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• Creature Commandos episode 4 showed off the DCU's Justice League for the first time
• DC Comics' most iconic superteam, though, don't appear in the manner you'd expect
• Showrunner Dean Lorey says fans "shouldn't infer" anything from the brief scene, either

Creature Commandos episode 4 has handed us a first look at the DC Cinematic Universe's (DCU) Justice League, but not in the way many would've predicted

I didn't expect the Max series' fourth episode, titled 'Chasing Squirrels', to mark the supergroup's debut in James Gunn and Peter Safran's rebooted DC Universe, but here we are. Well, I'm using the word 'debut' pretty liberally here, because they only show up in the briefest of scenes that showrunner Dean Lorey says you and I "shouldn't infer" anything from said sequence.

Full spoilers immediately follow for Creature Commandos' fourth chapter, so turn back now if you haven't streamed it yet.

Well, this is an inauspicious debut for the Justice League in the DCU... (Image credit: DC Studios/Max)

As I said, the scene in question isn't a full introduction to the DCU's Justice League. Seven minutes into 'Chasing Squirrels', ARGUS chief Amanda Waller is shown a vision of the future by Circe, the series' apparent villain-in-chief and who's one of three big teases in Creature Commandos that predate Wonder Woman's DCU debut.

But I'm getting off track. Circe, who was captured by the eponymous team in one of the best Max shows' fourth entry, attempts to tell Waller, Rick Flag Sr., and John Economos that Princess Ilana and Pokolistan, the nation she rules over, aren't what they seem. In a bid to convince them further, Circe says she can use her clairvoyant abilities on Waller to show her a vision of a potential future where Ilana and Pokolistan tyranically rule over the world.

Let's hope David Corenswet's Man of Steel fares far better in today's (December 19) Superman movie trailer reveal... (Image credit: DC Studios/Max)

It's here where the Justice League appear – kind of, anyway. You see, as part of Waller's vision, we see the Justice League, plus numerous other DC heroes and antiheroes, crucified, impaled on spears, or lying dead on a skull-littered ground. Among those depicted in this sequence are DC's iconic trifecta of superheroes, aka Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.

They aren't the only ones, though. I also spotted Robin, Peacemaker, Supergirl, one of the Green Lantern Corps, Hawkgirl, Vigilante, and what appears to be a comics-accurate Aquaman (complete with blonder hair) among the dead. Let me know if you picked out anyone else, such as The Flash, Cyborg, and Martian Manhunter.

What did you do, Ilana!? (Image credit: DC Studios/Max)

There are plenty of questions raised by Circe's premonition. How powerful is the country of Pokolistan if it's able to not only conquer the world, but also defeat so many metahumans? Is this a future that will happen or may only do so if Task Force M doesn't stop Ilana? And is there anything we should read into the Justice League and their fellow heroes' deaths in this DCU Chapter One project? Unfortunately, if you came here looking for answers to the above and any other queries you have, Lorey can only provide one answer, but it's a pretty categorical one all the same.

"That scene is specific to the story [of Creature Commandos]," Lorey replied when I asked him if it sets up future scenarios in the DCU. "It's not really meant to infer anything but, you know, it was meant to do what it does, which is show a very dark vision of the world if something isn't done to prevent it. But, no, I would say fans shouldn't infer anything about the Justice League [from that]."

Consider that case closed, then! For more of my Creature Commandos and wider DCU coverage, check out the section below.

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If you're in the market for a home equity loan or a HELOC, listen up.

With the news that several large corporations such as Amazon are insisting their employees return to the office full time, it could be thought that the hybrid working revolution was merely a blip caused by lockdown necessity.

It remains to be seen whether this reversion will be successful or whether it will cause another wider adjustment as employees seek the employment that best reflects their needs.

Certainly, it should be seen as part of the continuum of an accelerating process of realignments as issues including trust, technology, productivity, creativity, family, finance and mental health shape the future of work.

Why hybrid working is still a necessity

Whether hybrid working remains a part of an organization's primary working strategy or not, it is critical that they retain the capability to do so to ensure business resiliency. The disruptions that impact physical office attendance will continue to exist and may well increase as the world becomes more unpredictable. From severe weather events to social unrest and global political shifts, there are a plethora of problems which will undermine attempts to confidently forecast mid to long-term plans.

The ability to flex as challenges and opportunities arise must be a fundamental consideration for all businesses. Developing an effective capability for remote and hybrid work enables employees to work from home or other locations if the office becomes inaccessible. Disregarding any other outcomes from recent years, this is a lesson that should not be forgotten.

Why technology is a key enabler for business resilience

Adopting technologies will be key for businesses to achieve the level of business resiliency required to support all working policies. For example, Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) supports remote and hybrid working and can also be leveraged to improve other aspects of business resiliency, security, scalability and efficiency.

VDI situates PC or workstation resources on a server, rather than a laptop or desk-based device. This enables resources to sit alongside other server-based services in a central location, whether that be an office server room, a data center or the cloud. The virtual desktops are accessed with a low-spec device, often an inexpensive laptop or ‘thin client’, through an application or browser, over the network or internet. The experience for the end user remains the same so long as the service has been appropriately specified and configured, meaning employees can work from almost anywhere with an internet connection.

The key benefits of VDI

To ensure greater business protection, VDI (and its related infrastructure) should be located in a high-end data center to guarantee additional levels of resiliency. These would generally include dual and diverse power and connectivity, backup power generators, high levels of environmental management and physical and network security (such as DDOS protection). Such measures are important to reduce the risk of downtime, whether your employees are working from home or the office. Public and private cloud vendors will offer this level of service as a rule.

Centralizing all business resources also improves security. Data stays within a centrally managed network, rather than being located or replicated across multiple external devices, which exponentially increases vulnerability to attack. Employees only have inexpensive, dumb devices in hand, which are harder to hack and less problematic if stolen or damaged. Reducing the use of VPNs, replication and edge device data reduces the attack surface considerably.

Many VDI providers also offer scalability for organizations to flex their resources in line with their current needs. This type of dynamic resourcing is one of the big promises of cloud computing and is extremely attractive, especially when long-term forecasting is a challenge. There is a cost associated with such dynamism, but balancing this with less expensive, dedicated core resources allows for both reliability and agility.

Perhaps the most under-appreciated aspect of VDI is the efficiency that it can introduce to computer estate management. Administering through web-based control panels enables IT administrators to manage everything remotely, regardless of where the end user is based. Virtual desktops can be spun up or disabled in minutes, creating huge savings in the time that would otherwise be spent on physical device deployments and decommissioning. Resources can be reallocated across machines, users quickly reassigned and fresh images deployed rapidly, simplifying office moves and reorganizations.

Embracing the VDI opportunity for all working policies

There exists some understandable nervousness about hybrid working and VDI. For many organizations, this still seems a step too far from their long embedded and comfortable working practices and technologies. Alongside the recent push for a return to office working by some organizations, there has also been a parallel shift with other early adopters moving away from public cloud services; the latter primarily due to its expense and lack of ROI. Thankfully there are growing private cloud services that offer better and more accessible offerings, which ensure that the promise of cloud and VDI can still be realized. This will be important in the coming years which are sure to be full of new challenges and opportunities.

We've listed the best free remote desktop software.

This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

The KTC A32Q8 Smart Monitor from KTC (Key To Combat), a relatively new Chinese brand to the market bringing an affordable 32″ 3840 x 2160 4K 60Hz 16:9 VA panel with an advertised high contrast ratio measured at a 98% DCI-P3 colour gamut, a Variable Refresh Rate and HDR10 support.

That puts it into best video editing monitor territory. It also includes 2x 5w speakers. One key feature of this monitor is its SMART TV support for a variety of streaming services such as Google TV, Netflix, Disney+ etc.

