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People in Europe who used the wearable significantly improved their blood pressure readings over six months.

If you’ve always loved the world of the Splatoon series but have been — understandably — put off by the prospect of its sweaty competitive multiplayer modes, then this latest Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive third-person shooter is for you.

Review info

Platform reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2
Available on: Nintendo Switch 2
Release date: July 23, 2026

Splatoon Raiders offers an incredibly compelling, single-player take on the series’ trademark ink-spewing action. It’s all underpinned by the same excellent shooting mechanics that make online matches of Splatoon 3 such a blast, now smartly recontextualized in a wholly player versus environment (PvE) format and enhanced with a plethora of satisfying progression systems that allow you to experiment with countless impactful character builds.

The sheer volume of content here is formidable: there are a vast number of highly replayable missions that can be tackled in multiple difficulty levels, more than a hundred weapons to wield, and even lend others a hand in online co-op for more unlockable rewards. This is comfortably one of the best Nintendo Switch 2 games and I know I’ll be coming back to it, even now I’ve seen the credits roll.

Fishy business

(Image credit: Nintendo)

While the main Splatoon games are known for their clean urban aesthetics, Splatoon Raiders sets itself apart with a much grimier, more salvaged look. Set on the distant Spirhalite Islands, it follows an unnamed mechanic working for the Deep Cut trio — the iconic TV show hosts from Splatoon 3 who apparently moonlight as treasure hunters. With the group stranded on a raft after their latest treasure hunting expedition goes awry, they’re forced to improvise gear and track down the resources necessary to escape.

Fashioned from wooden crates and metal grates, the raft functions as your hub world in between missions and can be outfitted with a range of useful features like a customizable firing range and a range of upgrade stations, in addition to more whimsical options like an arcade cabinet that offers some cute pixel-art minigames. You always feel like there’s a meaningful upgrade that you’re working towards, and watching your craft develop from a ramshackle structure into a fully-fledged mobile base as you progress through the story is immensely satisfying.

That’s not to say that you need much encouragement to complete missions, however, as they’re a load of fun. There are three main types: quickfire dens that have you beating a few waves of foes in a short time limit, longer raids where you drop into large semi-open environments to secure nearby treasure chests, and dungeons that challenge you to get to a goal with a set loadout.

Best bit

(Image credit: Nintendo)

I love the character creator in Splatoon Raiders. It lets you choose between an Inkling or Octoling protagonist, with customizable facial features and a range of cute hairstyles that are perfect for expressing yourself in co-op. The generous selection of unlockable outfits is lovely too.

It seems pretty basic at first, but there are an incredible number of unique twists that keep each new mission feeling fresh. A den, for example, might throw hundreds of the same area-denial enemies at you — coating the small arena with noxious slime that chips away at your health and forces you to stay on your feet — while a raid could surprise you with tricky platforming sections and a strict time limit.

The dungeons, meanwhile, are more focused around puzzles and cleverly serve to tutorialize many of the weapons and abilities that you can unlock.

In the tank

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Your character can carry one of three ink tanks (which basically determine your chosen ‘class’), designed for raw power, speed, or more careful ranged tactics. They all play completely differently, with their own roster of powerful gadgets to unlock and an overall power level that gradually ticks up with use.

I mainly relied on the Power Tank, which, true to its name, is all about big, bombastic attacks that deal massive damage. My favorite gadgets include the inky hatchet with its huge slashing strike that is invaluable for taking out tankier foes and a charging rocket launcher that wonderfully shreds through groups of smaller ones.

It might be tempting to rely on one favorite, but there are plenty of good reasons to try the others. Fully upgrading one tank requires you to spend time with the others, and some dungeons even have specific rewards depending on which you use to complete them. I initially thought that this might prove a frustrating barrier to progression, but soon came to appreciate being made to step out of my comfort zone because all three tanks are equally enjoyable to use with a huge variety of gadgets to discover.

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Every gadget is highly customizable as well, with a plethora of collectible parts that do everything from minor stat upgrades to fundamentally change how they work. You can only add a certain number of parts at a time, so you’ll need to think carefully in order to craft a new build to successfully overcome a particularly tricky challenge.

There’s just as much depth to the wide selection of weapons. The 11 types on offer will all be familiar if you’ve played Splatoon 3, with a good mix of long-range shooters, nimble pistols, sloshing buckets, and so on, all with their own mechanics to master. Tackling more difficult missions rewards more powerful weapons at a strong pace, which, alongside the steady introduction of new rarities with their own unique qualities, further stops everything from becoming stale.

The same is true of the many enemy types. It’s the same malevolent Salmonids from the Salmon Run side modes of Splatoon 2 and 3, but with a healthy number of new varieties to surprise even the most seasoned fish hunters.

It all comes together for an experience that, even when some of the more difficult challenges force you to grind up your power level, remains fresh and exciting like a delicious piece of sashimi throughout.

Should I play Splatoon Raiders?Play it if...

You’ve always wanted a single-player Splatoon
Splatoon Raiders finally delivers the single-player Splatoon experience that many have been waiting for, giving you a new way to discover the franchise without the pressure of PvP.

You want something to play for the long haul
With its wealth of meaty progression systems, Splatoon Raiders gives you loads of goals to work towards. Pick this up if you want a game that you can dip into over and over again.

You’re after a meaty co-op experience
Although primarily a single-player experience, Splatoon Raiders supports online co-op that lets you tackle the majority of its missions with up to three friends.

Don't play it if...

You’re not interested in Splatoon
Splatoon Raiders is a superb game, but it’s not going to win you over if you already disliked the series’ third-person, ink-based combat.

Accessibility features

Like most modern Nintendo releases, Splatoon Raiders is lacking when it comes to accessibility features. It offers the ability to invert both thumbsticks, or use motion controls to aim.

The color of ink is usually random, but you can lock it to either blue or purple in order to be easier to see. In addition to offering harder versions of most missions, the game features three overall difficulty modes which decreases or increases the power of enemies.

