GeekSugar

The iRobot By Roomba Goes Red

GeekSugar — Thu, 24 May 2007 03:09:12 -0700

When I compared the Roomba to the Dyson Slim (if you haven't seen the fun video, click on the link), I described the Roomba as a "geeky guy magnet gadget that's cleverly disguised as a vacuum." Seriously, girls may swoon to the Dyson, but guys seem to be pulled by gravity to the Roomba. Well gravity has definitely shifted ever since the iRobot got a hot new makeover! What I suggest is you use the fantabulous Dyson for thorough carpet cleaning sessions and then bust out the red Roomba for quick touch-ups. Just turn it on and head out for an afternoon filled with lattés and shopping. The Roomba Red will clean all your surfaces while the supersensitive bumpers help the vacuum feel its way around the room. All you have to do is charge up the battery and leave the iRobot alone to do all your dirty work. Priced at $150.

To check out more images of the red hot iRobot, read more

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Battle Of The Vacuums: Roomba Vs Dyson Slim

GeekSugar — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 08:07:17 -0700

A Dyson vacuum is one of those gadgets that elicits an "ohhhhh" and an "awwwww" from everyone that walks by it. Or at least everyone that's walked by geeksugar central in the last week. I attribute the giddy Dyson adulation to the British company's hoity-toity reputation (they make a jaw-dropping $2,000 model), the assertion that Dyson is the "first vacuum cleaner that doesn't lose suction" and the fact that for a vacuum, it's ridiculously good looking.

It frankly isn't fair to compare the Dyson Slim, which is only 15.8 pounds, to my clunky vacuum at home because the Dyson is designed with art and innovation in mind. So, in the spirit of cleaning fun, I decided I should pit the lady killer against an even more unlikely candidate, the iRobot Roomba. For those of you that don't know, I describe the Roomba as a "geeky guy magnet gadget that's cleverly disguised as a vacuum." Seriously, girls may swoon to the Dyson, but guys seem to be pulled by gravity to the Roomba. So how did the sexy, feminine Dyson compare to the more masculine robotic Roomba? Be prepared to be impressed all around.

For my full review, read more

Like I said, it's not fair to compare the Dyson to the Roomba based solely on the fact that they are completely different models and machines, but it was a fun challenge and they each presented their own perks.

Suction
Most of all, I wanted to compare how much each sucked up because at the end of the day, you buy a vacuum to suck. In that respect the Dyson was a clear winner. I can admit, much to the pleasure of my male colleague, the Roomba did perform a lot better than I expected and does have the ability to clean a room. It just needs to do it on its own time and can't be pushed with the same force of the Dyson.

Coverage and Strength
I was also curious to see how long it would take the Roomba to clean a room by itself versus how long it takes to clean a room with the Dyson. I passed the Dyson over the room and covered every spot in about 2 minutes. I then set the Roomba to clean the space - I had to put up a funky barrier wall to keep it within the same space - and it took about 15 minutes to tread the same ground. Of course, the plus of the Roomba in this case is that it can vacuum by itself, so if you don't have guests coming over in 10 minutes, you can program the Roomba to clean, leave the room and make yourself a spot of tea.

Grace and Beauty
Apparently, air expelled from a Dyson has up to 150 times less mold and bacteria than the air you breathe. That alone sold me on the model. Of course, it helped that the machine is sleek, light and powerful. I happen to be one of those geeks that gets a real pleasure out of vacuuming - it's the only chore that gives me a real sense of accomplishment - so I love that you can give the Dyson a good push and get the job done.

As for the Roomba, watching that little thing hum along the floor is a delight. There's the thrill you get when you realize it's actually cleaning your floor sans cords or human help, followed by an even greater thrill when you realize it can clean the floor when you're not home.

