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It's been a full decade since the first Roomba scuttled off the assembly line and onto the floors of slatternly geeks. Understandably, iRobot's looking back over the period, revealing that since then, it's sold over six million of the units -- with each one covering an average of 705 miles in its lifetime. Along the way, that army of Wall-Es-in-the-making have consumed around two million pounds of dirt, including the odd Lego brick, pet snake and wedding bands -- although, as the videos below demonstrate, it's normally quite friendly to children and animals.

Continue reading Happy 10th Birthday, Roomba! (video)

Filed under: Misc, Robots

Happy 10th Birthday, Roomba! (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 17:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/_hmrXdUw4as/

SONIC AUTOMOTIVE SKYWORKS SOLUTIONS SILICON LABORATORIES SI INTERNATIONAL

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Sand Trap is one of those games that at first seem too hard to bother with, but when you try to stop playing it you discover you're hooked.

The goal is to get as much sand as you possibly can out of the maze and into the bucket at the bottom of the screen. You need to rotate your maze every which way to get the sand rolling around it. You then try to direct the sand to one of the exits of the maze, and hopefully into the bucket. It took me several tries to actually get sand into the bucket, but that might be due to the fact that I didn't even realize the bucket was there at first. Things improved significantly after that.

As you level up, the mazes get more complicated, with moving parts and other things making your life more difficult. Once you manage to get through all these obstacles and get enough sand into your bucket, you can move on.

As I mentioned, this is not an easy game, but it's highly addictive. The graphics remind me of some long lost game from the 80s, but this just proves that you don't need super graphics and crazy sound to make a game work. There's a soothing guitar track playing in the background and that's it, as far as I could hear, and you can enjoy it just as much with no sound at all.

If you like a fun physics challenge, don't miss out on this one!

Sand Trap is a fun and difficult physics maze game originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/04/sand-trap-is-a-fun-physics-maze-game/

TAKETWO INTERACTIVE SOFTWARE SYNTEL SYNTAXBRILLIAN SYNOPSYS

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Back when I was a kid, I used to love crafting ornate puzzle boxes out of Lego. There would be just one way to open the box, by carefully shifting and rotating a bunch of pieces. Well, either that, or breaking the box in frustration.

Interlocked takes that spirit and turns it into a beautiful Flash game. It's a good thing the soundtrack is soothing, because the game itself can get pretty frustrating.

At the start of each level, you're presented with a box built out of blocks in different colors. You can click and drag the mouse to rotate the box any which way. Once you decide you want to shift a part of the box, hit SPACE to switch into "move" mode. You can then click any part of the box and drag it. Of course, you can only move a part as long as nothing is in its way. So it becomes a matter of understanding how the box is built, and what parts you need to move around so you could eventually take the box apart.

It's a tricky, difficult game, but it's a great brain teaser -- and definitely a keeper.

Interlocked is a three-dimensional brain teaser originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/29/interlocked-is-a-three-dimensional-brain-teaser/

TIBCO SOFTWARE TIBCO SOFTWARE THQ TEXAS INSTRUMENTS

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Well the ear-splitting din emanating from the neighboring Apple territories last week may have made conversation difficult for a few hours here in the Linux blogosphere, but it seems safe to say that the temporary discomfort was a small price to pay for the lively and entertaining discussions that have followed ever since.

Source: http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632000/s/2382803f/l/0L0Stechnewsworld0N0Crsstory0C761690Bhtml/story01.htm

TIBCO SOFTWARE TIBCO SOFTWARE THQ TEXAS INSTRUMENTS

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It's been a long time coming, but Microsoft has finally sent out the invites for its Windows 8 launch event. As you can see, Redmond's new multi-faceted OS will be officially revealed in Gotham on October 25th. Microsoft isn't giving us any details about the celebration itself, but rest assured, we'll be bringing all the action to you live when the Win 8 party gets poppin'.

