The Dreame L10s Ultra robot vacuum and mop has been discounted to match the all-time low price of AU$429 that we saw from Black Friday 2025.

While the advertised RRP on Amazon is AU$1,199, the L10s Ultra was originally priced at AU$2,588 when it launched in 2022. But thanks to new iterations of this robovac coming out in quick succession (the latest Gen 3 model was released in October 2025), the L10s Ultra is now selling for a fraction of that original price.

In our Dreame L10s Ultra review, the robovac impressed with its AI obstacle avoidance capability and ability to detect changes in floor type and switch cleaning modes from carpet to hard flooring automatically. It also doesn’t need to map the space it will be cleaning beforehand, navigating a home on its own without issues.

The self-emptying capabilities were praised, as well as the ability to control the robovac remotely while it’s in standby mode. Our reviewer added that the companion app was easy-to use, where you can view cleaning history, set scheduled cleanups, tweak the carpet cleaning settings and see the accessory use, among other useful features.

The Dreame L10s isn’t perfect – the review also noted that it can get very loud during the self-emptying process, and that the unit may be drawing a lot of power while doing so. The testing also found it struggled to clean up spillages on hard floors and picking up larger debris.

Ultimately, though, I reckon these issues can be overlooked with this discount as you’ll be hard pressed to find a robovac with a fully automated dock (for washing and drying mops) and AI obstacle avoidance at this price point.

If you’re looking for something with more suction and better edge cleaning capabilities, the Gen 3 model mentioned above has also been discounted, and boasts 25,000 Pa units compared to the Gen 1’s 5,300 Pa. That said, it will still cost you twice as much as the L10s Ultra at AU$1,049.50, even with the 50% discount applied at checkout.

Running a business means juggling countless moving parts while trying to stay ahead of the competition. You know that feeling when manual processes eat up your day, communication breaks down between teams, and you’re constantly putting out fires instead of focusing on growth. The good news is that modern technology has solutions that can transform these daily headaches into streamlined operations.

Let’s explore how specific technologies can drive operational efficiency and revolutionize the way you run your business, turning chaos into competitive advantage.

Cloud Computing: Your Data Liberation Story

Cloud computing changes this narrative completely. Your team can access files, applications, and data from anywhere with an Internet connection. Collaboration happens in real time, whether your employees are in the office, working from home, or traveling. When your systems live in the cloud, automatic backups protect your data, and you only pay for the resources you actually use.

All you have to do is choose the right cloud provider and migration strategy. Start by identifying which applications and data would benefit most from cloud access, then work with a trusted provider to create a migration plan that minimizes disruption to your operations.

Artificial Intelligence: From Guesswork to Precision

Decision-making used to rely heavily on gut instinct and incomplete information. You’d spend hours analyzing spreadsheets, trying to spot trends, and making educated guesses about inventory needs, customer behavior, and market opportunities. Important insights often remained hidden in your data, and by the time you discovered them, competitors had already moved ahead.

Nowadays, there are hundreds of technologies and devices built precisely to streamline and improve decision-making, but few are as powerful and accessible as artificial intelligence. AI uses machine learning algorithms to analyze patterns in your data that your eyes could miss, predict customer needs before they express them, and automate routine decisions that once consumed hours of your time. Your inventory management becomes precise, customer service becomes proactive, and marketing campaigns target the right people at the right moment.

Making this transformation requires starting small and scaling up. Identify one specific business challenge where AI could make an immediate impact—perhaps customer service chatbots or predictive maintenance—and build from there.

Internet of Things (IoT): Turning Equipment Into Intelligence

Do you have equipment that is silent until something goes wrong? Maybe your machines break down without warning, causing costly downtime and emergency repairs. Or maybe you discover problems only after they’d already damaged productivity, frustrated customers, or created safety hazards. Perhaps your maintenance schedules are based on calendar dates rather than actual equipment conditions.

IoT sensors change everything by giving your equipment a voice. These smart devices monitor temperature, vibration, performance metrics, and wear patterns continuously. They alert you to potential problems before they become failures, optimize energy usage automatically, and provide data that helps you make informed decisions about replacements and upgrades.

