So what is the major difference between the Roomba and the Smarbo? Well, for one, the price of the Smarbo is around $1,200. That is pretty expensive for a vacuum. The price reminds me of when one of those at home demonstrators came to my house and tried to sell me one of those Rainbow vacuum cleaners/air purifier thingies that costs $3,000. That price just seems a little steep for something that could get stepped on, broken or stuck. Not to mention that these little robotic vacuums are rather small. I have a dog that sheds a lot and I just do not think this thing could pick up all the hair in one trip.

The Smarbo has two CPU’s that make the machine go although Toshiba hasn’t said what kind. There is a camera on board and 38 sensors that tell the little vacuum where to go, when to stop, how much to accelerate and the distance of objects. The little thing can sure move, that is for sure. The Smarbo can cover 100sqm in just 90 minutes. Also, if you are worried about being green then little vacuum will only cost about $0.03 to clean a room of that size.

The new Smarbo will be released on October 1^st in Japan and comes with a remote control and chargin station.  Let the robotic vacuum war begin.

This JVC docking station is awesome. I hate the fact that I have to plug my iPhone and iPad into separate plugs when I go to bed at night. It would be so much easier if I could just have them all in one place. That is why I am glad JVC came up with this Apple docking station. I am kind of surprised Apple didn’t think of it first. With so many Apple products it seems like it would be the smart thing to do.

The docking station isn’t only useful but it is slick and clean just like all of your favorite Apple products. The station consists of the primary docking station and two adjoining speakers so you can listen to your favorite tunes while your iPad, iPhone or iPod charges. This would make a great nightstand alarm clock.

The station even comes with a remote control so you can control your products at a distance. The primary dock has multiple stations so you can charge or connect different devices. Along with connecting your Apple products you can also connect a television set or other media player.

The docking station comes in two different versions. UXVJ 3 which runs around $329 or, for an extra $40, the UXJV 5 which comes with an extra USB slot and a CD player. You can purchase the dock from JVC.

Once again we have a phone with specs that fall significantly short of the iPhone, but they cover it gold, which is pretty useless, especially if you upgrade your phone as much as I do.

The one saving feature to this phone, and something I wish Apple would consider adding to the iPhone, is the dual SIM slots, which the company says can provide you with two numbers.  I’m more interested in using the dual SIMs to allow me to make calls on two different networks.  Let’s say AT&T is not getting good coverage (I know, when does that ever happen, right?), then I could switch up to Verizon.  Combine that idea with Google Voice and you can have the phone ring on both numbers, and accept the call on the best connection.

Of course this is a tricky workaround, and not one I expect to see Apple really embrace.  It would just be nice if the mobile carriers would work.  But it’s at least one feature the Goldvish Equilibrium above the iPhone.  Everything else appears to fall way short.

To be honest, I never appreciated the iPod Touch.  It’s basically an iPhone without the phone.  If someone wants an iPhone, why not just get one?  I had a good talk with several people while at the last SXSW who had iPod Touch’s and they all had a good excuse.  They are required by work to have a Blackberry, but they love the App Store.  I have also talked to some younger people, with less accommodating parents than I, who would love an iPhone, but their parents won’t pay for it.  Damn near child abuse if you ask me.  But it looks like this is bound to be the case for a while, until IT people start loving Apple the way they should, and child protection laws finally protect a teen’s right to an iPhone.

But I have been watching a trend that has me thinking that it may be time for me to look into purchasing an iPod Touch.  The latest reason comes from Chelsea’s earlier post about the VooMote One, which turns the iPhone as a universal remote.  The VoomMote is just the latest in a line of devices that let you use your iPhone or iPod Touch as a remote.  These devices run about $100, which when combined with the iPod Touch as $230, gives you a $330 remote.  Sounds a bit steep until you really look the price of other remotes.  A decent Logitech Harmony remote is going to run you about $200 – $250.

But then there is the other things you can do with an iPod Touch.  First off, you can obviously check your email, which is pretty cool when you think about doing that from a remote.  Want to update your Facebook status, or maybe check-in to a show with GetGlue?  You can’t do that with most remote controls.  Twitter is another obvious feature.  This isn’t counting the tens of thousands of other apps, including games, sharing photos and videos, video chat, web browsing, etc… that you can now do on your remote control.

Let’s also add the ability to control even more devices.  For example, you can use Airplay right from your iPod to send music from Pandora or Spotify to your stereo, so you now have unlimited music.  I have a Sonos system, which has it’s own iPhone/iPod app to control all the music in every room in my home.