The known Key Specs are:

Screen Size: 32”

Resolution: 3840 x 2160

Aspect Ratio: 16:9

Max Refresh Rate: 60Hz (though it does support variable refresh rates)

HDR: HDR10

Colour Gamut: 98% DCI-P3

Speakers: 2 stereo speakers with 5W

KTC A32Q8: Packaging & assembly

The monitor came in the usual large box associated with monitors. The box was keen to point out the Smart TV capabilities of the monitor with logos of a couple of streaming services labelled on it. Once opened the box revealed a large polystyrene foam shell taking up the entirety of the box.

(Image credit: KTC)

The polystyrene foam came in two parts encapsulating the monitor with the stand and cables placed externally. Other than the stand, the monitor arrived with a UK to IEC13 cable, a Power Brick with Barrel adapter, HDMI Cable and its remote control. Also included were two small screwdrivers to get you started.

KTC A32Q8 only came with a quick start manual showing you how to put the monitor stand together and attaching it to the monitor, some basic specs and what the different ports on the back were for. It wasn’t very in depth. It goes into no detail about the OSD menus or other menus

(Image credit: KTC)

The stand is put together by slotting the pillar-like part onto the base plate and using the supplied screws and screwdriver, tightening them to fit. The supplied screwdriver is good for just getting started or if you have no tools, otherwise I would say use proper tools, they are painful on the hands and fingers to use.

The vertical part of the monitor is then mounted to the monitor itself, again with another two screws to support it. There is no vertical height adjustment or swivel support, only a slight amount of tilt from -5 to +15 degrees. There are no cable tidy clips, hooks, channels, etc.

(Image credit: KTC) KTC A32Q8: Connectivity

The rear of the monitor has, thankfully, downward facing connection ports thereby allowing you to place this monitor as close to a flat vertical surface such as a wall.

The connections are:

Four USB-A 2.0 ports

A 3.5mm headphone jack

DisplayPort 1.4

USB Type C connector with up to 65W of power delivery

HDMI 2.1, and;

The DC power Port

On the rear is the 100x100mm VESA mounts points

(Image credit: KTC)

The DisplayPort supports the full 4K 60Hz 10 bit colour gamut, the HDMI however is limited to only 8 bit at 4K 60Hz, a shame that they only supply a HDMI cable and no DisplayPort cable meaning that most average customers wouldn’t know this and may just opt to use the supplied HDMI cable thereby overlooking this flaw.

The USB-C also supports DisplayPort Alternate Mode allowing you to connect devices such as modern laptops to the monitor without use of a DP or HDMI cable, as long as you use an appropriate USB-C cable, which again isn’t supplied.

I was a bit disappointed by the use of the power delivery, a standard UK plug to IEC C13 cable, to power brick and then to DC barrel jack. The brick itself is that, a brick, it is fairly hefty with a long and wide body and slim height. I’m not a fan of power bricks because they will need to be placed and hidden and as an external point of failure, if the brick or DC was to be damaged, sourcing a new one with the correct sized barrel jack may prove difficult. I would have preferred a built-in solution with just a UK to IEC C13 plug as its one less thing to worry about, looking at the rear of the monitor suggest that there could have been space, there is a void large enough below the connectors, albeit the connectors may have to be repositioned if a redesign was in order.

KTC A32Q8: Performance

With a resolution of 3840 x 2160 at 32” on a VA Panel I noted that monitor a matt like textured anti reflective/glare coating on the screen, using a flashgun I was able to defeat it, but it's unlikely that you would ever have such glare like this on the monitor.

The monitor's backlight allowed some bleed but not much in truly inky blacks, not as good as a QD-LED. The image quality was sharp enough to allow you to enjoy most streaming services, complain free. To be honest, the average person will probably not notice any slight discrepancies in image quality unless testing it side by side with a better monitor from a well-known brand. Most end users would most likely be happy.

KTC A32Q8: Useability

The monitor has a single joystick like button on the back right hand side (as if looking straight ahead at the monitor) to allow navigation through the basic OSD (On-Screen Display) menu. Most of the menus, settings and controls are down through the monitor's own built-in OS like menus accessed and navigable using the supplied remote control.

After setting everything up and switching it for the first time, there were a series of menus to navigate in order to set it up which was quite involved. It wasn’t unlike me setting up my Samsung Smart TV for the first, not surprising since both are in effect, Smart TVs.

The monitor has built-in Wi-Fi, a useful feature allowing it to connect to your network and by extension to the internet allowing you to access the raft of popular streaming services. Especially as there is no RJ45 connector.

As soon as it was up and running, I used it more as a Smart TV than actual monitor, checking its features, logging on to my Netflix account, Amazon Prime Video and YouTube before remembering that this is a monitor review, not a TV one.

I used the monitor as any normal person would, using the display for work, general browsing, gaming and watching films or streaming service. For work, the monitor's large screen was useful for being able to display two good sized windows at once. General browsing was good, 32” being a very comfortable and usable size to work with unlike ultra-wide screen monitors.

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(Image credit: KTC)

Gaming had no issues, I tested the display playing both Helldivers 2 and Horizon Forbidden West, two games which are PS5 console ports, so more modern PC games should have no issues.

Watching content, such as Amazon Prime (here seen is Fallout) has two large black bars on either side, as did Netflix. YouTube was the same though this was content-dependent. In this example I am viewing a video in the 2160 mode.

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(Image credit: KTC)

The Monitor has 2 speakers, each with 5Ws of power, I listened to the speakers using a variety of sources from music, films, games and other genres. Like most in built Monitor speakers, they are better if you have nothing else but are easily outclassed by even cheap stereo speakers or better yet a headset or headphones.

I found the remote to be a bit on the small side, it doesn’t have many buttons and is powered by two CR2032 button batteries. the usual buttons are there; on/off, source selector, account, Google Voice, settings buttons. The centre is dominated by a square D-pad with centre select button, below that is the Home, back and multi-function button often found on Android like phones followed by the volume buttons. Lastly and most colourfully are the streaming services buttons as displayed.

Using the remote I noted the mushiness of the square D-Pad meaning that without looking at the remote, it was difficult to tell which direction you were pressing, my wife also noted the lack of a mute button which could have been placed between the “-“ and “+” volume buttons.

(Image credit: KTC) KTC A32Q8: KVM

The Monitor is KVM capable for laptops and other small portable devices that support USB C output. You can plug in a keyboard, mouse and any other USB accessory so long as they are USB 2.0 compatible, which is near universal, just be advised that you’ll be limited to USB 2.0 data transfer speeds if you use an external HDD. Once connected your laptop or device automatically (if capable) discover your attached devices and display your desktop.

This would mean that you could have the display set up at home with attached mouse and keyboard. You could then take your laptop with you, plug this in via USB-C and are good to go with just one cable. An alternative would be to have a desktop PC and or laptop dock capability to connect to the display sharing a common mouse and keyboard. An incredibly useful feature in this day and age of mobile computing/hot desking.

However, having tested other monitors in the past and hot desking at work, I note that in order to use DisplayPort Alternate Mode to pass a laptop’s display to the monitor require the use of properly compatible cables, most USB-C cables used for charging phones are not compatible

However, I noted that for a monitor boasting USB-C KVM and display capabilities, a distinct lack of any ethernet RJ45 jack. Whilst most laptops, tablets etc have or are Wi-Fi capable, sometimes a hardwired connection is preferred. A missed opportunity, I think.

KTC A32Q8: Final verdict

Overall, the KTC A32Q8 Smart Monitor has some decent things going for it, trying to pull double duty as a 4K monitor and Smart TV like features. It does most of this well but falls short in some places, most notably the lack of an RJ45 connector for the KVM feature and stinginess of the supplied cables.

The sheer number of connectors allows end users the flexibility to use several consoles or workstations with the KTC A32Q8 as well as other peripherals. But you will need to supply your own cables.

The downside is that there is a lack of support or exact specs on the KTC A32Q8 as finding the KTC website isn’t as straightforward as you would like, once on the KTC website there is no mention of the KTC A32Q8 or documentation.

