MapQuest, who knew? A week ago, the app seemed like just another long-forgotten relic from the dotcom glory days. Now, it’s surged to the top of app download charts after the company ignored an executive order from President Donald Trump by refusing to relabel Lake Ontario as Lake America. And the company apparently is going to keep riding the wave.

The 30-year-old app announced that it was bringing its navigation service to Android Auto in an experimental phase. Thus, drivers can use MapQuest on their dashboard infotainment screens rather than Google Maps if they have Android Auto enabled.

MapQuest announced the new integration on X, saying simply, “Android Gang, dinner is served.”

Android Auto is a software system that allows Android phone apps to display on a dashboard screen, which basically performs like a computer monitor. By connecting your phone to the vehicle’s Android Auto system, you can use map apps such as Google, Waze and now MapQuest, as well as stream music and listen to podcasts or use AI programs like Google Assistant or Gemini to send texts and make calls.

What about Apple users? A message on MapQuest’s help center noted that “CarPlay is coming to the MapQuest iOS app soon!”

In addition to basic navigation, the MapQuest app is trying out a crowdsourcing feature on Android Auto. Drivers and passengers can report accidents, road closures and activity by police and other first-responders on the app so that other drivers might know what’s coming up for them on the roads.

As a comparison, MapQuest and Google Maps both have the basics — planning a route from Point A to Point B with an estimated travel time, a computer voice telling when and where to turn and search functionality to find businesses and other locations. But Google Maps also has public transit directions, indoor maps for malls and airports and user reviews of businesses through its integration with Google Search.

Read more: Google’s In-Car Gemini Dimmed the Sunroof, Ordered Dinner and Became My Tour Guide

MapQuest did not say if all Android Auto users would be able to use it or how long the beta testing would last. A representative for MapQuest did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

MapQuest back in the spotlight

It’s been a while since “MapQuest” rolled off the tongue of many Americans. The company launched on Feb. 5, 1996, and within a few years, it controlled nearly all of the market share for online mapping, with 2 million page views per day in 1999. But the company began to decline after Google launched its maps app in 2005.

That changed earlier this week. MapQuest refused to change Lake Ontario to Lake America on its maps, as Trump called for with an executive order on Aug. 27. Google and Apple complied, but MapQuest and Microsoft haven’t.

Within days, MapQuest became the No. 1 most-downloaded app in the US, with more than 1.5 million downloads since Trump’s order. The company also created a widget that lets you name the lake whatever you want.

MapQuest General Manager Doug Berger told CNN’s Erin Burnett, “We were absolutely blown away by the response,” he said. “It’s completely shocking.”

Ever since being admittedly fascinated by the Cambridge coffee webcam from the 1990s, I’ve written about VPNs, the NFL, smartphones, living wages, over/unders and everything in between.

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OpenAI is now rolling out ChatGPT Astra, its most powerful model to date, to those with a $20 Plus subscription, but there’s no word on when free users will get access.

The rollout appears to be happening gradually, and Astra may show up inside ChatGPT Work before it becomes available in regular Chat.

In my $20 Plus account, Astra is already available in the Work section of ChatGPT, while the normal Chat model picker still doesn’t offer it.

Here’s what it looks like when I go to ChatGPT Work and click on the model picker:

So, if you have ChatGPT Plus and don’t see Astra in regular Chat yet, it’s worth checking Work.

OpenAI previously confirmed that it’s rolling out Astra to Plus users, but it’ll be a while before it shows up for everyone.

“GPT-6 Astra is now available to all Pro, Enterprise, and Business Premium users in ChatGPT Work and Codex. It’s also live in the API,” OpenAI wrote in a post on X.

“It might take a few days to roll out to our Plus and Business users.”

Astra is included with the existing ChatGPT Plus subscription

OpenAI says Astra usage is included within existing subscription limits, so Plus users do not need to purchase a separate plan to access the model.

If you need additional usage, you will also be able to buy credits.

Astra is OpenAI’s new flagship model and is designed for computer use, browsing, coding, science, cybersecurity, and longer professional tasks.

OpenAI says it is also significantly better than GPT-5.6 Sol at maintaining context during complex work.

While ChatGPT Astra is rolling out to paid users, OpenAI hasn’t said whether the model will roll out to free users, or in what capacity if it does. For now, free users have access to GPT-5.6 Sol and GPT-5.

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OpenAI’s newest flagship AI model is starting to reach ChatGPT Plus subscribers, giving people on the $20 plan access to GPT-6 Astra just days after its debut.