Filed under: Software

Microsoft sends out a Save the Date for Windows 8, all to be revealed in NYC on October 25th originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 12:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/17/microsoft-windows-8-launch/

YAHOO XILINX WESTERN DIGITAL VOLT INFORMATION SCIENCES

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I definitely enjoy listening to music. While I would not classify myself as an audiophile, I do prefer listening to my music more often than not. I have speaker systems and earphones strategically placed throughout my home, garage, car, and work so that when I want to plug in, I can with little effort. I [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2012/09/17/ishower-wireless-water-resistant-speaker-review/

INTERSECTIONS INTERNATIONAL RECTIFIER INTERNATIONAL GAME TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES (IBM)

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Sure the SX160 is a bit of a bulky superzoom, but it's got nothing on Canon's beefy PowerShot SX50 HS. As with the similarly named SX500 IS, the SX50's got a big, protruding lens and flash, though the added girth make it look a bit more like a DSLR. Part of its width can no doubt be chalked up to its 2.8-inch vari-angle LCD, which can be swiveled away from the body of the camera to help vary viewing angles. Also, like the SX50, the SX500 has a devoted button for Zoom Framing Assist, which does a quick zoom out to help you reframe subjects on the fly.

Above the display you'll find a play button and a cushioned viewfinder. To its right, you've got the Record, Display, Menu and access to settings like Macro and ISO. You'll find the rest to the settings -- plus ON / OFF and access to that big 50x zooming to the right of the flash. The PowerShot SX50 HS will run you $480 when it drops next month.

Gallery: Canon PowerShot SX50 HS hands-on

Filed under: Cameras

Canon PowerShot SX50 HS hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 11:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/17/canon-powershot-sx50-hs-hands-on/

SYNTAXBRILLIAN SYNOPSYS SYNNEX SYMANTEC

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One of the magical things about the Internet, and software in general, is that when you have a huge platform that is home to a large load of data, you can do cool things by opening it up a little bit. Genetic discovery company 23andMe has decided to open up an API to let developers build cool things on top of your genetic information. It's not as creepy as it sounds, because your data won't be personally identifiable to developers, and you'll be able to learn more things about yourself after more brains start building things.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/BKv46bOJUyQ/

VARIAN SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT ASSOCIATES UNITED ONLINE UNISYS TRIQUINT SEMICONDUCTOR

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Xperia U

Carphone Warehouse has announced its most recent Smart Deal, featuring the Sony Xperia U (see our review). Until Thursday, September 20th, it is available for free on Talk Mobile with an upgrade or if you're a new customer for a monthly fee of £10/month. With this deal, you'll get 200 minutes of talk time, 5000 texts and 250MB of data.

In addition, if you're on Orange, 3, or T-Mobile, you can get the device on a prepay deal for £99.99, or £94.95 if you're upgrading.

The Xperia U sports a 3.5-inch, 854 x 480 display, Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), a 1GHz dual-core processor and a 5MP camera. While it isn't going to set the world alight, the Xperia U is a pretty solid little device and at these prices could be a good choice for somebody shopping for an Android phone on a budget.

Source: Carphone Warehouse

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/h8ueBYwJ0uw/story01.htm

MENTOR GRAPHICS IMS HEALTH IMATION IKON OFFICE SOLUTIONS

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Twitter said that Britain's plans to bolster Internet and phone surveillance could expose it and other communications companies to privacy lawsuits from abroad. The report from Twitter asserts that the UK's security push, which gives security services access to online communications such as email and social networking activity, would "unwittingly" collect data of non-UK residents.

Source: http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632000/s/236eca5c/l/0L0Stechnewsworld0N0Crsstory0C761580Bhtml/story01.htm

PALM OSI SYSTEMS ORACLE OPENWAVE SYSTEMS

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Mozilla, continuing its year-long crusade to speed up Firefox startup and shutdown times, has published a name and shame list of the Firefox's slowest add-ons.

The list is just one part of Mozilla's new efforts to highlight slow add-ons, and to help developers make their add-ons more efficient. Over the next two weeks, 'slow performance warnings' will be introduced in the add-on gallery so that users can see, before installation, which add-ons will slow down their browser. If that isn't enough to spur developers into cleaning up their add-ons, Mozilla has also begun reaching out to developers of slow add-ons with tips on how to improve add-on performance. Finally, add-on developers will soon have the ability to perform 'on-demand performance testing,' so that they can test their add-on before it's deployed publicly.

