Jenny Zhang left New York for Shenzhen last year with a clear plan. She wanted to build a camera that fit right into daily routines without forcing anyone to hold a device or wear something on their face. The result sits in her hair like an ordinary barrette, chunky and white, ready to record whatever passes in front of it.

Zhang is the founder of Computer Angel, a small startup company where she spent months hammering away in workshops to develop her idea into a fully functional prototype. The clip easily snaps into place and keeps securely in place even when you move around; you wouldn’t want to take it off once it’s attached. With the camera positioned directly over the top of your head, the moment you hit the button or even tap it, it begins snapping away.

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The resulting footage appears to be fairly low-resolution, with a quality comparable to those old-school flip phones. The colors are all warm and fuzzy on the edges, giving each clip a unique personality that is far more appealing than the super-sharp, clinical stuff. You receive a hands-free view of your daily life from an angle that your phone simply cannot reach, as if you had a personal cameraman following you around at all times.

Zhang made a point of keeping things lighthearted with design, such as making the clip look like a piece of jewelry first and then a piece of technology, which turns out to be quite significant because people are far more inclined to go for something that looks beautiful on them. Now, the smart glasses that larger businesses are producing are all about packing in mics, speakers, and other aids that can identify things in real time or answer your queries on the fly. Computer Angel’s camera? No way, because there is only one task to do: save what you see, exactly as you see it.

Zhang has yet to announce exact pricing or release dates. She’s keeping the details under wraps while she refines the build, but she’s always glad to share progress on social media, posting test videos and behind-the-scenes looks at the process of transitioning from a sketch to actual hardware.
[Source]

The long-awaited overhaul of Siri is already two years later than planned. Even so, it will still be beta software when it does actually arrive.

Back in WWDC 2024, Apple introduced its new Siri with contextual awareness and other major improvements for the digital assistant. However, while it ultimately didn’t arrive later in the year in iOS 18, and didn’t even make it to iOS 26, it is now expected to turn up in iOS 27.

However, despite Apple having an extra two years to work on the new AI-infused Siri, it won’t be a fully completed product release. According to Mark Gurman in Sunday’s “Power On” newsletter for Bloomberg, it will be arriving as a “beta” release.

A test version of iOS 27 being trialled internally before WWDC includes a toggle to turn off the new Siri experience. Disabling it will revert back to the current Siri.

However, while this will be used in the developer builds after WWDC, it apparently won’t be limited to that. When the public release of the 27-generation operating systems happens in the fall, it is believed Apple will retain the button at first.

If true this means Siri will be beta software when it comes time for it to be used by all iPhone and iPad users.

It’s a move that won’t inspire confidence in New Siri, especially if Apple deems it beta after working on it for so long.

A turbulent arrival

Apple’s development of New Siri has been a slow and painfully public process for the historically secretive company.

After a horrific period, Apple software chief Craig Federighi eventually took control of the AI teams in January. The same month, Apple confirmed a multi-year dealwith Google will help speed up the development of Apple Foundation Models.

However, Apple is still dealing with the typical churn of engineers in its AI teams, as they move to new and more lucrative opportunities. In February, it was reported Apple was still struggling with internal testing of Siri.

Despite all of this, there is still a general belief that Apple will finally get a usable version of New Siri out of its labs sometime in 2026.

Apple will relaunch Apple Intelligence and Siri platforms with new Apple Foundation Models. Despite Google’s involvement, Apple will maintain its privacy stance.

When Apple Intelligence was revealed during WWDC 2024, Apple had a hybrid system in place that would ultimately fail to deliver. Delays ensued, and it seems that the long wait is over for Apple’s true AI strategy to emerge.

According to the Power On newsletter, Apple won’t be compromising on privacy with its new AI efforts. While the report is colored with suppositions and conjecture about what is coming, it lays out a fairly clear picture.

Apple will not be compromising on privacy for the sake of better artificial intelligence.

There aren’t any new details about Apple’s AI efforts. It repeats everything we know about the upcoming strategy and paints a picture of loss, shortcomings, and desperation on Apple’s part.

Of course, I don’t see it in quite the same light.

Apple’s place in the AI race

The AI industry lurched ahead of Apple with increasingly powerful models that could perform seemingly amazing tasks. The demos have always been something spectacular, like out of science fiction, but the real-world use has been something a little more mundane.

