Month: September 2024

The Impact Of Open Banking System

Posted on by faz_business


The Future of the Financial Industry: The Impact of Open Banking System

The financial industry has seen a significant transformation in recent years to match evolving customer needs and technological advancements. Among these changes, the open banking system had the most impact. This shift has redefined the way financial institutions operate and how consumers interact with their financial data.

An open banking system basically represents a linked, integrated ecosystem of data and services. At the core of an open banking system’s API integrations, connections among participating banks and third-party providers will establish a system where a wide range of financial services data is transferred and accessed safely and effectively for customers.

In this article, let’s explore what open banking is and the impact of an open banking system on the financial industry. Also, let us look at the benefits, challenges, and implications of open banking systems.

What is Open Banking

Open banking originated in Europe by adopting the Revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2). This has set a new benchmark for transparency in finance, allowing customers to share their financial data with third-party providers. This makes banking not just easier but also more effective.

There are two key ideas behind open banking, including data sharing and empowering consumers. Open banking creates a vibrant financial environment where businesses can thrive by giving customers access to their financial information. Regulatory frameworks like PSD2 ensure that banks provide this access through APIs, which help create competitive and tailored products.

The Role of APIs in Open Banking System

APIs are much like digital messengers that assist various software programs in communicating with each other and sharing information. In open banking, APIs enable banks and other financial institutions to connect and share data in an encrypted manner.

There are different types of APIs in use within Open Banking. Probably the most important ones are payment initiation APIs and account information APIs.

  • Payment initiation APIs enable direct payments from a bank account through a third-party application.
  • Account information APIs allow third-party applications to access details of a user’s bank account, such as the balance or transaction history, so they are able to offer relevant services to users.

The technical standards of these APIs in open banking ensure good interoperability to keep data safe. Open banking makes for a much more connected, flexible financial system by opening access to these two APIs. They help banks to deliver better services, while assisting new companies build innovative financial products that meet their customer needs. This eases the credit management and makes it more convenient, increasing control over financial life of customers.

Key Benefits of Open Banking APIs

Open banking APIs come with several benefits, both for consumers and financial institutions. Some of the key advantages include:

  1. Improved Customer Experience

Open banking APIs help financial institutions access and utilize the banking information of customers and provide more personalized services. For instance, budgeting apps can track users’ spending and give them tips on how to save money. This makes it easier and far more delightful to manage finances.

  1. Enhanced Financial Products and Services

Open banking enables banks and fintech companies to innovate financial products that could not have been conceived in the past. For example, they can build mobile applications that identify the best loans or investment opportunities for them according to their financial history. It will improve sales as well as customer loyalty.

  1. Increased Competition and Innovation

Open banking APIs allow new companies to compete with traditional banks with intelligent approaches. They help companies deliver better services at lower costs to the end-customer, thereby improving brand value.

  1. Operational Efficiencies and Cost Reductions

Open banking APIs help to increase efficiency and reduce operational costs for banks. Banks shift their focus to the area of enhancing the quality-of-service delivery in the wave of automation in data sharing activities. That is how consumers benefit from more efficient, quicker, and reliable services in banking. 

Challenges and Risks Associated with Open Banking APIs

While open banking APIs offer a lot of benefits, there are some challenges and associated risks that need to be dealt with.

  1. Security and Data Privacy Concerns

Everyone using open banking APIs is worried about one thing: the safety of their financial information. There is always a chance of a data breach, or cyberattack, each time your information travels from one bank to another third-party provider. There are quite strict measures and protocols for ensuring security, but compliance at each end is always a difficulty.

  1. Regulatory Compliance and Legal Considerations

Open banking regulations are oriented towards consumer protection and ensuring fair competition. For instance, open banking is regulated by very articulated rules under PSD2. So, it can be very complex and costly for financial institutions and third-party providers to comply with these regulations. Changes in the regulation can be monitored, and compliance with them may pose a significant challenge.

  1. Consumer Awareness and Trust

For the bank to succeed in open banking, it is expected that customers be aware of the pros that come with it and eventually trust the process. There are still many doubts among people about sharing personal financial information with third-party providers due to a fear of losing privacy. For that reason, educating consumers on securing their data, coupled with the advantages for them of open banking, will be very fundamental in building trust and encouraging its adoption.

Future Trends and Predictions

The open banking API landscape is experiencing rapid growth, driven by technological innovation and changing consumer expectations. Here are some of the key trends and predictions that reflect the future of open banking systems.

Artificial intelligence (AI): AI technology helps companies analyze customers’ financial data and gives personalized insights into their money management, and product recommendations, etc. For instance, AI-driven chatbots can suggest finances in view of your transaction history and spending habits.

Blockchain: Blockchain technology can offer a secure and transparent way to manage financial transactions and data sharing. This would enhance the security and reliability of open banking APIs.

Internet of Things (IoT): IoT, from smart home systems and wearables to smart clothing, is able to be connected with open banking APIs.

Conclusion

Open banking APIs can drive innovation, a better customer experience, and market competition in the financial industry. Obviously, challenges relating to the security and regulatory compliance of the technology should not be taken lightly, but the benefits outweigh the risks. With knowledge and flexibility in front of these changes, financial institutions, FinTech companies, and consumers are all going to succeed in this new epoch of finance.

Get in touch if you would like to learn how the USM Business System helps ensure an AI-powered connected financial ecosystem.

The Rock And Chris Evans Fight Evil Snowmen In Red One Trailer

Posted on by faz_business



The rollout for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s new Christmas action movie, Red One, hasn’t exactly been smooth. Earlier this year, there were reports that Johnson caused problems by not showing up on set as scheduled and by behaving obnoxiously. But now that the film is just under two months away, all of that bad press can fall by the wayside because the new trailer for Red One is so over-the-top ridiculous that it just might work.

The trailer largely focuses on former Captain America actor Chris Evans, who portrays bounty hunter Jack O’Malley. Jack is so good at his job that the North Pole’s security team, as led by Callum Drift (Johnson) and Zoe (Lucy Liu), has forcibly recruited him to help them find Santa Claus (J. K. Simmons).

While the trailer doesn’t definitively reveal who was the mastermind behind Santa’s abduction, it does feature some bizarre winter-themed villains including evil snowmen. There’s also a talking polar bear on Team North Pole, and Callum reveals that all toy stores are secretly linked by Christmas magic… or something along those lines.

No toy movie would be complete without some form of product placement. In this movie, Hot Wheels and Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots can become useful tools thanks to Callum’s North Pole tech. That should come in handy if Jack and Callum have to fight Krampus (Kristofer Hivju).

Jake Kasdan directed the film from a screenplay by Chris Morgan. Red One will hit theaters on November 15.

Epiphan Pearl Mini Approved by HETMA: Exceeds Expectations!

Posted on by faz_business


The Pearl family of lecture capture systems is proudly certified by the Higher Education Technology Managers Alliance (HETMA), a testament to their reliability and perfect fit for higher education.

