Trump declares 100 percent tariffs on many drones and all aircraft parts
The United States has already banned future foreign drones from entering the United States unless their companies kiss the ring - as well as routers, robots, and Roombas. Now, President Donald Trump is targeting existing drone imports and parts, too. He's going to try to make them cost a lot more.
In a presidential action, he's declared a whopping 100 percent tariff on imports of drones with thermal cameras, drones weighing over 25kg (57 pounds), and any kind of part for any kind of unmanned aircraft weighing over 25kg - you can read the full list here. For all other drones, including tiny sub-250-gram "Mini" consumer drones, he's declared …
Apple and Epic argue over how much Apple should get from purchases made outside the App Store
In a new filing in its long-running legal dispute with Epic Games, Apple has proposed a structure that would allow it to collect fees on digital purchases made via external links that don't use the company's in-app purchase system. Epic has already responded, saying that Apple's request is "far outside of the bounds" of the court's guidance.
Right now, Apple cannot take a commission on external purchases after California district court judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled in April 2025 that found the company "willfully" didn't comply with her 2021 Epic Games v. Apple injunction. However, a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals panel said that Apple …
‘That is not acceptable’: Judge orders Google to make rival app store installs easier
One month after Epic Games and Google seemingly stopped fighting over the future of Android app distribution, they were back in a San Francisco courtroom today - where Judge James Donato just ordered Google to make it easier to install rival app stores on Android.
It's been nearly three years since a jury unanimously decided that Google had an illegal monopoly over Android apps, and almost two years since Judge Donato decided the best way of undoing that monopoly would be to crack open Android app distribution. Donato ordered Google to carry rival Android app stores inside its own Google Play Store, and to provide rivals with complecte acc …
The fight over Flock and other ALPRs
There are over 120,000 of Flock’s automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras installed all over the US. Flock’s cameras, and others like them, use AI to identify and track vehicles based on their license plate number, make, model, color, and other info, networked together to track vehicles and people’s movements throughout the day and across the country.
Dozens of communities have canceled contracts for the cameras or turned them off, including Los Angeles, as officials have pushed for more limits on the data they collect, who has access to it, and how it can be used in the future. Earlier this year, Amazon-owned Ring canceled a partnership with Flock after online backlash.
- Flock CEO: ‘We got this one wrong’
- Flock cameras? Target practice.
- Another grim portent for our AI policing future.
- The LAPD has suspended its use of Flock’s license plate readers, for now.
- No, Flock isn’t threatening people for debating surveillance
- The all-too-predictable Flock stalking problem.
- Let’s talk about Ring, lost dogs, and the surveillance state
- Ring’s Flock breakup doesn’t fix its real problem
- Flock is “pausing further exploration of a potential partnership with Ring.”
- Ring cancels its partnership with Flock Safety after surveillance backlash
- Dozens of Flock AI camera feeds were just out there
- AI annotators overseas may be reviewing Flock license plate camera footage from the US.
- Amazon’s Ring now works with video surveillance company Flock
- Unprotected license plate surveillance cameras let anyone with a web browser tune in
Microsoft’s Clippy-like Mico character is no longer the face of Copilot
Microsoft Copilot will no longer show its emotive yellow blob, Mico, when you use the chatbot's voice mode. In a support page, Microsoft says it's going to move Mico to its Learn Live platform, where the avatar will have "more to react to," as reported earlier by GeekWire.
Mico launched in Copilot's voice mode last October, with Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman pitching the avatar as a way to give the chatbot an "identity." The blob would react to what you say in real-time, complete with facial expressions and animations.
Mico joins the long list of virtual helpers that Microsoft has retired over the years, like Clippy, Cortana, and Rover …
Netflix is closing two game studios
Netflix plans to shut down two of its gaming studios, as reported by Game File and Variety, as it makes a bigger shift toward party games and titles streamed to TVs.
One of the studios being shut down is Night School Studio, creators of the Oxenfree series. Netflix bought Night School in 2021, and it just released a horror experience called Unhinged for TVs and launched a mobile game in 2025 tied to Black Mirror. The other studio that's set to close is Helsinki-based Moonloot Games, which was created in 2022.
Netflix's big push into TV-based games kicked off late last year and was a pivot from a mobile-focused approach that featured presti …
This school-friendly laptop from HP is $300 off
With memory prices still high and showing no signs of dropping, we’re always happy to find a good deal on a budget-friendly system with an adequate amount of RAM. Best Buy has the HP OmniBook X Flip discounted by $300, bringing the cost down to $699.99. This model is equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 5 and 16GB of LPDDR5X memory, which should be great for both web browsing and homework, and a 512GB SSD for storage. The screen is a 1920 x 1200 LED touchscreen, with a fully rotating hinge for tented or tablet mode.
