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Many companies successfully complete AI pilots, but a lot struggle to scale AI application across their organizations. Only 15% of AI initiatives ever manage to truly scale.
Research from Boston Consulting Group suggests that only 26% of companies have developed the capabilities needed to move beyond pilots and generate meaningful value from AI tools. Meanwhile, McKinsey estimates that while almost every organization is experimenting with generative AI, only a small minority are seeing material financial impact across the business.
The technology is not the bottleneck.
Large language models offer a powerful solution that supports employees in various tasks, such as research, content generation, document analysis, meeting summary or task management. Despite these advances, teams still battle to turn AI capability into measurable business outcomes.
It is a translation problem.
There is a lack of depth that prevents these tools from meeting the needs of a specific industry and organization. General models are good at understanding language and information. But they have a hard time connecting them to workflows, regulations, governance requirements and operational nuances that rule industries, such as accounting, legal service, healthcare or manufacturing.
There needs to be an expert to bridge the gap between the capabilities of AI and the requirements of a profession.
1. A new role at the intersection of the technology and an industryTechnology vendors have traditionally been measured by the quality of their products. This is no longer enough.
Today, their role goes far beyond delivering a functional platform. They now actively contribute to the digital transformation of an organization. This includes sharing best practices, providing ongoing technical support, designing workflows, optimizing for governance and long-term application. All to support smooth product deployment.
Different industries are moving towards this same idea from different angles. When there is an intermediary that focuses on customer success, it translates capability into outcomes. Early examples of this are the rise of new jobs such as Customer Value Managers and Forward Deployed Engineers. These are professionals whose primary objective is ensuring the technology generates value for employees and the business overall.
Every industry is beginning to create its own version of the role.
In accounting, we see the emergence of so-called 'Accountancy Engineers'. They are trained accountants with deep accounting expertise and technical capability. Rather than working from a specification document, they sit next to a firm's team and co-design the workflow with them, building the automation alongside the people who will actually use it.
They build workflows tailored to how the profession works, effectively automating repetitive tasks and processes that answer to the challenges of accountancy. Just as important, they train the firm's own accountants to become the practice's internal AI architects, so the capability stays inside the firm long after the initial rollout.
For instance, they work to connect backend accounting systems with operational tools and cloud infrastructure and ensure that automated financial processes align with regulatory reporting and data governance requirements. This avoids generic automation bolted onto old corporate systems, resulting in a tailored integration.
And every pattern they uncover in the field, a workaround, a recurring bottleneck, a workflow nobody had written down, feeds straight back into the vendor's own product roadmap, the same feedback loop that made Forward Deployed Engineers indispensable at Palantir.
AI adoption rarely fails because the model is not capable enough. It does not go through because employees don't know where the technology fits within their daily work.
2. Supported human integration for smoother AI adoptionGeneral AI models are horizontal by design. They struggle to generate specific materials and in-depth data analysis tailored to a single industry, since they were built to serve every industry at once.
Firms that engage with vendor partners see successful integration because they receive industry-specific guidance and training that empowers staff to firmly handle AI tools.
In general, people are hesitant when encountering new tools and processes. Leaders worry about governance, security and regulatory compliance. Employees wonder whether they can trust AI-generated outputs.
On the individual level, teams experiment with consumer AI tools, creating fragmented workflows and introducing the growing problem of "shadow AI", where employees expose sensitive company information through personal AI accounts.
Without governance, training and clear operational guidance, organizations risk creating thousands of disconnected AI users rather than a coordinated AI strategy.
Technology vendors make a difference by collaborating with product managers, financial controllers, and cross-functional engineering teams.
Together, they design an integrated system architecture that includes existing technology, develop governance frameworks that reduce risk, and create education programs and processes that support positive engagement across a company. This ultimately generates trust and safety, ensuring a successful adoption.
Vendors provide the missing layer between technological possibility and organizational reality.
3. From one-off projects to long-term implementationAI adoption does not have a finish line.
The technology almost changes every week. New models emerge. Capabilities improve. Costs change. Workflows that were impossible six months ago become routine today. That means AI cannot be treated like a traditional ERP rollout or cloud migration.
Technology vendors are uniquely positioned to provide continuous support. They know the ins and outs of the product and understand the challenges faced by organizations, which means they can tailor the approach to find the right solutions. Plus, they monitor the rapid pace of AI innovation while understanding how those advances affect specific industries.
Instead of trying to interpret an increasingly complex AI landscape themselves, teams can rely on vendors to get a clear picture of technical breakthroughs and how they can be relevant to the business and employees.
4. Sell business outcomes, not a modelThe vendors who only sell AI models are selling half the answer. AI adoption fails when teams are left to figure out the product on their own, with no one in the room translating the platform into the firm's own workflow.
Every organization will eventually have access to powerful models. What will differentiate them is their ability to combine AI expertise with industry expertise.
Technology vendors who succeed will be the ones who live between the technology and the profession, translating AI capability into trusted, scalable business outcomes. Accountancy Engineers, and every version of that role now emerging across other industries, is what that translation looks like in practice.
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- Meta CTO hits out at employees asking for time off due to increased AI productivity
- Andrew Bosworth says workers should be building more with their extra time
- Bosworth also says employees asking for extra vacation time are "very dumb"
The CTO of Meta has told his employees that the increase in productivity offered by AI tools and platforms should now mean they are free - to do more work.
In a heated internal Q&A reported by Business Insider, Andrew Bosworth told Meta workers supercharged by AI improvements that they should be getting more work done and building more products for the company.
"I hope that what we do with our extra time is do even more and cooler stuff for the users who use our products every day," Bosworth said. "We got billions of people using our products every day. I get an extra hour. You know what I do with it? I put it into that."
"Ask your parents what they think of that as a career strategy"Bosworth's ire was apparently piqued by a request from one Meta employee around whether the productivity gains from using AI could be part of more time off.