Apple doesn’t need to win the race if it controls the track

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People have become upset that their sacrifice of the world’s knowledge and data has led to very little. Some AI is great and accelerates human workflows, but the cost to our financial markets, component availability, and environment has been incredible.

Apple has missed out on the hype cycle around AI, but has thrived in spite of it. It keeps having record quarterly results without any significant updates to its AI systems, which contradicts the grifts being sold to investors.

Apple doesn’t need AI, but AI needs Apple.

With ChatGPT set to become cash-poor by 2028 without an influx of cash and the general public becoming increasingly angry at AI companies, Apple’s position couldn’t be stronger. It isn’t one of desperation and failure, but one of success due to patience.

I’m not saying that Apple wouldn’t have been happy to see its initial launch go more smoothly. Nor am I saying Apple wouldn’t have released upgraded AI sooner if it could have.

It all just seems to be a happy accident. But instead of wallowing in self-pity, Apple is doing what it does best.

Apple is about to bust into the industry late with a solution that actually meets people where they are.

Apple’s privacy stance will hold

Expect WWDC 2026 to reveal a lot of what Apple hopes to accomplish through the following year with AI. However, it won’t reveal everything, like explicit details about working with Google Gemini.

Apple isn’t replacing its models with Gemini

Apple partnered with Google to get a version of Gemini that could run on Private Cloud Compute servers. No, it isn’t replacing Apple Foundation Models with Gemini no matter how often it is repeated, but being used to distill knowledge and train.

There are also rumors of Apple renting AI compute space from Google, which is likely given the state of the market. However, users don’t need to worry that Apple is sending data to Google servers.

Whatever servers and GPU clusters Apple uses, they will be operated no differently than Private Cloud Compute with data privacy protections in place. It is no different than Apple renting data servers from Google or Amazon for iCloud.

Those companies don’t have access to the data. Period.

Apple’s AI strategy

Anyway, the new Apple Foundation Models will be the central backbone of Apple’s new AI strategy. They will run both on-device and in Private Cloud Compute to parse data and complete tasks on behalf of the user.

An on-device AI that stays out of the way

Most users will likely interact with Apple’s AI systems and Siri using these base models and nothing else. It will be the default, and after the Gemini training, will likely be more than enough for the features Apple will reveal during WWDC.

Anyone who wants to ignore AI on Apple platforms will be able to do so.

For those who want other options, Apple is providing developers with an API. The OpenAI relationship is fraying, and Apple will likely boot them from their privileged positions with iOS 27.

Instead, apps like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude will be able to be installed from the App Store and become endpoints for Apple Foundation Models. That means whether you’re invoking Siri or general Apple Intelligence programs, you can send data to third-party AI for parsing and execution.

Such integrations will maintain user privacy through the use of the API. Apple will likely establish that developers must adhere to strict privacy rules to access the API or face being revoked from access.

If Apple doesn’t go that route, then at the least, Apple will warn users of the privacy risks of using third-party models.

Apple has spent over a decade telling users that their iPhone is private and secure

The end result is a new set of (hopefully) capable Apple Foundation Models powering every AI interaction on iPhone with privacy and security intact. Users will also be able to tap into their favorite, arguably more capable, AI models as they need or want to.

Apple won’t need to be the best in the AI space. Instead, it will have a strong enough base offering with the option of supporting external AI models as an expansion of its ecosystem.

Sure, Apple is late in doing this, but coloring it as some kind of desperate move seems odd. It’s Apple doing what Apple does best, and that’s disrupting an established market with a better business model targeted at user needs above profits and grift.

Apple will own the AI ecosystem by playing host to every model on its powerful hardware while offering good-enough models on-device.

WWDC 2026 will begin on June 8 with a keynote address. Expect it to be an AI-focused event considering the amount that will need to be covered in the space.

It’s likewise smartly designed, packing up into—as you likely already gleaned—the shape of a suitcase. The heavy-duty handles and latches are strong. Though the Nomad is 28 pounds, which is a bit on the heavy side for a single-hand carry, the shape and large handle actually make it easier to carry than smaller and cheaper models.