So, who is the KTC A32Q8 aimed at? Having thoroughly used the monitor as a general user as both a computer monitor and TV, I see it as useful for students, anyone on a tight budget, or those without much space to have both a desktop with monitor and TV. As it doubles as both it can do the role of both yet taking up the space of one at a great value.

For more monitor reviews, we tested the best 5K and 8K monitors you can get right now.  

• ^ Back to top

Sarkozy, 69, faces a year in prison, but is expected to ask to be detained at home with an electronic bracelet — as is the case for any sentence of two years or less.

(Image credit: Ludovic Marin)

The 35 buildings surveyed along an almost 12-mile stretch from Miami Beach to Sunny Isles Beach have sunk or settled by 0.8 to 3.1 inches, scientists found.

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Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Dec. 19.

• Tensions between WP Engine and Mullenweg drive user curiosity
• Users worldwide show rising interest in website builder alternatives
• Ongoing conflict highlights the risks of relying solely on WordPress

Global search interest for WordPress alternatives has surged dramatically as the conflict between WP Engine and Matt Mullenweg, co-founder of WordPress and CEO of Automattic, intensifies

Data from Google Trends noted search requests around the website builder boomed in October 2024, especially on October 8, where it reached a peak score of 100.

The spike in interest signals a shift in user behavior, indicating an active search for options which align more closely with user expectations around performance, control, and transparency.

Possible triggering events behind the surge

Before October 8, Google Trends data shows the search interest for WordPress alternatives was essentially dormant, with no recorded searches from October 4 to October 7.

Observers attribute this surge to the escalating legal and public disputes between WP Engine and Mullenweg, who accused WP Engine of trademark infringement and compromising WordPress’s open-source ethos.

The contention centers on WP Engine’s handling of WordPress features, including limiting revision history for posts and its allegedly confusing use of the “WP” branding, which Mullenweg argues misleads users into believing WP Engine is directly affiliated with WordPress.

The tension reached new heights with Mullenweg calling WP Engine a “cancer to WordPress”. Both WP Engine and Automattic have since exchanged cease-and-desist letters, with WP Engine contesting Automattic’s claims, asserting its use of WordPress trademarks falls under fair use.

This back-and-forth intensified when Mullenweg blocked WP Engine’s access to WordPress.org resources, including updates for plugins and themes, which severely impacted WP Engine-hosted websites, leaving some vulnerable to security risks. While this ban was briefly lifted, the damage to WP Engine’s reputation and the broader WordPress community was significant, leaving developers and users frustrated.

WP Engine has also sued Automattic's CEO for attempted extortion. The company told TechRadar Pro:

“...Matt Mullenweg’s conduct over the last ten days has exposed significant conflicts of interests and governance issues that, if left unchecked, threaten to destroy that trust. WP Engine has no choice but to pursue these claims to protect its people, agency partners, customers, and the broader WordPress community.”

More recently however, a US district court has ordered Automattic to stop blocking WP Engine access to the WordPress servers.

The data from October 4 to November 4, 2024 highlights a notable shift in user behaviour globally, with countries such as the United States, Canada, Germany, India, Nigeria, Pakistan and Brazil showing an increased interest in exploring WordPress alternatives.

Following the October 8 peak, search interest for WordPress alternatives continued, though at a lower intensity. Between October 21 and October 30, scores ranged from 20 to 36, indicating a steady but less urgent curiosity among users for alternative CMS options.

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Tineco Floor One Switch S6: Two-minute review

There aren’t too many vacuum mops like the Tineco Floor One Switch S6 – it goes from being a wet-dry vacuum mop to just a vacuum to a handheld unit. Tineco claims the Switch S6 is a 5-in-1, but I found it to be more of a 3-in-1. Still, it's one of the most versatile vacuum cleaners I’ve tested. It takes into account that no two homes are alike and that several have mixed floor types – and I don’t mean just rugs; I mean homes with either wood or tile floors as well as wall-to-wall carpeting.

Product info

The Tineco Floor One Switch S6 is available in the US and Australia. In the UK, only the Tineco Floor One S6 is being sold, which is the vacuum mop without the hot-swappable vacuum attachment that allows it to also become a handheld unit. The wet-dry vacuum mop, though, is nearly identical in functionality, with just a minor difference in the display.

Its primary function is to be a wet-dry vacuum mop, so it does both at the same time. That means its main body consists of a front-mounted dirty-water tank, which has a filter to capture solids (like debris and hair) and a clean-water tank on the rear which can also take Tineco’s proprietary cleaning solution. In tests, I found that the vacuum mop was incredibly easy to use and its cleaning prowess was quite good on both wet and dry spills, thanks to really good water dispersal and the 450rpm roller cleaning head.

This wet cleaning head gets constantly washed with each rotation, plus there’s a scraper built into the casing that, as the name suggests, keeps scraping away the dirt from the roller so as not to transfer any muck back onto your just-cleaned floor.

I found the auto dirt-detection sensors to be quite good too, with the vacuum mop dynamically altering power and water dispersion to match the spill you’re trying to clean up. Equally good is its self-cleaning process, which uses clean water heated to 70ºC / 158ºF to clean the entire machine, although you will need to first manually clean out the dirty-water tank. The roller brush is then flash-dried with air, which I’m glad for, as it reduces the chances of it growing its own little ecosystem and eliminates odors. The self-cleaning process, though, I found to be rather noisy.

Where the Tineco Floor One Switch S6 falls short is when using it as purely a vacuum. Again, it’s not bad, but there’s just not enough suction power on the hot-swappable attachment to match some of the best vacuum cleaners on the market. However, I have to commend Tineco for making such a versatile cleaning machine, as it can still handle the small, quick jobs. And, thanks to being lightweight in vacuum mode, it makes sucking up cobwebs hanging off the ceiling corners easy.

Given the battery is shared between both the wet-dry functionality and the hot-swappable vacuum, the runtime of the Switch S6 isn’t too bad. Mopping, being the more power-heavy functionality, gets you a top of 35 minutes per charge, while you'll get nearly double that amount when using it as a vacuum. There are other vacuum mops with longer runtimes, but given its versatility and excellent performance on hard floors, there’s good value for money here.

Tineco Floor One Switch S6 review: price & availability

• Launched in May 2024; available in the UK and Australia now via Amazon
• List price: $649 / AU$999
• UK model lacks the hot-swappable vacuum attachments

Having entered the market in May 2024, the Tineco Floor One Switch S6 has already seen some discounts during major sales but, even at full price, it offers plenty of bang for your hard-earned buck.

Unlike other vacuum cleaner models, the Tineco Floor One Switch S6 is identical in the US and Australia, where it will set you back $649 / AU$999 without a discount. Based on TechRadar’s price brackets, this price point puts the Switch S6 in the lower-premium / upper mid-range band (we consider anything over $500 / £400 / AU$1,000 as premium), but given it can be had for a discounted price at certain times of the year (usually down to around $440 / AU$640 mark), it really does represent good value as it’s so versatile.

This specific model isn’t available in the UK, although the standalone Tineco Floor One S6 is sold for £449 at full price. This is just the wet-dry vacuum mop main unit, without the swappable attachments for floor and handheld vacuuming.

While the standard S6 has plenty of comparable models from various manufacturers, including Shark and Roborock, there’s nothing quite like the Switch S6 to do a fair price comparison. Still, to put its value into perspective, the Dyson WashG1 costs $699.99/ £599.99 / AU$999, and it’s just a standard wet-dry vacuum mop. On the other end of the spectrum, the Shark HydroVac costs just $359.99 / £329.99 / AU$399.99. It’s not a versatile machine like the Tineco Floor One Switch S6, though.

You can purchase Tineco products directly from the manufacturer in the US and UK, but in Australia, the vacuums are sold via Amazon AU.

