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Pooches competed against similarly sized peers for a chance to appear in the finals. Additional heats featured multiple dogs surfing tandem or riding with people.

(Image credit: Eakin Howard)

• Tim Cook has been speaking at an all-hands meeting
• Cook promised Apple has a bright AI future
• There are some "amazing" products in the pipeline

The delays and issues around Apple Intelligence have been well documented, but Apple CEO Tim Cook says his company isn't giving up an AI – and in fact has said the AI market is "ours to grab" in a recent all-hands meeting.

As per the usually reliable Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, the hour-long meeting was held right after Apple's most recent earnings call, and both Tim Cook and senior vice president of software engineering Craig Federighi were apparently upbeat about Apple's AI future.

"Apple must do this," Cook apparently said on AI. "Apple will do this. This is sort of ours to grab." The CEO reportedly went on to say that while Apple hasn't always been first in product categories, it's usually able to catch up and surpass its rivals.

According to Gurman, Cook also encouraged Apple employees to use more AI in their day-to-day work, to avoid being "left behind" in the field. The CEO is predicting AI will be bigger than smartphones, apps, and the internet.

'A much bigger upgrade'

Apple Intelligence has had its issues (Image credit: Apple)

As for Federighi, he reportedly told staff that Apple was overcoming the initial challenges it had faced with adding Apple Intelligence on top of Siri. Rather than merging two systems, engineers are now working on building an entirely new architecture.

"The work we've done on this end-to-end revamp of Siri has given us the results we needed," said the exec. "This has put us in a position to not just deliver what we announced, but to deliver a much bigger upgrade than we envisioned."

Apple has clearly rushed its AI efforts in an attempt to catch up to the likes of OpenAI and Google – having to pull adverts promising features that have yet to materialize – but it would appear that Apple remains fully committed to the technology.

The all-hands meeting is said to have covered other topics including Apple TV+, AirPods, and the impact of regulations. Cook also mentioned that there's an "amazing" series of Apple products in the pipeline – which may include a folding iPhone.

You might also like

• Apple could bring some punchy color to the iPhone 17 Pro
• This is what really happened with Siri and Apple Intelligence
• Apple could bring a nifty iPhone trick to its series of Macs

Chilean families are having only one child on average. U.S. birthrates are also dropping but it's unclear whether the U.S. will follow into the growing group of "very low" birthrate countries.

(Image credit: Tamara Merino for NPR)

Looking for some end-of-summer fun? These are the best outdoor games you can play with family or friends.

Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler Yellowstone spin-off: key information

- The Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler spin-off was first announced in December 2024

- It was rumored to be called Dutton Ranch, but Rip Wheeler actor Cole Hauser confirmed that wouldn’t be the title

- It will be set in the present day, and will explore the Dutton’s lives after the events in season 5

- Other actors from Yellowstone are likely to appear in it, including Finn Little, who plays Carter

- It will share “the most DNA with Yellowstone” than any of the (many!) other planned spin-offs

- The release date has been suggested for late 2025, but Paramount+ have yet to confirm this

The Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler spin-off series from the Yellowstone universe is officially underway and while it's still very early days, we do know some crucial details about what the new Paramount+ series might look like.

You should never underestimate the pull of a good Western: and the TV series Yellowstone has totally proved this. Launching without much fanfare on the Paramount Network back in June 2018 (HBO turned it down initially) the Kevin Costner-fronted show steadily drew in a bigger and bigger audience, as the series – which covered life in and around a ranch in Yellowstone, Montana – went out on a high in the final series five in 2024 with a viewership of more than 12 million people.

But the people, like the ranchers, wanted more. And spin-offs of the Dutton family were hastily assembled by creators Taylor Sheridan and John Linson. First were the prequels, 1883 and 1923, then the sequels and other Dutton-adjacent series (deep breath): The Madison (due out in 2025), Y: Marshalls, 1944, 6666 and, perhaps the most eagerly awaited of all the new series in the Yellowstone universe, a show that some have said will be called Dutton Ranch. But, hold fire! says Cole Hauser, who plays Rip Wheeler, as he told Fox News that: “First of all, it's not [called] Dutton Ranch. That's not the name of it.”

So, what do we know about the spin-off show that will see Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser reprising their roles as Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler? Here’s everything you need to know about the neo-Western series so far, including cast members, potential plot and expected release date:

Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler Yellowstone spin-off: release date predictions

It's a return to Dutton Ranch for Beth and Rip. (Image credit: Paramount+)

News first came out off a spin-off in December 2024 when Deadline reported: “Taylor Sheridan, the mastermind behind Yellowstone and its ever-expanding universe, is working on the creative for the new show, which will likely feature other cast members from the mothership series alongside Reilly and Hauser.”

