We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Let's face it: Your phone's built-in sound sucks, so you need a portable Bluetooth speaker. Sure, everything is relative, and those phone speakers are amazing compared to what, say, a 2005 flip phone sounded like. But do we really want to justify our tech based on when people published think-pieces on how texting was the new hotness? So while we can admit you can hear musical cues right out of your pocket, if you want to feel the actual emotional resonance that makes the music special, the speakers on even the best smartphone, the best tablet, the best laptop … ultimately suck. But the best portable Bluetooth speakers--from the compact Bose SoundLink Plus to the more substantial Brane X, for example--do not suck, so we're ready to help you select the right speaker for any situation. We test a lot of Bluetooth speakers throughout the year, giving us deep insight into what's on the marketplace and what's worth your money. Whether you're looking for something budget or audiophile, chances are we've heard at least one model from whatever brand you're considering. We combine these experiences with other users' impressions, then top it all off with extensive research on what you should be looking for: IP rating, frequency range, battery life, Bluetooth range … we've got you! This lets us find the perfect balance of specs and special features from a fairly dense pool of possibilities. From extreme durability to supreme connectivity, we've got you covered when it comes to the best portable Bluetooth speakers. Whether you're always on the go or simply need something to take to the front porch, these speakers will deliver quality sound without any cables or wires weighing you down. Why it made the cut: The Bose SoundLink Plus portable Bluetooth speaker is styled for motion, tuned for emotion, with high cost being the primary shortcoming. New for 2025, the 269 SoundLink Plus is built with a powder-coated steel grille and a shock-resistant chassis wrapped in color-matched silicone.

When data on building features is unavailable, the task of determining how to improve that building in terms of carbon emissions becomes infeasible. We show that from only a set of images, a Large Language Model with appropriate prompt engineering and domain knowledge can successfully estimate a range of building features relevant for sustainability calculations. We compare our novel image-to-data method with a ground truth comprising real building data for 47 apartments and achieve accuracy better than a human performing the same task. We also demonstrate that the method can generate tailored recommendations to the owner on how best to improve their properties and discuss methods to scale the approach.

If you use a tool where it hasn't been verified safe, any mess you make is your fault… AI is a tool like any other, so the same rule applies. Instead, force machine learning and AI systems to earn your trust. If you want to teach with examples, the examples have to be good. If you want to trust your student's ability, the test has to be good. Always keep in mind that you don't know anything about the safety of your system outside the conditions you checked it in, so check it carefully!

Aqara, a leading provider of smart home products, introduced its Radiator Thermostat E1 to automate hydronic radiators including wall-mounted radiators, towel warmers and even warm floors, making the heating systems smarter for improved energy efficiency and comfort. This radiator thermostat supports most radiator valves with its M30*1.5mm The Aqara Radiator Thermostat E1 is now available on European Amazon stores (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK), as well as via selective Aqara retailers in Europe. Based on the Zigbee 3.0 protocol, the Thermostat is expected to support the future-proofing Matter standard via an OTA update of the compatible, Zigbee 3.0-based Aqara hub. The device is also compatible with major ecosystems and voice assistants such as HomeKit/Siri, Alexa, Google Home/Google Assistant, IFTTT, Home Assistant and more.

If you use a tool where it hasn't been verified safe, any mess you make is your fault… AI is a tool like any other, so the same rule applies. Instead, force machine learning and AI systems to earn your trust. If you want to teach with examples, the examples have to be good. If you want to trust your student's ability, the test has to be good. Always keep in mind that you don't know anything about the safety of your system outside the conditions you checked it in, so check it carefully!

Which three-word phrase should always be spoken cautiously? All of them, actually, but that last one -- depending on your choice of ride, a full tank of gas can now cost you within fumes-sniffing distance of a hundred bucks. How did it come to this -- again? Los Angeles is a complex place. In this weekly feature, Patt Morrison is explaining how it works, its history and its culture.

A robotic arm works on the production line at Volvo's factory in Ridgeville, S.C. But other essential jobs, including major portions of final assembly, are still left to people. A robotic arm works on the production line at Volvo's factory in Ridgeville, S.C. But other essential jobs, including major portions of final assembly, are still left to people. Robots have revolutionized auto manufacturing, making plants safer and products more reliable -- and reducing the number of people involved in the process.

For the past decade, the easiest way to spot a self-driving car was to look for the distinctive spinning bucket mounted to its roof. The classic lidar design pioneered by Velodyne spins 64 lasers through 360 degrees, producing a three-dimensional view of the car's surroundings from the reflected laser beams. That complicated and bulky set-up has traditionally also been expensive. Velodyne's US $75,000 lidar famously cost several times the sticker price of the Toyota Priuses that formed the nucleus of Google's original self-driving car fleet. Those days are long gone.

NASA engineers appear to have found a way to restore a balky coolant pump on the International Space Station that may allow a station resupply mission to launch this week, as planned. The alternative is to delay the launch to allow two ISS crew members to conduct two or three emergency spacewalks starting this weekend to replace the faulty pump. Spare pumps are stored on the space station's truss – scaffolding the length of a football field. The truss supports the station's solar panels, radiators for station cooling, and other utilities, including two external cooling loops that transfer heat to the radiators. The cooling-system malfunction on the space station occurred Dec. 11.

When we use our muscles, they produce heat as a byproduct. When we use them a lot, we need to actively cool them, which is why we sweat. By sweating, we pump water out of our bodies, and as that water evaporates, it cools us down. Robots, especially dynamic robots like humanoids that place near-constant high torque demands on their motors, generate enough heat that it regularly becomes a major constraint on their performance. One of the reasons that SCHAFT did so well at the DRC Trials, for example, was their fancy liquid-cooled motors that could put out lots of torque over an extended period of time without overheating.