This specifically concerned "Meta Days", a cancelled internal company initiative which allowed workers to apply for more vacation time.
Bosworth reportedly told the employee who asked the question to, "stop asking about Meta Days. It's very dumb."
"Go to your parents and ask them: Hey, like every time I get a chance to talk to my boss, ask me if I can have more days off. Ask your parents what they think of that as a career strategy," Bosworth said.
Meta has yet to comment on Bosworth's comments, but Business Insider notes the company offers employees four weeks of holiday per year, plus two "choice days" which can be used whenever wanted.
Bosworth did appear to walk back on his comments, apologizing for coming down "too hard" on the employee asking about Meta Days - but then bizarrely added he felt the question was "tongue-in-cheek".
The conversation is the latest from a significant tech figure concerning AI and the effect it has on human workloads, with the debate continuing to echo about how much technology is really helping workers.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently raised eyebrows by saying the reason that AI hasn't yet resulted in less work and more leisure time is that we all just love working too much.
Altman revealed that he doesn't expect a change in society or working practices for quite some time, despite widespread promises that AI would boost our productivity and efficiency across the board.
Resin 3D printers are the obvious choice when fine detail matters far more than simply knocking something out quickly, and according to our testing the Anycubic Photon P1 takes that precision particularly seriously.
Right now, the Photon P1 is down to $600 (was $790) at Amazon. Aimed at enthusiasts and advanced creators, at its heart is a 10.1-inch 14K monochrome LCD with a 13,312 x 5,120 resolution and an XY pixel size as small as 16.8 x 24.8 micrometers, allowing intricate details to be reproduced with impressive precision. In the UK, the same 3D printer is discounted to £500 (was £650).
Anycubic's Wave Release technology cuts release force by 60% to help improve print success rates, and Smart Leveling 3.0 removes the need for routine manual bed leveling, and AI-powered monitoring checks for all manner of problems.
Should you buy it?✅ Buy the Anycubic Photon P1 if...
You need exceptionally fine detail for miniatures, models, prototypes, jewelry, or other intricate creations. The combination of 14K resolution, a stable mechanical structure, and automated monitoring should appeal to experienced resin users who want greater precision while reducing some of the manual intervention typically associated with resin printing.
❌ Skip the Anycubic Photon P1 if...
You mainly want to produce large functional parts or need the simplicity of filament printing. Resin printers require more post-processing and careful handling of materials, and the Photon P1's high-resolution capabilities could be excessive if you're interested in making larger models.
The Photon P1 combines a 10.1-inch 14K mono LCD, precision ball screws, automatic leveling, AI monitoring, Wave Release technology, and support for high-viscosity resins up to 8,000 cps.
In the UK: now £500 (was £650)View Deal
Why we recommend itThis is one of the best 3D printers we've tested. The Photon P1 combines extremely high resolution with features designed to address some of resin printing's more frustrating failure points. Support for resins with viscosity up to 8,000 cps also gives advanced creators considerably more flexibility when experimenting with specialist materials.
In his four-and-a-half-star review, our expert Alastair said: "Through the test, I managed a near unheard of 100% success rate on 20+ prints, and the quality from the 14K screen was exceptional, even with a low workshop temperature; the heated vat kept everything running at optimum temperatures."
He went on to call it, "By far the best desktop resin printer Anycubic has produced to date."
Price context & historical valueAt $599.99 instead of $789.99, you're saving $190, equivalent to around 24% off the regular price. That's a nice reduction on a high-spec resin printer rather than an entry-level model, although it has been $50 dollars cheaper in the past.
The last time we covered a deal on the Photon P1, it was discounted to $720 (was $970). Direct from Anycubic, it's priced at $689. So, this is a genuine discount.
Be careful to use this Amazon.com link, as there's another Photon P1 listing on Amazon that remains at full price.
For more savings, we track the best 3D printer deals with updates every week.
The Catch: What to know before you buyResin printing still involves more work after the printer finishes. Models typically need cleaning and curing, and uncured resin requires appropriate handling and protective equipment.
You'll need to consider additional supplies and a suitable workspace beyond the printer itself, so it's worth factoring those requirements into the overall cost if you haven't already done so.
Also considerBuilt for speed and precision, this 14K resin 3D printer offers 170mm/h printing, a 10.1-inch monochrome LCD, COB LighTurbo 3.0 light source, dynamic heating, and a generously sized build volume.
In the UK: now £425 (was £500)View Deal
Offering a balance of detail and speed, this 10K resin 3D printer features a 7-inch monochrome screen, COB light source, 120mm/h printing, intelligent detection, and a compact build area.
In the UK: now £198 (was £209)View Deal
The IMF and Bank of England have both recently raised concerns about the risks AI could pose to the financial system, from cyber threats to systemic vulnerabilities and governance gaps. Against that backdrop, institutions are facing growing pressure to demonstrate clear accountability for how AI is used, particularly when decisions impact customer outcomes, market activity and compliance decisions.
Financial services have traditionally taken a cautious approach to AI because of the regulatory and operational risks involved. But AI is now becoming more deeply embedded across the sector, supporting everything from fraud detection and customer service to compliance monitoring and internal operations.
As adoption expands, governance frameworks that were designed for conventional software and data systems are being tested by AI models that can evolve, generate unpredictable outputs and rely on increasingly complex data environments.
Why governance expectations are growingThis growing focus on accountability is becoming increasingly visible across the sector. Moves such as HSBC appointing its first Chief AI Officer reflect a broader recognition that oversight can no longer sit across disconnected teams or experimental projects.
Meanwhile, many institutions, including Barclays and Lloyds Banking Group, have recently joined the Financial Conduct Authority’s initiative to test AI in real-world conditions under strict controls, while the Bank of England has outlined plans to assess potential risks to financial stability through scenario analysis and simulations.