While the Intel Core 5 Ultra may not be the most powerful chip for heavy workloads or gaming, the OmniBook makes up for it with strong battery life and connectivity. HP claims the system can run for over 22 hours of video playback on a single charge, and fast charging can take the battery to 50 percent in just 30 minutes. The laptops include two USB-C ports, one of which supports Thunderbolt 4, two USB-A ports, HDMI 2.1, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
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Other deals to consider
- The Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 are discounted to $189 (usually $229) at various retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy, and directly from the Google store, with the latter two also marking down the new olive color that was just introduced yesterday. These earbuds feature a smaller and lighter design than their predecessor, with excellent ANC and an improved transparency mode. Read our review.
- Woot has an Anker 20,000mAh power bank on sale for $26.99 (usually $49.99). With up to 15W of charging power over USB-C and USB-A, you can keep your phone or other devices topped up for hours, and the display on the side lets you check the current charge level at a glance.
- You can grab a DJI Osmo Pocket 3 at Best Buy for $399, a $40 break from the usual price. This compact video camera shoots surprisingly cinematic video, with a stabilized sensor and built-in LCD screen for keeping your framing dialed in. Read our hands-on.
OpenAI is losing its second executive this week
Another OpenAI executive is departing. Denise Dresser, who joined OpenAI as its chief revenue officer in December after serving as CEO of Slack, will be leaving in the "coming weeks" to "pursue other opportunities," she said in a team note posted to LinkedIn. Dali Rajic, president and COO of Wiz, will be taking over the CRO role, OpenAI says.
Dresser's departure is just the latest in a string of major exits. Earlier this week, special projects lead and former COO Brad Lightcap announced he would be leaving. (Dresser had taken over some of Lightcap's work when he moved to the special projects role.) Former AGI chief Fidji Simo and former CMO …
The Trump admin will start letting private firms launch international cyberattacks
The Trump administration is launching a new program that will allow private firms to perform cyberattacks against foreign criminals, as reported earlier by Bloomberg. The private firms would operate "under the control and oversight" of the federal government, giving them permission to surveil and disrupt criminal networks, according to a presidential memorandum published on Wednesday.
The Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security will oversee the private firms, which must meet requirements in "technical proficiency, proven performance of cyber operations, facility security," and more. Companies in the program must hold a bon …
I finally found a robot lawnmower I’d trust with my yard
Robot lawnmowers are finally good enough to take a lot of work out of maintaining a yard, but they’re still not set-it-and-forget-it machines. If you don’t want these autonomous cutting machines to tear up your lawn or go roaming in your neighbors’ yard, you’re still going to need to keep an eye on them. But with some oversight, they can take a big chore off your hands.
This summer I tested five bots on my flat, three-quarter-acre, coastal South Carolina property with sandy soil, centipede grass, and lots of trees. Things went much better than last year’s trials and tribulations, thanks to huge improvements in navigation and maneuverability. Basically, they stopped getting stuck. My lawn has never looked better, and my spouse — who had sworn off robot lawnmowers after a user-error injury — is now a convert. His riding lawnmower has been idle for over a month.
The consistency of robot mowers is impressive. Running daily and shaving just millimeters at a time, these mowers have created a noticeably lusher lawn. I walked out on it barefoot this morning — something I’ve never done before. The best part is that they work quietly around the clock, without bothering my pets, the wildlife, or the neighbors. I also love the professional-looking lawn lines they make.
What’s better
The key upgrades this year are network RTK navigation, fallback navigation systems, and improved all-wheel-drive to tackle rougher terrain.
RTK — real-time kinematic positioning — is the satellite positioning tech most automowers switched to over the last few years as they’ve ditched boundary wires. It uses stationary ground-based reference stations (antennas), along with GPS, to provide very precise location data, down to a centimeter or two. It’s used for surveying, drone navigation, and anything that needs that fine level of precision.
Every mower I tested, apart from the Lidar-based Dreame, comes with its own RTK antenna that needs to be installed in your yard with a clear view of the sky; trees, a neighbor’s house, or your own roofline can all block the signal. In my previous testing, I didn’t get a single RTK mower to run successfully in my backyard, where I have very spotty GPS coverage.
This new crop all now offers NetRTK as an option. This taps into a network of existing RTK reference stations through a cloud connection, and requires a Wi-Fi or 4G connection on the mower. Most worked out of the box without me needing to install the antenna, but you’ll need to check if your house is covered, as coverage varies.
RTK mowers now also use a secondary navigation tech such as lidar or vSLAM to keep on track when the signal drops. This improvement in navigation, plus bigger, more capable machines, meant I no longer spent my summer dragging confused mowers out from under oak trees.
What still needs work
However, automowers are far from perfect.
