cleaning
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Y-Brush's '10-second toothbrush' arrives in the US
After debuting a few years ago in Europe, the Y-Brush, a sonic toothbrush that promises to clean your teeth in 10 seconds flat, is now available in the US through Amazon.
The Seagull Pro cleans your pool with a quad-motor system
The Aiper Seagull Pro is a new pool-cleaning robot with a quad-motor system and a $900 price tag.
Y-Brush shows off a concept for its second-generation, uh, Y-shaped toothbrush
Still a concept for now, but this is the shape of Y-Brushes yet to come.
Amazon, DOJ ask consumers to report coronavirus price gouging
Since the coronavirus outbreak began, Amazon has seen a "significant increase in demand," especially for medical and cleaning supplies. It has also seen third-party retailers raising prices on things like masks, hand sanitizer and disinfectant sprays. Now, Amazon is asking consumers to cooperate with a Department of Justice (DOJ) probe into coronavirus price gouging.
Neato robot vacuum can map multiple floors of your home
Robot vacuums can frequently map a floor of your home to clean without much fuss. But if you aren't living in an apartment or bungalow, you probably have multiple floors -- where's the robovac for that? Neato thinks it can oblige. It's releasing a software update to the Botvac D7 Connected that lets its automated cleaner create maps for up to three floors. You'll still have to haul the robot up and down the stairs, but that beats buying another model just to avoid breaking out conventional cleaning tools. Neato is selling stand-alone charging stations (currently $40 each) to save you from moving the power source every time.
ICYMI: Boston's book cleaning machine and Disney's new SFX tricks
Today on In Case You Missed It: We take a look at the Boston Public Library's novel method of keeping its archives clean. Hint: it involves pushing them through a portable vacuum cleaner. The Depulvera book cleaning machine, as it's called, can scrub the dust and accumulated grime from up to 12 ancient tomes a minute without damaging the books themselves. Disney is also making headlines with a pair of new special effects tricks. The first will enable Disney CG animators to motion capture real life hairstyles and port them directly into computer generated simulations. The second uses high speed cameras and infrared lasers to map and project digital images and animations onto actors' faces. One will result in more lifelike and naturals doos in kids movies, the other will serve as a steady source of nightmare fuel for the parents. Good times. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @Terrortola.
Amazon might launch a Prime housekeeping service
After years selling the products you need to keep your home tidy, Amazon may soon actually help you clean it. Two job postings, first spotted by The Seattle Times, show that the company is looking for "Home Assistants," who work with customers to tidy people's homes, do laundry, put groceries away and "assure that customers return to an errand-free home."
Google Search starts connecting you directly to plumbers, locksmiths
Amazon launched a home services directory in 41 cities a few months ago, and now Google is dipping its toe in the water. According to the Wall Street Journal, for those "in and around" San Francisco, searching for terms like lock repair or clogged toilet will bring you a list of prescreened professionals in the area prepared to take care of those problems. As you can see in the screenshot (after the break), we gave it a try with "clean house" and got not only the list with contact info, but a way to send a few interesting parties a request quickly. The key here, is that you never have to leave Google.com for any of that, and the people listed pay for the privilege (plus screening for licenses and background checks) through Google's AdWords Express.
Dyson's new vacuums don't need you to clean the filter
Sure, your vacuum cleaner might not need a bag anymore, but you're probably still cleaning or replacing its filter every now and then to make sure you're sucking up as much dirt as possible. You shouldn't have to if Dyson's new Cinetic Science vacuums live up to their hype, though. Both the upright and low-slung versions use rapidly vibrating flexible tips (350 times a second) to prevent dust from blocking the aperture, making sure that all those crumbs and stray hairs reach the bin without any kind of filter maintenance. Supposedly, the Cinetic Science line will operate at peak performance even after 10 years of duty.
Whirlpool's new machine freshens your clothes in 10 minutes flat
Odds are that you're used to ironing some of your clothes to keep them wrinkle-free, or taking them to the dry cleaners when you can't (or just won't) put them through a washing machine. No great shakes, right? Well, Procter & Gamble and Whirlpool apparently believe that these are terrible burdens -- the two have unveiled Swash, an appliance that freshens your clothing one piece at a time. The device uses the combination of heat and a special solution (held in "Swash pods") to eliminate wrinkles and smells in your apparel without either damaging it or requiring time-consuming care; your duds should be (almost) as good as new in roughly 10 minutes. It doesn't require water, and it can handle delicate materials like cashmere and lace. At first blush, it looks like a good way to save a favorite coat or sweater from the ravages of time.
