Tech deals to know for Amazon Prime Day, from gut health trackers to solar panels
Covering everything from portable power stations to gut health tests and AI-powered wearables, these standout deals combine style, utility and savings — but beware they won't stick around for long.
Whether you're walking the dog in the park or your cat's gone rogue on the neighbour's rooftop again, these waterproof GPS trackers help you keep tabs on your furry companion in real time. The Pawfit range — now with up to 20% off — includes the new Pawfit Lite, the world's smallest and lightest GPS pet tracker. Each device is jam-packed with features: LED lights for visibility, personalised voice commands, safety zones, sound tracking and more. You can even set activity goals and track daily movement to help keep your pet happy and healthy. A subscription is required but includes all essential safety features, with flexible options to suit your needs.
The Hypershell X isn't science fiction — it's the world's first outdoor exoskeleton for everyday adventurers. Weighing just 1.8 kg, this lightweight, foldable device uses real-time AI to adapt to your stride and reduce effort by up to 30%. Whether you're hiking, commuting or recovering from fatigue, it enhances leg strength by 40% and offsets up to 30 kg of load. Multiple adaptive modes support everything from stairs to trail running, while a fast-charging battery delivers up to 17.5 km of assistance. With no app required, you can control everything on-device. It's weather-resistant, travel-ready and engineered for daily use. Move smarter this summer and feel the support for yourself.
Protect your console without pausing gameplay
If you've already picked up a Nintendo Switch 2 or you're planning on nabbing one, you're probably already a fan of top-quality products with next-level design and user experience. Why not ramp it up a notch? JSAUX offers a thoughtful range of accessories to level up your game, including a tempered glass screen protector that keeps the display clear, responsive and protected from scratches. Or, for travel and daily use, the brand's lightweight carry cases and game card holders keep everything organised and ready to go. Crafted with durable materials and a clean, minimal design, these accessories combine everyday practice with a sleek look. Trusted by over 20 million gamers worldwide, JSAUX helps players take care of their consoles — wherever and however they play.
Heading off-grid for a camping holiday to remember or wisely prepping for an unpredictable domestic power cut? Whatever the plan, The Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 has got you covered. This upgraded portable power station packs a 1070Wh/1500W LiFePO4 battery into a travel-friendly frame, delivering safe, long-lasting energy for your most essential devices. Think mini-fridges, laptops, camping gear and more, all powered via multiple AC outlets, USB-C, USB-A ports and a car port. Lightweight but powerful, it's ideal for RV trips, outdoor adventures or emergency back-up at home. Thanks to a serious saving, now's the time to invest in dependable, portable energy that keeps the lights on wherever you go.
Stay fully charged wherever you're headed
Commuting? Working abroad? Off on holiday? This compact three-in-one travel charger is built to keep all your essentials powered on the move. Designed specifically for Apple users, it features dedicated charging spots for your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods, with fast wireless charging that delivers your phone's maximum supported speed. The MagSafe-compatible base ensures a secure hold, while the flip-up magnetic charger positions your Apple Watch perfectly for Nightstand Mode. Everything you need is in the box, including a travel case with organised interior, a USB-C cable and wall adapter, and the entire kit folds neatly into your bag for seamless packing. Simple and streamlined, it's a travel essential that won't let you down.
Egg helps UK households take control of their energy costs with expertly installed solar panels and home batteries. These smart systems work together to generate clean electricity during the day and store any surplus for use later, helping you reduce bills, cut carbon emissions and provide backup during power cuts. With over 10 years' experience and more than 5,000 installations completed, egg makes the switch to solar simple, handling everything from design to aftercare. Its home battery packages include app-based monitoring so you can track usage in real time and maximise savings. If you're ready to future-proof your energy and invest in long-term sustainability, egg can help you get started today.
