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–Tuesday October 8 and Wednesday October 9–so don’t wait too long to scoop up the best discounts. 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 $1,700–a 35% discount off its $2,600 MSRP. 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...

Perplexity’s Comet is the most advanced AI browser right now, and it’s actually pretty cool. You can watch the browser’s built-in AI perform actions in real time, like clicking buttons on web pages and navigating between links. Yet while Comet might be a foretaste of the future of web browsing, it’s not quite what it’s hyped up to be. I’ve been playing around with Comet on Windows for a few weeks now… and it leaves me wanting. You can use Comet right now with a Perplexity Pro subscription for $20/month, but read this before you spend cash on it. Comet’s AI can browse the web for you Comet’s hallmark feature is unique among AI browsers right now. Yes, it does have “standard AI browser” features like an AI sidebar that summarizes content, a voice mode that lets you speak with Perplexity’s LLMs, and a Perplexity chat box on the New Tab page. But the core feature here is that you can open Comet’s chat experience and then say something like: “Hey, control my web browser and do something.” Research flights, plan travel, find products to buy—nearly anything is possible, and Comet will actually do it for you. Chris Hoffman / Foundry There’s something weirdly magical about opening Google Maps, telling Comet to research and plan a route for you, and watching in real time as it reasons through the process of clicking buttons, typing text, and interacting with the web page. You can see it all happen right before your eyes—and when the AI is controlling a page, you’ll see a blue border around it to let you know. You’ll see how the AI reasoning model talks to itself as it walks through the task, and you can interrupt it at any time. I may have gripes with Comet, but none of them take away from how cool it is to see this agentic AI browser in action the first time. This is a glimpse of the future. Nearly every web browser—apart from Vivaldi—will be following in Comet’s footsteps, whether we like it or not. Comet’s AI browsing can be pretty slow Once you get over how magical the technology seems, the limitations quickly become apparent. This is true for large language models in general, but it’s especially true with Comet. As I watch every task completed by the agentic AI, I realize how much faster it would be to just do all the clicking and navigating myself. Watching the AI use Google Maps is fun, but it quickly loses its luster when you’re one minute into a task and get outputs like: “Oops, I entered the address, but I didn’t hit backspace first to clear the box. I’ll need to erase the text in the box, and then type the address again.” It can be surprisingly slow. You’d save time by doing the browsing yourself, or even just using a more traditional AI chatbot that isn’t built into your web browser. Prompting ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, or even Perplexity itself for information can be faster—it’s just smoother to let the AI focus on compiling and synthesizing data instead of commandeering the browser and navigating user interfaces. In a nutshell, agentic AI is cool but not quite as useful as it sounds. The typical AI chatbot experience still comes out ahead. The AI can access your websites… as you Many websites block access to AI tools, so the conventional AI chatbot search experience can’t always get the job done. But when the AI model has access to your browser, it can use those websites on your behalf. Even if a website requires you to sign in, Comet can use it—as long as you’re sign in to the site before Comet starts navigating it. That’s a huge advantage over the classic AI chatbot search experience. An AI browser can do a lot more with the web, and you can see exactly what it’s doing and take over whenever you like. But it also means that any exploit could directly affect your browser and your data. Comet is vulnerable to LLM exploits Large language models are vulnerable to something called “prompt injections,” which can happen whenever the LLM is made to process and interpret text. The problem is that when text is fed into an LLM, it isn’t always clear whether that text is from you or elsewhere. For example, an LLM might process and analyze the source code of a web page to perform some kind of task. But the source code of a web page could potentially include hidden prompt instructions designed to hijack an AI that’s analyzing the source code. The LLM can’t distinguish the hidden prompt in the source code from the source code itself. In other words, that hidden prompt was injected into the source code, and the AI will be none the wiser. Hence, prompt injection attack. Chris