The policy `is not just about technology - it`s about empowering our people`, the country`s acting information and communications technology minister says. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Beginner-friendly setup (when its GPS works correctly) Traction Mode mapping is a great innovation Impressive obstacle avoidance Cons Very low maximum cutting height (for U.S. grasses) Persistent GPS issues Unrealistic advertised LoRa communication range (LoRa depends on line-of-sight) Our Verdict Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: UBHome M10 Retailer Price $1,299 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices We’ve seen our share of robot mowers from large companies and well-capitalized startups, but very few crowd-funded ones. UBHome is an exception, raising HK $1.6 million (~$200,000 USD) this spring to bring its M10 robot lawn mower to market. The UBHome M10 features artificial intelligence combined with RTK (real-time kinetics) positioning, which reminds me of the Segway X3 series mowers, albeit with a different price tag and maximum yard size. The M10 costs just $1,499, which makes it one of the lower-priced robot mowers we’ve tested. The M10 uses a reference station and a LoRa (Long Range) gateway to determine position and communicate with the mower. In theory, no mower should have any problems maintaining a connection anywhere in my yard, but its unusual shape and plethora of obstructions make it a good test location. Mapping my entire yard with the UBHome M10 was so user friendly I was able to do it for the first time in many reviews. Installation and setup My yard quickly looked well-manicured thanks to the UBHome M10’s attention to detail. It spent extra time on the faster-growing portions.Ed Oswald/Foundry Getting the UBHome M10 set up wasn’t easy, not because the hardware was difficult to deal with or that the robot’s mapping controls were deficient—in fact, I loved the latter and will discuss them in more detail later—but because the M10 had persistent issues acquiring GPS signals. This occurred even in areas where the robot has a clear view of the sky. The M10 is super-reliant on GPS positioning, requiring 20 satellites just to install. That is a very high number of satellites to expect—I was maxing out at 15 to 17 at my location in Pennsylvania, which initially meant I couldn’t move forward with the review. I encountered a similar issue with a Yarbo mower, an issue that has plagued that platform for years: a refusal to connect to GPS satellites that are reliably in view. A view of the sky from the UBHome M10’s reference station, looking due south and tilted approximately 120 degrees. As you can see, apart from the horizon and a portion of the southwestern sky, there is a reasonably clear view at this location.Ed Oswald/Foundry The good news? Yarbo’s problems came down to a software issue, and I highly suspect the same thing is happening here. I eventually found another five or so satellites (although this part of the install was done a day later) and was therefore able to map my yard using the M10’s excellent in-app controls. Unlike many other mowers I’ve tested, the UBHome M10 doesn’t lurch with the slightest tap of its in-app controls. In areas where I wasn’t experiencing issues with GPS connectivity, I was able to map the terrain relatively quickly. It also has a slightly bizarre yet novel mapping method it calls Traction Mode, which involves looping a rope around the front grille of the M10 and pulling it behind you to create a map. If you struggle with remote control operation, this might be an attractive alternative (and it really works). UBHome deserves credit for thinking out of the box here. Mapping was so user friendly that I was able to use it to map my entire property for the first time in many reviews. I was also curious to see how well the LoRa technology could handle the more distant parts of our yard. UBHome says LoRa support endows its mower with a communication range of 576,000 square yards (138,000 square meters), a claim I was rightly skeptical of. What the company’s marketing materials don’t point out is that LoRa networks are heavily dependent on line of sight. So, that range might be achievable if you’re mowing a pasture, but having buildings in the picture quickly changes things. The UBHome app has a great user interface, and the ultra-precise positioning can tell you exactly where your mower has been. The barebones scheduling options, on the other hand, need a makeover.Ed Oswald/Foundry UBHome’s infrastructure consists of a gateway, an antenna, and a base station, which isn’t all that beginner friendly, but the company’s instructional materials clearly show all the steps you need to get started. While the production value of its video won’t earn an Emmy, it makes it abundantly clear what you need to do. UBHome’s app will also walk you through the process with helpful text directions. Using the UBHome M10 The UBHome M10 is a daytime-only mower due to the absence of LiDAR navigation or any headlamps. I assume most people reading this review aren’t likely to mow their lawns in the middle of the night, like I do, so I don’t see this as a negative. What’s most important is the cut, and even with all the installation difficulty, the UBHome redeemed itself in that regard. The M10 has a very low maximum cutting height of just 2.36 inches (6cm). That might be too low for the types of grass commonly found in American lawns. I generally keep our grass at 2.5 inches or higher, as anything lower tends to expose brown patches. I’ve noticed this quirk in many mowers that initially launched overseas. The M10’s front wheels move freely, so its rear wheels try to compensate, causing the mower to “waddle” slightly on open straightaways.Ed Oswald/Foundry It’s also because the U.S. itself is an aberration: The grasses that make up most of our lawns are a result of homesick American colonists favoring European grass species—and importing their seeds—instead of planting native North American grasses. The M10 does have a high-grass mode for when you need to cut grass that is significantly above the mower’s maximum cutting height, but UBHome warns that this setting could impair the mower’s obstacle avoidance. That said, I saw no substantial effects, even when the mower got close to the slope in my yard. That slope has been proven to be the Achilles’ Heel of so many rear-wheel drive mowers I’ve tested here. The mower has three mowing methods, the last of which is optional. The first is your traditional mow, where the mower takes long passes to cover as much ground as possible. In oddly shaped or narrow areas, you can use “spot mowing,” where the mower moves in a manner that covers spots close to the edge of the mowing area or where it may have missed. Finally, the optional “perimeter mowing” rides the edge of the mowing area to provide that finished look. You can monitor all of this in the app in real time. LoRa helps to ensure that the app’s positioning is exact, and it also results in a significantly longer mowing time than most robot mowers, but the results are worth it. There are two situations where