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4 Apr 2025

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China floods the world with AI models after DeepSeek’s success
DeepSeek fired up a long-dormant Chinese tech industry - and now Western names from OpenAI Inc. to Nvidia Corp. may pay the price.

Eufy FamiLock S3 Max review: Lock, stock, and onboard video
At a glanceExpert's Rating Pros Integrated display shows you who’s on the other side of the door Robust build quality, with mostly solid operation Scads of features No subscriptions needed (unless 16GB of local storage is insufficient) Cons Enormous and very heavy Palm vein reader can be a quirky Long feature list contributes to a high price tag Our Verdict The feature-laden FamiLock Max S3—the first smart lock we’ve seen with an integrated video screen on its interior escutcheon—works well, but its onboard camera won’t make sense in some home environments. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today As if on steroids, smart locks have been advancing in amazing and surprising ways over the last year, with each few months bringing a new “first” to the market. Eufy’s FamiLock S3 Max offers yet another smart lock innovation that would have been unthinkable just weeks ago: It’s the first model we’ve seen that has a built-in, 4-inch video screen on its interior escutcheon, relaying video from a camera mounted on the exterior escutcheon, no secondary device required. It’s a neat idea but right off the bat, it’s clearly not a lock that’s going to make sense for everyone. Like many homeowners, I have a massive window set into the center of my front door, so having a small video screen that displays what is happening on the other side of that door isn’t going to do me much good. However, those with fully opaque doors—especially apartment dwellers –might find this a much more compelling proposition than a peephole. Specifications The Eufy FamiLock S3 Max has a lot going on, and as a result it consumes a huge amount of space. Both interior and exterior escutcheons are enormous, with the exterior measuring 7 x 2.5 inches in size (HxW) and the interior 8 x 3 inches. Both elements are more than 1 inch thick. The full weight of the device is a significant 2 pounds, 11 ounces, although you’ll probably be aware of that only during installation. It carries a weatherization rating of IP65, so according to our IP code decoder, it’s entirely protected from particulate matter, like dust, and that it can withstand blasts of water from a tightened nozzle (but not a pressure washer). Eufy also obtained an ANSI Grade 1 certification, which our ANSI/BHMA guide tells us is the highest rating for physical security. No other smart lock packs as many features as the Eufy FamiLock S3 Max: Video doorbell, palm reader, numeric keypad, rechargeable battery, and ANSI Grade 1 certification. The list of features on the lock goes far beyond its video capabilities, but that’s where we’ll start. The four-inch display relays video from the front-mounted camera, which captures square-shaped video at a maximum resolution of 1600 x 1600 pixels, with a 180-degree (diagonal) viewing angle. Standard infrared video is built in. Video is stored locally by default on 16GB of non-upgradeable storage. A cloud backup service is available, but it’s certainly not required unless you’re concerned about someone stealing the lock itself. The plan runs $3/month or $30/year for one device or $10/month or $100/year for up to 10 devices. Both plans store a copy of all videos online for 30 days. (These prices however are going up on April 1, 2025.) The unit also functions as a doorbell, courtesy of a large button that becomes ringed in blue light when motion is detected. There’s no interior chime included with the lock, but you can configure an Amazon Echo device to serve as a chime if you install the appropriate skill. This worked well in my testing. The massive Eufy FamiLock S3 Max needs two cables to enable all its features.Christopher Null/Foundry As far as access goes, the unit has two primary avenues of operation. First, a numeric touch-sensitive keypad supports a maximum of 100 PINs. Second, the unit includes a now trendy palm vein reader, allowing for touchless authentication by simply holding your hand a few inches away from a reader mounted on the top of the exterior escutcheon. The lock can store 50 different palm scans (up to two per user). Lastly, in addition to app-based access, the unit includes a physical keyhole that can be accessed by popping out the doorbell button, although note I found it to be a little difficult to get back into place securely. The unit is uniquely powered by a rechargeable 15,000mAh battery and four AAA batteries that serve as backups in case the primary cell dies. These are wedged into the interior escutcheon atop the primary cell, which is part of the reason why the interior escutcheon is so large. Eufy says the primary cell should last at least six months, with one additional month of operation provided by the AAA cells in reserve. There is no emergency power port on the exterior escutcheon, so don’t ignore the notifications of the primary battery’s state—at least not for long. With all of that prologue, we can finally delve into how well all of this works. The short answer, all around, is quite good. Setup and installation The wide array of settings in the Eufy app reveals the long list of features this smart lock has to offer.Christopher Null/Foundry Physical installation isn’t difficult, but it does take a few