessly use the optical drive of a nearby Mac or PC, and offered an external USB SuperDrive as an optional accessory. (I’ve used mine exactly once since I bought it in 2013.)

While it was considered underpowered compared to Windows competitors, the original MacBook Air set a new design standard for the industry. It positioned Apple’s Macs for a future of App Store software installations, faster internet connectivity, and the rise of streaming media, cloud storage, and the rest. Apple’s MacBook Pro and MacBooks eventually followed suit, ditching optical drives in 2012.

Adobe Flash (2010)

Apple

In the early days of the iPhone, Apple famously refused to support Adobe Flash. This was in the early 2000s, too, when much of the web was built with Flash for animations and video support. The iPhone and iPad notably lacked support, creating a fractured browsing experience for years.

In April 2010, just as the first iPad arrived, Steve Jobs published his “Thoughts on Flash” open letter, criticizing its poor security and a lack of touch-friendliness. Many Flash games and interfaces interacted with the mouse cursor’s precise position, something that was invisible on the touchscreen iPhone.

It was also a calculated move. By denying Adobe access to the rapidly growing iOS user base, Apple forced developers to choose between sticking with the aging Flash or embracing open standards like HTML5. Also, by making Flash-based games and tools incompatible, it nudged those developers (and iPhone users) toward the App Store for those very games and tools (and more). There, Apple could curate and monetize those creations.

It was a slow death: Adobe finally discontinued Flash in 2020.

The headphone jack (2016)

In a move described by Apple marketing executive Phil Schiller as “courage,” nixing the headphone socket ended up becoming the biggest headline to come from the iPhone 7 launch in 2016. Every flagship iPhone since has lacked the jack, with the most recent iPhone to include it being the original iPhone SE.

To make the change more palatable, Apple bundled a Lightning-to-3.5mm adapter (expect more dongle chat later) with the iPhone 7, 8 and X. In-box headphones also swapped from the typical jack to Lightning. Naturally, this meant you couldn’t charge the phone while you listened to music, unless you already had a pair of wireless headphones.

Of course, this move was ultimately instrumental in making true wireless earbuds ubiquitous. While Apple wasn’t remotely the first company to introduce wireless earbuds (and then headphones), the removal of the headphone jack undoubtedly sped up adoption. Pour one out for the Bragi Dash, the Jabras, the Jaybirds of this world.

Conveniently, alongside the aforementioned iPhone 7, Apple announced the AirPods. Features like one-tap setup and automatic pairing brought the convenience people expected of Apple and put it into a tiny white case.

Despite early resistance and “bragging” from rivals who clung onto the headphone jack, at this point, the socket is mostly confined to cheaper smartphones or phones aimed at audiophiles (hi, Sony) or mobile gamers (ASUS ROG).

Eventually, the iPad Pro also lost its headphone jack, and the rest of the company’s tablets followed. The only non-Mac device to keep the jack? The iPod Touch, which had one until its discontinuation in 2022.

Bespoke ports (2016)

Engadget

2016 was the year of donglegate. Apple’s MacBook Pro redesign that year was another drastic shift in the laptop’s history. Chasing ever-thinner profiles and less port fuss, Apple stripped away nearly every legacy connector that professionals relied on. This was particularly jarring after the previous-generation MacBook Pro (2015) was often cited as the peak of utility, with a MagSafe charging port, two Thunderbolt 2 ports, two USB-A ports, not to mention a full-size HDMI port and an SD card slot.

Those were replaced with four (or on the cheapest 13-inch MBP only two!) Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports and a headphone jack. For power users (like some Engadget editors), it demanded dongles (possibly multiple ones) in order to connect your USB-A thumb drive, wired internet, SD cards, external screens and well, at that point, pretty much everything. Many were particularly furious with the loss of the MagSafe charging connector. Of course, this also meant that one of those USB-C ports would be used primarily to charge the MBP. This sped up the availability of USB-C peripherals and accessories — perhaps because everyone was sick of carrying around so many dongles and hubs — but we still have USB-A devices. HDMI is everywhere. I still have SD Cards.