• Value score: 4.5/5

Tineco Floor One Switch S6 review: specs Tineco Floor One Switch S6 review: design

• Removable motor for switching units
• Lighter than other wet-dry vacuum mops
• Easy storage to keep all attachments together

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

The first thing that hit me when I opened up the Tineco Floor One Switch S6 box was the staggering number of pieces that came out of it. And putting it all together while following the diagrams in the user manual was a losing battle. Thankfully, there are easier instructions on the box.

Given this is the first Tineco machine I’ve tested, I was a little surprised (pleasantly, I might add) to see that the motor is a separate piece on its own, which made sense to me once I realized it could be swapped between the vacuum mop and the standalone cordless vacuum. To handle those different tasks, there are two floor cleaning attachments in the box – the wet roller and a ZeroTangle brush. There’s also a Mini Power Brush for upholstery and a 2-in-1 crevice/dusting tool. Tineco even supplies a cleaning brush for the dirty water tank.

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

While the main charging dock houses the mopping unit of the S6, a small side cradle fixes onto the side of the dock to hold the vacuum in place and stow the other attachments as well. So essentially, every part of this versatile machine is in one place, and the total footprint isn’t too large – so you can consider this model if you live in a smaller apartment.

The vacuum alone is really quite light and, when used as a handheld, is easy to hold up to get to cobwebs on your ceiling. And, in comparison to some other vacuum mops we’ve tested here at TechRadar, the main unit of the Switch S6 isn’t too heavy either. At 4.3kg (9.5lbs), it’s about half the weight of the Roborock Dyad Pro and the Tineco Floor One S7 Pro. Well, it is a little smaller than both of them, with the front-mounted dirty-water tank holding only 450ml of liquid compared to 720ml in the Floor One S7 Pro. So while it’s not entirely ideal for larger homes, it is more than enough for smaller ones.

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The dirty-water tank is also what prohibits the Switch S6 from sliding under furniture – it’s not bendy and tilting it beyond a 145º angle will see water slosh all over your feet. The swappable vacuum unit, though, is better able to clean under furniture, but you will need to be mindful that the angle of the cleaning head doesn’t change – if it lifts off the floor, its limited suction will be diminished further.

Like many other vacuum mops, the Switch S6 also boasts an LED display that shows you the battery life in the centre and the current cleaning mode. These include ‘auto’, ‘max’ or ‘eco’ depending on the attachment you have connected. A ring of light can be seen around the outer edge of the display that, for the most part in my case, remains blue, telling you that your floor is clean. If the iLoop sensor detects an especially dirty area of floor or a lot of debris, this turns red and the motor will increase its suction power to get your floor clean. Tineco says this function works for both the wet roller head and the vacuum head, but I only noticed it working for the former. There’s no touch functionality, but all the physical controls are within reaching distance of your fingers, so using the Switch S6 is easy. Importantly, it moves over floors smoothly, so you don’t need to exert too much energy when getting your cleaning done.

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Aside from the main wet/dry foam roller head, the Tineco Floor One Switch S6 also comes with a swappable vacuum head for carpets and soft flooring. It’s fitted with what Tineco calls – and claims to be – a ZeroTangle brush to prevent fluff, hair and other debris getting caught up and affecting its cleaning performance. In my time using the vacuum head on carpets and rugs, I can certainly support the claims as I’ve not once had to pick or clean anything out of the brush.

Smaller attachments include an upholstery brush for use on a sofa or in the car, for example, and a crevice tool with a brush that can be attached or removed to the end to assist with agitating debris in hard to reach areas. An extender pole can be attached to the main motor unit too, and the crevice tool can also be used on the end of it.

The removable motor, which can be swapped between the mop unit and the vacuum, is easy to remove from the former but, during my testing, I found that it’s a little harder to take off from the vacuum. It needs a little extra elbow grease, so it’s a good thing it has its own handle.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Tineco Floor One Switch S6 review: performance

• Excellent mopping, but not a lot of suction when vacuuming
• Auto dirt detection works effectively to boost performance
• Self-cleaning functionality is good, but noisy

While I personally hadn’t tested any Tineco vacuum prior to the Switch S6, we have tested a few of the brand’s machines previously and have been impressed with what the company has been able to achieve at the mid-range price tag in terms of performance. The S7 Pro – while now discontinued in Australia – continues to be our pick of one of the best wet-dry vacuum cleaners for other markets.

So the expectations were high for the Switch S6 going into testing and, while it didn't outperform its older sibling, it still holds its own – particularly as a vacuum mop. I was very surprised at how much dirt it gathered in its tank, even when I thought the floors in my test space (which, for this review, was my own apartment) were looking quite clean. Importantly, none of the mopped-up dirt made its way back onto the floor.

I found that leaving the machine on Auto mode was ideal for my purposes, but there is also a Boost option for some extremely stubborn spills. The wet roller rotates at 450rpm and the cleaning head does a good job of dispersing water onto the floor for easy mopping. I found that even with caked-in stains, the Switch S6 needed no more than 3-4 passes before it mopped it all up. I was pleasantly surprised with how quickly the water dried, meaning I could walk on my floor within a matter of minutes.

What impressed me the most was how well the wet roller cleaned along the edges of a room (along skirting boards). While it won’t necessarily be able to get into very tight spaces, I found that it was able to automatically boost cleaning if it detected more dirt along room edges. I was relieved to find this didn’t need to happen very often in my apartment, but it was also reassuring to learn the iLoop sensor was doing its job.

Dynamic suction is also available for the hot-swappable vacuum as well, but don’t expect it to perform like a Dyson or Shark. While Tineco hasn’t revealed how many air watts of power is available for suction, I suspect it’s around 120 air watts. That's not as good as the approximately 250aw you get from the Dyson Gen5detect or Samsung Bespoke Jet AI, but it’s enough to handle the little clean-up jobs you might need in a pinch. I also appreciated the LED light in the vacuum head to help shine a light on otherwise invisible debris, ensuring I didn’t miss any spots. The vacuum could handle the regular weekly vacuuming, but I think the mop does such a fantastic job that vacuuming becomes unnecessary as a regular chore, saving me time.

The mopping head also made light work of liquid spillages, with just one pass being enough to clean up some milk from the floor. The iLoop sensor also kicked into gear to recognise there was a major spill and so adjusted its suction power accordingly. It also did an admirable job with grains such as rice, easily vacuuming up a small portion of rice from the floor and taking it through to the dirty water tank.

While the regular vacuum attachment does a good job with everyday dust and debris, it doesn't perform as well when attempting to vacuum up the same portion of rice. As you can see in the video, I vacuumed up a small portion of risotto rice, and while it seemed as though it had all been collected from the floor, when I picked the vacuum up, it all fell back out.

The lack of suction power also means that if you do have mixed flooring, the vacuum would definitely struggle on wall-to-wall carpeting with hair and dirt embedded deep into the fibres. I used it on the bedroom carpet and on a living room rug and wasn’t quite enthused by its suction, despite being in Boost mode. It’s still effective on hard floors, but only with everyday debris and crumbs.

However, I appreciate the fact that the Switch S6 also converts into a handheld unit. As I’ve mentioned earlier in this review, it’s light enough to keep raised for long periods of time, so cleaning upholstery or ceiling fans isn’t too hard at all.

• Performance score: 3.5 / 5

Tineco Floor One Switch S6 review: maintenance

• Has a self-cleaning process that is good, but noisy
• Flash-drying of the mop takes place automatically
• Manual cleaning of the dirty-tank is necessary

When you’ve finished a clean using the mopping roller head and returned the machine to its docking station, the voice prompt (if you leave it activated) will instruct you to perform a self-cleaning cycle. A button on the handle with a water droplet icon is all you need to press and the machine takes care of the rest. The self-cleaning cycle sees the machine using leftover clean water heated to 70ºC to blast the roller head while it spins to remove any dirt and debris. Dirty water collected in the tray is then vacuumed up into the dirty water tank. This process takes a couple of minutes, after which the Switch S6 blasts the roller head with hot air for around a further five minutes to dry it completely. Suction continues to be used to remove any last dirty water droplets.