This certification confirms that Pearl devices meet the high standards set by education professionals for lecture capture and streaming.

Faculty friendly, IT approved
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With our no-touch video capture, faculty can focus on their students – not technology. Epiphan also works seamlessly with your schedule, recording locally and pushing content to the cloud.		 Elevate the student experience
Give remote students the same, superior experience they would expect in the classroom with high-definition, multi-camera video and high-fidelity audio.		 Make your investments smarter
Get real time visibility and control over every video and audio signal on campus, all from the cloud, plus seamless integration with Q-SYS, Crestron, or Extron systems

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Learn more about Epiphan Pearl Approved by HETMA HERE

Learn more about Epiphan below:

c# – How to achieve message template highlighting for structured loggin?

Posted on by faz_business


When using the Microsoft.Extensions.Logging.ILogger<T> with message templates for structured logging, Visual Studio highlights the message template “named holes”/parameters like this (see {Address}):

Message template with highlighting

Is it possible to achieve the same highlighting effect at the call site for one of your own methods?

If so, how? What are the mechanics behind the highlighting?

Background (but I’m curius in the general case):

We’re using an exception filter method as discussed here, like this:

public static class LoggerExtensions
{
    public static bool LogExceptionNoCatch<T>(this ILogger<T> logger, Exception exception, string? message, params object?[] args)
    {
        logger.LogError(exception, message, args);
        return false;
    }
    // ...
}

However, when using this extension method there is no highlighting indicating that message templates is being used:

Message template withoud highlighting

The best smart speakers for 2024

Posted on by faz_business


There’s never been a better time to get a smart speaker, especially if you’re a music fan. When voice assistants first started infiltrating these devices, hands-free controls were really the star of the show. Even now, one of the most common ways that people interact with Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant is through a smart home speaker. But now you have dozens of options to choose from, and most of them sound much better than the first smart home products did. Sonos recently entered the game with its own voice assistant on its stellar-sounding speakers, and even lower-end models like the Echo Dot and Nest Mini have better audio quality than their first iterations did. If you’re struggling to pick the best smart speaker for your needs, we at Engadget can help. We’ve outlined our top picks below, plus all of the things you should consider before buying a smart speaker today.

The first thing most people should do is decide what voice assistant they want to use. Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa are both well-supported options that are continually evolving, with new features added at a steady clip. A few years ago, Alexa worked with more smart home products, but at this point, basically any smart device worth buying works with both.

It’s mostly a matter of personal preference. If you’re already entrenched in the Google ecosystem and own an Android phone, it makes sense to stick with that. And if you have multiple Google-based smart devices in your home, you can use Google Home to easily control and navigate your devices. But while Alexa isn’t quite as good at answering general knowledge questions, it syncs just fine with things like calendars from your Google account. And it works with perhaps the widest variety of smart home products as well. If you’ve never used Alexa or Google Assistant, you can download their apps on your iOS or Android phone and spend some time testing them out before buying a speaker.

There are downsides to having a smart home device that’s always listening for a wake word, as giving more personal information to Amazon, Apple and Google can be a questionable decision. That said, all these companies have made it easier to manage how your data is used — you can opt out of humans reviewing some of your voice queries, and it’s also less complicated to manage and erase your history with various digital assistants, too.

If you buy a Sonos device with a microphone, you can also use the company’s own voice assistant, voiced by Giancarlo Esposito. It’s focused purely on music control, so you won’t use it to do things like send messages or ask the weather forecast. But as a music assistant, Sonos Voice Control is generally quite fast and reliable.

As for Apple, you won’t be surprised to learn the HomePod and HomePod mini are the only Siri-compatible speakers on the market. It’s rumored that Apple will potentially release a new range of smart displays, like its HomePod with a touchscreen, sometime soon. Apple’s Siri has a reputation for not being as smart as Alexa or Google Assistant, but it’s totally capable of handling common voice queries like answering questions, controlling smart home products, sending messages, making calls and streaming music via AirPlay. Technically, Siri and Apple’s HomeKit technology doesn’t work with as many smart home devices as the competition, but it’s not hard to find compatible gear. And Apple has most definitely improved Siri’s functionality over the last couple years, with handy features like and Intercom tool and routines that take advantage of the built-in temperature sensor in the HomePod and HomePod Mini.

Amazon

Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi | Assistant support: Amazon Alexa | Max wattage: 20W | Battery life: N/A

Most people’s entry point into the smart speaker world will not be an expensive device. Amazon’s fourth-generation Echo Dot and Google’s Home speaker, the Nest Mini, are the most obvious places to start for two important reasons. One, they’re cheap: Both the Nest Mini and Echo Dost cost $50. Two, they’re capable. Despite the low price, these speakers can do virtually the same things as larger and more expensive devices, offering essential functionality

The Google Nest Mini was released in late 2019, but Amazon just refreshed the Echo Dot recently. The Echo Dot is the best small speaker with a smart assistant for most people and one of the most compact Alexa-enabled wireless speakers, period. Amazon keeps improving the audio performance across its Echo device line, and the Echo Dot is no exception. It produces much louder and clearer audio than I’d expect from a $50 speaker. The Nest Mini doesn’t sound bad, and it’s perfectly fine for listening in the bedroom while getting ready for the day, but the Echo Dot is a better all-purpose music listening device.

From a design perspective, Amazon broke the mold with the latest Echo Dot. Instead of a small puck like the Nest Mini, the new Dot is shaped like a little globe. It’s much bigger than the Nest Mini, but that size gives it room for higher-end audio components. Although mostly hands free, relying on Alexa to answer questions, set timers, work as an alarm clock and more, the Dot keeps the physical volume buttons and mute switch on top, along with a button to activate Alexa’s voice control. While the Dot doesn’t look as sleek as the Nest Mini, having physical buttons makes it easier to adjust volume and mute the mic. I do wish the Dot had a way to physically pause music; on the Nest Mini, if you tap the middle of the device, the music stops.

Overall, the Dot is the best budget choice for most people, but I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the Nest Mini as another affordable smart speaker option. I generally prefer using Google Assistant over Alexa, and anyone who feels the same should go ahead and get the Nest Mini. The Dot does sound notably better, so if you plan to listen to audio on a regular basis, that’s probably the way to go. But if you only plan to use it for a quick song or podcast when you’re getting ready in the morning, just pick your favorite assistant and go from there.

Pros

  • Compact design
  • Strong sound for its size
  • Physical buttons to mute mic and adjust volume
Cons

  • Not as sleek as the Nest Mini

$30 at Kohl’s

Amazon

Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi | Assistant support: Amazon Alexa | Max wattage: 30W | Battery life: N/A

Amazon, Apple and Google all have $100 smart speakers: the fourth-generation Echo, the HomePod mini and the Nest Audio, respectively. All three companies claim superior audio quality, so for lots of people these speakers will be the sweet spot between small speakers like the Echo Dot and Nest Mini and bigger, more expensive models like the Sonos Era 100.