Since then, the most recent word is, according to Bloomberg, that this particular show is being pegged for a Fall launch in 2025, which would make this a very quick turnaround. Paramount+ are yet to confirm a release date, but we’ll update this piece as soon as we find out.

Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler Yellowstone spin-off: is there a trailer yet?

Fan favourite Beth smokes a cigarette to kill time while waiting for the trailer. (Image credit: Paramount+)

No, there’s nothing as yet – we’ll let you know as soon as anything drops.

Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler Yellowstone spin-off: who is in the cast?

Finn Little will be making a return to the bullring as Carter. (Image credit: Paramount+)

Excitingly for the fans who weren’t ready for Yellowstone to finish after five seasons, Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser will be back in their legendary roles of Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler, respectively. It’s been suggested by several publications that other key characters from Yellowstone could also make a return, but so far, the only person confirmed is Finn Little who plays Carter.

Carter arrived as a “troubled teen” in season four, who met Beth in hospital, when both their fathers were dying. After Carter’s dad dies of a drug addiction, Beth and Rip become Carter’s guardians, and he comes to live and work with them on their ranch. Beth is unable to have children and doesn’t see herself as maternal, yet she and Rip form a bond with Carter, and come to view him as family.

Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler Yellowstone spin-off: the potential plot

The series will pick up after the events of Yellowstone season 5 (Image credit: Paramount+)

Well, it’s a series that will obviously have Beth and Rip at the heart of the action. At the end of season 5 of Yellowstone (spoilers ahead, if you’re not up to date yet) the Dutton Ranch is no more, after being sold to the Broken Rock Reservation, allowing the land to be preserved as a protected reservation.

Beth’s father, John Dutton III, was murdered by a contract killer (by a gunshot to the head) hired by Jamie Dutton and Sarah Atwood, but it was staged to look like suicide. In the season’s finale, Beth, who vowed revenge for her dad’s death, stabs Jamie.

According to Deadline, the spin-off is likely to pick up where season 5 ended. It will be “led by Yellowstone characters, played by the same actors in the same present-day time frame; the new offshoot shares the most DNA with the mothership of any shows in the Yellowstone universe to date.”

Hauser is remaining tight-lipped about the plot, also telling Fox News in May 2025: "We can expect the same that we've been doing for the last seven years. Kelly and I are going and working our [expletive] off trying to create something special.”

Meanwhile, he told The Hollywood Reporter in June 2025: “Kelly and I, we're focused on [Rip and Beth's] relationship and our love together, and what we're going to get [them] into. I'm excited just like everybody else. I can't wait to see what they come up with. Hopefully, we'll start seeing stuff soon.” We’d hope so too, if the series is to be released by the end of the year.

What are the other spin-offs, sequels and prequels of Yellowstone that we know about?

The Beth and Rip series will be set in the present day. (Image credit: Paramount+)

There will be two other offshoots soon joining the Beth and Rip series. The Madison (appearing on Paramount+), led by Michelle Pfeiffer as Stacy Clyburn, and Y: Marshals (on CBS) which will star Luke Grimes as Kayce Dutton, and which will be released in early 2026.

Alongside this, there are two more series in the Yellowstone universe: 1944 (set during World War II and will explore the Dutton family's experiences during that era) and 6666 (about another ranch, Four Sixes, which also appears in Yellowstone and will be about the characters who live on it) which have been previously announced as “in development”.

Saucony Ride 18: One minute review

I must admit I wasn’t a huge fan of the Saucony Ride 17. While it was a solid all-rounder, I found the internal molding quite intrusive and it always felt like I was wearing a support shoe rather than a neutral trainer. In the end, it just didn’t work for me, and I passed it on to a friend (who loved it!).

As a result, I was hesitant to try the Ride 18, even though I knew it was a popular model with plenty of great credentials, but I was pleasantly surprised. With just a few subtle tweaks, Saucony has created a far more comfortable shoe which seems to mold to my feet perfectly.

It just goes to show that small changes can make all the difference. Increased structure in the upper, a touch more heel cushioning and bonus foam content are particular highlights. Best of all, the trainer comes at an affordable price, meaning it’s a great value-for-money workhorse, perfect for those easy and long runs.

Much like Brooks Ghost, the Ride 18 is likely to remain a firm favorite for those looking for a cushioned ride. It’s been a complete game changer for me and the Ride 18 is now my go-to road shoe for easy runs and everyday training.

Saucony Ride 18 review: Specifications

Component

Saucony Ride 18

Weight

Around 228g (Womens) 259g (Men’s)

Upper

Engineered mesh with inner sleeve

Midsole

PWRRUN+Foam

Outsole

Durable Rubber

Heel-to-toe drop

8mm

Saucony Ride 18 review: Price and availability

• $145 USD / £130 GBP / AU$239.99
• Affordable considering it's a workhorse
• Frequently found on sale

The Saucony Ride 18 is one of the more affordable road shoes. Priced at $145 USD / £130 GBP / AU$239.99, it can be found at discounted prices, but limited sizes are available.