small extra steps due to the needs of the video system. As is common, the exterior escutcheon is bolted to an interior frame with two screws, which in turn attaches to the interior escutcheon with an additional four screws. Two electronics cables are needed to connect the two pieces together, although these are easy to properly route and get seated properly. There’s an additional piece on top of the interior escutcheon that houses the video screen, this snaps on without the need for additional hardware, covering up the battery packs. All of this goes together quickly and cleanly, despite the few extra pieces in the mix. Setup in the revamped Eufy app (no longer called Eufy Security) involves little more than scanning a QR code on the interior escutcheon. Oddly, this is labeled as a Matter code (more on Matter support later), but it also functions directly with the Eufy app. In my testing, the app connected quickly to the lock and I had it onboarded and connected to my 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network (5GHz networks are not supported) in less than a minute. Incorporating a palm reader, a video doorbell, a numeric keypad, and a rechargeable battery requires a large form factor.Christopher Null/Foundry The Eufy app is a sprawling system that isn’t particularly difficult to navigate, but it does require a significant amount of time to master because it has so many moving parts. The app is now a do-it-all system with separate tabs for “lights,” “security,” “clean,” and “care,” and it handles everything from smart locks to robotic mowers to smart scales and breast pumps. You’ll find the FamiLock in the security section, where a widget with the most recent thumbnail from the lock’s camera can be seen, along with quick access to the lock/unlock icon. Tapping the thumbnail takes you to a larger, live view of the camera, along with quick access to on-demand recording, screenshot, up to 3 “quick responses” that you record with your own voice, and two-way talk. You’ll also get to this screen automatically if someone rings the doorbell and you tap the notification. Recordings are managed through the Events tab at the bottom of the screen, and they’re presented as a chronological view of all activity—door lock/unlock actions, motion detections, and doorbell rings—with all videos accompanied by a thumbnail. You can set the camera to record on all motion or only when humans are detected (and you can dial the detection range from 3 to 20 feet). The onboard AI does a good job of determining if a human is in the video or not. An activity zone, loitering detection mode, and “leaving detection mode” that notifies you if someone departs are all also available. Performance Video quality is fine but nothing earth-shaking. The ultra-wide-angle view makes for quite a distorted view, and unless your visitor is less than a few feet away from the door, I found it was virtually impossible to make out their face. Night vision is solid, in part because of multiple lights on the front of the device that illuminate when motion is detected.Clips loaded quickly throughout my testing and could be easily downloaded without trouble. User management is tied to individuals, and you can configure each person to have 24/7 access, scheduled access (expiring at a set time or based on time/day of week), or one-time access, using a PIN that you set. Only after a PIN is added are you invited to add up to two palm vein scans for the user, though these are optional. I had no trouble using either PINs or palms to gain entry to the lock, although the lock sometimes struggled with palm scans if my hand was presented at an angle instead of vertically. The camera in the Eufy FamiLock S3 Max suffers from a bit of barrel distortion.Christopher Null/Foundry Additional features I haven’t yet covered include auto-locking (5 seconds to 3 minutes, schedulable) and configurable wrong-try protection that locks down the device for up to 5 minutes after 3 to 10 wrong attempts. A variety of power-management modes are available as well that let you determine when and for how long to record video. (“Optimal surveillance” will record for up to 60 seconds when motion is detected, while “Balance surveillance” will max out at 20. “Optimal battery life” won’t record on motion detection at all.) Should you buy the Eufy FamiLock S3 Max? As noted previously the device supports Matter and can be onboarded directly to a Matter hub by scanning the same QR code on the interior escutcheon. I was able to add the lock to iOS Home by scanning the code, but soon found there’s very little point to doing this, as there’s no support for most of the advanced features of the lock through Matter—including palm vein scanning and any of the video features. If you’re just looking for a Matter lock that lets you assign PINs, there are many more affordable and simpler options around. Further reading: This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart locks. Lastly, at $400, there’s no way around the fact that the Eufy FamiLock S3 Max is extremely expensive—more than the combined cost of a separate video doorbell and quality smart lock. That said, does work very well considering its complexity; as such, it might make sense for those who prefer a single device and who can make good use of the integrated video screen. If you do have a window in your door—or sidelights next to it—you might want to consider the Eufy FamiLock S3, instead. It has the same features except for the integrated camera and display, and it costs $50 less: $349.99.

