Technologies

Dyson’s Thinnest and Lightest Cordless Vacuum Ever Is Finally Ready to Buy in the US

The Dyson PencilVac doesn’t cost as much as you might expect.

The Dyson PencilVac was one of the most interesting cordless vacuums I saw last year, mainly because it doesn’t really look like any other cordless vacuum I’ve ever seen. I called it the «lightest and thinnest cordless vacuum I’ve ever used.» In 2026, that’s still true, and it’s finally available to buy in the US for $599.

The design is the real innovation here. The PencilVac weighs just 4 pounds and feels more like wielding a mop or broom than a cordless vacuum. I used it at Dyson’s Soho showroom for a while and was impressed by its maneuverability and ease of use. In terms of dimensions, it’s 45.7 inches tall, 8.1 inches long and just 1.5 inches wide. It can flatten down to 3.7 inches to get into tight spaces and under furniture, and comes with green LED lights on both the front and back to help you spot dust.

The dustbin, despite being tiny at 0.02 gallons, uses a unique linear separation system that compresses down the dust as you vacuum, similar to the idea behind the V16 Piston Animal’s compressing lever. The ejection is a little different, with a syringe-like plunger that shoots the dust into the dustbin, and should minimize the dirt getting everywhere or the need to reach in with your fingers to pull stuck bits of debris out.

In terms of other specs, the PencilVac uses two FluffyCone cleaner heads, distinct conical heads designed to prevent hair wrap. In theory, the PencilVac should clean well, thanks to its dual brush rollers (a total of four cones for the brush bar), designed to avoid tangling and clean equally well on a back-and-forth motion. In terms of performance, Dyson says it has a 140krpm Dyson Hyperdymium motor and 55 air watts of suction power, so we don’t expect it to match the 240-air watts V15 Detect Absolute in terms of pickup performance, but we’ll need to put it to the test to know for sure.

We plan on testing the PencilVac in CNET’s Louisville lab to see how it fares, though to do that, we’ll need to modify some of our lab tests for pickup because with a nozzle width of 1.5 inches in diameter, the PencilVac will be the narrowest we’ve ever tested, and our tests are currently designed for a wider nozzle width.

Price and availability

At $599, the PencilVac might sound like it’s on the higher side for a cordless vacuum; we have plenty on our best list that can run you less than $400, and our best overall, the Eureka ReactiSense 440, costs just $180 at full price.

However, with Dyson, you’re really paying for the design, and relative to top-tier vacuums in its lineup, like the $850 Dyson V15 Detect Absolute, it’s not out of range of what we expect. Outside of handheld vacuums, you likely won’t find a cordless vacuum this versatile until Dyson’s competitors start to make them.

Technologies

Formula 1 Fans Can Now Explore Race Circuits With Apple’s New Maps Guide

F1 fans can get revved up for the approaching season with a tech boost from Apple Maps.

If you’re a Formula 1 fan and have your iPhone handy, you might want to check out Apple Maps. Apple on Wednesday added a new guide for its Maps app showcasing the race tracks for next month’s Australian Grand Prix.

Users can explore a detailed, 3D version of Melbourne’s Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit directly in Apple Maps and find details for all 24 tracks of the season with the Formula 1 Tracks From Around The World guide. It can also be found on the Apple TV Formula 1 Channel.

Currently, the only location done up in 3D is the Albert Park map, where you can explore the F1 Pit Garage, stadiums and more. Apple will continue to add more 3D tracks throughout the year.

The updated maps include:

Grand Prix Elements: Kerbs are shown on the maps to match the real-life experience, along with grandstands and pedestrian footbridges, all in 3D and labeled. All 14 of the circuit’s turns are also labeled.
Pop-Up Locations: Attendees will easily find entrance gates, restrooms, water stations, first aid and merchandise stands. Walking paths are shown directly on the maps, with walking directions available for grandstands.
3D Grand Prix Circuit Landmarks: The Pit Building, Lakeside Stadium (Bob Jane Stadium), Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Center, and the Finish Line are all prominently highlighted and showcased.
3D Melbourne Landmarks: Attendees looking to explore further can find several of Melbourne’s landmarks detailed in 3D in Maps.

Last year, Apple paid $140 million for exclusive F1 streaming rights in the US.

Technologies

Instagram Will Alert Parents if Teens Repeatedly Search for Self-Harm and Suicide Terms

The change applies to accounts using parental supervision tools.

Instagram will soon alert some parents if their teen repeatedly tries to search for terms related to suicide or self-harm within a short period. Instagram owner Meta said on Thursday that it’s rolling out the new notifications to parents in the US, UK, Australia and Canada, with other regions to follow later this year.

Thursday’s update follows the 2024 introduction of teen accounts. It applies to parents using the platform’s optional parental supervision setting, which requires consent from both teens and their parents to participate. Parental supervision allows parents to see the accounts their teen follows, set a time limit for how long their teen can use the app and more.

If teens repeatedly make suicide-related searches, parents will receive alerts via in-app notifications and email, text or WhatsApp, depending on available contact information. In addition to informing parents of their teen’s searches, notifications will allow them to «view expert resources designed to help them approach potentially sensitive conversations with their teen,» according to Meta.

Meta said it would prompt an alert if a teen attempted to search for phrases promoting suicide or self-harm and phrases that suggest a teen wants to harm themselves. The company said its policy is to block searches for self-harm and suicide content and direct people to resources and helplines.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Feb. 27 #726

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Feb. 27, No. 726.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle was tough for me. Some of the answers are long and difficult to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: It’s a little much

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Whoa, that’s plenty!

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints, but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

LURE, HARK, HARKEN, LATE, SORE, ROSE, TEAL, LATER, GLUE, GLUED, PLUS, LESS, GLARE

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

GLUT, EXCESS, SURPLUS, OVERKILL, REDUNDANCY

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is ENOUGHALREADY. To find it, start with the E that’s four letters to the right on the top row, and wind down and around.

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