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• Successful Kickstarter Trettitre Retro Ambient Audio System is now shipping
• Combines several retro physical media sources in a fun configuration
• Sits on your wall (components can be moved), with multiple extra novelties

You can rely on Kickstarter to surface some of the stranger audio products out there, and it's true to form today. A successful campaign from a company called Trettitre has brought us one such device, and it's shipping now.

This is called the Retro Ambient Audio System, a title that's both uncatchy but accurate. It made over $2 million on a goal of $3,000, in just 15 days of funding (this was back in March and April), but you can still make late pledges of $399 (or a conversion for the equivalent in your country; it's about £300 or AU$600) to receive the full bundle.

According to Trettitre, the full MSRP of the device is $899. Since you can order the bundle for $500 less post-campaign, though, it's not clear if it'll ever actually sell for this price.

So what is the RAAS? Well, as you can see in the images, it's an all-in-one physical media machine. It's a combined record player, CD player and cassette player, which is designed to let you listen to any kind of physical media at home.

You can buy the components separately if you like, but the fun is in the setup with the magnetic wall-rack. Trettitre's marketing videos show users removing the record player from the wall, carrying it via a handle, plugging in some IEMs and listening to vinyl on their kitchen table, because this turntable has an onboard battery that charges when you put it back on its wall-mount.

There's one thing missing though: a speaker. You can buy this separately, with Trettitre selling loads of extras including multiple speakers, but know it's not included in the box.

Lights, colors, buttons

(Image credit: Trettitre)

Perhaps the first novelty of the Trettitre RAAS is that it's all wall-mounted. Following in the footsteps of Ultrasonic Audio's gorgeous wall-mounted speakers and Fuse Audio's vertical turntable, the company is embracing vertical audio, which is popular among fashionistas (and people with smaller apartments) but decried by audiophiles.

The gadgets all have built-in batteries too, so you can remove them from the wall and use them on the go. The battery capacity is unclear (although six hours for the turntable is listed, or three if you're using it solely as a light source), but you should get a few hours of listening before you need to clip them back onto the wall.

Another notch in the toolbelt? The record player, called the TTT-LP3, has a built-in lighting panel which you can change the color of, like a giant RGB record player. The purpose, I glean, is to make the whole system feel like a part of your home decor. It's not the first time we've seen light-up decks, of course — FiiO's done it, Audio-Technica's gone all glowy with a vinyl spinner and Brian Eno's neon version was so popular, it's had a second iteration.

The LP3 has an Audio-Technica AT-3600LA cartridge, and plays at 33.3 or 45rpm. The next device is the TTT-DP3, the CD player which supports CD, CD-R or CD-RW, and seems to have a neat sliding release system which lets you glide the cover off. Finally, there's the TTT-CP3, a cassette player with some nice chunky light-up buttons and a clean, modernist look.

The RAAS is funky to look at, and offers lots of flexibility for physical media users, but might not be best suited for die-hard audiophiles. While each gadget has a 3.5mm jack. it's clear that they're designed to be used by Bluetooth speakers (unless you're going to have a long 3.5mm wire trailing up to that wall rack).

It's also suspiciously cheap for such a complex system; the best turntables alone cost more than the cost, without other gadgets and a wall mount system. Admittedly you'll need to buy a speaker separately, and Trettitre is pushing its add-ons, but it still raises eyebrows. So it might be worth waiting until the units have shipped, to see what users say, before you get too excited.

AI coding assistants are no longer experimental. In organizations that have adopted them, AI is responsible for roughly half of committed code. The question is, therefore, no longer whether developers will use AI, but whether security programs can govern what those systems produce. AI-generated code is remarkably good at producing syntactically correct code, with a 99.9% pass rate. In contrast, security performance tells a very different story.

As it stands, the average security pass rate is only 56%, meaning roughly 44% of tested code-generation tasks introduce a known vulnerability. As the volume of AI-generated code increases while security performance remains largely unchanged, organizations risk introducing more vulnerable code into their development environments. As a result, software vulnerabilities are now the top breach entry point at 31%, overtaking stolen credentials.

Closing that gap means rethinking how security fits into AI-assisted development. Organizations need to make security part of the development process from the start, choose models with risk in mind and verify code in context before it reaches production. The goal is not to slow developers down; it’s to make sure security can operate at the same speed and scale as the software being created.

Model choice is a security decision

AI models learn from enormous volumes of historical and publicly available code, including examples from open-source projects and developer communities. That training data contains secure implementations, but it also contains outdated libraries, weak validation and insecure coding patterns. While models are designed to produce useful, functional code, without the right controls they can reproduce those insecure patterns at scale.

Organizations cannot control every source used to train a model, but they can control which models enter development. The strongest model tested achieved a 68% security pass rate, while six of the 11 models clustered between 50% and 53%. Model selection is, therefore, not simply a productivity decision but a risk consideration.

Choosing a stronger model can reduce exposure, but it does not make the output trustworthy by default. AI-generated code should still be tested throughout the software development lifecycle using capabilities like static analysis and enforceable security policies. Security must be part of the delivery process itself.

Security needs application context

AI-generated code can appear to work as intended, compiling successfully and passing functional tests while still containing security vulnerabilities. Under deadline pressure, that can create misplaced confidence, particularly when developers accept output without fully understanding how it behaves inside the wider application.

The difference in security performance across vulnerability types shows why context matters. While models achieved pass rates of 83% for SQL injection and 87% for insecure cryptographic algorithms, performance fell to 15% for cross-site scripting and 12% for log injection. Some weaknesses can be identified through a recognizable coding pattern, but others often depend on data flows, authorization, trust boundaries, and how different parts of an application interact.

That’s why verification needs to happen in the workflow and in the context of the application. AI-native analysis can add contextual risk detection alongside established static analysis, surfacing issues such as logic flaws and broken authentication directly in pull requests. The key is to combine contextual analysis with independent testing before code is merged and risk has the potential to spread.

Prioritize risk, not just findings

As AI increases the volume and speed of software development, it also increases the amount of risk security teams have to assess, prioritize and remediate. That adds additional pressure to organizations who are already carrying significant backlogs of unresolved vulnerabilities.

That backlog enables security debt to build as flaws are identified but remain unfixed, meaning known risk sits in applications for longer. The more that debt accumulates, the harder and more expensive it becomes to reduce. Today, security debt affects 82% of organizations, while critical security debt affects 60%.

Those figures point to a growing capacity problem. Organizations are generating and discovering risk faster than they can reduce it. Treating every finding as equally urgent will only make that problem worse. Teams, therefore, need to focus on exploitability, application criticality and business impact so they can direct limited remediation capacity towards the vulnerabilities most likely to cause real harm.

AI-powered remediation can help close the gap between discovery and action by proposing fixes inside the developer workflow and reducing repetitive manual work. But remediation still needs to be governed. A generated fix must be tested, validated and checked for regressions. The objective should be to reduce meaningful exposure, not simply increase the number of findings or fixes moving through the system.

What leaders need to do now

AI-assisted code has become embedded into software development. As a result, leaders should treat its security implications as a change to the software operating model.

That means knowing where AI-generated code enters the organization, evaluating models against relevant security requirements, building verification into developer workflows, and focusing remediation on exploitable business risk. It also means retaining evidence of what was tested, what was fixed, and what risk was knowingly accepted.