you’ll encounter trouble with the M10: Roughly 2 to 3 hours before sundown, and in low-light conditions. To avoid this, I recommend mowing in the late morning or early afternoon.Ed Oswald/Foundry I experienced issues with sun blindness being misinterpreted as an obstruction when the sun was low in the sky. This is typical of robot mowers that aren’t equipped with LiDAR navigation. To get around the problem, program the mower to cut any portions of the lawn that will have the mower moving directly into the sun at least three hours before sunset. Mowing the easiest part of my yard went so well that I decided to tackle the more problematic areas next. I tempered my expectations given the amount of trouble I’ve had with other rear-wheel drive (RWD) mowers. Things went well, for the most part. I set the M10 to its slowest setting while cutting narrow strips of grass, which kept it on the median rather than in the street, where so many other mowers have ended up (the mower did fall off the curb while running at its standard speed). On slopes, the M10 seemed to correct the drift of its front wheels to either side much faster than any other RWD mower I’ve tested. The M10, however, lost its connection to the Reference Station about 300 feet through my detached garage. This wasn’t entirely surprising, given LoRa’s dependence on line-of-sight communication; in fact, it performed better than most of its competitors in this area. That said, it didn’t come anywhere close to the 138,000 square meters of communication range that’s advertised. The mower also had difficulty staying within its assigned boundaries while it was in that section, confusing a small strip down the alley as an edge, likely due to connectivity issues. Using the UBHome app UBHome’s app has an excellent user interface; it’s well-organized and clean, and I appreciate how the most critical actions are assigned to buttons at the bottom of the screen, so I can use the app with one hand. The scheduling portion of the app, on the other hand, is too barebones; it shows scheduled mow days and times, but not the areas to be mowed. The UBHome M10 is an AI+RTK mower that uses a trio of cameras and seven sensors to navigate your yard and avoid obstacles.Ed Oswald/Foundry A log show displays all recent actions and alerts, and there’s a remote control feature if you feel like driving the mower yourself. I experienced sporadic connectivity problems from time to time, which were usually remedied by restarting the app. While you can set mowing direction within the app, there doesn’t appear to be any type of automatic adjustment for each successive mow. That said, it might not be necessary, as the M10 will switch between modes based on the height of the grass and if it spots areas where grass is growing faster than others. Should you buy a UBHome M10 robot mower? With a price tag of less than $1,500, the UBHome M10 punches above its weight. Its dependence on GPS for navigation, however, comes with risks. The mower’s sporadic inability to find satellites in areas where it had a clear view of the sky is disappointing. Apart from that, the mower is surprisingly flawless and fun to use. I initially thought such out-of-the-box ideas as Traction Mode were silly, but when I used them, I discovered they’re an innovative way to speed up the most irritating part of robot mower setup. The Ml10 delivers outstanding cut quality, and its obstacle avoidance works well even in high-grass mode. This rear-wheel drive mower’s ability to successfully mow my lawn without falling down its slope is also notable. And for the most part, it stayed within its assigned boundaries, something many other mowers have failed to do, especially on my yard’s median strips. If you’re in the market for a robot lawn mower, most of your yard has a clear view of the sky, and you have a limited budget, the UBHome M10 is an option to consder. I do hope UBHome solves this machine’s GPS issues with a firmware update, because that’s holding back an otherwise excellent robot lawn mower. This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best robot lawn mowers. Read...

Microsoft has redesigned all the icons for its various Office applications (officially known as Microsoft 365 apps), this time focusing on color gradients and contrasts. The result? These new Microsoft Office icons are now more colorful, more curvy, and more approachable. We’ve known for some time that Microsoft Office apps were getting new icons (thanks to a leak). But they’re official as of today, according to Jon Friedman (CVP of Design and Research for Microsoft 365) in this Microsoft Design blog post. Microsoft is rolling out the new design to users with immediate effect. In the post, Friedman explains the redesign’s significance: When it comes to outsized impact, it’s hard to debate the almighty icon. No bigger than a postage stamp, these tiny symbols are gateways to entire experiences, distilling complex ideas, product abilities, and brand identities into a single, memorable image. By evoking emotion, sparking curiosity, and giving intuitive guidance, they make technology more accessible and approachable. The last time Microsoft updated the Office icons was in 2018. Below, you can see all the redesigned icons side by side: The 2025 redesigned icons for Microsoft 365 apps.Microsoft We find the following illustration from Microsoft particularly interesting, which shows the evolution of these icons over the years: The evolution of Microsoft Office app icons from 2001 to 2025.Microsoft And here’s a direct comparison of how the Word icon changed: Old versus new icon for Microsoft Word.Microsoft Microsoft stuck to four main principles in this redesign: Delightfully simple: To maintain familiarity while streamlining the visual experience, we graphically simplified the icons for clarity and reduced visual noise. Whereas Word’s icon previously used four horizontal bars, the new version uses just three, improving legibility at small sizes and creating more visual concision. Fluid shapes: We’ve moved away from bold, static solidity to embrace softer, more fluid forms. Sharp edges and crisp lines are replaced by smooth folds and curves, giving the icons a sense of playful motion and approachability. Rich and colorful: The color palette has been dramatically refined. Where gradients were once subtle, they’re now richer and more vibrant, featuring exaggerated analogous transitions that improve contrast and accessibility. This shift makes the icons feel brighter, punchier, and more dynamic. Instantly recognizable: Letter plates were much debated because they’re valuable real estate and icons following the core 10 Office ones no longer use them. Their brand equity is so strong, however, that we decided to keep them—maintaining our heritage while also modernizing them through a more cohesive visual integration with the overall design. The reference to the omnipresent AI is almost inevitable as well, with the design of the new Microsoft 365 icons clearly influenced by the Copilot icon. The new look is intended to represent a more connected design system and the influence of Copilot on Microsoft 365. Read...