And let’s not forget about old school X-10 devices.  X-10 has been around for decades, and with the proliferation of iPhone and other devices, it’s become a popular choice for people in home automation.  With the X-10 iPhone app, you can control the lighting and heating/air in every room, and even set timers for true automation.  There is even an alarm system module so you can activate security protocols from your iPod.

The more options like these, the more the iPod Touch becomes an excellent choice as a complete remote control for your home.  And with AirPlay mirroring  coming out in iOS 5, the benefits will only increase.

Of course there is one thing the iPhone can do which the iPod cannot, take calls.  But this is not completely true.  Just install Skype on your iPod Touch and your off and calling.  And if you use Google Voice, like I do, you can set it so that it rings your Skype phone as well as your mobile number.

There is one more note I want to add to this idea.  As more and more people are dumping land lines in favor of a mobile phone only house, there is a problem.  Sometimes you don’t have your iPhone in earshot in your home.  It’s not like you will always walk around with it.  For that the iPod Touch/Skype idea is great, but there is another option that will allow you to return to the old days of actual phones in your home.  Check out the Panasonic KX-TG7645M DECT 6.0 Link-to-Cell via Bluetooth Cordless Phone.  This excellent phone system allows you to connect your iPhone via Bluetooth, which then allows you to pick up the cordless phone and make call, using your iPhone in place of a landline.  And since the phone system comes with 5 handsets, you can have these all around your house, and never miss a call again.

So finally you can keep your iPhone plugged into the charger while at home, leaving home duties to the iPod Touch.  If I wasn’t convinced before, I just talked myself into this idea.  Let me know if you try this and what experiences you have.

A German-based company called Zer1.tv has created a remote just for me. It is a universal remote for your iPhone or iPod touch. Called the VooMote One it can control practically all infrared consumer electronic devices including televisions, video projectors and even gaming consoles.

Now, the idea itself isn’t new and there are other apps that do similar things but usually only work on Bluetooth. They don’t actually use infrared. But it’s still pretty cool.

So how does it work? You place your iPhone or iPod touch into an infrared-blasting sleeve. Set up your devices, you can even group them by room and voila. You now have a universal remote.

The app itself is free to download in the app store but the sleeve costs about $100. It is planned to be released on August 5, 2011.

Looks may be deceiving when it comes to the Spyder, this small convertible is packing a v10 with 560 horsepower. If your like me, speed is your drug of choice; the faster the better. The Audi Spyder will not let you down with a 0-62 time of 3.8 seconds.

This Audi has some intense power, and although it may be aggressive it doesn’t fall short in performance. The Spyder is incredible outside and under the hood. It’s the complete package of high tech design, speed, and agility.

Packed with all wheel drive and a strong rear-wheel disposition to create more controlled turns and traction. Not a lot of Audi’s competition offers this all wheel drive, and created a definite selling point in my opinion; then again I am all about speed and preserving it the best.

There is no doubt in my mind that the Spyder could be the best Audi available at the time; this car in nothing short of perfect. When it comes to design, the Audi design team has developed a sporty yet classy design that appeals to almost every automobile lover.

Although this trendy sports car is only a two-seater, it doesn’t fail to provide space and comfort. Of course with any Audi luxury car there are many features included; the Spyder goes above and beyond Audi’s standard features.

Navigation, DVD, a built-in Bluetooth seat microphone, air conditioning, a Bang & Olufsen sound system, an alarm system, LED head and tail lights, carbon-fiber ceramic brake discs, 9 second soft top, extendible glass rear window and bucket seats are only a few of the standard features offered in this Audi R8.

Performance, speed, handling, and technology all wrapped in one automobile; what more could someone ask for?

Originally Sonos sold a product that just allowed you to hook up to your own stereo.  They then put out  a couple nice powered bookshelf speakers, which I’m sure sounded good, but still didn’t really feel like an elegant solution.  But then Sonos put out the Sonos 5, which was a portable all-in-one speaker solution.  You simply installed the Sonos Zone Bridge, which cost $99, and then place your Sonos 5 where you want music, and viola, you got tunes.

This was a great solution for my mother, who I set up with an iPad, a Napster account and a Sonos Bridge and Sonos 5 speaker.  She then had a simple way of getting any music should would want on to a speaker.