We’ve spotted it as cheap as £105.00 in the UK at Sports Direct (link) (sportsdirect.com), at $144.95 in the US on Road Runner Sports (link) (roadrunnersports.com), and as low as AU$210 on Sports Direct Australia (link) (au.sportsdirect.com).

• Value score: 4.5/5

Saucony Ride 18 review: Design

(Image credit: Lily Canter)

• Extra cushioning foam
• More pronounced grooving
• No more heel pull-tab

The Saucony Ride 18 retains much of the DNA that made its predecessor popular, yet introduces a series of subtle refinements that combine to deliver a more responsive and comfortable ride. The trainer still employs an 8mm heel-to-toe drop, a specification that appeals to runners seeking a balanced transition without the feeling of a pronounced incline. Underfoot, the PWRRUN+ midsole material has been enhanced with additional cushioning foam, resulting in improved energy return despite a marginal reduction in overall weight. This increased foam content not only makes the shoe feel livelier underfoot, but also boosts the comfort factor.

A closer look at the outsole reveals more pronounced grooving compared with the Ride 17. The more numerous flex grooves provide enhanced grip on a variety of surfaces and encourage a more stable, confident stride. The redesigned tread pattern also appears more wear-resistant, suggesting it will maintain performance over a longer lifespan.

Above the midsole, the engineered knit upper has been reworked to offer greater stretch and conformity around the foot. The device-knit construction wraps the midfoot snugly, eliminating the noticeable internal arch of the previous model and providing a smoother, more uniform pressure distribution. An extra layer of padding in the heel collar further secures the foot in place, preventing slippage without causing discomfort or hotspots during extended runs.

In the forefoot, the generous yet not cumbersome toe-box volume allows natural toe splay without feeling loose. The tongue padding has been optimized to strike a balance between comfort and minimalism, offering enough cushioning to prevent lace-bite without bulking up. The lace system now includes an additional eyelet, enabling various lockdown configurations for a personalized fit. The heel pull-tab has been removed, but this always appeared to be superfluous to me, anyway.

Overall, the Ride 18’s design updates – enhanced foam, refined tread, adaptive upper and tailored fit – combine into a package that feels soft, light and supportive.

• Design score: 4/5

Saucony Ride 18 review: Performance

(Image credit: Lily Canter)

• Solid track shoe
• Handles light trails as well as roads
• Good for most distances

I put the Saucony Ride 18 through its paces on both my regular road runs and interval track sessions, where I was doing 400m and 800m reps, or pacing athletes to smash 5k PBs. On the track, the shoe felt exceptionally smooth and consistent, offering just enough pop from the responsive midsole to sustain a metronomic pace without fatigue. Transitions from heel to toe remained fluid, even when shifting speeds between repeats.

Despite its track prowess, the Ride 18 proved versatile enough for road outings and light trail adventures. The reliable cushioning and grip inspired confidence on varied surfaces, making the pair trustworthy for anything from a brisk parkrun to a 20-mile long run. The outsole’s traction handled damp tarmac and gravel alike.

Although capable in general interval sessions, the Ride 18 does still lack the ultra-lightweight feel and snappy responsiveness of a dedicated racing flat or carbon-plated shoe (but then again, it’s not designed for this kind of running). But for everyday training, tempo runs and mixed-surface routes it strikes an impressive balance of comfort, stability and performance.

• Performance score: 4.5/5

Saucony Ride 18: Should I buy?Buy it if...

You value everyday versatility

The Ride 18 adapts from road to light trail, and from speed to easy running, without missing a beat, making it your go-to trainer for mixed workouts.

You appreciate consistent cushioning

Its balanced PWRRUN Plus midsole delivers a soft, reliable bounce mile after mile, keeping your legs feeling fresh.

You need a snug, secure fit

An adaptive knit upper and padded heel collar hold your foot comfortably in place, so you can focus on your stride.

Don't buy it if...

You demand razor-sharp responsiveness

For race-day flats or super-snappy speed sessions, the Ride 18 feels a touch too plush and mellow.

You’re tackling ultras

While it’s durable, the cushioning isn’t as luxurious as specialist long-distance models, so your feet may tire on very long runs.

You prefer hardcore off-road

For technical trails or deep mud, you’ll want deeper lugs and reinforced protection that this pair can’t provide.

Also consider

Altra FWD Via

Our previous favorite slow, all-rounder shoe

Read our full Altra FWD Via review

Saucony Ride 17

The previous iteration which can now be found quite cheaply.

