Dave Portnoy recently reviewed the pizza at Casa Bella Italian Kitchen & Bar in Hampden, Massachusetts.Google Maps Street View
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy is once again making his rounds through Massachusetts as part of his One Bite Pizza Reviews, bestowing high praise on one Western Mass. spot in the process.
The pizza aficionado tried Casa Bella Italian Kitchen & Bar in Hampden for his review that was published on Monday, July 7. Before he could even get a pie, Portnoy was immediately impressed with how busy the restaurant was on a weekday.
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It’s 2025, and cell phone numbers are ubiquitous. We use our phone numbers to sign up for websites and online services, from retail and banking to social media and health providers. You can use your phone number to reset a forgotten password, and even for receiving two-factor authentication codes for securely logging in to your accounts.
But if someone can steal your phone number, they can effectively become you.
With your phone number, a hacker can start gaining access to your online accounts, and even trick automated systems into thinking they are you when calling customer service. A hijacked phone number can sometimes be used to access a company’s network as if they were that employee, allowing access to sensitive files and data.
This is all the more reason to proactively protect your phone number from SIM swapping, a type of cyberattack that involves a hacker hijacking a victim’s phone number. The good news is that it’s easier than it’s ever been to lock down your number.
SIM swapping attacks usually happen when a malicious hacker calls up a cell carrier impersonating a specific customer. This hacker would use information they found online, such as a customer’s name and date of birth, and then ask a customer support representative to transfer or “port out” that number to a different SIM card or carrier. As soon as that process completes, the person’s phone number will activate on a SIM card or phone controlled by the hacker, allowing them to make calls and send and receive text messages as if they were the person they just hacked.
Oftentimes, the only sign that this has happened is if the victim suddenly loses cell service for seemingly no reason.
SIM swap attacks exploit a weakness in the security controls within a cell providers’ internal systems that let support representatives make changes to customer accounts without necessarily getting the customer’s express permission.
To combat these kinds of impersonation and deception tactics, known as social engineering attacks, three major phone carriers in the United States — AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon — have introduced security features that make it more difficult for malicious hackers to deceptively get a customer’s account changed, such as porting out their phone number.
Take a minute or two to check your phone carrier’s account; these features are often not publicized very well and may not be enabled by default.
AT&T
In July, AT&T introduced its free Wireless Account Lock security feature to help prevent SIM swaps. The feature allows AT&T customers to add extra account protection by toggling on a setting that prevents anyone from moving a SIM card or phone number to another device or account. The feature can be switched on via AT&T’s app or through its online account portal by anyone who manages the account, so make sure that account is protected with a unique password and multi-factor authentication.
T-Mobile
T-Mobile allows customers to prevent SIM swaps and block unauthorized number port outs for free through their T-Mobile online account. The primary account holder will have to log in to change to the setting, such as switching it on or off.
Verizon
Verizon has two security features called SIM Protection and Number Lock, which respectively prevent SIM swaps and phone number transfers. Both of these features can be turned on via the Verizon app and through the online account portal by an account’s owner or manager. Verizon says that switching off the feature may result in a 15-minute delay before any transactions can be performed — another safeguard to allow the legitimate account holder to reverse any account changes.
Finding the best smart scale isn’t just about tracking your weight anymore. Today’s smart bathroom scales do much more than older analog or digital models — they can give you detailed body composition measurements, track trends over time and sync effortlessly with health apps on your phone. Whether you’re starting a new fitness routine or just want to stay informed about your health, a good weight scale can be a surprisingly useful tool.
Many of the top models now include sleek features like color displays and multiple user profiles, and track metrics like BMI, muscle mass and heart rate. Some even double as a body fat scale, giving you a broader picture of your overall wellness. In this guide, we’ve tested and reviewed several options to help you find your top pick — from budget-friendly basics to more advanced connected scales that fit seamlessly into your daily routine.
Table of contents
Smart scale safety
There are valid reasons to weigh yourself but your self-worth shouldn’t be defined by what number shows up between your feet. If you’re looking to alter your body shape, that figure could go up as your waistline goes down since muscle weighs more than fat.
Some scales go further by providing additional metrics like visceral fat levels, giving you a more comprehensive picture of your health. Dr. Anne Swift, Director of Public Health teaching at the University of Cambridge, said “weighing yourself too often can result in [you] becoming fixated on small fluctuations day-to-day rather than the overall trend over time.” Swift added “it’s sometimes better to focus on how clothes fit, or how you feel, rather than your weight.”