These are autonomous machines with blades, and leaving them to their own devices comes with risks. One spent three days methodically destroying a patch of my lawn before I noticed. Another took out two outdoor extension cords. Several models dug sandpits in bare patches, and another tried to climb up a small tree.
Obstacle detection is better across the board, but it still has a long way to go. Hoses, cables, and cars are still a challenge — my family now knows to check under the wheels before driving away.
No one has really solved gates yet, either (although they’re trying) — I still have to manually open mine to let the robot mow the full property. And, while every manufacturer currently advertises NetRTK coverage as free for the lifetime of the device, there are obvious downsides to relying on a cloud service to mow your lawn. Finally, automowers are still expensive, and I have concerns around long-term durability.
Like their siblings, robot vacuums, there are myriad models on the market now; the right one for you will depend on the size of your yard and your landscape. To find the mower that worked best for me, I tested four top-of-the-line models with specs capable of tackling my challenging terrain and large expanse of my backyard: The Husqvarna 420 IQ ($3,299), Mammotion Luba 3 AWD 3000 ($2,799), Navimow X430 ($2,499), and the Dreame A3 AWD Pro 2500 ($3,099.99). I also tried the entry-level Roborock RockNeo Q110H ($1,299) on my front lawn, which is more like a standard suburban lawn.
Also like robot vacuums, robot lawnmowers fall under the new FCC robot ban, so while existing models can continue to be sold and supported in the US — including all the models reviewed here — the fate of new models is in question.
The robot I’d get for my yard
Segway Navimow X430
Navigation: RTK, vSLAM / Yard size: up to 1 acre / Cutting: 0.75” to 4” height, 17” width (dual discs) / Terrain capabilities: 4WD, zero-turn wheels, 84% slope / Theft features: Lift and out-of-zone alarms, GPS anti-theft, PIN / Weatherproofing: IP67 / Connectivity: 4G (1 yr free then $32.90 a yr), Wi-Fi, BLE / Warranty: 3 yrs
Where to Buy:
The Segway Navimow X430 ($2,499) is by far the best mower I tested. This 60-pound beast looks like Darth Vader’s dog, and was the only mower I tested that didn’t get stuck once. Its 4WD wheels combined with impressive suspension rolled through the potholes, over sticks and rocks, even small tree branches. It navigated around my chickens and across the tall, uneven transition from my front yard to back yards — it was the only bot that could mow both in one trip (with the gate open).
This video shows the Segway tackling a sandpit and executing a 90-degree turn without damaging the sod.
It uses a combination of RTK, vSLAM, and vision-based tech to navigate, and it covered my entire property without once getting lost or stuck. It features impressive “xero-turn” maneuverability enabling it to pivot smoothly with no lawn damage. Its dual-disc, 17-inch cutting width covers more ground, and it was able to mow most of my backyard in under three hours — nearly twice as fast as most competitors. I really liked the remote-control mowing feature, which was handy for tidying up the edges of the lawn and more sensitive areas such as around flower beds.
The Segway’s speed does mean a few blades go untrimmed, and its rain sensing relies on weather data from the internet, which meant it often didn’t mow because it predicted rain that never came. Setting up the NetRTK was a bit tricky, mostly because I had to put the charging station in an awkward spot to connect to the GPS (it can’t be under an awning or up against a building as the mower also needs a clear view of the sky).
A good lidar-based alternative
Dreame A3 AWD Pro 2500
Navigation: Lidar, AI vision (camera-based) / Yard size: 0.62 acre / Cutting: 1.2” to 3.9” height, 15.8” width (dual discs) / Terrain capabilities: AWD, zero-turn wheels, 80% slope / Theft features: Lift and out-of zone alarms, GPS anti-theft, PIN / Weatherproofing: IPX6 / Connectivity: 4G (3 yrs free), Wi-Fi, BLE / Warranty: 2 yrs
Where to Buy:
The Dreame A3 AWD Pro 2500 ($3,099.99) is the best option if you can’t rely on RTK. Its lidar and camera-based navigation performed nearly as well as the Segway in my backyard, only getting stuck a couple of times. It doesn’t need a clear view of the sky, so you can place it anywhere, and its sliding edge-cutting deck worked slightly better than the Segway’s EdgeSense feature in my testing. (Beware, it’s set to a fixed 1.2-inch minimum).
But in my testing, lidar was the least reliable navigation tech, and sometimes the A3 declared the job complete when it wasn’t. Lidar robots do best in a fenced-in yard, as they can more easily get lost and wander off into your neighbors’ yard, something that never happened with the RTK robots.
The Dreame performed as well as the Segway when mowing, but its turning mechanism did churn up dirt where there was less grass cover.
