Anker has unveiled a new bedside speaker designed to monitor sleep without requiring users to wear anything to bed, introducing the SleepLab Pro as part of a broader lineup of sleep-focused products revealed at the IFA 2026 technology trade show in Berlin.

The SleepLab Pro is a tabletop speaker that uses 60GHz radar technology to sense sleep patterns from a distance, tracking heart rate, breathing and the four recognized stages of sleep, all without requiring users to strap on a smartwatch, ring, band or pair of dedicated sleep earbuds. Anker has said the device is capable of distinguishing an individual user’s data even when two people share the same bed, a feature aimed at households where multiple sleepers might otherwise interfere with a single tracking device’s readings.

Beyond sensing sleep, the SleepLab Pro also functions as a sleep aid, playing personalized audio intended to help users fall asleep and stay asleep through the night, adjusting its output based on the data it collects. According to Anker, the device includes more than 180 built-in sounds, reducing the likelihood that users will grow tired of repetitive audio loops like ocean waves that have become common across other white-noise machines and sleep apps.

Anker has said the SleepLab Pro incorporates five research-backed modes along with a 28-day program designed to gradually help users identify a breathing rhythm that works best for their individual physiology. Sound design plays a central role in that approach, with the device using acoustic beats spanning alpha, theta and delta frequency ranges, each intended to correspond with different stages of relaxation and sleep as the user winds down for the night.

The device also offers guided breathing exercises, multi-color ambient lighting designed to help set a calming mood before sleep, and a gentle sunrise-style lighting effect intended to ease users awake in the morning without the abrupt jolt of a traditional alarm. Dual internal drivers provide spatial audio playback, allowing the SleepLab Pro to double as a general-purpose speaker outside of its sleep-tracking functions, supported by Bluetooth 6.1 connectivity for standard music playback when users want to use it that way.

One detail Anker has emphasized in its marketing of the device is the absence of any required subscription to access its core sleep-tracking and audio features. Unlike a growing number of wellness and fitness devices that gate detailed health data or personalized recommendations behind recurring monthly fees, Anker has said users will not need to pay ongoing subscription costs to access the SleepLab Pro’s sleep reports or its full library of built-in sounds. The company has also designed the device to be usable without reaching for a smartphone each night, allowing users to begin a wind-down routine with a simple tap on the speaker itself.

The SleepLab Pro arrives as part of a four-product sleep technology lineup Anker introduced at IFA 2026, alongside a lower-tier SleepLab speaker and two new sleep-focused earbud models, the Sleep 4 and Sleep 4 Pro. The higher-end Sleep 4 Pro earbuds introduce a proprietary system Anker calls “Track-Assess-Adjustment,” which monitors photoplethysmography, heart rate and heart rate variability overnight, then uses the company’s BioSync system to dynamically adjust audio output in response. The Sleep 4 Pro also includes a charging case with an integrated touchscreen display, letting users adjust alarms, play sounds or check sleep metrics without needing to pick up a phone.

The broader sleep-tech lineup reflects Anker’s ongoing effort to reposition itself as more than a charging-accessory manufacturer, building on the company’s established expertise in portable power products, such as its line of Anker Nano Power Banks, to expand into preventative health and wellness hardware. The SleepLab Pro launch also coincides with a broader corporate rebranding effort at Anker, which has been gradually consolidating familiar sub-brand names, including Soundcore and Eufy, more directly under the parent Anker name as part of a wider identity shift showcased at this year’s IFA event.

Despite the detailed feature rundown, several key details about the SleepLab Pro remain unconfirmed. Anker has not yet announced pricing for either the SleepLab or SleepLab Pro speakers, nor has the company confirmed a specific release date for either device. By comparison, Anker has said its Sleep 4 earbuds are expected to launch in October 2026, with the higher-end Sleep 4 Pro following in November, though pricing for those earbud models likewise has not been disclosed.

Early hands-on impressions from technology journalists who viewed the SleepLab Pro at IFA have been mixed but generally curious. Some reviewers expressed skepticism about how useful the device’s radar-based sleep tracking and analysis would prove in practice, noting that many consumers already rely on existing wearables such as smartwatches to track similar health metrics like heart rate and sleep stages. Others said the appeal of a passive, non-wearable tracking method was intriguing, particularly for users who find sleep rings, bands or earbuds uncomfortable or impractical to wear through the night.