Power your summer freedom
Whether you're off-grid in the great outdoors or just prepping for a potential blackout, a reliable power source can make all the difference and keep the fun going even in the face of the unexpected. EcoFlow's summer sale is the perfect time to invest in a quality portable energy solution, with up to 42% off its best-selling and most trusted power stations. The DELTA 2 and DELTA 3 models offer powerful, flexible charging for everything from laptops to garden lighting, while the lightweight RIVER 3 is ideal for camping trips or charging essentials on the move. Relied on and beloved by over five million happy users worldwide, EcoFlow devices are simple to use, weather-ready and built to last. Offer valid from 13 June to 31 July 2025
If you're serious about sound, HIFIMAN Planar Magnetic Headphones should be music to your ears. Founded in the US with headquarters now in China, this specialist brand is revered among audiophiles for its cutting-edge driver technology and precision open-backed designs. The acclaimed Unveiled series — including the Arya, HE1000 and Susvara models — removes traditional outer barriers to reduce internal reflections, improving clarity and detail. Thanks to HIFIMAN's Stealth magnet technology, these headphones minimise interference, allowing soundwaves to pass through freely and deliver astonishing sonic fidelity. From accessible models to the flagship £45,000 Shangri-La system, there's something for every level of listening obsession. Special deals on refurbished stock are available throughout Amazon Prime Day, but availability is limited.
TP-Link's smart camera range is designed to make monitoring your home easy, effective and impressively affordable. The popular Tapo series includes sleek indoor and outdoor cameras and doorbells with HD video, night vision, motion detection and instant alerts to your phone. Set-up is refreshingly simple – just plug in, connect to wi-fi and start viewing remotely straight away via the Tapo app. Many models include two-way audio and secure local storage via microSD, with no subscription needed. So whether you're checking in on pets, deliveries or your home while away, these small but mighty cameras offer real-time reassurance at a low cost.
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BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
China's electric cars are cheaper, but is there a deeper cost?
Theo will be responding to reader comments about this article between 12pm and 1pm today. Go to the comments section at the bottom of this page to share what you think about the rise of these more affordable EVs. In China, they call it the Seagull, and it has looks to match. It is sleek and angular, with bright, downward-slanting headlights that have more than a hint of mischievous eyes about is, of course, a car. A very small one, designed as a cheap city runabout – but it could have huge significance. Available in China since 2023, where it has proved extremely popular, it has just been launched in Europe with the name Dolphin Surf (because Europeans apparently aren't as keen on seagulls as Chinese people). When it goes on sale in the UK this week, it's expected to have a price tag of around £18,000. That will still make it, for an electric car on western markets, very cheap indeed. It won't be the outright lowest-priced model on offer: the Dacia Spring, manufactured in Wuhan jointly by Renault and Dongfeng, and the Leapmotor T03, which is being produced by a joint venture between Chinese startup Leapmotor and Stellantis, both cost the Dolphin Surf is the invasive species that has long-established brands most worried. That is because the company behind it has been making ever bigger waves on international markets. BYD is already the biggest player in China. It overtook Tesla in 2024 to become the world's best-selling maker of electric vehicles (EVs), and since entering the European markets two years ago, it has expanded aggressively."We want to be number one in the British market within 10 years," says Steve Beattie, sales and marketing director for BYD is part of a wider expansion of Chinese companies and brands that some believe could change the face of the global motor industry – and which has already prompted radical action from the US government and the means once-unknown marques like Nio, Xpeng, Zeekr or Omoda could become every bit as much household names as Ford or Volkswagen. They will join classic brands such as MG, Volvo and Lotus, which have been under Chinese ownership for products on offer already encompass a huge range, from runabouts like the tiny Dolphin Surf to exotic supercars, like the pothole-jumping U9, from BYD's high-end sub-brand Yangwang."Chinese brands are making massive inroads into the European market," says David Bailey, professor of