The Sonos 5 originally cost $400, and the Bridge was another $100.  So the base system would start out at least $500, if you had an iPhone or iPod Touch to play music from.  But now with the Sonos Play:3, you have a less expensive alternative.  The Play:3 is $300, and the Bridge has been reduced to $50.  So if you were outfitting three rooms for sound, you previously would have had to pay $1,300.  But with the new system options and pricing, you can do a three room system for $950.  I think that starts to put it within the range of an average consumer.

I haven’t heard the sound quality of the Play:3 yet, but early review seem promising.  So  if you’re looking for a solution to get your personal music, Spotify, Rhapsody, Napster, MOG, Pandora, XM and thousands of other music channels, through out the house, you might want to check out the Sonos Play:3.

Technology can be a great new tunnel to improve our earth. Recently, Smartphone’s have made our “save paper,” dreams a reality.

Mass production of paper obviously doesn’t help the environment. Smartphone’s create an amazing way to conserve paper and “save the earth.” All you need to do is download any applications that allow you to present tickets, coupons, boarding passes, maps, instructions, concert passes.

Considering the world produces over three hundred billion tons of paper a year, the effects of buying a smart phone would help preserve our world greatly.

Since people today are always striving to take the technical route, why not take the “green approach,” at the same time? Smartphone’s are amazing for providing a “greener world.” They also help businesses decrease the need to commute back and forth to a home office; in turn creating another great aspect of Smartphones.

Businesses can also save paper by tracking labor productivity, shrink rates, and sale averages off of their smartphones,

Overall Smartphone’s are extremely environmentally friendly; they help save gas, save the earth, and help promote rebuilding the economy. I mean who doesn’t want to help the economy? It seems as though all aspects of a Smartphone draw customers in. It sure attracts my attention.

I used to constantly get directions from MapQuest and print them out. With my Smartphone I don’t even have to think about touching a computer for GPS, it’s all inclusive.

Excitedly, I downloaded every possible app I could to save our Earth. Most of which consist of the ability to download airline boarding passes, coupons, and concert tickets. I’ve taken advantage of Groupon.com, Tickets.com, ArXiv Reader, and Living Social.

It’s truly unbelievable that a simple portable device has the capability of changing the world.

Spotify, a legend in the U.K. and now available in the U.S. has the features a good music service should have; unlimited streaming, a large catalog, a music storage locker, social features, offline mode, mobile apps for iPhone, Android, etc… and high bit rate sound quality.  So Spotify is a winner, right?

A Brief Look Back

I’m old enough to remember when people used records and cassettes.  In my early teens, we got the CD, which was a nice step for most.  A decade later I was occasionally downloading music, and five years later that became my near exclusive means of acquiring and dealing with music.  Aside from the occasional purchase at a concert, I haven’t purchased a packaged CD in years.

Napster is credited with the technology that changed everything.  I always felt it wasn’t just the free aspect of Napster, but the insane ease of use.  I could just type a name of a song, artist, album, whatever, and get the music I wanted.  For something so illegitimate in nature, it had a better user interface than many services even today.

It was around this time the iPod came out, and it seemed the circle was complete.  I ripped all my CD’s, downloaded stuff through Napster, put them to my iPod, and the world was great.  Except of course for the musicians.  The RIAA hired an army of lawyers and went after everyone they could.

One sad side note on this time.  I think we can all agree that Metallica has done well for themselves.  With their album sales and concerts, one can only imagine the fortunes they have amassed.  And since they are a metal band, I’m sure they consider themselves cool.  But when a group puts together a list of fans who downloaded their music from Napster, and hand it over to the RIAA lawyers, and law enforcement, they stop being cool.  Being part of Gen X, I understand our rules of cool, one of which is “the only thing worse than a thief is a snitch”.  Fans are fans, even if they didn’t pay for a download.  And a snitch is a snitch, Metallica.  And now back to the story at hand.

After the legal carnage of Napster, a few other services like Limewire, Bearshare and others popped up.  But most of these software packages came with extras, like spyware and viruses.  It got to the point where only the most dedicated and courageous music thieves would download anything.

Then along comes iTunes, the could be savior of the record labels.  At this point it was clear that the RIAA was asleep at the wheel, not thinking much about technology when Napster came along.  And now they were awake, and cranky.  They pushed back on Apple to try and get what they thought was the best deal.  And in the end, we ended up with a decent service, that worked well with our portable players.  We have seen Microsoft make laughable attempts at this market, only to crash and burn because Microsoft is not a consumer electronics company.  Sony, who is a consumer electronics company, has also made attempts, but the are not a computer company.  Apple has the rare advantage of keeping a foot in both the consumer electronics, and computer worlds.