Reviewers have also raised questions about how Anker’s sleep-focused earbud models specifically manage battery life and audio playback once a user actually falls asleep, asking whether the devices are capable of detecting when a wearer has lost consciousness and automatically halting continued audio playback. Without such an automatic cutoff, continuous overnight audio streaming could risk draining battery capacity in compact wireless earbud models like the Sleep 4 before morning, a concern that does not directly apply to the tabletop SleepLab Pro given its larger form factor and presumed connection to a standard power source.

Anker’s entry into radar-based, wearable-free sleep tracking places the SleepLab Pro in a growing category of bedside sleep technology that has expanded significantly in recent years, as consumer interest in sleep optimization and wellness tracking has continued to rise alongside broader public attention to sleep health. Whether the SleepLab Pro succeeds in differentiating itself from existing wearable-based sleep trackers, or from other radar-based bedside sleep devices already on the market from competing manufacturers, will likely depend heavily on pricing, real-world tracking accuracy, and the overall usefulness of its personalized audio and breathing-exercise features once the device becomes available for hands-on testing and eventual purchase.

For now, prospective buyers interested in the SleepLab Pro will need to wait for Anker to confirm both pricing and a firm release date before the device becomes available, with the company having so far prioritized showcasing the product’s design and feature set at IFA 2026 ahead of finalizing those remaining commercial details.

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The company, which says it is the UK’s biggest package holiday provider and the third-largest airline, updated investors on its summer trading and announced plans to move to the London Stock Exchange main market

Jet2 has reported that summer bookings are running ahead of last year and that it is on course for a stronger winter season, as the holiday firm also unveiled plans to move its listing to the main market of the London Stock Exchange.

The Leeds-based company, which claims to be the UK’s biggest package holiday provider and the third-largest airline, updated investors on its summer trading performance. The number of passengers booked for summer 2026 travel so far is up 8.8% compared with the same period last year, according to Jet2.

This growth spans both its package holidays and flight-only deals. Jet2 said its load factor – a key metric for airlines indicating the average proportion of seats filled on its flights – was 1.5 percentage points ahead of last summer.

The firm also revealed that seat capacity for winter 2026-27 currently stands 8% higher than the previous year, at 5.9m seats, following an expansion at London Gatwick airport.

Jet2 noted that a recent trend of passengers booking trips closer to their departure date was continuing, having become particularly prominent over the summer in the wake of volatility triggered by the war in Iran. Travel disruption caused by the conflict, along with jet fuel supply shortages pushing up costs for airlines, has contributed to growing uncertainty amongst holidaymakers.

However, Jet2 said it had been largely able to hedge against higher jet fuel costs for the financial year, providing “cost certainty”. Steve Heapy, Jet2’s chief executive, said he had been “encouraged by the sustained level of demand for both our holiday products through the peak summer season which gives us confidence for the remainder of the financial year”.

In a further significant development, Jet2 revealed its plans to transfer its stock market listing from AIM (Alternative Investment Market) to the main market of the London Stock Exchange. The move represents a graduation from London’s growth market, opening the door to a far broader pool of UK and international institutional investors.

Mr Heapy said the decision reflected “the scale of the business we have built, our proven track record of delivery and the opportunities that lie ahead”.

Adam Vettese, a market analyst at Etoro, described the listing move as an “important signal”.

“Jet2 has outgrown AIM in everything except the ticker,” he said. “A main market listing is management saying the next chapter is about scale, liquidity and a wider institutional following, with FTSE 250 membership the obvious prize.”

The family of a 32-year-old Bank of America vice president fatally stabbed in an apparently random Times Square attack earlier this week is remembering her as a devoted new mother who had just returned from maternity leave the day she was killed.

Erin Piacenti was killed Aug. 31, the same day she returned to work after spending five months at home with her newborn daughter, Madison, according to a GoFundMe organized by her brother-in-law in consultation with her husband Frank and other family members.

“Becoming a mother was Erin’s lifelong ambition, and Madison gave her the greatest possible joy,” the fundraiser states.