A meta-analysis from 2016 found there may be some negative psychological impact from self weighing. A 2018 study, however, said there may be a positive correlation between regular weigh-ins and accelerated weight loss. It can be a minefield and I’d urge you to take real care of yourself and remember success won’t happen overnight.
There are plenty of good budget scales out there, with Xiaomi and Fitbit offering very different products for very little money. Fitbit’s scale has far fewer features but has better build quality and is faster and more reliable than its even-cheaper rival. Crucially, it also leverages the Fitbit app, which is refined and easy-to-use, offering clean and easy to understand visualizations of your weight measurements.
Xiaomi, meanwhile, offers your weight and body composition data,but much of that is only seen inside the app. From a data perspective, Xiaomi has the edge but its companion app is terrible. The lag time for each weigh-in, too, leaves a lot to be desired with the Xiaomi, even if I had no qualms about its accuracy.
One of my nan’s favorite sayings was “you can either have a first class walk or a third class ride.” Fitbit’s scale is the very definition of a first class walk, polished, snappy with a great app but otherwise pretty limited. Xiaomi, meanwhile, charges less and offers more for your money but both the hardware and software lack any sort of polish. It’s up to you, but this is one of those rare occasions where I’d prefer the first class walk to the third class ride.
Display type: LCD | Wi-Fi connectivity: Yes | App connectivity: Yes, syncs with Apple Health, Google Fit, or Fitbit | Length: 12.8 inches | Width: 12.8 inches | Number of profiles: Unlimited
This slot was previously occupied by Eufy’s last smart scale, the P2 Pro, so it’s little surprise its successor replaces it here. The company’s strategy remains the same: Throw as many features into the P3 smart scale as possible to ensure competitors are beaten on specs alone. It’s easy enough to use, and offers a whole host of data to better help you understand your body composition.
The P3 will measure your weight, body fat, muscle mass, heart rate, water, bone mass and your protein levels. It promises to calculate your basal metabolic rate, the number of calories you need to maintain a constant weight. There’s a gorgeous and clear-to-read color screen that lays out all your stats after you’ve weighed in, including trend graphs annotated with emojis.
A downside of this all-but-the-kitchen-sink approach is the lack of polish, cohesion and user friendliness. For instance, if multiple people in your home have similar weights, then you may need to tap the right quadrant of the scale to switch profile. That’s quite easy, or would be, if the selection window didn’t zoom by faster than the time it takes to lift your toes up and down.
It’s also a little unforgiving, nagging you at every weigh in with an orange angry emoji if you gain weight, even if the overall trend is positive. The inverse is also true — during testing, my kids somehow managed to get their joint weight registered under my name. But despite losing half of my body weight overnight, it did nothing but make my 3D avatar look gaunt.
If you’re prepared to accept the lack of polish to get ahold of the raw features, then Eufy’s latest scale is a solid option. You’re not likely to find anything that’s as similarly affordable and useful in this price range, especially given Eufy’s propensity for deep discounts.
I’m partial to Garmin’s Index S2, but it’s the sort of scale that needs to be used by people who know what they’re doing. Everything about the hardware is spot-on, and the only fly in its ointment is the low refresh rate on its color screen. I can’t say how upsetting it is to see the screen refresh in such a laggy, unpolished manner, especially when you’re spending this much money. But that is my only complaint, with accurate and detailed readings, including your body water percentage. If you’re looking to set goals to alter your body shape, this isn’t the scale for you — it’s the scale you buy once you calculate your BMR on a daily basis.
Display type: LCD | Wi-Fi connectivity: Yes | App connectivity: Yes, syncs with Apple Health and Google Fit | Length: 12.7 inches | Width: 12.7 inches | Number of profiles: 8
If you’re looking for a machine catering to your every whim, then Withings’ Body Comp is the way forward. It’s a luxury scale in every sense of the word, and you should appreciate the level of polish and technology on show here. Withings health app remains best in class, and I love how effortless the whole thing is to use on a daily basis. It’s a lot more expensive than the rest since it does so much more, like checking your nerve and arterial health. The retail price is a bit steep, but it’s one of those moments where you get exactly what you pay for.