How I reviewed Splatoon Raiders

(Image credit: Nintendo)

I played nearly 20 hours of Splatoon Raiders on Nintendo Switch 2 using the Joy-Con 2 controllers in handheld mode. For audio, I used the system’s built-in speaker setup.

I experienced the whole of the game’s story, hitting the credits having tackled all of the major missions on the standard difficulty mode, in addition to some online co-op play.

First reviewed June 2026

Titans like Resident Evil Requiem and Crimson Desert dominated in the first half of the gaming year, with early-access sequels like Slay the Spire 2 and Subnautica 2 not far behind.

• Senior director and video game industry advisor at Circana, Mat Piscatella, reports only seven PlayStation games have sold more than 100,000 physical units year-to-date in the US
• He says two games "sold more than 10,000 physical units in the US during the week ending July 11, 2026"
• This comes as fans push Sony to reverse its plan to end the production of physical discs

In light of Sony's decision to retire the production of physical game discs, an industry analyst has reported that physical PlayStation games aren't selling too well in the United States.

Last week, angry PlayStation fans descended on the comment section of the latest Marvel's Wolverine trailer, another effort to push Sony to backtrack on its plan to end the production of physical discs starting January 2028.

As of writing, the video has over 12,600 comments, with the vast majority from fans sharing their thoughts on the decision.

Now, in response to a news story about the situation, Circana senior director and video game industry advisor Mat Piscatella has shared some interesting stats about the state of physical game sales in the US.

Writing on Bluesky, Piscatella said, "Two PlayStation video games sold more than 10,000 physical units in the US during the week ending July 11, 2026.

"Seven have sold more than 100,000 physical units year-to-date." He also clarified later that the figures didn't refer just to first-party PlayStation games, but "total PlayStation. All games, all publishers, all PlayStation platforms."

Addressing the fan backlash, the analyst added, "Commenting is cool, use your voice and all that. But commenting is cheap, [I don't know] idk."

Which games those are is unclear, but global estimates shared earlier this month by Alinea Analytics (via GamesRadar) suggest EA Sports FC 26, Resident Evil Requiem, and 007 First Light could be among those seven. It's estimated for Requiem specifically that 27.8% of its 3.5 million copies sold came from physical discs.

Sony has been notably quiet in the face of the backlash, and according to multiple analysts, despite the fan backlash, the PlayStation maker won't reverse its decision because "digital is just too lucrative."

"They of course knew what the online reaction would look like, and they now wait for this storm to pass," said Dr. Serkan Toto, CEO of Japanese game industry consultancy firm Kantan Games.

"Sony has over 120 million active PlayStation users. Around 50 million people subscribe to PlayStation Plus. As a thought experiment, let's say 500,000 cancel in protest, that would be just 1% of that business gone — of course not enough to Sony to start rethinking. Digital is just too lucrative.

He added, "Their current profit margin has been too weak for years now, so they feel like they must act," Toto added. "From an economic perspective, digital sales just make too much sense especially for platform holders."

• Xbox chief strategy officer Matthew Ball confirms Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution "are just the first" exclusive Xbox titles
• Xbox chief content officer Matt Booty says, "There has to be a reason for people to buy an Xbox"
• Ball says this plan doesn't mean every Xbox single-player game will be console exclusive

Xbox has confirmed that the Microsoft-owned company is looking to expand its console-exclusive portfolio, and Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution won't be the only two exclusives coming to Xbox consoles and PC.

During the Xbox Games Showcase 2026 last month, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma announced that The Coalition's next Gears of War game will be an Xbox console exclusive, meaning the game won't be coming to PlayStation 5.

Later, Clockwork Revolution, inXile Entertainment's steampunk role-playing game (RPG), will also drop PS5 and launch exclusively on Xbox Series X, Series S, and PC.

Xbox began exploring multi-platform a few years ago, but amidst Microsoft's major Xbox restructuring, which included mass layoffs of 3,200 people, and what Sharma is calling a "reset" of the business, it seems things are reverting to the way things used to be with an emphasis on console exclusivity.

According to Xbox chief content officer Matt Booty, who discussed the matter with GamesRadar, "There has to be a reason for people to buy an Xbox," and console exclusives can act as "a reward" for players.

Xbox chief strategy officer Matthew Ball also confirmed that Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution won't be timed exclusives, unlike games like Starfield, but "permanent ones," and the company is looking to embrace exclusivity more.

"I can assure you, Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution are not the only titles we're planning," Ball said. "To grow a platform like ours, you have to have exclusive games and services. These are not going to be the only two titles."

Ball added that "large live-service titles" will be multiplatform moving forward, but suggested that this won't mean every Xbox single-player game will be console exclusive.

For instance, Fable will launch on PS5, Xbox and PC on the same day, along with Halo: Campaign Evolved, which is the first Halo game to ever release on PlayStation.

"I wouldn't overly fixate on single-player," he said. "I think that's a good rule of thumb, but it certainly isn't something that's carved in stone."

The executive explained that Microsoft has a "framework" for deciding which games will be exclusive and which ones will be multiplatform and recognizes "this approach is not obvious to all of our players, and we are committed to making this clearer."

Amazon has cut the prices of the Geekom AX8 Max to $619 (was $699) and the flagship Geekom A9 Max is down to $1440 (was $1599) mini PCs, giving you the choice between an affordable all-round performer and a premium AI-focused workstation.

Having tested the two machines, whether you're upgrading a home office, replacing a bulky desktop, or looking for a compact creative machine, both mini PCs offer plenty of performance in a surprisingly small package.