Eventually, Apple course-corrected itself. The 2021 MacBook Pro redesign reintroduced the SD card reader and HDMI port, and even MagSafe returned, freeing up a USB-C port.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/50-years-of-apple-pushing-tech-forward-for-better-or-worse-170025862.html?src=rss

Microsoft Copilot is reportedly injecting promotional “tips” into GitHub pull requests, with Neowin claiming more than 1.5 million PRs have been affected by messages advertising integrations like Raycast, Slack, Teams, and various IDEs. From the report: According to Melbourne-based software developer Zach Manson, a team member used the AI to fix a simple typo in a pull request. Copilot did the job, but it also took the liberty of editing the PR’s description to include this message: “Quickly spin up Copilot coding agent tasks from anywhere on your macOS or Windows machine with Raycast.” A quick search of that phrase on GitHub shows that the same promotional text appears in over 11,000 pull requests across thousands of repositories. Even merge requests on GitLab aren’t safe from the injection.

So what’s happening? Well, Raycast has a Copilot extension that can do things like create pull requests from a natural language command. The ad directly names Raycast, so you might think that Raycast is injecting the promo into the PRs to market its own app. But it is more likely that Microsoft is the one doing the injecting. If you look at the raw markdown of the affected pull requests, there is a hidden HTML comment, “START COPILOT CODING AGENT TIPS” placed right just before the ad tip. This suggests Microsoft is using the comment to insert a “tip” that points back to its own developer ecosystem or partner integrations.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Uber has acquired Blacklane, a Berlin-based startup that offers chauffeur services and bookings through its app, with plans to expand further into the luxury travel industry. Blacklane, founded in 2011, acts as a liaison between independent local chauffeur services and travelers looking for a more premium ride. According to Uber, the deal is subject to regulatory approvals but is expected to close by the end of 2026.

“This partnership marks a significant milestone in Blacklane’s next chapter and is a powerful step-change in introducing our service to new markets globally,” Jens Wohltorf, founder and CEO of Blacklane said in a press release. Uber didn’t disclose the acquisition details and it’s not clear if Uber Elite and Blacklane will compete against each other.

Currently, Blacklane is available in at least 500 cities across more than 60 countries. Besides on-demand chauffeur hailing, the startup offers long-distance rides from city to city, airport pickup with flight tracking, and by-the-hour bookings. Uber’s acquisition of Blacklane comes several weeks after it launched Uber Elite as an invite-only service for its “luxury ride experience.” Besides Uber Elite and Blacklane, another luxury hailing service has recently entered the US market. Earlier this month, Wheely announced its US debut with New York City as its first location, with five others to be announced in the coming years. Blacklane also currently operates in New York City, along with several dozen other cities in the US.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/uber-to-acquire-berlin-based-chauffeur-hailing-app-to-ramp-up-its-luxury-travel-efforts-163855603.html?src=rss

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

Apple products are notoriously expensive. Whether you’re an Apple fan or an Apple hater, we can all agree: These things aren’t cheap. That’s why shopping holidays, like Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, can be a great time to save on typically pricey devices. While this Spring Sale doesn’t have deals on most of Apple’s latest iPhones or Apple Watches, there are some great discounts on previous-gen devices—as well as one sale on a brand-new iPad.

iPad A16 (256GB)

$359.10
at Amazon

$499.00
Save $139.90

$359.10
at Amazon

$499.00
Save $139.90

Apple Watch Ultra 2

$399.49
at Amazon

$450.00
Save $50.51

$399.49
at Amazon

$450.00
Save $50.51

Apple Watch Series 10 (GPS + Cellular)

$499.00
at Amazon

$799.00
Save $300.00

$499.00
at Amazon

$799.00
Save $300.00

iPhone 13 (Renewed Premium)

$296.05
at Amazon

$346.88
Save $50.83

$296.05
at Amazon

$346.88
Save $50.83

iPhone 14 (Renewed Premium)

$358.26
at Amazon

$383.34
Save $25.08

$358.26
at Amazon

$383.34
Save $25.08

AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation (Renewed Premium)

$118.15
at Amazon

$149.00
Save $30.85

$118.15
at Amazon

$149.00
Save $30.85

iPad A16 deal

Apple sells a lot of different iPads, some with fancy features and inflated price tags. But most of us really just need Apple’s basic slab of glass, which Apple plainly calls “iPad.” To be more specific, many call this the iPad A16, as that’s the chipset this tablet comes with. It’s no M-series SoC, of course, but the A16 has no trouble running iPadOS 26, and I imagine it won’t have issues running the latest updates for years to come.

This particular iPad only has 128GB of storage, which isn’t much for a tablet in 2026. That said, if you can practice some storage management, and keep your iPad use to streaming and cloud storage for the most part, you can snag a cellular iPad for just $359.10. You can pay for a network plan if you want to, giving you the opportunity to use your iPad anywhere you can get cell service.