The path to IoT implementation starts with identifying your most critical equipment and processes. Install sensors on machines that cause the biggest disruption when they fail, then expand your network as you see results and build confidence in the technology.

Robotic Process Automation (RPA): Your Digital Workforce

Repetitive tasks can drain your team’s energy and creativity. Employees spend countless hours on data entry, invoice processing, report generation, and other routine activities that add little value but consume significant time. These manual processes are prone to errors, create bottlenecks, and prevent your people from focusing on strategic work that drives growth.

RPA creates a digital workforce that handles these routine tasks with perfect accuracy and unlimited stamina. Software robots can process invoices, update databases, generate reports, and handle customer inquiries around the clock. Your employees then become free to focus on creativity, problem-solving, and building relationships that truly matter to your business.

Implementing RPA starts with documenting your current processes and identifying the most repetitive, rule-based tasks. Begin with one straightforward process, perfect the automation, then expand to other areas where digital workers can create value.

Advanced Security Systems: From Reactive to Proactive Protection

Security used to be not much more than a door lock and a key. Business owners used to have to hope that nothing bad would happen when they left for the night. Nowadays, physical security has made huge advancements in hardware that make it harder than ever for intruders to gain access. You probably have at least durable deadbolts on your physical business, but that’s not a foolproof strategy. You might still worry about unauthorized access to physical locations and wonder if your digital systems are truly protected.

Technology has filled in the security gaps that hardware can’t fill. Modern security systems create a proactive shield around your operations. For example, you can choose from different types of access control cards to integrate the intelligence of software with the physical benefits of locked hardware. You can also install smart cameras with facial recognition and AI-powered threat detection that work together to identify and respond to security issues before they escalate. These systems learn normal patterns and immediately flag anything unusual, giving you peace of mind and protecting your assets 24/7.

Building comprehensive security starts with assessing your current vulnerabilities across both physical and digital assets. Work with security professionals to design integrated systems that protect your specific business needs without creating barriers for legitimate users.

Making Technology Work for Your Business

You’re fortunate enough to own a business in an age that gives you access to hundreds of technologies that drive operational efficiency. This blog has covered only a few. The key to leveraging these technologies lies in understanding that they’re tools designed to solve specific business problems, not flashy additions to impress others. Start by identifying your biggest operational pain points, then explore which technologies offer the most practical solutions.

Success comes from taking a measured approach. Choose one technology that addresses your most pressing challenge, implement it thoroughly, and measure the results before moving to the next innovation. This strategy builds confidence in your team, demonstrates clear value to stakeholders, and creates a foundation for continued technological advancement.

Act as if your competitors are already exploring these possibilities (because they probably are). The question isn’t whether technology will transform business operations—it’s whether you’ll lead that transformation or be forced to catch up later. 

“Until we get equality in education, we won’t have an equal society.” Spoken by Sonia Sotomayor, associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, the words echo sharply across regions of the world where education is not guaranteed.

In the far northeastern corner of India—where villages are located in forests, on mountains, and along riverbanks—rural classrooms often operate with limited resources and even fewer opportunities. In districts such as Dhemaji, Assam, and the rural areas of Kharagpur and West Bengal, learning STEM often is just a distant dream.

I grew up in rural areas, and I saw how curiosity for science collided with poverty. Many students’ futures rely entirely on getting good grades to determine whether they are “worthy” of studying technical subjects later. One low grade on an exam can completely derail their future. More importantly, the absence of fully equipped laboratories, trained mentors, or exposure to STEM careers prevents many children from even being able to imagine an engineering career.

This is not just an educational issue. It is a matter of equity, directly aligned with U.N. Sustainable Development Goal 4, which aims to ensure a quality education for everyone.

The challenge is one that organizations such as IEEE, with its global technical community, are positioned to address. As technology becomes more imperative for everyday life, proficiency in electronics and programming is no longer optional—it is essential.

STEM outreach programs

In December 2020 volunteers from the joint student chapter of the IEEE Antennas and Propagation–Microwave Theory and Techniques (IEEE AP-MTT) societies at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur launched a grassroots STEM outreach initiative with support from the IEEE Kharagpur Section.