Once again, Amazon punches above its weight. Like the Dot, the latest Echo is totally redesigned and the new internals were made with music in mind. It combines a three-inch woofer with two 0.8-inch tweeters — a more advanced setup than either the Nest Audio or HomePod mini. (The Google Nest Audio uses a three-inch woofer but only a single 0.75-inch tweeter, while the Apple HomePod mini makes do with a single “full range” driver and two passive radiators.)

In practice, this means the Echo is noticeably louder than either the Nest Audio or HomePod mini and much better suited to play room-filling sound than the competition. It also delivers an impressive bass thump and powerful mid-range frequencies. In fact, my main complaint with the speaker is that highs aren’t quite crisp enough. Compare the Echo to an Era 100 and the 100 sounds much more lively, while the Echo comes off a bit muddy. Then again, the 100 costs more than twice as much as the Echo.

While the Echo speaker may beat the Nest Audio and HomePod mini on volume and bass, Google and Apple’s speakers are not bad options. The HomePod mini is the quietest of the three speakers, but it still sounds balanced across the entire audio spectrum. The bass isn’t too assertive, but there’s more presence than I would have expected given its tiny size (it’s by far the smallest of these three speakers).

And it has a few nice perks if you’re using an iPhone 11 or newer. Thanks to the U1 “ultra-wideband” chip in recent iPhones, the HomePod mini can tell when there’s a phone near it, which makes handing off music from your phone to the speaker (or vice versa) quite simple. Playback controls for the HomePod mini will automatically pop up as well, and your phone’s lock screen will display music suggestions if the speaker isn’t currently playing. Setup is also dead-simple — just bring an iPhone or iPad near the speaker and it’ll automatically start the process.

Google’s Nest Audio is also quite pleasant to listen to. It’s a little louder than the HomePod mini, and has stronger bass, to boot. It doesn’t have the same overall power and presence that the Echo does, but for $100 it’s a well-balanced speaker that should serve most people’s needs.

All three of these speakers support stereo pairing as well, if you want more volume or crave a more immersive experience. For $200, two Echoes will fill a large room with high-quality sound and enough bass to power a party. A pair of HomePod mini or Nest Audio speakers aren’t quite as powerful, but it makes for a great upgrade if you’re a more avid listener. A pair of Nest Audio or HomePod mini speakers sounded great on my desk during the workday. I don’t need overwhelming volume but can appreciate the stereo separation. And two of those speakers together can easily power a larger living space, although the Echo is the better choice if volume is a priority.

Here too, I think that picking the smart assistant that works best in your house and with your other gadgets is probably the most important factor — but given Alexa’s ubiquity and the new Echo’s superior sound quality, it’s the best smart speaker at this price point.

Pros

  • Louder than competitors, with punchy bass
  • Two paired speakers support stereo sound

$100 at Amazon

Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi | Assistant support: Amazon Alexa, Sonos Voice Control | Max wattage: 10W | Battery life: N/A

If you have more than a passing interest in music, the Echo Dot and Nest Mini aren’t really going to cut it. Spending more money to upgrade to a speaker designed with audio quality in mind is one of the best decisions I’ve made. For years, I didn’t have a proper home music solution, but in the end the modest investment has made my life much more pleasant.

For years, the Sonos One has been a favorite of mine, combining a reasonable price with good sound quality and a plethora of useful features like easy multi-room audio, stereo pairing and compatibility with tons of services. This year, Sonos replaced the One with the Era 100, a $250 speaker that is an improvement in almost every way you can think of. Most importantly, it uses a new speaker array that includes two tweeters instead of just one as well as a woofer that’s 25 percent bigger. The end result is that the Era 100 handily bests the One in sound quality, with impressive bass, surprisingly huge volume and increased high-end clarity thanks to the additional tweeter.

There are a lot of other improvements beyond just sound quality. The Era 100 uses its built-in microphones for much easier Trueplay tuning, which optimizes the speaker’s output based on where you place it. Previously, you had to use an iPhone and walk around the room waving the phone to optimize your Sonos speaker, but now the process is much simpler. The Era 100 also includes line-in via a USB-C port and also has Bluetooth for when you just want to quickly connect a device to the speaker. It’s a bummer that you need to buy an adapter to hook up a turntable or other audio equipment to the Era 100, but since the One didn’t support line-in at all, I’m still glad it’s an option. You can also pair two Era 100s with a Sonos soundbar to get a solid home theater setup with surround sound.

There are a handful of other small but solid improvements, like redesigned controls on the top that make it easier to skip tracks and a mic mute switch that cuts the power to the mic for extra security. Like the One, it’s easy to set up Alexa or the Sonos voice assistant here, but the Era 100 doesn’t support the Google Assistant – so if you were previously using a Sonos speaker and relied on Google, you’re unfortunately out of luck here. Other than that one change, though, the Era 100 is an excellent all-around performer. It’s a great speaker on its own and is also a great starting point if you want to build a multi-room audio setup.

The Amazon Echo Studio remains an excellent-sounding speaker as well, and at $199 it’s a good bit cheaper than the Era 100 as well. If you want to save some cash or already have a bunch of other Echo devices in your smart home ecosystem, it makes sense as a speaker for higher-quality music playback. But given that it’ll be four years old this fall, I think it makes sense to opt for a newer device that’ll get longer support and updates.

Pros

  • Excellent sound quality
  • Gets loud
  • Built-in mics for Trueplay tuning and voice control
  • Line-in USB-C port
  • Bluetooth support
Cons

  • Doesn’t support Google Assistant

$249 at Sonos

Sonos

Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi | Assistant support: Amazon Alexa, Sonos Voice Control | Max wattage: Not specified | Battery life: N/A

As nice as the Era 100 and Echo Studio are, there’s only so much you can get out of them. If you crave more bass, clarity and stereo separation, the $550 Sonos Five is the best sounding smart speaker on this list. It has many of the conveniences in the Era 100 and sounds significantly better than any other Sonos speaker. It also sounds much better than the Echo Studio and anything Google is currently selling.

That said, the Five stretches our definition of a smart speaker here because it doesn’t have a built-in voice assistant. But it’s so good at music playback that it’s worth recommending you pick one up along with an Echo Dot or Nest Mini. Both of those speakers work with Sonos, so you can use voice commands to control the Five just as you would a dedicated Alexa or Google Assistant device. Sonos also refreshed the speaker two years ago with a new wireless radio as well as more memory and a faster processor. This means it should stay current and work with future Sonos software updates for years to come.

Since we’re talking “best” here, I’m going to go ahead and recommend that true music junkies splash out on two Five speakers and pair them in stereo. Put simply, it’s the most enjoyable experience I’ve had listening to music in years; I found myself picking up new details while listening to albums I’ve heard over and over again. It’s a wonderful experience and worth saving for if you’re a music lover. I didn’t know what I was missing until I tried the Five.