Plus users can access Astra through ChatGPT Work and Codex as the rollout reaches more accounts. OpenAI says availability is gradual, so the model may not appear for everyone immediately. Astra is not currently included in regular Chat for Plus users.

Usage is covered by the existing Plus allowance rather than requiring another subscription. Plus users get limited Astra access, while additional usage can be purchased with credits once the included allowance runs out.

What are Plus users getting?

We previously covered Astra when OpenAI introduced it on September 3. The model is built for jobs such as writing code, researching subjects, operating software, and working through longer professional tasks.

Astra can also create documents, spreadsheets, and presentations while following existing templates and adjusting when instructions change. OpenAI says it is better at keeping track of earlier requirements during long tasks instead of losing sight of the original request.

Why is Astra better than GPT-5.6 Sol?

OpenAI’s own tests show some sizeable gains over GPT-5.6 Sol. On Terminal-Bench 4.0, which measures performance on complex terminal-based work, Astra scored 57.9% compared with 37.3% for Sol. On OSWorld 2.0, Astra scored 72.6% and completed tasks in roughly 40 minutes on average, while Sol scored 65.7% and took around 75 minutes.

Long tasks also appear to be one of Astra’s stronger areas. On OpenAI’s 512K-to-1M long-context test, Astra scored 96.3% compared with 73.8% for Sol. It is worth keeping in mind that these numbers come from OpenAI’s own tests, so real-world results will depend on what people actually ask Astra to do.

OpenAI has not said if or when Astra will become available to free ChatGPT users. There is some precedent for what could happen, though. Free users never received GPT-5.6 Sol, which remained limited to paid plans. OpenAI instead gave them GPT-5.6 Luna, a lighter and faster model from the same family, about a month after Sol launched.

The company could eventually take a similar approach with GPT-6, giving free users a less capable model rather than Astra itself. That is purely speculation for now, based only on how OpenAI handled the previous generation. The company has not announced a lighter GPT-6 model or said whether any version of the GPT-6 family will come to free users.

The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a lobby group for the auto industry, wants an outright ban on Chinese-made cars, parts and software.

John Bozzella, the AAI’s CEO and president, sent a letter to congressional leaders this week that asks Congress to ban selling, importing and manufacturing Chinese-made cars, hardware and software. There is currently bipartisan support in Washington to do just that, including the “Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026,” which “prohibits the importation, manufacture, sale, resale, or introduction into US interstate commerce of connected vehicles and related software and hardware components associated with China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea.” 

In the letter, Bozzella said the Chinese government’s policies are “rooted in a well-documented pattern of unfair trade, subsidies, intellectual property theft and surveillance.” The AAI expressed urgency and asked Congress to enact a ban before ending its session for this year. The AAI didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Existing automakers selling to US consumers have had their own brushes with regulators over drivers’ privacy. In 2025, the Federal Trade Commission ordered General Motors not to sell driver data for five years, and a Consumer Reports investigation that year found nearly every automaker collects and shares data on driver behavior.

Chinese cars, particularly electric vehicles, have seen their popularity rise across the world due to their affordability. One reason those prices are so low is that the automakers get significant government subsidies. Chinese automakers are essentially blocked from selling to US consumers by high tariffs.

The AAI said a permanent ban will “send a clear and bipartisan message that China’s strategy to dominate global automotive manufacturing will be met with a national security policy response from the American government.”

Dashia Milden

Senior Consumer Insights Editor

Dashia is the consumer insights editor for CNET. She specializes in data-driven analysis and news at the intersection of tech, personal finance and consumer sentiment. Dashia investigates economic shifts and everyday challenges to help readers make well-informed decisions, and she covers a range of topics, including technology, security, energy and money. Dashia graduated from the University of South Carolina with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. She loves baking, teaching spinning and spending time with her family.

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While there are plenty of ways to limit notifications on our digital devices and avoid distraction overload, there’s nothing inherently wrong with these alerts. They just need to be well managed and kept in their place.

Keeping notifications useful and timely can help you get more done in the day, not less, and Windows 11 comes with built-in tools for setting up custom notifications that run on a schedule you specify.

You can use these scheduled notifications however you want. Maybe you need reminders to take breaks, or you want to make sure you devote specific blocks of time to certain projects, or you need alerts for when it’s time to go and pick the kids up.

However you want to use these custom notifications, here’s how to set them up—plus some extra apps that can help too.