I coordinated the initiative, which started when I was secretary of the student chapter. (I also was its vice chair and chair from 2020 to 2022.) Today I am a student ambassador for the IEEE MTT Society and the IEEE Young Professionals cochair of the IEEE Benelux MTT-AP joint chapter.

The program’s mission was simple: make hands-on electronics accessible to students who had never seen an Arduino board.

It began with training in the fundamentals of circuit building—LEDs, switches, breadboards, and batteries—and progressed into Arduino programming, automation, and sensor integration. The volunteers emphasized teamwork and friendly competitions to keep students engaged.

Through straightforward, relatable demonstrations, even complex topics such as electromagnetic concepts were explained in ways that the students could understand. The methodology not only increased understanding; it also sparked enthusiasm. In the first year, nearly 100 students from five schools benefited from the curriculum. The model is now known as Teach, Train, and Build (TTB). The initiative was recognized in 2021 with the IEEE Darrel Chong Student Activity Award.

The birth of hobby clubs

TTB’s success led to additional funding from the IEEE Special Interest Group in Humanitarian Technology (SIGHT) program in 2022. This support from IEEE SIGHT enabled the establishment of three electronics hobby labs in underserved schools in Assam and West Bengal. The E-HuTS (electronic hobby clubs for technical development in rural schools) labs became permanent areas where students learn, experiment, and innovate.

The inauguration ceremony for the E-HuTS was a milestone moment. To further inspire students, Mrinal Mandal, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at IIT Kharagpur, gave a motivational talk in Bengali. The immediate outcome was that a group of students built a smart home using Arduino and wireless communication modules—something they never imagined they could do.

Reducing gender disparity

A similar transformation unfolded in Assam, where the TTB program was conducted entirely in the Assamese language, ensuring inclusivity for students with limited exposure to English. After completing the program, students proudly displayed their IEEE certificates.

One of the best aspects of the Assam program was the overwhelming participation of female students. Many of the young women were interacting with electronics for the first time—an inspiring step toward reducing gender disparity in the STEM field.

Real impact: projects, confidence, and recognition

The more than 85 students who joined the hobby clubs in Assam and West Bengal developed almost three dozen projects including sensor-based alarms and environmental monitoring systems. The innovations weren’t replicas; they were original student-driven designs developed under the guidance of an IEEE mentor.

The initiative received a mention in the 2022 IEEE annual report and in an article in The Institute about the 2022 IEEE Education Week activities.

To ensure measurable progress of the program, the TTB team also implemented an evaluation matrix inspired by IEEE Humanitarian Technologies Board guidelines. The spreadsheet tracked outputs including the number of workshops held, hours delivered, and tools provided. It also measured results such as skills development, knowledge retention, student engagement, and long-term interest.

The structured methodology made the project replicable and transparent, providing a framework for future STEM outreach efforts.

New chapters, new beginnings

The momentum from those initiatives helped spark the creation of IEEE communities in India. In 2023 the IEEE student branch at Dibrugarh University in Assam was formed, followed in 2024 by the university’s IEEE Microwave Theory and Technology Society student branch chapter. The groups have become centers of volunteer activity, ensuring long-term sustainability.

This year the TTB team organized TechnoFest: Udhvav 2.0, which brought engineers, scientists, lecturers, and members of the IEEE Young Professionals group together with students in the region. For many participants, it was their first opportunity to interact with real innovators and role models, turning the festival into an energizing platform of inspiration and exposure for rural youth.

A visit to Vidhya: The Living School

Also in 2023, thanks to a grant from the IEEE MTT-S Ambassador program, IEEE volunteers visited Vidhya: The Living School, in Dhemaji. The session took place outdoors that October amid breathtaking natural landscapes, demonstrating that learning thrives even outside of a traditional infrastructure.

Another important milestone came in 2024, when the IEEE MTT-S SIGHT group provided a grant of US $1,000 to the school for its Vidhya Shakti project to install solar panels to provide uninterrupted and sustainable power to the school.

The student ambassadors met several distinguished figures who have made notable contributions to STEM education in India. They included Pranjal Buragohain, founder of the Vidhya school; chemical scientist Binoy Kumar Saikia, a recipient of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award for Science and Technology in India; and astronomer Kishor Baruah, known for creating programs for visually impaired students.

Another heartwarming stop was at the Tai Phake School near Naharkatya, where one of the first E-HuTS labs was established in 2022.

The initiative has grown far beyond its original mission. It now:

• Connects universities with remote schools.
• Empowers underprivileged students.
• Nurtures future IEEE volunteers.
• Reduces gender barriers.
• Creates sustainable technical ecosystems.
• Builds a culture of giving back.

What began with a few breadboards and LEDs is now shaping the future of budding engineers across India. More than 100 students have been affected, dozens of projects have been built, and schools now have functioning electronics labs. New IEEE student branches have sprung to life, and communities once isolated from STEM education are becoming part of the growing technological landscape.

The journey continues, driven by connection, compassion, and the belief that every student, no matter where they live, deserves access to quality STEM education.

The first fork in the road you’ll come to when shopping for a MacBook is whether to follow the Air path or head down the Pro road. For people who are looking for an everyday home laptop or a work laptop for running basic office apps, a MacBook Air will suffice. An Air is also a better pick for students and people on tight budgets. For creative types who need the added processing and graphics muscle of Apple’s new M4 Pro and Max chips, a MacBook Pro is worth the added cost. To help you find the right MacBook for your needs and budget, here are the main considerations to keep in mind.

Price

The entry price for a MacBook is $649. That gets you the M1 MacBook Air that was released in 2020, but that offer is exclusive to Walmart. If you are shopping at Apple, pricing starts at $999 for the 13-inch MacBook Air M4 and $1,199 for the 15-inch MacBook Air M4. Stepping up to a MacBook Pro model starts at $1,599. Here are the starting prices of Apple’s current MacBook lineup:

• 13-inch M4 MacBook Air: $999
• 15-inch M4 MacBook Air: $1,199
• 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro: $1,599
• 16-inch M4 Pro MacBook Pro: $2,499

Size and display

If you’ll be taking your MacBook with you to class, work or even down to your local coffee shop most mornings, an Air is the better choice. The 13-inch MacBook Air models weigh less than 3 pounds, and the roomier 15-inch Air weighs only 3.3 pounds, which is still lighter than the 14-inch MacBook Pro.

The flip side to portability is screen size. The 16-inch MacBook Pro gives you ample room to work and multitask, while the 14-inch MacBook Pro tries to hit the sweet spot between roomy display and travel ease. Unless you need Pro-level performance, we feel the 15-inch Air does a better job of hitting that target.

• 13.3-inch M1 MacBook Air: 13.3-inch display (2,560×1,600 pixels), 2.8 pounds
• 13.6-inch M4 MacBook Air: 13.6-inch display (2,560×1,664 pixels), 2.7 pounds
• 15.3-inch M4 MacBook Air: 15.3-inch display (2,880×1,864 pixels), 3.3 pounds
• 14.2-inch M5 MacBook Pro: 14.2-inch display (3,024×1,964 pixels), 3.4 pounds
• 16.2-inch M4 Pro MacBook Pro: 16.2-inch display (3,456×2,234 pixels), 4.7 pounds

Processor

The processor, aka the CPU, is the brains of a laptop. MacBooks have used Apple’s own processors since the introduction of the M1 processor in 2020. The M1-based MacBooks were clear improvements over Apple’s earlier Intel-based machines in terms of overall performance, efficiency and battery life. The M1 MacBooks were more powerful, boasted longer runtimes and operated more coolly and quietly.

The latest lineup of MacBook Airs feature Apple’s M4 chip, and the MacBook Pro line offers a choice of M5, M4 Pro and M4 Max processors. The M4 MacBook Air models offer slightly better performance than the M3-based versions, but the jump in performance is not nearly the same as going from Intel CPUs to the M1.