The Sonos Era 300, also recently released, is a $450 speaker that supports Dolby Atmos spatial audio from Apple Music and Amazon Music Unlimited. I’ve found that the quality of spatial audio mixes can be very hit or miss, but the good news is that the Era 300 sounds outstanding whether it’s playing back Atmos content or just standard tracks. It’s not quite as good as the Sonos Five, but it does have built-in microphones for voice assistants and easy Trueplay tuning as well as Bluetooth and the redesigned controls on the Era 100. Again, the main downside is that Google Assistant isn’t supported here.

Finally, if you’re an Apple Music user or have a lot of Apple hardware in your home, the second-generation HomePod is definitely worth considering. At $300, it’s a lot cheaper than these Sonos speakers but supports spatial audio like the Era 300. The Era 300 and Sonos Five are better speakers overall (and certainly much louder), but there’s a lot to like about the HomePod’s audio quality at its price point. It’s a clear, crisp vocal-forward speaker, and its design and software processing does a great job of making music sound like it’s all around you, even if you’re not playing back Dolby Atmos tracks.

Pros

  • Stellar audio quality
  • Two paired speakers support stereo sound
Cons

  • No Bluetooth support
  • No built-in voice assistant

$549 at Sonos

Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi | Assistant support: Amazon Alexa, Sonos Voice Control | Max wattage: 10W | Battery life: 10 hours

While many people will be happy with a few speakers strategically placed throughout their home, you might want something that works outside as well as inside. Fortunately, you can find speakers that pair voice controls and strong music playback performance with portable, weatherproof form factors. For my money, it’s hard to beat the Sonos Roam for sheer versatility, not to mention audio quality.

When used inside the home, the Roam works like any other Sonos speaker. It fits in with an existing multi-room Sonos setup, or you can get a pair for stereo playback. Like most other Sonos speakers, it works with the Sonos Voice Assistant or Amazon Alexa, and it supports essentially every major music service available. It sounds very good given its tiny size; it’s quieter and not quite as clear as the Sonos One or the Era 100, but it still packs a surprising bass thump and distinct highs.

Since it was designed with on-the-go usage in mind, the Roam has a battery and Bluetooth so you can take it anywhere and use it far away from your Wi-Fi network. And its diminutive size makes it easy to take it everywhere, both around the house and out and about. It’s also the first Sonos speaker that is fully waterproof, as well as dust- and drop-resistant, so you shouldn’t worry about taking it to the pool or beach.

The Roam gets about 10 hours of battery life, whether you’re on Wi-FI or Bluetooth. There are other portable speakers that last longer, so if you’re really going to push the battery you might be better served by another option.

Another wireless portable speaker option is the $449 Sonos Move 2. It’s much larger and louder than the Roam, which is unsurprising given how much more expensive it is. It’s a nice upgrade over the previous Move, with two tweeters for more detailed sound, a battery that lasts more than a day and redesigned touch controls up top. It also has a line-in jack via USB-C, so you can hook up a turntable when you’re using it inside. If you’re willing to sacrifice portability for power and better sound quality (and can afford it), the Move 2 will be more satisfying than the Roam.

A better choice than the Move, unless you already have other Sonos products, is the $399 Bose Portable Smart speaker. It supports Alexa and Google Assistant commands, and since it can connect to WiFi, you can ask your preferred assistant to play music from Spotify, Amazon Music and other services. On top of that, it produces well-rounded sound, sports an IPX4 design with a convenient carry handle and will last up to 12 hours on a single charge.

Bose also has a good alternative to the Roam. The $149 SoundLink Flex supports Siri and Google Assistant commands, plus it has an IP67 design that’s roughly the size of a small clutch bag. It pumps out bright, dynamic sound and can pair with other speakers for stereo sound, too – it’s excellent and slightly cheaper than the Roam.

While this guide is all about smart speakers, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention all of the solid portable speakers out there that either have limited smart features or none at all. We have an entire guide to the best portable Bluetooth speakers, so if you’re purely concerned with portability and less about having an ecosystem of connected speakers, there are lots of options worth investigating.

Pros

  • Works with existing Sonos setups
  • Good sound quality with strong bass
  • Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity
Cons

  • Just average battery life
  • Doesn’t get as loud as other portable speakers

$179 at Sonos

Nintendo Sues Palworld Developer Pocketpair

Posted on by faz_business


A letter posted on Nintendo’s website shows that the console giant and The Pokémon Company are suing Palworld developer Pocketpair for patent infringement.

The letter (which we’ve reproduced below) states that Nintendo and The Pokémon Company are seeking an injunction against infringement, plus compensation for damages. The renowned Japanese company claims that Palworld infringes multiple patent rights, and vows to continue to take “necessary actions against any infringement of its intellectual property rights”.

While there had been rampant speculation about the possibility of Nintendo suing Pocketpair when Palworld launched in Early Access earlier this year, due to the game’s “Pals” having what seemed to be more than passing resemblances to Pokémon, I presume most people had already long forgotten all about it. Apparently Nintendo’s lawyers were not asleep at the wheel, however, and the result is the letter you can all read below.

Nintendo Co., Ltd. (HQ: Kyoto, Minami-ku, Japan; Representative Director and President: Shuntaro Furukawa, “Nintendo” hereafter), together with The Pokémon Company, filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the Tokyo District Court against Pocketpair, Inc. (HQ: 2-10-2 Higashigotanda, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, “Defendant” hereafter) on September 18, 2024.

This lawsuit seeks an injunction against infringement and compensation for damages on the grounds that Palworld, a game developed and released by the Defendant, infringes multiple patent rights.Nintendo will continue to take necessary actions against any infringement of its intellectual property rights including the Nintendo brand itself, to protect the intellectual properties it has worked hard to establish over the years.

Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game is a great cozy game start

Posted on by faz_business


We’re living in the middle of a bounty of Middle-earth media. Last year’s wretched Gollum game, 2026’s apparent Gollum , The Rings of Power’s elven kings, War of the Rohirrim’s horse maidens, and more video games of various scope and subject reportedly still on the way.

And yet none of the above is giving the one thing I really want to see from a Tolkien adaptation: Something with a completely different aesthetic and tone from Peter Jackson’s 2001 film trilogy. Middle-earth contains more multitudes than fit in those three films, and it’s a shame that the setting has been boxed in by their success.

But this week I got to sit down with the best fresh take on a Lord of the Rings adaptation I’ve seen basically ever: Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game. ToTS is the inaugural project of Rings film veteran Wētā Workshop’s game studio, made in partnership with Private Division, and from what I was able to play of this long-awaited “cosy Hobbit life” simulator, the studio has a winner on its hands.

In April, the game’s first full trailer promised friendship mechanics, cooking, fishing, home decorating, farming, seasonal changes, and other standards of the life sim genre. The demo Polygon was able to play this week covered Tales of the Shire’s first few day/night cycles, putting the player in the role of a newcomer hobbit in the village of Bywater, which lies a few days’ walk from both Hobbiton (home of Bilbo and Frodo) and the human town of Bree (where the Prancing Pony inn is).