Intel is trying to claw its way back into relevance with some big moves lately, such as its recently announced alliance with Nvidia. But there’s more going on behind the scenes, including some negotiations with AMD, according to a report by Semafor. The aim of this Intel-AMD agreement would be to produce AMD chips in Intel’s own factories, known as foundries. (A foundry manufactures semiconductors according to customer designs.) Intel would therefore realize AMD’s designs, although both compete in the processor market. The deal is not yet finalized and an agreement could take months, as further hurdles (such as regulatory reviews) are still pending. Why Intel wants AMD as a customer Intel has been trying to catch up with the world’s leading chip manufacturer TSMC for years. TSMC currently produces most AMD chips with advanced 5nm or 3nm processes, while Intel’s current 18A process (comparable to 2nm) won’t be ready for series production until 2025. According to Semafor, Intel could initially produce less complex AMD chips due to its lack of high-end technology. Nevertheless, AMD would be a prestigious customer that could bolster Intel’s ailing Foundry division. Nvidia has already invested $5 billion in Intel, and Apple has also been approached, which shows the widespread interest in Intel’s capacities. A potential conflict between China and Taiwan—which is where TSMC is headquartered—makes US-based manufacturing attractive. On top of that, the US government is promoting domestic chip production through the CHIPS Act to further reduce dependence on Asia. Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan, who has been in office since March 2025, is pushing ahead with restructuring and cost-cutting measures as Intel is no longer among the top 10 chip manufacturers, especially in AI hardware. An AMD deal could also boost Intel’s share price, which rose by 3.5 percent following the news, and boost the US chip industry. What does this mean for the industry? This Intel-AMD partnership could also bring advantages for AMD, like reduced dependence on TSMC without giving up their cooperation entirely. For Intel, it’s a step towards profitability for its Foundry division, which is currently operating at a loss. An Intel-AMD deal would be an historic development, and two major competitors working together could significantly strengthen the US market. It remains to be seen whether the deal will materialize, but one thing is clear: these talks are a signal of Intel’s ambitions. Read...

Windows Hello is the feature embedded in Windows 10 and 11 that allows users to log in with their biometric identification, namely facial recognition and fingerprint scans. This login method is generally considered to be more convenient for users and more secure than traditional password and PIN methods, but I still don’t use it. Here’s why. 1. It’s slower than a PIN Microsoft says the allure of Windows Hello is the speed at which users can unlock their PCs. For me, though, I’ve experienced regular delays in the facial recognition and fingerprint scanning, which have made accessing my desktop frustratingly slow compared to just entering a PIN, so a PIN remains my favored method. 2. It’s not as reliable as traditional authentication I’ve found the facial recognition technology fails to read my face under certain circumstances. For example, when I have a bright desk lamp on, or when I’m wearing a hat. Again, these things can cause prolonged waiting times and frustration as I have to modify what I’m wearing or the lighting in my room for it to read properly. Mark Hachman / Foundry 3. The experience varies with my different hardware My experience with Windows Hello in the past 12 months has varied a lot with the hardware capabilities in my different devices. For example, I have an old laptop with a shoddy fingerprint scanner that would miss-scan every second time. It also has a sub-par camera that would have trouble recognizing my image in certain conditions. However, my work laptop, which is a premium laptop with an advanced sensor seemed to work every time. Further Reading: Best webcams 2025: Top picks and expert buying advice 4. PIN feels more familiar It just feels more familiar using the traditional methods of authentication over biometric authentication. I’ve been logging in with a password for many years now and old habits die hard. PIN authentication feels the closest to that. Why I want to use Windows Hello Despite the problems I’ve had with Windows Hello, I’d like to make it work for me in the future. It’s likely that as Windows devices become more ubiquitous, Microsoft will make Windows Hello accessible on a wider range of devices, so I don’t want to be left behind. It’s likely, too, that Microsoft will continue to optimize Windows Hello, leveraging advances in machine learning to make the technology more accurate and to improve recognition speeds and adaptability to user changes. Experts speculate that AI driven improvements in recognition will lead to a more futuristic experience of Windows Hello that will make it more reliable and less buggy. When that happens, I’m all in. Related content Best laptops: Premium, budget, gaming, 2-in-1, and more I tried to fool my Windows laptop’s Face ID. Here’s what happened Rising to the TOPS: How will NPUs and Windows AI grow in 2025? Best Windows Hello webcams: Add biometric login to your PC Read...