Pros
Good build quality
Excellent software support with Withings app
In-depth health tracking, including data on nerve and artery heatlh
A scale that measures weight is probably the top requirement, right? Whether you’re after a basic weight scale or a full-featured body fat scale, bear in mind, with all these measurements, the readings won’t be as accurate as a calibrated clinical scale. It’s better to focus on the overall trend, up or down over time, rather than a single measurement in isolation. Scales offering high-precision measurements can help, especially if you’re looking at the data to inform a specific health or fitness goal.
Connectivity
Before you buy your scale, work out how you’re planning on weighing yourself and when, as it is an issue. Some lower-end smart bathroom scales connect via Bluetooth and have no internal storage, so if you don’t have your phone to hand, it won’t record your weight. If your scale has Wi-Fi, then your scale can post the data to a server, letting you access them from any compatible device. Also, you should be mindful that some smart scales aren’t built with security in mind, so there’s a small risk to your privacy should your scale be compromised.
Bone density
The stronger your bones are, the less risk you have of breaks and osteoporosis — common concerns as you get older. Clinical bone density tests use low-power x-rays and some scales can offer you an at-home approximation. These bone mass tests pass a small electrical current through your feet, measuring the resistance as it completes its journey. The resistance offered by bones, fat and muscle are all different, letting your scale identify the difference. A body composition monitor often includes this feature, too, providing a detailed breakdown of bone density, fat and muscle mass.
Body fat percentage and muscle mass
Fat and muscle are necessary parts of our makeup, but too much of either can be problematic. Much like bone density, a body composition measurement feature can monitor your body fat and muscle mass percentages using Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA). This measurement tests how well your body resists an electrical signal passing through your body. (It’s a rough rule of thumb you should have a 30/70 percent split between fat and muscle, but please consult a medical professional for figures specific to your own body and medical needs.) For those with specific athletic goals, smart scales offer an athlete mode to better tailor readings for accuracy. If body fat monitoring is a priority, look for a model marketed as a body fat scale.
BMI
A lot of scales offer a BMI calculation, and it’s easy to do since you just plot height and weight on a set graph line. Body Mass Index is, however, a problematic measurement that its critics say is both overly simplistic and often greatly misleading. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the most common clinical body metrics and medical professionals will use it to make judgements about your care.
Pulse Wave Velocity
French health-tech company Withings has offered Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV) on its flagship scale for some time, although regulatory concerns meant it was withdrawn for a period. It’s a measurement of arterial stiffness, which acts as a marker both of cardiovascular risk and other health conditions. For those looking for an even deeper understanding of their health, some scales now offer a body scan, which provides more advanced metrics such as segmental body composition and vascular health insights.
Wearables and integration
Pairing your smart scale with wearables like fitness trackers or smartwatches can further enhance your health-tracking ecosystem. Many smart scales sync directly with platforms like Fitbit or Apple Health, making it easier to track trends and analyze your data in one place.
Display
Less a specification and more a note: Smart bathroom scales have displays ranging from pre-printed LCDs or digital dot matrix layouts through to color display screens. On the high end, your scale display can show you trending charts for your weight and other vital statistics, and can even tell you the day’s weather. If you are short-sighted, and plan on weighing yourself first thing in the morning, before you’ve found your glasses or contacts, opt for a big, clear, high-contrast display.
App and subscriptions
You’ll spend most of your time looking at your health data through its companion scales app, and it’s vital you get a good one. This includes a clear, clean layout with powerful tools to visualize your progress and analyze your data to look for places you can improve. Given that you often don’t need to buy anything before trying the app, it’s worth testing one or two to see if you vibe with it. It’s also important you check app compatibility before making your purchase. Some health apps will only work with iOS or Android — not both. Apple Watch connectivity can also be a bonus for tracking workouts and health metrics seamlessly. Several companies also offer premium subscriptions, unlocking other features – including insights and coaching – to go along with your hardware.
Data portability
Using the same scale or app platform for years at a time means you’ll build up a massive trove of personal data. And it is (or should be), your right to take that data to another provider if you choose to move platforms in the future. Data portability is, however, a minefield, with different platforms offering wildly different options, making it easy (or hard) to go elsewhere.