Custom Notifications in Windows 11

Task Scheduler gives you a clean, simple way of creating alerts.Screenshot: David Nield

If you want to set up custom notifications in Windows 11 without turning to an app, the Task Scheduler is the utility you want. Type “task scheduler” into the search box on the taskbar or the Start menu, then select it when it appears.

Open the Action menu, choose Create Basic Task, and then give it a suitable name and description so you can identify it later. Click Next, and you can set the frequency of the notification: Your options are Daily, Weekly, Monthly, One time, When the computer starts, When I log on, and When a specific event is logged, so there’s a lot of flexibility.

Click Next again, and if you’ve chosen a recurring task then you can set exactly when it recurs—4 pm every afternoon, for example. Click Next, then choose Start a program, and select Next again. This opens up the dialog box screen for composing your notification.

In the Program/script field, you need to enter “msg,” and in the Add arguments (optional) field, you put your actual notification text: “Reminder: get up and do some stretching” or whatever it happens to be. With another click on Next you can review your notification, and then choose Finish to confirm.

Your notification is created, and will pop up at the specified time, whether or not Task Scheduler is open. If you ever need to edit or delete the task, you can head back to Task Scheduler to find it—it’ll be listed under the Task Scheduler Library heading, and you can right-click on the task to make changes.

Setting Notifications Through Apps

You’re also able to set reminders through the built-in Clock app.Screenshot: David Nield

The appeal of the Task Scheduler is that it’s built right into the Windows operating system, so you don’t need any other apps running to get your notifications, but there are ways to do this with apps as well. The Microsoft Clock app comes preinstalled with Windows, for example, and lets you set custom alarms.

Apple has spent years insisting that one or two HomePods can handle home theater duties. To be fair, a stereo pair of 2nd generation HomePods can reproduce Dolby Atmos with an Apple TV 4K, and Apple’s computational audio does a respectable job of making two speakers positioned at the front of a room sound considerably larger than they actually are.

But two speakers are still two speakers, and new code discovered in audioOS 27 beta 8 suggests Apple is experimenting with something considerably more ambitious: a four-HomePod surround system using separate front-left, front-right, rear-left, and rear-right speakers. If Apple actually ships it, HomePod could evolve from an unusually capable stereo TV solution into something much closer to a legitimate wireless home theater platform.

That would put Apple into a very different fight.

What Is Apple Actually Testing?

Based on the code discovered, Apple has created tuning configurations for four 2nd generation HomePods arranged around the listening position. References in the software include front-left, front-right, rear-left, and rear-right speakers, along with automatic room calibration, speaker-position mapping, timing adjustment, bass management, EQ, dialogue enhancement, and separate processing modes for movies and music.

For stereo content, Apple also appears to be experimenting with two approaches: spatializing music across all four speakers or preserving conventional stereo playback through only the front pair.

That is considerably more sophisticated than simply grouping four AirPlay speakers and telling them to play the same thing. Timing correction and speaker-position mapping would be essential because four HomePods positioned around a room will rarely be equidistant from the listener, while bass management becomes particularly interesting when each full-size HomePod contains its own 4-inch high-excursion woofer.

Apple already uses computational audio, room sensing, and automatic bass correction within individual HomePods. Coordinating those capabilities across four separate locations could give the company far more control over imaging and surround placement than its existing one- or two-speaker implementation.

There Is Also Mystery Hardware

The beta code also contains references to a tuning system called “Forklift,” which reportedly combines two 2nd generation HomePods with two speakers carrying an unidentified AID12007 hardware designation. That identifier does not correspond to any currently available HomePod.

What exactly is it? Nobody outside Apple appears to know.

It could represent a future HomePod mini, a third-generation full-size HomePod, or another unreleased Apple audio product. There is currently no evidence that Apple plans to sell dedicated wireless surround speakers, so anything more specific would be speculation.

The presence of both configurations is nevertheless interesting because Apple may be testing more than one approach: four existing full-size HomePods in one arrangement and a combination of current and future hardware in another.

The code also references a new “Party Mode” for stereo-paired HomePods designed to create a more diffuse sound field across a room rather than optimizing playback around a tightly focused listening position. That could be useful for music, but the home theater work is considerably more consequential.

What We Don’t Know

Apple has not announced a four-HomePod surround system, and there is no guarantee that anything discovered in beta software will become a commercial feature. The Home app and Apple TV currently provide no way to configure four HomePods as a permanent home theater system, and Apple’s current implementation supports either one HomePod or a stereo pair with Apple TV 4K.