Hoffman / Foundry Security researchers at Guardio found that Comet was vulnerable to attacks like this, and that it could be tricked into falling for phishing scams while online shopping. Security researchers from Brave also found that Comet was vulnerable to indirect prompt injection attacks. Here’s the wildest part from Brave’s blog post: “The vulnerability we’re discussing in this post lies in how Comet processes webpage content: when users ask it to ‘Summarize this webpage,’ Comet feeds a part of the webpage directly to its LLM without distinguishing between the user’s instructions and untrusted content from the webpage. This allows attackers to embed indirect prompt injection payloads that the AI will execute as commands.” Did you catch that? It’s not that Comet’s protections against prompt injection were bypassed, but rather that Comet (in its initial release) didn’t even have prompt injection protections that tried to distinguish between trusted user instructions and untrusted web page data sent to the AI model (at least with the summarization function). This sort of thing is a known problem with large language models. While Comet now has better protections against this, it’s unclear how good those safeguards are. Comet hasn’t been properly battle-tested. Other agentic AI browsing solutions—like ChatGPT’s agent mode—interact with websites by loading those websites in their own browser in the cloud apart from your data. Even when those LLMs are exploited by prompt injection attacks, at least the damage is somewhat limited. But when the AI has access to everything in your browser—as is the case with Perplexity’s Comet—the risk goes up by quite a bit. From what I can tell, it seems like Perplexity is “moving fast and breaking things” while competitors are at least paying attention to security before launching. Comet is minimal and uncluttered… Comet is focused on AI browsing—and that’s it. You’re getting a clean, uncluttered Chromium browser. It has AI integration, yes, but aside from that it’s stripped down and doesn’t get in your way. Chris Hoffman / Foundry It’s not like using Microsoft Edge, for example. Microsoft’s Edge browser is built on the same Chromium codebase that powers Google Chrome and Comet, but Edge packs in a lot of its own bloat: a New Tab page cluttered with viral junk, a sidebar with links to MSN web games, various shopping tools, and so many other features that I personally can’t stand it. I greatly enjoy the lightweight, stripped-down Chromium experience presented by Comet. Apart from the AI, it’s pretty sleek. …but maybe too minimal? Right off the bat, you’ll notice that Comet doesn’t come in mobile app form. Want to use the same browser on your PC and your phone? With Comet, you can’t—at least not yet. But the problem goes further than that. Even with Comet installed on multiple PCs, it doesn’t yet offer the ability to sync data between multiple PCs. For someone like myself, who regularly switches between desktop PC and laptop while also reviewing many laptops for PCWorld, this is a huge shortcoming and obstacle for daily use. It’s 2025. I need my web browsers (and AI tools) to sync my data between devices, and I can’t be bothered to manually copy or migrate data. I don’t want to be asking myself “Wait, which PC did I have that conversation on?” if I need to dig up an AI chat log. Is that too much to ask for? I mean, I don’t think so… Even if I thought Comet was perfect aside from this—and I don’t—the lack of cross-device sync means Comet just isn’t an option as a day-to-day driver for me yet. Perplexity is working on it, but if sync is important to you, save your $20 until they eventually get it rolled out. Here’s my current verdict on Comet Comet doesn’t feel designed to be your day-to-day browser—as it is right now, it’s more of a flashy demo. Whether it’s the animated video intro or the way Comet was vulnerable to known LLM exploits at launch, it feels like it was primarily made to position Perplexity for acquisition by an even bigger company (like Apple, maybe?). Even the $5-per-month Comet Plus subscription that gives revenue back to publishers who are affected by AI feels more like a PR move to warm up feelings around Perplexity’s brand than a serious long-term solution. (That might sound overly cynical, but I stand by the statement.) Comet is incredibly cool, don’t get me wrong. It’s the first time you can experience agentic AI browsing in action on your PC. But it just isn’t ready to replace the web browser you already trust with everything you do online. It’s a gimmick and it wears off quickly. If you’re interested in Comet, you should give it a try—as no more than a secondary browser. It may be the future, but it isn’t there yet. Subscribe to Chris Hoffman’s newsletter, The Windows Readme, for more Windows PC tips, tricks, and experiments. Read...