Today's best Geekom mini PC deals

AMD Ryzen 7 8745HS, Radeon 780M graphics, 16GB DDR5 memory, 1TB PCIe Gen4 SSD, Windows 11 Pro, dual USB4 (40Gbps), dual 2.5GbE LAN, SD card slot, support for up to four 8K displays.View Deal

AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 470, Radeon 890M graphics, 32GB DDR5 memory, 2TB PCIe Gen4 SSD, Windows 11 Pro, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, dual USB4, HDMI 2.1, dual 2.5GbE LAN, support for up to four displays, up to 86 TOPS AI performance.View Deal

Which mini PC should you buy?

✅ Choose the AX8 Max if...

You want the best balance between performance and price. The Ryzen 7 8745HS processor, Radeon 780M graphics, 16GB of DDR5 memory, and 1TB SSD provide more than enough power for productivity, photo editing, media creation, multitasking, home servers, and light gaming. Dual 2.5GbE networking, USB4 connectivity, quiet operation, and support for four displays should satisfy most buyers while costing considerably less.

In his review, Alastair summed it up saying: "All-metal build, AI-ready, and support for an 8K monitor make this a powerful office-ready option."

✅ Choose the A9 Max if...

You want as much performance as possible from a compact desktop. The Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 processor, Radeon 890M graphics, 32GB of DDR5 memory, 2TB SSD, Wi-Fi 7, and dedicated AI hardware make it a stronger choice for AI workloads, software development, video production, 3D rendering, virtualization, and heavy multitasking. It delivers substantially more computing power for professional work.

Alastair's review for this model declared it: "A feature-packed AI-ready mini PC with surprising performance in a compact, ultra-stylish form."

Why we recommend them

These two mini PCs target different very different buyers. The cheaper AX8 Max combines AMD's Ryzen 7 8745HS processor with Radeon 780M graphics, fast DDR5 memory, dual USB4 ports, dual 2.5GbE networking, and support for up to four displays.

Its IceBlast 2.0 cooling system is designed for quiet operation, making it well suited to offices, home workspaces, or always-on NAS duties where low noise is important.

The A9 Max is more for buyers with deeper pockets who need considerably more horsepower. AMD's Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 processor brings dedicated AI acceleration alongside Radeon 890M graphics, while 32GB of DDR5 memory and a 2TB SSD provide plenty of room for demanding applications.

Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, dual USB4 ports, HDMI 2.1, and dual 2.5GbE networking complete a specification that's built for professional content creation, AI applications, large datasets, and intensive multitasking. If you'll actually use that additional performance, this is the model to go for.

Price Context & Historical Value

The AX8 Max's current $619 price is reasonable. It was $499 in October 2025, and went up to $999 in April 2026. Similarly, the A9 Max at $1,439.10 is more expensive than the $999 it was in August 2025, but much cheaper than the $,1799 Amazon was selling it for in May 2026. Looking at the range of prices, the message here is clear: Whichever model you go for, buying at the right time can save you hundreds of dollars.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

The biggest question isn't which mini PC discount is better, but whether you genuinely need the extra performance.

The cheaper AX8 Max already offers enough power for the vast majority of workloads, making it the smarter buy for many people.

The pricier A9 Max only becomes worthwhile if you'll benefit from its faster processor, larger memory and storage, stronger graphics, and dedicated AI capabilities.

• Shop all mini PCs at Amazon

If you're tired of buying ink cartridges every few months, this is a good time to switch to a cartridge-free tank printer. Right now, the HP Smart Tank 5101 is $170 (was $260) at Amazon, and comes with 2 years of ink already included in the box.

For home, dorm room, home office, and small businesses printing a mix of monochrome and color documents and photos, it's an ideal pick. Particularly as HP's ink tank printers tend to have larger tank reservoirs compared to rivals like Epson's EcoTank range.

Today's top HP printer deal

Cartridge-free supertank inkjet all-in-one with print, scan, and copy functions, wireless connectivity, and a 1.2-inch control display. Includes a 100-sheet input tray and 30-sheet output tray. Ships with a full set of refillable ink bottles rated for approximately two years of typical printing.View Deal

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy it if...

You want to save on running costs because bottled ink is much cheaper than inkjet cartridges and you get four bottles free in the box. We recommend ink tank printers if you're chiefly printing documents and photos.

❌ Skip it if...

You're mostly printing text documents - a high-volume laser printer is a much better option for sharper, bolder on-page text.

Why we recommend it

Having tested HP’s Smart Tank line alongside the Epson EcoTank, Canon MegaTank, and Brother INKvestment range, we strongly recommend ink tank printers over traditional inkjet models that use cartridges.

The pitch for tank printers like the HP Smart Tank 5101 is straightforward: instead of buying ink cartridges that run out every few hundred pages, you refill four visible ink tanks from bottles, and each bottle lasts dramatically longer. HP estimates the included set of ink bottles is good for roughly 6000 pages.

Setup leans on HP's Smart app, which walks through Wi-Fi connection and initial configuration with guided, step-by-step prompts rather than dropping you into a printer's typically clunky onboard menu system. Once connected, illuminated smart buttons on the printer itself are meant to guide you through common tasks like printing, scanning, and copying.

Print speed is modest rather than fast — HP rates this around 12 pages per minute for black-and-white and 5 pages per minute for color in normal mode, with the higher-quality "best" setting slower still. That's typical for tank printers in this price range, and fine for everyday home printing, but not the machine to reach for if you regularly print large batches of documents quickly.

Price Context & Historical Value

This isn't the cheapest the 5101 has ever been - back in 2024, it dropped to an all-time low of $140 direct from Amazon. However, it's cheaper now than any third-party seller has sold it before brand-new ($180 was the price back in April 2025). Typically, we see it selling at around the $190 to $250 mark when not on sale. The highest price it's been sold for is $280. Right now, it's also available for $170 at Best Buy, too.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

A few honest caveats worth flagging: some reviewers have reported software quirks and occasional paper jams with this model, and if you print only occasionally rather than regularly, the ink in an inkjet's print head can dry out and clog between uses. This is best suited to households or small offices that print often enough to make the low cost-per-page actually pay off.

For more options, see our guides to the best home printers and best ink tank printers we've personally tested.