The organizations that succeed will not be those that slow AI adoption, but those that evolve their development practices so security can keep pace with software creation. AI is making it easier to generate working code, but the real test is whether businesses can prove it is secure before it reaches production.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadar Pro Perspectives, our channel to 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/pro/perspectives-how-to-submit

If an older laptop or desktop takes minutes to boot, swapping its hard drive for the SATA drive is one of the cheapest ways to make it feel quick again. Especially now the Lexar NS100 256GB SATA SSD is now £35 (was £72) at Amazon.

Lexar has made memory cards and storage for decades, and the NS100 is a no-fuss drive for a straightforward hard drive replacement: it fits in the same 2.5in bay, and owners report noticeably faster boot times on machines that had been struggling.

• Best for: Anyone reviving an aging laptop or PC, or adding a fast boot drive to a budget build.

• Why we like it: up to 520MB/s read speeds, a standard 2.5in SATA III fit for most older machines, and a three-year warranty from an established storage brand.

• What you need to know: This drive is designed for older machines that don't have an M.2 NVMe interface.

NS100 256GB SATA SSD: was £71.99 now £34.99
A 2.5in SATA III (6Gb/s) solid-state drive with read speeds of up to 520MB/s, no moving parts, shock and vibration resistance, Lexar’s SSD Dash monitoring software, and a three-year limited warranty.View Deal

NS100 512GB SATA SSD: was £82.99 now £69.98
If you need more memory, the 512GB version also has a discount right now. View Deal

Price Context & Historical Value

This isn't a record low for either drive - although SSD prices have climbed considerably since the lowest prices of £14 for the 256GB model back in November 2023, and £23 in May of the same year. It’s a fair price for a branded drive today, but treat it as a solid buy rather than a once-a-year bargain.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Lexar NS100 SSD if...

You want to replace a slow hard drive in an older laptop or desktop, need a simple 2.5in SATA drive for an operating system and core apps from a known storage brand.

❌ Skip the Lexar NS100 SSD if...

Your machine has an M.2 NVMe slot that would give you much faster speeds, or the sub-TB storage capacity won’t hold your games or media library.

• See all internal SSDs at Amazon.

Hint: It's not only because California counts slowly.

(Image credit: Justin Sullivan)

A large underwater wave moved up the West Coast, raising sea levels. Scientists say it's driven by El Niño and it's going to happen again.

(Image credit: Dillon J. Amaya)

Ukraine and Russia exchange strikes as relations between U.S. and Ukraine deteriorate, the midterms are on track to be the most expensive on record, French president denounces violent protests.

Michigan's Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is campaigning in the GOP stronghold of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, an area that hasn't voted for a Democrat in Congress in over a decade.

Solar power is transforming agriculture in Pakistan. But in a country already facing water scarcity and extreme weather, some fear their widespread use could cause problems.

On Monday voters in the oil-rich Canadian province of Alberta are deciding whether to take the first step toward a future referendum on independence.

(Image credit: John Diep)

Rather than a review, this is a ‘hands-on’ since the HomeAgent hardware isn't in retail channels yet.

So much has happened since it's difficult to comprehend that Ugreen only sold its first NAS in 2021 exclusively in China, but its global retail products only arrived in 2024.

Since the initial five NASync models, we’ve seen the incredible iDX6011, HD products, GT series updates for the DXP machines, Pro series additions, and a new DXP8800 Ultra that I covered recently.

Now, alongside those thirteen NAS devices, Ugreen has taken another branch and created the HomeAgent series. It combines some of the development path of the UGOS Pro, a basic NAS hardware platform, with a device that’s made to create a bubble of AI away from the internet to handle a variety of agentic tasks.

Initially available only via pre-order and Kickstarter, with a retail release in early 2027, there are three models: HomeAgent HA100 reviewed here, the HA100 Pro for those who want more AI performance, and the MasterAgent MA100 that pushes local AI power to the max.

Alongside the HomeAgent devices, Ugreen has also created a collection of peripheral devices, including three AI-connected cameras, a smart speaker, and a connected colour E-Paper picture frame.

While the launch ecosystem may seem modest, Ugreen will likely expand this collection in the near future.

These systems are designed to address issues that smart home (or business) users face when technology is so fragmented. Typically, people have components from different brands, Google and Amazon, alongside peripherals made by others, and they try to bring it together using a platform like Home Assistant run on a NAS or dedicated PC.

The Ugreen HomeAgent takes all that technology and control, adds AI components that will still work even if the internet isn’t functional and distils it into an attractive white plastic box.

Instead of needing regular attention, the AI in the HomeAgent is meant to run the NAS and connected peripherals without intervention, and it can tell you if a problem is beyond its ability to address.

Asus Ascent GX10: Price and availability

• How much does it cost? From $799
• When is it out? Available for pre-order, shipping in February 2027
• Where can you get it? Via Kickstarter

Ugreen has offered some amazing deals when launching NAS on Kickstarter, and this hardware is no exception.

The HA100 costs only $799 at the pre-launch early-bird price, down from a $1,599 MSRP. Conversely, the HA100 Pro is $2,699 on a $5,399 MSRP, and the MA100 is $9,999 on a $19,999 MSRP.

The Kickstarter initiates on November 17th, but Ugreen is taking reserve deposits before then, where you get a 50% discount on the HA100, HA100 Pro and MA100.

After the Kickstarter is launched, early bird pricing will be 40% off, and presumably full MSRP will be the norm after February 2027, when the Kickstarter ends.

To get those prices, you need a $50 reserve deposit for the HA100 and HA100 Pro, and a $200 deposit for the MA100. As an additional sweetener, Ugreen is bundling the SynCare ID500 Pro camera with the HA100 and HA100 Pro (MSRP $149) and four 8TB NAS drives with the MA100, which must easily be worth another $1200.

The HA100 pricing is for a NAS with only three HDD bays and 16GB of RAM. That said, it includes an AI accelerator, which makes it hard to compare to Ugreen’s DXP and iDCX series machines.

Therefore, if you are primarily looking for a NAS, then this might not be the product range for you; if you are more interested in AI, it might be.

I should also mention the high-end MA100, which I believe has four drive bays and is built around an NVIDIA accelerator. Considering it was possible a few months ago to get an NVIDIA DGX Spark system for around $3000, that does seem pricey, but it should offer similar performance.

However, the ASUS Ascent GX10 I was referring to now costs twice as much, and that’s for a machine with 128GB of RAM, whereas the MA100 has 256GB. So, at the Kickstarter price, the MA100 might be a bargain.