The Nomad uses a dual-venting system to achieve good airflow, even when the lid is closed. The vents, combined with the raised fins on the bottom of the grill (which elevate your charcoal, allowing air to flow underneath), allow for very precise control of both high and low temperatures. If you live and die by overlanding, this grill could be your new constant companion.

Photograph: Weber

A Great Budget Portable Grill: WIRED reviewer Scott Gilbertson also loves the simple Weber Jumbo Joe ($90), a smaller version of the classic Original Kettle. It’s an easy choice for tailgates, especially. And if you want to use it at home, you can build yourself a stand for home cookouts. It’s low-cost, light, and dead simple. All are virtues.

Other Grills I Recommend

Recteq X-Fire Pro

Photograph: Kat Merck

Recteq X-Fire Pro 825 for $1,400: Pellet smokers rarely crest much over 450 degrees Fahrenheit, which does not offer the sear you’d get on a charcoal or gas grill. But Recteq’s 825-square-inch, dual-pot X-Fire Pro wants to be your everything device, notes WIRED reviewer Kat Merck. In Smoke Mode, the left fire pot ignites for classic low-and-slow smoking. Switch the big knob to Grill Mode, and both pots fire up, with an adjustable damper over the right side. The damper, controllable with another knob, allows you to open access to the right fire pot just a little bit, or all the way to the gates of hell—1,200 degrees Fahrenheit. It takes about 20 minutes for the fire pot to get going this high, and if you don’t clean the fire pot first, it’ll kick off a lot of sparks in the process. Who knows why you need to get to 1,200 degrees? But as Merck notes, this is a company known for a cartoon bull logo and bull-horn handles. “Recteq likes to be extreme, so it tracks,” she says. If you keep your sear to a more human 600 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s a solid grill and sear experience. But keep in mind that the high power draw from the dual igniters will require a 10- or-12-gauge extension cord, which is probably better than the cord you’ve got at home. The X-Fire also didn’t produce the same smokiness as WIRED’s top-pick Recteq Flagship 1600, according to Merck’s testing, which means you’ll end up using smoke tubes at low temperature if you want to get more smoke in the meat. Note, too, that the advertised 20-pound pellet capacity is split between fire pots. This could mean refilling a 10-pound hopper multiple times during a long cook.

Photograph: Brad Bourque

Traeger Woodridge Pro for $1,000: The Traeger Woodridge Pro is WIRED’s previous top-pick pellet grill and smoker for most people. It still exists beautifully at the intersection of value and utility, and is likely to make you popular in the neighborhood. It’s a straightforward beast of a thing that’s easy to clean, easy to dial in for a perfect rack of ribs, and big enough to cook up two pork bellies at the same time. My new top-pick Recteq has a couple smart features that make us prefer it, like temperature history on its meat probes, and an easier learning curve on smart features. But this Woodridge will still make you quite popular in the neighborhood.

Photograph: Traeger

Traeger Timberline Wi-Fi Wood Pellet Grill for $3,300: If you’re serious about grilling and smoking, Traeger’s Timberline is almost a step up from a smoker. It’s the perfect all-in-one outdoor kitchen. It uses the same wireless smoking smarts as the Woodridge but adds some extras, like an induction burner (perfect for adding a last-minute sear with a cast-iron pan or steaming some veggies). The insulated smoke box has room for six pork shoulders, or about the equivalent racks of ribs or chickens. Former WIRED editor Parker Hall has managed to feed hundreds of people using it. (As a longtime food and barbecue critic, I can vouch heartily for Hall’s resulting brisket and ribs.) If that’s not enough, there’s also an XL version that’s even bigger. “All of my meats heated evenly and were perfectly cooked right when the smoker said they would be,” Hall says. If you want flawless smoking from the comfort of your couch and price is not a factor, the Timberline delivers.

Courtesy of Masterbuilt

Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800 for $899: This spacious Masterbuilt offers a nice combination, notes WIRED reviewer Chris Smith: charcoal flavor with the temperature precision of gas or electricity. The large, top-loading charcoal hopper uses gravity (hence the name) to feed heat into an internal housing, and an integrated fan enables precise digital temperature control—on the device or via the app. You’ll reach 700 degrees Fahrenheit within 15 minutes. Temperatures are remarkably consistent once stabilized, and if you want to add smoke flavor, just throw wood chunks into the ash bin and let falling charcoal embers do the rest. But the versatility comes with caveats. You may miss the ability to sear directly over a flame, and you’ll need to change out the internal housing before switching to the flat-top grill.