Read our full Saucony Ride 17 review

First reviewed: July 2025

• View or buy at Mammotion US / Mammotion UK / Mammotion AU

Mammotion Yuka Mini: two-minute reviewProduct info

This model is available in a few slightly different variant:

US: Mini S, Mini 600H, Mini 800H
UK: Mini 600, Yuka Mini 800
AU: Mini 800, Mini 600

For this review, I tested the Mini 600 UK version. There may be minor differences between different countries' models.

The Mammotion Yuka Mini is a relatively compact, simple and affordable robotic mower for small to medium-sized lawns. There are a few different options, but for this review I tested the Mini 600 (called the Mini S in the US) for yards that are 0.15 acres / 600㎡ in size.

While it's far from the fanciest lawnbot on the market, it handled various obstacles impressively well. My parents' yard comprises uneven areas, trees, awkwardly placed beds, and a brook; but none of these posed an issue for the Yuka Mini during tests. It navigated accurately, avoided unexpected obstacles impressively well, and never got lost or tried to take a swim.

I was also extremely happy with the mowing itself. It left the yard looking far neater than if I'd cut it manually, with the grass evenly trimmed and faux-stripes created by the logical mowing route. It operated quietly enough that I could happily read a book nearby, and while not exactly lightning-fast, it has proved sufficiently speedy to tackle the lawn size for which it's designed in an efficient manner.

The impressive performance is hampered somewhat by the brand experience. The app feels basic and a little unintuitive. The instructions provided for setup aren't clear enough for lawnbot newbies – who should also note that finding a good spot for your charge station and RTK receiver is key. During tests I also found the bot would sometimes lose connection, needing to be carried back to within Wi-Fi range before it could be instructed.

Nevertheless, once I'd managed to get everything up and running, I found myself forgetting the minor pain of setup very quickly. I really can't overstate how much time and effort this little bot has saved over the past few weeks, and the lawn looks neater than ever. Overall, for the price it's a very solid investment.

That's the short version; read on for my full Mammotion Yuka Mini review.

(Image credit: Future)Mammotion Yuka Mini review: price & versions

• List price: from $1,099 / £849 / AU$1,499
• Launched: February 2025
• Available: US, UK, AU, Europe

In the US, you have a few options in the Yuka Mini range. The equivalent to the model I've reviewed here is the Mini S, which costs $1,099 and is designed for yards of 0.15 acres / 600 square meters in size. Alternatively, you can opt for a H-series model, which can deal with taller grass. In that line is the Mini 600H for $1,099 or the Mini 800H for $1,299.

In the UK and Australia, you have the Mini 600 (reviewed here) for £849 / AU$1,499. If you have a slightly larger garden, you can go for the Yuka Mini 800 for £1,049 / AU$1,899. I've spotted discounts in all territories; it's not too difficult to avoid paying full whack if you're patient.

While not an especially cheap purchase, I think it offers decent value for money. Build quality is solid and performance is reliable, and this compact lawnbot really is a big effort-saver.

In terms of rival brands, Husqvarna's bots are geared towards larger yards. At time of writing, it has its Automower 115H (which can mow up to 0.4 acres) for $699.99, then prices hop straight up to $1,999.99 for the Automower 415X (up to 0.37 acres).

The Eufy E15 is suitable for yards up to 0.2 acres and is much pricier, at $1,799.99 / £1,499. However, it's a different kind of bot because it uses self-drive car tech rather than satellites to navigate, and therefore is significantly easier to set up.

• Value for money score: 4 out of 5

Mammotion Yuka Mini specs

Product:

Yuka Mini S (US) / Yuka Mini 600 (UK)

Recommended lawn size:

0.15 acres / 600㎡

Max lawn size:

0.2 acres / 800㎡

Cutting width:

7.5in / 19cm

Cutting height:

0.8-2.4in / 2-6cm

Drivetrain:

2-wheel drive

Max zones:

15

Incline ability:

50% / 27 degrees

Waterproof:

IPX6

Lawnbot size (L x W x H):

20.7 x 16.3 x 11.1in / 52.5 x 41.3 x 28.1cm

Lawnbot weight:

23.4 lbs / 10.6kg

Mowing area per charge:

0.04 acres / 150㎡

Charge time:

90 mins

Mowing time per charge:

55 mins

Mammotion Yuka Mini review: design

• Relatively compact, lightweight bot with five cutting blades
• Comes with an RTK receiver and charge station (garage roof is extra)
• AI-equipped, front-mounted camera for object avoidance

The Mammotion Yuka setup comprises three elements: a charge station, an RTK receiver and the lawnbot itself.

Let's start with the robot. It's fairly compact in size, with a plastic upper shell and two chunky, deep-tread wheels to help it traverse uneven ground. On the top is a large control panel that includes a knob to manually adjust cutting height, some simple press buttons, and a big red emergency stop button. There's also an AI-powered camera to help with object identification and avoidance. The whole thing is waterproof to IPX-6 (i.e. it will be fine even in a downpour).