For finance firms, these developments are likely to increase expectations around how AI systems are monitored, tested and governed internally. Organizations will need clearer oversight of third-party AI providers, stronger documentation around how AI models make decisions, and more robust processes for identifying and escalating risks.
The barriers to strong AI governanceDespite growing regulatory scrutiny, financial institutions still face significant barriers to implementing stronger AI governance, particularly around fragmented data. Many firms still operate across disconnected systems, making it difficult to create a consistent view across risk, compliance, operations and customer activity.
This becomes more challenging as AI is introduced. Models depend on large volumes of data flowing across multiple systems, but when those systems are siloed, it becomes harder to trace how information is used or how decisions are made. Without clear data lineage, organizations may struggle to validate AI decisions under regulatory scrutiny.
Data quality is becoming just as important as data access. Even advanced AI models can produce unreliable results if they are trained on incomplete, outdated or poorly governed information. At the same time, identifying which datasets will improve decision-making, rather than adding complexity, remains a challenge.
For financial institutions operating across complex legacy systems, maintaining accurate, trusted and consistently managed data at scale will be critical as AI adoption accelerates, particularly across areas such as fraud detection, anti-money laundering and customer risk systems where siloed data can limit a complete and accurate view of risk.
Building the foundations for responsible AIFor many finance companies, the next step is transforming these fragmented datasets into stronger data foundations that support AI at scale.
This means creating connected, well-governed data environments where information can move consistently across systems, data quality is maintained more effectively, and accountability is embedded into day-to-day operations rather than treated as a standalone compliance exercise.
This joined-up view is particularly valuable across the customer journey. When someone opens a bank account, they move through several stages including identity verification, onboarding, digital registration and their first transactions. Banks need to see that journey as a whole rather than as disconnected steps. With that visibility, teams can investigate issues more quickly, improve services and track results in real time.
Why responsible AI requires shared ownershipBuilding more connected data environments requires a coordinated approach to accountability across institutions, with responsibility formalized rather than sitting in isolation with individual teams. As more firms appoint Chief AI Officers, close collaboration with Chief Data Officers will become increasingly important to ensure AI governance is built on strong data quality, clear ownership and consistent standards across the organization.
In regulated firms, technology teams, data teams, AI specialists, and business stakeholders all share an obligation to understand the importance of data quality and the consequences it has on decision-making.
This more collaborative approach can also improve how teams operate, ensuring insights are not limited to technical functions alone. Giving colleagues in retail banking, lending and compliance access to timely information enables faster, more informed decisions at every level and helps embed accountability for AI-driven outcomes in day-to-day operations.
Strong governance depends as much on operational visibility and human oversight as it does on the models themselves.
Preparing for AI adoption at scaleOver the next few years, financial services will move from isolated AI pilots towards broader adoption at scale, but it must happen in a way that remains controlled and transparent. Organizations that can build the right foundations now will be better place to expand AI use confidently, while those without them risk inconsistency and greater operational exposure.
Ultimately, the firms that succeed in the financial sector will be those that combine innovation with strong governance and clear human oversight, using AI tools to drive sustainable progress while maintaining strong trust as adoption grows across the sector.
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The World Cup has finished, completing a wave of anticipation, celebration, and distraction that stretched far beyond the stadiums.
For employers, it also served as a real-time test of workforce operations as schedules, staffing needs, and employee engagement were all put under the spotlight.
During the six-week tournament, millions of employees were watching matches, adjusting schedules, arriving late, swapping shifts, requesting time off, or turning up tired after late nights.
New UKG research of 8,000 employees across Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands, the UK, and the US estimates the tournament could have resulted in at least £12.6 billion in lost productivity.
In the UK alone, the impact could exceed £680 million, with employees not just following matches during working hours, alter their schedules, or missing work altogether - many admitting they went to work hungover, secretly streamed matches, and pushed the limits of what their employer would allow.
If England had won the final, almost a third of UK employees said they would have taken the day off whether that absence had been approved.
What the World Cup Revealed About the Future of WorkThat created a real challenge for employers. But the bigger lesson is not about football. It is about how work now happens.
The World Cup is a high-profile example of something organizations face every day: unpredictable employee behavior, sudden changes in demand, last-minute absences, weather disruption, supply chain delays, new regulations, and shifting customer expectations.
For frontline-heavy industries in particular, disruption is not an exception to the operating model. It is the operating environment.
The question is whether workplace technology is built for that reality.
Many workforce systems were designed around predictability. They record schedules, track attendance, and report what happened after the fact. That matters, but it is no longer enough.
When conditions change by the hour, organizations need more than systems of record. They need systems of action that help managers see risk earlier, make better decisions faster, and keep work moving in real time.
Three Workforce Strategies That Help Employers Stay Ahead of DisruptionThe employers that came out ahead during the World Cup, and during the everyday disruption that followed it, will have done three things differently:
1. See the disruption before it happensToo often, workforce disruption becomes visible only once it has created a gap. Someone does not arrive. A shift is suddenly under-covered. A manager starts calling around for support.
The business reacts after the damage has begun.
The World Cup gave organizations a chance to get ahead of that pattern.
Employees already signaled intent. They knew which matches mattered to them. They knew when they were likely to want flexibility, when they may have needed time off, and when they were more likely to be distracted or unavailable. Organizations that capture that intent early can turn it into useful operational data.
That does not mean monitoring employees or trying to control their behavior. It means giving people approved ways to communicate availability, preferences, and likely conflicts before they become last-minute absences. When that information is combined with historical absence patterns, demand forecasts, local schedules, and workforce data, managers can identify where risk is most likely to emerge.
A retailer, manufacturer, logistics operation, or hospitality business does not need to know every individual decision. But it does need to know where coverage pressure is building. High-interest match days, late kick-offs, local celebrations, and major national fixtures can all create predictable patterns of disruption.