Courtesy of Yoder

Yoder YS640S Pellet Smoker for $2,700: Most grills do one thing well and several others poorly or not at all. Yoder’s YS640S is a more versatile tool, thanks to a design that allows easy access to the auto-feed firebox. Like Traegers that are half the price, this Kansas-made grill uses an electric fan and an auger to feed wood pellets in for a slow smoke session. It’s all driven by a control board that sends temp alerts and allows you to adjust the temperature via Wi-Fi. As a smoker, it easily handled ribs and a chuck roast, holding the temperature better than most. This is thanks to its bomb-proof 10-gauge steel construction, which means this grill weighs as much as a refrigerator. Where the Yoder really stands out, though, is as a grill and possible pizza oven. By removing a steel plate positioned over the fire pit, you can sear burgers directly over the flame or remove the grills and plop on a hefty pizza oven attachment ($489), which uses the pellet feed system to maintain a constant 900-plus degrees Fahrenheit.

A Grill to Avoid

Courtesy of Ace

Kamado Joe Konnected Joe for $1,900: There’s a lot to like about this kamado-style grill. Indeed, WIRED previously recommended it for its electric ignition and Wi-Fi connectivity that allows you to measure the temperature of the interior and the meat via two probes. But over long-term use, WIRED commerce director Martin Cizmar has had constant problems with the electric grill tripping the 2-year-old GFCI outlets on his patio. Once it even tripped the breaker. A Reddit thread reveals this is a common problem. Like the Redditors, Cizmar found temporary relief by running an extension cord into an outlet in his kitchen, but even that has failed him a few times during testing. Unfortunately, this grill is a hard pass until the issue is resolved.

Apple wants more people to use Genmoji, by creating suggestions based on phrases that you type into the iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 keyboard, and what you’ve got stored in Photos.

Users of Messages will be familiar with the occasional appearance of emoji as a suggestion when typing on the software keyboard. For iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, they may get a lot more options to include Genmoji.

The underwhelming Apple Intelligence feature hasn’t really caught on with consumers since its introduction in 2024, despite executive claims it has. However, with some changes coming to Genmoji in iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, Bloomberg’s “Power On” newsletter says that users will be prodded to use it more.

A small change in iOS 27 will be Suggested Genmoji. Much like the existing emoji suggestions when typing, users will also see Genmoji produced using commonly-typed phrases, mashed up with your Photos.

While promoting Genmoji by serving up ready-to-use options to users will help the feature become more popular, not everyone will need to deal with it. A toggle will be available to disable the feature, hiding the new graphics from view.

Another update

The inbound improvements to Genmoji join a number of others that Apple has already made to the feature.

In iOS 26, users were able to create custom expressions, using prompts like “Smiling,” “Shocked,” or “Sleepy.” Physical traits like hair, glasses, and hats could also be added to the images.

Apple also improved the AI behind Genmoji to create smarter results and higher-quality images. There was also Genmoji support for Tapback reactions.

Whatever Apple comes up with, it will be first shown off at WWDC 2026 in June.

Developer Throaty Mumbo spent months chasing an idea that started as a simple observation about shared hardware. An old IBM Workpad Z50 laptop relies on a MIPS processor much like the one inside every Nintendo 64. The laptop already ran Windows CE without trouble, so Mumbo wondered what would happen if the same operating system landed on the game console instead. The answer turned out far more complete than anyone expected.

Windows CE version 2.11 made its way onto the Nintendo 64 after a lot of meticulous tinkering, with no shortcuts taken. Mumbo spent a long time designing a board support package to meet the console’s specific requirements, including the MIPS R4300 CPU, memory layout, and visual interface. He began by using Microsoft’s official Platform Builder tools from the late 1990s, which they had at the time, before adding his own custom code to work around the console’s various oddities. No changes were made to the core Windows kernel. Everything else, including display output, controller input, sound playback, and file access, had to be handled by completely new drivers designed from the ground up.

