iRobot Scooba 390 cleaning ‘bot gets serious

Grubby floors beware; iRobot has introduced a new floor washing ‘bot, the Scooba 390, a full-size version of the Scooba 230 that demands less prep work by its human owners. Where the 230 could wash your tile, linoleum or hardwood floor but first insisted that you manually brush it, the Scooba 390 includes a rotating brush to scoop up any obvious dirt before it gets down to more intensive cleaning.


As with the smaller robot, it uses two tanks – one for cleaning fluid, the other for dirty water – which is sloshed down on the floor after the Scooba has swept it. A darn good scrubbing follows, before the dirty water is suctioned up for later disposal.

Philips M100 internet security camera spied at FCC

I have zero need to monitor rooms in my house from afar. I wouldn’t mind monitoring the front door so I can tell when the idiot UPS driver, who has some sort of aversion to ringing a bell, drops off packages. I’d rather a new laptop not sit in the elements all night thank you very much Mr. UPS Driver. This little Philips M100 Internet security camera that has surfaced that the FCC doesn’t appear to be suited for outdoor use.


In fact it’s a virtual spitting image for a camera Stem Innovation launched a while back called the iZon. The cameras both share the same round white design and everything. The lens surrounding the Philips unit is a little different. From what I can tell in the FCC photo the M100 has a smaller LED on the front than the iZon uses.

We don’t have a lot of detail on M100 at this time. However, we do know is that it will wirelessly shoot video up to 720p resolution and audio out to your iPhone or your Android device. I would assume that video streaming would be done using some sort of app. The iZon the camera connects directly to a Wi-Fi network, so that sounds likely for the Philips camera as well. It appears that the camera is paired somehow to the smart phone using a barcode image on the smartphone screen.

PlayBook BlackBerry 10 update locked in

The BlackBerry PlayBook recently saw an update to the OS, hitting version 2.0. It finally added the crucial native email application, as well as Android app support. But what does the future hold for RIM’s lacklustre tablet? Will the PlayBook see future updates despite the generally poor reception it has received? According to RIM, yes, going so far to say that BlackBerry OS 10 will be coming to the PlayBook when it’s ready.

BlackBerry 10 will be based upon QNX, which the PlayBook already runs, but RIM are hoping to modify the OS to support their future smartphones, as well as making it competitive with other mobile operating systems. Speaking to TechRadar, Rob Orr, Vice President of product management said:

We’ve said publicly a number of times that our first BB10 handset will be available towards the end of 2012, and that’s still firmly the case. At some point after the launch we’ll bring BB10 to our PlayBooks, yes.

As for PlayBook OS 2.0, RIM said the install rate for the new update was very high. On day one, around 50% of users installed 2.0. Orr went on to say that that’s the opposite of a typical BlackBerry smartphone update, saying that users “are a little bit tentative to take software updates.”
There’s no word on exactly when the PlayBook will see BlackBerry 10, or any indication of any new PlayBook hardware either. RIM are expected to ship BlackBerry 10 smartphones in the later part of the year.

Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 3.6 hands-on

If you were paying very close attention during Samsung's IFA announcements last year, you may have caught wind of a 3.6-inch PMP, fittingly called the Galaxy S WiFi 3.6. Now, Samsung has confirmed that this elusive entry-level Gingerbread handheld will finally be making its way to North America, with a 3.6-inch 800 x 480-pixel display and 1GHz Hummingbird processor in tow. There's no question that this isn't going to be a must-have gadget for power users, but for children and those new to Android or portable media players, the 3.6 will suit just fine. It's still a capable device, though on a more modest scale than pricier models -- there's a rear-facing 2-megapixel camera with a VGA snapper up front, a 1500mAh removable battery, a microSD slot for memory expansion, micro-USB and headphone ports on the bottom, and a power button and volume rocker on the side.