All of the devices in this round-up will allow you to export your data to a .CSV file, which you can then do with as you wish. Importing this information is trickier, with Withings and Garmin allowing it, and Omron, Xiaomi, Eufy and Fitbit not making it that easy. (Apps that engage with Apple Health, meanwhile, can output all of your health data in a .XML file.)
Power
It’s not a huge issue but one worth bearing in mind that each scale will either run disposable batteries (most commonly 4xAAA) or with its own, built-in battery pack. Either choice adds an environmental and financial cost to your scale’s life — either with regular purchases of fresh cells or the potential for the whole unit to become waste when the battery pack fails.
How we tested and which smart scales we tested
For this guide, I tested six scales from major manufacturers:
Mi (Xiaomi) Body Composition Scale 2
Our cheapest model, Xiaomi / Mi’s Body Composition Scale 2 is as bare-bones as you can get, and it shows. It often takes a long while to lock on to get your body weight, and when it does you’ll have to delve into the Zepp Life-branded scales app in order to look at your extra data. But you can’t fault it for the basics, offering limited (but accurate) weight measurements and body composition for less than the price of a McDonald’s for four.
Fitbit, now part of Google, is the household name for fitness trackers and smartwatches in the US, right? If not, then it must be at least halfway synonymous with it. The Aria Air is the company’s stripped-to-the-bare bones scale, offering your weight and a few other health metrics, but you can trust that Fitbit got the basics right. Not to mention that most of the reason for buying a Fitbit product is to leverage its fitness app anyway.
Eufy’s Smart Scale P2 Pro has plenty of things to commend it – the price, the overall look and feel (it’s a snazzy piece of kit) and what it offers. It offers a whole host of in-depth functionality, including Body Fat, Muscle Mass, Water Weight, Body Fat Mass and Bone Mass measurements, as well as calculating things like your Heart Rate and Basal Metabolic Rate (the amount of calories you need to eat a day to not change weight at all) all from inside its app. In fact, buried beneath the friendly graphic, the scale offers a big pile of stats and data that should, I think, give you more than a little coaching on how to improve your overall health.
It’s worth noting that Anker – Eufy’s parent company – was identified as having misled users, and the media, about the security of its products a few years back. Its Eufy-branded security cameras, which the company says does not broadcast video outside of your local network, was found to be allowing third parties to access streams online. Consequently, while we have praised the Eufy Smart Scale for its own features, we cannot recommend it without a big caveat.
Given its role in making actual medical devices, you know what you’re getting with an Omron product. A solid, reliable, sturdy, strong (checks the dictionary for more synonyms) dependable piece of kit. There’s no romance or excitement on show, but you can trust that however joyless it may be, it’ll do the job in question and will be user-friendly. The hardware is limited, the app is limited, but it certainly (checks synonyms again) is steady.
Joking aside, Omron’s Connect app is as bare-bones as you can get, since it acts as an interface for so many of its products. Scroll over to the Weight page, and you’ll get your weight and BMI reading, and if you’ve set a fitness goal, you can see how far you’ve got to go to reach it. You can also switch to seeing a trend graph which, again, offers the most basic visualization of your workouts and progress.
Garmin’s got a pretty massive fitness ecosystem of its own, so if you’re already part of that world, its smart scale is a no-brainer. On one hand, the scale is one of the easiest to use, and most luxurious of the bunch, with its color screen and sleek design. I’m also a big fan of the wealth of data and different metrics the scale throws at you – you can see a full color graph charting your weight measurements and goal progress, and the various metrics it tracks in good detail. If there’s a downside, it’s that Garmin’s setup won’t hold your hand, since it’s for serious fitness people, not newbies.
At the highest end, Withings’ flagship Body Comp is luxurious, and luxuriously priced, a figure I’d consider to be “too much” to spend on a bathroom scale. For your money, however, you’ll get a fairly comprehensive rundown of body composition metrics including your weight, body fat percentage, vascular age, pulse wave velocity and electrodermal activity. Its monochrome dot matrix display may not be as swish as the Garmin’s, but it refreshes pretty quickly and feels very in-keeping with the hardware’s overall sleek look.
If you want to flaunt your cash, you don’t buy a car, you buy a supercar, or a hypercar if you’re flush enough. What then, do we call Withings’ $400 Body Scan if not a super-smart scale, or a hyper-smart scale? As well as doing everything the Body Comp does, plus running a six-lead ECG, segmented body composition, and will even check for neuropathy in your feet. It is the best scale I’ve ever used, it is also the most expensive, and I suspect it’s too much device for almost everyone who’d consider buying one.
