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If you’re looking to outsource as much of your floor cleaning as possible, a combination robot vacuum and mop is your best bet short of hiring regular house cleaners. The Roborock Saros 10R Robot Vacuum and Mop is a great option, with powerful suction, a slim silhouette that gets into tight spaces, and a bevy of automated features that deliver a mostly hands-off experience—especially at its current 44% off price of $899.99 (originally $1,599.99).

Roborock Saros 10R Robot Vacuum and Mop

$899.99
at Amazon

$1,599.99
Save $700.00

$899.99
at Amazon

$1,599.99
Save $700.00

Though it comes in at under $1,000, it still delivers reliable obstacle avoidance, a super-slim design, and powerful hard-floor vacuuming and mopping, with up to 22,000 Pa of suction. According to Mashable, it’s better at mopping than competitors like the Saros 10, and comes with dual rotating mop pads and an extending arm to get into nooks and crannies, as well as a split brushroll to reduce hair or fur tangles. Its slim 3.14-inch profile means it more easily fits under low-profile furniture than bulkier robot vacuums, which are typically about an inch taller.

While it excels at cleaning hard floors, it’s also more effective than older Roborock models at managing rugs, thresholds up to 4 centimeters high, and rooms with various obstacles, including furniture. The low-maintenance dock empties the dustbin, refills the Saros 10R’s water tank, and washes and dries the mop pads. While it accomplishes quite a lot, the self-cleaning station does require dedicated floor space, as the dock is on the larger side.

If you want an everyday cleaner that excels at navigation and hands-off routines, the Roborock Saros 10R Robot Vacuum and Mop is one of the most reliable “set it and forget it” vacuum-and-mop combos available. And at a lower-than-ever $700 off, it offers a fantastic value right now.

Kroger says it will cut 3,000 corporate jobs over the next three years as it expands its use of AI and other technology to streamline operations. “Technology is reshaping what’s possible,” CEO Greg Foran wrote in a memo to employees on Monday. “The way work gets done is changing across every industry; we must adapt and take advantage of technology. We need to adopt capabilities, reduce duplicative work and look closely at where work is best fit to be done.” ABC News reports: Kroger last month outlined its AI strategy, meant “to improve the customer experience, make work easier for associates and produce better business outcomes.” Cincinnati-based Kroger is the largest standalone U.S. supermarket chain with 409,000 employees and more than 2,700 stores operating under various brands, including Ralphs, King Soopers, Smith’s and Fred Meyer.

Kroger named former Walmart executive Foran CEO in February, 11 months after the abrupt resignation of its previous CEO. Foran has a reputation for being tech-savvy and detail-oriented. He led Walmart’s U.S. division from 2014 to 2019, where he focused on cleaning up stores, ensuring items were in stock and improving the fresh produce selection. He also introduced online ordering and pickup, and accelerated Walmart’s digital capabilities.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The company asked its AI models to figure out what the device was.

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The Fitbit brand has long been defined by fitness trackers with tiny screens, yet it’s been three years since it released a new one. Now that the Fitbit Edge has been announced (and pre-orders have opened), longtime Fitbit users are probably wondering how it compares to the last Fitbit release with a screen, the Charge 6.

The design is the first clear difference: The Edge fits in perfectly between the screenless Fitbit Air and the smooth, curved screen of the Pixel Watch. It runs on the same operating system as the Fitbit Air, which is slightly different from the OS that runs on Pixel watches. Like other Fitbits, the Edge pairs with both iPhones and Android devices. Now, let’s look at what Google has added since the Charge 6—and what it took away.

Google Fitbit Edge – Activity Tracker – Pyrite/Olive – Small & Large Band

$179.99
at Amazon

$179.99
at Amazon

The Fitbit Edge has a real side button

I just unboxed the Fitbit Edge that Google sent me to review, and can confirm: There is a physical button on the right side of the casing. It makes an audible click when you press it in, even when the device is turned off. The Charge 6 has a “button” that is just a haptic nub—squeeze it, and if you’re lucky it might recognize your touch and buzz in response. (Sadly, I found it often didn’t work.)

The Fitbit Edge has an altimeter and an allegedly better GPS chipset

The altimeter is a brand-new bit of hardware in the Fitbit Edge. You have to go back to the Charge 4 to find a Fitbit tracker with an altimeter. This is the sensor that tells you your altitude and enables a measurement of how many “floors” you have climbed throughout the day. It also allows for more accurate tracking of hills on your hikes and hilly runs.

The Charge 6 and the Edge both have GPS capabilities, allowing the device to know where you are in the world, even if you left your phone at home. (The Fitbit Air, by contrast. does not have its own GPS and has to pester your phone to find out where you are and how fast you’re running.) The Charge 6’s GPS has some serious flaws, the main one being that tightening the wristband too much could strain the GPS antenna, leading to comically distorted maps, as you can see from my testing. Google says the Fitbit Edge has better GPS hardware. I believe them, but mainly because it would be hard for it to be worse.

The Fitbit Edge does not have Google Pay or NFC capabilities

This is the biggest downgrade: With the Charge 6, you could set up Google Wallet and be able to tap your Fitbit to pay for things at stores. That’s a convenient feature if you like to run or walk without your phone and still be able to buy a drink at a convenience store. But the Fitbit Edge dropped this capability, probably to make room for other internal components. If you loved Google Pay on your older Fitbit, you’ll miss it if you upgrade to the Edge.

The Fitbit Edge will be able to play music from any app, not just Youtube Music

The Charge 6’s music player is one of the most frustrating things about it. The music controls only work for Youtube Music. That’s a premium service, meaning you need to pay a monthly subscription fee just to be able to control music playing on your phone, and it has to be a subscription to Youtube Music—Spotify or Apple Music users are out of luck.

Fortunately, that’s been fixed in the Fitbit Edge. Google says it will be able to control whatever is playing on your phone (like pretty much every other watch in existence) rather than relying on a specific app.

Google Maps directions are unsupported on the Edge—but “coming soon”

At launch, the Fitbit Edge doesn’t support Google Maps directions—but Google’s spec sheets say it’s “coming soon.” To be fair, Google Maps directions were never particularly useful. They lived in their own little app, and only gave you turn-by-turn directions, not a map view showing where you are. In the long run, this isn’t likely a difference that matters, since Google plans to bring this feature to the Edge. But if you enjoy it on your Charge 6, you should know it’s not going to be available right away on the Fitbit Edge.

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Apple’s new HomeView smart hub is fun. It looks like a cross between an iMac G4 and an Apple Watch, especially if you opt for the one with the stand—which you should probably do, seeing as the wall-mounted option requires separate hardware purchases. If you have more than one Apple user in the house, it’s certainly a tempting product. But as sleek as the HomeView looks, I can’t help but wonder: Is this really a better decision than an iPad on a stand?

After all, you can already control smart devices from the Home app on your iPad, not to mention take FaceTime calls, play music, check the weather, etc. And, since it’s an iPad, it’s inherently more versatile than a device made as a smart hub. Would you be better off buying one of Apple’s tablets with a stand, and calling a day? The short answer: maybe, but not necessarily. After thinking it through, it might not make sense for everyone to splurge on the iPad in this scenario.

Feature crossover between the HomeView and iPad

Despite being a new product, there’s a lot of crossover between the HomeView and your average iPad. They both support FaceTime, and both place the camera along the top bezel—at least, if you have one of Apple’s modern iPads. (For years, the company put the camera along the short side of the iPad, which meant it was always off-center for landscape video calls.) They both run the Home app, which means both can control your compatible smart devices. You can access Apple Music on both devices, as well as the Messages app. To that point, they both run some of the same first and third-party apps, including Calendar, Weather, Podcasts, and Find My, but it’s a bit too early to know the full list of compatible apps. That said, Apple told The Verge that any app that works with CarPlay and supports audio and video streaming will appear on your HomeView if you have it on your iPhone or iPad.

Both devices also come with Safari. That’s obvious on the iPad, but it’s a welcome addition on the HomeView. I’m not seeing much about how Safari works on HomeView, however, other than the fact you can tap “Start Cooking” on a recipe you find in the browser to see the steps in a “streamlined format.” While you can do many things on HomeView with simple gestures and voice commands, Apple also includes an on-screen keyboard here, so the iPad isn’t the only device of the pair you can type on. Depending on the iPad, HomeView might actually be on-par power-wise, as well: Apple outfitted this device with the A18 chip, one generation newer than the A17 Pro in the iPad mini, and two generations newer than the chip in the A16 iPad. That runs Apple Intelligence and Siri AI, a big selling point for Apple with this device. Like other smart displays, the company wants you to ask Siri AI complex questions and make requests across your apps. That’s something you can do on certain iPads too, as long as they support Apple’s AI suite.

The iPad can do a lot the HomeView can’t

It might sound like the HomeView and the iPad are surprisingly similar, but there’s a wide array of features that are exclusive to Apple’s dedicated tablet. Perhaps most importantly, you have a dedicated OS to work with on iPad. It might not be macOS, but you can run multiple apps side-by-side, including with desktop-like window management, if you’d like. Speaking of apps, you’ll have many more options on iPad than on HomeView. It’s great that there’s third-party support on HomeView, but your iPad can also tap into the entire App Store; HomeView can’t.

iPads have mouse and keybord support as well, in case you don’t want to rely on gesture and touch controls for everything. There’s also Apple Pencil support; optional, but useful. And while both devices have front-facing cameras, all iPads have rear cameras—some better than others, but they come in handy. If you’re on a FaceTime call, you don’t have to turn the entire device to show someone something in front of you. There’s a host of other smaller features that may matter to some, but not all, like a USB-C port, or external drive support.

The HomeView has exclusive features of its own

On the flip side, there are perks you get with a HomeView that you just don’t get on an iPad. While you can place an iPad on a stand in your kitchen, you won’t be able to take advantage of HomeView’s dedicated “faces.” That includes the Home face, which puts all your smart devices on-screen in tiles. If your home is relatively smart, this is useful (not to mention sleek), and is a bit more streamlined than moseying over to the Home app on your iPad. To that point, HomeView’s other faces make it stand out in your room: You can use it as a dynamic clock or calendar, with fun designs and effects. Even the Weather app’s face looks better on HomeView than the Weather app on iPad.

The HomeView really shines if you have multiple people in your house—at least, on paper. Apple says the device can recognize up to six different users, and personalize the experience to each. You can have a custom Home Screen layout, and only be able to access your own data (like Messages); then, when a different member of your household looks at HomeView, they can access their personal setup. This type of personalization is great, and is sorely missing from the iPad. Hopefully, Apple adds profiles to iPadOS at some point in the future, like it does on macOS. Until then, HomeView offers a much better experience for multiple users.

HomeView also has the advantage when it comes to speakers—particularly if you buy the model with the stand. Apple says the screen comes with two full-range drivers, while the base has a down-firing woofer and two force-canceling passive radiators. If you opted for an iPad on a stand, you’d need some sort of external audio solution to match that, which would only increase your costs.

The HomeView’s price actually makes sense

If you’re torn on buying an iPad as a HomeView alternative, the cost might just be the decision maker here. Apple is pricing the HomeView on a stand at $299, which, to me, sounds a bit pricey at first. But you get a lot for that money, especially when you consider the other option: Apple’s cheapest iPad is still quite expensive, retailing for $449. The iPad mini, which gives you a more comparable display size to the HomeView, is even more expensive. Your best bet would be to find a refurbished iPad, but even then, you’re likely still spending more than the cost of the HomeView. That’s before you factor in a stand, or even alternative audio solutions, like a Bluetooth speaker or HomePod mini.

If you plan to use your iPad as a dedicated tablet in addition to a smart home display, that additional cost might be worth it. After all, you can switch from taking FaceTime calls in the kitchen to sending emails, making music in GarageBand, or playing games like Minecraft and Stardew Valley. But if your main goal is finding a smart display that fits in well with your existing Apple ecosystem, the HomeView isn’t a bad buy.

Longtime Slashdot reader AmiMoJo shares a report from BleepingComputer: Ledger has confirmed that some of its devices distributed through Southeast Asian reseller CryptoBilis were compromised with a hardware implant that drained users’ cryptocurrency wallets. The company has been investigating reports of users losing funds from wallets purchased through CryptoBilis, a major Malaysia-based hardware wallet retailer operating across Southeast Asia. Some researchers have shown the implant in Ledger X since September 16, saying tampered devices were available for nearly half the price of the original hardware.