My three-ish hours with Tales of the Shire were played on PC, though I also experimented a bit by streaming it to my Steam Deck, where controls were even more intuitive than keyboard and mouse. After activating the demo on Steam, I opened up the achievement list for kicks. Right at the top was one for owning at least three waistcoats.

I considered this an immediate good omen.

Orlo Proudfoot, a round-faced hobbit in a duster and messenger bag full of mail, stands on a hill with hobbit dwellings visible behind him, smoke coming from their chimneys.

Image: Wētā Workshop/Private Division

After a quick opening cutscene, I was presented with a delightfully robust character creator, featuring an unexpectedly forward-thinking five-point slider for gender (on one end, waists were small and cleavage was notable, and on the other, the reverse) as well as the utterly unique option of customizing my character’s foot hair.

Players can type in their own custom name and surname, but they also have the option to pick from two extensive lists of names seemingly cribbed directly from hobbits mentioned in Tolkien’s work. Which is to say: I didn’t check every one against the books, but I was able to scroll down the list and dub my hobbit with the exact canonical first name I was looking for: that of one of Bilbo’s uncles, Polo Baggins. This wasn’t just another good omen, it was a princely gift.

Tales of the Shire shows a clear and immediate insight into the duality of Tolkien’s hobbits — they have a great capacity to be loyal, forthright, brave, and hardy, which is made all the more surprising by their more observable capacity to be petty, conservative, and frivolous. One of the first things you learn from Orlo Proudfoot, the hobbit who welcomes you to Bywater, is that while big folk work out their differences with swords and arrows, hobbits do it by inviting people over for home-cooked meals. The on-first-reference likening of ToTS’ very chill cooking and meal mechanic to battle gave it a passive-aggressive frame that felt instantly of a piece with Tolkien’s hobbits.

Case in point: I cackled upon realizing that my first extensive quest line was to help a down-to-earth farmer win an argument with the snooty miller over a completely immaterial bit of local minutiae. On god, me and Farmer Cotton were going to rub it into the face of Sandyman the miller. His son’s a craven little collaborator anyway.

But, corroborating case in point: Though you didn’t know her, you inherit your house from a beloved old hobbit lady who recently passed on, and an early quest has you inviting two of her former students over for a meal, to give them fresh happy memories in a place that was so recently full of sorrow. There’s a pleasing sense of history to Bywater, delivered piece by piece in bits and bobs of conversations, and the game wants you to think about how you fit into it.

A hobbit PC of Tales of the Shire holds a cutting board in the midst of cooking. UI elements show the texture of the dish, as well as a choice of pickling jar, mixing bowl, and frying pan for tools.

Image: Wētā Workshop/Private Division

In prepping the dishes for that meal, it was already apparent that this was going to be a satisfying loop. Invite your guests, wake up the day of the event, check what they’re craving in the game menu, choose your recipes, and gather your ingredients (options available in the demo included fishing, foraging, and gardening). Your pantry, by the way, visually fills up with the specific food you put in it. If you store a tomato, the basket for tomatoes fills up. If you store some mustard weed, the spot on the table where the mustard weed goes then has mustard weed on it. It’s incredibly charming.

Then you cook: Choice of ingredients will lock in stats like Flavors and Deliciousness, but the cooking minigame allows you to tweak for ideal texture, using whatever tools are available in your kitchen (in this demo, only the chopping board and the frying pan). Then you receive your guests, arrange the 3D objects of your finished dishes on the table, and rack up the rewards of “Fellowship” points, gifts, and story progression.

The few in-game days I spent with the demo were enough to get tantalizingly close to achieving my first major plot goal (hosting enough brunches with my neighbors to become accepted as a Bywater “local”) but not to attain it. And reader, I pine. I sent out invitations to lunch, and now I cannot make good on them.

I would say that the bulk of my time in the game was spent in pursuit of NPCs to talk to rather than gathering ingredients with intention, repairing/decorating my somewhat dilapidated home, or cooking; there were lots of tutorial quests to close out. And while the scenery is extremely charming, I could see all that walking around eventually becoming a little repetitive.

But on the other hand, my walks were punctuated by alertness: Keep an eye out for butterflies, because following them is how you find foragable meal ingredients. Check that pond for swirls on the water to stock up on fish. Watch for the blue birds with flared red tail feathers that serve as the game’s wayfinding system. That is, you mark a destination on your map, and instead of a glowing path in the UI, there’s just… helpful birds that fly down at every path junction and face the way you need to go. Effervescent.

Key art for Tales of the Shire, featuring happy hobbits fishing and picknicing.

Image: Wētā Workshop/Private Division

I did catch the odd visual bug here and there — hobbits sitting next to benches instead of on them, one odd young man scooting along on his seated legs instead of walking — but Wētā has six months to work out the kinks. Private Division and Wētā Workshop updated the game’s release window from 2024 to the date of March 25, 2025. “Ha ha, NERDS,” I cackled, nerdily, when I read that, because I happen to know off the top of my head that March 25 is the day, by the Shire Calendar reckoning, the One Ring was thrown into Mount Doom and destroyed.

As Gandalf once said of hobbits, “You can learn all that there is to know about their ways in a month, and yet after a hundred years they can still surprise you at a pinch.” With how expertly Wētā appears to understand the cozy hobbit life sim brief, I expect there’s lots more to discover here.

Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of The Rings Game will be released March 25, 2025, on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox Series X, and Netflix Games.

SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son has been planning his comeback

Posted on by faz_business


A new Financial Times profile of Mayayoshi Son opens with SoftBank’s CEO seeming to hit bottom, staring at his “ugly” face on Zoom and telling himself, “I have done nothing I can be proud of.”

Indeed, Son largely disappeared from the public eye after SoftBank’s Vision Fund took huge losses from investments like WeWork. But FT writer Lionel Barber, whose new biography of Son is called “Gambling Man,” writes that while Son appeared to be “doing penance,” he was actually “plotting a comeback.”

Now SoftBank is betting big on AI, and finding success by taking chip design company Arm public.

There are also some fun personal details in the profile, like Son’s apparent fascination with Napoleon. When an activist investor brought up Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg in a 2020 meeting with Son, he reportedly dismissed them as “one-business guys.”

“The right comparison for me is Napoleon, Genghis Khan or Emperor Qin,” Son said. “I am not a CEO. I am building an empire.”

Which Journalism Career Path is Right for You?

Posted on by faz_business


Want to start your journalism career by working in the media industry as a writer? You generally have two options: You can seek employment as a staff member of a publication, or look for freelance writing opportunities.

How to Successfully Break Into Journalism in 2024 Free Webinar

As the number of full-time journalism jobs continues to decline and major corporations continue to lay off their editorial staff in droves, many aspiring writers feel there’s more stability in freelancing.

Which journalism career path is right for you? Two options

There are pros and cons to each option—but if you’re new to the world of professional writing jobs, how do you know which is right for you?

If you’re new to the industry and trying to decide which path is right for you, here’s what you need to know about being a freelancer versus a staff journalist.