• See all printer deals at Best Buy.

• Someone has made a custom version of the Companion Cube case for the Steam Machine
• This DIY effort is on Printables, and can be 3D-printed for those with the hardware and necessary skills
• There are a growing number of custom projects around the Steam Machine, from faceplates through to full-on alternative takes on the gaming PC

Remember the ill-fated Companion Cube case for the Steam Machine? It had the plug pulled on it by Valve a few weeks ago, after maker Dbrand failed to get official permission to make its hard-shell case for the gaming PC, but now the concept has returned, in DIY form.

Tom's Hardware reports that a user on Printables, Jaron, has provided files that allow you to 3D-print your own version of the Dbrand Companion Cube (as flagged on X). You can print the pieces, and a full set of assembly instructions (including smart video illustrations) and extra necessary parts (screws and so forth) are supplied.

As made clear on X, this is a fan-made creation implemented "from scratch" and it's based on images of Dbrand's Companion Cube. Whether it'll attract the attention of Dbrand's own lawyers, well, we'll just have to see, but you'd imagine that some leeway might be granted here given the situation and what happened with Valve.

The creator makes it clear that the case isn't an official product, is nothing to do with Valve, and that it doesn't use "any official assets from any game".

An additional caveat is that Jaron notes: "I have not done any extensive thermal tests but no airflow or venting is blocked, and the additional vent provided by the front face plate aperture logo can help provide a little extra airflow. So I don't believe there will be any cooling issues caused by this case."

My main concerns about the original Dbrand Companion Cube were bound up in cooling issues — especially on warm days, in confined spaces like a TV cabinet — and that remains true with this creation.

Still, if you were disappointed that Dbrand's case was cancelled, and you have a 3D printer and want to have a crack at making your own — and you're pretty decent with a soldering iron — you can now do just that.

Other Steam Machine companions

(Image credit: Goldboat90 on Reddit)

Since the Steam Machine came out, there's inevitably been a lot of interest around the device, despite the high price. So, as well as this clone of the abandoned Companion Cube case, what else is out there in terms of Steam Machine customization?

New faceplates (front panels) are popular, and a much easier project than the above case, such as this example on Reddit (see the image above). I really like the slat effort here, and I can see why it's gone down very well with other Redditors (although I'm not so keen on the blue one).

(Image credit: PoisonISSweet666 on Reddit)

What's also quite common is the number of custom small form-factor (SFF) PCs which are DIY takes on the Steam Machine, generally featuring beefier components (and at the same time, inevitably being larger than Valve's PC). 'The Orange Box' as shared on Reddit is a particularly smart example of one such effort with a strong Valve theme, built in a SilverStone SG05BB-Lite case. It has a Ryzen 7 5800X processor inside and an RX 9060 XT graphics card to give this considerably more pep than Valve's gaming PC.

There are other custom SFF PCs on Printables and this one from 3DCatt, which looks like a sized-up Steam Machine, has very similar aesthetics to fit your living room nicely, and a finished version someone has completed went very well indeed by all accounts.

Of course, there are issues around these alternatives to the Steam Machine as I explored in detail recently, and downsides to these custom SFF builds – albeit definite positives too, better performance being the main one. A PC that looks as good as The Orange Box doesn't hurt, either, and I'm sure we'll see more of these kind of SFF spins on the Steam Machine going forward.

• Only 34% of organizations say they trust their agents' actions
• 77% of businesses in 'agentic chaos' have deployed agents
• Those organizations are focus on the wrong thing (models and tools)

New Boomi data has claimed while 86% of enterprises have evolved from agentic AI pilots to actual production-level deployment, only 34% trust the actions their agents are taking.

However those trust issues don't stem from model intelligence – Boomi argues that data quality, integrations, governance and controls could be to blame.

The research splits respondents into distinct categories, with the bottom quartile for readiness referred to as experiencing 'agentic chaos'. Among those in agentic chaos, as many as 77% are still moving AI agents into production, highlighting a worrying gap.

AI trust is entirely in the hands of enterprises

With more than three in four of the enterprises in agentic chaos still pushing ahead with their plans, Boomi warns they could face unexpected costs from compliance fines, lost customers and operational downtime.

On the flip side, the top quartile was categorized as being in 'agentic control', and more than half (55%) of them said they're highly confident in their agents' decisions and actions.

Additionally, the report criticizes those in agentic chaos for focusing on the wrong thing, with around half (51%) prioritizing AI model or tool maturity instead of the true causes of distrust.

"Agents can only be trusted to act on data that's been properly activated, connected, and governed, and most companies deployed agents before they did that work," CEO Steve Lucas wrote.

At the end of the day, Boomi's data implies that pressure to demonstrate AI value and ROI could actually be leading to premature deployment before the foundations are in place, leaving organizations to play catch-up in a far more inefficient way.

Robot lawn mowers are growing in popularity, and with good reason. They're getting more advanced in features, easier to set up and use, and can be a huge time- and effort-saver... provided you pick the right model. There are plenty of options to choose from, spanning a range of prices and capabilities, and if you're new to the lawnbot world then it can be tricky to figure out which one you need.

This article is here to guide you through that process. I've pulled together five big questions to help you narrow down your options. And for added expertise, I've enlisted the help of KK Yin, Marketing Director at leading lawnbot brand Mammotion, whose insights you'll find throughout the piece.

#1. Do I need all-wheel drive?

"Everyone has a different environment for their lawn. So the first thing a customer should do is choose which kind of power system they need — for example, all-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive, or some the brands have front-wheel drive," says KK.

Rear-wheel drive will be perfectly fine if you have a relatively even and flat lawn, and will have no issue scaling relatively gentle inclines. However, if you have a very steep or uneven lawn, all-wheel drive (AWD) will help ensure the lawnbot maintains its grip without churning up your grass. Front-wheel drive is really only for flat lawns, and is a less common power system.