The key to making it all work is an EverDrive 64 X7 cartridge. This device loads an approximately 3.5MB ROM file called N64CE.Z64, which contains the entire operating system. When you start the console, a little bootloader runs and transfers control to the Windows kernel. The familiar desktop appears in a few of seconds. You receive the full package, including a taskbar, start menu, and recycle bin. The controller functions like a mouse, with the A button clicking the left mouse button and the B button clicking the right one. With the standard Nintendo 64 mouse, your pointer moves along fairly smoothly.

You can simply insert an SD card into the cartridge and it will boot up real programs. Notepad opens and accepts entered text, whereas Paint provides some basic drawing tools. There’s also a vector graphics tool called Béziers that functions exactly like it did on the original Workpad laptop, using the same executable file with no alterations. Cube3d.exe is a 3D demo that spins a cube and even makes use of the console’s graphics capability to speed things up. Meanwhile, a 97 port of Tetris boots up with minimal fuss. The audio works great on the console’s built-in sound system, and the clock is accurate because the cartridge features a battery-backed timer.

Mumbo spent a long time making this happen, and it was a true voyage of trial and error. Initially, he used emulators to test his basic boot procedures. Once he was on real hardware, he experienced numerous crashes, prompting him to create an automated reset system using a Teensy microcontroller so he could quickly upload new versions. The initial flash cartridge he used had closed source firmware, which made debugging a nightmare, but it all worked out when he switched to the open-source X7 model. Each small breakthrough revealed the next challenge, such as memory management, interrupt handling, and even the graphical windowing system, which draws all of the dialog boxes and overlapping windows.
[Source]

Modern smartphone launches are frequently less about hardware and more about what the new phones can do with AI – the problem is that most of them are, well, gimmicky. 

When was the last time you used Apple’s Image Playground? Or added a doodle to your photo using Samsung’s Galaxy AI? Have you ever actually used the Pixel’s Camera Coach feature when snapping a photo? What about Honor’s Magic Portal? Nope, I didn’t think so. 

Don’t misunderstand me; these are all fantastic showcases of what AI can do. The problem is that they’re not really solving any problems. They’re something you can show off to your mates once or twice, but will you actually use them in day-to-day life? For the vast majority of the ‘killer’ AI features, I’d argue not. 

But, the new Gemini Intelligence features headed to phones in Android 17? Well, that could be a different matter entirely. 

Fine, they’re not all bad

Okay, yes, I am being a bit harsh there because there are a few AI-based features that I tend to gravitate towards on my phone. 

The main one is, of course, Gemini itself; the virtual assistant is pretty handy for quick random thought queries, but more so for me, it’s great at extracting information like briefings and launch dates from emails and adding them to my Google Calendar –  a task that used to take quite a while during busy periods. 

And I’ll throw Circle to Search into the mix there because, well, it works perfectly most of the time. Circle something on screen, and you’ll be able to find that thing on Google. It’s great for finding niche products, whether that’s an obscure bit of tech or an outfit you like, without all the usual legwork of Google searches. 

But those features are cloud-based and can be used on pretty much any phone at any price point. What I’m talking about are the AI features that are often locked to the latest flagship hardware. 

And when it comes to those manufacturer-specific features, that list shrinks considerably. I’ve used pretty much every brand’s suite of AI tools, including those from Apple, Google, Samsung, Oppo, Honor and Xiaomi, and very few actually made their way into my daily life.

I must say that the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra’s image editing capabilities are so far ahead of the competition, not only in terms of removing objects without making the picture look ‘odd’, but also in how you can remix the entire look of a photo in One UI 8.5. It makes taking clean shots, especially at busy events, a little easier – but even then, it’s a feature I’ve only used a small handful of times. 

It’s safe to say that I’ve yet to be wowed by mobile AI so far, but the upgraded Gemini Intelligence coming in Android 17 may finally change my mind. 

Android 17’s Gemini Intelligence is a big deal

Revealed at Google’s mobile-focused Android Show: I/O Edition earlier this week, Gemini Intelligence is essentially the big feature of Android 17 coming later this year. And while most smartphone manufacturers want you to believe that their latest AI features will totally change the way you use your phone, where Google is concerned, I’m inclined to actually believe it. 

Stay with me here because, while I haven’t been drinking Google’s KoolAid, there’s a lot to like about Gemini Intelligence – on paper, at least.