Seeing that risk early allows organizations to plan differently. They can adjust staffing levels, open additional shifts, prepare contingency cover, or communicate expectations before managers are forced into crisis mode.
2. Design flexibility into the operating modelThe instinctive response to disruption is often to tighten control. But rigid rules can push behavior underground.
If employees believe there is no fair or practical way to adjust work around major life moments, they are more likely to find informal workarounds. That can mean last-minute sickness calls, unapproved absences, shift swaps that managers do not see, or colleagues covering gaps without the right skills, rest periods, or compliance checks.
The better approach is to make flexibility visible, fair, and operationally safe.
That means giving employees clear, approved ways to request time off, swap shifts, volunteer for extra hours, adjust availability, or pick up open shifts. It also means giving managers the tools to assess those requests against business need, skills, fatigue, labor rules, and fairness.
This is especially important on the frontline, where the margin for error is small. A missed shift in an office may delay a meeting. A missed shift in healthcare, retail, manufacturing, hospitality, or logistics can affect safety, service, cost, and compliance.
Flexibility cannot sit outside the workforce strategy. It must be built into it.
For employers, that shift is powerful. Flexibility becomes less of a concession and more of an operating capability.
Employees get more transparency and control. Managers get fewer surprises. The business gets a better chance of protecting service levels without treating people like variables in a spreadsheet.
3. Act in real time when the plan changesEven the best World Cup plan will not survive unchanged.
A match goes to penalties. Demand spikes unexpectedly. More employees call in sick than forecast. A local team advances further than expected. A manager discovers at short notice that the people available do not have the right skills or certifications.
This is where many workforce systems fall short. They can show the rota. They can record the absence. But they do not always help managers decide what to do next.
Modern workforce management has to move from static planning to real-time execution. Managers need to know where gaps exist, who is available, who is qualified, who is approaching overtime or fatigue limits, and what action will create the best outcome for the business and the employee.
That is where data and AI can play a practical role. Not generic AI layered onto old processes, but intelligence that understands workforce context and helps recommend the next best action. Should a manager offer an open shift? Redeploy someone from a lower-demand area? Approve a swap? Escalate a compliance risk? Adjust breaks? Bring in contingent support?
The value is not simply in having more data. It is in turning workforce data into action while there is still time to influence the outcome.
The real stress test for workplace technology is not whether an organization can create a schedule weeks in advance, but whether it can adapt that schedule minutes after conditions change.
The World Cup is over. The operating lesson is not.Every organization will face its own version of this disruption: seasonal demand, illness, weather, regulatory change, major events, economic pressure, and shifting employee expectations. The companies that treat these moments as one-off exceptions will keep solving them manually, shift by shift and manager by manager.
The companies that come out ahead will build a more responsive workforce model. They will see risk before it becomes disruption. They will design flexibility into the way work happens. And they will equip managers to act in real time when the plan changes.
The future of workforce management is not about predicting everything perfectly. It is about giving organizations the visibility, intelligence, and agility to keep moving when reality refuses to follow the plan.
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Almost all robot vacuums now come with an auto-emptying charging dock that automatically transfers the debris in the robot to a larger dust bag in the dock. Well, the Dyson v10 Konical + Auto-empty Dok (as Dyson calls it) brings a similar hands-free system to the world of cordless stick vacs.
Roborock, Tineco, and Shark have already aired their versions and, according to comments online, it seems that the public is up for this kind of system because it saves the hassle of manually emptying the vac's bagless dustbin while almost totally removing all elements of dust in the process.
The problem, as I see it, is the size of the docks these vacs come with, of which the Dyson model we're reviewing here is definitely the tallest and one of the most incongruous. It fact, at 47.24in/120cm in height, the Dyson Dok is as tall as some users, and that's quite a comical stat for a stick vac.
In its favor, the Dok does a decent job of emptying the contents of the v10 hand unit's small 0.52 qt / 0.5 liter bin (when there isn’t too much hairy detritus inside), it keeps the v10's battery permanently topped up, and it has a cupboard for storing the two main accessories it comes with — a mini motorized brush and a detail nozzle, with space for at least one extra accessory.
Dock aside, the real winner here is the light and compact v10 Konical, which sports an ample 150 air watts of suction power and comes with Dyson's latest twin cone-shaped brush head, with a laser-style light for illuminating the path ahead. This brush head is radically different to any other on the market and was developed with one sole aim: to reduce the amount of hair on the spindle. If you have hirsute pets in the home, a brush head like this could be a genuine hassle-saver.
If the idea of a monolithic self-emptying dock fails to tickle your fancy but you still like the idea of a compact stick vac with a unique, high-performance brush head, you'll be pleased to learn that both the V10 Konical and the Dyson Dok can be bought separately. I'll leave you to decide.
Dyson v10 Konical + Auto-empty Dok: price & availability- List price £569.99 / $649.99 / AU$999
- Launch date April 2026
- Availability UK, USA, Australia and most of Europe
The Dyson v10 Konical + Auto-empty Dok combo offers relatively decent value, but whether it can be considered excellent value depends on how much you appreciate its self-emptying system.
The v10 Konical itself is an extremely capable mid-range cordless vacuum with strong suction, thoughtful ergonomics and an innovative conical anti-tangle cleaner head. However, it's the bundled auto-empty Dok that sets this model apart, so if you vacuum frequently, have hairy pets or suffer from allergies, it could be considered a genuine quality-of-life improvement rather than just another gimmick.
The downside to this system is the price because you're ultimately paying a premium for convenience and buyers who don't mind manually emptying a dustbin may find better value in purchasing the v10 Konical on its own or opting for Dyson's standard v8 or v12 models, or even a raft of rival cordless vacuums from the likes of Shark, Samsung, Halo, Roborock and Tineco. These brands offer similar cleaning performance stats for less and, in some cases, quite a lot less.