We also don’t know whether existing 2nd generation HomePods would be supported, whether new hardware would be required, what AID12007 actually represents, or how Apple would map Dolby Atmos channels across four speakers. There is no indication of a dedicated center speaker or wireless subwoofer, no confirmed release date, and no evidence yet that Apple intends to describe the finished system as 4.0, 5.1.4, 7.1.4, or anything else.

That last point is worth emphasizing. Four physical speakers do not necessarily equal four audio channels. Modern spatial-audio systems routinely use beamforming and virtualization to reproduce more channels than there are physical enclosures, and the current HomePod already supports Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos using its five-tweeter beamforming array and computational processing.

The missing physical center channel would still present an interesting challenge. Movie dialogue is normally anchored to the center speaker, so Apple would need to generate a convincing phantom center or use another computational technique to keep dialogue locked to the screen across multiple seating positions. HomePod already offers Enhance Dialogue, but we do not yet know how Apple would incorporate that technology into a four-speaker layout.

Physics, annoyingly, still does not accept firmware updates.

Why This Matters

HomePod has always occupied a slightly odd position in Apple’s ecosystem. At $349, the 2nd generation model is considerably more capable than the average smart speaker, with a 4-inch high-excursion woofer, five beamforming tweeters, room sensing, automatic bass correction, computational audio, and Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos.

Buy two and Apple already gives Apple TV 4K owners a surprisingly capable wireless television system. The obvious limitation is that all of the physical speakers remain at the front of the room, forcing Apple to create much of the surround experience through processing.

Real rear speakers would fundamentally change that. Surround information could originate behind the listener rather than being simulated entirely from the front, while four independently powered HomePods would give Apple multiple low-frequency sources and significantly more acoustic output to work with.

At the current $349 price, four HomePods would cost $1,396 before adding an Apple TV 4K. That is not inexpensive, but it puts the concept directly into premium soundbar and wireless home theater territory.

More importantly, Apple could finally give HomePod an upgrade path. Someone could theoretically start with one speaker, move to a stereo pair, and eventually expand into surround sound without discarding the hardware they already own.

Sonos has built a rather successful business around exactly that idea.

Sonos Is the Obvious Competitor

The newly introduced Sonos Beam Ultra makes that comparison particularly timely. The $699 compact soundbar moves Sonos to a true 7.1.2 Dolby Atmos architecture with nine drivers, including dedicated upward-firing height drivers, while retaining Trueplay room correction and the ability to expand the system with wireless surround speakers and a Sonos Sub.

That means someone can start with Beam Ultra and gradually turn it into a larger home theater system instead of buying everything on day one. Sonos also has the advantage of HDMI eARC connectivity and years of experience integrating soundbars, surrounds, subwoofers, headphones, and multiroom audio into one platform.

The larger Arc Ultra pushes the concept further with a claimed 9.1.4 presentation and can similarly be expanded with wireless surrounds and subwoofers. Apple would therefore be entering a category where Sonos already offers consumers clear steps from a single soundbar to a much larger immersive system.

Apple’s potential advantage would be architectural. Instead of relying on a soundbar to perform most of the front-channel work, four HomePods could distribute amplification, bass reproduction, beamforming, and computational processing around the entire room.

Whether that sounds better is something we can worry about if Apple actually lets anyone buy it.

Sony May Be an Even Closer Comparison

The Sony BRAVIA Theatre Quad may actually be the more interesting technical comparison because it also abandons the conventional soundbar layout. Sony uses four separate wireless speaker enclosures positioned around the listening area and employs 360 Spatial Sound Mapping to create additional virtual speaker positions within the room.

That sounds remarkably close to the problem Apple appears to be trying to solve. Sony also has a clever solution for the missing physical center speaker: compatible BRAVIA televisions can participate in the system through Acoustic Center Sync, helping anchor dialogue directly to the screen.

There is currently no evidence that Apple plans anything comparable with a television’s internal speakers, but the similarity between Sony’s four-speaker architecture and the audioOS testing is difficult to ignore.

Apple Would Also Be Moving Beyond Google

Google has also pushed further into television audio by allowing one or two Google Home Speakers to operate with the Google TV Streamer, giving consumers another wireless alternative to a conventional soundbar.

Apple adding physically separate rear speakers would move HomePod considerably beyond that type of two-speaker arrangement. More broadly, Apple, Google, Sonos, Sony, Samsung, and others are all chasing the same consumer: someone who wants immersive television sound but has little interest in an AVR, speaker wire, or seven individual loudspeakers scattered around the living room.