business and economics at Birmingham Business 2024, 17 million battery and plug-in hybrid cars were sold worldwide, 11 million of those in China. Chinese brands, meanwhile, had 10% of global EV and plug-in hybrid sales outside their home country, according to the consultancy Rho Motion. That figure is only expected to grow. For consumers, it should be good news – leading to more high-quality and affordable electric cars becoming available. But with rivalry between Beijing and western powers showing no sign of subsiding, some experts are concerned Chinese vehicles could represent a security risk from hackers and third parties. And for established players in Europe, it represents a formidable challenge to their historic dominance. "[China has] a huge cost advantage through economies of scale and battery technology. European manufacturers have fallen well behind," warns Mr Bailey. "Unless they wake up very quickly and catch up, they could be wiped out." Cut-throat competition in China China's car industry has been developing rapidly since the country joined the World Trade Organisation in 2001. But that process accelerated rapidly in 2015, when the Communist Party introduced its "Made in China 2025" initiative. The 10-year plan to make the country a leader in several high-tech industries, including EVs, attracted intense criticism from abroad, and particularly the US, amid claims of forced technology transfers and theft of intellectual property – all of which the Chinese government by lavish state funding, the plan helped lay the groundwork for the breakneck growth of companies like BYD – originally a maker of batteries for mobile phones – and allowed the Chinese parent companies of MG and Volvo, SAIC and Geely, to become major players in the EV market."The general standard of Chinese cars is very, very high indeed," says Dan Caesar, chief executive of Electric Vehicles UK. "China has learned extremely quickly how to manufacture cars." Yet competition in China has become ever more cut-throat, with brands jostling for space in an increasingly saturated market. This has led them to hunt for sales Chinese firms have expanded into East Asia and South America, for years the European market proved a tough nut to crack – that is, until governments here decided to phase out the sale of new petrol and diesel transition to electric cars opened the door to new players."[Chinese brands] have seen an opportunity to get a bit of a foothold," says Oliver Lowe, UK product manager of Omoda and Jaecoo, two sub brands of the Chinese giant Chery. Low labour costs in China, coupled with government subsidies and a very well-established supply chain, have given Chinese firms advantages, their rivals have claimed. A report from the Swiss bank UBS, published in late 2023, suggested that BYD alone was able to build cars 25% more cheaply than western firms deny the playing field is uneven. Xpeng's vice chairman Brian Gu told the BBC at the Paris Motor Show in 2024 that his company is competitive "because we have fought tooth and nail through the most competitive market in the world". 'Naked protectionism' from the US? Concerns that Chinese EV imports could flood international markets at the expense of established manufacturers reached fever pitch in the US, the Alliance for American Manufacturing warned they could prove to be an "extinction-level event" for the US industry, while the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen suggested that "huge state subsidies" for Chinese firms were distorting the European Biden administration took dramatic action, raising import tariffs on Chinese-made EVs from 25% to 100%, effectively making it pointless to sell them in the was condemned by Beijing as "naked protectionism". Meanwhile, in October 2024, the EU imposed extra tariffs of up to 35.3% on Chinese-made EVs. The UK, however, took no Schmidt, founder of Schmidt Automotive Research, says the EU's tariffs have now made it harder for Chinese firms to gain market share."The door was wide open in 2024... but the Chinese failed to take their chance. With the tariffs in place, Chinese manufacturers are now unable to push their cost advantage onto European consumers." Renault's ultra-modern EV hub European manufacturers have been racing to develop their own affordable electric cars. French car-maker Renault is among its factory in Douai, in northeastern France, an army of spark-spitting robots weld sections of steel to form car bodies, while on the main assembly line, automated systems mate together bodyshells, doors, batteries, motors and other parts, before human workers apply the finishing factory has been making cars for Renault since 1974, but four years ago, the ageing production lines were replaced with new highly automated, digitally-controlled of the site was also taken over by