Achieving that perfectly manicured lawn is a whole lot less time-consuming now that a robot can do the job for you. Over the long term, a robot lawn mower will cost a whole lot less than hiring a landscaper—and it won’t expect a tip every week and during the winter holidays. Top-of-the-line robot mowers cost a pretty penny, but they can climb slopes and handle very large yards (we’re talking acres of grass). While early robot lawn mowers required you to lay down a boundary wire to prevent them from wandering out of your yard, each of the mowers listed here uses advanced navigation technology to eliminate the need for any wires. We’ve already spotted some terrific robot lawn mowers deals ahead of next week’s Amazon Prime Big Deal Days, and we expect plenty more as Amazon’s two-day shopping event gets underway. Just remember that the sale runs for just two days–Monday October 8 and Tuesday October 9–so don’t wait too long to scoop up the best discounts. The LawnMaster OcuMow is well-suited to smaller yards—up to 1/6 of an acre (7,260 square feet)—and it doesn’t require a boundary wire. You can pick one up this Prime Day at a 25% discount at Amazon, bringing its final price to just $600. Another choice for smaller yards, the Ecovacs GOAT O1000 RTKcan handle up to 1/4 acres of lawn, and it’s on sale for just $785, a 22% discount. We recommend you take advantage of this deal, especially if you own other Ecovacs products. Anthbot says its Genie 600 robot lawn mower uses AI to avoid obstacles as it mows lawns up to .22 acres (9,583 sq ft). And since it relies on GPS technology for navigation, it doesn’t require a boundary wire. You can clip a coupon at Amazon to get a $200 discount on the mower, bringing its final price down to $789. You’ll need a robot mower with a powerful motor and all-wheel drive–the Mowrator S1 is shown here–to tackle a sloped yard.Ed Oswald/Foundry We’re in the midst of testing the UBHome M10, just in time for a significant sale on Amazon. While this mower’s GPS has somewhat finicky at times, it mows as well, if not better, than some robots priced much higher. Right now, you can score this mower for $1,099, a 27% discount after clipping a $200 coupon. That’s the best deal we’ve seen on Amazon this year. The Eufy Robot Lawn Mower E15 can handle lawns up to .2 acres in size (8,712 sq ft) and is getting a generous 39% discount on Prime Day, dropping its price tag to $1,400. Need more coverage? The Eufy Robot Lawn Mower E18 can tackle lawns up to .3 acres (13,068 sq ft), and it can climb up to an 18-degree incline. You can pick one up for $1,600–a 38% discount off its $2,600 MSRP. We tested last year’s Mammotion Yuka model and currently have the Luba Mini AWD in our test yard. The Mammotion Luba Mini AWD 800H handles quarter-acre yards, and its cutting-height range of 2.2 to 4.0 inches is more suitable for U.S. yards. You can save 25% on Amazon, bringing its price down to $1,199, a $400 discount. If you have a larger lawn to mow, the bigger Mammotion Luba 2 AWD 5000HX handles yards up to 1.5 acres and is on sale for $2,399, a 20% discount. Segway’s H-series mowers are also on sale. Launched in 2023, these predecessors to the Segway i-series mowers (we tested the i110n) are still very capable. They’re rated to handle larger yards and have slightly better slope capabilities, although with slightly less accurate navigation. The .38-acre Segway Navimow H1500N-VF is on sale for $1,599, a 27% discount, while the .74-acre Navimow H3000N-VF is gets a 23% discount to $1,999. While any of the above options would be more than sufficient for most yards and uses, there are those of us who might find these options a little pedestrian. Well, we’ve spotted a few deals for you, too. The Mowrator immediately comes to mind. Since we tested the original all-wheel drive model, a 2WD model, the S1 AWD was launched. While stock is limited, a $370 coupon is available on Amazon, reducing its price to $2,129–a 15% discount. If that’s not enough for you, select configurations of the Yarbo multi-purpose yard robot also have special promotional coupons available through Amazon. The Yarbo Core + Snowblower Module bundle is available with a $300 coupon, bringing its price down to $4,699. A $300 coupon is also available for the Yarbo Core + Snowblower + Lawn Mower bundle, which reduces the price for the robot and two accessories to $5,829. If you already own the Yarbo Core, the Snowblower Module is on sale for $1,199 after you clip a $100 coupon during Prime Big Deal Days. That’s not much more than most equally sized push snowblowers at your local home improvement store. We’ll update this list as we find new deals during Amazon’s October Prime Day 2025 sale. And if you’re looking to save money on more of the latest technology, visit PCWorld’s Amazon Prime Day Tech Deals 2025 hub. Frequently asked questions about buying a robot lawn mower 1. I’ve seen numerous acronyms in robot mower product descriptions. What do they mean? AWD and RWD are the most obvious. Most mowers will be rear-wheel-drive (RWD), but more expensive mowers come in all-wheel-drive (AWD) models. RTK stands for Real-Time Kinematic Positioning. This technology helps correct for errors present in GPS, due to the movement of the mower itself. RTK mowers will be more accurate in positioning than those that rely on GPS alone. LiDAR stands for Light Detection and Ranging, and uses laser pulses to detect obstructions and reference points by measuring the amount of reflection back. Mowers with LiDAR will have superior low-light and nighttime mowing capabilities. AI, or artificial intelligence, is also increasingly found in robot mowers. The application will vary. While some mowers use it to better detect obstacles, some mowers take it even further and learn and adjust over time using ML, or machine learning. 