Need To Call A Draw?
Buy them both. Use the Dyson for the heavy duty cleaning and the Roomba to do your dirty work when you're not home. Or scare little dogs.

iRobot: Pool Cleaning Robot To The Rescue

GeekSugar — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 03:03:49 -0700

I live in San Francisco, where only 1 in 100,000 people has a pool and most of us get our splash time out of the area or at a spa. Still, I love the idea of a pool robot more than I can verbalize.

The iRobot can clean your pool from floor to waterline in about an hour with the touch of a button. Apparently, roller brushes scrub pool surfaces while a powerful vacuum and self-contained filtration system pick up and trap dirt and debris plus algae, bacteria and debris as small as 2 microns. It even reduces run time of your pool's filtration system and improves distribution of chemicals and temperature. It costs $1199.99.

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Top 10 Gifts For Your Geeky Guy

GeekSugar — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 10:13:56 -0800

Holiday gifts for that geeky guy in your life can be stressful, considering he's usually in-the-know about all the cool gadgets and techie treats on the market. My theory is to make sure you get him something that you both can enjoy, that way you're never agitated that he wants to spend a million hours shining his new toys or programing TiVo.

Tivo Series3
If your fella is geeky enough that he took you on more than one date to the electronics store before purchasing his beloved HDTV, he needs a TiVo upgrade to the TiVo Series 3 HD Digital Media Recorder. He’ll be able to control live HDTV, record two digital cable shows at once, and accumulate 300 hours of standard recording time (32 in HD) so you two can cuddle up with TiVo on weekends. Get the Tivo Series 3 for about $700.

Canon PowerShot SD900 Titanium 10MP Digital Elph Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

If he’s a Canon man, (and what geek isn’t?), he’ll love the sleek Canon PowerShot SD900 Titanium, which offers an elegant titanium body and perpetual curve design. Its 10-megapixel CCD captures enough detail large, high quality prints and Canon’s reputation for high functionality means you can’t go wrong. Get the souped up Canon for $399.94.

iRobot Scooba 5900 Floor Washing Robot
Buy a geek a robot and he’ll love you forever, but buy a geek Floor Washing Robot and he’ll clean! The iRobot can clean up to 500 square feet on a single battery charge and puts down fresh solution as it cleans under kitchen cabinets, tables and other hard-to-reach areas. It’s safe to use on all sealed hardwood, tile and linoleum. He can check his e-mail while his iRobot does the dirty work. Buy the Scooba 5900 for $399.99 and receive a free Roomba 401.

For seven more gift ideas for your geeky guy, just read more

Zojirushi Bread Maker
The logic is simple: get a geeky guy a Japanese bread maker and get free bread. The Zojirushi BBCC-X20 makes a fresh loaf of bread from start to finish, in a two-pound, horizontal loaf. You get the choice of using the dough cycle by itself, then finishing in your regular oven, which means you can make dough for crisp pizza crust, light dinner rolls, artisan breads, sourdough, cakes – or any other carb-filled delight. Get the Zojirushi BBCC-X20 Home Bread Maker for $199.95.

Turbo-Groomer 5.0
No one wants to admit their beau has nasty nose hairs, but we all know they’re perfectly natural (well, kinda). Help your geeky guy feel less gross by getting him a techie toy to combat his unwanted hair. The Turbo-Groomer 5.0 features Swiss stainless steel rotary blades with titanium cutting edges that whirl at a high-torque (yikes!) and two bright LED "headlights" that help eliminate shadows. He’ll be so fascinated by the light that he’ll forget what he’s doing. Get your Turbo Groomer for $49.99.

Canon HV10 3.1MP High-Definition MiniDV Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom
What guy doesn't love toting a top of the line camcorder around and what girl doesn't love being filmed? The Canon High-Def MiniDV Camcorder features advanced photo features (including a histogram display and built-in flash) and is small enough that he can sneak it into your purse. Just don't pull a Paris. Get the Canon MiniDV for $994.88.

