For Side-by-Side Plans, Fresh Pasta and Properly Cold Drinks | Vol. 36

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra 512GB exists for the person who keeps trying to do two sensible things at once on a normal phone, then ends up squinting at a spreadsheet while replying to a message and missing both. Modern life has somehow made a pocket computer insufficiently computer-like. Naturally, the answer is a phone that unfolds into an 8-inch screen.

The practical arrangement is persuasive. Closed, it has a 6.5-inch cover screen; open, it provides the larger main display and supports side-by-side multitasking. That makes it a plausible all-in-one for email, notes, maps, tickets and the administrative opera of arranging a weekend away. We think that is the Fold8 Ultra’s strongest case: it addresses a real annoyance rather than merely asking everyone to admire a hinge.

This 512GB version has 12GB of memory, a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy processor and a 5000mAh battery. It also supports wireless charging, USB Type-C audio connectivity and IP48 water and dust resistance. The selected Graphite UK version is listed with a 3-year warranty, which is welcome when a device has both a folding display and the social gravity of a small paving slab.

There is, as ever, paperwork. The phone weighs 215g, offers no external-storage support and does not support an S Pen. Those limits matter because the Fold8 Ultra is built around doing more on one device; the moment you want expandable files or stylus input, the tidy all-in-one fantasy acquires an asterisk. Still, for the right sort of screen-hungry organiser, it is the most complete expression of the foldable idea here.

Fresh pasta occupies a peculiar place in domestic life: everyone enjoys the idea, while few relish converting an otherwise respectable kitchen into a minor flour incident. The black Philips 7000 Series HR2665/93 is an automatic pasta maker aimed at households that want a more structured route into the ritual, rather than a new excuse to leave semolina in improbable places.

Its plastic-and-metal body brings together an LED display, a storage compartment and dishwasher-safe cleaning features, with a measuring cup and cleaning tool included alongside the machine. NutriU app support is also present, so there is at least a digital companion available when the countertop begins to resemble a tiny Italian workshop.

This is not essential equipment, and dried pasta remains quick, inexpensive and entirely unbothered by your plans. But for homes already committed to making fresh pasta, the HR2665/93 packages the relevant hardware into one dedicated appliance rather than asking a rolling pin to become the evening’s project manager.

There is a particular sort of outing that exposes the limits of a normal cool bag: the supermarket haul has become an expedition, the boot is already full of folding chairs, and somebody has announced they are bringing “a few drinks”. The YETI Roadie 15 is for that moment, with a hard-shell format specified for 22 cans or 7.4 kg of ice.

We think it makes sense as the contained, disciplined member of the cool-box family. It is not trying to hold provisions for a small music festival; it is aimed at the picnic, beach stop or overnight camp where chilled food and drinks need a proper home rather than a carrier bag full of melting regret.

The useful detail is the hardware around the box. Neverflat Wheels, LipGrip Handles, Bearfoot Non-Slip Feet and AnchorPoint Tie-Down Slots are all included, so it has more going on than a plain insulated tub. Rescue Red also gives the selected UK variant the visual subtlety of a small emergency vehicle, which is rather appropriate once people start hunting for the cold drinks.

The medicube Age-R Booster Pro is for the point at which a perfectly ordinary skincare routine starts acquiring supporting equipment. Cleanser, serum and moisturiser are civilised enough; add a 6-in-1 beauty massager and the bathroom begins to resemble a very small, very polite command centre.

That is the appeal of this black, modern-style device. It gives people who enjoy a more deliberate ritual a dedicated piece of skincare hardware, supplied with a USB charging cable, Age-R cleansing wipes and a user manual. Nothing is promised beyond the listing’s stated skincare aims, but the proposition is clearly for someone who likes their routine to feel considered.

The Booster Pro is listed at 155 g and measures 9 x 24 x 7 mm, so it is compact on paper rather than a countertop appliance demanding territory beside the kettle. Its plastic construction is less luxurious than some buyers may want, but it also keeps the proposition straightforward: a small powered beauty massager for an involved at-home routine.

It will make most sense for shoppers comfortable with a device as part of skincare rather than those happiest with hands, products and a quick exit. There is no need for every bathroom cabinet to become a gadget department, but this is aimed squarely at the ones that already have an opening.

There is a point in every ball-obsessed dog’s life when fetch stops being a game and becomes a management role. Somebody throws, somebody retrieves, somebody drops a damp tennis ball into a lap during a work call, and the whole arrangement continues until civilisation collapses. The PetSafe Automatic Ball Launcher is the sensible-but-slightly-unhinged response: a machine dedicated to keeping a small dog’s ball programme moving.

PetSafe’s PTY19-15850 launcher sends standard-sized tennis balls between 2.5 and 9 metres, with nine distance settings and six angle settings up to 45 degrees. That makes it more considered than simply lobbing a ball towards the hedge. It can run from the mains or six D-cell batteries, so its remit extends from a cleared bit of lounge to outdoor play.

We think its appeal is wonderfully narrow. This is not essential household equipment in the manner of a kettle or a hoover; it is a plastic fetch administrator measuring 35.8 × 35.8 × 35.1 cm. Yet for the right small dog, whose enthusiasm for tennis balls appears to exceed its respect for human joints, the specificity is precisely the point.

The caveat is refreshingly obvious: a launcher cannot negotiate clutter, fragile objects or a dog that has no interest in returning the ball. It has motion sensors and goes into automatic sleep after 15 minutes of play, but this remains a device for making repeated fetch easier, not a robotic substitute for attention. Buy it for a suitable space, a small enthusiastic retriever and the sheer relief of not performing another hundred throws before breakfast.