Flip it over and you'll find two smaller front wheels and a spinning cutting deck that holds five ultra-sharp blades. Mammotion has thoughtfully included a ridged grip section at the front and back – well away from those blades – to enable you to safely and securely pick up the robot, if you need to move it past an area that isn't accessible by driving. It's compact and light enough that most able-bodied people should be able to carry it without too much trouble.

The battery tucks in the back of the bot and is detachable, should you need to replace it further down the line.

(Image credit: Future)

The charge station is where the bot returns to dock. It's a black plastic base with raised charge contacts, and plastic ground screws are provided to secure it into the ground. It's potentially worth investing in a "garage roof" to provide protection; despite being waterproof, prolonged exposure to the elements will surely limit the lawnbot's lifespan in the longer term.

You'll want to think about where the charge station will live before buying. It can't go just anywhere, but the literature that comes with the lawnbot isn't great at explaining this. The charge station needs to be somewhere relatively flat, with a clear route to mowing areas, and access to a power outlet. While it doesn't need line-of-sight to the lawnbot (it will communicate via radio signal), it does need at least some view of the sky, so that the bot can talk to the satellites when docked. I struggled to find somewhere suitable initially.

(Image credit: Future)

Finally, the RTK station. This essentially helps make the satellite positioning data more accurate, and is important if you don't want your bot to end up in a flower bed. It looks like a small-ish rounded dome with an antenna protruding downwards – not too obtrusive, but I set it up in my parents' garden and the feedback from my mum was that she wished it wasn't white, because it sticks out too much and spoils her view. (I think she has a point.)

You'll also want to figure out where the RTK station will live before making your purchase. It's best positioned high up, with a clear view of the sky in as many directions as possible. It also needs to be connected to a power source.

There is an option that means you don't need to install the RTK receiver. The Yuka Mini can map and navigate using a "NetRTK and 4G module" – at the time of writing it's free to use, but this added functionality typically comes with a subscription fee. I did not test this option, and I'm not sure if it's suitable for any garden or if there are requirements.

• Design score: 4.5 out of 5

Mammotion Yuka Mini review: performance

• Neat, even cutting and impressively quiet in use
• Navigation was accurate throughout my testing period
• Setup and initial use can be confusing if you're not familiar with lawnbots

Moving on to how well the Yuka Mini performed in practice. I'll start with setup, and the results of my cutting tests.

Setup

The Yuka Mini was the first robot lawn mower I'd tested, and I found initial setup rather painful. Information is lacking from Mammotion (I feel this area could do with improvement), so if you're in this boat too, prepare to do a bit of independent research before embarking on setup. The key things are to find a good spot for your charge station and RTK receiver, as I've discussed above.

With that done, it's a case of mapping your space. There are two options here: manual (for complex mowing areas) and automatic (for simple areas with clear boundaries). My parents' yard, where I tested this bot, includes various grassy areas. The main one includes uneven areas of green, large mid-lawn beds, and has a brook running down one side, so I mapped it manually.

This involved driving the bot carefully around the perimeter of the lawn, using my phone as the remote control. Once I was done, I added no-go zones around any fixed obstructions (trees, beds, patio areas) within the lawn, again by driving over and around them. If you're used to robot vacuums, this mapping process feels much more old-school, but there's no denying it's pretty fun.

(Image credit: Future)

The yard at the front of the house is simpler, with no waterways for the bot to fall into, so I took a chance on automatic mapping. I was impressed – the lawnbot mapped the space quickly and figured out the borders of the beds accurately. Note that you can't map very small areas.

I added routes between connected areas, to enable the bot to find its way back to the base. For some areas – for example, that front yard – it wasn't possible to create a path back to the charge station. I was still able to map and mow these areas, but I had to carry the robot back to the charge base area once it was done, and it would yell at me that the robot was tilted as I did so.

(Image credit: Future)Cutting and navigation performance

I was very impressed with this robot's cutting performance. It mowed each lawn zone neatly and evenly, leaving faux stripes in its path. It appeared to take a logical path, too, mowing in parallel lines over the main body of each lawn area and then looping around the perimeter to catch the edges.

There were very occasionally narrow strips between lines that remained uncut, but these could be taken care of by remote-control mowing after the task was complete, or (more commonly for me) left to be caught on the next mowing session.

The Yuka Mini also proved very quiet in operation, and significantly quieter than a traditional mower. I was able to happily sit on a sun lounger on the patio and read my book while it took care of the adjacent lawn – surely, the ideal scenario anyone is hoping for when they purchase one of these.