I’ve been on both sides of the equation, and now as an editor who manages both staff writers and a freelance team, I have an even greater appreciation for the roles and responsibilities of each group.

Staff reporter or freelance journalist? Which journalism career path is right for you?Staff reporter or freelance journalist? Which journalism career path is right for you?

Freelance reporting

As freelance writer Danielle Corcione wrote on Muck Rack (sorry, the link is no longer live), freelance writers often maintain full editorial control of their projects: They can generally choose their own assignments, whether it’s something they pitched an editor or something they elected to write based on an editor’s request.

Freelance reporters also aren’t typically bound by non-compete agreements, meaning they can write for and get published by a wide range of publications. This kind of variety and freedom is highly appealing to writers who want to try working with different topics, writing styles and editors.

There are a couple of key advantages to starting off your journalism career as a freelancer.

There’s a very low entry barrier and you don’t need a journalism degree to do it, so you can start freelancing while you’re still in school like I did, and start building up a portfolio for when (or if) you decide to look for a full-time writing job. If you’re not sure where to start looking for gigs, you can check out these 20 websites.

The downside, of course, is that you lose much of the stability that comes with traditional employment. You’re responsible for securing your own benefits and budgeting for your income and self-employment taxes (since those won’t automatically be deducted as they would when you’re on payroll).

It’s also a lot easier for an editor to drop a freelancer than a staffer: A change in the budget or turning in a few bad assignments could mean that your income stream from that publication abruptly ends, so you’ll always need to be planning your next move.

If you’re considering the freelance path, it’s a good idea to get comfortable pitching editors at a variety of publications and coming up with useful, relevant story ideas for them. When you do pitch, proofread your message for spelling, grammar and punctuation, as well as thoroughly researching the publication and its typical content and style.

Staff reporting

Although some might argue traditional journalism is dead (along with the jobs that came with it), there are still full-time jobs to be had in the media industry. They just might look a little bit different than the newspaper reporter jobs of decades past.

While straight print reporting jobs do still exist, most journalism positions today include a digital component.

Many staff writers are expected to understand search and social media trends to help inform their story ideas, and knowing how to create and leverage visual assets (e.g. infographics and video content) is a huge plus. These skills are also valued in freelancers, but writers who can offer the complete package stand to go far in the industry.

As mentioned above, a staff writing job also comes with certain employment benefits and, in many cases, a more predictable schedule that make it more appealing than freelancing. On the flip side, you may end up trading some of your creative and editorial freedom: Tight deadlines, editor demands and last-minute changes of direction are common in newsrooms, and you may find yourself somewhat at the mercy of your company’s leadership and executive teams.

However, like freelancers, staff writers are often encouraged to pitch their editors, especially as they move up the ranks. You’ll need to be able to come up with well-informed, well-researched pitches—but unlike freelancers, your income won’t depend on whether your pitch gets accepted or not.

Because full-time reporters are typically dedicated to a single publication (many media companies have policies against freelancing for direct competitors), they’re able to immerse themselves in the specific beats and audience of that outlet. Therefore, it may be easier for you to come up with “good” pitches as a staffer.

Still not sure which path to take? Try freelance writing as a side hustle while you work as a staff journalist, just to see which you prefer (or you may decide you can successfully juggle both).

Either way, it’s important to understand what your responsibilities might entail and make an informed decision about your writing career.

How to Successfully Break Into Journalism in 2024 Free Webinar

If you’re wondering what opportunities exist for freelance writers in 2024 (hint: there are plenty!) then make sure to register for the free webinar coming up on September 26, 2024 called How to Successfully Break Into Journalism in 2024! You’ll learn about the different types of journalism and what you may best be suited for, and the top skills successful journalists need and what it can lead to.

The best robot vacuums for 2024: Expert tested and reviewed

Posted on by faz_business


We’ve tested dozens of robot vacuums in homes with kids, dogs, and cats. We know the feeling of spending countless hours a week trying to clean the pet hair and mini fingerprints scattered around the home, yet feeling like it’s impossible to keep up with everything.

Enter robot vacuums. Robot vacuums aren’t a one-size-fits-all affair, and the right for you depends on many factors. The ZDNET team has spent countless hours evaluating factors like floor mapping abilities, battery life, price, and, more importantly, cleaning efficiency to help you make the best choice.

Also: The best robot vacuum mops: Expert tested

What is the best robot vacuum right now?

Our pick for the best robot vacuum overall is the iRobot Roomba j7+, thanks to its self-emptying capabilities, ability to move across carpet, tile, and hardwood floors, and its easy-to-use app. It’s also often discounted, simply because it’s not the newest Roomba model, so you can expect its price to fall considerably around sales events. It’s the robot we go back to repeatedly after testing others. Read on for the rest of our picks for the best robot vacuums.

The best robot vacuums of 2024

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Roomba j7+

Best robot vacuum overall

The Roomba j7+ is one of our favorite robot vacuums to use throughout a house, whether on carpet, tile, or rugs. After a few initial runs, the j7+ can map a home’s layout. Next, you can use the iRobot app to choose your cleaning method. You can select which rooms you want cleaned, in what order, and how many times you want each room cleaned. 

There aren’t many robot vacuums that we trust to remove ingrained pet hair from our carpets, but the j7+ is an exception to that rule. It gets a complete run of my house and does a great job on different floor surfaces. What sets Roomba vacuums apart from others is intelligence. The j7+ uses to recognize and avoid everyday household objects like socks, cords, shoes, and pet waste. 

Review: Roomba j7+

If you’re a new pet owner, iRobot’s P.O.O.P. (Pet Owner Official Promise) guarantee will make you feel comfortable enough to leave your Roomba j7+ and pet in the same area. We love knowing that, no matter what the house looks like, we can send the j7+ out to clean, and it won’t suck up something that it shouldn’t. The peace of mind is worth every single penny. Amazon customers also rave about this feature, one saying, “The object identification system is a wonderful addition for pet owners or anyone with loose wires. Having gone through three [poop apocalypses] with our dog and old Roomba over the past five years, the poop avoidance system is a welcome assurance!”

The Roomba j7+ doesn’t have mopping capabilities, but it does pair beautifully with the Braava Jet m6. The two iRobot products use the same technology to tag team your vacuuming and mopping needs. I tested both of these robots out, so be sure to check out our full reviews.

Roomba j7+ features: PrecisionVision Navigation | P.O.O.P. guarantee | Easy robot integration | Price: $749

Roomba j7+ vacuuming on tile.

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Shark PowerDetect 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum and Mop with NeverTouch Pro Base

A hands-free robot vacuum and mop combo

Whether vacuuming or mopping, the PowerDetect robot does the dirty work, so you don’t have to. It deep-cleans and mops your floors, while the NeverTouch Pro base means you don’t have to worry about cleanup or maintenance for weeks at a time. After every cleaning run, the robot will return to the base to empty debris, refill the water tank, and wash and dry the mopping pad so it’s always ready for its next clean, giving you maintenance-free cleaning for up to a month. 

