Mopping up on hard work
If there’s one chore people hate more than vacuuming, it’s mopping.
So it’s only fitting that the makers of Roomba, the robotic vacuum, have created Scooba, a robotic mop. Turn iRobot’s Scooba on and it will vacuum, scrub and dry your kitchen floor while you read the morning news. The disc-shaped machine has a cleaning tank that holds fresh water and a special Clorox cleaning solution that can be used safely on sealed hard floors. Scooba will be available online later this year for $400 and will start showing up in stores early next year. Until then, elbow grease will have to do.
www.irobot.com
‘Digital backpack’ can fit on key chain
SanDisk’s Cruzer Freedom can lighten a student’s load. When plugged into a PC connected to the Internet, the Universal Serial Bus (USB) flash drive provides easy access to downloadable versions of textbooks, study aids, novels and other digital material through the SanDisk Online Catalog. Some offerings, such as Merriam-Webster’s Pocket Dictionary and classic literature by Shakespeare and Mark Twain, are free. Available at Staples, a 256-megabyte version with a lanyard cap and key-chain cap costs about $40.
www.sandisk.com
OtterBox lets iPod owners make a splash
Go ahead and jump in the water – iPod and all. When encased in a waterproof, rubber-lined OtterBox case, your iPod can safely take the plunge. With a protective OtterBox for iPod case, you can listen to your favorite iPod tunes while sitting in a hot tub, or with an additional armband and waterproof headphones, take it along for a morning swim. Cases range from $30 to $50 and an armband costs $15.
(The company doesn’t sell waterproof headphones but compatible models can be found at www.waterproofcases.net/headphones.html.) www.otterbox.com
Software repairs, jazzes up photos
Wish you could cut someone – or something – out of an otherwise favorite snapshot? The Object Remover in Corel Paint Shop Pro X can get the job done. The program also contains makeover tools that fix blemishes, brighten teeth and produce instant tans, and a Smart Photo Fix tool that analyzes photos and suggests settings to improve them.
The $130 title ships with the standard version of Corel Photo Album 6, a photo management program. A deluxe version of Corel Photo Album 6, which also includes photo backup and recovery tools, is $50. www.corel.com