Piacenti and her husband had recently celebrated their second wedding anniversary and returned from a family road trip, according to the fundraiser.

BANK OF AMERICA VP KILLED IN TIMES SQUARE STABBING ATTACK

A split of Erin Piacenti and the Times Square crime scene where she was tragically stabbed and killed on Aug. 31, 2026.  (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images; Facebook/Erin Piacenti / Getty Images)

“They were preparing to build a life together with their new daughter,” the family wrote. “That life changed incomprehensibly in an instant.”

Piacenti was stabbed near West 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue in Manhattan during what New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch described as an apparently random and unprovoked attack.

A 68-year-old man was also stabbed and taken to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition, according to police.

SOCIALIST PLAN COULD FORCE AMAZON TO FLEE NYC

A photo showing two knives recovered at the scene is displayed during a press conference following a fatal stabbing incident in Times Square near West 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue in Manhattan, New York, United States, on August 31, 2026. (Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Police identified the suspect as Pamela Cisneros, 49. Officers responding to the scene encountered Cisneros holding two large knives, according to the NYPD.

Erin Piacenti, the Bank of America Vice President who was tragically killed in a stabbing attack in New York City’s Times Square on Monday Aug. 31, 2026, on her wedding day. (Facebook/Erin Piacenti / Unknown)

Police said Cisneros advanced toward officers before officers shot her. She was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The NYPD’s Force Investigation Division is reviewing the police shooting.

Piacenti worked as a vice president on Bank of America’s Business Selection and Conflicts team and joined the bank about 18 months earlier, according to an internal memo reviewed by Reuters.

“We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague,” Bank of America said in a statement to Reuters. “She was a valued teammate who will be greatly missed. Our hearts go out to her family and all of her loved ones.”

NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch speaks at a press conference after NYPD officers shot and killed a knife-wielding woman who fatally stabbed a woman and injured a man in Times Square near the area of West 42nd Street and 7th Avenue in Times Squ (Kyle Mazza/UNF News via CNP/Sipa USA / Reuters)

“To the people who knew and loved her, Erin was a thoughtful daughter and sister, a loyal friend, a devoted partner and companion in every aspect of Frank’s life, and, most recently, an incredibly loving mother to Madison,” the family’s GoFundMe states. 

In a separate statement reported by media outlets, Piacenti’s family said they were “devastated” by her death and asked for privacy.

The GoFundMe was established to support Piacenti’s daughter as she grows up and to help preserve stories and memories of her mother, according to the family.

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“Erin’s life was defined not by the circumstances of her death, but instead by the way she lived,” the fundraiser states.

Liam Ebbs has launched GameFrame, a new Grimsby business offering a 3D football shirt display that brings sports memorabilia to life

A Grimsby businessman has swapped a career in construction to launch a fresh sports memorabilia venture with his family. Like countless other football supporters, Liam Ebbs and his family regard vintage shirts as far more than simply items of clothing.

Treasured shirts are akin to time capsules and fragments of personal history, frequently passed down across generations. The devoted Grimsby Town supporter has accumulated an impressive collection of shirts but wasn’t happy with the conventional method of displaying them, where fans send away their jerseys to be sealed in corporate, formal frames.

Identifying a gap in the marketplace, he and his family hit upon a plan to completely transform the shirt display sector. The outcome – GameFrame – perfectly showcases tops and is already attracting attention from clubs and enterprises up and down the country, less than a month since its debut.

Following two decades in construction, Liam is now entirely committed to developing an enterprise centred on preserving sporting enthusiasm, rather than merely producing frames.

Founder and dad-of-two Liam, 44, said: “It’s a completely different way of displaying football or sports jerseys in general. GameFrame came from an idea I’d had for a long time. I’ve always felt that traditional framed football shirts can look a little flat and lifeless, and I wanted to create something that actually brings the shirt to life.

“I had a real prize shirt selection that I wanted to frame, and I was looking around at what was out there, and it just wasn’t really doing it for me. So, it popped into my head, and I started playing with things, reports Grimsby Live.

“I thought, ‘actually, I can’t find it, so I’ll try and make it. ‘ And it just snowballed from there. The result is GameFrame – a three-dimensional shirt display designed around the shape of the body, turning a football shirt or sporting jersey into something much more sculptural and personal.