(Image credit: Future)

Once everything was set up properly, I didn't encounter any issues with navigation; the lawnbot never got lost or ended up somewhere it should not be, and it reliably returned to its base once a task was complete – or if it ran out of juice mid-mow. It had no trouble traversing really quite steep ground, and was able to mow quite close to the sloped edge of the brook without taking a dip. (Initially, I left a large border for fear the Yuka Mini would go for a swim, but once I'd used it for a while and seen how well it navigated, I shifted the perimeter closer to the water.)

Object avoidance is solid, too. If I stood in front of the bot while it was mowing, it would duly pause and make its way around me before continuing.

• Performance score: 4 out of 5

Mammotion Yuka Mini review: app

• App is fine but on the basic side, and lacks some fine-tuned controls
• Not the most logical layout, with some functions hard to find
• Functional, once you've figured out the quirks

Most control for the Yuka Mini comes via the companion app. Overall I found it fine, but not amazing. I'm more used to testing robot vacuums, and in comparison to most of the robovac apps I've used, the Mammotion app felt a little clunky and simplistic. Settings aren't always where you'd expect to find them; there were some spelling errors in the text (not the end of the world, but indicative of a lack of care); and the instructions weren't always clear.

For example, the bot is apparently designed to straddle the edges of paths, so you don't end up with an uncut border. I expected this to be an option you could toggle on or off in the app, but it's not. (It's only suitable for paths that are perfectly flat, and the ones in my test yard don't fit this requirement.) There's a decent range of adjustment options, but they're a little tucked away and not accessible if the bot has lost connection to the internet.

Click to see large version (Image credit: Mammotion)

The map is also very simplistic; just a cutting area, with nothing else specified. I imagined you might be able to indicate a tree, a flower bed or a pond – if not to adjust how the lawnbot behaves at that border, then at least to help you understand where you are on the map. This is not an option, however.

I found if I was a long way from the lawnbot, the app would regularly lose contact. If the robot wasn't cutting at the time, I'd have to carry the bot back to within Wi-Fi range before I could instruct it. If it was cutting at the time, it would continue on with its task, but I couldn't watch its progress. This felt a little risky, although I guess I'd only be getting very basic information anyway.

All that said, once I'd figured out where things were, the app was usable and did what I needed it to. Middling marks.

• App score: 3 out of 5

Should you buy the Mammotion Yuka Mini?

Attribute

Notes

Rating

Value

Not cheap, but relatively affordable in the market, and there are deals to be had. Product feels high quality.

4 / 5

Design

Relatively compact and lightweight lawnbot. Navigates using satellites and an RTK receiver, although there is also a paid-for 4G navigation option.

4.5 / 5

Performance

Neat, quiet and thorough mowing, and reliable navigation and object avoidance. Setup a little confusing.

4 / 5

App

Rather basic, slightly unintuitive and lacks fine controls, although generally does what you need it to do.

3 / 5

Buy it if...

You have a small to medium-sized yard
The Yuka Mini I tested is designed for spaces of around 0.15 acres / 600㎡ in size, and there's also a version for up to 0.2 acres / 800㎡. The relatively compact design won't overwhelm a smaller yard.

You're looking for something affordable
A lot of lawnbots cost thousands, whereas this bot is far more affordable – especially if you snag one of the semi-regular deals.

Don't buy it if...

You want the crème de la crème of the range
This little bot performed great in my tests, but it isn't as advanced as the Mammotion Luba 2, which has all the latest bells and whistles you could hope for.

You have a very large yard
The bot I tested is designed for yards of around 0.15 acres / 600㎡, although alternatives in the Yuka Mini range can manage up to 0.2 acres / 800㎡. There are plenty of options that cater to bigger yards, offering wider cutting decks and longer runtimes, if that won't suffice.

You're a total technophobe
I found setup a little painful, and the basic app and lack of clear instructions from Mammotion don't help. If you want a lawnbot that will do it all for you, take a look at the Dreame E15.

Mammotion Yuka Mini: alternatives to consider

Mammotion Yuka Mini 600

Mammotion LUBA 2 AWD 1000

Recommended lawn size:

0.15 acres / 600㎡

0.25 acres / 1,000㎡

Max lawn size:

0.2 acres / 800㎡

0.3 acres / 1,012㎡

Cutting width:

7.5in / 19cm

15.7in / 40cm

Cutting height:

0.8-2.4in / 2-6cm, mechanical

1 - 2.7in / 2.5-7cm, motorized

Drivetrain:

Two-wheel drive

All-wheel drive

Max zones:

15

10

Incline ability:

50% (27°)

80% (38°)

Waterproof:

IPX6

IPX6 & IPX7

Lawnbot size (L x W x H):

20.7 x 16.3 x 11.1in / 52.5 x 41.3 x 28.1cm

27.2 x 20.2 x 10.7in / 69 x 51.3 x 27.3cm

Lawnbot weight:

23.4lbs / 10.6kg

37.7lbs / 17.1 kg

Mow time per charge:

55 mins

120 mins

Mammotion LUBA 2 robot mower

The LUBA is an altogether fancier, more tech-packed option from Mammotion. There are various versions that can manage large yards, and it offers longer runtimes and four-wheel drive for trickier terrain.