With Shark’s NeverStuck Technology, the robot lifts itself over obstacles and across thresholds to avoid getting stuck. When mopping, it keeps the pad above carpets to prevent wet messes and deliver whole-home coverage. While the robot handles your cleaning chores for you, the bagless base with HEPA Anti-Allergen Complete Seal captures and traps 99.97% of dust and allergens (down to 0.3 microns, allergens refers to non-living matter). The base traps dust & allergens and keeps them inside, out of the air you breathe, while Odor Neutralizer Technology guards against bad odors in the base for a fresher smelling home. 

shark-robot-vacuum-mop

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Dreame X40 Ultra

Best 2-in-1 vacuum and mop

The Dreame X40 Ultra is an outstanding robot vacuum and mop with excellent mapping capabilities and the strongest suction power on the market. The problem? It’s very expensive, at $1,900.

This robot vacuum and mop has it all, from intelligent navigation to magnetic detachable mop pads that the robot can leave behind at the station to vacuum and then return to put them on and mop. As moms and pet owners, we believe this is the best robot vacuum and mop combination money can buy for busy families with large cleaning areas. 

Review: Dreame X40 Ultra

The Dreame X40 Ultra vacuums thoroughly, mops superbly, has a hands-free self-cleaning station, and is great at avoiding obstacles. You don’t have to worry about picking up everything from your floors before running it, so you can have it clean your home daily while you’re out.

Though the app could be more user-friendly, the numerous customization options may overshadow that shortcoming. The Dreame X40 Ultra lets you customize cleaning areas and even choose to have the robot vacuum rugs first, do a thorough rug cleaning, and even whether you want it to take pictures of your pet when it spots them.

Amazon reviewers also feel overwhelmingly positive about the X40 Ultra, one saying, “The performance of this vacuum is where it truly shines. The suction power is incredible, tackling dust, dirt, and pet hair with ease. It even picks up crumbs and debris that my previous vacuum would have left behind. The Dream X40 Ultra glides effortlessly around furniture and obstacles, never getting stuck or confused, which was a constant issue with my old iRobot J9.”

Dreame X40 Ultra features: MopExtend cleaning capability | 12,000Pa suction power | Multi-functional base station | Price: $1,900

Dreame X40 Ultra robot vacuum and mop

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Narwal Freo X Plus

Best robot vacuum for hard floors

The Narwal Freo X Plus is the best midrange robot vacuum we’ve tested. At $400, this robot vacuum and mop excels on hard floors, handling debris, crumbs, and hair without tangling. Though it doesn’t have a self-emptying dustbin, the built-in dust compression feature lets you go up to seven weeks without emptying the Freo X Plus dustbin. 

The dustbin can hold up to one liter of debris, and its heat-drying mechanism ensures no odors or bacteria growth. I’ve had issues with odor from other self-emptying vacuums, but not once from the Narwal Freo X Plus during my time testing it. 

The Freo X Plus has strong LiDAR mapping and obstacle avoidance capabilities, ensuring swift and effective navigation across your home. It performs exceptionally well on hard floors, but its performance on carpet is less impressive, leaving a few crumbs on its trail. 

Review: Narwal Freo X Plus

That said, we’ve found this to be one of the best robot vacuums we’ve tested, and many buyers agree. One verified customer noted, “Having two cats and two litter boxes, I have to constantly vacuum the floor for litter and pet hair. This product does its job to clean the floor with minimum noise and I love the fact that it can detect carpet and adjust the height accordingly.”

Narwal Freo X Plus features: Up to seven weeks without emptying | 7,800Pa suction power | Effective tangle-free technology | Price: $400

Narwal Freo X Plus robot vacuum and mop

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Yeedi M12 Pro+

Best robot vacuum for different floor types

The Yeedi M12 Pro+ truly has no business being this cheap. A 2-in-1 robot vacuum and mop with a self-emptying and self-washing system, the M12 Pro+ has 11,000Pa of suction power, a leader on the market. It features a specialized roller system to prevent hair tangles when vacuuming.

This new M12 Pro+ has minor issues, such as struggling to avoid obstacles and getting its brush stuck, though it performs better than other more expensive options. It also lifts its mop pads when going over carpet or rugs, and this feature performed pretty well with my short-pile rugs, but the 9-millimeter lift isn’t enough to keep my medium-pile rugs dry. 

Review: Yeedi M12 Pro+

Despite these minor issues, the M12 Pro+’s robust cleaning features and compact all-in-one charging station make for a high-quality cleaning solution. 

“The Yeedi M12 Pro+ has not only met but surpassed my expectations,” one reviewer said about the robot vacuum and mop. “It’s a robust, efficient cleaning tool that has taken the chore out of vacuuming. If you’re in the market for a robot vacuum that offers great performance and ease of use, look no further than the Yeedi M12 Pro+.”

Yeedi M12 Pro+ features: TruEdge deep mopping | 11,000Pa suction power | Zero Tangle technology | Price: $899

Yeedi M12 Pro+ robot vacuum and mop

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Roomba s9+

Best robot vacuum for pet hair

If you’re like us and have a lot of dog hair lying around, we promise you won’t be disappointed if you invest in the Roomba s9+. This is Roomba’s most powerful robot vacuum to date. It comes in a D-shaped design, allowing the robot to fit in the corners of your home. Once the s9+ gets going, the dual multi-surface brushes suck up everything in their paths. Even on our carpet, the ingrained dog hair and dirt get sucked away and into the robot. One Amazon customer says, “The Roomba not only works really well from a vacuuming perspective, but it has done a remarkable job learning the house.”

As an iRobot vacuum, the AI inside the s9+ can recognize shoes, socks, cords, and more, so you don’t have to worry. And Roomba does a great job keeping your devices up to date, so they’re always learning and getting smarter through continued software updates. 

Also: How Roomba’s $1,000 robot vacuum handled my house of children and pets

The s9+ comes with an auto-empty base that doubles as a charging station, so once the robot picks up all of your dirt and debris, it’s sucked right into an enclosed bag so it stays trapped away. The s9+’s auto-empty base is much smaller than the j7+’s, making it easier to tuck away and blend in with your home decor. 

Because this is an iRobot device, the Roomba s9+ will pair with the Braava Jet m6 to clean your floors thoroughly.

Roomba s9+ features: 30% wider dual multi-surface rubber brushes | Delivers 40x power-lifting suction | Dirt Detect technology | Price: $813

Roomba s9+ vacuuming on carpet.

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Shark ION AV751

Best budget robot vacuum

If you’re overwhelmed by the technology and features that come with several of the new robot vacuums, this Shark ION would be an excellent option for you. You don’t need an app to get this robot vacuum going: Press the Clean button, and it’s off. The tech inside is minimal — this Shark doesn’t map where it’s been or have the AI capabilities to avoid cables or shoes, but it makes up for it with its suction power. 

Review: Shark ION AV751

You’ll want to remember that by not having mapping capabilities, it just drives around, and may clean the same room repeatedly. From our experience, though, running the AV751 daily kept an entire house clean. One day, it may clean the kitchen and living room; the next, it may clean the laundry room and bathroom. The important thing was that the Shark could keep up with two dogs and cat, which is a massive task.

The Shark ION Av751 has no auto-empty base, so you must manually dump the dirt and debris into the trash can. But that means the charging station is significantly smaller than many other robot vacs on the market. Shark is a brand name most known and trusted in the cleaning industry, so you can rest assured that this budget-friendly option will be a safe one. Amazon reviewers love the price, one saying, “In my opinion, this is the BEST budget vacuum at the price point.” 

Shark ION AV751 features: Tri-brush system | Stair/cliff edge detection | Alexa and Google Assistant integrated | Price: $225

Shark ION AV751 vacuuming a rug.

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The Roomba j7+ is one of the smartest, most advanced robot vacuums we have tested on the market. Its PrecisionVision navigation ensures that it’s cleaning the rooms you want to be cleaned and gathers an accurate map of your house. The ability to add Cleaning zones for particularly dirty areas or Keep-out zones where you may not want the robot to go is an added bonus. 

Pet parents everywhere can agree that the P.O.O.P. guarantee will help them sleep easier at night, knowing their home will get vacuumed without smearing through any accidents. And, of course, being a Roomba device, you know that the robots are always getting new software updates, so your robot vacuum is always getting smarter.

Robot vacuum Price Obstacle avoidance Mapping technology Auto-empty base Two-in-one vacuum and mop
Roomba j7+ $749 Yes Yes Yes No
Dreame X40 Ultra $1,900 Yes Yes Yes Yes
Yeedi M12 Pro+ $899 Yes Yes Yes Yes
Roomba s9+ $813 Yes Yes Yes No
Narwal Freo X Plus $400 Yes Yes No Yes
Shark ION AV751 $225 No No No No

After spending the last two years testing numerous robot vacuums, the one feature that distinguishes them the most is their intelligence. Some individuals are looking for a hands-off approach. They want to set a schedule in the app and not have to worry or think about the robot for weeks at a time. Others may not be that comfortable with tech or want to have more control of where and when the robot is running. Both are reasonable expectations, but you’ll be buying two different vacuums.

Choose this robot vacuum… If you need…
Roomba j7+ A highly intelligent, AI-driven vacuum. With its ability to recognize up to 80 household objects, your home will get cleaned while your cords and shoes aren’t bothered.
Dreame X40 Ultra One robot to vacuum every surface type in your home while mopping hardwood/tile/laminate flooring. It’s truly an all-in-one machine that will keep your home clean with the touch of a button in the app.
Yeedi M12 Pro+ You want the top-of-the-line in terms of self-cleaning technology, efficiency, and pure power.
Roomba s9+ A vacuum to tackle excessive pet hair, dirt, and debris. It’s Roomba’s best suctioning robot on the market.
Narwal Freo X Plus An affordable robot vacuum that performs like a high-end unit on hard floors, with up to 7 weeks between emptying.
Shark ION AV751 A simple robot vacuum without all of the bells and whistles. This can be a more manageable option for individuals who don’t need a lot of technology in their robot vacuum.

While trying to determine the best robot vacuum, we kept several factors at the forefront of our testing and research, which can also aid your search.

  • Floor types: Some robot vacuums are equipped to work with certain floor types, like carpet or hardwood. Others may be able to accommodate other floor types, like stone or marble. Before you buy, consider the types of flooring in your home and which vacuum is most appropriate.
  • Mapping: For full automation, your robot vacuum must have a mapping feature to navigate each room. You also want to consider an obstacle avoidance feature that can avoid things like furniture, wires, and even pet waste. This feature is a must-have in my home with strewn about.
  • Battery: A robot vacuum is hardly worth it if it doesn’t have the battery to keep it going. Consider the battery time before choosing the best robot vacuum to ensure it has enough power to clean your home. If you select a robot vacuum with the technical capability to pause its job, return to the charging base to refill its battery, and then resume the job where it left off, this may not be as big of a factor as others on this list. 

  • Connectivity: Many of the best robot vacuums offer voice control, some even with Alexa. Others may feature an app that allows you to control your robot from afar, set schedules, track progress, and control the machine’s efforts. If you’re hoping for voice activation rather than using an app, check and see if the machine is compatible with the home assistant of your choice. 

ZDNET has several robot vacuum reviewers that have tested over 50 units thus far. We conduct tests in real homes with real challenges and in a controlled lab environment for comparison.

Here’s what we consider when testing robot vacuums at ZDNET:

  • Determine evaluation criteria: For our key evaluation criteria, we consider how robots perform by assessing their suction power, navigation, mapping, and battery life. We also assess the user experience, the robot’s versatility, longevity, and whether it delivers on its specifications.
  • Unboxing: During this process, we assess the packaging and setup experience and note any accessories and unique features.
  • Testing environments: We test the robot vacuums on different floor types and see how they navigate various obstacles to test performance.
  • Performance metrics: We test suction power with various debris types and assess obstacle navigation and mapping accuracy.
  • Extra features: When testing robot vacuum and mop combinations, we evaluate their effectiveness at removing stains and overall cleaning quality. We also check how unique features work, like obstacle avoidance and recognition, extendable mop pads, etc.

To top it all off, we gauge the device’s longevity and long-term performance by using it over the course of a few months. Our review timelines vary, but we typically test robot vacuums for about a month before reviewing and keep our reviews updated while the device is available.

For a more detailed look at our testing process, check out our robot vacuum testing methodology page.

The technology has come a long way since auto-emptying bases were first introduced. That being said, they all have seemingly worked out the kinks and work well. In our testing experience, we haven’t had auto-empty base issues. The only thing we would keep in mind is to make sure your self-emptying base is equipped with disposable bags to capture and hold all of the dirt and debris. It makes cleaning up that much easier and ensures that once the dirt is vacuumed up, it isn’t being let back out into your home. Once the bag is full, you’ll simply pull it away, throw it in the trash, and put in a brand new bag.

In our testing experience, you get what you pay for with two-in-one machines. We don’t like robot mops that don’t use a cleaning solution. Our floors are dirty enough that simply pushing around water doesn’t get anything cleaned. When looking at purchasing a two-in-one machine, be sure to see what the recommended cleaning solution is. If the manufacturer only wants you to use water, we personally would steer clear.

You also want to make sure the robot comes with the AI technology that can differentiate carpet from hardwood flooring. It is not worth guarding your favorite rugs every time you use the machine to keep the robot from ruining them. Both Roomba and Roborock do an excellent job of this. 

Also: The best robot vacuum mops you can buy

If you have a lot of carpets and rugs in your home, you will want to look for a robot vacuum with a higher suction power or Pa (Pascal Pressure Unit). The higher the Pa, the better the suction power is. 

There are hundreds of robot vacuums on the market, so naturally, we couldn’t include all the top performers. Here are a few standouts that we’ve also tried:

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