Acer Aspire Go 15 review: An affordable laptop that cuts some corners
At a glanceExpert's Rating Pros Helpful matte finish on screen Decent stabilization on keyboard Low price Accessible internals Cons SSD hotspot Limited memory Underwhelming speeds Battery doesn’t last all day Bland design Our Verdict The Acer Aspire Go 15 (2025) is another simply utilitarian machine, but even in that regard it’s starting to lag behind. Limited memory and disappointing battery life keep it from being very useful, and nothing about it goes beyond acceptable. There aren’t many machines that can compete with it at MSRP, but it’s worth waiting for a far superior alternative to go on sale — they always do. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Acer has a knack for churning out new machines with minor updates to prior models almost to the point where it’s hard to tell the difference. Such is the case for the Acer Aspire Go 15, which updates some of the insides of the 2024 Aspire Go 15, but not much you’d notice from a cursory glance at the outside. Unfortunately, the internal upgrades have come with a bump in price that sees this new model start at $429. It’s still decidedly a budget PC, but it verges on the dangerous $500 mark where I’ve seen many more exciting laptops dip down to with deals. Acer may have the low-end market cornered with its MSRP, and it at least has a usable computer on its hands with the Acer Aspire Go 15, but anyone with time to wait for a discount will probably want to do just that and reel in a better alternative. Acer Aspire Go 15: Specs and features Model number: AG15-51P-51OU CPU: Intel Core i5-1334U Memory: 8GB LPDDR5 Graphics/GPU: Intel UHD Graphics Display: 15.3-inch 1200p IPS Storage: 256GB PCIe Gen4 SSD (Kingston OM8SEP4256Q-AA) Webcam: 1080p with Windows Hello facial recognition Connectivity: 2x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2×2 , 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x 3.5mm combo audio Networking: WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.1 or higher Biometrics: Windows Hello facial recognition Battery capacity: 53 watt-hours Dimensions: 13.6 x 9.6 x 0.78 inches Weight: 3.72 pounds MSRP: $429 as-tested ($429 base) The Acer Aspire Go 15 is an affordable machine aimed at users who have minimal needs from their computer. At the time of writing, there was only one configuration of the Acer Aspire Go 15 available. It’s a simple, low-end system fitted with an older CPU, a paltry 8GB of memory, and little storage. It lands with an MSRP of $429, which feels a little steep for some of the components and build quality, but it may be the result of tariffs. The storage on this model is an upgrade over last year’s UFS storage, as it’s a user-upgradeable M.2 SSD. That said, the memory is not upgradeable and likely to severely limit the long-term utility of this laptop. Acer Aspire Go 15: Design and build quality IDG / Mark Knapp Nothing about the Acer Aspire Go 15 is shaking things up for the product line. This model has all the classic looks of its predecessors — thicker plastic bezels, the up-firing exhaust just below the display, a black and gray colorway, and an odd mix of hard angles and gentle curves. It’s not an exciting machine to look at, but it’s not terribly objectionable either. This is undeniably a budget, utilitarian machine, so it’s no surprise that it gets a plastic chassis, which exhibits a fair bit of flex here and there. It doesn’t feel too cheaply built, but it’s not premium in the least. On the bright side, Acer claims to use 30 percent recycled plastic in the chassis. The Acer Aspire Go 15 is a little weighty, tipping the scales at 3.72 pounds. That’s not absurdly heavy for a 15-inch laptop, but remembering that this is a low-end model without much high-performance hardware going on, there’s less reason for it to be so heavy since it doesn’t rely on a big cooling system. Between the display and larger bezels, the Acer Aspire Go 15 ends up a little large as well. At least Acer kept the depth to just 0.78 inches, which is thin enough to still slip easily into laptop sleeves. Acer Aspire Go 15: Keyboard, trackpad IDG / Mark Knapp You get the basics when it comes to inputs for the Acer