the Chinese-owned battery firm AESC, which built its own "gigafactory" next door. It's part of Renault's wider plan to set up an ultra-modern EV "hub" in northern France. Mirroring the lean production techniques of Chinese manufacturers, the hub cuts costs by maximising efficiency and ensuring that suppliers are located as close as possible."Our target was to be able to produce affordable electric cars here to sell in Europe," explains Pierre Andrieux, director of the Douai plant, arguing that automated processes "will enable us to do that profitably".But the company is also exploiting something the Chinese brands do not have: heritage. Its latest model, the Renault 5 E-tech, built in Douai, borrows its name from one of the company's most famous products. The original Renault 5, launched in 1972, was a quirky little everyman car with boxy looks and low running costs that became a cult new design, despite being a state-of-the art EV, pays homage to its predecessor in name and appearance, in an effort to emulate its popular appeal. Security, spyware and hacking concerns But irrespective of how desirable Chinese cars are in comparison with European rivals, some experts believe we should be wary of them – for security modern vehicles are internet-enabled in some way – to allow satellite navigation, for example – and drivers' phones are often connected to car systems. Pioneered by Tesla, so-called "over-the-air updates" can upgrade a car's software has all led to concerns, in some quarters, that cars could be hacked and used to harbour spyware, monitor individuals or even be immobilised at the touch of a keyboard. Earlier this year, a British newspaper reported that military and intelligence chiefs had been ordered not to discuss official business while riding in EVs; it was also alleged that cars with Chinese components had been banned from sensitive military in May, a former head of the intelligence service MI6 claimed that Chinese-made technology in a range of products, including cars, could be controlled and programmed remotely. Sir Richard Dearlove warned MPs that there was the potential to "immobilise London".Beijing has always denied all accusations of espionage.A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in London says that the recent allegations are "entirely unfounded and absurd"."China has consistently advocated the secure, open, and rules-based development of global supply chains," the spokesperson told the BBC. "Chinese enterprises operating around the world are required to comply with local laws and regulations. "To date, there is no credible evidence to support the claim that Chinese EVs pose a security threat to the UK or any other country." Chinese government is 'not hell-bent on surveillance' Joseph Jarnecki, research fellow at defence and security think-tank The Royal United Services Institute, argues that potential risks can be mitigated."Chinese carmakers exist in this highly competitive market. While they're beholden to Chinese law and that may require compliance with national security agencies, none of them want to damage their ability to grow and to have international exports by being perceived as a security risk," he says."The Chinese government equally is conscious of the need for economic growth. They're not hell-bent on solely conducting surveillance." But the car industry is just one area in which Chinese technology is becoming increasingly enmeshed in the UK economy. To achieve the government's climate objectives, for instance, "It will be necessary to use Chinese-supplied technology", adds Mr believes that regulators of key industries should be given sufficient resources to monitor cyber security and advise companies using Chinese products of any potential for electric cars powered by Chinese technology, there's no question that they're here to stay."Even if you have a car that's made in Germany or elsewhere, it probably contains quite a few Chinese components," says Dan Caesar."The reality is most of us have smartphones and things from China, from the US, from Korea, without really giving it a second thought. So I do think there's some fearmongering going on about what the Chinese are capable of."I think we have to face the reality that China is going to be a big part of the future."Top image credit: Reuters BBC InDepth is the new home on the website and app for the best analysis and expertise from our top journalists. Under a distinctive new brand, we'll bring you fresh perspectives that challenge assumptions, and deep reporting on the biggest issues to help you make sense of a complex world. And we'll be showcasing thought-provoking content from across BBC Sounds and iPlayer too. We're starting small but thinking big, and we want to know what you think - you can send us your feedback by clicking on the button below.