Traditional home theater is not disappearing, but the middle of the market is becoming increasingly wireless.

The Bottom Line

Apple has not announced a four-HomePod surround system, and beta code should never be confused with a product announcement. Features get tested internally and disappear all the time.

But references to four physical speaker positions, room calibration, speaker mapping, timing correction, bass management, dialogue processing, multiple listening modes, and unidentified future hardware suggest that Apple is investigating something considerably more ambitious than another HomePod software update.

If Apple turns HomePod into an expandable wireless surround platform, it would create an obvious bridge between television speakers and a traditional component home theater system while placing Apple directly against Sonos Beam Ultra and Arc Ultra, Sony BRAVIA Theatre Quad, and other increasingly sophisticated wireless solutions.

For now, four HomePods surrounding the sofa remain an experiment. The important part is that Apple finally appears to be asking what happens when HomePod stops pretending that two speakers at the front of the room are enough.

Related Reading:

Fitness coaches still name Garmin Venu 3 when someone wants one watch for training, sleep, and a full workday without living next to a charger. The 45mm AMOLED model is currently on sale at $291.90 (was $449.99). A few years later it remains the easy recommendation, now often priced well under launch while Garmin’s newer Venu 4 asks $549 and spends some of that extra money on training tools most casual athletes never open.

A 1.4-inch AMOLED screen sits below a sheet of Corning Gorilla Glass 3, with a stainless steel bezel wrapping around a fiber-reinforced polymer shell. It’s very little at 45 by 45 by 12 millimeters, and it weighs roughly 47 grams with the 22 millimeter silicone strap attached. Leaving the screen on all the time is an option. It has a water resistance rating of 5 ATM, which means you may take it in the pool or shower. There are two model sizes to choose from: the Venu 3, 45mm, which is most popular with guys and those with larger wrists, and the smaller 41 millimeter Venu 3S, which has a battery life of 10 days.

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Garmin claims you can get 14 days out of the 45mm Venu 3 in ‘smartwatch mode’, and keeping the screen on all the time would only reduce that to 5, but if you switch to ‘battery saver mode’, you can get 26 days. In GPS mode, it lasts 26 hours, 20 hours if you have three satellite systems active at the same time (GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo), and 11 hours if you want to stream music during that session. In real life, assuming you have all of the typical things going on, such as messages and an active lifestyle, you should be able to recharge in 10 to 12 days.

The Elevate V5 heart rate sensor is pretty solid, with 6 LEDs that track a steady run or an indoor spin session with similar accuracy to a chest strap, and only starts to show up the sharper peaks in an interval session, and best of all, it locks onto your location quickly even when you’re on some pretty dense urban routes. The GPS performs well in deep woodlands and city canyons. The standard sensor complement is present, including a pulse oximeter, barometric altimeter, compass, gyroscope, accelerometer, thermometer, and ambient light, all of which are packed in the same location. Oh, and if you update the software, you will receive an FDA-approved on-demand ECG test that can be exported as a PDF from Garmin Connect.

Body Battery is a simple number that integrates sleep, stress, naps, and workout activities to determine how much energy you have in the tank. It’s actually rather beneficial for structuring your day based on how you’re feeling. The Sleep Coach understands when you want to go to bed and how long you want to sleep, and then tells you how well you did. Its also got an automatic nap detector now, so it’ll even track a 20 minute doze on the couch and add it into the recovery math. And in the morning, it will inform you how well you slept, your HRV state, and a brief overview of the day ahead. It’s also tracking stress and breathing while doing all of this, and it almost makes you forget the device is even there.

Over 30 built-in workout profiles include running, cycling, pool and open water swimming, HIIT, weight training, golf, pickleball, meditation, and even wheelchair workouts, all with engaging animated graphics on the display. You can see your VO2 max reading, how long it will take to recover, how many high-intensity minutes you’ve squeezed in, and even receive helpful strength training advice on screen. The Forerunner is the obvious choice for hardcore runners who still want running dynamics, PacePro, and multi-temperature training, but for the rest of us who spend our time at the gym, sitting at a desk, and sneaking off for a hike on weekends… well, we get all the numbers we need without having to wear a thing that looks like a racing computer to dinner.

You can even take calls or send texts from the wrist, since it will connect to your phone and ask your voice assistant any queries you may have. Android phone users may even send SMS via the watch, while iPhone users can use voice answers or pre-written responses. You can store roughly 650 songs from Spotify, Deezer, or Amazon Music on its 8GB storage, so you can still listen to music while running without your phone. Of course, Garmin Pay works with banks that support it. Connect IQ apps can be installed on the device, however the variety is far lower than that of an Apple Watch or a Wear OS device.