[…] In a report over the weekend, Tibane Labs notes that the threat actor made room for the malicious circuitry by replacing the original battery with a smaller one, which powers both the implant and the Ledger X. “Under the battery and antenna sits an ST STM32G431KBU6 (Arm CortexM4, 128 KB flash, UFQFPN32),” the researchers found inside one of the devices. For connectivity, the actor used “a tiny eSIM, an 8pad package just 2×2 mm, next to the MCU, and a shielded LTE module that sends the words out.”

[…] Ledger is advising users to avoid purchasing from unauthorized resellers as they run an increased risk of getting counterfeit or modified devices. The company is also reminding its authorized resellers and distributors to get the products only through authorized channels and to avoid restocking returned products. Ledger provides a ‘Genuine Check’ mechanism to determine the authenticity of the device; however, it explicitly warns that it cannot detect added implants when the device’s original Secure Element remains intact.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Although October Prime Day is officially over, some significant deals on home-maintenance essentials are still available. One of the best is the Ecovacs Goat O1000 LiDAR Pro Robot Lawn Mower, now 37% off at an all-time low of $949.05 (originally $1,499.99).

Ecovacs Goat O1000 LiDAR Pro Robot Lawn Mower

$949.05
at Amazon

$1,499.99
Save $550.94

$949.05
at Amazon

$1,499.99
Save $550.94

The O1000 Pro can mow up to 0.25 acres and handle slopes of up to 45%, making it ideal for smaller suburban lawns that need regular upkeep. It uses LiDAR, a 3D time-of-flight sensor, and an AI camera to map and navigate, so it doesn’t need perimeter wire or an RTK antenna. In the app, you can create zones and no-go areas, adjust cutting settings, and schedule mowing.

The built-in TruEdge trimmer is what sets it apart from many competitors. Unlike some robot mowers that still leave a strip for you to finish manually, this model has edge trimming integrated to reduce cleanup. Another perk is how quiet it is: The mower operates at just 61 dB (significantly quieter than a gas mower), though the trimmer can reach around 81 dB.

While it has a PIN and lift alarm, it doesn’t offer the same location-tracking protection as premium competitors, which could matter if your mower is accessible from the street. Still, if your lawn is a quarter acre or less, somewhat level, and regularly maintained, the wireless Ecovacs Goat O1000 LiDAR Pro Robot Lawn Mower can handle most of your weekly mowing needs—and is even more appealing at nearly $550 off.

New submitter CubicleZombie writes: Anthropic has updated its Usage Policy to prohibit “sustained and needless abusive or cruel behavior” toward its Claude AI models. While ordinary frustration, criticism, and adversarial testing remain acceptable, repeated cruelty could result in account restrictions. Anthropic acknowledges there’s no evidence Claude can suffer but argues that uncertainty about AI consciousness warrants precaution. Critics contend the policy anthropomorphizes software, encourages unhealthy emotional attachments, and raises questions about how customers may interact with products they’ve paid for. The move raises an intriguing question: If an AI cannot demonstrably experience suffering, is abusing it an ethical problem, or is Anthropic simply policing human behavior?

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Google announced the Fitbit Edge earlier this week, making it the company’s first Fitbit with a screen since the Charge 6 was released in 2023. Pre-orders are open now, and the devices are expected to start shipping on Oct. 27.

The Fitbit Edge ($179.99) has features and a price that are right in between the Fitbit Air, which has no screen and retails for $99.99, and the Pixel Watch 5, a full-featured smartwatch that starts at $399.99.

You can pre-order the Fitbit Edge here. It comes in black with a black band, silver with a “fog” (gray) band, “champagne gold” with a salmon-pink band, and a metallic color they’re calling “satin pyrite” with an olive green band. There’s also a Steph Curry edition for $219.99 in gray and orange. The standard packages come with two bands, a small/medium that fits wrists 130 to 170 millimeters around, and a medium/large for wrists 170 to 210 millimeters. There are a few other bands available for an extra fee: an “active sport” band with larger holes for ventilation ($39.99), a magnetic band ($49.99), and a band with metal links ($149.99).