Aspire Go 15, giving you all that you need to interface with the system but not doing anything extra. The keyboard is beyond underwhelming. It’s functional, with satisfactory stabilization, but the almost convex keycaps give little in the way of useful tactile feedback to help guide finger placement. It’s simply not a pleasant keyboard to use. On the bright side, it does include a thin number pad off to the side, but it’s a little cramped and doesn’t include the arithmetic keys in their usual place, so it will take some adjusting if you have muscle memory for a normal number pad. The keyboard is easy enough to see in daylight with its black keys and white keycaps, but there’s no backlighting, so it’s a struggle to use in the dark. The trackpad is centered below the main portion of the keyboard, but this results in it actually being skewed to the left of the laptop itself. If you mouse around with your right hand, this makes it an awkward reach to use and, in my case, has led to me often right-clicking when I intend a left-click. Acer Aspire Go 15: Display, audio IDG / Mark Knapp Even with machines twice the cost of this, I’ve seen displays neglected. So it’s little surprise to see that the Acer Aspire Go 15 has an underwhelming screen. It’s sharp enough with a 1920×1200 resolution at its 15.3-inch size and the 1,200:1 contrast helps maintain that sharp look. But beyond that simple utility, it is not a looker. The display only covers 69 percent of the sRGB color space — I’d call 95-100 percent coverage the minimum you’d want for a good-looking display. It’s hard to ignore how many OLED laptops are on the market offering up substantially greater visuals, and how often I see them on sale for around $500. The display also only reaches 289 nits at its brightest. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to run at full brightness to be visible as the matte finish on the display helps prevent severe glare. The speakers on the Acer Aspire Go 15 are also just enough to get the job done. They emphasize the vocal range, which can make for pleasant enough music and clear sound for podcasts or presentations. They’re loud enough to hear from nearby or in a quiet room, but they don’t go beyond that. Acer Aspire Go 15: Webcam, microphone, biometrics The webcam on the Acer Aspire Go 15 is fine. It bumps up to 1080p, giving it an edge over the 720p models still common in budget laptops. But that resolution won’t mean too much if lighting conditions aren’t exceptionally bright, as the webcam footage will appear grainy. The camera at least balances lighting well, avoiding crushed shadows or blown out highlights. The biggest perk of the camera is that it integrates Windows Hello facial recognition, which allows for quick sign-ins without a password. The mics on the Acer Aspire Go 15 aren’t particularly good. Even speaking directly at them in a quiet room from less than an arm’s length away, my voice sounds fairly distant. At least it sounds clear, but it could be much better. Acer Aspire Go 15: Connectivity IDG / Mark Knapp You’ll find modest connectivity on the Acer Aspire Go 15. While it’s unfortunate that there’s no USB4 or Thunderbolt 4 for high bandwidth transfers, the system at least has a decent variety of ports. The left edge includes two USB-C ports that offers 10Gbps transfer speeds and charging for the laptop. There’s a USB-A 5Gbps on either side of the system. Acer also includes a full-size HDMI 2.1 port on the left edge and a 3.5mm jack on the right. These would have been nicely complemented by a microSD slot for extra storage. For wireless connections, the Acer Aspire Go 15 gets Wi-Fi 6, which has provided fast and stable connectivity in my testing. But it doesn’t make the leap to Wi-Fi 6E for access to the 6GHz band or to Wi-Fi 7 for better future proofing. Acer Aspire Go 15: Performance The Acer Aspire Go 15 gets some under-the-hood upgrades that have improved performance considerably over its Core i3-N305-powered predecessor from 2024. That said, it’s still not a very speedy machine. It offers modest performance that can keep up with casual use browsing the web, and its PCMark 10 score of a little over 5,000 points lines up with that type of performance. However, its