That starts with a major upgrade to how Gemini itself operates, enabling the virtual assistant to handle multi-app autonomous tasks. According to Google, it’ll allow you to, say, take a photo of a concert flyer, and get Gemini to find local hotels on Expedia on that date. It’ll then extract all the relevant information from the photo, including location and date, go to Expedia, find the best room for the price, and add all your information – all you need to do is tap confirm.

Now this is most certainly a very polished example that shows off all the new smarts, but it could also mean much simpler (yet still handy) tasks like getting Gemini to search for cheap flights for a trip on Skyscanner, scouring TikTok for the latest trends or just about anything else you can think of.

In theory, anyway. It’s not yet clear whether apps will need to add support or whether Gemini is indeed smart enough to be able to understand what’s on screen, regardless of what it’s looking at – but if it’s as it sounds, it could be a huge upgrade.

Tied to that is Gemini’s ability to autonomously browse the web in Chrome. Accessible from within the app itself, a new Gemini tab will allow you to ask the assistant to, say, search the web for information related to a specific niche, or to find that rare Pokémon card you’ve been on the hunt for. 

I’m also curious to see how the new voice-to-text feature, Rambler, works. The idea is solid; it uses Gemini to analyse what you’re saying, cut out all the ums and ahs, and it’ll even rewrite everything to sound a little more polished. You can even change your mind mid-sentence and Rambler will correct everything, rather than spitting out a rambling monologue like the current voice-to-text on Android does. 

I love the idea of using TTS more often, especially for replying to emails on the go, but the amount of editing I’m left with usually means it’s faster to just type it out. The hope is that Rambler could actually change that for me. 

The most out-there addition is Create Your Widget, and it does what it says on the tin: it uses Gemini to create entirely custom widgets tailored to your needs. It could be basic custom timers to hyper-specific widgets like one that grabs information about events in your area happening soon from the web.

There are going to be limitations, of course – will it be able to pull in data from third-party apps on your phone? I doubt it. But it could save you from diving into apps or Chrome to find something you need to know often, and that alone is more helpful than most of the AI tools we currently see on phones. 

Of course, this all depends on real-world performance – something nobody outside of Google has yet to test in person – so I’m keeping my expectations in check for now. But I certainly can’t wait to give the tools a go once they are released. 

But what about availability?

The big question right now is, which devices will get the full Gemini Intelligence suite? And the answer is about as clear as mud.

Google claims that Gemini Intelligence will start rolling out to Pixel and Samsung Galaxy phones this summer, likely in time for the Android 17 upgrade, but which phones will it actually include? Will it be limited to the Pixel 11 collection and Samsung’s upcoming foldables? Both are rumoured for launch this summer, after all. 

Or will older Pixels and Samsung phones get the upgrade once they get the Android 17 update? 

It’s also possible that it won’t be directly tied to the Android 17 rollout; Google has already confirmed that the auto-browse tech is coming to Chrome in June, well ahead of Android 17’s release. 

This suggests that it’d instead be tied to a Chrome app update rather than something OS-level. Could the same be true of features like Rambler? Could that appear in a Gboard app update instead? And if so, will that mean the millions of Android devices with the Chrome and Gboard apps automatically get the features, even if they’re not Pixel- or Samsung-branded?

There are a lot of questions right now and not many answers, but my hope is that the upgraded suite of tools will become as ubiquitous as Gemini is on Android phones. Because, honestly, it could be the biggest mobile AI-focused upgrade yet. 

When we reviewed the original Turtle Beach Stealth Pro back in 2023, it absolutely dominated. From its outstanding soundscape to the wild amount of connectivity it included, and that legendary build quality it managed to achieve, it ticked almost every box that you’d want a good gaming headset to tick.

Once configured, setup proceeds much like the Aiper and pricier Irrigreen apps: You create a zone, then use the app to define its boundaries. Similar to the aforementioned systems, Oto’s sprinkler is designed for precision watering, firing water in a beam in a single direction instead of a wide spray. That said, Oto’s spray is comparably narrow, only hitting a single, designated patch instead of producing a two-dimensional curtain of water like Irrigreen’s “water printing” system. You get a nice preview of this as you set the boundaries of your yard.