It’s an effective process but one that is pretty noisy and much louder than when the machine is used for cleaning. I used a decibel meter app on my phone and recorded a reading of around 78dB. Even with the machine in my laundry room towards the back of my apartment and the door shut, I could still hear it from my living room roughly 26ft / 8m away.

Once the self-cleaning cycle is complete, the voice prompt will inform you it’s finished and tell you to empty the dirty water tank to prevent odors. I absolutely agree you should do this, as (to my surprise) odor can build up quickly. Removing the tank is simple, and you’ll want to separate the lid and the filter and run everything under a tap to remove any debris collected. I left the pieces to air dry before attaching them back to the main unit.

Tineco supplies a small brush to help agitate and remove debris from the filter. You’re also able to remove the roller head entirely to give it an even deeper clean, and Tineco supplies a spare to swap over.

• Maintenance score: 5/5

Tineco Floor One Switch S6 review: software

• Voice prompts are a lovely touch
• Tineco Life app is superfluous but handy

Tineco wants to make your time using the Floor One Switch S6 as easy as possible and so has integrated a voice prompt feature to give you useful instructions and to let you know what the machine is doing. These include telling you to perform a self-cleaning cycle, that it’s charging and which cleaning mode has been selected. If you don’t want to hear them, you can silence them within the Tineco Life app, or simply reduce the volume a few notches.

I found that the app itself wasn’t all that useful, and in some instances, totally unusable. I found that the machine has to be on, or at least ‘woken up’ for the app to connect. I wasn’t going to hold my phone whilst using the vacuum, so the only realistic time you can view information is soon after you’ve put it on the charging dock. It will eventually power itself down entirely, at which time I found the app didn’t connect.

(Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

When you do manage to get the app to connect to view information, there isn’t really much to see. You can view a bar graph infographic showing the amount of time you spent cleaning on a particular day, and the current state of the water tanks and the roller head. On all occasions they all returned a ‘Normal’ result during my time testing, but the intention is that it will tell you if something needs cleaning.

There is a user manual in the app too, but I was never able to get this to open. It instructs you to “tap to enter the corresponding tutorial manual”, but in my experience, there was never anything to tap on. The app also regularly displayed the battery level as 0%, despite it being fully charged on the charging dock.

• Software score: 3.5 / 5

Tineco Floor One Switch S6 review: battery life

• Decent battery life but not adequate for large homes
• Up to 35 minutes mopping; up to 65 minutes vacuuming
• Takes a while to top up

The Tineco Floor One Switch S6 has average battery life for a vacuum mop. The company hasn’t revealed what battery capacity it’s using, but you won’t get more than 35 minutes when using the main vacuum mop unit. That’s because it needs more power to suck up dirt and debris while washing floors and keeping the brush rolling. This may not seem like much, but I found it more than enough for my apartment (which has an approximate total cleaning area of 120 sqm / 1,300 sqft), but potential users living in larger homes will need to consider another option with better battery life.

If you’re just vacuuming, however, there’ll be up to 65 minutes available on tap.

• Battery score: 4 / 5

Should I buy the Tineco Floor One Switch S6? Buy it if...

You want one machine for all floor types

With a mopping head and a regular vacuum attachment, the Switch S6 can tackle all floor types with just one swappable motor. View Deal

You want an assured clean

With the iLoop sensor in mopping mode, suction power automatically increases when it detects major dirt and debris, meaning you can be sure everything will get sucked up. View Deal

You have a smaller home

I had no issues concerning battery life in a 2 bedroom apartment, with plenty of juice left in the tank after a clean.View Deal

Don't buy it if...

You have deep pile carpet

The vacuum attachment for carpet doesn’t have the suction power to get deep within the fibres.View Deal

You have a tight budget

You are essentially getting four vacuum cleaners in one, but there are cheaper alternatives that do a similar – and sometimes better – job.View Deal

Also consider

Shark HydroVac Cordless
This 3-in-1 machine cleans and vacuums hard floors and carpets with a single roller head. No other attachments means it struggles with tight corners and ceilings, but for main tasks, it offers great value.

Read our full Shark HydroVac Cordless reviewView Deal

Dyson V15s Detect Submarine
Excellent performance in both mopping and vacuuming functions, but some design flaws keep it from getting full marks. Plus, you'll need to spend Dyson money.

Read our full Dyson V15s Detect Submarine reviewView Deal

How I tested the Tineco Floor One Switch S6

I tested this vacuum over a period of about a month in my apartment, which has a mixture of sealed wood flooring, tiles and carpets. I ran tests to see how well both main attachments picked up liquid spills and common solid spills such as rice and other grains.

• A company called Life's Echo is using AI and in-depth interviews to create interactive simulations of people when they pass away.
• They clone your voice to make effective 'digital ghosts' full of information about your life.
• Post-death AI mimics are slowly becoming more prevalent, but Life's Echo is more comprehensive than most.

Imagine going to a family reunion and reminiscing about a loved one who has passed away, only for someone to open an app to reveal an AI-fueled replica of the departed you can have a conversation with.

You ask about their childhood, first job, or their emotions on their wedding day, and they answer correctly, in their own voice and words. That's the vision of a new company called Life’s Echo, which offers a suite of AI tools to enable you to produce a digital ghost of yourself capable of conversing with your loved ones after you’ve died.

Life’s Echo is designed to capture the essence of who you are before you shuffle off this mortal coil. The idea is that your stories, voice, and personality don’t have to vanish. Instead, they can be preserved in a digital format with which your friends and family can interact, even when you’re long gone. It’s a way to keep a version of you alive – in the most uncanny valley way possible.

Here’s how it works: you sit down with an AI interviewer named Sarah, who conducts five 45-minute interviews. Sarah asks about your childhood, family, career, love life – all the big stuff. She digs deep with over 1,000 questions in her database, encouraging you to share your most personal stories and details. These interviews are casual and conversational, almost like therapy, but with a digital afterlife twist.

Once the sessions are complete, the conversations are transcribed, and the AI builds a unique model of you. It’s not just a recording; it’s a digital clone of your voice, stories, and personality. This is your “AI Echo.” Your family members can then ask this AI version of you questions, and it will respond with answers drawn from the life stories you provided. Imagine your daughter, decades from now, asking, “How did you feel when I was born?” and your AI Echo delivering a heartfelt answer as if you were right there.

AI tools like Character.AI have enticed users by offering to simulate the personalities of current and historical celebrities. Then, there are AI voice cloning tools like ElevenLabs and Respeecher that have demonstrated that AI can mimic people's voices incredibly well. At the same time, MyHeritage turns old still photos into moving videos. But Life's Echo is going for something deeper.

"Like most people, I am familiar with the lives of my parents and grandparents but I know nothing about my great grandparents. After three generations, knowledge of our existence almost completely vanishes," CEO Ruth Endacott said. “Life’s Echo will help to preserve a lasting record that allows future generations to engage with and learn intimate and very important details about our lives, key experiences, and perspectives."

AI Eternity

Ruth co-founded Life's Echo with her husband, Steve Endacott. Appropriately, Steve Endacott is already known for his efforts to bring AI into the public sphere thanks to creating "AI Steve," the UK’s first AI candidate for Parliament.

The sentiment behind Life's Echo is touching and could be very heartwarming for the right people. But, it's undeniably an eerie concept too. Picture your virtual self relying on those interviews to convey who you were and what you were like to people who won't be born for a long time. It's uncomfortable to envision your voice, your memories, and your personality all distilled into an algorithm available for a posthumous chat at any time.

But, if you're really into the idea, you can use the same AI tools and interviews to produce a personalized autobiography for your funeral, record your own eulogy to be delivered by the AI version of yourself, and even a whole script for the person running the funeral based on your stories and preferences. It’s like having a ghostwriter who knows precisely what you’d want said at your send-off.