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Murray Leinster’s short story Things Pass By, published in 1945, includes what may be the first description of 3D printers: But this constructor is both efficient and flexible. I feed magnetronic plastics – the stuff they make houses and ships of nowadays – into this moving arm. It makes drawings in the air following drawings it scans with photo-cells. But plastic comes out of the end of the drawing arm and hardens as it comes … following drawings only. Practical 3D printers, or additive manufacturing as it is also known, have been around since the 1980s. After some theoretical experiments, American Bill Masters developed and patented several techniques that laid the foundation for the first commercial 3D printers. 40 years later, 3D printers have become so cheap and easy to use that anyone who is interested can get one. 3D printer using liquid resin.Erik Mclean Rapid development For a long time, the technology was only used as a way to quickly create prototypes before a final design was produced in a more mature and cheaper process such as injection moulding. For a long time, it was also only possible to print 3D objects in various plastic materials, but in recent years both the applications and the materials have broadened. “What I have seen is that 3D printers have come a long way in recent years. Both the hardware and the software have improved, but more importantly the ecosystem has matured. Printers can now handle many different materials – from pla (a kind of polyester) and resin to steel, kevlar, and even organic materials. After over 25 years of development, I have seen a real boom in the last 2-3 years, especially with more accessible and user-friendly software. There is now an evolution where 3D printers are spreading from specialists to wider use in industry and among consumers,” says Chris Fotheringham, a game developer and entrepreneur who is just starting a new company combining 3D printers and AI. Brian LoudonBrian Loudon Brian Loudon, a design consultant based in Glasgow, says even old tried-and-tested techniques have evolved a lot in recent years. This is particularly true of filament printers, also known as FDM or FFF (as in Fused Filament Fabrication) – the type of 3D printer most people are familiar with, which is fed with long strands of, for example, ABS plastic. “After a key patent on FDM expired in 2009, there was an explosion of low-cost consumer printers that made it possible to use 3D printers in various hobbies. The big price cuts also helped small design and engineering studios like mine. In this market, China’s Bambu Labs has made a massive and rapid impact with new printers that take 3D technology to the max. They have achieved several times faster printing with techniques that utilize printer vibrations and more, with clean prints despite the high speeds.” Vexma Tech “What used to take a whole working day can now be done in an hour”, says Brian Loudon. Now he can have an idea in the morning, produce a cad model and have an early prototype by the afternoon. Resin-based printers, which use liquid polymer, have also become significantly faster. New materials open up new possibilities Like Chris Fotheringham, Brian Loudon points to the many new materials that can be used with modern 3D printers as an important part of the development, giving as an example the company Markforged, which makes a filament with carbon fiber. This makes it possible to print fittings and other components that need high strength and heat resistance. Metal has come on strong in recent years as a material used for additive manufacturing. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, for example, have made great strides towards materials that can achieve similar properties to casting or forging. Concrete is another example. Several companies around the world today manufacture various buildings on site using huge 3D printers that build houses in layers. A Japanese manufacturer recently developed yet another technology that blends state-of-the-art with techniques thousands of years old. Lib Work uses soil, lime, and natural fibers and its buildings have achieved the highest level of earthquake safety. In 2024, the University of Maine unveiled the world’s largest 3D printer, which can print objects up to 29 meters long. Called Factory of the Future 1.0, it’s intended to be used mainly to make house parts for renovations of historic buildings. With up to 227 kilograms printed per hour or over five tons per day, it’s no mean feat. Cecilia PerssonMikael Wallerstedt Can create previously impossible structures Cecilia Persson, professor at Uppsala University, discusses another exciting consequence of developments in additive manufacturing: the possibility of creating shapes and structures that have not been possible before. Can 3D printers do something that has never been possible before? “Yes, they can! I usually give two examples, one in component manufacturing and one in materials. You can optimize structures, for example, to minimize material use but get the same