Mozilla reports that the average Firefox add-on slows down Firefox's start-up time by 10% -- which means, if you install 10 add-ons, you will double your start-up time. On fast desktop PCs that kind of slowdown might be negligible, but on older computers, laptops and smartphones, it could be the difference between a 5 and 10 second startup. Mozilla has obviously realized that while massive performance gains might've been made with Firefox 4, the addition of third-party add-ons can destroy any user-perceived improvements.

In other news, Mozilla says that a future build of Firefox will block the installation of add-ons (such as toolbars) by third-party software. Add-ons and toolbars that are bundled in this way will require explicit approval when you next open up Firefox. Hooray!

Mozilla publishes name and shame list of slow Firefox add-ons, cracks down on tardy devs originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 05:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/04/mozilla-publishes-name-and-shame-list-of-slow-firefox-add-ons/

IDT IBASIS HYPERCOM HEWLETT PACKARD CO

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Chances are you have a few iPhone or iPod chargers and cables in your house right now and maybe even a speaker dock or alarm clock that lets you plug in your iPhone. In one fell swoop, Apple made these obsolete when it launched its new Lightning connector on Wednesday. In typical Apple fashion, the company didn't just replace its old proprietary connector it introduced in 2003 with a standards-compliant one. Instead, it went with its own design. The Lightning connector is significantly smaller than the old 30-pin connector, but the one feature that Apple really seemed to feel the need to stress is that it's "reversible" (because plugging in the old connector was always so hard). If you made any investment in iPod/iOS hardware ecosystem in the last 10 years, chances are you will need to buy a few of Apple's overpriced $29 adapters (or $39 with a cable) so you can keep using your devices.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/vCZLB0FJ9ic/

SYNTEL SYNTAXBRILLIAN SYNOPSYS SYNNEX

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Okay, see that snaking line coming in from the right on the screenshot? That's you. And see those large round circles? Those are supposedly grapefruits, only they won't sit still - they keep moving up and down and cutting across your path. And if you touch one, you die!

That's what you have to deal with in Line Grapefruit. But that's not all - you're also on a time limit. In fact, you have a very limited amount of time to make it through the "path" (for lack of a better word). You need to snake your way through the winding trail without touching anything. The good news is that a grapefruit only kills you if it touches the end of the line - once you've made it past the grapefruit, nothing happens if it crosses the path you've made.

This is not an easy game, but it's quite unique - I can't recall seeing another game quite like it.

Line Grapefruit is a tricky Flash "path" game originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/01/line-grapefruit-is-a-tricky-flash-path-game/

IBASIS HYPERCOM HEWLETT PACKARD CO MCAFEE

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Motorola Mobility has introduced a desktop all-in-one computer running the Android operating system. The Cloud Broadband is being launched in China in partnership with WASU Digital Group. The device is being touted to Chinese consumers as a combination of an HD digital TV with live and on-demand capability, and a touchscreen tablet/PC running Android.

Source: http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632000/s/237049c1/l/0L0Stechnewsworld0N0Crsstory0C761610Bhtml/story01.htm

PROGRESS SOFTWARE PLANAR SYSTEMS PEROT SYSTEMS PALM

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NVIDIA's road into mobile may have just taken an unwanted (if temporary) detour. The company confirmed at week's end that its Mobile Business Unit's General Manager Mike Rayfield quietly left the company on August 24th to join another firm, although we don't know whether he's headed to a rival or in another direction altogether. NVIDIA also hasn't yet said who replaces Rayfield at the helm. No matter who takes his place, the departure is a significant blow to the crew in Santa Clara: the executive had been heading mobile development at NVIDIA since 2005, before anyone really knew the company was interested in the handheld space, and helped make the Tegra name synonymous with fast Android phones and tablets like the One X and Nexus 7. There's little doubt that more than a few competitors would like to have him onboard.