AWD tends to be reserved for larger, more premium robot mowers. However, at the start of this year Segway Navimow launched compact AWD model, with the suggestion that it would treat your turf more gently.

All-wheel drive improves a lawnbot's climbing ability (Image credit: Future)#2. Does my lawn have shaded areas?

Next, KK suggests figuring out which navigation method is best suited to the environment. "A customer should look at if they have shaded areas, the house is tall or they have trees in the garden. If they do, I suggest they don't choose an RTK positioning system. They should maybe choose a LiDAR model," says KK.

There are two major navigation systems for robot mowers. RTK, which uses satellites, can work very well if the lawnbot has a wide, uninterrupted view of the sky. However, if there are obstructions — such as those listed by KK — in the way, these can block the signal and lead to the lawnbot getting lost.

LiDAR is the system used by robot vacuums, and is relatively new in the robot mower market. LiDAR builds a picture of its surroundings by bouncing light off objects, so it's not well suited to wide-open lawns with no objects in them.

Broadly speaking, RTK will be a good choice in big, open yards, whereas LiDAR might be a better fit if you have a smaller, more cluttered yard. LiDAR models are often pricier, so if you can get away with an RTK bot, you might prefer to go with that option.

Overhead obstructions can cause issues if the robot relies on satellites for navigation (Image credit: Future)#3. How big is my lawn?

Many lawnbot models are available in a few different iterations aimed at different-sized lawns (typically indicated by a number after the product name). The difference is usually the battery capacity — a bot designed for a larger area will have a bigger battery, enabling it to cover more ground before having to return to its dock to recharge, thus making it more efficient.

"I think most users figure out that in one week they will mow maybe two or three times. So they need to work out how long it will take a product to mow their lawn once," suggests KK. With that information, you can work out if your mower will be efficient enough to keep up with your grass-trimming demands.

#4. Do I have more than one mowing zone?

"The next point, I think, is about multi-zone management," says KK. "Not all people have one big lawn — it's divided by the house, or the garden is split into different areas. That means they need to manage more than one mowing zone."

Pretty much every lawnbot will be able to mow multiple separate lawns, with the ability to create different maps in your app. However, some have more advanced multi-zone capabilities than others. One bot might be intelligent enough to handle a schedule where the lawnbot spends the morning in Zone A and moves to Zone B in the evening, and it might even be able to work out the optimal mowing patterns and cadence.

#5. How much setup do I want to do?

If you end up with a satellite-based lawnbot (see point #2), you might need to decide between a bot that comes with a separate antenna and one that does not. This RTK station is required to make the satellite information more accurate — so satellite positioning on its own might tell you where a bot is to within a meter or two, but add in a separate RTK receiver and it's more like centimeters.

Traditionally, you'd have this receiver in your own back yard. This adds an extra level of complexity to setup — the reciever needs to sit high up, with direct line of sight to satellites in the sky, and it also needs a power source. However, increasingly, we're seeing lawnbots that use a big, centralized RTK receiver that covers a large area. Mammotion calls this NetRTK. It's definitely a more low-effort option.

Some RTK lawnbots require you to install a separate receiver in your yard (Image credit: Future)

There are further features to look out for if you want the most straightforward setup. Some modern robot mowers have cameras and AI features that enable them to instantly create a map of their location, so you can just pop it on the floor and it'll be able to start mowing pretty much instantly. KK suggests these kinds of features are more of a nice-to-have, and advises focusing on the first four points first.

Reviews round-up

We've tested plenty of excellent lawnbots at TechRadar. Here's a taster of some of our favorites — tap the 'View details' button for more information, plus a link to our full reviews.

Mammotion LUBA 3 AWD 3000

Read our full review

Mammotion Yuka Mini Robot Lawn Mower

Read our full review

Mammotion YUKA Mini 2 1000 Robot Lawn Mower with LiDAR

Segway Navimow i210E LiDAR Pro

Read our full review

Segway Navimow X3 Series

Read our full review

TerraMow V1000 Robot Lawn Mower

Read our full review

ANTHBOT Genie Smart AI Robot Lawn Mower

Read our full review

Eufy E15 Robot Lawn Mower

Read our full review

Mammotion LUBA 2 AWD

Read our full review

The movement, which began as a satirical protest, has evolved into a nationwide challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.

(Image credit: Shekhar Yadav)

As part of Best Buy's Black Friday in July sale, the price of the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) has dropped to $1199 (was $1299).

Powered by Apple's M5 chip, it combines a 10-core CPU, 16GB of memory, and a 512GB SSD in a lightweight design. For my money, with the extra RAM and storage this makes it to model to choose if you're buying a MacBook Air.

It's an excellent choice for students, professionals, and anyone looking for a premium everyday laptop that's lightweight and loaded with long-term value - especially given Apple recently announced price increases across all its laptops and tablets.

Today's best MacBook Air deal

13.6-inch 2560 x 1664 display, Apple M5 processor with 10-core CPU and 8-core GPU, 16GB memory, 512GB SSD, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, backlit keyboard.View Deal

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy this deal if...

You want a lightweight premium laptop with strong everyday performance, and enough memory and storage for years of work, study, and creative tasks. Battery life impressed us during testing, lasting around 15.5 hours of web use and comfortably getting through a full working day on a single charge.

❌ Skip this deal if...

You need a larger display, more ports than Thunderbolt 4 provides, or dedicated graphics for demanding professional workloads and modern PC gaming. In that case, check out the MacBook Pro instead.

Why we recommend it

In his review, our laptop expert Lance said the latest MacBook Air was "the best ultraportable I've ever used". He noted it delivers an outstanding balance of performance, battery life, and portability, handling everything from everyday productivity to photo editing, 8K video editing, and even gaming without feeling out of its depth.

Despite its slim, fanless design, he found it surprisingly difficult to push the M5 chip to its limits, even with demanding creative applications and heavy multitasking.

