(Credit:
Electrolux)
I am confused by the concept behind this new Electrolux vacuum cleaner.
The company has developed the technology for what it's calling the "quietest vacuum cleaner ever." But then it breaks the silence by incorporating an iPod dock and speakers into the thing. Yes, this quiet vacuum plays music.
It's just a concept at this point based on a study Electrolux did (PDF) on the effects of music on doing housework. But I could easily envision these quiet-but-loud machines hitting stores in the next year if the demand is strong enough. I see these as the world's first hipster vacuums.
I suppose I like the idea of making housework fun, but the elimination of noise to create more enjoyable noise is like gentrification of the soundwaves. I can't help but think about how it mirrors what's happening in cities around the globe as people are pushed out of their neighborhoods to make way for newer, hipper, higher-end housing.
Or maybe I've been reading too many social-theory books before bed.
The new preamplifier looks amazing.
(Credit: Einstein Audio Components)We're not talking about Albert Einstein, the legendary theoretical physicist; we're talking about Einstein Audio Components, a Germany-based high-end audio manufacturer.
Its advanced audio equipment designs use vacuum tubes. Its latest stereo preamplifier, The Tube MKII, uses a total of (gulp) 19 tubes. That's a lot of tubes! Most tube preamps only use four, five, or six tubes. However, here's the cool part about the new Einstein preamp: only 10 of the 19 tubes operate at any given time. Eight are used all the time, and two are selected for whichever audio source happens to be playing.
The rear panel of The Tube MKII.
(Credit: Einstein Audio Components)This feature makes The Tube MKII the only preamp in the world that lets users tailor the sound from each audio source by selecting the specific "flavor" of tube dedicated to each source. Some owners might opt for "warm" sounding tubes for the CD input, and superdetailed tubes for the phono input. Tweaky? You bet, but I guarantee a lot of wealthy tube-obsessed audiophiles will love that feature.
The 33-pound preamp has two large controls on its front panel: one for source selection and one for volume. On its rear, it has three pairs of XLR inputs, two pairs of RCA inputs, and two tape outputs.
Its build quality is superlative and is reflected in The Tube MKII's $17,800 MSRP. The preamp will make its U.S. market debut at the 2010 CES next month.
The Neato Robotics XV-11 vacuum goes on sale in February for $399.
(Credit: Neato Robotics)Roomba has been king of the robotic vacuum market for a while, but Neato Robotics, a start-up out of Menlo Park, California, will be trying to usurp the throne in February with a new automated vacuum that will cost $400.
While the company expects to have multiple robotic housekeeping products in the future, its debut product is called the Neato XV-11. What makes it better than Roomba vacuums? Neato says it's smarter because it features a high-tech laser-powered Room Positioning System (RPS) to map your room and avoid most obstacles. And since it's smarter, it cleans a room in a more efficient manner, allowing it to finish the job more quickly.
We saw the Neato XV-11 in action and were pretty impressed with what it could do. It runs for about an hour on a replaceable, rechargeable battery and automatically returns to its base station for recharging when it's running low on juice. Once it recharges, it ... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog
This week, Donald will just not_shut_up already, so Jasmine tries to impose a word cap on his ramblings (it fails). Items that are babbled upon include the overly bass-heavy Dr. Dre Beats Solo headphones, a potential Zii war between Nintendo and Creative, an itty-bitty $9 MP3 player, and a potential HD video player from Cowon. Also, Donald shoots Jasmine with lasers, and we drool over an ultraquiet vacuum with a built in iPod speaker.
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... Read More
Sometimes, in order to grow, you need to take a step back and look with adoration and respect to the things you took for granted as a child. It also helps to mock them incessantly.
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EPISODE 144 |
“Grease” game coming to Nintendo
6 high-tech ways to upgrade your barbecue from start to finish
Pretttttyyyy (Jason edition)
Vacuum-tube chess set
What the hell?
The Microsoft vomit ad saga
Kill Me
The most expensive 16 gigabytes on the planet: The Mnemosyne USB cube
Tool Time
Video mask allows you to film underwater hands-free
Gender gap
thereifixedit.com
It’s about time (childhood nostalgia edition)
iPod clock terrorizes hobbits
It begins with iPhone 3 software details, progresses into face stealing, and somehow ends up at a claw machine containing a mountain of mammaries. Obviously words do nothing to express the joy of this week's Gadgettes.