Read our full Mammotion LUBA 2 robot mower review.

How I tested the Mammotion Yuka Mini

I set up the Mammotion Yuka Mini in my parents' yard, which includes three main grassy areas. There are various obstacles, including patio areas, beds in the middle of the lawn, trees and a brook. I set it up using the instructions provided (supplemented by my own research, when that didn't go to plan), mapped the area, and ran several mowing tests over the course of a few days. It was then used as the primary mower over the course of the month that followed, with me visiting regularly to check on progress. I assessed it based on the neatness of cutting, accuracy of navigation, and ease of use.

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed July 2025

• Parental concerns over screen time grow as kids spend four hours online during the summer holidays
• The Secure Net update only helps UK families, despite Vodafone operating in over 20 countries
• Unstructured screen time rises during school breaks, sparking fresh demand for digital boundaries at home

As the summer holidays bring more freedom and fewer routines, children are spending much more time online, but new research has warned on the risks this could bring.

A report from VodafoneThree revealed screen time among 8 to 17-year-olds has risen to as much as four hours of unstructured use per day, a 42% increase compared to during the school term.

While some of this time is spent staying in touch with friends or occupying long journeys, nearly two-thirds (65%) of UK parents have expressed concern over the digital habits of their kids during school breaks and the overall impact on them.

Digital safeguards for kids arrive, but not for everyone

In response, VodafoneThree plans to release a major update to its Secure Net app offering enhanced parental control features designed to help families manage device use more easily.

“Unstructured screen time tends to naturally rise during the summer holidays, so we’ve teamed up with Digital Awareness UK to offer practical, parent-friendly guidance,” said Nicki Lyons, Chief Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Officer at VodafoneThree.

“Combined with our Secure Net service, which offers the most comprehensive parental controls of any major UK network, families can feel more confident navigating the digital world together and enjoy a safer, more balanced summer break.”

The Secure Net app, which currently offers basic filtering and protection, will soon allow UK parents to manage both mobile and home broadband connections through a single interface.

Its goal is to create a simpler way for families to limit access to inappropriate content, reduce distractions, and encourage healthier routines.

The app features include “Pause the Internet,” “Bedtime Mode,” content filters, and a “Focus Time” setting that blocks certain apps during study periods.

While VodafoneThree describes the tool as offering the most complete set of parental controls among major UK networks, it is not a substitute for other forms of digital protection.

The app does not include antivirus or ransomware protection, and its main function is to control access rather than detect threats.

Families hoping to improve overall digital safety may still need separate software to protect against malware or more sophisticated attacks.

However, despite its global reach, the company is making the updated app available only to its UK customers at no additional cost.

This raises questions, particularly given the universal nature of the issues involved.

Parents across parent company Vodafone's many markets face similar concerns about screen time, harmful content, and lack of oversight, but they are left out for now.

"We know that the summer holidays can be a challenging time. This can't always be avoided, but without structure, it can lead to greater exposure to online harms, mental health effects, and unhealthy tech habits that are difficult to undo,” said Emma Robertson, CEO of Digital Awareness UK.

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(Image credit: Mariam Zuhaib)

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Aug. 3, #784.

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Dropping on The Hallmark Channel and Hallmark+ from August 2, 2025, Providence Falls is a new three-part film series following Cora (Katie Stevens) and Liam (Lachlan Quarmby), two cops paired up to try and solve a theft case. As theft becomes much more sinister, Cora doesn’t know Liam isn’t a cop at all, but a lover from a past life sent forward in time to try and get her to fall in love with her “destiny” in co-worker Finn (Evan Roderick).

Sound familiar? Well, the time-travel element should at least. While the core romance could be plucked straight from any one of Hallmark’s hall of fames, there’s another series on the platform that can instantly transport you to another historical timeline: The Way Home. Starring Andie MacDowell and Chyler Leigh, the show tells the story of the Landry family, who find they can travel back in time to different points in their shared history by jumping in the pond at the end of their garden (as you do). Season 4 is expected to air in early 2026, and boy do we have some questions that need answering.

Ponderers (who are the fanbase of the show, obviously), will know a key feature of The Way Home time travel involves emerging from a body of water sopping wet, having to go and deal with whatever historical disasters await you while completely drenched. Blink and you’ll miss it, but there’s a very similar circumstance in one installment of Providence Falls, and the cast admits that the coincidental Easter egg was the most “challenging” scene of the bunch.