Getting your iOS screen clean on: wipin' secrets
In this world, there are those who don't let a little grease and grime bother them. And then there are those of us who buy bulk cleaning products at Costco and carefully tend to our oleophobic screens, caressing and conditioning our babies. Guess which group TUAW blogger Kelly H. belongs to? That's her iPad mini shown at the top of this post. Chris R. uses his Smart Cover's built-in microfiber for iPad cleaning but not for his iPhone. "The iPhone gets wiped on jeans, shirt, whatever." Kelly G. augments that approach with "Spit, breath, whatever." Randy N. relies on both the Smart Cover and his jeans. "I rub my phone on my leg," he admits. The rest of us at TUAW depend on a variety of approaches for keeping our preciousssss clean. The most popular solution is the microfiber cloth, useful for phones, tablets and camera equipment. It was endorsed by the whole team. Mike W. mentioned he picks his cloths up for cheap from Amazon. Hunt around for deals. Steve S. swears by Antec Advance spray. As the marketing text states, it's a "unique non-drip formula that adheres to your device's screen, allowing for quick and easy cleaning, and is anti-bacterial to keep your device germ-free." I use Wipe N Clear, which I in buy bulk from Costco. The individual packets make for easy transport; they work on my glasses as well as my iPad; and I can tuck a few away in my backpack. They're not perfect -- often leaving a few stray fibers -- but you can't beat them for convenience. How do you maintain your phones and tablets? Drop a note in the comments and share your cleaning secrets.
Ask Engadget: best robot cleaner for stone tile floors?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is coming to us from Anthony, who needs some robotic help keeping his stone floors clean. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "We have stone tile floors in the kitchen and two kids. What wet floor cleaning robot would help us keep the floor clean, navigate the kitchen and handle the uneven stone floor tiles and grooves?" We love original and different questions like this, the more original and different the better, so let's help this gentleman out. It's the old story of the high-tech being flustered by the stone age, but what's the solution? Is it the iRobot Scooba, with its squeegee apparatus tucked underneath, or something else? Why not share your considerable experiences in the comments below.
Polaris' pool-cleaning robots get updated with added intelligence, four-wheel drive
It's been almost exactly a year since Zodiac Pool Systems last expanded its line of Polaris-branded pool-cleaning robots, and it's now back with two more additions that fill out the top and bottom end of its lineup. That includes the company's most advanced robot to date, the $1499 Polaris 9400 Sport (pictured above), which adds four-wheel drive for the first time, as well as the company's new accelerometer-enhanced ActivMotion Sensor technology -- something Polaris says allows the robot to continually sense where it is in the pool and optimize its cleaning action accordingly. The 9100 Sport, on the other hand, gets neither of those new additions, but it'll "only" set you back $799, and will still clean pools up to 40 feet long in about two hours. You can get a closer look at those, as well as the company's existing offerings, at the source link below.
iRobot Scooba 390 hands-on -- now with 30 degrees more circle (video)
Last week's trip to iRobot's headquarters in Bedford, Massachusetts wasn't just about tossing battlefield 'bots about. We also had the opportunity to check out some of the company's more domestic offerings. The Scooba 390 is the latest addition to the iRobot's line of floor cleaners. The mopping 'bot offers a couple of enhancements to its older sibling -- rather than considering it a full refresh, the company's referring to it as an "update to respond to customer feedback." The biggest difference here is improved battery life -- a welcome change in any device. According to iRobot, the 390 should provide users with around 30 percent more battery life than its predecessor, covering up to 450 square feet per cleaning session.
German researchers create smudge repellent coating from candle soot
While they're working on the lack of feedback, and need for exposed skin problems for touch screens, that other gripe -- dirty smudges -- could soon be wiped-out permanently. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz obviously had enough of sleeve-cleaning their devices and created a coating that could usher in a smudge-free world. The discovery comes after the team applied candle soot to glass and then coated it in silica to keep it in place. The glass is then heated to a bratwurst-baking 600 ºC for calcination, which makes the soot transparent -- somewhat handy for screens. To test, different oils and solvents were applied, but the glass' superamphiphobic properties soon fended them off. A resilient coating sounds a little more straight-forward than what Apple recently applied to patent, but until either of these see the light of day, you'd better keep that Brasso close by.