What I can say with some certainty is that no other NAS brand is making anything remotely like this right now, although there is some overlap with the DXG Spark platforms.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)Ugreen HomeAgent HA100: Specs

Item

Spec

HomeAgent Model:

HA100

CPU:

Rockchip RK3588 (8 Cores, 4x Cortex-A76 + 4x Cortex-A55

GPU:

ARM Mali-G610 MP4

NPU:

Rockchip RK1828 (6 TOPS)
Ugreen AI Accelerator T20, RK1228, 5GB (20TOPS)

RAM:

16GB LPDDR5 (not expandable)

Internal Storage:

64GB eMMC for UGOS Pro

SATA Storage:

3x 3.5/2.5-inch SATA III (2x NAS, 1x Surveilance Drive)

M.2 Storage:

1x M.2 NVMe PCIe Gen 3 x1

Ports:

1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps)

2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps)

1x HDMI 2.0b

1x SD 3.0 slot (front)

Networking:

1x 2.5GbE RJ45

4x PoE 10/100Mbps (Max power 65W)

Wireless:

Thread 1.4

ZigBee 3.0

Bluetooth 6.0

Bluetooth 5.3

OS:

UGOS Pro

File Systems:

EXT4, Btrfs

Maximum Capacity:

68TB (2x 30TB SATA) + 1x 8TB M.2)

RAID Modes:

JBOD/Basic/RAID 0/RAID 1

Microphone:

Omnidirectional 4-microphone array

Speakers:

2x 5W

PSU:

20V 9A 180W external

Power Consumption:

42.36 W (drive access), 18.12 W(drive hibernation)

Dimensions:

192 x 218 x 251mm (LxWxH)

Weight:

520g (including PSU and drives)

Warranty:

2 Years

Ugreen HomeAgent HA100: Design

• Large enclosure
• PoE switch inside
• Three HDD bays, dual-function storage

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

The first thing that strikes you about the HA100 is how much bigger it is than a typical four-bay NAS, like the DXP4800 Pro or Plus.

Standing about 218mm high and 251mm deep, this is a large, shiny white box that feels substantial when you pull it from its packaging.

On the top front is a wide OLED panel, which I think is the same one that I saw on the iDX6011 Pro, but on its side. This acts as both a touch-sensitive menu and can also display various useful information.

Just above this on the left is a volume rocker, and to the right is a microphone mute, which hints that you can talk to this device, or rather the AI running on it.

The front face also has a single USB-C port and an SD card slot; the USB-C is 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps), and the SD card reader is SD 3.0 spec. And just below them is an LED that projects different colours to indicate whether there is a problem or all is well.

On the back, there are two USB-A ports, both 5Gbps, a single 2.5GbE RJ45 LAN port and a four-port PoE 10/100Mbps (Max power 65W) switch. That last feature matters for the unit's surveillance function, since you can directly connect and power PoE cameras.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

Finally, we come to drive bays, and the HA100 isn’t quite like anything else Ugreen has made so far, though it has minor similarities to the DH4300 in that it’s a top loader.

The top of the HA100 is magnetically attached, making it easily removed to reveal four bays, with three for hard drives and one for an AI accelerator. These are all lockable and colour-coded. The drives have plastic tool-less cradles if you use 3.5-inch media, and screws if you insist on 2.5-inch HDDs.

But what genuinely surprised me is that two of the HDD bays are allocated to NAS storage, and one, coloured purple, is meant to hold a surveillance-tailored drive. I’ve never seen that predefined on a NAS before, but it does reveal one way that Ugreen envision the HA100 being used.

On the underside of the unit, there is also a removable panel that provides access to an M.2 NVMe PCIe Gen 3 x1 slot, which can be used for caching or a high-performance drive for AI models. You are recommended to use it for the latter.

I won’t be tempted to say the HA100 breaks the NAS mould, but it certainly strays off the beaten NAS path, and in some truly interesting ways.

Ugreen HomeAgent HA100: Features

• ARM SoC
• T20 accelerator
• M.2 and PCIe slots
• No upgrade path in series

Given how many newer Ugreen NAS designs use mobile Intel platforms, it seems odd that none of the HomeAgent hardware uses them.

Even more curiously, the three machines (HA100, HA100 Pro, and MA100) all use different ARM SoCs, completely eliminating any consistency.

Of these, the Rockchip RK3588 in the HA100 is the most recognisable, since it's an Armv8.2-A platform with four each of Cortex-A76 plus and Cortex-A55 cores, much like is often found in phones or tablets.

The HA100 Pro is rocking more cores with an Armv9.2-A platform, the 12-core CIX P1 CP8180. SoC diversity is completed with the MA100 that uses a fourteen-core NVIDIA Jetson Thor T5000.

Similarly, GPU power scales by level, starting with the Arm Mali-G610 MC4 on the HA100, moving to the Arm Immortalis-G720 MC10 on the HA100 Pro, and ending with the 2,560-core NVIDIA Blackwell GPU with 5th-generation Tensor Cores on the MA100. This helps explain why MA100 hardware costs so much, but it's hardly a smooth power ramp.

When the CPU, GPU, and NPU all work on an AI task, the HA100 has an advertised total AI performance of 26 TOPS (6 TOPS platform, 20 TOPS T20 accelerator).

That’s actually not enough to run CoPilot locally on a PC, but it can still run some LLM models adequately. But the total performance of the Pro model with an as-yet-unnamed accelerator is a much more sprightly 205 TOPS, and the MA100, as you might expect, has up to 2,070 FP4 sparse TFLOPS.

So, in summary, for AI, it scales 10x and then 1000x, approximately. Those are not exactly incremental jumps.

It also makes the HA100 look decidedly underpowered, although the Kickstarter entry-level pricing does make it attractive to someone who wants to explore local AI.

What confuses me is that HA100 or HA100 Pro owners have no upgrade path, since the systems aren’t interchangeable in any way. As I assume you can’t put the accelerator from the HA100 Pro in the HA100, what was the point of having the accelerators removable? And why make the MA100 the only one with four bays?

Surely, if all the cases were the same, Ugreen could redirect production more easily than it does now?

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

I understand that part of the purpose of using Kickstarter in this instance isn’t about funding; it's about getting indicators of demand for each model. But if you’ve already made too many black four-bay MA100 cases for demand, it's too late to repurpose them for the HA100 Pro. But then Ugreen already undermined that flexibility with the three-bay designs.

And, here’s the real rub. If you get a low-profile RTX 460 video card and mount it in one of the DXP or iDX machines, then that can generate 242 TOPS of AI processing, making that NAS more powerful than the HA100 Pro. How well that would work in reality is debatable, and I’ve never tried it, but the issue is obvious if you look at the costs.

In a similar vein, the MA100 is up against DXG Spark systems. But all of those I’ve seen come with dual 10GbE LAN ports, not one and four 1GbE PoE ports. But critically, the DXG systems also have the Nvidia ConnectX-7 SmartNIC on them, which is a 200GbE network connection designed to fuse two DXG systems into a single platform.

The MA100 doesn’t have this port, I assume, and therefore, unless Ugreen releases an accelerator upgrade, moving from Blackwell to Vera Rubin when it arrives, then there isn’t an upgrade path here either.

Coming back to the HA100, the basis for my experience so far, the T20 accelerator on this machine is modest, yet it took up most of the free PCIe lanes, leaving only a single lane for the M.2 slot, once all the other ports were covered.

Given the price, I think it should have shared an architecture with the DXP4800 Pro, or better, and maybe had either dual M.2 slots, Gen 3 x4 or a single Gen4 x4 slot. Because Gen3 x1 is only 1000MB/s, and external devices on this machine can go that quickly.

I guess, based on the number of pledges they get, Ugreen will know whether the performance ramp from the HA100 to the HA100 Pro and the MA100 was right or wrong.

My feeling, and it’s a gut reaction, is that all the systems should have shared the same enclosure, the HA100 should have been more powerful, and there should have been more consideration given to a potential upgrade path, at least from the HA100 to the HA100 Pro.

Ugreen HomeAgent HA100: Software

• UGOS Pro
• Local Gwen 3.5
• Smart Home

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

The hardware in this series is effectively done, and I’d be massively surprised if anything changes between the machines reviewers received and what ultimately arrives for those on Kickstarter and in later retail.