lack of memory can quickly become an issue. Even just a handful of tabs open in Chrome is enough to fill up its small 8GB capacity, and there’s no upgrading that soldered-on memory down the line. The CPU itself isn’t a terrible performer. It combines two fast cores and eight efficient cores, which gives it both high single-core speeds and decent multi-core speeds. It doesn’t lag too far behind the Acer Aspire 14 AI‘s Intel Core Ultra 5 226V in any of our Cinebench tests, and it shows a nice lead over the Acer Aspire 3 15’s AMD Ryzen 5 7520U. But it’s not much competition for the AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS in the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED. It even has the advantage over the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42-100 found in the Dell Inspiron 14 5441 when that CPU relies on emulation. Unfortunately, it falls apart in the graphics department. Between its limited memory, which is split between the system and integrated graphics and its reliance on older Intel UHD Graphics, the Acer Aspire Go 15 simply doesn’t keep up with more modern graphics solutions. It can stay ahead of Qualcomm’s chip in some cases, leading in 3DMark’s Time Spy test but falling behind in Night Raid. But it doesn’t stack up to AMD’s Radeon 780M graphics or Intel’s Arc 130V graphics, neither of which are the most impressive integrated graphics options. Despite the lower power components, heat is still a concern, and not even where I’d expect it to be coming from. In casual use, browsing, the left edge of the laptop had an unpleasant hotspot that sat right on my left leg. Popping open the lid, this hotspot corresponded with the location of the SSD — a component you don’t want failing. Acer Aspire Go 15: Battery life The Acer Aspire Go 15 leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to battery life. Even though it’s running a lower performance processor, it’s not conserving much power. Intel, Qualcomm, and AMD have stepped things up recently when it comes to power efficiency, but the dated 13th Gen Intel Core processor in the Acer Aspire Go 15 isn’t the beneficiary of any of those upgrades. With a runtime of just a little over seven hours, the Acer Aspire Go 15 falls way behind its contemporaries in our video playback battery test and even shaves off runtime compared to the 2024 model. Aside from Acer’s own alternative in the Aspire 3 15, the competition here offers up more than double the battery life of the Acer Aspire Go 15. While the processor likely bares some of the blame, the display may also be a culprit. To reach the brightness level of our test, the Acer Aspire Go 15 had to run its display at 88 percent brightness. It may not be running very efficiently at that level, as many electronics suffer diminishing returns when dialed up to the max. That said, because the Acer Aspire Go 15 has an anti-glare display, it is a little easier to use the laptop with its brightness at lower levels to conserve power. Still, in day-to-day use, the Acer Aspire Go 15 struggles to reach 6 hours of runtime even with the display brightness reduced. Acer Aspire Go 15: Conclusion The Acer Aspire Go 15 isn’t something to get excited about. In fact, it’s simply a more affordable machine aimed at users who have minimal needs from their computer. Most of the system hits the mark of being “usable” but no element of it reaches greatness. While its price certainly lands it in budget territory, it’s not necessarily offering as much value as it would need to stand out. While we haven’t tested many laptops at this price point that can beat the Acer Aspire Go 15, there are plenty of more expensive systems that see frequent, major discounts. The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED mentioned above, for instance, is a little dated and likely will see some discounts from time to time, much like its own predecessor has. A slightly lower-spec version of the Asus Vivobook S 14 we recently tested was on sale for just $449 (down from its usual $949) at Best Buy and would offer marked upgrades over the Acer Aspire Go 15 in just about every respect. So, if you can wait for a deal, you can land a much better system for your money.