Neato have built the XV11 robotic vacuum cleaner perhaps in attempt to knock Roomba off the top spot. The Neato XV11 appears to be a serious challenger to the Roomba range of robots and has a number of significant improvements that could see it do very well.
The Neato XV11 works slightly different when cleaning a room by using what appears to be a more methodical approach. When compared to the Roomba that uses a spiralling pattern along with a system which allows the Roomba to bounce of objects and appears to randomly cover the carpet, the XV11 maps along the walls of the room to know how big the room is. Rooms are typically broken down in to 15′ x 15′ and if power gets low mid clean, the XV11 goes back to it’s base to recharge and then carries on where it left off. Another difference between the two vacuums is that the Roomba uses virtual walls and the XV11 uses laser to detect doorways and wont leave a room unless it is told to do so. The system used on the XV11 is called SLAM which means simultaneous localization and mapping. SLAM has lasers on the top that detect objects 360 degrees around it. With that data pathfinding can be done as well as obstacle avoidance. [Read more…]
This digital photo frame not only displays photos but also has a scanner built in allowing you to scan old prints and display them on the screen.
I’m guessing there will be quite a lot of information today about the Google Nexus One phone over the coming days and weeks. The next information to be revealed shows that the Nexus One has had approval by the FCC. In this case there is only the image above that shows what’s happening at the moment. What the image does confirm is that the phone is called the Nexus One (see NEXUSONE) and that it has a microSD slot along side the SIM card slot.
The guys over at wow-pow.com managed to get hold of a Kohjinsha DX dual screen netbook for review. The full review hasn’t been completed yet although they say it will be ready in the next 24 hours or so. For now, they just go through a quick unboxing and then give a demo of how the dual screen opens up.
VMWare are known for allowing multiple desktops to run on a computer by virtualizing the operating systems. The company are now bringing the same type of software to smartphones that will allow the phones to run a couple of OS’s at the same time.
Expansys in the UK are now selling the Motorola MILESTONE (aka, DROID in the US). According to SlashGear, eXpansys currently have an exclusive agreement in place that gives them full rights to selling the phone. You can choose to have the phone unlocked where it will set you back £449.99, or chose to buy a subsidized model which will lower the price, but lock you in to a contract for a certain amount of time.
Etsy user GeekUnique has created a very unique iPhone Dock called the Rock Dock that users a Nintendo NES Controller to sit the iPhone on.
Battle of the Fork Lifts is a game that requires you use your fork lift truck skills to move miniature pallets around. Now, full sized fork lifts are fun for some reason, but these little ones just seem to take the fun out of it.
Samsung are launching a new digital photo frame called the SPF-800P that has an 8 inch screen with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels.
The Acer Liquid A1 has gone on sale in the UK at various online stores. Originally the A1 was reported as having a 1GHz Snapdrahon processor although looking at the specs now it seems Acer have clocked it at 768MHz to probably save on battery life.
Dell have announced a new laptop in it’s Vostro range called the Dell V13. From what we see the laptop takes a few design elements from the new Dell Adamo we mentioned a few months back. The Dell V13 is thin at just 0.65 inches and when launched will cost $450.