Smart scales FAQs
What’s the difference between a smart scale and a regular scale?
A regular scale is pretty straightforward — it tells you how much you weigh, and that’s usually it. A smart scale, on the other hand, does much more. Not only does it give you your weight measurements, but it can also track things like your body fat percentage, muscle mass, and even your BMI. Some smart scales even monitor more advanced metrics like bone density, depending on the model.
What’s even better is that smart scales sync with scales apps on your phone using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, so you can see all your health data in one place. This lets you monitor trends over time, like if your muscle mass is increasing or your body fat percentage decreasing.
How do smart scales work with more than one person using it?
When more than one person in a household uses the smart scale, it usually recognizes each person by their weight range and other body measurements (like body fat percentage). Most smart scales allow you to set up individual profiles in the companion app, and once your profile is linked, the scale can automatically figure out who’s standing on it.
Let’s say you and a family member have fairly different weights — the scale will easily know who’s who based on that. But if you and someone else have similar weights, it might ask you to confirm the profile on your phone after the weigh-in. Some scales even let you assign a profile manually in the scales app if it’s not sure.
It seems that Samsung is building out a new alternative to Android Auto called “Auto DeX” which supports a car-optimized UI, and might even work when your car doesn’t support it.
It was shown earlier this year that “Samsung Auto” exists for certain markets, primarily China, as an alternative to Android Auto. But, apparently, Samsung has another option in the works.
Self-proclaimed “One UI geek” @GalaxyTechie discovered a new feature in Samsung’s software called “Auto DeX.” The feature is said to support “8,500+ car models” from over one hundred brands and has an Android Auto/CarPlay-like UI. There’s a central dashboard that seems to show a map with a music playlist shortcut to the right side above a music control widget. To the far left, a vertical taskbar shows the time, a list of apps, and an app drawer shortcut. Apps shown include Bixby, a map app, a music app, and Samsung’s Phone app.
Notably, the screenshot also shows a second taskbar at the bottom of the screen with Samsung’s three-button navigation. Presumably, that maty have something to do with the mention that Galaxy Techie claims you can use “Auto DeX” “with some tricks” on your phone even if your car doesn’t support it or if you “don’t have a car.”
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There are a lot of questions around this, including when such a feature would debut, where it would be available, and what kind of app support it would have. But, assuming we’re reading this right and you can run this on your phone’s display, this would be a welcome replacement for the “Android Auto for Phone Screens” experience that Google shut down a few years ago.
With One UI 8 in the works and set to debut on Samsung’s new foldables this week, that seems like a great potential launchpad, but we’ll have to wait and see. Galaxy Techie teases that there might be more in the pipeline regarding this feature, so we’ll certainly be keeping an eye out for more.
What do you think of “Auto Dex” based on this first peek?
Dear Eric: My sister and brother-in-law live a couple of hours away. My wife and I get along with them but are not close, and we try to make an effort to see them when we are nearby (a couple times a year). We have a pre-school-age child, while they do not have kids. They are kind and generous to our child when they see him and bring him gifts from their travels when they do see him.
Our son has no cousins or family members that are close in age to him, so we try to encourage strong relationships with the adults around him. Recently, we didn’t answer our door when our family members dropped by, unannounced. We were in the backyard. They deposited some nice gifts by the front door and left, sending a text message of regret.
On its face, this gesture is considerate and appropriate. But we were truly disappointed. We don’t want our son to receive random gifts and material objects; we want him to know his aunt and uncle, have a bond with them, and associate any material gifts with them and their love. Our relatives have done this more than twice, so it’s a pattern.
It’s hard to know how to tell them that their kind gesture fell very short with us. Had they given us 15 minutes’ advance notice (or even called while on the doorstep), we could have seen them. Every response I imagine sounds ungrateful for their gifts. Is it too much to ask them to spend a little time with their nephew?
—Time Is Better Than Gifts
Dear Time: You’ve got a situation that’s almost worthy of an O. Henry story. But all is not lost. They have good intentions, as do you. And everyone is trying to be generous. That’s a great place from which to start.