If you live in the UK, you can purchase the Dyson v10 Konical + Auto-empty Dok direct from Dyson or Argos for £569.99 or, for an even better deal, head straight to John Lewis or AO, where it's selling for £549.99. If you don't fancy the Dok, you can also purchase the v10 Konical on its own from the aforementioned stores for £449.99.
If you're shopping in the USA, try Dyson direct where this package sells for $649.99. For some reason the full package is difficult to find beyond Dyson's US website but you can buy the v10 Konical unit as a separate entity from Walmart and Best Buy where it's selling for $399.99.
The combo has a list price of AU$999 in Australia,, but at the time of writing is discounted to AU$797 when bought directly from Dyson's online store.
- Value score: 3.5/5
Cordless/Wired?
Cordless
Weight (v10)
3.60lbs / 1.63kg
Dimensions (vacuum unit) (LxWxH)
13.79in/35cm x 5.11in/13cm x 7.87in/20cm
Dimensions (dock) (LxWxH)
47.24in/120cm x 7in/18cm x 6.69in/17cm
Bin size (vacuum) - bagless
0.52 qt / 0.5 liter
Bin size (dock) - bagged
2.64qt / 2.5 liters
Max runtime
A claimed 60 mins in Eco mode
Suction power
150 AW
Charge time
4 hours
Noise level
75 - 85dB
Tools
Detangling conical head, Mini Motorised Tool, Crevice tool
Dyson v10 Konical + Auto-empty Dok: design- Light and compact vac
- Impressive suction
- Overly tall and incongruous dock
I've tried both the Roborock H60 Hub Ultra and the Tineco Pure One Station and I can definitely see the appeal of having a cordless stick vac with its own dust-emptying station. Firstly, it's somewhere to store the vac while it's being charged but, more importantly, it negates the need for any any manual emptying of the vacuum cleaner's bin because the dock does it all for you. And that means no plumes of dust rising from the kitchen bin and coating your nostrils as the contents are ejected from the vac. It also means you won't have to reach for a damp kitchen towel to wipe down the lip of the bin every time you empty the vac's contents.
Instead, you wait a month or two — depending on how grubby your home is — and simply grab the sealed dust bag from the charging dock and drop it into the kitchen bin with no sign of dust at all. Aside from the cleanliness aspect, this is a great system for allergy sufferers because dust is kept to a bare minimum. However, the downside is that you will need to purchase more dust bags down the line and, as of writing, there's no mention of dust bags on the Dyson website. Just as well it comes with a spare.
Let's take a look at the vacuum unit first.
(Image credit: Future)v10 vac designConfusingly, the Dyson v10 Konical looks more like an evolution of the v8 Cyclone than a successor to the Cyclone v10. Instead of the horizontal inline motor-and-bin arrangement of the Cyclone v10, Dyson has adopted the more compact layout of the v8, with the motor and dustbin mounted vertically just in front of the trigger-less hand grip. It's a design that's noticeably shorter and easier to use with detail tools and, of course, it's much better suited to mounting the unit on its accompanying charging and self-emptying dock.
Interestingly, all three units boast the same suction power, namely 150 air watts. This figure is considerably lower than that of the popular v15 Detect (240AW) and way lower than the Gen5detect (280AW). Nevertheless, suction power isn't everything because the design of the brush head is arguably even more important, which I'll get to in a minute.
The v10 Konical's diminutive proportions make it feel exceptionally nimble. At just 3.60lbs/1.63kg, the hand unit weighs roughly the same as the v10 Cyclone and about 25g heavier than the v8. However, because its center of gravity sits closer to the user's hand, it produces less wrist fatigue when cleaning stairs and upholstery, or reaching into awkward spaces. In fact, I consider this model's weight to be right in the sweet spot for quick shifts around the house just before guests arrive.
(Image credit: Future)The Dyson Konical's brush head is one of this vac's most distinctive features since it replaces the conventional cylindrical roller with a tapered, conical design that's engineered to minimize hair wrap. Cast from shiny and very tough Polycarbonate-like plastic with stiff nylon bristles for beating dust out of carpet and a row of soft fluffy fibers to help protect delicate hard floors, this brush head is pretty radical but it works wonders on all floor types.
Yes, the tapered front end does make it trickier to run it head-on against skirting boards but then again you're better off using the side of the head and following the contours of the wall when collecting edge dust because there's plenty of suction between the end of the roller and the enclosed edge of the outer casing. However, I should point out that the raised center area of the brush head is taller than other models and that means it won’t go under some low furnishings.
Where most standard rollers use a comb system to mitigate hair wrap, this model's cone-shaped roller ensures that long hair naturally migrates towards the narrower end of the cone, where it's lifted away from the roller and fed directly into the dustbin. A couple of small combs fitted to the rear further help the process. The result is far less time spent cutting tangled hair from the brush, making it particularly useful in homes with shedding long-haired pets like golden retrievers and German shepherds.
(Image credit: Future)Beyond its anti-tangle credentials, the Konical's unique brush head performs extremely well across a variety of floor types. It transitions smoothly between hard flooring and deep-pile carpets, and sweeps up both fine dust and larger debris with aplomb. The head is also surprisingly maneuverable, pivoting easily around furniture legs and into tighter spaces. And for those who have trouble seeing the state of the floor, this model is equipped with Dyson's laser-like green beam, which illuminates the path ahead in amazing detail, especially on hard floors.
The Dyson V10 Konical's 0.52 qt (0.5 liter) cyclone bin system offers the best of both worlds: it can be emptied manually using Dyson's familiar point-and-shoot mechanism or you can place the vacuum on the Konical Auto-empty Dok and leave it to be automatically emptied into the dock's large disposable dust bag.
