{"id":78672,"date":"2025-08-19T21:35:13","date_gmt":"2025-08-19T21:35:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/78672\/"},"modified":"2025-08-19T21:35:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T21:35:13","slug":"the-best-gadgets-and-apps-weve-covered","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/78672\/","title":{"rendered":"The best gadgets and apps we\u2019ve covered"},"content":{"rendered":"

During the last half month, we\u2019ve covered a lot of interesting gadgets and apps and thought we\u2019d highlight a few that caught our attention the most. For example, we have a robovac that can mop the edges of your walls (something that my manual mop usually fails at), a charging cable that with any luck will last a good long time, and a new dock for the Mac Studio that adds a bunch of ports. And what\u2019s cooler than 3D printing a lightsaber? Let\u2019s dive in.<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/a>\"Two<\/a><\/p>\n

One of these years, I will get myself a robovac \u2014 hopefully one that will clean and mop the floor, pick up stray detritus, and wash the dishes. (Okay, maybe not this last one.) One of the latest to hit the market is the Narwal Flow<\/a>, which is available for preorder and ships August 27th. It is distinguished by a mopping pad that can extend to reach the edges of walls. There are two versions: a standard model and one with a more compact dock that can connect to plumbing; both are currently discounted for preorders<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

One of the obsessions of The Verge\u2019s staff these days is senior reviewer Jennifer Pattison Tuohy<\/a>\u2019s chicken coop (yes, really), which has been outfitted with a variety of smart devices. Most recently, Jennifer installed what she describes as \u201cthe biggest smart home antenna I\u2019ve ever seen,\u201d the 12-inch-tall Home Assistant Connect ZWA-2<\/a> ($69), which she says has added smart accessibility \u201cfrom the attic to the chicken coop.\u201d The antenna plugs into any Home Assistant system via USB and can connect to any Z-Wave device<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"USB-C<\/a>\"USB-C<\/a><\/p>\n

Cables may not be the most exciting things to cover, but what would we do without them? And even better if the cables boast of both a higher level of durability and a fair amount of sustainable manufacture. Fairphone\u2019s new USB cables<\/a> are all C-to-C (there\u2019s a removable USB-A adapter), and use entirely recycled copper wires and recycled plastic braiding and cable jackets. They come in 1m (3.3ft)<\/a> and 2.5m (8.2ft)<\/a> versions using the USB 2.0 spec costing from \u20ac19.95 (around $23), and a 1m (3.3ft) version using USB 3.2<\/a> for \u20ac34.95 (around $40).<\/p>\n

\"Apple<\/a>\"Apple<\/a><\/p>\n

iPad fans may find it frustrating that their tablets are still not capable of wireless charging, but there is a solution<\/a>. Kuxiu\u2019s new M30 Magnetic Smart Connector Charger<\/a> magnetically attaches to the back of an iPad Pro or iPad Air and uses the same Smart Connector pins that iPad accessories like the Magic Keyboard<\/a> rely on to transfer power. And it\u2019s not slow: iPad models using Apple\u2019s M2 and M3 chips will charge at up to 18W, while those with an M4 chip can charge at 35W speeds.<\/p>\n

\"Mac<\/a>\"Mac<\/a><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t have the high-powered creativity needed to justify a Mac Studio, but if you do and need more storage or more connectivity for your computer, check out RayCue\u2019s Thunderbolt 5<\/a>. The dock, which sits under the Studio, expands the device\u2019s connectivity with two additional HDMI ports, a front-facing headphone jack, DisplayPort, and extra USB-A ports. It also lets you add up to 16TB of storage. It ships in early September<\/a> but is available now for preorder.<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/a>\"Two<\/a><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been a fan of old-style Star Wars for a while, but unfortunately, I\u2019m not a 3D creator. And I wish I were. Because if you\u2019re a 3D creator who\u2019s into Star Wars<\/a>, you can now create your own glowing, humming lightsaber with Bambu Labs\u2019 Motion-Activated Sound and Light Props Kit<\/a>. This will take some expertise to put together (in fact, Bambu rates it for experienced users), but if 3D is your thing, then it could be a lot of fun.<\/p>\n

Google\u2019s Flight Deals tool<\/p>\n

\"Google\u2019s<\/a><\/p>\n

Flight Deals can find you some interesting places to travel to. Screenshot: The Verge<\/p>\n

Keep an eye out for Google\u2019s new AI-powered Flight Deals tool, which will help you research where you want to go depending on your likes, dislikes, and budget. Emma Roth tried it out<\/a> and found it was useful \u2014 up to a point. When she asked for \u201ctrip to Europe with hiking,\u201d she got suggestions for a couple of cities that she wouldn\u2019t have considered; on the other hand, it couldn\u2019t find any deals for Japan during cherry-blossom season, which was disappointing. If you want to try it out (and if it\u2019s rolled out to your account), you can find it on Google\u2019s standalone Flight Deals page<\/a> or in the top-left menu on Google Flights.<\/p>\n

Dia Pro, a subscription for an AI-powered browser<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

Dia\u2019s ability to reference a bunch of tabs at once is its most impressive initial feature. Image: David Pierce \/ The Verge<\/p>\n

There was some uncertainty when The Browser Company, which created the Arc browser, announced that it was introducing a second, AI-powered browser called Dia<\/a>. And now, not long after Dia\u2019s introduction<\/a>, the company has launched a $20 per month subscription for Dia Pro<\/a>, which gives you unlimited access to the browser\u2019s chat feature. If you don\u2019t subscribe, you can still ask the AI engine questions about the content in your tabs \u2014 but you may run into some limitations.<\/p>\n

Having gone through college before AI was available to anyone below a PhD, I can\u2019t help but envy the access that today\u2019s students have. However, teachers are probably concerned that students may be using Gemini to do their work for them. Google is trying to ameliorate that situation by introducing a guided learning mode<\/a> (something like ChatGPT\u2019s study mode<\/a>) to its Gemini AI. The idea is that instead of just giving you the answers, Gemini Guided Learning helps you figure them out yourself.<\/p>\n

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