That leaves the software side of the equation, and it isn’t at the same stage of production, even if it is underpinned by the same UGOS Pro platform as all the DH, DXP, and iDX NAS Ugreen has already launched.

However, at the time of writing, my DXP8800 Plus workhorse is running UGOS Pro 1.20.0.0142 and the HomeAgent HA100 is on 1.20.0.0127 Beta.

That might not seem hugely different, but there are significant differences between the two, so much that the HomeAgent machine needs a special version of the mobile application to even be accessible.

It seems reasonable to assume that closer to retail release, all the extra functionality needed for HomeAgent will be settled into the latest general-purpose UGOS Pro release, rather than it spawning a whole new separate OS.

The biggest difference anyone who has used UGOS Pro will notice is that you can’t access this version from a web interface, although Ugreen has promised that in a future update.

Using it from the mobile app doesn’t limit what you can control, but it's nice to use the web interface when it's available.

It’s a generalisation, but the NAS side of the HomeAgent is practically identical to that in prior Ugreen NAS, where you can install apps, manage the drives and data. Obviously, in this configuration with only two data drives, you can’t configure a RAID 5 pack, but you can configure RAID 0 or 1, and you can create backups to another NAS.

The app selection is mostly the same as that on the standard NAS, with a couple of special function apps that bind the T20 accelerator into the system and an IoT Gateway that are loaded by default. What’s genuinely interesting is how some of the apps we’ve seen before on UGOS Pro now have added significance in this context.

The one that stands out most is Model Manager, since the whole AI function of this system is built around a locally run AI on this app using Docker as a subsystem. By default, the system loads the LLM Qwen 3.5 4B.

This 4B model is a sensible fit for this hardware, as being quantised, it occupies only a few gigabytes, which leaves plenty of the 16GB for the operating system and camera analysis running alongside it. Anything much larger would start to squeeze this box.

To try and make things as efficient as possible, the model has modules that you can either install or not depending on if you want it to recognise people, pets or even the appearance of a parcel. As these features infer, it works closely with Surveillance Centre and the new camera peripherals.

It can also link to Smart Home functionality, enabling it to turn things on and off, like lights and also read temperature and security sensors.

The HomeAgent box and some of the peripherals, such as the SynCare cameras and the Smart Speaker, allow you to verbally interact with an AI assistant, Uliya.

And frankly, this is where things need some considerable work. While the hardware in the HA100 can process 40 or more tokens a second, I’d hardly describe it as conversational.

It can alert you when someone is approaching the house, has left a package, or where a known person is in the home, but ask it anything more complicated, and it often says it can’t do that yet.

While I’ve not tried the HA100 Pro or the MA100, I’d assume they can run much more sophisticated LLMs with greater capabilities, but the AI component of the basic system is more agentic-focused than something like ChatGPT.

That said, you can plug a Cloud-based AI in alongside Qwen 3.5. The current options are OpenAI (ChatGPT), Qwen, MiniMax, DeepSeek, GLM and Kimi, and you will need an API key to plug those in.

However, Ugreen made it clear that the purpose of the HomeAgent was to provide a local AI that wasn’t dependent on the internet, so using a Cloud model undermines that assertion.

Obviously, the engineers can do plenty with the local Qwen 3.5 4B model to make it more interactive and able to handle a wider range of scenarios, but at this point in development, it is rather underwhelming.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

The other part of this solution that needs considerable effort is the Smart Home app, since currently it only connects to the associated Ugreen peripherals or Matter-compliant devices.

Since all my home automation hardware is older and doesn’t use Matter, that’s a problem.

I did consider using the Matter Hub on my Home Assistant installation to make non-Matter hardware visible, but the way this is handled on the HA100 requires either a Matter QR code or pairing number. At a minimum, this needs to be expanded to include older Google and Amazon equipment, as well as popular brands like Tapo, SmartLife, and Hue.

I’m sure these things will be added, but unless you have Matter hardware or Ugreen peripherals, it's a bit of a technological desert right now. Once these items become part of this ecosystem, you can easily build automations and interact with Uliya to control them, or that’s the promise.

For my assessment, Ugreen provided two peripherals: the SynCare ID500 Pro and the SynCare OD600 Pro. If you didn’t connect the dots, ID is for indoors and OD is for outdoors.

The ID500 Pro, which you can get for only $89 as part of the Kickstarter offering, comes for free with the HA100 and HA100 Pro. This device gets power via USB and comes with a phone-style power source and a long USB cable.

Equipped with a 4K camera on a smooth pan-tilt tracking system that enables it to follow movement automatically across a room or even outdoors. Working with AI, it can identify people, vehicles, pets, and packages, and record those events on the HomeAgent for later review.

The only issue I ran into was that I put it in a window to cover anyone approaching, and it did that well, but at night, when it turned on its IR lights for night vision, it blinded itself with the IR reflection off the glass.

Undoubtedly, a superior option for tracking outside activity is the OD600 Pro, which is designed to be mounted outside, ideally on the eaves of a property. It has dual cameras and takes its power from a PoE LAN connection, allowing it to be directly connected with a single LAN cable to the HomeAgent PoE switch. A more advanced version, the OD800 Pro, includes a solar panel and battery to power the camera and can use Wi-Fi, so it can be installed without cabling.

I'm slightly disappointed the PoE ports are only 10/100 and not gigabit or even 2.5GbE, but that's a choice Ugreen made.

As part of the launch, the OD600 Pro can be had for $159 (MSRP $269) and the OD800 Pro for $199 (MSRP $339), which, given their specifications and build quality, seems a good deal. Hopefully, the devices will also work with an ordinary Ugreen NAS at some point, because they don’t currently.

Having been part of the original DXP NAS launch, HomeAgent has a strong element of things repeating themselves. However, since UGOS Pro has had two or more years of development, the underlying platform is more mature.

Updates for the extra HomeAgent part of this package are arriving often, and things are improving, but with the Kickstarter about to officially begin, and its end a few months away, this solution needs to become much more sophisticated quickly.

Today, it’s another Ugreen work in progress, but UGOS Pro was one not so long ago.

Ugreen HomeAgent HA100: Early verdict

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

First, I think it's far too early in the HA100's gestation to fully appreciate what this device might accomplish, since much of the software side of this equation isn’t nearly complete.

That said, when Ugreen first launched the NASync DXP series globally, UGOS Pro looked decidedly primitive, and two and a half years later it is much more sophisticated.

It wouldn’t be unrealistic to expect it to be much more functional by the time this hardware hits retail, and to continue rapid development from there.

Where I’m less on board is the three different platforms, each based on a unique platform and with a different accelerator.

The HA100 is built on a Rockchip RK3588, the HA100 Pro uses the CIX-CP8180(P1), which previously appeared in the Minisforum MS-R1 ARM workstation, and the MA100 is powered by the NVIDIA Jetson Thor T5000.

The problem with this range is that even if the accelerator modules are removable, there isn’t an upgrade path that can take you between these options. Had the HA100 and HA100 Pro had a common platform, that would have made sense, with the differences being in the accelerator module.

But since the accelerator on the HA100 uses a PCIe 3.0 slot, and the one on the HA100 Pro uses a PCIe 4.0 slot, then that was never going to work.

Unfortunately, upgrading forces you to buy an entirely new machine if you want more AI power.