strength, for durability for example, including saving fuel with lighter components. In other words, you have a completely different kind of design freedom. Then you can develop materials with other microstructures, for example gradients of different microstructures within the same material as well as amorphous materials like metallic glass. Metal glass has traditionally been made only as thin films or wires, but now you could make larger, more complex parts.” A typical filament printer.Osman Talha Dikyar Brian Loudon also talks about how 3D printers enable lighter components by optimizing the three-dimensional structure such as for extremely efficient heat exchangers that could not be made using traditional methods such as CNC machines or injection molding. Making a big difference in medical technology Cecilia Persson’s research focuses on how additive manufacturing can be used in medical technology. “3D printers are mainly used for three different things: anatomical models to practice and/or explain surgical procedures, surgical guides – that is, patient-specific aids to surgery – and patient-specific implants and/or implants with specific properties that cannot be achieved with other manufacturing methods, or are much easier with 3D printers. Examples of patient-specific implants so far come mainly from skull and jaw surgery. She points to an article in the 2023 issue of Tandläkartidningen that shows how 3D printers are already being used to rebuild damaged jawbones, allowing patients to receive dental implants that would otherwise not have been able to be attached anywhere. (*Beware of graphic images of surgical procedures.) One area Persson is currently researching is the development of degradable materials for temporary implants, such as replacement bones that break down as the body’s own bones grow back. Wrist support designed by Brian Loudon using 3D printers.Brian Loudon Brian Loudon also works with clients developing medical devices of various kinds. He often uses 3D printers in combination with 3D scanners to produce, for example, different types of supports that fit a patient’s body exactly. He explains, “I have also used 3D printers that handle more than one material at a time to develop new supports for patients with arthritis with the National Centre for Prosthetics and Orthotics in Glasgow. The finished product will be injection molded with a rigid core and soft exterior, and multi-material printers have allowed prototypes of the same design to be produced and tested.” Customized design and flexible manufacturing Brian Loudon has been working with 3D printers for prototyping and design development for over ten years. For him, the benefits of being able to go from an idea to a physical prototype more or less instantly are obvious, but he also sees the technology being used more and more to make the final products. “That’s one of the big changes we’re starting to see. Maybe not quite on the scale required for mass production yet, but both Adidas and Nike, for example, have started making midsoles with 3D printers and in Formula 1 McLaren uses 3D printed components in their cars. An interesting trend that has now been supported by a major consumer brand is the printing of spare parts. Philips has introduced Philips Fixables with Prusa Research to encourage users to repair instead of discarding gadgets when any part breaks. Efe Yagiz Soysal Chris Fotheringham believes that the ability to produce unique, customized designs will drive huge growth on the consumer side as consumers will be able to solve problems and realize their ideas themselves. He cites the example of how 3D printers are being used in the hobby of cosplay to produce costume parts with incredible detail. In various hobbies, 3D printers have long since changed what is possible for individuals to do themselves, and also what role manufacturers play. This is especially true for miniature games and model railways. 3D printers make it possible to print spare parts and components that manufacturers have never sold separately. Users can also design and print completely new components and accessories. Where in the past many people built landscapes by hand using materials such as cardboard, Styrofoam, and cellular panels, today the use of 3D printers has become commonplace. Chris FotheringhamPrivat “On the industrial side, the potential is even greater. I see 3D printers as a way to localize manufacturing again. Countries will be able to manufacture exactly what they need at home. Look, for example, at how Ukraine has used 3D printers in its own defense,” says Fotheringham. His new company is developing AI-based software that turns two-dimensional images into 3D models that users can then print without any prior knowledge. In the image opposite, you can see an example of a dog figure that Chris Fotheringham has made to test and showcase the software. Chris Fotheringham “One of our long-term goals is to create a catalog of printable household products, to help people return to a culture of repair.” Read...

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