Dyson intros Hot AM04, aims to change the home heating game (video)
Leave it to James Dyson to give your ordinary household appliance a new spin. Tonight in New York City, Mr. Dyson took to the stage in order to properly unveil his latest gizmo -- the $399.99 Dyson Hot AM04. As its name suggests, this is the company's latest fan Air Multiplier, but with a ceramic heating element to keep your toes toasty. On those muggy summer days, you'll be able keeps things breezy similar to previous Air Multipliers, and when the winter's bitter cold hits, you'll be able to heat things up anywhere from 32 degrees Fahrenheit to as high as 99 degrees -- caliente. The unit is designed much like a jet's wing, bringing air in from its bottom grills and amplifying it six times as it soars out through the ducts. Interestingly enough, we're told that the heating element stays at one preset temperature, measuring the room until it reaches the level you tell it to. As you'd expect, an inbuilt safety mechanism flips the whole thing off if it tips over. With its tiltable base or an included IR remote, you'll be able to change the temperature, choose between ten fan speeds and set it into an oscillation mode. Better yet, the remote magnetically clings to the top of the unit -- perfect if you're prone to losing things. It's currently available in white or silver directly from Dyson (though a remote-less version is tipped for those looking to save a few bucks), and you'll find more details in the PR past the break. %Gallery-133818%
Dyson unleashes DC41 Animal vacuum cleaner for pigpen apartments
We normally wouldn't leave our housework in the hands of an animal, but Dyson's new DC41 Animal vacuum cleaner may force us to reconsider. The company's latest Ball-based sweeper uses Dyson's proprietary (and complicated-sounding) Radial Root Cyclone technology to maximize its 235 air watts of suction power -- most of which is concentrated at the cleaner's head. It also ships with a mini turbine head, which you can use to clean up the hair that real animals leave on your car seat. In true Dysonian fashion, however, this Ball-bearing beast won't come for cheap. You can scoop one up at the source link below, for a cool $600.
Toshiba Smarbo takes on dirt, Roomba, music playing prowess unclear
Toshiba is just the latest company to enter the robovac fray. Samsung, ASUS and LG have already tested the waters against the mighty iRobot, now it's Smarbo's turn to try its hand at automated vacuuming. Inside the round floor cleaner are 38 sensors that help it avoid obstacles and keep it from falling down stairs, as well as a CPU or CPUs that sport "double brain function" according to the machine translated PR. The bot is quite quick, supposedly able to clean 100 square meters (over 1,000 square feet) in about 90 minutes, and only uses a few pennies worth of electricity to do so. Toshiba's vacubot will hit shelves in Japan for around $1,100 on October first, but it does suffer one distinct disadvantage -- DJ Smarbo just doesn't have the same ring to it.
Dear Aunt TUAW: Help me keep my keyboard clean and white
Dear Aunt TUAW, Got any good tips for keeping the white keys of the Apple keyboard clean? Having switched to a desktop setup, I'm no longer using the black keys of my MacBook and typing basically constantly trying to write my thesis is starting make the white keys of the external look a little grubby. Do people just use household cleaners or does isopropanol or something similar work better? Muchos gracias, Your loving nephew, Sam Dear Sam, Oh my, my, my. Auntie is going to answer as seriously as she can. And that includes her admonishment to wash your hands before touching expensive electronics. Before getting to that however, she recommends that you get out a white sheet of typing paper. Or "printer paper" or "Xerox paper" as it now seems to be known among you youngsters. Place it on a table and invert your keyboard over it and gently tap the bottom of the keyboard or (if applicable) your laptop. Just tap, tap, tap. Start watching things fall out. Hair, dried sneezes, bits of dandruff -- truly it's horrifying what gets into our keyboards. Auntie's solution is to hit the liniment and pretend that gross stuff just isn't there. If she can't feel it while typing, then logically it doesn't exist. There's probably even a scientific theorem about that. The non-observation principle. However, if you're bound and determined to clean your keys, here are a few tips. First, most keys on modern keyboards can be removed, and scrubbed individually. Some people even use the dishwasher for this with a small cage. You probably want to photograph your keyboard before de-keying it, the better to return each key to its proper home. Second, melamine sponges (e.g. Mr. Clean in the US, but they probably have something equivalent there in the UK), are wonderful for re-bright-ifying white Apple products. Be careful at the top of your keys because they may scrape off existing letter names (all the better for Dvorak users). You can try using an eraser, if you're willing to vacuum afterwards. Third, never underestimate the power of good suction. A small handheld vacuum can de-yuck your keyboard like nothing else. Finally, if you're trying to remove items from surfaces, you can use simple rubbing alcohol or miniral spirits (like Goo Gone). Uncle Victor suggests that alcohol is probably your best bet as it won't kill the paint but will loosen the grime. Hugs, Auntie T.
Du.static dust-busting concept clears the air, won't vanquish Voldemort
Avada Keduster! That's right Potter fans, magic may not be real (sorry), but if Du.static ever makes it to market, get set to eliminate household dust with the flourish of a wand. Designed by Hongik University's Won Suk Lee, this 2011 Spring Spark Concept Design winner combines the functionality of a feather duster and air purifier, into a two-in-one, Hershey-kissed silhouette. The standalone unit's base-mounted induction fan sucks your room's filth into a fine particle filter, releasing fresh air out its other end, while an LED light keeps track of environmental detritus -- signaling red for "polluted" and blue as "pure enough." Impressive powers of purification aside, we have a feeling its removable electrostatic stick cleaner is going to get more cosplay (and cleaning) mileage. Head to the source now for extra shots of the device in action and while you're at, petition Dyson for its real-world equivalent.
