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Consumer Reports joined Into Tomorrow this week to suggest some tech gifts for the geek in your life
Robotic vacuums used to be more gimmicky than functional. But they’ve come a long way, so says Consumer Reports. Their electronics spokesman James McQueen is here to reveal some standout models that might make a great tech gift for the gadget geek your list.
The best-in-class robotic vacuum is the $900 Samsung PowerBot. This sleek little sucker soared to the top of our ratings because of its superb cleaning of carpets and bare floors. A couple of key design details helped make the difference. First, the Samsung’s ability to clean along walls is enhanced by well-designed edge brushes, which emerge and rotate only when needed. Second, the robot’s squared-off front enables it to clean corners better than its more rounded counterparts. As for power, the Samsung was able to suck embedded pet hair and fine grains of sand from carpets better than much of the competition.
And the there’s the $500 Roomba 880. iRobot has been building robotic vacuums since the early 2000s. The Roomba 880 had been our top-rated robotic until the Samsung came along. But it’s still awesome machine, delivering super cleaning across bare floors and carpets. It’s a bit shorter than the Samsung, so it will have an easier time getting under sofas and other obstacles. You might also consider the Roomba 960,a smartphone-controlled robotic vacuum that should perform similarly to the 880.
For more info on this story, visit ConsumerReports.org.
Dave and Chris recommended apps they’ve been playing with:
Google has become synonymous with the internet — it’s everywhere. Are you facing a problem? Google is the solution. Can’t find the meaning of a word? Google it. Lost your way? Google Maps will come to your rescue… Our friends at Drippler published a cool article about “15 Relatively Unknown Google Apps That Might Be Useful For You”. Check out things from Google Keep to Spaces to YouTube Kids to Google BrailleBack and more.
Let’s face it. We all hate zombies. The app I’m highlighting this week is an addictive game called I Hate Zombies. It puts YOU in the driver’s seat as you splatter hordes of zombies in the ultimate dash for freedom. You can choose from many different vehicles and perform jumps, flips and tricks as you nitro your way across the USA, leaving the undead in your wake. Splatter the zombies as you mow them down. But control your vehicle carefully. Land the wrong way and your vehicle falls apart and it’s game over. They’re calling this a fun fuelled ride through the zombie apocalypse! I Hate Zombies is free in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.