Of course, this isn’t the first time tech has tried to offer a digital afterlife. Other services, like Eternos and Project Lazarus, have explored similar ideas, where AI models of deceased loved ones can answer questions and share memories. But Life’s Echo goes beyond them with the voice mimicry and depth of its interviews.

There are other questions, of course. Even if you like the idea, will talking to a digital version of a loved one help people grieve, or will it keep them stuck in the past? How do you explain it to kids? And if your AI Echo exists in the cloud, who controls it after you’re gone? Regardless of whether you're curious or queasy imagining it, you may be having conversations with deceased loved ones before you know it.

You might also like

• Meta AI adds a voice mode featuring celebrities like John Cena, Keegan Michael Key and Kristen Bell
• How you can get (AI versions of) Judy Garland or Burt Reynolds to read to you
• Why the passing of James Earl Jones doesn't mean you won't hear Darth Vader's voice again

Roborock Qrevo Slim: two-minute review

Although sporting a lower-profile design than some rivals, the Roborock Qrevo Slim is otherwise a full-size robotic vacuum and mop that is powerful, intelligent and packed with features. The redesigned LiDAR system means it can slide more easily under low furniture, getting to floorspace that other robots can't, without any noticeable compromise in navigation performance.

The well-appointed Roborock app serves up no fewer than five suction levels, plus configurability for the cleaning route and mopping performance. It also smartly raises its dual spinning mops when carpet is detected, and features a spinning side brush that pivots outwards to reach into the corners of every room.

With up to 11,000Pa of suction power, the Qrevo Slim is more powerful than many rivals, including the pricier Eufy Omni S1 Pro, and you can even view a live stream from the front-facing camera in the Roborock app, turning the vacuum cleaner into a pet monitor.

The Slim does not feature the bouncy 'AdaptiLift Chassis' found on the Roborock Qrevo Curv, which launched alongside the Slim in September 2024. However, perhaps thanks to the improved navigation system, the Slim robot itself still tackles thick rugs and raised door thresholds with a confidence missing from most rivals. It's also worth noting that despite the low profile, this is still a relatively large robot, with an equally large docking station, so it's best-suited to medium and larger homes. That's the short version; read on for my full Roborock Qrevo Slim review.

(Image credit: Future) Roborock Qrevo Slim review: price & availability

• List price: $1,399
• Launched: September 2024
• Availability: US

The Qrevo Slim launched in September 2024 and sits in the premium price bracket. It comes with a list price of $1,399, but you might be able to avoid paying that – I've spotted it discounted to around $999. At time of writing (because this market moves fast!) it sits at the top of Roborock's Qrevo range at, which itself occupies the middle tier of the company's robotic vacuum offering.

Below it you'll find the budget Q Series, and above you'll find the flagship S Series family, where prices start just below the Qrevo Slim (you'll pay $1,300 for the S7 Max Ultra), and extend all the way up to the range-topping, $1,800 S8 MaxV Ultra.

A four-figure vacuum may sound expensive, but that $1,300 buys you a lot of smart technology, and in this case your money goes into an interpretation of LiDAR known as 'StarSight', which is unique among robot vacuums, and is responsible for the Qrevo Slim's reduced height. You also get very high suction power – and in fact, at 11,000Pa, the Slim is more powerful than even Roborock's flagship S Series, which peaks at 10,000Pa. For comparison with other brands, the equally expensive Eufy Omni S1 Pro is rated at just 8,000Pa.

There is no ongoing subscription cost for the Qrevo Slim, although you'll need to purchase replacement dust bags every couple of months (Roborock says they get full in about seven weeks), and the side brush and mopping pads will eventually need replacing too.

• Value for money score: 4 out of 5

Roborock Qrevo Slim specs Roborock Qrevo Slim review: design

• Low-profile design fits under furniture
• Self-cleaning and emptying charge dock
• Dual rotating mop pads

The ‘slim' part of this robot's name refers to how it doesn't have a spinning LiDAR sensor on top. This makes it shorter than most rivals, and at 8.2 cm tall it can drive places other robotic vacuums cannot. Roborock has replaced the conventional LiDAR sensor with a system it calls StarSight. This includes a dual-light, solid-state LiDAR system, plus a 3D time-of-flight sensor, a camera and infrared sensors. (Head to TechRadar's article on how robot vacuums navigate for a deep-dive into this area.)

(Image credit: Future)

The rest of the Qrevo Slim's design is similar to other self-cleaning robovacs in the Roborock range. The robot is circular, with dual spinning mops at the rear (this style of mop is typically better at scrubbing than the fixed, D-Shaped pad style), a rotating brush at the side that cleverly extends to reach into corners, and a pair of rotating rubber brushes underneath. The charge dock has a dust bin and a pair of water tanks – one clean and one dirty – to work with the robot's mopping function.

(Image credit: Future)

The robot itself measures 350mm (13.8in) wide, 353mm (13.9in) deep and 82mm (3.23in) tall, while the dock is 340mm (13.4in) wide, 487mm (19.2in) deep (including a ramp the robot parks on) and 521mm (20.5in) tall, although you'll need to leave space for the water tanks, which are removed by lifting them upwards from the dock.

Roborock also sells the Qrevo Slim with a refill-and-drainage system. This works in the same way, but plumbs into your home's water supply, so can refill and drain the mopping water tanks automatically. This dock is the same width and depth, but is shorter, at 405 mm (15.9in). For this review we're looking at the regular model with the larger, manually-refilled and emptied water tanks.

(Image credit: Future)

As with other such robots, the Qrevo Slim dock charges the robot's battery and empties its dust bin into a larger bag that Roborock says only needs changing every seven weeks, although that will vary depending on what you're asking it to pick up. The robot also has its mopping pads cleaned with warm water and dried during charging, while the onboard water tank is emptied into the dock.

Back to the robot itself, and the Qrevo Slim can automatically lift and lower its mops, depending on the floor surface and what cleaning task is required. The side brush and one of the spinning mops can also move outwards, touching the walls and skirting boards for a complete clean.

There are three buttons on the top of the robot for quick access to key functions, like powering up, pausing and sending it back to its dock. Removing the magnetic cover gives access to the dust bin and filter, which can then be removed and cleaned or replaced.

The robot and dock take up a fair bit of space, and it's recommended that you place the dock against a wall, but with enough space either side for the robot to drive into, ensuring it cleans every last bit of your floor. You don't have to do this though, and you can sit the dock in a corner if needed; just make sure the ramp is clear for the robot to drive onto.

• Design score: 4.5 out of 5

Roborock Qrevo Slim review: performance

• Handles thick rugs and raised thresholds with ease
• Automatic switching between vacuum and mop
• Cleans deeply and reliably

Right away, I want to highlight how good the Roborock Qrevo Slim is at driving through thick rugs and over raised doorway thresholds. These are both tasks other robotic vacuums can really struggle with, and even flagship models with four-figure price tags have failed to clamber their way from my exposed-floorboard hallway into the carpeted bedroom.

Not the Qrevo Slim though. It drove over every threshold, every time. It even managed to wade its way through a thick rug in the lounge – something no other robot has achieved reliably – during its first exploratory drive. During that drive it used its camera and imaging sensor to create a map of my flat, which it automatically split into labeled rooms. It got most of the labelling correct, but I still had to jump into the app and make a few edits before saving the map.

Its off-roading abilities meant I could leave the Qrevo Slim to get on with its job, safe in the knowledge that it would drive into every room, clear the rug (and automatically vacuum it, too) and return to base without me checking if it had got trapped. On a couple of occasions, it briefly got stuck on a raised threshold, but always managed to clear it by reversing and driving forward again at a higher speed.

The automatic mode selection also impressed me. Since it's so often a challenge for robotic vacuums, I usually roll the rug up and set a robot to mop and vacuum the wooden floor. But with the Roborock I left it to do its own thing, where it vacuumed and mopped the wooden floor, then automatically raised its mop to vacuum the rug, before lowering it again to continue mopping the floor and ensuring the rug stayed dry.