The 10-core CPU, 8-core GPU, and 16GB of memory provide plenty of performance for work, creative projects, and everyday computing, while the upgraded 512GB SSD delivers faster storage than previous entry-level MacBook Air models, helping applications launch quickly and improving file transfers.

At just 2.7 pounds, it's easy to carry every day, while the premium aluminum chassis feels exceptionally solid despite its lightweight design.

Price Context & Historical Value

Although the $100 discount isn't huge, deals on Apple's newest MacBook Air models are relatively rare - especially with Apple recently hiking prices across all its devices. With the upgraded 512GB base storage and M5 processor, Apple's latest ultraportable is a must-have.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

This configuration offers excellent everyday performance, but it isn't designed for intensive 3D rendering, high-end gaming, or workloads that benefit from dedicated graphics.

Connectivity is also limited to two Thunderbolt 4 ports, so you may need a hub or dock if you regularly connect multiple wired accessories.

• Shop all MacBooks at Best Buy

• Software support for the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro ends soon
• The Android QPR1 will be the final update for these phones
• They were first launched by Google back in October 2021

If you're rocking a Google Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro, launched in October 2021, then your five years of software updates are coming to an end: Google has confirmed that these devices aren't going to get access to the latest Android QPR2 Beta 1.

"Pixel 6 and 6 Pro users will not be getting this OTA since the device will reach End of Life and Android 17 QPR1 beta series will be the last for these devices," says Google in the release notes of the latest beta, via Android Police.

That means no more beta updates for the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, with the final stable software release officially Android 17 QPR1, set to be part of the September Pixel Drop. That should land just before the five-year anniversary of these phones in October 2026.

As with every end-of-life situation like this, your handset isn't suddenly going to stop working. However, it will no longer get new features or security updates — the more time passes, the more vulnerable it will be to bugs and malware attacks.

Apps may start slowing down and misbehaving, and the recommended course of action is to upgrade as soon as possible. Google is all set to unveil the new Pixel 11 series on Wednesday, August 12, so maybe you could treat yourself to one of those handsets.

There's life in the old phone yet

The Pixel 6 Pro (Image credit: TechRadar)

You've got options for what to do with your old phone. Your network operator may recycle it for you and even give you some cash back (check the website for details), but if not, you can find numerous third-party services that will — just run a web search for them.

You can also repurpose your old Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro and turn it into something else. These ideas will all work without needing regular Android software updates:

• Dedicated e-reader — get the Kindle app (or something similar) up on your old phone and you can keep it exclusively for getting through your e-books.
• Car dashcam — get your old phone mounted on your car dashboard and plugged in, install an app such as Droid Dashcam, and you've got yourself a dashcam.
• Alternative webcam — sticking with cameras, your old phone probably offers a higher resolution and better angles than your current webcam. Here's how to set it up.
• Portable power bank — both the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro can work as chargers for other phones when connected via USB-C (they can also charge smaller devices wirelessly).
• Wi-Fi extender — if part of your home can't get Wi-Fi, use your old Pixel as a Wi-Fi extender for your router via the hotspot option (under Network and internet in Settings).
• PC console — with an app like Touch Portal installed, you can get a Stream Deck-like experience for gaming and streaming with your old Android phone.

There's no excuse for leaving it gathering dust in a drawer, or just throwing it in the trash (and adding to our growing e-waste problem). And you've still got a couple of months to decide what you'd like to do.

• Philips is rumored to be launching a new camera-based Hue Sync device for its TV backlights
• It removes the need for a pricey Hue Play HDMI Sync Box
• The 'Sync Screen' would be the first camera for the Philips Hue Play system

Philips Hue could be working on a new device for syncing your TV’s color palette to your backlights, giving you another option for illuminating your entertainment setup

Fabian of Hue Blog attended an online presentation hosted by Philips, and spotted a new Hue Sync device with an integrated camera that looks strikingly similar to rival devices like the Nanoleaf 4D.

The new gadget could be called ‘Sync Screen’, and may be unveiled at IFA 2026 in September. We don't know how much it will cost yet, but considering Philips Hue is a premium brand, it's likely the new device will sit in a higher price bracket than its competitors.

Just like other camera-operated TV LED lights, Philips’ version mounts to the top of a TV or monitor, and captures the color movements of the movie, show, or game on the screen. This movement is then processed and synced with backlights mounted behind the display.

From the image shared by Hue Blog, it seems that the Philips Sync Screen camera will only have one lens, but will likely be a fish-eye one to capture your entire TV screen — just like those used by rival devices.

You will almost certainly still need a Philips Hue Bridge to link the lights and camera to one another, but because the system camera-operated, you won't need a Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box or Hue Sync TV app subscription, which could make it a more tempting proposition.

The Nanoleaf 4D TV is just one of the Philips rivals that use cameras to sync TV content with smart backlights (Image credit: Nanoleaf)

As mentioned, Philips isn’t the first smart home giant to offer TV lighting gadgets like this, which aim to make your TV and gaming experiences more immersive by extending the colors from the screen onto the surrounding walls.

In addition to the Nanoleaf 4D light strips, the Govee StarPal Pro and the more recent Govee TV Backlight 3 Pro models are all camera-operated — the latter having a dual-camera system to capture more of your TV screen or monitor.

Philips has had quite an eventful 2026 already. In March the company unveiled its new OLED TVs, which are also the first native models for Dolby Vision 2, as well as its beautiful yet expensive ceiling light that mimics natural daylight. We’re just a mere two months away from IFA 2026, and I think the best is yet to come.

Iran-backed Houthis say they will blockade a waterway on the Red Sea. And, the FDA continues to investigate Taylor Farms lettuce as a source of the Cyclospora outbreak despite a retracted test.

(Image credit: Mohammed Huwais)

The conversation about AI in space keeps arriving at the same image: a floating supercomputer processing the world's information from 400 miles up. It’s a compelling narrative, but there’s a gap between what companies are hoping to build and what is being built today.

