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Auto Express
15 minutes ago
- Automotive
- Auto Express
Car Deal of the Day: an award-winning Volvo EX30 for just £286 a month
Easy to drive; cool Swedish design 209-mile range Just £285.79 a month Volvo's smallest electric SUV, the EX30, might possess much of the larger EX90's premium touches and design flair, but somehow it manages to undercut many of its more conventional, mainstream rivals. And nowhere is this more apparent than when it comes to leasing deals. Through the Auto Express Find a Car service, this deal, direct from Volvo Car UK, sees you taking the keys to our Small Premium SUV of the Year for just £285.79 a month. Advertisement - Article continues below It's a two-year deal that requires a £3,429.50 initial payment, and there's a 5,000-mile-a-year allowance. But nudging this up to a more flexible 8,000 miles a year can be had for a bargain £13.57 extra a month. What we like about this deal is that you get the Plus model – the pick of the range, in our opinion. It builds on the standard car's LED lights, 18-inch silver-black alloys, wireless Apple CarPlay, Google-based infotainment system with Google Assistant and Maps, by adding a contrasting black roof, ambient lighting, and powered tailgate. Metallic paint is thrown in for free, too. This deal pairs the Plus spec with the Single Motor powertrain. Here the 51kWh battery pack gives a claimed WLTP range of 209 miles, while a maximum DC charging speed of 134kW allows a 10-to-80-per-cent top-up in around 27 minutes. The EX30 is a true all-rounder. It's comfortable on the move with supple suspension and light steering, feels sure-footed and has very decent performance. The interior is superbly minimalist, with a cool design and some neat features. And, of course, being a Volvo, it's packed with safety kit as standard, with Euro NCAP deeming it to be one of the safest cars in its class. The Car Deal of the Day selections we make are taken from our own Auto Express Find A Car deals service, which includes the best current offers from car dealers and leasing companies around the UK. Terms and conditions apply, while prices and offers are subject to change and limited availability. If this deal expires, you can find more top Volvo EX30 leasing offers from leading providers on our Volvo EX30 page. Check out the Volvo EX30 deal or take a look at our previous Car Deal of the Day selection here…
Stuff.tv
8 hours ago
- Stuff.tv
This Roomba robot vac has a clever piece of tech to protect your carpets
I've tested far too many robot vacuums. And as much as I love the machines, mopping often leaves something to be desired. When I've been testing robot vacs, they've often struggled to mop up stains on hard floors. That's why autonomous dust-suckers are starting to arrive with roller mops. Not only does iRobot's latest Roomba have one of these new mops, it also has a clever piece of tech to protect your carpet. When robot vacs mop your floors, they often also make a soggy mess of your carpets in the process. But the new Roomba Max 705 Combo has a first-of-its-kind mop cover that slides into action when it senses carpet. Read more: Best cordless vacuum cleaners in 2025 for tackling every mess The Roomba Max 705 Combo comes with a PowerSpin roller mop that scrubs with plenty of pressure. Thanks to heated water, it also has a better shot at loosening up sticky messes that inevitably end up on kitchen tiles. It can wash itself mid-job, which means it won't just smear yesterday's pasta sauce around. The vacuum side of things sounds pretty impressive too. It supposedly offers 175 times more suction than the 600 series, and anti-tangle rubber brushes to deal with pet fur and hair. After completing a clean, this dust-sucker will head back to the AutoWash Dock. It handles self-emptying for up to 75 days, washes and dries the mop with heat, refills it, and gives the robot a rinse between jobs. You can manage the whole thing through iRobot's companion app or shout at it via Alexa, Siri, or Google Assistant. Plus, onboard LiDAR and AI combo can apparently tell the difference between a charging cable and a dog toy to avoid any collisions. The Roomba Max 705 Combo Robot + AutoWash Dock is available for pre-order now for £1099/€1099. You can order directly from iRobot, and it'll also head to the US later this year.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
One of the Best Alexa+ Features Has Been Delayed