Thinking generously about their actions, maybe they don’t want to bother you or presume that parents of young kids don’t have time to entertain. Working from that premise, you can start to proactively encourage them to behave differently when they visit.
Try saying something like, “we really hate to miss you; next time you’re coming by, just give us a call when you’re on your way. We’ll be happy to make a visit work. Seriously.” You can make it plain that you want them to build a relationship with your son and invite them to spend quality time with him. “It’s so important that our son knows you; can we set a date for a proper visit?”
Keep the focus on the future, as much as you can, rather than talking about the last fly-by visit. Sometimes people need explicit invitations. But it seems their hearts are in the right place, so with a little guidance, their actions will follow.
(Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at eric@askingeric.com or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com.)
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Also Inc., the micromobility startup spun out of Rivian earlier this year, has raised $200 million from Greenoaks Capital, according to a new report from Bloomberg News.
The funding round brings Also’s post-money valuation to $1 billion. The startup raised $105 million from Eclipse Ventures earlier this year when it was cleaved from Rivian.
Also started as a skunkworks team inside Rivian in 2022 known as Project Inder, as TechCrunch previously reported. The team started working on an e-bike and even tapped famed Apple designer Jony Ive’s firm LoveFrom to help with the project.
Now established as its own company, Also plans to make micro-EVs of all shapes and sizes, and is supposed to reveal the first designs at some point later this year.
Rivian and Also could not be reached for comment. TechCrunch will update the article if the companies respond.
Robot vacuums are some of the pricier smart home gadgets you can get, making them great items to look for during sales like Amazon Prime Day. The annual shopping event always includes solid deals on electronics, and that includes smart home gear like autonomous dirt-suckers. Prime Day 2025 is no different, as it has brought deep discounts to many of our top picks for the best robot vacuums you can get today. And if you’re on the market for a cordless vacuum, those sales are abundant as well. Here are the best Prime Day vacuum deals you can get this year; be sure to check back as we update this post with the latest offers.
Best Prime Day robot vacuum deals
Eufy 11S Max robot vacuum for $140 (50 percent off): A favorite budget robot vacuum of ours, the 11S Max has a slim profile that allows it to easily get other some furniture that other robovacs can’t reach. It does a good job of sucking up dirt and debris, and even though it doesn’t have Wi-Fi connectivity, it comes with a remote control that gives you most of the functions an app would have.
iRobot Roomba Plus 405 for $400 (50 percent off): This newer Roomba model comes with a dock that both empties and refills its mopping reservoir and cleans its mop pad in between uses. In addition to mopping, this machine vacuums and supports smart mapping so you can better target where it should clean on a per-job basis.
Roborock Q7 M5+ for $280 (35 percent off): This robovac has 10,000Pa suction power, LiDAR navigation, an anti-tangle brush design and Wi-Fi connectivity. It also comes with a self-cleaning base that can hold up to seven weeks of debris before it needs to be emptied.
Shark PowerDetect NeverTouch Pro robot vacuum and mop for $700 (42 percent off): This Shark machine is one of our favorites in part because it truly lives up to its name. Thanks to its self-emptying dock that handles vacuumed debris along with clean and dirty mopping water, you really don’t have to touch the thing for at least 30 days in between cleanings. We found it to be a solid autonomous dirt sucker, and its mopping capabilities are quite good to match.
Best Prime Day vacuum deals
Dyson V15 Detect Plus for $570 ($180 off): You can’t get much better than a Dyson if you’re on the market for a cordless stick vacuum, and the V15 Detect delivers. It’s our current top pick for the best cordless vacuum overall thanks to its excellent suction power, lightweight design, good battery life and the included Fluffy Optic cleaning head that uses a laser to show you where all the debris is while you’re using it.
Dyson V8 Plus cordless vacuum for $300 (36 percent off): This Dyson stick vacuum has 40 minutes of runtime, a lightweight design and two power modes to choose from. It comes with four attachments, including the Motorbar cleaner head that works on all floor types, and it can easily convert to a more compact handheld vacuum to take out to your car when it needs a cleaning.
Tineco Pure One Station Furfree cordless vacuum for $299 (25 percent off): This cordless vacuum has its own self-emptying base, and it comes with attachments to groom your pets. It has solid suction power and the built-in iLoop smart sensor automatically adjust suction power depending on the messes in its path.