Apple Watch Ultra 2 deal

The Apple Watch Ultra line is designed for extreme use cases, like intense hiking, diving, or swimming. But its features can also be good for casual athletes, or anyone who wants the biggest watch display Apple makes. While Apple’s Ultra 3 is $799, you can save a lot of money by buying the previous generation model—especially with this Amazon sale.

Right now, Amazon is selling the Apple Watch Ultra 2 for just $399.49. That’s a great deal. While you don’t get the Ultra 3’s S10 chip or 5G connectivity, the Ultra 2 comes with most of the same fitness features, including a depth gauge to 40m and a siren. It also comes with cellular capabilities baked in—you’d have to spend an extra $100 to get the cellular version of the Apple Watch Series 11.

Apple Watch Series 10 (GPS + Cellular) deal

The Apple Watch Series 10, like the Ultra 2, is the last-gen Apple Watch model. And like the Ultra 2, it’s perfectly usable today. In fact, it might be a better value than the Series 11, as it offers a similar suite of features for a discounted price.

The real advantage with this model right now, however, is you can score Apple’s “premium” Titanium material at a huge discount. Usually, the Titanium Apple Watch starts at $799 for the 46mm option. But during Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, you can pick one up for $499. My Apple Watch Series 6 is still going strong, but if it were showing even the slightest sign of failure, I’d be retiring it in favor of this watch in a heartbeat.

iPhone 13 (Renewed Premium) deal

If you need a new iPhone, you don’t have to go through Apple, or even your carrier. Instead, you can opt for an unlocked, refurbished iPhone, for a fraction of the cost of a brand new unit. In this case, the iPhone 13 might just be a great value: Amazon has Big Spring Deals on the 256GB variant, and prices vary by color. Right now, the cheapest option is the red version, a color Apple doesn’t offer anymore on new iPhones, for $296.05.

This isn’t a brand new iPhone with all the latest bells and whistles, of course, but it’s a solid device—even in 2026. It has Apple’s A15 Bionic chip, the company’s standard 6.1-inch OLED display, two 12MP camera (one wide, one ultra-wide), and full compatibility with the latest version of iOS. Amazon says its Renewed Premium products do not have scratches on the display, nor any cosmetic damage you can see from 12 inches way, and battery life that is great than 90% of the capacity of the product when it was new.

iPhone 14 (Renewed Premium) deal

Amazon also has a Big Spring Deal on the iPhone 14, if you’re willing to pay slightly more for a slightly newer iPhone. That said, the iPhone 14 also uses Apple’s A15 Bionic chip, though it has one extra GPU core than the iPhone 13. (You might notice a slight advantage in graphics-intensive apps and games.) The iPhone 14’s camera is a bit better, but doesn’t break any ground, and it supports Bluetooth 5.3 while the iPhone 13 supports Bluetooth 5. In fact, the only other major difference here is the iPhone 14’s lack of physical SIM slot. If you need SIM card support, stick with the iPhone 13.

AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation (Renewed Premium) deal

Apple’s AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation also get a decent discount during the Big Spring Sale—if you’re okay buying a pair of Renewed Premium earbuds. Right now, the earbuds are 21% off, meaning you can get a pair of noise cancelling AirPods for just $118.15. That comes with modern AirPods features, like Transparency Mode, Adaptive Audio (which adjusts the volume based on your environment), and Conversation Awareness (which automatically lowers the volume when it detects you’re speaking).

The only hitch here is that these AirPods are not “brand new.” Again, these are Renewed Premium, which Amazon asserts have high standards for a refurbished product. That’s all well and good for iPhones, but AirPods are another story, since no one wants someone’s previously worn earbuds. My hope is that in this case, these are “open box” items, in which someone returned unused AirPods after breaking the seal on the packaging. But as it’s impossible to know for sure, it’s the risk you take to buy AirPods at a 21% discount.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

Amazon’s Big Spring Sale is nearing its end, but there’s still time to take advantage of solid deals for all your fitness needs—here are all the best fitness deals under $100 that are still available.

Deals on strength training equipment

It seems like the heavier you want to lift, the more expensive it’s going to get. In the meantime, there are great deals on starter dumbbells, storage solutions, and more:

• UNNMIIY 5 in 1 adjustable dumbbells, $79.98, down from $109.99

• PLKOW storage and weight rack, $79.98, down from $129.99

• NICEPEOPLE adjustable weight bench, $64.59, down from $75.99

• Resistance bands, $24.98, down from $37.99

If you’re willing to go slightly above your $100 budget, I recommend opting for these Lifepro adjustable dumbbells, currently on sale for $150.09, down from $189.99.