Napster was acquired and re-launched as a music subscription site, and Rhapsody sprouted up with their service.  For $60 – $120 per year, you could get unlimited music streamed to your desktop, and mobile devices.  A couple years ago, they even started allowing you to download for offline listening.  These were great services, but the lacked  a few key elements.  First off, the sound quality wasn’t as good as an iTunes download on your iPod.  And second, these services were not well marketed.  Just a few days ago I mentioned Rhapsody to someone in the tech space who had never heard of it.  When I explained what it was, they were shocked they never heard of it because it sounded like a great service.  This smells of bad leadership and lack of marketing focus.

The Current Trend

I used Rhapsody for about 18 months, and a couple months ago switch to MOG, based on a recommendation from Leo Leporte.  And I purchased a Napster account for my mother to go along with her iPad and Sonos system I set up for her.

My personal set is iTunes and MOG hooked up to a Sonos system, connected to speakers in my ceiling.  It’s a wonderful feeling to be able to use your iPhone as a remote for music.  I play anything I want from my iTunes, and if I don’t have something new I’m interested in, I just play it through MOG.  MOG comes through at 320 bit, so the sound is good.  And all this coming from invisible speakers is even better.

Google and Amazon have been pushing out their new services, which I considered, but decided I don’t really need.  Which is a shame, because they are essentially free.  But why would I need to store my music on their servers?  I have them on my computer and phone already.  And eventually they will charge a fee for this service.

Add this to the fact that many younger people are getting used to the idea of not owning music.  I’m betting that less than 10% of teenagers under 16 have ever purchased a CD, and are now highly unlikely to do so.  Having their music through a service, like their mobile phone, won’t be an unusual idea for them.

One service I, like every other user, love is Pandora.  It fits perfectly into my Sonos setup.  I just wish the sound quality was a bit better.  But the personalized radio feature is one of my favorite new technologies.

And this brings us to Spotify.  Spotify has an emphasis on sharing music through social networks, and along with a large catalog of music, allows you to upload your music to your mobile devices wirelessly.  This is not the true cloud solution of Google and Amazon, or that Apple will push out.  But it’s a nice thing to have.

The catalog is decent, not the best from my personal tests.  And you can push up to 320 bit rate for good sound quality.  But Spotify is a few features short of being a killer app.

First, there is no radio functionality, like Pandora.  And no selection of Internet radio, which is surprising.  The mobile app is pretty bare bones.  And how none of these companies seem to have the ability to design a mobile app worth a damn, Spotify is especially lackluster.

So far the only thing I like about Spotify over MOG is the social features, but I don’t really see using those.  So I will put Spotify through the paces for the next month or two, and then make my decision.

One advantage to Spotify is that there is a free option.  Right now you need an invite, so feel free to leave a comment if you need one, and I’ll send one out to you.

Where It’s Going

Apple has yet to roll out their music locker service.  But I can already tell it’s going to be extremely easy to use and and well integrated into iPhones.  And I have a lot of faith in Apple’s Airplay plans.  I think it’s likely Apple will move into the music subscription space within the next year or so.  It would instantly be the most successful option in the market.

I also see Pandora getting into this space, as well as potentially a music locker service.

In the end, I get the feeling we will not be talking a lot about Spotify in a couple years.  What do you think?

In my search for perfect sound, I tried many amps, including Adcom, Coda, and even McIntosh.  The McIntosh amp is considered by many audiophiles, especially the old school guys, as the best you can get.  I personally think that depends on your system configuration, and the type of music you wanted.  For my, a rock and roll fan, my system worked a bit better.  But I have heard some amazing classical, piano and jazz stuff come from the McIntosh.

The classic look and feel of the McIntosh, which has gone unchanged for as long as I have known of the company, has served them well.  The big blue gauges, and the old style knobs, make the amp feel weighty and solid, and helps you feel like the obscene price you paid is actually legitimized in the quality of material used.

And know they have decided to sell out a bit and make a clock the McIntosh Mantle Clock that matches that classic look.  I don’t mind that they made this.  I think there is a small market in people who are big fans of the brand.  But what I do mind about the McIntosh mantle clock is the insane price point of $2,000.  Their amps are expensive, but I don’t think to the point where a customer would pay $2k for the pleasure of having their clock match their amp.

I’m all for excess, it’s a big part of why I maintain this blog, but this is just silly.  If you’re a fan of McIntosh and you want to blow $2k on something, but some new speaker cable, upgrade your DAC, or even just get a nice power conditioner.  But if you do buy one, send us a pic of your set up.