I also have some negative feelings about having a NAS for home use with the potential of a $20,000 price tag. But that version's future depends on a company now utterly dependent on the AI bubble not bursting, which seems, at best, unrealistic.

I’ve been a big supporter of what Ugreen has done with its NAS products; since before they arrived on the scene, things seemed disturbingly cosy between the various NAS brands.

The HomeAgent is their most ambitious leap yet, since it glues two elements together in a way few users are considering until now. People who like NAS understand what it offers and how it's used, whereas AI has unresolved PR issues, a less defined use case, and users who are either negative or, at best, agnostic about AI.

The HA100 is a product Ugreen created to elevate NAS with AI, but it could just as easily drag it down. Only time will tell, but for those who want to ride, the tickets start at $50 for a reservation.

To crystallise my thoughts, there are two ways to think about HomeAgent hardware, and I’m not inclined to favour either. One is that these represent a new hybrid type of appliance where AI and local information come together, creating new efficiencies and fewer dependencies on external services. Or, from this point onwards, all NAS will have a shell of AI logic around them, and the era of dumb NAS will soon be behind us.

Either way, the NAS market needs to buckle up, because this ride could get bumpy.

For more compact computing, see our guide to the best mini PCs you can buy

Trump said in a post on social media that Netanyahu "has been a Great Warrior Prime Minister, and an even greater Partner for Peace in combatting the Islamic Republic of Iran."

(Image credit: Alex Brandon)

President Trump continues his efforts to remake Washington, D.C. He wants to turn an area used by the public into a world-class golf course.

(Image credit: J. Scott Applewhite)

Katie Zacharia's short time as White House press secretary has brought renewed attention to the high-profile role.

(Image credit: Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

• Remote Reaper reaches version 1.0 after its Early Access period
• Armored vehicles feature vulnerable areas that affect simulated damage outcomes
• Players can customize drone frames, motors, propellers, cameras, and payloads

Remote Reaper: FPV Combat Drone Simulator has reached its first full release on Steam, ending an Early Access period that began during development.

Created by Ukrainian developer Vladyslav Fomenko alongside military pilots, the simulator recreates combat scenarios involving remotely controlled aircraft and battlefield electronic interference.

Version 1.0 adds racing courses, expanded missions, customizable aircraft and vehicle damage mechanics, alongside environmental settings that affect visibility and flight behaviour.

Electronic warfare complicates drone operations

The simulation includes electronic warfare systems that interfere with video transmission and control signals, potentially disrupting communication during critical moments of flight.

Terrain and physical obstacles can also weaken connections between operators and their aircraft, adding further complications to the simulated operating environment.

Different interference patterns affect control and video channels, meaning operators must contend with disruptions rather than relying on uninterrupted transmission throughout each mission.

Armored vehicles feature different protection levels, including additional screens, while vulnerable areas determine whether simulated impacts produce decisive damage or fail to disable their targets.

The game also includes infantry positions and airborne threats, requiring players to select different approaches according to the scenario and equipment available.

Its aircraft editor supports 7 inch and 10 inch frames, allowing users to configure motors, propellers, cameras, antennas and other components.

Players can select between shaped charges, high explosive fragmentation and explosively formed penetrators, while coaxial motor arrangements provide another configuration option.

These choices affect aircraft weight, thrust and endurance, requiring users to consider flight characteristics when assembling different virtual configurations.

Weather conditions include rain, fog and wind, while changing daylight conditions affect visibility and how clearly players can identify objects during missions.

Version 1.0 expands missions and controller support

The full release adds racing activities across three courses, alongside additional combat scenarios involving airborne threats and ground-based targets.

A built-in mission editor allows players to create scenarios by placing targets, configuring enemy defenses and adjusting electronic warfare conditions.

Online collaborative play also allows several participants to join missions together, coordinate activities and enter sessions that are already underway.

The game supports a wide range of controllers including RadioMaster, DJI FPV, TBS and BetaFPV equipment, alongside Xbox and PlayStation gamepads and more.

Realistic control mode uses the game's flight physics with radio controllers or gamepads, while a simplified option supports keyboard and mouse operation.

The simplified configuration maintains aircraft altitude automatically and includes a speed boost, making the controls more accessible to players unfamiliar with conventional FPV equipment.

The game requires Windows 11 and at least 16GB of memory, a six-core processor running at 2.4GHz and an NVIDIA GTX 2060 graphics card.

Recommended specifications include 32GB of memory, an NVIDIA RTX 3060 GPU and either an Intel Core i7 6600K or AMD Ryzen 5 5600 processor.

Both configurations require 10GB of available storage and DirectX 12, while the recommended setup additionally specifies broadband internet access.

Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Sunday, October 18 (game #1728).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,500 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 #1729) — hint #1 — VowelsHow 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 #1729) — hint #2 — repeated lettersDo any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

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

Quordle today (game #1729) — hint #3 — uncommon lettersDo 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 #1729) — 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 #1729) — hint #5 — starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• E

• D

• H

• F

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

Quordle today (game #1729) — the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1729, are…

• EXIST
• DECOY
• HITCH
• FLUID

Somehow I preserved my win streak by risking a rare letter with my final guess.

Today’s issue was the multiple words that end with I-T-C-H. Thankfully, I only exhausted a couple of them.

Daily Sequence today (game #1729) — the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1729, are…

• RUGBY
• SLICK
• OLDEN
• RANCH

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1728, Sunday, 18 October: FLINT, FUROR, WEDGE, RODEO
• Quordle #1727, Saturday, 17 October: QUARK, ENEMY, SPASM, BLOCK
• Quordle #1726, Friday, 16 October: SHORT, WORTH, JOIST, SLUNK
• Quordle #1725, Thursday, 15 October: STALE, EPOCH, PIANO, CORNY
• Quordle #1724, Wednesday, 14 October: TIMID, GROUP, GRILL, EVERY
• Quordle #1723, Tuesday, 13 October: FLUFF, DEBUT, TEETH, STEIN
• Quordle #1722, Monday, 12 October: HELLO, BELOW, RIGHT, SLANT
• Quordle #1721, Sunday, 11 October: LILAC, INLET, TRIAD, SHAPE
• Quordle #1720, Saturday, 10 October: SWEAT, THIRD, RURAL, CLASP
• Quordle #1719, Friday, 9 October: OLDEN, DUNCE, SWATH, HILLY
• Quordle #1718, Thursday, 8 October: MINTY, ROWER, BROOD, RESET
• Quordle #1717, Wednesday, 7 October: PALER, FROTH, DOZEN, ERASE
• Quordle #1716, Tuesday, 6 October: FRESH, SKULK, BATCH, ENSUE
• Quordle #1715, Monday, 5 October: SIXTH, SPEAK, SEDAN, HEIST
• Quordle #1714, Sunday, 4 October: INFER, RAINY, THING, ARENA
• Quordle #1713, Saturday, 3 October: CHORE, FLYER, STICK, PURSE
• Quordle #1711, Thursday, 1 October: NAVEL, SHEER, BIRTH, TACKY
• Quordle #1710, Wednesday, 30 September: CHOKE, BATCH, MOSSY, EAGER
• Quordle #1709, Tuesday, 29 September: BILGE, MEDAL, LODGE, PORCH

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he believes the U.S. government is behind his military's loss of normal access to the key satellite communications service used by the Ukrainian military.