We had a chance to go hands-on with the 3.6 ahead of its U.S. launch during a visit to Samsung HQ in South Korea. The first thing we noticed is its size -- the compact design and light weight make single-handed operation quite feasible, even for those with smaller hands. The relatively high-res display (given the size) is of the LCD variety, as with other Galaxy Players, though with the same amount of screen real estate as larger devices, you should have no problem using the PMP for occasional email and basic web-browsing. Surprisingly, we also didn't have any issue using the keyboard, even in portrait mode with fairly stocky fingers. Navigation was noticeably sluggish compared to higher-end Samsung Galaxy devices, but not out of the ordinary for a mid-tier gadget. We wouldn't necessarily recommend purchasing the Galaxy S WiFi 3.6 if your everyday device has a large, gorgeous AMOLED display and plenty of processing power under the hood, but if you're looking for a PMP to compliment your prepaid feature phone, this budget offering should fit the bill. We're still awaiting confirmation of U.S. pricing and availability, though it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect it to land within the $150-200 range. Jump past the break for our video hands-on.

iPhone Latch & Lanyard, Supports Your iPhone While Capturing Movies And Photos

A new iPhone Latch & Lanyard concept designed to be used with the Gymbl Case is currently over on the Kickstarter website looking to make the jump from concept to production, and has been designed to help you take iPhone photographs with ease.
We have featured a number of different solutions here on Geeky Gadgets that have been designed to aid stability and help you hold and control your iPhone movement when taking photographs.

But none have been as small or as convenient as the iPhone Latch & Lanyard concept. Watch the video after the jump to see it in action. Gordon Fowler explains a little more about his concept.
“Held taut against your neck, the iPhone is steady when taking photos and when capturing video you can hold it steady or swing it through a smooth and graceful arc. You will be surprised by how much of a difference it makes.
It’s also amazing how natural and secure it feels to do this with one thumb steadying the camera while the other is over the shutter and adjusting the settings. It works both left- and right-handed and in portrait as well as landscape mode.”
The iPhone Latch & Lanyard concept is now looking to raise $20,000 to help get the concept into production, so if you think its something you would use make a pledge for $15 to make sure you have one once it goes into production at the special Kickstarter introductory offer price.

Cashier Live Launches POS Application For iPhone

Today Cashier Live have launched a new iPhone application for their POS system that in a similar way to PayPal could be looking to encroach in Square’s payment service territory.
There are differences though between to the two companies as Cashier Live is firmly targeted at retails, specifically small and medium-sized retailers and franchises.

Unlike Square which is aimed at allowing even individuals access to taking payments whilst out and about use using a dingle and smartphone.
“Cashier Live is an easy to use, affordable point-of-sale system built just for retailers. Whether it’s with our online or iPhone application, we give independent retailers the tools and technology to help grow their business. Our intuitive interface makes ringing up transactions fast and simple. Both our online and iPhone application have been optimized to make checkout a fast process.”
Cashier Live offers its service via monthly plans that start at $20/month and go up to $75/month. For more information on the new Cashier Live iPhone application jump over to the Tech Crunch website, or visit Cashier Live’s site directly. You can also view a video on the new Cashier Live iPhone application here.

HTC reminds us what's getting Ice Cream Sandwich and when they might get it

HTC on its blog has reiterated which current phones are slated for an update to Android 4.0. It's not a new list -- we've seen all of these phones announced previously (here, here, here and here) -- but it's good to see it all in one place. In alphabetical order, they are:

• DROID Incredible 2 by HTC
• HTC Amaze 4G
• HTC Desire S
• HTC Desire HD
• HTC EVO 3D
• HTC EVO Design 4G
• HTC Incredible S
• HTC Sensation
• HTC Sensation XL
• HTC Sensation 4G
• HTC Sensation XE
• HTC Raider
• HTC Rezound
• HTC Rhyme
• HTC Thunderbolt
• HTC Vivid

As we've already reported, the Sensation and Sensation XE are getting their updates now. The Sensation 4G (that's T-Mobile's version) and the Sensation XL are next, though no time frame was given.
So maybe the HTC One line (that's the HTC One X above) isn't in the cards for you. Maybe you have to hold out for Ice Cream Sandwich on your current device. We hear ya. We've got phones that are languishing with Gingerbread, too.