UNNMIIY Adjustable Dumbbells, 20/30/45/70/90lbs Free Weight Set with Connector,5 in1 Dumbbells Set Used as Barbell, Kettlebells, Push up Stand, Fitness Exercises for Home Gym Suitable Men/Women

$79.98
at Amazon

$109.99
Save $30.01

$79.98
at Amazon

$109.99
Save $30.01

Deals on fitness trackers

The Fitbit Inspire 3 is on sale for $69.95, down from $99.95. If you want a simple, minimalist fitness tracker, this is a great way to grab one on the cheap. The Inspire 3 is, in many ways, a pared-down Charge 6, and I simply have to mention that the Fitbit Charge 6 is currently $119.95, down from $159.95. If you’re stuck deciding between these two budget options, I recommend reading my colleague Beth Skwarecki’s review of the Charge 6 here.

For a reliable chest strap, the Polar H10—widely regarded as the best heart rate monitor out there—is on sale for $76.99, down from $104.99. 

Fitbit Inspire 3

$69.95
at Walmart

$89.95
Save $20.00

$69.95
at Walmart

$89.95
Save $20.00

Deals on muscle recovery and stretching equipment

If you’re looking for a travel-sized massage gun, the Bob and Brad Q2 Ultra Mini Massage Gun is on sale for $78.82, down from $99.99. For me, the real selling point of this massage gun—which I reviewed in-depth here—is how great the heat therapy feels. Plus, its compact size makes it perfect for travel or bringing to the gym—something I never considered with my full-sized TheraGun Therabody.

Some more deals in this realm:

• 5 in 1 Foam Roller Set, $32.99, down from $39.95

• 1-Inch Thick Yoga Mat, $29.99, down from $36.99

• TriggerPoint Grid 1.0 Foam Roller, $27.99, was $39.99

Bob and Brad Q2 Ultra Mini Massage Gun

$78.82
at Amazon

$99.99
Save $21.17

$78.82
at Amazon

$99.99
Save $21.17

Deals on headphones and earbuds

The original Shokz OpenRun are available for $89.94, down from a list price of $129.95. They might not have as powerful bass or as long a battery life compared to my favorites, the OpenRun Pro 2 (also on sale right now, for $139.95), but they’re still a top choice of open-ear bone conduction headphones.

If you’re eyeing Sony noise-cancelling headphones that won’t put you out hundreds of dollars, the Sony WH-CH720N are available for $94 (originally $179.99) on Amazon right now. For more great deals on home gym equipment (even though, fair warning, many of them exceed this post’s $100 benchmark), check out my round-up here.

Shokz OpenRun

$89.94
at Amazon

$129.95
Save $40.01

$89.94
at Amazon

$129.95
Save $40.01

For the “foreseeable future,” Sony says it has stopped accepting new orders for most of its CFexpress and SD memory card lines due to the an ongoing memory supply shortage. “Due to the global shortage of semiconductors (memory) and other factors, it is anticipated that supply will not be able to meet demand for CFexpress memory cards and SD memory cards for the foreseeable future,” the company said in a notice. “Therefore, we have decided to temporarily suspend the acceptance of orders from our authorized dealers and from customers at the Sony Store from March 27, 2026 onwards. PetaPixel reports: The suspension includes all of Sony’s memory card lines, including CFexpress Type A, CFexpress Type B, and SD cards. The 240GB, 480GB, 960GB, and 1920GB capacity Type A cards have been suspended, as have the 480GB and 240GB Type B cards. The full gamut of Sony’s high-end SD cards has also been suspended, including the 256GB, 128GB, and 64GB TOUGH-branded cards and the lower-end 512GB, 256GB, 128GB, and 256GB plainly-branded Sony cards, which cap out at V60 speeds. Even Sony’s lower-end, V30 128GB and 64GB SD cards have been suspended, showcasing that the SSD shortage affects all types of solid state, not just the high-end ones.

It appears that only the 960GB CFexpress Type B card and the lowest-end SF-UZ series SD cards remain in production. However, those UHS-I SD cards are discontinued in the United States outside of a scant few retailers and resellers. “We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause our customers,” Sony concludes.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.