(Image credit: Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Sony ULT Tower 7 review

The Sony ULT Tower 7 is another strong entry in Sony’s refreshed ULT line, coming in with newly developed, rounded woofers for enhanced deep bass, a swathe of connectivity options for personal or professional use, and customizable lighting for highly immersive listening.

This model is the mid-sized option in Sony’s new ULT Tower lineup, sitting above the Tower 5 and below the ULT Max. It has a seven driver setup, with a single 280mm woofer, two mid-ranges, and four tweeters — including two rear-facing tweeters for Sony’s 360-degree Party Sound. It also has an impressive 420W of power meaning that it can get unbelievably loud — honestly I had to test this one outdoors for the most part, as it shook the foundations of our music testing space to its very core.

How good is the Sony ULT Tower 7? I’ve tested it for hours on end, listening to countless tunes, playing around with the light settings, and assessing its various features and functions available through Sony’s Sound Connect app. Here’s why I think it can compete with some of the very best Bluetooth speakers.

(Image credit: Future)

Let’s start with the most important thing of all: sound quality. The ULT Tower 7 is an excellent-sounding model, providing clarity and insight right across the frequency range, but the clear standout is the bass. It can extend all the way down to 20Hz with confidence, plating up regimented, meaty bass and even rippling sub-bass.

When tuning into First Summer by H.K., the deep, pounding bass was replicated fantastically, sounding just as dynamic, full-bodied and agile as I’d hoped. But still, vocals were textured and clear in the build up, keys and vocals were brilliantly balanced in the mid-range, and higher-pitched drums had a highly energetic, rhythmic quality.

A lot of these positive qualities were mirrored when listening to Rocking Chair by Mr. Scruff. Rich, deep bass was mesmerizing and phenomenally full-sounding, with tonally accurate keys in the mid-range and expressive drums up top adding plenty of color. In addition, guitars had a great sense of width to them, sounding as if they were playing from the corners of our testing room during my indoor assessment.

When blasting tunes from the ULT Tower 7 outdoors, I was astonished by its raw, uncompromised power. It has a maximum power output of 420W, and sound can fill large open spaces confidently, without losing low-end impact or clarity in the mids and treble. One of my colleagues could hear the speaker clearly from the other side of the parking lot in which I was testing the speaker, and let me tell you, this thing is borderline deafening (in a good way) at top volumes.

My only criticism, sonically speaking, is that the 360-degree sound on this speaker is a bit underwhelming. When listening at less favorable angles, like the side and rear of the speaker, the experience was noticeably worse. The overall sound of my tracks just wasn’t as cohesive and balanced as I’d hoped for, and while the larger ULT Tower Max may remedy this issue, the Tower 7 is certainly outclassed for 360-degree sound by rivals like the Marshall Bromley 450.

Still, this is a fantastic sounding speaker that handles dynamics beautifully, and plates up emphatic deep bass, clear mids and highs, and a whole lot of power. The ULT Tower 7’s Sound Field Optimization — which analyzes speaker placement and background noise and accordingly adjusts sound balance across the frequency range — also means that you’re getting consistent quality in any environment.

(Image credit: Future)

Something else I love about the ULT Tower 7 is how easy it is to customize its audio output, thanks to its top-tier EQ options. ULT 1 is best for huge outdoor spaces, and places additional emphasis on deep bass, while ULT 2 provides a more rounded sound that focuses on delivering the most energetic, powerful sound. There’s also a Live mode if you want to replicate live recordings more faithfully, a Flat signature for a more balanced sound, and a custom 10-band equalizer which gives you more granular control over the speaker’s output.

What’s more, this speaker supports the higher-res Bluetooth codec LDAC, enabling you to get a surprisingly detailed, insightful listen from the speaker. If you’re after true lossless audio, you’re in luck too — there’s USB-C, 3.5mm, and RCA connectivity on board. This flexibility is great for professionals who want to hook up a DJ controller via RCA or casual listeners who just want to run with Bluetooth or USB-C. In addition, there’s a pair of mic ports so you can dabble in a bit of karaoke from time to time.

If you’re using the ULT Tower 7 for karaoke, there are some effects available to you in Sony’s Sound Connect app, including a voice changer, echo, and so on. There’s also a party pad for effects like a flanger and sampler, as well as playing drum sounds and robotic noises when DJing. These are easy to access, and more generally, I found the SoundConnect app to be highly user-friendly and reliable — it wasn’t filled with bugs like some rivals’ apps are.

While we’re talking about features, it only seems right to talk about battery life. The ULT Tower 7 can offer up to 30 hours of playback with the LEDs turned off, and for a party speaker in this size-category, that’s very strong indeed. That’s almost double of a rival like the JBL PartyBox 330, and means you can keep the party going well into the early hours. There’s also a Stamina mode for extended playtime, or you can use the speaker while hooked up to the mains.

Let’s move onto design now, an area where the ULT Tower 7 largely excels. It looks fantastic, with eye-catching yet tasteful lighting, an attractive rounded aesthetic, and well-sized, illuminated buttons. Even the ULT logo impressed me because it enables you to adjust volume and cycle through EQ modes swiftly — adding a functional layer here is a very nice touch. While it’s not made of the most premium materials, it’s still built to a great standard, and has a rugged yet refined appearance.

My issue with the overall build, however, is that this speaker is not as practical as it could be. At 50.3lbs / 22.8kg, it’s very heavy, and will take a fair bit of effort to move around. Yes, there are a couple of handles built-in alongside some wheels, but a model this hefty really could’ve done with a pull-out handle for easier transportation. When using the main handle on the reverse side of the speaker, I found the ULT Tower 7 to be awkward to maneuver, something that you won’t find with a lot of the JBL PartyBoxes, for instance.

I also would’ve liked to have seen slightly better waterproofing on the ULT Tower 7. IPX4 means it's safe against splashes of water, and this is essentially the standard for party speakers of this size. But some models, like the Marshall Bromley 450, provide superior IP55 protection, which also shields against dust ingress.

But anyway, let’s get down to the crucial question: is the Sony ULT Tower 7 worth the money? Well, for $649.99 / £499 / AU$799, I think you’re actually getting great quality overall. With imposing, gigantic sound, a flashy look, long battery life, and broad connectivity options, the ULT Tower 7 is more accomplished than a lot of the competition in this price-range.

It’s still a big investment, sure, but pound-for-pound, you’re getting an awful lot of functionality and great audio. If you’re looking to save a bit of cash, then I’d personally go for the Sony ULT Tower 5, but for some added oomph, you really can’t go wrong with the ULT Tower 7.

(Image credit: Future)Sony ULT Tower 7 review: price & release date

• Priced at $649.99 / £499 / AU$799
• Released in September 2026

The Sony ULT Tower 7 released in September 2026, and is the mid-sized option in the new Tower lineup, sitting right between the smaller Sony ULT Tower 5 and the giant Sony ULT Tower Max. It comes in at $649.99 / £499 / AU$799, which is a reasonable price for a model with such powerful sound and fleshed-out features.

While the ULT Tower 7 is a fair bit pricier than the ULT Tower 5, it does come with the benefits of rear-facing tweeters for 360-degree sound, added power, and better battery life. It’s also priced pretty well against rivals in this size category, such as the JBL PartyBox 330 and the Marshall Bromley 450 — which you can read more about in the ‘also consider’ section.