IFA Berlin has often been a place to see cutting-edge tech, cool concepts, and interesting prototypes (or should we say weird?). While there certainly have been some of those this year, like iRobot’s Roomba Duo, various humanoid demos, and a flying car concept, 2026 has felt more muted than last year. We’re still seeing the same demos of things like the Saros Rover and the Dreame Cyber X concept. Instead, what I’ve seen is companies really trying to drill down on perfecting the products and product lines that work for them.

Here are the trends I saw at IFA Berlin 2026 that drew my attention and are worth watching for next year.

Dust mites and allergies are the new target for robot vacuums 

Robot vacuums have become pretty good maintenance tools for cleaning up dust and pet hair, but if you’re someone with asthma or serious allergies, you likely still need a good HEPA-certified vacuum and air purifier to keep things manageable. Well, that’s the new target of companies like Anker with the Eufy Omni E35 and Ecovacs with the Deebot X12S Omnicyclone. Both are certified by different organizations to prove they work as claimed. The X12S was tested by the SGS Testing & Control Services Singapore and, in testing, removed an average of 97.44% of dust mite allergens and 95.45% of dust mites from carpet. The Omni E35 also claims the ability to remove a slightly higher 99% of dust mites and has Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America certification. 

Realistically, the percentage difference isn’t particularly significant. What’s notable here is that companies are actively seeking out certifications that prove their robot vacuums are capable of robust levels of cleaning and sterilization, that it’s suitable for maternal health, newborns and allergy sufferers. This might sound niche, but as someone who has three asthmatic cats and occasionally seasonal allergies, I’m interested to see if it lives up to the testing claims.

This is something we’re likely to see more of as robot vacuums become established not just for cleaning but for sanitizing as well, with models that can deploy steam, UV light, and sprays. In the same way air purifiers became increasingly common over the past decade as an easy way to cleanse your air and reduce allergies, we may see certified, high-quality robot vacuums take on the same role.

Deep cleaning is the new challenge to overcome 

If you’ve been following robot vacuums at all, one thing you’ve probably noticed is that they’ve gotten pretty good at vacuuming, but mopping can still be a challenge with older and dried-on stains. An old spill of tomato sauce, red wine or ketchup on tile is still going to require you to use elbow grease to remove it — I speak from experience.

Pretty much every company is trying to address this cleaning gap by using different mopping options, ranging from roller mops that self-clean with more downward pressure measured in newtons, as with iRobot and Eufy’s new lineup, which increases the pressure to 14N or 18N, depending on the model. That’s a simple and theoretically easy solution, just give the robot vacuum the elbow grease it’s missing, and iRobot has tried to do that for the vacuuming side of things too by adding a “skirt” that drops down on the Roomba 875 Combo that significantly increases suction strength on the already substantial 35,000 pascals.

The key problem with this strategy, though, is that robot vacuums are size-constrained, and unless you try something like iRobot’s Duo, which incorporates a floor washing unit combined with a mobile docking station, you’re never going to get the power of a real wet and dry mop, let alone an upright or canister vacuum.

Another way companies at IFA have tried to address this is Ecovacs Deebot X12S Omnicyclone, which incorporates high-pressure water sprayers to saturate old stains and help work them out of hard surfaces. Clever idea, but questionable implementation with the X12S. As I watched, I completely missed its ketchup-stain target and instead doused the floor, but it still managed to remove the mess. The 875 Combo uses a hot steam spray from the bottom of the unit to help loosen the stain, but no demos were offered, so I can’t know how it works in practice until we lab test it.

The humanoid robots were a big yawn this year 

Ajay Kumar/CNET

I’m sorry to say that humanoid robot demos were just plain boring this year. Yeah, there are dancing robots and robots that can do backflips, like the PrimeBot T1 and Q1, and ones that can sort laundry or pick things like Dreame’s robot butler and SwitchBot’s Onero H1. Yawn. The real issue is that these things still don’t do anything more than what they did last year, and as I wrote in my cover story, the timeline for these robots is a lot further away than we’d hope and a lot more expensive. With a realistic timeline ranging from five to 10 years for partially functional home assistants that can do things like fold laundry and prices that will be closer to $100,000 than $10,000, I expect us to get many more years of IFA humanoid demos without actually getting a humanoid robot that you can buy and use in your home.