Nintendo Wii
So Nintendo has recalled the strap, but the Wii is still the hottest game out there. Nintendo fans and non-gamers seem to be bonding over the Wii’s interactive games that force you to move your whole body and get active. If you were smart enough to plan ahead (and wait in the sleet and snow!) you probably already got your geek a Wii for Christmas. If not, check out Craigslist for people reselling them for a profit.
Check it out on Nintendo's website.

Voltaic Solar Laptop Bag
If your guy is the geeky, earth-loving type get him a snazzy Voltaic solar messanger/laptop bag. It's a mobile power generator so it will charge your devices without tying you to a power outlet. It will recharge most small electronic devices including: cell phones, cameras, two way radios, PDAs, and MP3s. Note: it is not designed to charge laptops, but you'll never have to wait for him to charge his 10 million gadgets again. Get a Voltaic for $229.

eStarling Wi-Fi Gmail/Flickr Enabled LCD Frame
If you give your geek a geeky digital frame, you can rest assured he'll be thinking of you all day - everyday. The eStarling frame connects to a wireless network and automatically displays photos e-mailed to it in a slideshow format. You'll be able to shoot photos on your cell then e-mail them directly to your geek's desk. Get your geek an eStarling frame for $249.99.

Micro Mosquito
It's a bird, it's a plane, no, it's the new Micro Mosquito! This is the best gift for your guy if he's a wannabe pilot. It looks just like a helicopter, and with seven full function, digital proportional controls, and a flight speed of 10-20 feet per minute, he'll be entertained for hours. Enough said. For more information go to Micro Mosquito. To purchase, check out Radio Shack where you can get him his very own for $70.

Finally, a Roomba Alternative: Samsung's Stealth

GeekSugar — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:04:30 -0700

Were you thinking about getting a Roomba but got discouraged by some people's disappointment with it. Or, have you been let down by the brand iRobot, but still love the convenience of a robotic vacuum?

Samsung has finally premiered a Roomba alternative, the Stealth vacuum, which looks disarmingly similar to the Roomba (save for those swishy arms coming out of it, which could be a pet attractor), Akihabara News reports.

If Samsung's version can improve upon Roomba's concept - a robotic vacuum that cleans on its own - but say, improve functionality a bit and lower the price then I think it could be a great competitor. No news yet about how much the Stealth will cost or how it measures up to its predecessor, but I've got a particularly dirty hardwood floor that would be willing to test it out.

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This Week On Geeksugar - Kurkova Makes Armbands Look Good

GeekSugar — Sat, 26 May 2007 14:07:10 -0700

Karolina Kurkova was out and about in Manhattan the other day displaying how geek chic iPod armbands really are. How Does She Make iPod Armbands Look Good?
There's no doubt about it mashup sites provide a unique and pleasurable website experience by combining services of two sites into one. For example, Flickrvision is a mashup site that displays the pictures people across the world are posting on Flickr on a map. What Mashup Site Would You Love?
It's only been about a week since the lineup for Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80s was announced (yes, for those of you that didn't hear, "Heat Of The Moment" will be available), but game's maker, Activision has announced the lineup for Guitar Hero 3, which will be out this fall. Guitar Hero 3 Lineup Announced
I speak from experience when I say once you hear the "Eye of The Tiger" ringtone three or four times a day you are bound to start living and breathing it - so I would hereby like to propose an alternative. Geek Tip: Make Your Own Ringtone
I'm not sure how appropriate these would be for the traditional office space, but I think they're kinda cute for late night laptop sessions at home. Love It or Leave It? USB Fairy Lights
When I compared the Roomba to the Dyson Slim I described the Roomba as a "geeky guy magnet gadget that's cleverly disguised as a vacuum." It's gotten a makeover and this girl is sold. The iRobot By Roomba Goes Red
Are you one of the bazillion people obsessed with the show Lost? Apple has just posted the "Lost TV game" from Gamelot on the iTunes Store. Play The 'Lost' TV Show Game On Your iPod