Like its competitors, Oto lets you set each zone as a spot (for watering a single tree, perhaps), a line (for a flowerbed), or a 2-D area (for a yard). I tested all of these modes but spent most of my time working with area zones, which are the most complex option. When defining an area zone, I found Oto’s system to be virtually identical to that of Irrigreen and Aiper, though ever so slightly slower to respond to commands. Even so, it’s very easy to use: A simple interface lets you drop points around the sprinkler to define the boundaries of the zone. When you’ve made a full circle around the sprinkler, the area is complete.

Once configured, you can assign each zone a schedule, with copious options available around which days to water (odd days, even days, select days of the week, every day), and designate a start time (though there is no tying time to sundown or sunrise). Each schedule also gets a weekly watering limit (in inches of depth), which you’ll then parse out over each week’s watering runs. Weather intelligence features let you elect to skip watering if your zip code receives measurable rainfall or if winds are high (both based on internet reports); the user can tweak both the amount of rain and windspeed needed to trigger a skip. The app logs the 20 most recent runs and includes a calendar that details upcoming events.

When watering an area, Oto takes a novel approach to covering the lawn, first moving in circular arcs directly around the sprinkler, then slowly increasing in range with each successive swipe. When finished, it does additional “clean-up” runs to hit any areas that the initial watering arcs didn’t reach. The speed is slow enough and the size of the water’s beam is large enough that the resulting coverage is solid. After test runs, I found the yard to be plenty wet across the entire zone, with no dry patches.

As with all sprinklers, changes in water pressure can make for occasional over- or underwatering of areas, but I found this to be a minimal problem when using the Oto. However, when watering at the terminus of Oto’s range, the power needed to throw the water that far can make for a strong splashdown, which may result in some soil erosion or damage to more sensitive plants.

The Oto also has a “play mode” option that lets you use the sprinkler for a watery game of chase or a more random “splash tag” mode, aka “try to avoid getting hit by the water.” Pro tip: It’s impossible not to get hit.

Finally, we know that plug-in solar systems are finally coming to the UK at some point soon, but so far, the lead headlines from the nationals have been about the supermarket chains that will fill the aisles with £400 systems that you can take away and connect yourself.

While all systems sold must meet safety requirements, there’s a lot more to consider, including how much energy you want to generate, installation requirements, and whether you need a battery.

After seeing the new Anker SOLIX Solarbank 4 E5000 Pro (freshly launched and available in Germany), it’s clear that the talk about plug-in solar in the UK has been oversimplified, and that it will be more important to buy the right system rather than the cheapest.

Solar panels might not be straightforward to install

Plug-in solar is often also referred to as balcony solar. Many of the systems are designed to use thin, light solar panels that are tied to the front of a balcony, connecting via an inverter to a regular power socket.

Sounds easy, but even a lightweight solar panel is around 8kg, and it needs to be secured properly to avoid falling off. Before I buy any system, I’d want to double-check the installation instructions and make sure they all make sense, and you’re more likely to get that from a bigger manufacturer.

While balcony solar is one option, plug-in solar is also designed for use with panels ground-mounted in a garden or mounted on a flat roof, such as a garage or garden office. These alternative mounting options need frames to angle the panels towards the sun, and this needs to be made clear at the point of purchase.

I think there’s a real danger that systems will be bought, because people think they’re plug-in and easy to install, but the reality will be that some installations will be more complicated, and you might even want to pay a professional to do the work to get it right.

While a lower price may seem good, that’s not the only metric: a solar panel’s wattage is important. Wattage is measured using Standard Test Conditions (STC), so it isn’t the amount of power generation you’ll see, but how much power a panel can produce in ideal conditions. It’s still a useful metric: the higher the wattage the more power you’ll generate from the sun. This metric has nothing to do with physical panel size, either, as two identically sized panels can have a different rated Wattage.

My guess is that cheap systems will use older, lower-power panels, so you’ll see less benefit from them.

Be careful of cheap batteries

According to research from global business insurer, QBE, the UK fire brigades are tackling a lithium-ion fire every five hours (or 4.8 fires per day). Most fires were from ebike batteries, with converted or retrofitted models the cause of the majority.