Listen now: Download today's podcast
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EPISODE 129 |
iPhone OS 3.0: What you need to know
iPhone 3.0-ready with $24 stereo Bluetooth headset
iPhone OS 3.0 will turn your phone into a revolutionary sex toy
The 3D FaceStatue might be the creepiest product of all-time
Japan’s latest supermodel–a robot
... Read More
This weekend, crunchy snacks are going to be consumed across the country in staggering amounts. All the Super Bowl parties filled with delicious treats can only mean one thing: somebody has to clean it all up. Well, now, maybe not a somebody, but rather, a something.
Powered by two AA batteries, the Mini Robo Vacuum skirts across your kitchen table (or Super Bowl spread) picking up crumbs or other small bits of unwanted trash. All you have to do is push the button on top of its little robot head and off it goes.
The small robot vacuum cleaner measures 5 inches by 4 inches, and comes in three different colors. As a regular addition to your normal tablescape it should fit right in.
At only $20, the Mini Robo Vacuum isn't going to compare with a powerful robotic vacuum cleaner such as the Roomba. However, I would rather have one of these little guys scuttling about my kitchen countertop.
Certainly this weekend, robot cleaners large and small will be put to good use. Considering the amount of pretzels, potato chips, and crackers that will be consumed over this Super Bowl weekend, the robot cleaners are going to be working overtime no matter how close the game is.
(Via Dvice)
iRobot's Roomba, Scooba, and Dirt Dog are selling bundled for $900.
(Credit: iRobot)iRobot is offering deep discounts on its home products if you buy directly from its Web site.
We're wondering why, and it comes down to two possibilities, really.
One, they have newer, brighter, shinier models in the pipeline and need to unload old stock. Or, two, they're simply trying to get a head start on the holiday-season discounts expected from retailers, given the state of the economy.
Most recently, iRobot sent an e-mail letting people know it's offering $50 off its Scooba 380 model if you buy it before October 24. It normally sells for $450. That discount is presumably in preparation for the new Scooba 385 that it promises is "coming soon" on its European Web site.
iRobot is also offering $25 to $100 off its Roomba models when you buy two.
But if you have a lot of cash lying around, you could save even more. The company has a series of value packs in which they'll give you three robots for the price of two.
If you buy a Roomba 570 vacuuming robot and Scooba 380 floor-cleaning robot for $900 directly from the company Web site, for example, iRobot will throw in its Dirt Dog shop vacuum for free. They also offer combos that include the Looj gutter-cleaning robot.
Considering that averages out to $300 per robot, it's really not a bad deal.
(Credit:
Woo Audio)
Would you buy a Ferrari for $1,050? OK, how about a $1,050 headphone amplifier?
The Woo Audio WA6 Special Edition headphone amp is built to Ferrari levels of quality and performance. Even before I listened to it, I knew it was going to be amazing.
It's a two-piece design. One chassis contains the power supply, the other is the amplifier proper. The pewter color, die-cast chassis parts are finished to a high standard, fully equal to $10,000 stereo amplifiers I've reviewed, but the WA6-SE is a good deal smaller than your average high-end amplifier. The two chassis together fill just 11.25 inches by 10.25 inches of shelf space.
The WA6-SE is a pure tube design, without a single semiconductor or integrated circuit in the entire amp. It's hand-crafted in New York's Queens borough, and there are no printed circuit boards; all wiring is point-to-point hand-soldered. Woo Audio builds each amp to order, so it can incorporate custom options and offer a wide range of upgraded parts. Current build time is about three to four weeks.
Woo Audio offers an extensive range of headphone amplifiers. Prices start at $470 for the Woo Audio 3; the top-of-the-line WA5 LE runs $2,400. When I heard the $585 WA6 amp a few months ago, I was knocked out by its sound.
... Read MoreThese little guys got me thinking: what's the least important feature of a gadget?
Functionality? Probably not. Price? Arguable. Cuteness factor? Absolutely.
(Credit:
Perpetual Kid)
The Robo Vacuums from Perpetual Kid are cuteness on steroids. And that's why these wannabe Roombas, spotted at Boing Boing Gadgets, for $15 each are probably not super effective. (But no matter! We here at Crave love useless eye candy.)
The Robo Vacuum is a smaller, cheaper version of the Roomba, the robot vacuum that does your dirty work for you. That is, you click it on, and it buzzes around your house, sucking up dirt so you don't have to. It comes in red, white, and black, and needs just two AA batteries.
This also gives me the opportunity to share one of my favorite CNET News.com videos, where one of our reporters took the Roomba home for the day. Enjoy.