Providence Falls’ most ‘challenging’ scene is an accidental The Way Home Easter egg, and I’m living for it

Spoilers for Providence Falls ahead.

“There's a scene that had an involvement with a lake in and we were shooting in Vancouver, and it was February, so you can imagine how freezing the water was, and there were some stunts to go along with it,” Stevens tells me about the scene. “So, that was really, really challenging. Although we had the wet suit and things under our costume, it was still freezing. So that was probably the most difficult, just for that. The scene is actually one of my favorite scenes in the whole series, but it was definitely not as glamorous to film.”

You’ll find the scene in question at the end of part 2 of Providence Falls, as Cora tries to get away from Marcus once she realises he’s really working with the wrong side. Marcus gives chase and pulls a gun on Cora, leading to a waterside fight that ends with Cora falling into the lake. Luckily, Finn and Liam arrive just in time, with Liam heroically diving in to save Cora as she loses consciousness.

If this was an episode of The Way Home, Cora would have surfaced from the water back in her Irish 1800s timeline, aware that she is time-traveling between two points in history. Instead, Providence Falls chooses to overlap both timelines in a montage, with Cora convinced she is dreaming when she thinks of herself in the past. The act of travelling through time might be snappier in the new miniseries, but I can’t help but draw obvious parallels from how fantasy is blended with reality.

There’s another similarity between Providence Falls and The Way Home

This isn’t the only Easter egg from The Way Home that I’ve seen in Providence Falls, though. The opening scene looks almost identical to the woodland where the Landry pond is set, with 1800s Cora and Liam even venturing briefly into the water as Kat and Alice (Sadie Laflamme-Snow) might in The Way Home. However, this one is merely a coincidence, with all of Providence Falls’ Irish scenes being filmed in… well, Ireland.

“We filmed the first film, and then we went to Ireland, shot all of the Irish footage for all three films together, and then went and did movies two and three,” Stevens adds. “So, Ireland almost felt like its own movie.I think the benefit of how we shot is that our characters are trying to kind of figure each other out, and Cora is having these dreams, but can't really make sense of them yet. In real life, we got to look back on our time in Ireland, so we know now what our characters are thinking of the things that they're remembering, and we actually shot those things so they were real memories for us.

“We shot in Dublin and Kilruddery Castle, which is where Cora's house is. And then we shot at the castle where the Beckhams got married, which was really cool.”

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Lebanon has lost one of its most beloved artists, the playwright and musician Ziad Rahbani.

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• Researchers recreated the Equifax hack and watched AI do everything without direct control
• The AI model successfully carried out a major breach with zero human input
• Shell commands weren’t needed, the AI acted as the planner and delegated everything else

Large language models (LLMs) have long been considered useful tools in areas like data analysis, content generation, and code assistance.

However, a new study from Carnegie Mellon University, conducted in collaboration with Anthropic, has raised difficult questions about their role in cybersecurity.

The study showed that under the right conditions, LLMs can plan and carry out complex cyberattacks without human guidance, suggesting a shift from mere assistance to full autonomy in digital intrusion.

From puzzles to enterprise environments

Earlier experiments with AI in cybersecurity were mostly limited to “capture-the-flag” scenarios, simplified challenges used for training.

The Carnegie Mellon team, led by PhD candidate Brian Singer, went further by giving LLMs structured guidance and integrating them into a hierarchy of agents.

With these settings, they were able to test the models in more realistic network setups.

In one case, they recreated the same conditions that led to the 2017 Equifax breach, including the vulnerabilities and layout documented in official reports.

The AI not only planned the attack but also deployed malware and extracted data, all without direct human commands.

What makes this research striking is how little raw coding the LLM had to perform. Traditional approaches often fail because models struggle to execute shell commands or parse detailed logs.

Instead, this system relied on a higher-level structure where the LLM acted as a planner while delegating lower-level actions to sub-agents.

This abstraction gave the AI enough context to “understand” and adapt to its environment.

Although these results were achieved in a controlled lab setting, they raise questions about how far this autonomy could go.

The risks here are not just hypothetical. If LLMs can carry out network breaches on their own, then malicious actors could potentially use them to scale attacks far beyond what’s feasible with human teams.

Even tools such as endpoint protection and the best antivirus software may be tested by such adaptive and responsive agents.

Nevertheless, there are potential benefits to this capability. An LLM capable of mimicking realistic attacks might be used to improve system testing and expose flaws that would otherwise go unnoticed.

“It only works under specific conditions, and we do not have something that could just autonomously attack the internet… But it’s a critical first step,” said Singer in explaining that this work remains a prototype.

Still, the ability of an AI to replicate a major breach with minimal input should not be dismissed.

Follow-up research is now exploring how these same techniques can be applied in defense, potentially even enabling AI agents to detect or block attacks in real-time.

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