Graphics

The graphics processor handles all the work of driving the screen and generating what gets displayed, as well as speeding up a lot of graphics-related (and increasingly, AI-related) operations. Apple’s M-series CPUs integrate the GPU. The more processing cores the GPU has, the better the graphics performance. Here’s the breakdown:

• M1: 7-core or 8-core GPU
• M2: 8-core or 10-core GPU
• M3: 8-core or 10-core GPU
• M4: 8-core or 10-core GPU
• M5: 10-core GPU
• M4 Pro: 20-core or 32-core GPU
• M4 Max: 32-core or 40-core GPU

Memory

Memory (or RAM) is where the operating system stores all the data for currently running applications, and it can fill up fast. After that, it starts swapping between RAM and SSD, which is slower. With the exception of the older M1 Air sold at Walmart, MacBook Air models now start at 16GB of RAM, along with the 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro. The minimum on the M4 Pro MacBook Pro models is 24GB, and the M4 Max MacBook Pros serve up 36GB or more.

You can’t upgrade the memory on recent MacBooks post purchase, so you’ll need to get all of the RAM you’ll need up front. MacBooks are able to smoothly run MacOS and the preinstalled apps with the minimum RAM offered, but doubling the RAM will make your MacBook feel faster and likely lead to a longer life of the laptop. 

Storage

MacBooks feature solid-state drives, or SSDs. MacBook Air models start with a 256GB SSD, and MacBook Pros offer a 512GB SSD at minimum. If you use cloud storage for your files, music collection and photo library, then you might be able to get away with a 256GB SSD without filling it up before too long. We were happy to see the 13-inch MacBook Pro with its paltry 256GB SSD go away — Pro users need 512GB at the very least.

from the constitution-apparently-just-left-wing-virtue-signalling dept

The administration’s racist goon squads have absolutely been steamrolling the Constitution since Trump’s return to office. When ICE et al started roving throughout the nation looking for anyone non-white enough to be foreign, all rights were considered expendable.

The DHS made swift work of the Fifth, Sixth, and 14th Amendments by denying arrestees due process and access to legal representation. Officers grabbed people, sent them far from their home states, and shoved them into planes headed to foreign hellhole prisons as quickly as possible in hopes of nullifying the inevitable legal challenges.

The 14th Amendment got kicked while it was still down when the administration decided birthright citizenship was no longer a thing. And the entire administration simply pretends the First Amendment doesn’t apply to anyone who says things or does stuff it doesn’t like.

The Fourth Amendment got turned into a doormat last May when the DHS Office of Legal Counsel (usurping the role usually held by the DOJ Office of Legal Counsel) told federal officers they no longer needed judicial warrants to enter homes so long as they could semi-credibly claim the person they were seeking was subject to immigration court order of removal.

Now, ICE is coming for what’s left of the Fourth Amendment, as the New York Times reports:

Amid tensions over President Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota and beyond, federal agents were told this week that they have broader power to arrest people without a warrant, according to an internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo reviewed by The New York Times.

The change expands the ability of lower-level ICE agents to carry out sweeps rounding up people they encounter and suspect are undocumented immigrants, rather than targeted enforcement operations in which they set out, warrant in hand, to arrest a specific person.

“Amid tensions,” Polish journalists wrote in late 1939. That bit of coyness aside, there’s additional coyness in the memo issued by ICE’s acting director Todd Lyons. There’s very little in the way of legal citations. But there’s definitely a permission slip ICE agents can write for themselves when they head out to terrorize US residents.

Lyons thinks he can redefine legal terms on the fly to allow immigration officers to arrest people without warrants. The memo says “flight risk” (which allows for a warrantless arrest) is not the correct term since it can only be applied after an arrest:

Without explanation, and without any formal policy, ICE previously applied the phrase “likely to escape” as being the equivalent of “flight risk. ” This unreasoned position was incorrect. In fact, there are significant differences between the two standards in the immigration regulatory context and immigration officers should avoid conflating them. A flight risk analysis looks at whether an alien is likely to attend future immigration court hearings, appear before ERO as directed, surrender for removal, and comply with other immigration obligations. Flight risk determinations are made after an alien’s arrest, where the alien has already been identified, fingerprinted, interviewed, and may have had DNA collected.