Alexa+ is Amazon's upgraded assistant with generative AI for better natural language understanding. New features include a desktop experience for sharing information to enhance Alexa's knowledge. Web interface for Alexa+ was delayed, now expected no sooner than July 31st. Earlier this year, Amazon announced a revamped and upgraded assistant experience called "Alexa+." This "smarter, more conversation, more capable" assistant is free for Prime subscribers, but you'll need to wait a bit longer for one of its best features. Alexa+ is a new version of Alexa that has been infused with generative AI. Think of it like Amazon's version of Gemini. The promise is that it will be better at understanding natural language—which is also Google's hope in replacing Google Assistant. Amazon also claims it will get better over time as it adjusts to your schedules and preferences. One of the features that Amazon showed off alongside Alexa+ was a new desktop expirience. This is where you can share information with Alexa to build up its knowledge base. A few examples Amazon gave were sending a picture of a live music schedule to have Alexa add the details to your calendar, and uploading study materials to have Alexa build a quiz for you. Alexa+ will also be available on the desktop in a similar format as ChatGPT, where you can enter prompts. Now, these features will also be present in the mobile apps, but there previously wasn't a great way to do any of this on the desktop. Amazon's web apps are notoriously not very good. Originally, the web interface was supposed to launch by the end of June—which we've obviously already passed. The new target is "no sooner than July 31," according to documents seen by The Washington Post. Amazon says "around 90 percent of the features announced in February are already available" for Alexa+, but the web interface is not one of them. You can still sign up to be notified when Alexa+ is available for you, or skip the line and buy an Echo Show 8, 15, or 21 to get early access. For non-Prime subscribers, Alexa+ is $15 per month or $139 per year. Via: AFTVnews
Tom's Guide
a day ago
- Tom's Guide
Google Maps just lost a useful feature — this will make future road trips more frustrating
Google Maps remains one of the most popular navigation apps on the market, but a recent change might turn users off of it. Last year, Google removed Assistant Driving mode from the bottom of the Google Map app, which allows users to interact with Google Assistant while navigating, a useful way of controlling media playback while on the move. When this mode was removed, users instead had to use the Show media playback control feature, which works with apps like YouTube Music and Spotify, to easily control what they were listening to while driving. However, as first reported by 9to5 Google, the playback control feature appears to have been removed. In past versions, the playback bar would appear at the bottom of the screen while you navigated, allowing you to pause, play and skip songs or podcasts without needing to leave the app. However, as of Google Maps version 25.28, the controls have vanished alongside the toggle to show them. I checked the app on my Galaxy Z Fold 5 with the most up-to-date version of the app and, sure enough, I could not find the toggles, which usually live in the Navigation tab. However, my colleague's Honor 400 Pro, running Google Maps version 25.29, did have the toggles in place. It should be noted that, at time of writing, the feature still appears on the iOS version of Google Maps. As such, we can't say for certain if the removal from Android is an intentional choice or a bug in the app. The advantage of easy Playback Control tools is that they allow users to quickly change songs without needing to divert their focus from the road. If you remove them, it means that a user has to leave Google Maps, find the relevant media app, change the song and then head back to Google Maps. At best, that's a solid ten to twenty seconds where they are not focused on the road as much as they should be. If this removal is an intentional choice, it will certainly be a disappointment and will likely lead some users to head to alternative apps like Waze, which still has media controls in the app. However, Google Maps has released several recent updates that might help to keep users on the app. For instance, Google Maps on iPhones recently rolled out a screenshot recognition feature that can find locations from images you've saved in your camera gallery. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. For the time being, we'll need to wait and see if Google keeps this change, or if this is simply a hiccup that will be addressed. If this is going to be the new normal for the app, let us know what you think and if this will lead to you changing navigation apps. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
Business Insider
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
SOUN or CRWV: Which AI Stock Could Deliver Bigger Gains for Investors?