2. What does the yard capacity really mean? Manufacturers measure the maximum capacity by the amount of yard a robot mower can cover over 24 hours, including idle time from charging. In other words, if you had your robot in operation continuously, the maximum capacity is the amount of mowing it could do. There are a few key points to keep in mind. First, your property acreage includes land occupied by other structures and obstructions (such as your house, trees, garden, pavement, etc.). Additionally, you do not want your robot mower to work continuously, as it will shorten its usable life significantly. The trick is to find the happy medium between the actual acreage of the grass on your lawn and the capacity of your robot mower. Using tools like Google Maps can also help you estimate your yard space better. 3. I have a lot of trees or obstructions in my yard. Is a robot mower going to work? Not if your mower is based primarily or entirely on GPS positioning, unless you have a place to put the GPS antenna above those obstructions. In this case, we’d recommend a mower like the Eufy E15, Eufy E18, or Ecovacs GOAT A3000 (or any mower that uses vision for navigation). 4. Do I need to lay down boundary wire? Not anymore. Robot mower technology has advanced far enough that even the most affordable mowers are now boundary-wire-free. We’ve removed boundary-wire mowers from our recommendations based on our experience. You should keep in mind that not all boundary-wire-free mowers are equal: we recommend models that use more than just GPS to navigate your yard for the best (and most problem-free) results. 5. I like the idea of controlling my mower, versus letting it run around autonomously, but the price of the Mowrator series is nuts. Are there any other remote-controlled options? We’re not sure if Mowrator was the catalyst, but such a feature has become quite common in mowers we’ve tested in the past year or two. Mammotion and UBHome both offer this feature at about half the price. You should bear in mind, however, that the Mowrator is controlled by an RF remote. These other options are controlled through your Wi-Fi network, which will not be as responsive. 6. I hear robot mowers are temperamental. Is that true? Yes, but nowhere near the degree as we’ve seen in previous years. Of all the mowers we tested this season, only one has had serious issues. In previous years, there were multiple. To minimize this, we recommend following the manufacturer’s instructions and not pushing the limits of your mower until you understand how it handles your yard. While we’ve moved out of the “early adopter” phase, the state of the art is not yet perfect. We’ll update this list as we find new deals during Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days. And if you’re looking to save money on more of the latest technology, visit PCWorld’s Amazon Prime Big Deal Days hub. Remember, you need to have an Amazon Prime membership to score Prime Big Deal Days deals, but you can sign up for a free trial if you’re not. This story is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best robot lawn mowers. Read...

There are a lot of underutilized technologies in common PC apps that are really useful once you discover them. One on my list is Object Character Recognition (OCR) technology. You’ll find OCR in Google Docs, for example, which makes the app ideal for converting handwriting to text on your PC. I’ve started using it to create text versions of handwritten notes I’ve just scribbled down on scraps of paper, so that I can share them with family and friends. But any kind of handwritten notes can be converted in Google Docs, whether they be letters, family recipes, or even your weekly shopping list. In this “how to” I’m going to show you how to convert a handwritten note of a list of party supplies to text in just three simple steps. What to do: Scan a handwritten document with your chosen smartphone app. Adobe Scan or Office Lens are two possibilities. Upload the image from your smartphone to Google Drive and open Google Drive on your PC. Then all you have to do is right click on the uploaded image and select Open With > Google Docs. This will automatically open the image and will make a copy of the text in the image beneath it. You can then delete the image if you don’t need it and just use the text. Katherine Stevenson Note: The handwriting usually converts as text with formatting all askew, so you’re going to want to format the text afterwards. Then what you do with your document is up to you; you might like to copy and paste it into Microsoft Word for more editing.    That’s all for this tip. Be sure to sign up to the Try This newsletter to receive more of these tips delivered to your inbox twice per week. PCWorld sends out a bunch of other newsletters too, so be sure to browse the list and opt-in to any that you like. Read...