Sony ULT Tower 7 review: specs

Weight

50.3lbs / 22.8kg

Dimensions

16.6 x 28 x 13.7 inches / 421 x 710 x 347mm

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.3, RCA, XLR (in and out), USB-A, USB-C, mic input (6.3mm)

Battery life

30 hours

Speaker drivers

1x 280mm woofer, 2x 120mm mid-range, 4x 50mm tweeters (incl. 2x rear-facing tweeters)

Waterproofing

IPX4

(Image credit: Future)Should I buy the Sony ULT Tower 7?

Attribute

Notes

Score

Features

Versatile connectivity, LDAC support, customizable lighting, and top EQ options.

5/5

Performance

Powerful, regimented bass, clear mids and expressive highs, but 360 sound could be better.

4.5/5

Design

Flashy, striking look with tasteful lighting, but could do with a pull-out handle, waterproofing is OK.

4/5

Value

Good price for the sound and expansive set of features on offer.

4/5

Buy it if…

You want premium party sound
The Sony ULT Tower 7 sounds spectacular, with extremely powerful yet regimented bass, clear mids, and expressive treble. LDAC is on-board for higher-res Bluetooth streaming, or you can use a wired connection for lossless audio, and advanced EQ settings help you get the perfect sound for any genre or environment.

You’re looking for versatile connectivity
The ULT Tower 7 is the ultimate party device with so many connectivity options. You’ve obviously got Bluetooth there, but you can also plug in a DJ controller or turntable via RCA, hook up a device over USB-C, or play music back from a USB drive. Pair that with microphone ports for karaoke shenanigans, and you’ve got everything you need in one box.

Don’t buy it if…

You’re on a budget
If you want a great party speaker but you’re on a budget, then I’d strongly recommend going for the Sony ULT Tower 5 over this model. The ULT Tower 5 is smaller, and skips on the 360 sound, but it provides almighty bass output for its size, and comes in at a tempting price of $449.99 / £349 / AU$549.

You need great 360-degree sound
While the ULT Tower 7 sounds great when facing you, its sound falters a bit from side and rear listening angles, even in spite of the 360 sound tech that Sony has included here. If you want a speaker with no real blind spots, then I’d recommend checking out the Marshall Bromley 450 or 750.

Sony ULT Tower 7 review: also consider

Sony ULT Tower 7

JBL PartyBox 330

Marshall Bromley 450

Price

$649.99 / £499 / AU$799

$629.95 / £579.99 / AU$799

$799.99 / £549.99 / AU$1,079

Weight

50.3lbs / 22.8kg

43.5lbs / 19.8kg

26.9lbs / 12.2kg

Dimensions

16.6 x 28 x 13.7 inches / 421 x 710 x 347mm

13.2 x 26.1 x 14.8 inches / 334 x 663 x 375mm

19.4 x 14.2 x 10.3 inches / 492 x 359.9 x 260.9mm

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.3, RCA, XLR (in and out), USB-A, USB-C, mic input (6.3mm)

Bluetooth 6.0, 3.5mm (in and out), optical, USB-C, 2x mic inputs (6.3mm)

Bluetooth 5.3, 3.5mm, USB-C, RCA, 2x XLR / 6.35mm combo jacks

Battery life

30 hours

18 hours

40 hours

Speaker drivers

1x 280mm woofer, 2x 120mm mid-range, 4x 50mm tweeters (incl. 2x rear-facing tweeters)

2x 165mm woofers, 2x 25mm tweeters

2x 6.5-inch 40W woofers, 4x 2-inch 6W full-ranges, 2x passive radiators

Waterproofing

IPX4

IPX4

IP55

JBL PartyBox 330
The JBL PartyBox 330 feels like the ULT Tower 7’s main competitor, with a powerful party-ready sound signature, similarly eye-catching LED lighting, and a lot of shared connectivity options. While the PartyBox 330 can’t quite compete in terms of battery life, it has a pull-out handle making it more mobile, and has attractive features like karaoke support and IPX4 waterproofing.

Marshall Bromley 450
Sure, the Marshall Bromley 450 has a high asking price, but it offers the luxurious quality to back that up. It has stunning stage-light inspired LEDs, beautifully detailed and powerful 360-degree sound, and strong connectivity options to boot. Throw in top-tier battery life and solid waterproofing, and you’re looking at one of the best party speakers in this size-class. Read my full Marshall Bromley 450 review.

How I tested the Sony ULT Tower 7

(Image credit: Future)

• Tested outdoors and at the Future Labs music testing space
• Mainly streamed tunes over Tidal
• Tried Party Chain functionality alongside ULT Tower 5

I spent many an hour testing the Sony ULT Tower 7, using it both in our music testing space at Future Labs and outdoors. As well as testing the ULT Tower 7 on its own, I also tried using it alongside the Sony ULT Tower 5 with the Party Chain function.

For the most part, I made use of Bluetooth connectivity to stream tunes over Tidal on my Xiaomi 17 phone, which supports the higher-res LDAC codec. I started by sifting through the TechRadar reference playlist, which features tracks from a wide variety of genres, but I also made sure to bump countless tunes from my personal library as well.

More generally, I’ve spent years testing audio gear here at TechRadar, where I serve as a Senior Reviews Writer. I’ve reviewed everything from wireless headphones like the Sonos Ace Ultra to Dolby Atmos soundbar systems like the JBL Bar 1300MK2. On top of that, I’ve tested a large number of party speakers, including ULT Tower 7 competitors like the Marshall Bromley 450.

• Read TechRadar’s reviews guarantee
• First reviewed: October 2026

One of NPR's most gifted storytellers, his soft voice and vivid writing helped define the network's sound for a generation of Americans.

(Image credit: Doby Photography)

White dwarf stars, it turns out, come in a variety of hues. Says one astronomer: “Some of them genuinely surprised me.”

Lavazza Tabli: 30-second review

Coffee pods are out, and tablets are in. Recently, Keurig announced that it was killing off the K-Cup in favor of compressed coffee tablets, but it wasn't the first to the punch. Italian coffee company Lavazza had debuted its own coffee tablets and brewer — the Tabli system — months before, and it's excellent.

The main appeal of Tabli's compressed coffee pucks (called tabs) is their minimal packaging — there's no metal or plastic pod that needs to be recycled after each brew or worse, end up in landfill. Using ground coffee or whole beans is a much less wasteful way to prepare an espresso, but it takes longer, and while it's a fun hobby for some of us, not everyone is interested in getting into the technicalities of brewing a balanced shot.

Each of Lavazza's tabs provides exactly the right amount of coffee for a single serving, so there's no weighing required, and no loose grounds to make a mess of your counter. The whole process is just as clean and simple as using coffee capsules, but without the empty capsules to dispose of at the end. It seems like such a simple idea that it's surprising it hasn't hit the mainstream before — and the results are very impressive.

I've become quite picky during my years reviewing coffee machines, and the Tabli system produces a better-tasting brew than any coffee capsule I've tried. Its app compatibility is a nice touch too, but the ease of use and flavor are what really count — and they're both truly impressive.

(Image credit: Future)Lavazza Tabli: price and availability

• List price $129 / £199 for the machine alone
• Available as a bundle that includes a milk frother and coffee tabs
• Tabs are competitively priced and cheaper than Nespresso

The Tabli coffee machine has a list price of $129 / £199. That's between AU$190 and AU$380, though the Tabli system isn't available in Australia yet. There are also bundles available that include the Lavazza MilkEasy frother and several boxes of Tabs for much less than all the components would cost separately.