Tineco Pure One Station 5 for $320 (30 percent off): One of our favorite cordless vacuums, the Pure One Station 5 has excellent suction power and good handling, plus a self-emptying base that makes it ultra-convenient. It also sports a single-button start and Tineco’s iLoop smart sensor.
Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty cordless vacuum for $400 (33 percent off): Shark’s cordless vacuums are just as good as their robot vacuums, and you can usually find them on sale for less than other major brands. This one has great suction power and a relatively lightweight design, but the fact that it comes with a self-emptying base makes it an ultra-convenient choice.
Expired deals
Shark AV2501S AI Ultra robot vacuum for $460 (16 percent off): A version of our favorite robot vacuum, this Shark machine has strong suction power and won’t choke at the first sight of pet hair or big dust bunnies. Its self-emptying base is bagless as well, which means you won’t have to buy propriety bags to refill it with over time. This auto-empty base has a 30-day capacity, but you can spend a bit more if you want a model with a 60-day capacity.
Aqara has now launched its official 2025 Prime Day sale, delivering some of the best prices of the year and some historical new all-time lows on its multi-platform smart home gear. Alongside a host of price drops across the Aqara ecosystem, you’ll will find some particularly notable offers and some more rare discounts on on its smart bulbs, water sensors, and leak detection systems to safeguard your home while away this summer, as well as its Matter hub for universal control over your entire setup. Scope it all out below.
Aqara Presence Sensor FP2
Aqara’s Presence Sensor FP2 is actually a whole lot more than the name might suggest. A wonderful way to expand the reach and breadth of your existing setup, it delivers a ton of new intelligent features and capabilities to your smart home at 34% off the going rate for Prime Day. Regularly $83, you can now introduce this multi-function sensor to your setup down at $54.99 shipped.
In many ways, you can think of the Presence Sensor FP2 and its millimeter-wave radar as a significant upgrade of the traditional PIR motion sensor. One limitation of PIR motion sensors is its failure to detect a person while he/she is still. When you’re reading or enjoying a movie, you may have to wave your hands occationally so that your motion sensor won’t switch off the lights. But the true power of the FP2 sensor is its capability to monitor activities in multiple zones. Users can set up up to 30 zones, such as sofa, bed, or desktop zone, and trigger different automations when presence is detected in each zone. It can even track up to 5 persons at the same time.
The FP2 also has a built-in light sensor, allowing users to automate lighting settings based on both room occupancy and ambient light level.
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Connecting over Wi-Fi, the FP2 presence sensor doesn’t require any hub, and works with major smart home platforms including Google, Alexa and Apple Home. Additionally, the FP2 sensor has a Fall Detection mode, which is particular useful for senior citizens who are more vulnerable to fall injuries. It can also provide sleep monitoring, tracking sleep duration, stages, heart rate, and respiration.
Automatically adjust lighting settings
Can provide “non-wearable sleep monitoring tracks sleep duration, stages, heart rate, and respiration, enabling personalized automations like custom wake-up scenes.”
Fall Detection Mode when mounted on the ceiling 30 zones – set up individual automations for each zone, “such as sofa, bed, or desktop, and much more.
Aqara’s LED bulb stands out from the market with its dual-protocol approach, which allows users to choose between Thread and Zigbee radios. With the bulb’s default Thread mode, users can connect it to any Thread Border Router for easy integration, whether it’s a Nest smart display, a Echo smart speaker or an Apple TV. For Zigbee users, they can switch to the Zigbee mode and integrate the T2 bulb (with an Aqara hub) into their existing Zigbee network. Either way, the bulb is compatible with Matter-enabled platforms like Google Home, Alexa, Apple Home, or even Home Assistant.
In terms of the actual feature set, you’re looking at temperature range of 2000-9000K with 16 million color options all within a standard E26 form-factor so you can quickly install it into just about any of your existing light fixtures or lamps in seconds. Other variants of the T2 bulbs include the CCT version without RGB colors, and the GU10 version.
Aqara Thread/Zigbee Smart LED Light Bulb T2 $18 (Reg. $23)
Aqara Smart Valve Controller and Water Leak Sensor
Aqara’s Smart Valve Controller T1 and Water Leak Sensors can work hand in hand to not only detect when leaks happen, but also immediately shut them down at the source. The sensors can trigger the T1 to automatically shutdown the water flow to help prevent long-term damage and enhance overall safety whether you’re at home to catch the leak or not.