What’s new in the Fitbit Edge

Unlike the screenless Fitbit Air, the Fitbit Edge adds its own GPS chipset, so you can track distance without bringing your phone, and an altimeter to detect elevation changes like hills. The latter also enables a “floors climbed” metric each day. The Fitbit Edge also has an ECG app, a morning report, and can control music playing on your phone no matter what app is playing it.

If you’re upgrading from a Fitbit Charge 6, the Edge adds an altimeter and a morning report, and you’ll be glad to see the music controls work for any music app, not just Youtube Music. The Edge is missing some features, though: With no NFC, it can’t do tap-to-pay with Google Wallet. The Edge also does not have Google Maps directions at launch, although Google says these are coming soon. The EDA scan and stress tracking are also gone. (Personally, I’m glad about that. Stress tracking isn’t accurate enough to be useful.)

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Yesterday the MARQ Gen 3 turned up on Garmin’s support pages, and today, the company has made it official. Garmin launched its third-generation luxury smartwatch collection, a lineup of six models priced from $2,500 to $3,100. That sure is a lot of money for a watch. Let’s take a look at what exactly you get with the new Garmin MARQ Gen 3.

Garmin MARQ® Adventurer (Gen 3)

$2,700.00
at Garmin

$2,700.00
at Garmin

What to know about the Garmin MARQ Gen 3

The new collection consists of the MARQ Athlete, Adventurer, Aviator, Commander, Golfer and Diver. Across all six, Garmin has moved to larger AMOLED displays, added LTE and satellite connectivity, expanded its mapping, and brought in its latest health and fitness features that I detail in my review of Garmin’s other recent release, the Fenix 9 Pro.

The hardware follows the luxury formula the MARQ line is known for. Each watch has a 47 mm Grade 5 titanium case, a sapphire crystal lens, and a ceramic bezel inlay. Each is 15 mm thick and carries a 1.4-inch AMOLED display, up from 1.2 inches on the previous generation.

At the bottom of the range, the MARQ Athlete is the entry point at $2,500. It comes on a silicone strap with VO2 max markings on the bezel, and includes Garmin’s full collection of running and training features. The MARQ Adventurer costs $2,700 and pairs an Italian leather strap with a compass bezel. This one is aimed at hiking, navigation and climbing, and includes preloaded ClimbPro information.

And so on: The remaining four models are each built around a specific pursuit, as MARQ variants have been since the line debuted. The MARQ Aviator is the flight-focused model, the MARQ Commander is the tactical one, the MARQ Golfer is built for the course, and the MARQ Diver is the one for the water. Garmin’s pricing and strap details for these four sit between the Athlete’s $2,500 and the $3,100 top of the range.

What else is new about the Garmin MARQ Gen 3?

In terms of software updates, the biggest addition is embedded inReach connectivity. All six watches support LTE calling, messaging and location sharing without a phone nearby, along with satellite messaging and emergency SOS through Garmin Response. Note: These services require a separate inReach subscription.

Garmin has also added a speaker, a microphone, and an LED flashlight. Other upgrades include the ECG app in supported regions, newer health and recovery metrics, and worldwide TopoActive maps with address search. Storage has jumped from 32GB to 128GB, and battery life reaches up to 18 days in smartwatch mode, or seven days with the always-on display enabled.

How the MARQ compares to non-luxury Garmins

What’s most exciting is how these changes bring the MARQ much closer to Garmin’s latest high-end sports watches, as opposed to being more of an aesthetic purchase. Previously, MARQ buyers were paying a considerable premium for hardware that lacked some features already available elsewhere in the range. Honestly, the earlier MARQ was, in effect, a fancy-materials version of a watch you could get for less, with fewer capabilities.

Now, the MARQ Gen 3 is finally a watch that tops the Garmin lineup with all the features of a Fenix. And for the first time, the MARQ has pluses the Fenix doesn’t, like increased storage and on-device mapping features. The question of whether such premium price Garmin has set is worth it? That’s still up for debate.

Garmin says the collection is available now, with broader availability reportedly scheduled for Nov. 5. You can see the full lineup on Garmin’s site here.