“After a lot of development, prototyping and probably a few moments of wondering what I’d got myself into, the website is now live and GameFrame has launched for pre-order, with the first products due to be dispatched towards the end of September.”

GameFrame offers prospective customers reassurance that they won’t need to part with their cherished shirts to have them framed. The display unit, which is manufactured in the UK, is delivered straight to the customer’s door.

Liam said: “A lot of times, you just send your shirt off to a company, they frame it in a black frame, fold it, and send it back. And if they’re signed they could be worth thousands of pounds. Our concept is that you buy the frame, and you do it yourself.

“It’s simple. You can hang your shirt, and you can change it in a minute.”

Liam, who lives in Grimsby with his wife Amy, 44, Leila, 18, and George, 13, describes launching his own venture as a significant shift, having spent years in the construction and housebuilding sector, holding positions in procurement and quality control.

However, he maintains those capabilities provided ideal groundwork for creating a physical product, explaining: “The skills I acquired in that previous career-the quality control for building houses, making sure everything is good for customers, and the procurement side-that’s really helped with the development of this business.”

Since going live earlier this month, he’s been in discussions with professional football clubs about partnering on heritage products, narrating historical stories through shirt displays. Retailers as far away as Brighton have also been in touch.

He said: “I’ve spoken to the local clubs as well. I meet the chairman at Cleethorpes Town tomorrow, and the immediate dream is to get into Grimsby Town, they’re my local team.”

It’s not Liam’s first venture into the start-up arena. In his early 20s, he operated a vintage clothing outlet, gaining experience through market stalls and shops in Lincoln after importing vintage Levi’s and other garments.

He said: “I’ve always had a bit of an entrepreneurial spirit, but life got in the way-house, kids, things like that. Now, at this stage of my life, I decided to take the leap and go for it.”

Although the venture is currently run from home, the ambition is plain to see: to establish a family business, with everyone already fully committed to the cause.

He added: “They have been helping me with the TikTok and social media side of things. I’m just trying to build a family brand. I’d like to try and hopefully develop it as a family business – that’s the goal.”

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The global property advisory has entered into consultation with staff at the office

Property advisory firm Avison Young is closing its Cardiff office as part of an ongoing review of its operations.

The Canadian headquartered global firm is consulting with the office’s 12 staff and identifying potential alternative roles based at other locations.

Avison Young other UK offices, which are not affected, includes those in London, Bristol, and Edinburgh.

Its Cardiff office, based at the city centre 1 Kingsway office scheme, was launched following the firm’s acquisition of rival GVA in 2019.

Recently the office has seen a number of high profile staff moving on, including its former principal and office managing partner, Peter Constantine, who last December joined Newmark, based in Cardiff, as part of its UK leisure team.

HMRC had filed a winding up petition against Avison Young (UK) for unpaid taxes, but was withdrawn last month following a multi-million-pound settlement. Avison Young, via its Toronto headquarters, last month also confirmed it has reached a major recapitalisation deal with funders. The transaction, which is expected to be finalised in October, will reduce its det and preferred equity by nearly 70%.

Avison Young said its decision to close its Cardiff office ties in with the expiry of its lease at its 1 Kingsway offices and would allow the firm “to continue to bald a strong foundation for its long-term growth across the UK.”

The Cardiff team has advised on a wide range of property deals in Wales from office lettings to freehold investment sales, including acting for Cardiff Council on its £50m plus acquisition of the Red Dragon Centre in Cardiff Bay and for Delancey on its acquisition the 2 Kingsway office scheme in the centre of Cardiff for £13m. Last year it also acted for Cowell Group, founded by the brother of Simon Cowell, Nicholas Cowell, and Bravo Investment House, on their acquisition of the 90,000 sq ft Churchill House office building, also in the centre of the capital.

President of Avison Young for the UK and Ireland, George Roberts, said: “Our primary focus throughout this transition is supporting our employees and maintaining seamless service for our clients and partners. We are now consulting with the 12 affected colleagues in Cardiff to support them through this change, including identifying alternative roles based from other locations.”

Founded in 1978 Avison Young employs around 4,300 with more than 100 offices globally.

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