The T1 Smart Valve Controller, a complete retrofit device that requires no additional piping or electrical work work (runs on 4 x AA batteries). The wireless Water Leak Sensor has a compact form factor and can be placed around the house, like under sinks pr around washing machines and dishwashers. Both devices are based on Zigbee, and features Matter-over-bridge support. It mean that they comes compatible with all the major platforms you might already be using (Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa, Samsung SmartThings, Homey, Home Assistant) when used with an Aqara Zigbee 3.0 Hub and a Matter Controller for the corresponding platform.
Both the T1 Smart Valve Controller and 3-pack Water Leak Sensors are now also seeing notable discounts for Prime Day:
And to bring it all together, we have the Prime Day deal on the Aqara M3 Smart Hub. The Matter controller and Thread Border router is dropping from the usual $170 down to $119.99 shipped for the July Prime Day event.
The M3 is designed as a cornerstone of your smart home. It integrates not only Aqara devices but also third-party Matter devices into the Aqara Home app, allowing for a simple and more universal control center of sorts for all of the gear in your smart home ecosystem. It is also a Matter bridge for Aqara’s Zigbee devices (such as the aforementioned valve controller and water leak sensor), allowing them to integrate with major platforms like Google Home, Alexa and Apple Home. The M3 hub also supports “advanced Matter bridge functionality, enabling Aqara-exclusive scenes and signals to sync with Matter ecosystems such as home assistant for seamless integration.”
Additional features:
360°IR blaster not only sends commands but also provides accurate status updates by detecting traditional remote use
Supports up to 127 Aqara Zigbee devices and 127 Thread devices (Repeaters are needed)
connects IR air conditioning units to Matter, functioning as an AC thermostat when paired with an Aqara Temperature and Humidity Sensor
provides dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4/5 GHz) with advanced WPA3 security, and a Power over Ethernet (PoE) port
USB-C port allows for mini-UPS and power bank connections
Massachusetts could still see stormy conditions going into Tuesday night, with a chance for damaging winds and a flood watch still in effect until early Wednesday morning.
Storms have already erupted along the state border between New York and Connecticut by Tuesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.
The areas of “greatest concern” are along and south of the Massachusetts Turnpike, forecasters said. Storms in this part of the state could drop between 1 to 2 inches of water in an hour, which could result in localized flash flooding in urban areas.
The flood watch covers all of Connecticut and Rhode Island and in the following Massachusetts counties: Barnstable; eastern Hampden; eastern and western Norfolk; eastern, southern and western Plymouth; northern and southern Bristol; southern Worcester; and Suffolk counties.
The watch will stay in effect until “late tonight,” forecasters wrote. The watch advises people to monitor the forecast and watch for possible flood warnings.
“Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams and other low-lying and flood-prone locations. Flooding may occur in poor drainage and urban areas,” the flood watch read.
Additionally, a heat watch continues to be in effect until 8 p.m. and covers most of Massachusetts with the exception of Berkshire County.
“Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors,” the heat watch stated.
Tuesday’s high temperatures are not expected to continue on Wednesday, with a cooldown that’s expected to bring highs down into the 70s along the coast and the 80s in the interior, forecasters said.
Isolated scattered showers and possible thunderstorms could reemerge, though forecasters do not expect any washouts. Due to being scattered, forecasters wrote that they are unsure “where exactly they’ll materialize.”
Thursday should continue to see cooler temperatures before the humidity returns going into Friday and the weekend, forecasters said. Scattered showers and thunderstorms could pop up Thursday, with less likely chances for them to return Friday and Saturday.
“Even Sunday should be dry most of the time, with the risk for some showers and thunderstorms late in the day,” forecasters wrote.
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Launching a U.S.-specific app could be part of the company’s broader plan to comply with a 2024 law requiring ByteDance to divest from TikTok and its other U.S. assets, or risk being forced to cease operations in the country.
ByteDance is also reportedly developing a new version of TikTok for U.S. users ahead of an expected sale of the app to a group of investors.
CapCut has been downloaded more than 1 billion times on the Google Play store. It also ranks as the top video app on the iOS U.S. App Store, ahead of both Instagram and YouTube.
It’s currently unknown if ByteDance plans to create U.S.-specific apps for its other services, Lemon8 and Gauth.