(Image credit: Future)Unlike many earlier Dyson cordless vacuums, the V10 Konical dispenses with the company's long-standing trigger-operated power switch in favor of a simple on/off button. It's a welcome change that eliminates finger fatigue during longer cleaning sessions. Meanwhile, three selectable suction levels — Eco, Medium and Max — allow you to balance cleaning performance against battery life, with the lowest settings suited to everyday dust collection on hard flooring and Max mode reserved for carpets, larger debris and more demanding cleaning tasks.
Rather disappointingly for a modern vac in this high price band, the v10 Konical lacks an automatic dust sensor to boost motor power when moving the head over particularly grubby areas. For that type of scenario you will need to switch to Medium or Max mode manually.
(Image credit: Future)You get two cleanable HEPA filters with this model, one at the top of the hand unit and the other to the rear. Combined, these filters provide Dyson's "five-stage filtration that captures 99.99% of microscopic particles as small as 0.1 microns". Par for the course.
Regarding this model's battery life, Dyson's states a running time of up to 60 minutes, but this is when it's used in Eco mode on hard floor. However, as my results show in the Performance chapter below, this little cleaning tyke punches way above its weight when it comes to running times. Also, the battery is thankfully swappable so it's worth investing in another if your abode is on the larger side.
As you'd expect for a Dyson product, build quality is exemplary. The plastics feel dense and precisely moulded, every attachment clicks confidently into place and there are no obvious compromises despite the machine's relatively compact dimensions. In the pantheon of compact cordless stick vacs, this one is as close to perfection as it gets.
Score ref: 4.5/5
Dock designThe new Dyson v10 Konical + Auto-empty Dok is an unusual double act in the world of vacuum cleaners because its tall-standing dock not only charges the small and perfectly-formed v10 Konical hand unit, but it also empties the contents of the vac's small bagless bin into a much larger sealed 2.64qt (2.5 liters) dust bag which can be thrown away after a month or two of use. Wahey, no more flicking latches, or plumes of dust wafting into your face every time you visit the kitchen bin.
Before we discuss the technical elements of this dock, let's first address the elephant in the room. At 47.24 x 7 x 6.69i inches (120 x 18 x 17cm) this dock is ridiculously tall and the first inkling you get of its size is when the enormous box arrives on your doorstep — so huge, you may genuinely wonder whether you'd accidentally ordered a build-it-yourself aircraft instead of a simple vacuum cleaner.
After much rummaging through piles of cardboard packaging (no plastics or styrofoam here), I soon had the whole system installed under my stairs — the only space I could find short of rearranging the utility room where it ultimately belongs.
The first thing I noticed is that the dock itself isn't especially heavy, which means you will need to support it with the other hand when pushing the spring-loaded side door to access the two hand tools it comes with: a mini motorized brush and a detail nozzle. There's also a C-clip for holding a third accessory so I raided my Gen5detect collection of tools and attached Dyson's handy soft brush which I think is one of the best tools for cleaning shelves, computer keyboards, etc. Just below is a second cupboard for the Dok's disposable dust bag.
(Image credit: Future)The Dyson Dok's interface is completely different from those adopted by Roborock and Tineco. With those brands you simply drop the hand unit's bin section into the top of the dock for automatic emptying, charging and storage. Conversely, the design of the v10 Konical's hand unit — and specifically its bin — requires attaching it to the dock from beneath by inserting the battery section into a swing-out portal and pushing the hand unit firmly into the circular suction housing. Granted, it's not as intuitive a mounting system as the Roborock and Tineco method but, despite its height, I think the complete package is more aesthetically pleasing to look at when everything's in situ.
Regarding the bin-emptying process, the moment you push the hand unit into the housing, the suction kicks in and stays on for 30 seconds. You can easily halt the suction process by pressing the red 'stop' button located close by.
(Image credit: Future)Despite some shortcomings — especially the occasional times when it has failed to empty the v10’s bin because it was too clogged with hair — I've grown to like this new Dyson Dok. Yes, it's very tall but then it's also quite slim and the black colorway means it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb unless placed in a living room against a white wall.
If you have mostly hard floors or carpets that don’t shed fibers, I happen to think it's worth the extra it adds to the cost of purchasing the v10 Konical, mostly because I don't miss the hassle of regularly returning to the kitchen bin to manually empty the contents of the v10's bin or wrestling with a wall-mounted charging bracket.
Score ref: 3.5/5
- Design score: 4/5
- Excellent all-floor vacuum performance
- Genuinely tangle-free roller
- Dock struggles with compacted hair
As usual, for my vacuum tests I selected a range of obstreperous ingredients — oats, muesli, rice, flour and loosely broken cornflakes — and sprinkled them over the wooden floor of my kitchen and a rug in the living room.
From my own robot vacuuming experience I've found that cotton strands from my wife's sewing room are among the worst things for a vacuum cleaner to deal with, so I also scattered some strands of cotton on the carpet to see how effectively the cone-shaped brush head was at clearing them. I also ran a battery test to see how long the v10 Konical ran in Medium mode on carpet before the battery gave up the ghost.
Here are my results…
(Image credit: Future)The first thing I did was scatter some cotton threads of different lengths over a carpeted rug. Cotton strands are notorious for wrapping around brush heads so I was eager to see how well Dyson's R&D department had nailed this conundrum.
Since the Dyson's Konical head doesn't have thin rubber paddles that tear very easily when tightly wrapped in cotton I was really gunning for a successful outcome and I couldn't have been more amazed by the results because, despite a surfeit of cotton pieces on the carpet, not one of them tangled around the roller. If you have a sewing room this is unequivocally the best vacuum cleaner for you.
(Image credit: Future)I then proceeded with the detritus tests, first using the aforementioned ingredients on my kitchen floor. I have no anomalies to report here because if deftly collected almost everything in its path in a single sweep. All I had to do was run a few more passes to collect the rest to either side and few quick whizzes along the outer edges to pick up some of the rice that had been inevitably scattered.