Although it's not the cheapest single-serve coffee maker around, bear in mind that unlike some of its rivals, the Tabli system won't sting you with the price of coffee in the longer term. Bosch Tassimo machines, for example, are very cheap, but the pods are some of the priciest around.

A box of 12 Tabs costs £5.89 in the UK, which is about 49p per drink. You can also pick up a multipack of eight boxes for £40, which brings the cost per drink down to 42p.

Things are slightly more expensive in the US, where you can buy a four-pack of boxes for $48, meaning each drink costs $1. That's still very reasonable, though. For comparison, Nespresso Vertuo capsules cost between $1.40 and $1.60 each.

• Value score: 4.5/5

Lavazza Tabli: specifications

Name

Lavazza Tabli

Type

Tablet coffee maker

Dimensions (W x H x D)

6.5 x 12.9 x 15.4 inches / 16.5 x 32.7 x 39cm

Weight

9.9lbs / 4.5kg

Water reservoir capacity

40.58oz / 1.2 liters

Milk frother

No (but can be bought with a standalone one)

Bars of pressure

15 bar

User profiles

None

Lavazza Tabli: design

• Sleek, modern aesthetic
• Minimalist controls
• Available in three colors

The Lavazza Tabli is a sleek-looking single-serve coffee maker that comes in three colors: graphite black (shown here), sand white, and walnut brown. The top panel has four buttons — power, single shot, double shot, and lungo — and slides back with a smooth motion to reveal the small chamber resembling the bottom of a manual espresso machine’s filter basket, where you’ll place the compressed coffee pod.

There are also warning lights that will alert you if the used tab collection bin has been removed or needs emptying, if the water tank needs filling or hasn’t been properly inserted, and if the machine needs descaling.

(Image credit: Future)

At the very back of the top panel, you’ll notice a flashing blue light, which indicates that the Tabli machine is ready to connect to your phone via Bluetooth. Once it’s connected, the blue light will remain steady — but more on that later.

Unlike some other Lavazza coffee machines, such as the Assoluta, the Tabli doesn’t have its own milk frothing system. However, if you’re a fan of lattes and cappuccinos, the Tabli is available bundled with a standalone frother that works extremely well. My colleague Josh Russell has just finished testing it and will be publishing his review very soon.

The Tabli has a small drip tray that’s just the right height for an espresso cup. If you want to brew into a larger cup or mug, just slide the tray out to make room. Behind the tray, you’ll find the bin into which the Tabli machine drops used coffee tabs. The tabs don’t break apart, keeping mess to a minimum, and are caught in a basket so they’re not left sitting in water.

(Image credit: Future)

Unlike most other coffee makers I’ve tested, the Tabli dispenses dirty water into this bin after rinsing itself rather than expelling it into the drip tray — a tidier solution that keeps the front of the machine clean.

The Tabli’s removable components aren’t dishwasher-safe, but they’re easy to hand-wash, and since this machine doesn’t have an integrated milk frother, there’s minimal maintenance necessary. Just keep the bin and drip tray clean, and follow the descaling instructions periodically.

• Design score: 5/5

Lavazza Tabli: performance

• Very simple to use
• Much better coffee than most single-serve machines
• App works well, but Google Home connectivity does not

Using the Tabli is just as simple as any ordinary capsule coffee maker: place your chosen tab in the recess under the lid, slide it closed, and pick the type of drink you want. A minute later, your drink will be ready to enjoy.

Coffee tabs are given a strength score on a scale of 1-13, and although there are currently only six types available, if the system proves successful, I'm hopeful Lavazza will increase its range.

There aren't any of the elaborate flavors you get with Nespresso or Tassimo pods; all Tabli tabs are made using nothing but compressed coffee, with no additives, and in my opinion that's no bad thing.

(Image credit: Future)

I've tried three Tabli varieties during testing. Qualità Rossa and Qualità Oro both produced a smooth-tasting, easy-drinking espresso, while the Espresso Ristretto was a little punchier — but not at all bitter.

None of them had the astringent taste I associate with most coffee capsules, and their taste is much more like a drink made with freshly ground coffee beans. The espresso also has a good layer of crema that beats what I've come to expect from single-serve machines.

(Image credit: Future)

The Lavazza Tabli has a smartphone app, which you can use to operate the machine remotely and create custom drinks. After installing the Tabli app, you’ll be prompted to create an account and then connect your coffee maker. This was quick and easy; the app will request permission to search for nearby devices, then locate the Tabli machine without the need to scan any QR codes. The first time I connected to the machine, I was prompted to grant access to my calling history and contacts, but it seems this was a temporary bug. Following an app update, I disconnected from the Tabli machine, then restarted the process, and the prompt did not appear.

The app is nicely designed, and the brewing options are presented front and center. You can choose from the machine's three brewing options or create your own, give it a name, and save it for quick access in the future. You can adjust the volume and temperature of the drink, which is particularly useful if you enjoy an Americano in the morning. Because the machine uses prepared coffee tablets rather than ground beans, if you want to change the taste any more, you’ll need to pick a different type of coffee tab,

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Naturally, the app allows you to order more tabs (as well as other Lavazza products), but you have to scroll down to find the store — it’s not thrust in your face, which is refreshing.

The only issue I encountered involved the coffee maker’s smart home connectivity. The Tabli’s box advertises compatibility with Google Home and Alexa, but during my tests it sadly didn’t work. I was able to connect the Tabli machine to Google Home easily enough, but although Gemini could turn it on, it couldn’t start brewing. Nor could I use voice commands to choose different drinks, as described in the Tabli’s manual.

However, I’m not certain whether this is an issue with the Tabli or with Google Home and Gemini, which aren’t known for their flawless reliability. The Tabli app works exactly as intended, but don't count on being able to brew drinks using voice commands through a smart speaker.

• Performance score: 4.5/5

Should you buy the Lavazza Tabli?Lavazza Tabli score card

Attribute

Notes

Score

Value

Not the cheapest single-serve machine, but bundles are great value and coffee tabs are very reasonably priced for better value in the long term,

4.5/5

Design

Modern design with clean lines, which is easy to clean and maintain. Simple user interface.

5/5

Performance

Brews delicious coffee and is very easy to use. App works well, though smart home functionality does not.

4.5/5

Buy it if

You hate the waste of coffee capsules

Talbi tabs are made from nothing but ground coffee, and their packaging is almost entirely cardboard, with just a thin layer of plastic over the top of the carton.

You want tasty coffee without mess

Tabli tabs are pre-measured and ground, and they don't leave residue or crumbs on your fingers. They produce a smooth, easy-drinking espresso.

Don't buy it if

You really want to experiment

Tabs are made from pre-measured and ground coffee, so you can't tinker with brew options like you can with whole beans.

You really want smart home connectivity

Google Home didn't play nicely with the Tabli during my tests, though I'm not sure whether that's an issue with Lavazza's software or Google's platform.

How I tested the Lavazza Tabli

I tested the Lavazza Tabli for three weeks, using it instead of my usual manual espresso machine. I used filtered water in its tank and used three different Tabli tab varieties. I experimented with brewing coffee remotely and creating custom drinks using the apps. I connected the coffee maker to Google Home and attempted to operate it using typed and spoken commands. I cleaned the coffee maker at the end of each day following Lavazza's instructions.

First reviewed October 2026