The AI revolution is gaining momentum, and two companies, CoreWeave, Inc. (CRWV) and SoundHound AI, Inc. (SOUN), are emerging as strong contenders. CoreWeave's stock has skyrocketed over 250% year-to-date, while SoundHound AI has delivered gains of more than 110% over the past year, highlighting growing investor interest in both names. Elevate Your Investing Strategy: Take advantage of TipRanks Premium at 50% off! Unlock powerful investing tools, advanced data, and expert analyst insights to help you invest with confidence. Make smarter investment decisions with TipRanks' Smart Investor Picks, delivered to your inbox every week. SoundHound is a rising player using its voice AI technology in different industries, including automotive and hospitality. Meanwhile, CoreWeave is an AI cloud-computing company specializing in GPU-powered cloud services. While both companies offer exposure to AI-driven innovation, their business models differ significantly. So, which stock stands out as the better buy right now? Let's break it down. Is SoundHound a Good Long-Term Investment? With rising demand for faster service and ongoing labor shortages, restaurants are turning to voice automation, boosting adoption of SoundHound's solutions by clients like Chipotle (CMG) and Casey's General Stores (CASY). The strong demand was reflected in the company's performance. SoundHound reported a 151% year-over-year growth in Q1 revenues, reaching $29.1 million. However, profitability remains elusive, with an adjusted EBITDA loss of $61.9 million last year. With the conversational AI market projected to grow from $17.05 billion in 2025 to $49.80 billion by 2031, according to MarketsandMarkets, the company is well-positioned to expand its customer base and capitalize on this growth. Looking ahead, it expects full-year revenue to double, forecasting between $157 million and $177 million, up from $84.5 million in 2024. Moreover, SoundHound's $1.2 billion booking backlog for 2024 underscores strong visibility into future revenue and signals robust long-term growth potential. In terms of challenges, SoundHound faces stiff competition from tech giants like Amazon's (AMZN) Alexa, Alphabet's (GOOGL) Google Assistant, and Apple's (AAPL) Siri, all of which are aggressively investing in their voice AI platforms. Is CoreWeave a Good Investment? While SoundHound AI is gaining traction in the voice automation space, CoreWeave is making waves in a different corner of the AI market. CoreWeave has outshone even the big-name tech stocks this year, thanks to its strong connection with Nvidia (NVDA). The company gives clients access to a large supply of Nvidia chips, hosted in over 30 data centers. With high demand for Nvidia's powerful new Blackwell chips, investors are increasingly optimistic about CoreWeave's future. In terms of financial performance, CoreWeave reported Q1 2025 revenue of $971.63 million, marking a 420% year-over-year surge from $188.6 million. At the same time, adjusted EBITDA jumped 480% to $606.13 million, with an impressive 62% margin. Additionally, CoreWeave's $26 billion backlog at the end of Q1, up 63% year-over-year, is already above the company's 2025 guidance of $5 billion, underscoring robust growth momentum. Using TipRanks' Stock Comparison Tool, we have compared SOUN and CRWV to see which stock analysts currently favor. SoundHound's stock currently holds a Moderate Buy rating, with an average price target of $11.51, implying a 10% downside from current levels. Meanwhile, CRWV stock carries a Hold consensus, based on 4 Buy, 15 Hold, and 1 Sell ratings over the past three months. CoreWeave's average price target of $99.39 suggests a more significant 19% downside. Conclusion SoundHound and CoreWeave have emerged as standout players in their respective AI domains—voice AI and AI infrastructure. While both stocks have recently surged, leading current analyst price targets to imply some short-term downside, this does not overshadow their long-term potential. With strong fundamentals and strategic positioning in high-growth areas of the AI sector, both companies are well-placed to capitalize on the massive expansion expected in the years ahead. Investors may need to brace for near-term volatility, but the long-term growth story remains firmly intact.