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
WPP Media cuts 2025 global advertising revenue growth forecast to 6% on trade concerns
June 9 (Reuters) - Global advertising revenue is expected to grow 6% this year, WPP Media said on Monday, lowering its earlier target of 7.7% due to uncertainty over U.S. trade policies. Advertisers are appearing to delay making new commitments to their marketing plans because of the shifting policies, according to a report by the media investment arm of ad group WPP (WPP.L), opens new tab. Digital ad spending by companies is a major driver of revenue for Alphabet-owned (GOOGL.O), opens new tab search giant Google and social media firms such as Meta Platforms (META.O), opens new tab, Pinterest (PINS.N), opens new tab, Reddit (RDDT.N), opens new tab and Snap (SNAP.N), opens new tab. Economic uncertainty is accelerating the adoption of AI tools in ad production and targeting, the WPP Media report said. Meta aims to allow brands to fully create and target ads with its AI tools by the end of 2026, the Wall Street Journal reported last week. Research firm Emarketer recently said companies that rely on traditional keyword-based search ads could lose revenue due to the growing popularity of AI-driven search ads. WPP Media now expects global ad revenue to reach $1.08 trillion in 2025, with 6.1% growth projected for 2026. Digital advertising is expected to account for 73.2% of the global revenue this year. In 2025, user-generated content will account for a greater share of ad revenue than professionally produced content, the report said. It forecast print advertising revenue will fall 3.1% to $45.5 billion this year, while search revenue is expected to grow 7.3%. WPP Media said brands are expected to prioritize flexible ad contracts, shift budgets toward media placements that reach consumers directly and focus on secure data strategies amid economic uncertainty. The U.S. remains the largest ad market and is expected to grow 5.6% to $404.7 billion, followed by China and the UK, according to the report.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Social media creators to overtake traditional media in ad revenue this year
Content on platforms such as YouTube, TikTok and Instagram will attract more advertising income this year than content from traditional media companies, according to research, marking a 'huge cultural shift' for the media world. User-generated material – videos, podcasts and posts put together by individual creators – will eclipse the ad revenue attracted by professional media produced by TV networks, cinemas and news companies, the analysis found. It comes alongside a sharp increase in the advertising income attracted by creator-generated content amid a huge global change in viewing habits and media consumption. Content creators are expected to see their revenue through ads, brand deals and sponsorships increase by 20% this year, according to an assessment by WPP Media. It is expected to more than double to $376.6bn (£278.3bn) by 2030. 'In 2025, for the first time, more than half of content-driven advertising revenue will come from user-generated platforms and content rather than professionally produced content,' the analysis states. In reality, the distinction between user-generated content and professional production is blurred. Many content creators use high quality production and WPP Media acknowledged they can often cooperate and overlap with traditional media platforms. However, the findings bring home the rapid change that global media is experiencing as users turn to digital platforms, via smartphones. The report said the shift was 'profoundly impacting' the media world. 'Although individual creators often rely on professional media channels as source material, the idiosyncratic takes and views mean that any individual's media diet is likely increasingly personalised, and potentially focused around a particular topic or point of view,' the report states. 'Those audiences may come to view their purchase decisions as extensions of those belief systems and views as well, more so than in previous eras where brand messages more often appeared in professionally produced content that may have been regulated for objectiveness and fact-based commentary.' Senior industry figures from across television, podcasting and media have told the Guardian that YouTube in particular has become the central plumbing of the media world, taking a share of ad revenue for the content it hosts. Traditional media has felt increasingly under pressure to upload its content to the platform. The profound shifts have also ensured that media traditionally reliant on advertising has been battling to hold on to that income, as well as cutting costs elsewhere. The UK has recently seen ITV initiate a major shake up of its daytime television programming, with hundreds of jobs at risk. Channel 4 has announced controversial plans to create an in-house studio to find new sources of income. The broadcaster has also bet big on having its content on TikTok and YouTube as it attempts to gain more younger viewers. Douglas McCabe, chief executive of Enders Analysis, said the changes in media consumption towards online platforms represented 'a huge cultural shift in a short period of time'. 'Advertising revenue has followed that pattern,' he said. 'With [online search] referral traffic declining, the journalism sector has a huge battle on its hands,' he said. 'Media will have to communicate the benefits of their methods and missions with a forceful clarity.' In another sign of the sea change taking place, just five companies accounted for 54% of all revenues last year – Google, Meta, the TikTok owner ByteDance, Amazon and Chinese e-commerce outlet Alibaba.