As well as recognizing the difference between floor types, and where each room ends, the robot can also spot common household items like beds, sofa and television stands, which it then adds to the map.

(Image credit: Future)

On test, the Qrevo Slim's navigation was usually very good, driving confidently into small gaps, not crashing into anything at speed and not getting stuck. But on one occasion it got confused and failed to find its way back to the dock. Understandable if it was stuck under the sofa, or somewhere else far from the charging station, but it was just a foot or so from the dock, yet after lots of spinning around it declared defeat via an app notification. I don't know what caused this, but it only happened once during several weeks of testing.

Onto the specific cleaning tests. I begin by scattering a mix of oats and flour across approximately one square meter of wooden kitchen floor. I began in the quietest, least powerful vacuuming mode, with the robot driving a standard pattern and completing the route only once.

At just 60 dB, Quiet mode really is very quiet indeed, with the vacuuming itself no louder than the motors driving the robot around. As expected, this mode didn't do a particularly good job at picking up debris. It's okay for dust (or flour in this case) but struggled with the oat mix. Just like most other robotic vacuums, the Qrevo Slim's rotating side brush tends to flick debris around the room, and out of the robot's path. Telling it to perform the route twice mostly fixes this, as the flicked debris will be collected on the second pass.

(Image credit: Future)

Turning the vacuum power up to Balanced (one level up from Quiet) and telling the robot to clean the same area twice made a big difference. Despite only being slightly louder (about 63 dB), this setting sucked up almost all of the oat mix, with just a few pieces flicked out of reach by the side brush. Turbo mode is the next step, but at 65 dB it's only slightly louder than Balanced, but clearly has more power and was able to pick up all of the flour and almost every piece of oat.

Max vacuum strength is noticeably louder, at 69 dB. This is when the Qrevo Slim starts to really sound like a vacuum cleaner, but it's still the sort of volume you can talk over with a slightly raised voice. The cleaning power is also ramped up, providing an excellent clean.

However, on this run I noticed how when you create a zone for the robot to vacuum, it won't go right to the edges of a room, even if the zone you create overlaps the walls of the room map. This means you'll be left with a line of debris – in this case flour – swept to within a few inches of the wall but not collected. This is despite me telling the robot to clean right up to the wall. It also frequently failed to clean up directly in front of its docking station. Telling it to clean the whole room fixed this.

Finally, it's time for Max+, which even comes with a warning that it will shorten battery life due to being so power-intensive. This mode peaked at 70 dB and did a great job of collecting the debris, but the routing still meant some oats were flicked across the room and left behind; I also spotted how the robot drove over some flour without the vacuum on, then left a line of white tire tracks that it failed to pick up on subsequent passes. Requesting another clean, on a lower power setting, addressed this.

To summarize, cleaning whole rooms twice using Turbo or Max mode is best in most cases.

(Image credit: Future)

I then repeated these tests on carpet, and saw very similar results. The Quiet and Balanced modes are fine for a little-and-often approach, but failed to pick up all debris. Turbo and Max modes performed better, while Max+ feels like overkill for regular cleaning, but is still a nice-to-have. If I'd just moved into a new home, I'd be using the full 11,000 Pa of suction with Max+ in every room to start with, then switch to Routine or Turbo for scheduled cleaning.

Turbo mode is the best all-rounder, mixing an ability to suck flour out of a reasonably dense carpet, with a low volume level. I still wish the robot was better at collecting debris flicked around by the rotating brush, but this is only apparent when faced with very specific tests. You won't notice this during regular cleaning, but might need to occasionally pick up a few bits of debris with a handheld vacuum.

(Image credit: Future)

Finally, the mop. The Qrevo Slim has a pair of mops that spin at 200 rpm and push downwards for a deep clean. There are three preset water flow options (low, medium and high), plus a custom option where you can pick from a flow rate between one and 30. You can then tell the mop to clean an area once or twice, and pick from four route options, ranging from the quickest, through to Deep+, which is more thorough but takes much longer.

For my test I scattered some hot sauce across the wooden kitchen floor, left it to partially dry, then set the Roborock to work. I asked it to mop the entire room, using a moderate water flow (number 20 of 30), with two cleaning passes, and the Standard route option. In short, it did a great job. The right-hand rotating mop extends outwards, so that it can clean right up against the walls or skirting boards on an initial lap of the room, before tucking back into its default position and working together with the left-hand mop to give the entire floor a thorough wipe.

All of the hot sauce was removed, but only because I set the robot to make two passes; some stains were still visible after the first pass.

The side brush spins slowly during mopping, so it's best to use the mop on a dried stain instead of a fresh spill, as any liquid will be wiped by the brush and require manual cleaning later. It's also worth remembering that the mop uses only warm water and no detergent. (You can find premium robot vacuums that offer hot water mopping, although it's rare – the option to add detergent is more common and is included on other Roborocks, including the S8 MaxV Ultra).

(Image credit: Future)

The mopping process is all very quiet, ranging from 44 bB to 58 dB as the water tank is filled from the docking station, then emptied again, and the mop is cleaned using hot water and dried with warm air. The mop takes three hours to fully dry, but during that time you can ask the robot to either mop again, or do some vacuuming. The dock base (the part the robot sits on while charging) self-cleans with a pair of rotating scrapers, but can also be removed for a manual scrub. After several weeks of testing, the base still appeared as-new.

There's even a sensor in the charge station that checks how clean the robot's water is, then cleans the mops more thoroughly if required.

Lastly, the robot has a voice control system that responds to the command 'Hello Rocky'. It can be asked to 'vacuum the bedroom', 'mop the kitchen' or 'dry the mop', for example. The robot responds quickly and accurately, making voice commands a convenient way to access basic functions without finding your phone and diving into the app for more granular control.

The Qrevo Slim's battery life is a claimed 180 minutes. This feels fairly accurate, but will vary considerably depending on which settings are used.

• Performance score: 4.5 out of 5

Roborock Qrevo Slim review: app

• Easy to use, but…
• Lots of customization on offer. Almost overkill
• SmartPlan and homescreen widgets are handy one-tap solutions

The Roborock app works like most other robotic vacuum controllers. There are several customizable cleaning parameters to adjust, including five levels of suction power, three levels of water flow for the mopping function, and the option to clean an area once or twice, plus an option to pick between the standard or faster, more efficient cleaning route. Or, it can be set to only vacuum or mop a certain room or area, depending on your needs.

There's also the SmartPlan, which uses artificial intelligence to learn your cleaning habits and preferences, then creates a customized vacuuming and mopping plan.

(Image credit: Roborock)

On top of all that are the routines. If you don't want to clean the whole map, or a single room, you can instead select the After Meals routine, which can be configured to clean only the kitchen and dining room, for example. Routines appear on the home screen of the app, and can be activated with just one tap. iPhone users can create a homescreen widget with one-tap access to a couple of your most-used routines. With that set up, it's a case of unlocking your phone and tapping once on the widget to start a cleaning routine.

There are even a few pet-friendly app features, including a function where the robot will go and look for your pet without the vacuum running, using its forward-facing camera to show a live stream of what's going on.

(Image credit: Roborock )

As with other robotic vacuum apps, there are options to reconfigure your map and rename rooms. There are also masses of settings to adjust, if you wish, from cleaning schedules, to how the robot uses its lifting mops, what temperature water it uses to clean the mops, how often it empties its dust bin, and much more.

These can almost all be left to their default setting, but I strongly urge pet owners to enable pet mode in the Reactive Obstacle Avoidance page of the settings menu, since this ensures the robot recognizes and avoids pets and their waste with extra precision.

• App score: 4.5 out of 5

Should you buy the Roborock Qrevo Slim? Buy it if...

You have low furniture

It might sound a bit niche, but its lack of height is the defining feature of the Qrevo Slim. It can drive into and clean places other robots can't reach, while the side brush and one of the mops cleverly pivot outwards to clean right up against every wall.

You need lots of power

Despite its more compact design, the Qrevo Slim is currently Roborock's most powerful robotic vacuum cleaner, with 11,000Pa of suction. The most powerful setting consumes lots of power, and is fairly loud, but it does a fantastic job of cleaning carpets and hard floors alike. Much quieter settings are also available.

You want an equally impressive mop

The Qrevo Slim's dual-rotor mop is impressive. Both mops push downwards and spin at 200 rpm, while the amount of water used is highly configurable and the robot automatically works harder on tougher stains.

Don't buy it if...

You're tight on space

Despite the name, this robot is only compact in one dimension – height. The diameter of the robot is still on par with other high-end rivals, and so too is the considerable size of the docking station. A smaller dock is available, but you'll need to be able to plumb it into your water supply.View Deal

You value simplicity

While this robot can function in a simple, one-tap way, to even get to that stage requires a fair bit of setup. There are pages and pages of settings to tinker with, routines to create, a voice assistant to learn phrases for and all manner of configuration, including no fewer than 30 levels of water flow for the mop.

You're on a budget

Although it isn't quite the most expensive robotic vacuum around, the Qrevo Slim is right up there. I think it still represents good value as a premium product, but there are also plenty of options for shoppers wanting to spend less. Roborock itself has the more affordable Q Series, for example.

How I tested the Roborock Qrevo Slim

I set up the Qrevo Slim and used it as my only vacuum cleaner for several weeks. After using it for general vacuuming and mopping duties, I performed a series of tests to appraise its cleaning abilities, as well as its noise levels and how well Roborock's smartphone app works.

Read more about how we test robot vacuum cleaners

• First reviewed November 2024

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need clues.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #556) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• TAP
• TUG
• KEG
• BARREL
• TABLE
• SUB
• BARGE
• HAMMER
• COUNTER
• LADDER
• GORILLA
• SHELVE
• JUNK
• DELAY
• STOOL
• POSTPONE

NYT Connections today (game #557) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: Raincheck
• GREEN: Saloon staples
• BLUE: Vessels
• PURPLE: Nintendo classic

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #557) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: DEFER
• GREEN: BAR FIXTURES 
• BLUE: WATERCRAFT 
• PURPLE: SEEN IN "DONKEY KONG" 

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #557) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #557, are…

• YELLOW: DEFER DELAY, POSTPONE, SHELVE, TABLE
• GREEN: BAR FIXTURES COUNTER, KEG, STOOL, TAP
• BLUE: WATERCRAFT BARGE, JUNK, SUB, TUG
• PURPLE: SEEN IN "DONKEY KONG" BARREL, GORILLA, HAMMER, LADDER

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 2 mistakes

In the mental Venn diagrams I was drawing today, two or three words could have gone in several categories – TABLE (Yellow and Green), JUNK (Yellow and Blue), BARREL (Green and Purple) and I fell for them all…

First I put JUNK instead of TABLE into what would become the Yellow group, then, thinking I was onto a sure thing, put BARREL in the Blue group – Barrel Boats are a thing right? Er… maybe not.

Having never played Donkey Kong (I’m more of a board game person) I was thankful that this group was the leftovers and done for me.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Wednesday, 18 December, game #556)

• YELLOW: DEAL WITH FIELD, HANDLE, MANAGE, TACKLE
• GREEN: STYLES OF BEER BITTER, BOCK, SOUR, STOUT
• BLUE: INVESTMENT VERBS HEDGE, HOLD, SHORT, TRADE
• PURPLE: _DOME CAPITOL, CHROME, ONION, TEAPOT

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #291) - hint #1 - today's theme What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Roll with it

NYT Strands today (game #291) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• ROCK
• PRESS
• SKIN
• TILT
• RAGE
• VITAL

NYT Strands today (game #291) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Swaying

NYT Strands today (game #291) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: right, 4th row

Last side: left, 5th row

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #291) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #291, are…

• GLAM
• METAL
• PROGRESSIVE
• GRUNGE
• PUNK
• ALTERNATIVE
• SPANGRAM: ROCKING

• My rating: Easy
• My score: 1 hint

After yesterday’s SPINNERS, today we had rolling, although it wasn’t the kind that comes from moving along a surface and was instead the one that goes with ROCKING.

There are hundreds of rock genres from Acid Rock to Yacht Rock but Strands took it easy on us and went with the A-listers – although I did go with Prog before seeing the full-length PROGRESSIVE.

I used to have a friend whose brother was massively into Prog Rock and as children we’d marvel at their album collection and the gatefold sleeves, which would invariably involve pyramids and some form of nudity. We’d attempt to make sense of the music, with its 12-minute-long jams and songs about mice called Gerald, but mainly it was looking at the album covers. Who doesn’t love a pyramid?

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Wednesday, 18 December, game #290)

• DRYER
• EARTH
• TIRES
• FOOTBALL
• PINWHEEL
• BALLERINA
• SPANGRAM: SPINNERS

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now out of beta so is a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable and can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,000 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1060) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1060) - hint #2 - repeated letters Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.

Quordle today (game #1060) - hint #3 - uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• Yes. One of Q, Z, X or J appears among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1060) - hint #4 - starting letters (1) Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1060) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• J

• G

• T

• I

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1060) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1060, are…

• JEWEL
• GNOME
• TRAMP
• IDLER

Today’s experiment was to see if loading the board with Es would give me a head start.

It sort of worked, but I had to use the next two attempts with the other vowels – and getting very lucky with ANNOY, which gave me no other option than GNOME.

Despite this good start I was still sweating by the end. With my current run I’m beginning to wonder if it is ever possible to complete Quordle with a couple of spaces to spare.

Meanwhile, I’m hitting it out of the park with the Daily Sequence, so maybe I’m overthinking my tactics on the Classic version.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Daily Sequence today (game #1060) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1060, are…

• EMCEE
• STINK
• EATER
• AGAIN

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1059, Wednesday 18 December: LITHE, BIRTH, HUMID, ROBOT
• Quordle #1058, Tuesday 17 December: DOING, ENJOY, SNAKY, AMPLE
• Quordle #1057, Monday 16 December: HYDRO, CREAM, CHIDE, SLIME
• Quordle #1056, Sunday 15 December: DROVE, STILT, LINEN, GIANT
• Quordle #1055, Saturday 14 December: SPIEL, ONSET, TIGER, DITTO
• Quordle #1054, Friday 13 December: ERECT, REBAR, MOIST, IDIOM
• Quordle #1053, Thursday 12 December: MILKY, CRIER, STORK, DRIER
• Quordle #1052, Wednesday 11 December: BRIAR, NASAL, SHARD, FLUFF
• Quordle #1051, Tuesday 10 December: BEGAN, TRIAL, IDEAL, GUIDE
• Quordle #1050, Monday 9 December: TITAN, FORTE, SPEED, BRIAR
• Quordle #1049, Sunday 8 December: BUNCH, SHINY, MOULT, INTRO
• Quordle #1048, Saturday 7 December: SHAKY, CROOK, GHOUL, VERSE
• Quordle #1047, Friday 6 December: BRAWL, UNTIL, DOWRY, STING
• Quordle #1046, Thursday 5 December: AGING, BICEP, CLOVE, SPILL
• Quordle #1045, Wednesday 4 December: JUDGE, GIVER, GNASH, CLOAK
• Quordle #1044, Tuesday 3 December: FUDGE, THICK, CRANK, STASH
• Quordle #1043, Monday 2 December: TROPE, HOVER, SAUNA, SHAPE
• Quordle #1042, Sunday 1 December: NAIVE, CIRCA, STEAD, MICRO
• Quordle #1041, Saturday 30 November: MAMMA, SNUCK, CRYPT, TAROT
• Quordle #1040, Friday 29 November: JOIST, DROOL, DUSKY, GLIDE

Based on a popular Chinese comic and TV show, this could give Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero a run for its money.