Today, satellites run on fixed power budgets measured in watts with strict constraints. Bandwidth is scarce enough that every byte reaching the ground has to earn its place.

Those limits push the field toward architecture that looks more like a nervous system, than a data center – lightweight models running onboard that interpret sensor data in near real time and convert observations into structured events. The event reaches the ground.

The raw pixel doesn’t.

From hours to minutes

In a conventional Earth observation pipeline, a satellite captures an image, downlinks it to a ground station, ground systems process the raw data, and the result reaches whoever needs it. Best case that happens in hours, but often it’s closer to a day.

For a disaster response team managing a flood in a low-lying river delta, or a conservation authority trying to locate the origin point of a wildfire in a remote national park, that day comes at a cost.

A satellite running inference onboard changes the math. Detection happens in seconds. What gets downlinked is a position, timestamp, or risk score. The bottleneck shifts from the space segment to the ground distribution, which is a comparatively manageable problem.

The use cases where this matters most are not the visible disasters people are watching. They’re the methane leak on a pipeline with no weekly inspection schedule, an oil spill beyond the reach of coastal patrols, a wildfire that began in a remote area before anyone had reported smoke. Onboard inference turns a passive imaging asset into an early warning system.

What orbital constraints teach edge architects

The tradeoffs being resolved in orbit are an extreme version of the same constraints facing any organization deploying AI outside a well-provisioned data center.

Cloud-native AI development often has a back up plan: when the model is too large add compute; when bandwidth is constrained, increase it; when latency is a problem, move the processing closer. In orbit, none of these options exist. You build within the envelope, or the system doesn’t function.

The result is a forcing function that enterprise architects rarely encounter at the same level. Industrial IoT deployments face intermittent connectivity. Autonomous systems can’t afford round-trip latency to a central server at decision time.

The shift from 'send everything, process centrally' to 'process locally, transmit what matters' is happening across multiple industries. Space is where that shift ran without a safety net.

The bandwidth math

The data reduction numbers transmitted in real time is not just 80-90 percent. Once processing happens on the spacecraft, the reduction for the real-time layer exceeds 99 percent. This is semantic compression. The satellite sends the meaning of what it saw, not the measurement it produced.

A conventional operator downlinking hundreds of terabytes of raw imagery daily is paying bandwidth cost for data that largely contains nothing of interest. With onboard inference, what's transmitted in real time is a structured detection event: a position, a timestamp, a risk score, and perhaps a small compressed image. That is hundreds of kilobytes, not terabytes.

An operator downlinks only what warrants examination, rather than blindly dumping the full data stream.

Architecture decisions that preview what's next

A model making decisions before a human is in the loop carries different requirements than one generating recommendations for human review. Ambiguity tolerance is lower. Inference behavior needs tighter scoping. This is the same conversation that medicine and finance have been having for years.

AI-assisted diagnostics and accountability distributed across platform, model, training data, and end customer rather than concentrated in a single layer. The space industry is joining a conversation other sectors have already been having for years.

In a cloud environment, model size and computational efficiency are optimization targets. Meaning they are important, but secondary to capability. In a constrained orbital environment, they are the primary design constraint from which everything else follows. A model that cannot run within the available compute envelope is not a model that gets deployed. There is no option to add a larger instance.

A maritime patrol aircraft that previously ran random vessel inspections now works from a ranked list of targets with risk scores attached. Some alerts will be false positives which is a physical reality of any probabilistic system. But the aircraft's operational effectiveness improves substantially compared to random patrolling or no monitoring at all. The AI narrows the search.

The scaling problem is familiar

One satellite running an onboard model is a proof of concept. A constellation of hundreds running distributed inference is a different infrastructure problem as orbital AI scales.

Centralized orchestration becomes the bottleneck when constellations grow. Every decision can’t route through a ground station. Distributed inference is a requirement. Enterprise architects hit the same wall when a pilot deployment expands to thousands of edge nodes. The centralized model that worked in development becomes the thing that breaks in production.

The cloud infrastructure analogy supports this. Nobody builds a data center before launching an application. The pattern is shared infrastructure, with control at the model, mission logic, and decision layer. Those can be sovereign regardless of who owns the underlying compute.

A design principle worth carrying

It’s hard to develop constraint-based thinking in environments where adding compute is always on the table. The organizations that have built it tend to have faced conditions where it wasn’t.

The strategic advantage in edge AI over the next decade will not just be measured in the amount of compute available. It will also be measured in code deployed to the right place in the stack. Satellites are running that experiment first.

We've featured the best AI tool.

This article was produced as part of TechRadar Pro Perspectives, our channel to feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today.

The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/pro/perspectives-how-to-submit

The TobenONE 11-in-1 USB-C Docking Station is on sale for $83 (was $130) at Amazon, a saving of $47.20.

Thanks to its programmable shortcut keys, dual 4K display support, and a wide selection of ports, it will be especially appealing to productivity-focused Windows users.

This docking station supports dual 4K 60Hz displays, 100W USB-C Power Delivery, Gigabit Ethernet, three 5Gbps USB ports, SD and microSD readers, programmable shortcut controls, audio jack, and dual HDMI connectivity for Windows laptops.

Dual HDMI 4K@60Hz, programmable shortcut keys and volume knob (Windows), 100W USB-C Power Delivery input, Gigabit Ethernet, USB-C and USB-A 5Gbps ports, SD/microSD card readers, 3.5mm audioView Deal

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy this deal if...

You want a single USB-C dock that connects dual 4K monitors, wired networking, storage devices, and accessories while adding programmable shortcut controls to speed up repetitive Windows tasks.

❌ Skip this deal if...

You primarily use a Mac and need two independently extended external displays. The customizable shortcut features are also designed specifically for Windows systems.

Why we recommend it

In his review, our expert Mark said: "This is a clever concept, and for those with a video or photo editing workflow, it's genuinely useful."