This year’s October Prime Day event starts on October 7th and will end at midnight Pacific, October 8th — a two-day event rather than a four-day sale like we had in July. Still, we’re expecting killer deals on everything tech, including flash drives. After all, everyone needs a great USB flash drive, and October Prime Day is an excellent time to grab one for cheap. Why listen to my recommendations? I’ve been a journalist for 19 years, with 13 of those years focused on consumer technology. I love sifting through deals and spend every day hunting down the very best sales on the very best tech. With October Prime Day, I’m exercising those muscles to help you find the best USB thumb drives worth your money. These hand-curated recommendations take price, reviews, and brand reputation into consideration. Best early October Prime Day deals on 64GB to 256GB flash drives Samsung Fit Plus, 128GB, USB 3.1 — $15 (25% off, was $20) SanDisk Ultra, 128GB, USB 3.0 — $12 (23% off, was $15.49) Samsung Type-C, 128GB, USB 3.2 — $18 (10% off, was $20) Lexar JumpDrive Dual, 128GB, USB 3.2 — $17 (23% off, was $22) PNY Turbo Attache 3, 256GB, USB 3.0 — $15 (25% off, was $20) Samsung Bar Plus, 256GB, USB 3.1 — $22 (33% off, was $32) PNY Elite-X Fit, 256GB, USB 3.1 — $23 (12% off, was $26) The best deal of the lot is for the Samsung Bar Plus, where you can get 256GB of storage space for just $22. This is a super-fast flash drive that can reach up to 400 MB/s transfer speeds, comes with a rugged metal casing, and is even waterproof and shockproof. Best early October Prime Day deals on 512GB to 2TB flash drives SanDisk Ultra Flair, 512GB, USB 3.0 — $36 (23% off, was $47) Samsung Fit Plus, 512GB, USB 3.2 — $60 (6% off, was $64) PNY Pro Elite V3, 512GB, USB 3.2 — $54 (11% off, was $61) SanDisk Ultra Fit, 512GB, USB 3.2 — $40 (20% off, was $50) SanDisk Extreme Pro Dual, 512GB, USB 3.2 — $58 (28% off, was $80) Kindston Ironkey Vault Privacy 50, 512GB, USB 3.2, Encrypted — $203 (17% off, was $245) A superb pick from this list is the Ultra Flair from SanDisk. This is a flash drive with a USB-A connector, 128-bit AES encryption, and up to 150MB/s transfer speeds for a quick job on moving files around. Other great early October Prime Day deals These aren’t the only October Prime Day deals being tracked by the PCWorld team. If you’re looking to supercharge your home setup with the juiciest tech sales, hit the links for the best expert-curated picks we’ve found. Best early Amazon October Prime Day tech deals: Great sales chosen by experts Best early October Prime Day laptop deals: Gaming notebooks, 2-in-1s, and more Best early October Prime Day deals on SSDs and storage Best early monitor deals for October Prime Day: OLED, home office, and more Best early October Prime Day deals on Thunderbolt docks and USB-C hubs Best early October Prime Day mini PC deals: Big savings on tiny computers Best early October Prime Day deals on battery chargers and power banks Best early October Prime Day deals on Chromebooks Best early October Prime Day deals on office chairs and standing desks Best early October Prime Day PC computer deals USB flash drive deals FAQs 1. What capacity do I need in a USB flash drive? This is a question that you need to answer yourself because it really depends on what you plan to use it for. If you’re only moving work documents around, a small capacity like 64GB will be fine. If you want to use a flash drive for backing up photos, videos, games, and other big files, then you might want to go 512GB or larger. 2. What features should I prioritize when choosing a USB flash drive? First of all, our recommendation is to look at the flash drive’s transfer speeds. To ensure you get fast read/write speeds, you should get a USB 3.0 or above. USB 2.x drives are sorely outdated. Then, you have to make sure the flash drive can survive living in your pocket, getting crushed by your laptop, falling through your fingers, and so on. Aluminum casings will offer better protection in such cases. If the flash drive offers 128-bit AES encryption or better, your data will also have some extra protection in case you lose it, as the drive will be inaccessible and block out others from reading your data. 3. How did we find the best USB flash drive October Prime Day deals? Finding great deals can be difficult because not all discounts are worth covering. When looking for good October Prime Day deals, we compare the prices on Amazon with the regular retail price and check pricing history to see if there have been any changes lately and that the price drops are truly noteworthy. We also check product reviews to see if they’re reliable in the long run and live up to their promises. Read...

Who goes there? With its latest video doorbell, Ring is enlisting Alexa+ to greet your visitors, instruct delivery personnel on where to leave packages, and even give personalized welcomes to people it recognizes. Amazon announced the new “Alexa+ Greetings” feature at its big fall event in New York City today, where it showed off a series of new Ring cameras–including four that can capture video in 4K, a first for Ring– along with yet another AI-powered feature that can help find wayward pets. The new Ring cameras include the Ring Wired Doorbell Pro ($249.99), the Spotlight Cam Pro ($249.99), the Floodlight Cam Pro ($279.99), and the Outdoor Cam Pro ($199.99). Those four cameras boast an AI-enhanced video technology called Ring Retinal Vision 4K, which boosts video quality though a two-week calibration process while also offering 10x zoom and “enhanced” low-light performance, Ring says. Also new are the Wired Video Doorbells Plus ($179.99) and the Indoor Cam Plus ($59.99), both of which offer Ring Retinal 2K resolution. Finally, Ring is debuting three power-over-ethernet (PoE) models, including the Wired Doorbell Elite ($499.99) and variants of the previously mentioned Spotlight Cam Pro and Outdoor Cam Pro ($349.98 and $299.98, respectively). Ben Patterson/Foundry To be clear, Alexa’s ability to greet visitors isn’t all that new–the original Alexa Greetings feature debuted in 2021–but that older feature relied on canned responses programmed onto your Ring doorbell. With Alexa+ Greetings, it’s the AI-enhanced version of Alexa that’s speaking to those ringing your Ring doorbell, meaning it’s able to converse back and forth with visitors as it figures out who they are and what they need. Coupled with Alexa+ Greetings is Familiar Faces, a Ring feature that allows your doorbell to recognize friends, loved ones, and frequent visitors for more customized greetings, as well as allowing Alexa+ to offer more detailed notifications or filter out alerts based on who it sees. Ring is playing catch-up as far as “familiar faces”-type functionality goes, as Google Nest Cam owners with Nest Aware have been using the feature for several years. Ring also announced another new AI-powered feature at Amazon’s New York City event on Tuesday: Search Party, which Ring is calling a “community feature” that helps pet owners track down missing furry friends. Starting first with dogs and slated to add cats and other pets in the coming months, Search Party kicks into gear when a neighbor reports a lost dog via Ring’s Neighbor’s app. When that happens, other local Ring cameras in the area can join the Search Party, with AI helping to locate the wayward pooch. If your Ring camera spots what it believes to be the missing pet, you’ll get an alert with a picture of the dog, which (if you wish) you can forward on to the pet’s owner. All the new Ring cameras are available for pre-order now, with Search Party expected to arrive in November; Alexa+ Greetings and Familiar Faces will roll out in December. This story is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best security cameras. Don’t miss our hands-on impressions of the new Amazon Echo smart speakers and smart displays. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Unlocks almost instantly after recognizing an enrolled palm Never failed to recognize a palm Local data storage means it can operate without a Wi-Fi connection Removable, rechargeable 10,000mAh battery Solid build, quick installation Cons No support for Matter or HomeKit No NFC keycard or fob is included Auto-lock lacks door-ajar detection App and firmware updates can be buggy Our Verdict The TCL D2 Pro Palm Vein Smart Lock looks and operates like a device you’d see in a sci-fi movie. The touchless unlock feature is both captivating and rock-solid, but you might be disappointed that it doesn’t support Apple Home or Matter. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: TCL D2 Pro Palm Vein Smart Lock Retailer Price $169.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices First, we ditched our housekeys for a numerical code that unlocked our doors, then we moved up to sometimes balky fingerprint readers. The TCL D2 Pro Palm Vein Smart Lock ups the ante with an amazing palm vein reader that takes just 0.3 seconds to unlock your door once you present your hand in front of its tiny scanner. TCL, best known for its budget-friendly TVs, moves further into the home security market with its second generation of smart door locks that hit the market alongside its B1 Security Camera. The D2 Pro is the top of the line and TCL’s only lock to feature a palm vein reader. The D2 Pro also features a built-in doorbell (but not a camera). Pressing the doorbell button a sounds a chime on the lock itself, and it also sends a push notification to your smartphone. You can unlock the door six ways: With your palm, of course, by tapping a PIN on its numeric keypad, using the TCL app, with a voice command (via Amazon Alexa or Google Home), with an NFC keycard or fob (not included), or a physical key (two are provided). Each of those methods has its own advantages and, if you’re not looking for a lock to seamlessly integrate into one brand’s suite of smart home products, the D2 could be an excellent choice for your home security. The palm vein reader in the TCL D2 Pro instantly unlocked my door once I mastered the waving gesture. Build quality The TCL D2 Pro Palm Vein Smart Lock will be an imposing presence on the interior side of your door.James Barber/Foundry The D2 Pro comes sports an aluminum housing—silver, with black accents—that’s all hard angles and sharp corners, a design that echoes the future imagined by the movie Robocop. The vaguely brutalist design won’t be for everyone, even though TCL’s promotional literature hopefully points out a resemblance between the D2 Pro and the Tesla Cybertruck. Its specs are typical: The lock is rated IP55, meaning that no amount of dust can get inside and cause the lock to fail, and that it’s protected from water jets coming from any direction. It has an operating temperature range of -4 degrees Fahrenheit to around 140 degrees F (-20 C ~ 60 C). It has the customary adjustable bolt to accommodate doors with different-sized backsets (2.36- or 2.76 inches, 60- or 70mm), and it fits in either a 1.5-inch (38mm) or 2.13-inch (54mm) cross-bore (an adapter is included for the larger diameter).  TCL has not submitted this deadbolt for ANSI or BHMA certification, so there’s no standardized rating as to its suitability for commercial (ANSI) or residential (BHMA) installations. The two standards bodies measure such things a open/close cycles, survivability after repeated hammer blows, and the quality of a lock’s finish, among other things. That missing rating could be an issue if your insurance carrier or local building code requires such certification (although that’s not typical). We have another story that explains ANSI and BHMA certification in more detail if you want to know more about it. Setup and installation TCL was smart to provide a rechargeable battery that can be removed and plugged into a power source via a USB-C cable when you need to recharge it. James Barber/Foundry Setup and installation were easy and incredibly straightforward, at least until the final step. First, I had to give the included 10,000mAh battery a full charge, which I did overnight before the day I planned to install. That battery is removable and is charged via USB-C cable. If the battery dies while you’re out and about, you can use the USB-C port on its exterior escutcheon to charge enough for the lock to operate. Since I was replacing a previously installed deadbolt, I didn’t need to replace the strike plate on my door jamb. That made for quick 15-minute install that only required a Phillips-head screwdriver. After installing the battery in the unit and the TCL Home app on my phone, I was able to use the app to connect to my wireless network with the D2’s built-in 2.4GHz Wi-Fi adapter (5GHz networks are not supported). You’ll need to thread a power cord from the exterior escutcheon, through your door’s bore hole, and then plug it into a socket on