That’s simply no good for this administration — especially when immigration forces are expected to come up with 3,000 arrests per day. Lyons says (again, without supporting legal citations) that “likely to escape” should be the standard for warrantless arrests, which is a determination agents should be able to make on their own without having to seek an arrest warrant. After all, if they go get a warrant, there’s a good chance the person they want to arrest might be a bit more difficult to find.

While the flight-risk analysis assesses whether an already identified and detained alien is likely to comply with future immigration obligations such as court appearances and appearances before ERO , the likelihood-of-escape analysis is narrowly focused on determining whether the person is likely to escape before the officer can practically obtain an administrative arrest warrant, while in the field. This on-the-spot determination as to the likelihood of escape is often made with limited information about the subject’s identity, background, or place of residence and no corroboration of any self-serving statements made by the subject.

The goalposts are moved. If an officer thinks a person they just happened to come across while performing an arrest with an actual warrant might not stick around to be arrested later, the officer can just arrest them as well, citing the lowered standard of “likely to escape.”

And what makes one “likely to escape” under this arbitrary, completely made the fuck up “legal” standard? Well, it’s a fine blend of “anything” and “everything.”

The subject’s behavior before or during the “encounter,” which covers anything from “suspicious behavior” to simply refusing officers’ commands to let them in a house (without a warrant) or yank them from a car (without a warrant). For that matter, being in a car is all that’s needed to be considered “likely to escape.” (“The subject’s ability and means to promptly depart the scene.”)

Or maybe the “subject” looks like they just may be healthy enough to leave on foot:

The subject’s age and health…

Also on the list: documents an officer “suspects” might be fraudulent (with no demand made that officers attempt to verify documents before engaging in a warrantless arrest). The list also says officers can make warrantless arrests if they suspect the person has violated any immigration law, even though they are not required to do anything at all to seek information that might corroborate their suspicions.

The end result is exactly what this administration wants it to be: a blank check for warrantless arrests that can then be justified after the fact by the officers who performed the arrest. And if they happen to be wrong, they’ll just cut the person loose, secure in the knowledge they’ll never be punished by their superiors, much less held accountable in court now that the Supreme Court has made it impossible to sue federal officers for rights violations.

Given this further erasure of civil rights, one can only assume the coming weeks will bring us DHS/ICE memos declaring the use of private homes as federal operation centers to be well within the confines of the Third Amendment. Perhaps we’ll even see some women jailed for attempting to vote during the upcoming midterms. ALL RIGHTS MUST GO!, says the administration proudly hosting this dumpster fire of a civil liberties fire sale. And once again, the party claiming to make America great continues to eliminate all the stuff that makes America America.

Filed Under: 4th amendment, bigotry, cbp, ice, mass deportation, todd lyons, trump administration, warrants

Although numerous gadgets are deemed must-haves, you can’t forget about the humble microwave – no kitchen is complete without one partially due to their impressive versatility. 

Traditionally, microwaves were just used to quickly heat and reheat food but recently they’ve taken on a whole new status, boasting even more additional features for hassle-free cooking, defrosting and even grilling. 

As some microwaves can go well past the £100 mark, it’s worth assessing your needs before making an investment. If you know you’ll solely use your microwave to reheat leftovers, then you probably don’t need a more premium pick with multiple mod-cons. 

If, however, you’re looking for an appliance that can do a bit more, then a combination microwave would be a better investment for you. A combi microwave can boast features including individual cooking programmes for different foods, convection ovens and even grill modes, so you can truly do everything with just one appliance. 

You should also consider power levels, program settings and the size of the physical microwave to make sure it’ll fit comfortably in your space. You also should ensure that the internal capacity of your microwave is big enough to fit your widest plates and tallest containers. 

To help you decide, we’ve tested multiple microwaves, from the budget-friendly to more premium models, and compiled the highest-rated options into this handy list. 

All microwaves we review are rigorously tested by our experts. We inspect every aspect from the design and capacity to the cooking functions, performance and power. We then ensure that each microwave is built for purpose, putting them through real-world tests such as defrosting bread, reheating cooked rice and cooking jacket potatoes. 

If you want to add more to your kitchen beyond a new microwave, you might be interested in our other numerous review guides including best air fryer guide, best toasters, best kettles and best coffee machine.

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