What this statistic shows is that Li-ion batteries can be dangerous. If I bought a plug-in solar system with a battery, I would only buy from a reputable vendor with specialist knowledge in this kind of market, particularly for any batteries placed outside.

With the Anker SOLIX Solarbank 4 E5000 Pro, for example, you get C5-M anti-corrosion (the highest protective coating rating), a guarantee that it will operate in temperatures down to -20°C, and an IP66 rating (fully protected against dust and protection from high-pressure water jets). This system, and ones from other reputable manufacturers, are fully designed to be installed outside, and I wouldn’t buy an outdoor battery system with lower ratings to avoid fire damage.

Batteries have other important metrics, too: capacity, depth-of-discharge, and the number of charge cycles they’re rated for. With the Anker SOLIX Solarbank 4 E5000 Pro, you get a base 5kWh capacity, which is roughly around half the total power that a typical UK household will use in a day.

This system is rated to last for 10,000 charge cycles at a 100% depth of discharge. So, what does that mean?

A charge cycle is when the battery is charged and then discharged. The higher the number of charge cycles, the longer the battery will last for, which means you can store more power in total before the battery has to be replaced.

Alongside the number of charge cycles is the rated depth of discharge. Many batteries are rated at 90% depth of discharge, which means that each charge cycle uses only 90% of the rated capacity, with the remaining 10% unused.

The Anker SOLIX Solarbank 4 E5000 Pro, you get 100% depth-of-discharge, so all of that capacity is available. 

Before buying any solar battery, it’s important to know what to expect, how long the system will last and how much power it can hold. It’s then, the cost over a product’s lifetime that’s important. For example, Anker says that its new system has a payback time of just three-years.

And, it’s an expandable system. You can add up to 30kWh of battery storage, using the stackable design, and add up to 12 solar panels for a total 5kW input. With cheaper systems, you’re likely to be stuck with what you get in the box, with no expansion available.

The current change to regulations only talks about 800W input

Currently, although the UK government has said plug-in solar will be available soon, the regulations are not in place. That makes life difficult for the manufacturers, as it’s not clear what they’ll need to do to any products to make them compatible with the UK. That’s true of the Anker SOLIX Solarbank 4 E5000 Pro, which will be sold in the UK, although whether the maximum output can be used isn’t yet clear.

If we look at Germany, plug-in solar devices that connect to a standard Schuko socket are limited to an 800W output. However, have a Wieland socket installed by an electrician, and the Anker SOLIX Solarbank 4 E5000 Pro can have its full 2500W output enabled.

In the UK, the government has said that it’s working “with the Energy Networks Association, DNOs and Ofgem to update the G98 distribution code and wiring regulations BS 7671 to allow UK households to connect <800W plug-in solar panels to domestic mains sockets, without the need for an electrician and with tailored safety standards.”

What isn’t clear is whether higher power output will be available if the system is professionally installed. 

That’s potentially quite a big difference. With an 800W output, you can trickle power into your home for smaller appliances, but when you exceed this limit, you’ll have to buy power in. With 2500W, you can power pretty much anything in your home, up to a lot of ovens, so you can use all of the free power you’ve generated.

If the UK regulations allow for higher power inputs, and you’ve got space to put a decent number of solar panels, having a system that can feed more power in may well be worth it, even if that will be a future update as regulations evolve.

I should point out that the Solarbank 4 E5000 Pro has a neat trick, in that you can directly plug a device into its 2500W input, say, powering your washing machine directly from the battery.

Intelligent power usage is just as important

As noted before, when I talked about whether solar panels are worth it in the UK, it’s important to maximise solar power usage. For example, running a washing machine cycle when there’s excess power.

With a battery, it gets more complicated, as you want to balance charging it with solar and also use an anytime-of-use tariff to access cheap electricity. With budget systems, you’ll have to handle all of this yourself. 

With a more expensive system, you don’t just get the hardware, but software behind it. Using AI, with inputs from how you use power, the weather forecast and more, the system can optimise your plug-in solar, maximising free energy for charging, but balancing this out with any time-of-use tariff that you have.

This level of intelligence can help unlock better savings and make any system deliver more.

Rather than just going for the lowest price for a plug-in solar system, it’s more important to get one that has a longer life, better warranty, wider installation options (with help if needed), and the option to expand to meet future needs.