the interior escutcheon.James Barber/Foundry If the process ended here, I’d be telling you how easy this lock was to install. Unfortunately, my lock required four incremental firmware upgrades before it was ready to use. Would it be easier if the lock could just download the latest firmware upon its first connection to the internet? Absolutely! Is it possible to write the software so that these incremental steps aren’t required? I have no idea, but this isn’t an issue I’d previously encountered when reviewing other smart home devices. Fortunately, there was mostly good news once the updates were complete. Well, almost. I realize that the app was written to work with all TCL smart home devices, but I had trouble setting up the palm vein reader after the app asked me to set up both a security code for using the app and another one that would allow me to unlock the D2 Pro (and any of the other locks in the D2 line). I had to dig around in the app’s settings for a few minutes before I found what I was looking for. After navigating to User Management > Administrator (me), I found the palm vein settings and was able to set up the palm security. Unlocking your door TCL says its own lab results show that its palm vein tech is 99.9999 percent accurate. The infrared light reads the veins under your skin, avoiding both the positioning and pressure issues that affect fingerprint readers. And if you believe the Mission: Impossible movies, using your palm instead of a fingerprint will prevent an intruder from engineering a workaround from prints you might leave on a drinking glass or door handle. As you can see here, the TCL D2 Pro’s interior escutcheon is much larger than the half you’ll mount on the outside.James Barber/Foundry Once I had it up and running, the palm vein reader instantly unlocked my door once I mastered the waving gesture.  If you’re worried about security, TCL stores the palm data on the device itself, a feature that also makes it possible to open your door when your Wi-Fi or broadband is down. The numerical keypad was 100 percent reliable in my testing, as was using the controls in the TCL Home app. Setting up with Alexa and Google worked as well as you might hope, and the ability to unlock the door for a visitor via voice command is a definite plus. TCL does not include an NFC keycard or fob with the D2 Pro, so I was unable to test that entry method. Based on its performance with the other entry methods, I would expect them to work seamlessly as well. Note that you can only unlock the door via the TCL Home app when there’s an active internet connection to the D2 Pro. Also keep in mind that this lock doesn’t support Matter or Apple Home, so you won’t be able to integrate the lock into that kind of smart home setup. There’s also no Bluetooth, Thread, Zigbee, or Z-Wave support, as is typical of a Wi-Fi lock. The TCL Home app The TCL Home app may not be the most polished user experience, but its settings are straightforward once you set up your lock.James Barber/Foundry The TCL Home app looks simple at first glance, but there are a host of options buried in its settings. You can set up a security code for each device you add to the app. Users must type in the code to access the settings. You might want to skip that extra level of security because it’s a chore to type it in every time you want to make an adjustment. Tap the Settings gear icon to get access to Auto Lock, which sets a time (between 10 seconds and two minutes) for the door to automatically relock after opening. If you enable that setting, however, be aware that the lock has no means of determining if the door is ajar before it throws its bolt. That can lead to damage to the molding around your door if someone tries to close the door while the lock’s bolt is extended. Wrong-Try Protection locks down the D2 Pro for a time (2- to 5 minutes) after a set number of wrong code attempts. There’s volume control for both the doorbell and the pleasant British accent that delivers voice prompts. Away Mode disables all user permissions aside from the master password. On the main screen, you can check the battery level, set up one-time-use passwords for visitors or service people, unlock the door with a long press, or access an Events Summary that tells you who unlocked the door at what times over the past seven days. Parents can monitor curfews by creating a Homecoming Reminder that alerts the administrator if a user has not unlocked the door by a certain time. TCL offers other options, too If you’re looking for a lower-priced lock from TCL the TCL D2 Plus ($119.99) swaps the palm vein scanner for AI-enhanced fingerprint recognition; retains the app, keypad, and physical key options for unlocking; Wi-Fi connectivity; voice control; and IP55 weatherization. But it relies on 8 disposable AA batteries (with a 6-month lifespan) rather than rechargeable power. The base TCL D2 ($79.99), meanwhile, offers the simplest feature set: unlocking via PIN, app, or key; the same aluminum alloy build; IP55 weather resistance; Wi-Fi connectivity; and voice-assistant integration. It also runs on 8 AA batteries. Should you buy the TCL D2 Pro Palm Vein Smart Lock? The TCL D2 Pro Palm Vein Smart Lock replaces the D1 Pro model that came out last year, and it features impressive upgrades. The 10,000 mAh battery in the D2 Pro offers 10 months of battery life, where the D1 Pro’s 7,800 mAh battery was limited to 9 months. The D2 Pro is more water resistant, with an IP55 rating compared to the D1 Pro’s IP54. There’s also no doorbell on the D1 Pro. The palm vein technology and other unlock methods are the same on both models. Unlocking a door by waving a hand in front of a sensor can feel like we’re finally living in the future that Star Trek promised on those after-school reruns. The palm-vein entry is secure and reliable, a godsend for anyone who’s usually lugging packages with them when returning home. TCL offers all the other basics, including individual profiles, one-time codes, and remote unlock that you’d expect from a high-end smart home lock in 2025. The firmware update experience could use some work, the app needs a bit more polish, and TCL should really find a way to have its devices better integrate with other manufacturers’ smart home hardware. This lock’s touch-free entry is just too magical to be stuck in a smart home silo. This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart locks. Read...