Part of why I’m not particularly impressed by any of these humanoid demonstrations is that robot vacuums have gotten so good. We’ve stopped talking about whether they can clean well or avoid objects easily. The newest models we’ve tested at CNET lab do an amazing job of it, and IFA demonstrations reinforced it for me as I watched Dreame’s X60 Ultra Complete Pro perfectly weave through obstacles with remarkable speed and responsiveness that I don’t typically associate with robot vacuums. The downside is that a Dreame representative confirmed to me that currently there are no confirmed plans for the model to come to the US, and with the added complication around the FCC ban and uncertainity around waivers, many of the more interesting new models may be delayed, though most companies have told me that they plan to move ahead with their launch plans.

This also affects humanoids, since a large share of the parts required for these advanced robots is sourced from Chinese supply chains. If the FCC ruling remains in effect without waivers, expect progress on US humanoids to freeze for the next decade as domestic supply chains are painstakingly built, while China races ahead with its already advanced models.

Balcony solar is a great idea whose time has come

For those who aren’t familiar with it, balcony solar is simply putting a plug-in solar panel on a balcony or other outdoor space and using it to store solar power and use it to power your appliances and devices when energy prices are high. It’s really intended for people who live in apartments or other homes where you might be a renter or don’t have the option of putting solar panels on the roof for a full system. Bluetti’s Balco 260 and Balco 500, Jackery’s Solar Vault 3 Series and EcoFlow’s Stream plug-in solar are all examples of this, which I saw at their booths, though it’s hard to really give impressions for a stationary battery that’s not in use.

Some of these weren’t necessarily IFA releases either and have been launched earlier in the year, such as the Solar Vault 3 Series. What I will say is that all of these systems are scalable, meaning you can add additional batteries based on your needs, connect more solar panels and use smart transfer switches or other power management.

With New Jersey becoming the 10th US state to legalize the use of balcony solar power (something that’s already quite popular in Germany and the European market), I do expect to start seeing these being used in the US to help defray our ever-increasing energy costs. New Jersey’s law is particularly beneficial since it restricts the ability of property management or HOAs to stop you from using balcony solar, though you’re going to want to dig into the laws for your state before installing it. In most cases, it should work with a standard AC outlet, but if you want to feed power back to the grid, things get a little more complicated and may require an electrician’s installation.

With nearly every major power station company releasing its own version, I expect adoption to start in the US, especially in New Jersey and New York, where people typically don’t have the option to install a solar panel on their roofs but face high energy costs. However, a Bluetti representative at the company’s IFA booth told me that they’ve currently paused their rollout due to uncertainty around — you guessed it — FCC regulations. So while I do think adoption will happen regardless, since, by all indications, Jackery and EcoFlow are moving ahead, US supplies of home batteries and solar panels may be affected.

Dyson had one of the strongest showings this year as a tech company

Dyson hasn’t really been just about vacuums for a long time, even though it still has that perception when I mention it to people like my parents. Dyson was off-site at IFA this year, but it still drew tons of attention because its releases entered brand-new product categories, including the famous $500 Dyson CameraJet, which integrates a water flosser into an AI-optimized electric toothbrush to clean interdental gaps. It’s Dyson’s first entry into the category, and unlike vacuums and air purifiers, it’s not necessarily a natural fit where there’s a lot of overlapping tech and development that can be carried over.

However, Dyson didn’t rest on its laurels, with a total of 11 new products, something smart home managing editor David Watsky noted as being a much faster pace than what the company has released in the past. This includes multiple robot vacuum models with cutting-edge capabilities across price points, redesigned HushJet air purifiers, and new beauty products such as its first dryer brush and next-gen hair straightener. With competitors like Roborock, iRobot, Dreame, Narwal, Mova, Shark and others all coming out with a vast array of products and models on a yearly basis, I can’t help but wonder if Dyson is feeling the pressure to keep up in the pace and frequency of its releases.

Definitely a space worth watching if you’re a Dyson fan.

As usual, some of the best products at IFA can’t actually be purchased by Americans

I’m talking about Dreame and Mova specifically here, though there are other examples like Anker and Ecovacs, with the latter having Tineco and Yeedi as sub-brands. Walking through their booths, I was struck by the sheer number of products they cover. You have the robot vacuums, cordless vacuums, wet and dry vacuums, robot lawn mowers, pool robots, window cleaning robots, air purifiers, smart pet tech like feeders and litter boxes, beauty tech like hair dryers and smart mirrors, humidifiers, fans and cooling, home battery backups, automotive, home security, home appliances, smart lighting, and other product categories I’m surely forgetting.

