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All the entries posted on September 27, 2007.
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Home > Plugged In > Archives > 2007 > September > 27
Thursday, September 27, 2007
New robots clean gutters, read bedtime stories
Who needs Jetsons-style robotic housekeepers? iRobot, the company that brought you the Roomba robot vacuum cleaner, now has a gadget that will clean your gutters.
At the Digital Life show in New York on Thursday, iRobot CEO Colin Angle unveiled the $99 Looj, a cross between a radio controlled toy tank and a blender. It’s meant to do the grunt work of gutter cleaning while keeping homeowners from toppling off ladders. Check out the video below.
Angle also previewed an upcoming robot called the ConnectR, essentially a one-way webcam with Wi-Fi on a rolling platform that can be controlled over the Internet. Its full price will be about $500, but a pilot test program will offer a limited number for $200
Angle said he’s used ConnectR to see his 4-year-old daughter and keep in touch when he travels. He’s read her stories and played games via robot.
“She thinks it’s really cool,” he said.
(Photo: iRobot CEO Colin Angle shows off the upcoming ConnectR./David Ho)
(Video: Angle puts a Looj through its paces on a mock-up house./David Ho)
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Amazon goes up against Apple
Amazon.com is challenging Apple in the sale of music downloads, and with 70 percent of the market, I have no sympathy for iPod lovers who stick with Apple’s iTune service.
Apple has more songs — 5 million to 2.3 million. But the popular retail site, Amazon, is selling at a competitive price to Apple — 89 cents to 99 cents. And it’s also offering songs without copying restrictions so users could listen to their music on more than one computer.
Apple has been the dominator in music and video downloads since the online store opened for business four years ago. For instance, NBC drifted to Amazon this month after failing to come to terms over the sale of new TV episodes.
My guess is that people will only slowly shift away from iTunes. It’s easy to use. The cost isn’t too high. And they already know the drill, right?