(Image credit: Future)My second test was much the same, only on a rug. Again the v10 Konical collected most of the debris on its first pass followed by a few extra passes to collect the rest. Although not as immediately successful as the hard floor test, it was good enough for me.
I personally think this little vac is a five-star performer when it comes to any type of flooring because I also used it on an old carpet upstairs that sheds a lot of fibers and a very deep-pile shaggy carpet in the guest room. It never bogged down once on the deep pile, even when in Medium mode; something that often occurs with my Gen5detect.
(Image credit: Future)However, the same level of success can't be said for the Dyson Dok because I've had two instances when the dock’s suction has failed to empty the contents of the hand unit — even after two 30-second attempts. I put this down to the state of my carpets that are shedding a ton of fibers, along with insurmountable levels of labrador hair. On the plus side, the dock has successfully emptied the v10's bin every time it's been used on hard floor and, likewise, both emptying sessions after the above tests. Nevertheless, I still think prospective buyers should be aware if they have a lot of older carpet and shedding pets.
For my battery test I put the v10 Konical into Medium mode – my favorite setting – and set it up on a carpet using the Konical head for maximum brush resistance. I then left it to run until the battery gave out. After an impressive 21 minutes and 30 seconds of continual running, the battery suddenly died, and at no time did I hear anything to suggest that the motor power was fading. It just kept going at the same speed and frequency before suddenly shutting off. That's a resoundingly good result for a compact unit of this weight and size, and I'm pretty convinced it would go on running for the full stated 60 minutes when in Eco mode.
(Image credit: Future)Final thoughts? While I think the v10 Konical is a sterling lightweight stick vac for both day-to-day and intensive use, the jury's still out on the Dyson Dok, which is not only exceedingly tall and incongruous but not especially functional when faced with large amounts of compacted hair and fibers.
- Performance score: 4/5
Section
Notes
Score
Value for money
Premium price, but the self-emptying dock does add convenience. I just wish it wasn't so tall.
3.5/5
Design
Smartly engineered, v8-inspired styling delivers excellent balance, usability and innovative dust disposal.
4/5
Performance
Powerful cleaning performance with smooth handling, effective suction and impressive anti-tangle technology. But the dock’s nowhere near perfect
4/5
Average rating
4/5
Buy it ifYou have shedding pets
The v10 Konical is an excellent cordless stick vac that performs exceptionally well with pet hair
You're not keen on manually emptying a bin
While not 100% effective, the Dyson Dok is still a worthwhile addition for clean, dust-free emptying
You're not as fit as you used to be
The v10 Konical is one of the lightest and easiest-to-use stick vacs on the market
Don't buy it ifYou don't have space for a highly visible dock
The whole package is highly visible and impossible to ignore
You're not very tech minded
The Dok interface adds an extra learning curve for those who are not physics minded
You are on a tight budget
Dyson products are always priced at a premium
How I tested the Dyson v10 Konical + Auto-empty Dok(Image credit: Future)We tech journos engage in a lot of rigmarole so you don't have to. Hence, we push the products we test to the limits of their functionality. In the pantheon of cordless stick vacs, this means creating a series of worst-case scenarios to see how well the product performs when faced with more debris than it would normally encounter.
We also test battery running times and evaluate the product's ease of use during day-to-day cleaning scenarios. We then studiously consider the amount of stars the product is worth before sending the review out into the world.
First reviewed August 2026
- Don't like the camera bump on your foldable? Take it off
- That's what one Redditor has done with their Galaxy Z Fold 8
- It now lies flat — but the selfie camera is the only camera left
How far would you go to get one of the best foldable phones looking and working exactly the way you want it? One Samsung user has taken the drastic step of cutting off the rear camera module on their new Galaxy Z Fold 8, just so it'll lie perfectly flat when placed on a surface.
The unusual DIY hack is documented on Reddit, and has been met with one or two raised eyebrows. Apparently, the owner of the phone used a razor blade to perform the operation, and says the end result is "not bad".
"The wobble is so annoying and I never use [the cameras] anyways" was the reason given by the user, when asked what prompted the customization — and they don't appear to have any regrets about what they've done.
Our Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 review doesn't mention the camera bump as being a particularly egregious problem, but we do have some praise for the performance of the dual-lens camera on the back — so it seems a shame, and a little drastic, to remove them.
A job well doneI took the cameras off of my fold 8 from r/GalaxyFoldThe reactions in the original Reddit thread are mostly of disbelief that someone would go to these lengths just to get a phone to lie flat, while taking away their ability to capture photos and videos at the same time.
Amidst a lot of well-chosen GIFs, there are comments like "no amount of explanation justifies it" and "what a mad man", as well as some appreciation for a tech-hack that seems to have been well done, based on the photo evidence.
There's also one request for more information from another Redditor who wants to do the same to their own Galaxy Z Fold 8 — perhaps an indication that the wobble you get when the handset lies flat is annoying quite a few users.
Samsung launched the phone on July 22, and the starting price is $1,899 / £1,699 / AU$2,699. It launched alongside the slightly more expensive Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and the more affordable Galaxy Z Flip 8.
- Deep Orange 17 is claimed to generate more electricity than it uses
- The BMW-backed project uses 1,700 photovoltaic cells
- The prototype is based on an average 12-mile daily commute
A team from Clemson University in South Carolina has produced a small, lightweight electric vehicle that it says can generate more energy than it uses over a typical day of urban driving.
Dubbed the Deep Orange 17, the boxy prototype, which looks a little like a butchered Tesla Cybertruck if you squint hard enough, was fitted with more than 1,700 photovoltaic cells that can produce enough charge to power a typical 12-mile daily commute.