While the Dreame rarely got stuck, its turning mechanism wasn’t as smooth as the Segway, and it dug several sandpits in various spots where there was no grass. I do like its “Garden Guardian” mode that uses the camera as a roaming security guard, and it can also identify when people cross its path and warn them that it’s working. It’s been mildly hilarious watching it surprise the heck out of dog walkers passing by the front yard.
An expensive but reliable option for yards with no trees
Husqvarna Automower 420 IQ
Navigation: EPOS (RTK), radar / Yard size: 1 acre / Cutting: 1” to 4” height, 9.4” width (single discs) / Terrain capabilities: 2WD, large wheels, 45% slope / Theft features: Out-of zone alarm, GPS anti-theft, PIN / Weatherproofing: IPX5 / Connectivity: 4G (free for life), Wi-Fi, BLE / Warranty: 4 yr mower, 3 yr battery
Where to Buy:
Husqvarna’s Automower 420 IQ ($3,299) is a good option for a standard yard. It has the longest warranty (four years), the easiest app and controls, and a modular design for longevity. It’s 2WD, but its large wheels tackled uneven terrain well. It requires an RTK antenna and has the option of cloud-based RTK (in some areas), but its backup navigation for satellite dead spots requires installing physical boundary wire.
I tested this in my neighbor’s yard using the physical RTK antenna, as they have fewer trees and clearer views of the sky. It navigated well, but it uses radar for obstacle detection and has no camera at all. This meant it wasn’t as good at dodging objects as the others, and ran into the bushes once and tried to climb a small tree.
But if you have a large, uncomplicated, tree-free yard, it’s a good option thanks to Husqvarna’s broad support network, free-for-life cellular connectivity for both theft and NetRTK (should you need it), and impressive performance.
More reliable navigation, but spotty software
Mammotion Luba 3 AWD 3000
Navigation: Lidar, RTK, AI-vision (camera-based) / Yard size: 0.75 acre / Cutting: 1” to 2.7” height, 15.7” width (dual discs) / Terrain capabilities: AWD, 80% slope / Theft features: Lift and out-of zone alarms, GPS anti-theft, physical key / Weatherproofing: IPX6 / Connectivity: 4G (3 yrs free), Wi-Fi, BLE / Warranty: 3 yrs
Where to Buy:
The Mammotion combines all three wireless navigation types — RTK, lidar, and vision — making it ideal for properties with spotty GPS coverage like mine. But it’s less nimble than the other AWD models thanks to lower ground clearance and weaker suspension.
Its turning mechanism also tore up a couple areas of my garden, particularly a shaded area near my neighbors’ sprinklers, which stayed damper than other spots. Mammotion has acknowledged this issue, telling The Verge “We’ve identified that a recent update to the turning logic caused some unwanted results. The mower turning too sharply might tear up the grass to some extent, especially when the ground is wet and slippery, or the grass isn’t very thick.”
They’ve deployed several software updates to address this, but we should all be wary of relying on software updates to fix fundamental problems with an expensive lawnmower.
A budget option for smaller yards with or without trees
Roborock RockNeo Q110H
Navigation: RTK, vSLAM / Yard size: 0.25 acre / Cutting: 0.8” to 2.4” height, 8.7” width (single disc) / Terrain capabilities: 2WD, 45% slope / Theft features: Out-of zone alarm, GPS anti-theft (with optional module), PIN / Weatherproofing: IPX6 / Connectivity: Wi-Fi, BLE (4G sold separately) / Warranty: 2 yr
Where to Buy:
The $1,299 Roborock RockNeo Q110H is my budget pick. This rear-wheel-drive mower was impressive on my flat, treed front yard, although its lack of all-wheel-drive meant that the occasional large tree root stopped it in its tracks. That, and its more limited range, is why it’s half the price of other mowers here. It offers RTK and vSLAM navigation, with the option of antenna or NetRTK.
The RockNeo is remarkably similar to the Segway Navimow i100N I tested last year, with a few upgrades, including better camera-based obstacle detection, steeper slope navigation (up to 45%), and a wider cutting blade. It can also be used for manual remote-control mowing and has a built-in edge-cutting feature, although there’s the option of an edge-cutting add-on module, which I haven’t tried.
Edge cutting is still very much a work in progress for all mowers. Some do well straddling the edge, but if you have a fence or delicate boundary, that won’t work. Companies are trying all sorts of solutions — including special attachments. Ecovacs Goat A3000 Pro Lidar looks to be the most promising, thanks to a side-mounted string trimmer. But for now, you should plan to keep your manual trimmer handy.
Robot mowers have improved significantly over the last 18 months. Advances in navigation have solved my main pain points from my last round of testing, and bigger, beefier bots are now better at navigating the varied terrain of American yards. Today, the right bot will maintain your yard beautifully with minimal effort. While they still need oversight and the occasional rescue, and they haven’t solved every problem, they do take a lot of the work out of maintaining your yard.
Photos and videos by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge