News

• Maxell is launching a Walkman-style cassette player with a built-in speaker
• The speaker is mono and 500mW
• Not everything from the 80s should come back

In Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus Mary Shelley wrote a cautionary tale about science: just because a scientist can make something doesn't mean they should. I'm pretty sure she was thinking about the Maxell MXCP-P100S, which is frankly more terrifying than anything Dr Frankenstein ever darned.

The MXCP-P100S is a new version of the cute, Walkman-esque MXCP-P100 that we told you about last month, but it's got a terrifying addition.

A speaker.

The player itself is perfectly fine: it has Bluetooth 5.4 and a long-lasting battery delivering up to nine hours of playback, it works with Type-1 Normal tapes of up to 90 minutes, and it's got a brass flywheel that Maxell says stablizes the sound. You can use it with wired or wireless headphones, and you should, because a tape player with a speaker like this one is an abomination.

The only good thing I can say about the speaker is that it's just 500mW and unlikely to be hugely efficient, so it can't go too loud when some clown decides to treat you to their cassette collection on the subway or on the bus.

But that's also one of the worst things about it.

I don't want to get too technical here, but when you push a 500mW mono speaker to its limits – which said clown will absolutely do when they're in the seat behind you – it sounds freaking awful.

I know this because that's the size of the speaker that was in the mono cassette recorder/players that I used to record songs from the radio back in the 1980s. And while I've got plenty of nostalgia for that decade there are some things – such as leg warmers, the Satanic Panic and the ever-present threat of global thermonuclear war – that we don't need back.

And tinny little speakers in tape decks are one of those things. Trust me, you don't want one of those anywhere near you when you're stuck on public transport.

The MXCP-P100S will launch in Japan in August, and is expected to cost around $100. I'd be fine if it stayed it Japan, personally – though its non-speaker sibling, the MXCP-P100, looks more my speed.

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Chinese manufacturer Kuycon is entering the fiercely competitive business monitor market with a 32-inch 6K monitor priced around $1,700.

The Kuycon G32P is aimed squarely at professionals who might otherwise consider Apple’s Pro Display XDR, offering similar core specs at a fraction of the cost.

The catch? Kuycon isn’t a household name, and the monitor's real-world performance and support ecosystem remain largely untested.

The G32P features a 6144 x 3456 resolution on a Nano IPS Black panel supplied by LG, delivering high pixel density ideal for tasks that demand visual clarity.

For those seeking a monitor for photo or video editing, Kuycon’s spec sheet is likely to be appealing.

It supports true 10-bit color depth, with factory-measured coverage of 99% DCI-P3 and 99% sRGB, and a contrast ratio rated at 2000:1.

The 500-nit brightness and HDR10 compatibility bring it in line with most high-end professional monitors, at least on paper.

One of the more striking choices is the use of glossy laminated glass on the front, designed to enhance clarity and minimize distortions without using edge lighting or complex local dimming.

This approach mirrors Apple’s choices with the Pro Display XDR, and the G32P’s overall design, including its anodized aluminum build and thermally optimized rear, clearly nods to the company's aesthetic.

But while the G32P looks the part, it doesn't include a stand in the base price - instead, users must add one separately or rely on the 100x100mm VESA mount to use their own.

Connectivity is another strong point, with DisplayPort 2.1 and dual HDMI 2.1 ports supporting up to 48Gbps each. The device also supports Thunderbolt 4/USB4 input with 100W power delivery, and two USB-C ports for peripheral expansion.

These features align it with what’s expected of a business monitor today, especially one intended to operate as part of a larger workstation setup.

Kuycon also includes all required cables and adapters, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a calibration report, offering a complete out-of-box experience.

That said, the attractive specs and price, which range from $1,700 to $2,000 depending on region and configuration, do not eliminate concerns about long-term support, regional availability, and resale value.

Sales channels are currently limited, with availability through niche retailers like ClickClack.io.

As with any unknown brand, questions remain about reliability, warranty, and color consistency over time.

Via Notebookcheck

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Hasbro’s Star Wars: The Vintage Collection has been home to many iconic venues, characters, and vessels from the ever-expanding universe. But for San Diego Comic Con 2025, it’s safe to say that the Hasbro team has taken things up another notch, especially if you’re a fan of the Clone Wars.

And as someone who has loved the show, which you can stream on Disney+, the latest Star Wars HasLab fits the bill. Hasbro just revealed the Star Wars: The Vintage Collection LAAT/I Gunship, which lands as a highly detailed and fairly massive set – it’s 28-inches long and 10.6-inch tall when not on the stand – and if it reaches 8,000 backers before the funding period is over, it’ll ship in in Fall of 2026 (think September, October or November).

The LAAT/I Gunship is a pivotal vessel that played a significant role in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, as well as the Clone Wars series. It’s arriving today with an estimated MSRP of $449.99 and is up for funding on Hasbro Pulse right now – that window for funding closes on September 8, 2025, if you’re interested in making it happen.

Speaking to TechRadar, Chris Reiff, Hasbro’s Product Design Manager on Star Wars, told us that "The Petranaki Arena rescue scene in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones is a memorable highlight of the prequel trilogy, and we wanted to honor that moment with a HasLab project that would be a standout piece for collectors."

It really goes back to just how recognizable the ship is, especially in the white and red color scheme. Hasbro did strive, and hit a movie-accurate design from Star Wars Episode II as well.

Here, the LAAT/I features two stand options – one that puts it in flight and one for hovering, allowing Clone Troopers to pop out. To fit the size and scale here, two 3.75-inch Clone Trooper Pilot figures are included. These boast yellow helmet decorations, and each comes with two blaster rifles. You can place these in the cockpit or have them hanging out the side.

If more backer tiers are hit for the project on HasLab, there is the chance of unlocking Coleman Trebor (10,000), Saesee Tiin with a lightsaber (12,000), or Zabrak Jedi Agen Kolar (14,000).

There’s also a ton of details on the ship itself, including missile launchers up-top and under the wings, a fully operable rear-hinge for boarding, a fully designed interior, interchangeable front panels, and optional side panels. You’ll even find hidden storage behind the cockpit.

As is the trend for Hasbro’s Star Wars: The Vintage Collection, the design team conducted extensive research here. Rieff told us, “It’s been a fantastic experience researching and incorporating the latest details shared from our partners at Disney and Lucasfilm to bring this HasLab dream project to life.” The design team here actually worked with Lucas Film to access some upgraded design files from The Mandalorian, as the gunship is featured in a few scenes.

If you’ve been waiting for Hasbro to usher in a Vintage Collection style of the LAAT/I Gunship, or simply wanted a new drop in the series, this one is up for backing on HasLab now. The funding period runs from July 25, 2025, through September 8, 2025, and will need 8,000 backers to be produced.

Assuming that is met, Hasbro expects this project to arrive in Fall 2026, meaning that if you back it, you can expect the LAAT/I Gunship to land with you by then. You can see a gallery of the ship up close below.

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• Microsoft has begun testing Copilot Appearance to give the AI assistant a more distinct personality
• The feature imbues Copilot with real-time expressions and gestures
• Copilot Appearance is part of a broader push to give Copilot a persistent identity

Microsoft has decided to put a face on its Copilot AI assistant with a new feature called Copilot Appearance. Rolling out to a limited set of users in the U.S., U.K., and Canada as part of Microsoft’s Copilot Labs, Appearance is a sort of animated cloud and has a smile instead of just a disembodied voice. Microsoft is hoping Appearance will help make Copilot more enduring as a tool for regular engagement, not just occasional questioning.

It's an idea that fits with how the company's consumer AI head, Mustafa Suleyman, envisions the future of Copilot. As he explained in a recent interview, Suleyman sees a more human-like Copilot, one that carries what he calls “digital patina” as it ages, accruing history and personality based on time spent with a user.

The Appearance feature is an aspect of that idea. It gives Copilot facial expressions and subtle animations to respond in real time as you talk or type. So you might see a smile when it provides information, or a nod of encouragement when you provide follow-up details. Perhaps even a furrowed brow if you ask for something difficult.

The obvious comparison for any Microsoft AI personality attempt is Clippy, but this is, theoretically at least, a far cry from the old paperclip with eyeballs. Unlike Clippy, this assistant doesn’t pop in uninvited or ask if you’re writing a letter. It will only talk to you when you start a conversation, and it's supposed to exist quietly in the background. But it will remember what you're doing, and that memory lasts.

It's the continuity of the memory that makes it possible for Copilot to become as personal as Suleyman wants. Combined with other recent Copilot upgrades like voice mode and vision capabilities, Suleyman hopes Copilot will understand both what you want in the moment and who you are overall.

Of course, for now, the visual character isn’t doing anything wild. It won’t animate a full scene or wave its arms around like a Pixar sidekick. It’s more like a friendly desk plant that also edits your reports. Microsoft is moving slowly here for a reason. Other platforms that heavily leaned into character-based chatbots have encountered issues with users becoming overly attached to an AI companion.

The risk, of course, is that some people will start thinking of it that way. The goal is to earn a user's trust, but not so much that people forget this is still a tool. But if Microsoft keeps going down this path, it will need to draw some clear lines.

Appearance is a layer of presence and polish. It’s also a preview of an AI that shows how it is reacting to us with facial expressions and body language, something anyone can understand. But, I still don't want to see Copilot raise its eyebrows and roll its eyes sarcastically at requests it thinks are dumb.

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A few days ago, we got our first official look at the DJI Romo – the brand's first foray into robot vacuums – and the more information I get about this surprising new addition to the DJI lineup, the more intrigued I am about how it's going to shape up when it comes to launch.

It certainly looks cool. Both the video clip shared by tech leaker Igor Bogdanov (aka @Quadro_News) and the teaser trailer DJI leaker @JasperEllens show the curvy dock with a transparent plastic cover – and if you look closer, you can see that the bot itself appears to have a clear lid too. It's an unusual design choice and one that'll certainly stand out against competitor models, even if I do have my concerns about how pristine-looking that it'll remain over time (perhaps it's good that DJI seems to be offering a version that doesn't have its insides on show as an alternative).

Although a DJI logo is nowhere to be found on the product and it's the first white plastic I have seen since the #mavicair... the official Chinese #DJIRomo account displayed this little video teaser today, showing they will launch their first vacuum cleaner on August 6th. Cheers pic.twitter.com/zBseU9pfCDJuly 23, 2025

What's particularly interesting is that this peek inside the dock doesn't reveal any water tanks. Almost all of the best robot vacuums have mopping capabilities these days. You don't need a water tank in the dock in order for the bot itself to be able to mop – some models will just have a small integrated reservoir onboard. However, these tend to be the cheaper, more basic robovacs.

Mid-range bots will often have a clean water tank in the dock, and refill the onboard reservoir automatically. Shift into the premium category and you can expect an additional dirty water tank, and automatic mop-washing capabilities. Unless there are some tanks tucked out of sight, it looks like the Romo won't offer either.

I guess mopping and self-cleaning tech aren't areas that DJI would naturally have expertise in. The brand is known for making pretty much all of the best drones on the market, and there's no crossover there. That's in contrast to, say, navigation and object avoidance tech, which is vital in both drones and robot vacuums. I'd expect the Romo's navigation skills to be top-tier.

We don't have pricing information for the DJI Romo yet, but I had assumed DJI would be positioning its debut robovac as a premium choice, with features and specs to match.

That might not be be the case. We do have precedent for a huge brand trying to make waves in the robot vacuum market with a relatively basic model: Dyson and its 360 Vis Nav. It wasn't Dyson's first-ever robovac, but it was a major launch in this area, and seven years in the making. In this case, Dyson offered limited capabilities – no mopping to speak of, and no automatic dust emptying either – but decided to stick with a premium price tag anyway.

Dyson is a firmly premium brand, so that wasn't necessarily a surprise (although it does usually do more to justify its lofty pricing). With DJI, things are more up in the air... no pun intended. On the one hand we have the Amflow, DJI's first and only ebike, which is very much a premium proposition.

However, the drones it's known for range from ultra-cheap (in its Ryze Tello line) to extremely high-end, but the constant throughout is that they're always great value for money, often undercutting similarly-specced rivals. (I asked TechRadar Cameras Editor and resident drone expert Tim Coleman for his take and he said, "I would expect whatever price Romo is, it'll be excellent value. This is the DJI way.")

So the jury's out on where the Romo might sit in the market. We might not have too long to wait to find out either way. The latest teaser trailer suggests the DJI Romo will launch on August 6. That would be in China – I expect the Romo might take a while to make its way overseas to the UK, and US launch is very uncertain given the potential US ban on DJI drones. But that's a whole separate issue...

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