Most budget USB-C docks follow a familiar formula, but this model takes a different approach by integrating four programmable shortcut keys and a multifunction rotary dial alongside its standard connectivity.

The controls can be configured via the TobenONE software to launch applications, take screenshots, control media playback, mute audio, or trigger custom key combinations.

Dual HDMI outputs support two independent 4K 60Hz displays on compatible Windows laptops with DisplayPort 1.4 MST support, making it well suited to coding, design, trading, and other multi-monitor workloads.

Gigabit Ethernet provides a reliable wired connection, while three 5Gbps USB ports, SD and microSD card readers, and a USB-C Power Delivery input supporting up to 100W charging complete a versatile desktop setup with a single cable.

Price Context & Historical Value

Amazon has reduced the TobenONE from $129.99 to $82.79, a 36% discount that will save you $47.20. This is as low as the dock has ever been sold, so if you've been planning to add a docking station to a home office or hybrid work setup, this is a great time to buy.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

The programmable buttons and smart control knob require the TobenONE software and are available only on Windows. Mac users can still use the dock's core functions, but customization is limited, and macOS mirrors content across two external HDMI displays rather than supporting two independently extended screens.

Our biggest criticism was bandwidth. Although compatible with USB4 and Thunderbolt hosts, the dock limits its USB data ports to 5Gbps, so fast external SSDs won't reach their full performance. It also ships without a power adapter, meaning you'll need to provide your own if you want laptop charging.

• Shop all docking stations at Amazon

Defense secretary Pete Hegseth will appear on the Hill on Tuesday. He's looking for a nearly $90 billion funding boost, as the Iran war once again flares.

The 2026 World Cup is already under way. Billions of eyes are on the pitch. The story that matters to anyone running a supply chain, though, is playing out in warehouses, customs terminals and distribution centers spread across three countries.

For the first time, the tournament spans three host nations: the United States, Canada and Mexico. That means millions of product lines, thousands of supplier handoffs and cross-border compliance requirements across three distinct regulatory environments, all compressed into a window with zero tolerance for error.

The operational scale of this tournament is without precedent.

Now that the group stages are live, the pressure on supply chains is real and immediate. The lessons surfacing are worth paying attention to, because they apply well beyond sport.

A live packaging stress test

Official merchandise for an event of this scale moves across multiple countries, customs jurisdictions and retail channels simultaneously. Product identification has to work at every stage of that journey, from the manufacturer's floor to the stadium vendor's shelf. The label that cleared customs in Los Angeles may face entirely different requirements in Toronto.

The deeper problem is structural. Today's supply chains still largely operate as disconnected islands. Each site, supplier, co-packer and carrier maintains its own systems and repeatedly re-enters the same product and compliance data. That fragmentation creates built-in waste at every handoff: redundant setup, duplicate records and inconsistent label versions. Under normal conditions, these inefficiencies are costly but can be masked by day-to-day operations. Under the pressure of a live global tournament, they become critical.

Demand shifts are happening in real time. A host city that reaches the knockout stages sees fan merchandise demand surge overnight. Supply chains built on static, batch-processed labelling data are finding they cannot respond at that pace.

The speed of these shifts can be surprisingly tangible. In Atlanta, shortly after the Spain-Cape Verde match, I walked through the airport and was struck by how many people were wearing Cape Verde jerseys. In the space of a few hours, merchandise that had been relatively low-profile had become highly visible, underscoring how quickly demand signals can emerge and spread during a global event.

From labels to live data

What the World Cup is making visible in real time is a shift that has been under way for several years. Product identification is no longer a print-and-forget exercise. It is a live data problem.

The industry is moving from fragmented, internal systems to connected, multi-partner ecosystems. The organizations managing the tournament's supply chain most effectively are those that have made this shift: rather than each stakeholder operating in isolation and recreating the same product and compliance data from scratch, they are working within a shared, real-time environment where information flows seamlessly across systems, suppliers, customers and geographies.

The benefits of this approach are measurable. Organizations that can operate with real-time visibility and trusted data across their extended value chain can reduce delays, prevent errors at source and respond faster when disruption hits. In sectors where production downtime can exceed $1-2 million per hour, that responsiveness is not a nice-to-have but operationally critical.

The cost of disconnected systems

The consequences of siloed product data are well understood in theory. A tournament of this scale is making them visible in practice.

When product data does not flow seamlessly across sites and trading partners, the failure surfaces in predictable ways. Rejected shipments at customs. Compliance failures that stall distribution. Production downtime while teams manually reconcile data across systems. Against the backdrop of a global event with fixed deadlines, those failures are not recoverable.

The organizations absorbing those costs right now are those still operating inside the organization perimeter - managing product identification as an internal function rather than a network-level capability. The distinction matters. Supply chain resilience increasingly depends on the ability to coordinate accurate product data across every site, trading partner, and customer - creating a connected ecosystem in which product identity can be shared, trusted, and acted upon seamlessly.

What happens after the final whistle

Connected, network-driven approaches to product identification are no longer a future aspiration. The World Cup is demonstrating their value in real time, at a scale most supply chains will never encounter but from which every supply chain can learn.

The direction of travel is clear. Organizations that can rapidly adapt labelling requirements across plants and partners, share trusted product data in real time and eliminate the manual rework that comes with disconnected systems will outperform those that cannot. That is as true in retail, pharma and automotive as it is in a stadium in Los Angeles.

The World Cup will be over in a matter of weeks. The infrastructure challenges it is exposing will still be there when it ends. The organizations that use this moment to address those fundamentals will be better placed for whatever high-pressure deadline comes next.

We've listed the best product information management software.

This article was produced as part of TechRadar Pro Perspectives, our channel to feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today.

The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/pro/perspectives-how-to-submit

President Donald Trump on Monday imposed 50% tariffs on most Canadian goods, declaring that Canada has unfairly discriminated against American autos, alcohol and dairy products.

(Image credit: Adrian Wyld)