Robotics

Maria Diaz/ZDNETYour Roku TV is getting a slew of updates to make finding something to watch easier — including one for your favorite purple city.Also: Should you buy a Roku streaming stick in 2025? Here’s my buying advice after testing oneAt an event in New York City last month, Roku introduced its new TVs and streaming devices, smart home products, and TVs, but it also announced some new additions that will be coming to all existing Roku TVs.Here’s what’s on the way.What’s coming to all Roku TVsRoku understands the struggle of finding something to watch, it says, so it’s rolling out several ways to make content more personal. These include: “Coming Soon to Theaters,” a row that shows you what’s currently in theaters. If you’d rather wait until you can watch it at home, you can add a movie to your saved list and Roku will alert you when it’s available.Short-form content rows are headed to the All Things Food and All Things Home tabs, letting you browse videos like recipes, home cleaning hacks, and more one after the other (essentially TikTok or Reels for your TV). A personalized highlight row in the Sports Zone lets you follow the latest action from your favorite teams and players. You can also get notifications when it’s gametime for your favorite teams.If you want to see the best of the best, watch for Roku’s new badges that will identify award-winning films.Missing your favorite purple-hued cityscape? Instead of having to wait for your set to go idle to visit, you can now head to Roku City with one click with a dedicated tile. This fake city, complete with its own mass transit, homes, restaurants, and even a city hall, has become a fan-favorite over the past few years, and now it’s even easier to pay a visit.Hardware updates On the hardware side, new versions of the Roku Streaming Stick and Roku Streaming Stick Plus are on the way. The new models are so power-efficient, Roku says, that they are powered directly by your TV — meaning no more hanging cables. The new sticks are also getting a sleek redesign that ensures they don’t block neighboring HDMI ports. The classic Roku Streaming Stick is also getting a voice remote. More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Suunto Run is available now for $249 This new sports watch is very light at 36 grams with the strap, lasts for a week, has a bright AMOLED display, and provides accurate location tracking SuuntoPlus apps are not supported and music storage doesn’t support subscription services. –> I was reintroduced […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Ecovacs Deebot X9 Pro Omni is available on Amazon for $1,499. The X9 Pro Omni has some of the best performance I’ve seen on soft floors, while still mopping well on hard floors Though it vacuums and mops very well, the X9 Pro Omni did sometimes get its brush roller […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways DJI’s flagship drone consists of an exceptional airframe, top-class obstacle avoidance sensors, and amazing cameras. It has the best flight time I’ve see on a consumer drone, rated at 51 minutes (in testing I routinely got 45 minutes). It’s expensive, and because of tariffs, isn’t currently available in the U.S. –> […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways At $200, the Sony Ult Field 3 speaker is a mid-range powerhouse with great sound and ample bass. With a 24-hour battery life and features that encourage speaker syncing, the Ult Field 3 would be perfect for regular hosts and music lovers. I can’t think of anything wrong with this incredible […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways HP’s 16-inch Envy x360 2-in-1 (2024) comes in a variety of configurations, but the version with 1TB of storage and an OLED display starts at $1,599. It sports one of the most gorgeous displays I’ve seen on a convertible laptop in this price range. It’s a little on the heavy side, […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways Both tags feature super loud 360-degree omnidirectional buzzers Both finder tags are super tough and built to last The tags have features you don’t see on AirTags, such as wireless charging and glow-in-the-dark inserts. –> I love finder tags and have them on anything and everything I can possibly lose. They’ve […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Eero Pro 7 is available for $300. The tri-band Eero Pro 7 supports wireless speeds of up to 3.8Gbps and a coverage area of up to 2,500 square feet per unit, making it ideal for congestion management. As a midrange router, the Eero Pro 7 is not great for complicated […] More