It’s an incredible, overwhelming number of products that make Dreame and Mova jacks-of-all-trades and almost overwhelming to cover. According to the hefty product brochure a Dreame representative handed me, the company had over 40 product releases for IFA, and I’d estimate a similar number for Mova. Many of these are products that won’t be sold in the US, which was the case for nearly the entire lineup of both companies, so that means we don’t cover them very much at CNET.

But walking into their booth at IFA always reminds me that there’s an entire universe of excellent, quality product options out there that American consumers don’t have access. It’s tragic, and with the current uncertainity about what you can actually sell in the American market and regulations and tariffs that can change overnight, I don’t expect that to change soon.

Editors’ note: Ajay Kumar’s travel costs for the IFA conference were covered by Roborock. The judgments and opinions of CNET are our own

Ajay Kumar

Smart Home & Robotics Editor

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CNET’s Smart Home & Robotics Editor covering robot vacs, home appliances, smart home, and yard & outdoors. Built CNET’s lab-exclusive testing methodology and lab awards.

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Though I’ve been working from home for the past 15 years, both freelance and full-time, this often means needing to be available 24/7, so I typically carry my laptop everywhere I go—including sports practices, day trips, and vacations.

I have used many laptop backpacks in this time, and the dividing line between a work backpack that’s comfortable and fits seamlessly into your daily routine and one that’s aggravating at every turn is a fine one. If you’ve got limited closet space, it also helps if the backpack can pull double duty and be used for travel and/or hiking. The backpacks below are ones either I or another WIRED reviewer have used extensively in real life, taking on planes, hiking trails, vacations, and work trips.

For more bag and backpack recommendations, Bag Check features WIRED staffers’ favorite totes, sleeves, and packs. For more portable gear, check out our guides to the Best Wireless Chargers, Best Bluetooth Trackers, and Best Travel Adapters.

Updated September 2026: I’ve added the Paramount Daypack Lite 20L and the Navigator Backpack to my main picks. I’ve also included the Eagle Creek Tour Lite Travel Pack, North Face Base Camp Voyager Pro, Bagsmart Moss Backpack, Brown Buffalo Conceal Pack, and GoRuck G1 to our honorable mentions list.

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Everlane ReNew Transit Backpack

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Thule Paramount Daypack Lite 20L

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Troubadour Apex Backpack 4.0

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Best Laptop Bag

Everlane

ReNew Transit Backpack

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I took this backpack on a weeklong work trip, where I bitched about it endlessly to everyone who would listen. However, I must fairly and objectively conclude that this bag offers tremendous value for the money. It’s a light, attractive, rucksack-style backpack that’s sleek and understated enough for work, and it’s under $120. The 27-liter capacity accommodated enough gear for a full day’s worth of travel, from a scarf for the plane to a water bottle, snacks, and other in-flight accouterments. It has a slim profile and lies close to your back, so it’s not hard to carry and won’t swing into people on the subway. The pockets are very minimal—just an exterior laptop pocket, an interior tablet sleeve, an interior zip pocket, and two large catch-all pockets—but they work if you already put your belongings in pouches anyway.

Certain design elements just felt cheap. I didn’t like the curved zipper that gives you access to the main compartment—zippers that don’t run straight are doomed to get stuck. One of the catch-all pockets is annoyingly located on the cover flap, where anything inside will flap and bang around. The luggage pass-through is a bare piece of webbing. However, it all works: it’s light, affordable, and looks nice. The fabric is also water-resistant, so you can wear it in the rain! For most people, that’s all that really matters. —Adrienne So

Best Laptop Bag for Commuting

Thule’s newest addition to its already solid backpack lineup was made specifically for schlepping gear to and from work on a daily basis, and it shows. The silhouette is sleek and aerodynamic, making it suitable for bike commuting (there’s even a loop on the front to attach a bike light), and it’s just big enough for a laptop, several notebooks, and maybe a jacket without feeling too big or bulky. The water bottle holder on the side is stretchy for a variety of sizes.

I also love the amount of organization inside for smaller things like pens and notebooks (the flap folds down for access to the interior, too, so you can access these things next to your desk), as well as the hidden yet easily accessible small pocket under the flap for wallet, keys, and phone. It’s not the roomiest pack, so you’re not carrying gym gear in this or taking it on an overnight trip, but if you’re just going to and from the office with basics and a laptop, this is the most well-engineered option I’ve tried.