The fully functional vehicle weighs just 1,212lbs / 550kg, and is predominantly made from aluminum, carbon fiber and 3D-printed metal joints, which are all wrapped around a steel structure.
Its boxy shape has been designed so the photovoltaic panels can be positioned to maximize their exposure to the sun when the vehicle on the move, when parked, and even when stuck in traffic.
(Image credit: BMW/Clemson University)Developed in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Freiburg, Germany, the solar panels use an innovative construction that continues generating power even when portions of the panels are shaded. The orange coating is part of a durable film that helps protect them.
According to BMW, which is backing the project, the cells generate enough energy on a sunny day to power the tiny EV for up to 31 miles. That means it can generate more than twice the energy it needs to complete the low-mileage average daily commute touted by its makers.
While most of the energy comes from the photovoltaic panels, the team of 16 engineers also integrated regenerative braking and drew inspiration for the exterior from the aerodynamic characteristics of the boxfish, whose streamlined body naturally reduces drag while maintaining interior volume, apparently.
Surprisingly, the project doesn’t feature a spartan prototype interior. It's been fitted with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as digital dials that offer real-time vehicle telemetry and readouts on solar power generation.
Analysis: inspiring the next generation(Image credit: BMW/Clemson University)Project manager Anshul Karn explained that it's rare for a master’s student to have the opportunity to experience the complete process of developing a prototype vehicle — and this is exactly what Deep Orange is designed for.
Of course, we aren’t going to suddenly see BMW put this into production, but EV manufacturers are already toying with the idea of solar panels as a way of extending the range of electric vehicles.
Nissan, for example, fitted an Ariya model with 3.8 square meters of custom solar panels earlier this year that could add 23km (around 14 miles) of additional range on a bright, sunny day.
Back in 2019, Hyundai became the first manufacturer to launch a car with a solar roof charging system when it added the tech to its Sonata Hybrid, while the Ioniq 5 was available in some markets with a solar charging roof.
Right now, the technology is expensive given the limited amount of range it can provide, but projects like Deep Orange could go on to influence smaller, lightweight urban transport that could easily harness the power of the sun for 'free' energy.
Budget earbuds don't get much better than this: both in terms of quality and value for money. That's what makes it so easy to recommend the Sony WF-C510 Earbuds at Amazon for £34.99 (was £54.99).
You'd usually expect to make a handful of serious compromises when buying such a cheap pair of earbuds, but the Sony WF-C510 offer a surprising amount for such a low price. Audio is punchy, the fit is comfy, and the battery life impresses. For £35, you can't really ask for more.
Yes, there are a couple of features that it's a shame to miss out on, especially active noise cancellation, but that's to be expected when dealing with budget buds. Premium features like this aren't always necessary if you want a quality pair of affordable earbuds to listen to music or enjoy streaming videos — and that's where the Sony WF-C510 excel.
Buy the Sony WF-C510 at AmazonWe already called the new version of these popular cheap earbuds 'great value for money' in our Sony WF-C510 review – and that was at the full asking price. At under £35, I think they're an absolute steal. Yes, 20 hours of battery can be bettered — but 10 hours from the buds alone certainly can't at this price point. They're also light and comfortable, providing an exciting, musical sound that also beats the latest AirPods.View Deal
Our 4.5-star review of the Sony WF-510 goes into more detail on what makes them such a good pair of budget-friendly earbuds. In fact, we were so impressed with them that we'd even recommend them over the much pricier Apple AirPods.
These are cheap earbuds that still offer a bold and vibrant sound. Of course, the bass won't be as strong as that of more premium options or over-ear alternatives, but you still get solid overall quality for the price.
If there's anything against them, it's that regular commuters or those who like to focus up when working in a noisy office might miss the active noise cancellation. If that's not going to be an issue for you, though, then the Sony WF-510 are easily some of the best cheap earbuds you can buy while they're down to this super-low sale price.
- Kimsuky used local AI tools to evade monitoring and enhance operations
- Researchers observed extensive AI-driven capability building across the group’s infrastructure
- Defenders urged behavior-based detection to spot evolving AI-enabled threats
North Korean hackers have found a way to use Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) to supercharge their activities without tipping off the tool’s maintainers.
When people use AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude, their activities can be (at least to some extent) tracked and curbed - with OpenAI recently identifying and terminating multiple ChatGPT accounts used in phishing and human trafficking.
That is why Kimsuky - a known state-sponsored North Korean threat actor, used Ollama, GPT4All and Msty locally, allowing them to process documents without sending any sensitive information to outside AI services.
"Consistent process of capability development"The attacks were spotted by security researchers Genians who “conducted months of tracking and log analysis on the infrastructure utilized as C2 in this campaign,” to identify the tools they used.
Aside from the three LLMs, they also used retrieval augmented generation (RAG) tools for document search, as well as AI agent development frameworks, text-to-speech software, and an AI-assisted coding tool called Cursor.
Using AI to write malicious code is not as simple as it sounds, due to various guardrails set up by the developers. As a result, AI in crime has been mostly limited to drafting phishing emails and crafting authentic-looking but malicious landing pages. However, Kimsuky has shown that AI in cybercrime continues to evolve and is becoming an ever-greater threat.
“What was observed in the threat actor's infrastructure was not merely evidence of several documents being created with AI, but a consistent process of capability development: establishing local LLM runtime environments, configuring RAG based on documents in the actor's possession, collecting AI agent development frameworks, and acquiring libraries for integration with external commercial AI services,” Genians concluded.
As a result, defenders must move from content-based assessment to behavior-based detection, the researchers warned, saying this should serve “as the fundamental premise of security recommendations.”
“In addition to indicator of compromise (IoC)-based detection, organizations should contextually correlate the sequence of anomalous activities following LNK execution, including PowerShell execution, persistence establishment, and external communications, to assess the overall threat level.”


