iRobot Roomba 880 review: This bot leaves the competition in the dust

The iRobot Roomba 880 is a new model for iRobot and the very first 800-series bot for the brand. At, it will replace the equally priced Roomba 790 that Katie Pilkington recently reviewed.

So what's different? At first glance, not a whole lot. But, flip the vacuum over and you'll see something entirely new: AeroForce technology. I'll go into that more later, but it's basically a design and feature upgrade that improves performance a lot.

Yes, I would recommend the Roomba 880 to anyone in the market for a luxury-priced robot vac. It performed better than the Roomba 790, and much better than the G Hom-Bot Square, as well as the Infinuvo CleanMate QQ5.

Overall, the 880 will be best for someone who appreciates gadgets and understands that a robot vacuum isn't designed to replace all other floor cleaning. It also isn't the best choice for someone only interested in vacuuming up pet hair. For that, Neato Robotics XV Signature Proholds steady in the lead.

Design
The 8.4-pound Roomba is a cute and capable robot vacuum. It has a height of 3.6 inches and a width of 13.9 inches. It's finished in black (unlike the 790's blue finish), and has a carrying handle so you can easily transport it.

Stylistically, the 880 doesn't stray too far from iRobot's existing design. It has the same rounded look, and that same large Clean/Power button in the middle. The company clearly wanted to maintain the Roomba's unassuming, minimalist design and sturdy construction.
The iRobot Roomba 790 (left) and the new iRobot Roomba 880Megan Wollerton/CNET

It comes with a removable dust bin with an easy-access release button, left and right side wheels, a removable caster wheel in the front, debris extractors, and a spinning side brush. Aside from the vacuum itself, you also get a Home Base, or dock, two Virtual Wall/Lighthouse sensors with four C batteries included, an extra HEPA filter, and a remote control with two AA batteries included.

Drobo 5Dt in-Depth Review

As our data needs grow, so will the need for faster, bigger and easier to configure storage systems. NAS (network attached storage) is one solution that has been around for quite some time, allowing users to store data over their LAN. However, for the more demanding user who does a lot of video editing or photoshop/3D rendering … a NAS device may not be the best solution. What they require is a DAS (direct attached storage) which is a large, super fast external storage, that they can use to edit the files directly. For that … you need SPEED, an external USB3.0 hard drives is just not capable of such a task.

Meet the DROBO 5DT (Turbo Editon). This unit is not a NAS as such, but actually a DAS (direct attached storage), which is just a external storage device. It features Thunderbolt 2 connectors and supports USB3.0. It’s perfect for users who want to store large files that they edit regularly. It features BeyondRAID technology which allows you mix and match drive brands, capacities and speeds. Excellent!

Here’s a little more about Drobo taken from their website …


Overview

Drobo makes award-winning data storage products for Small and Medium Businesses and Individual Professionals that provide an unprecedented combination of sophisticated data protection and management features, affordable capacity, and ease-of-use. With over 50 industry awards and hundreds of thousands of customers worldwide, Drobo has demonstrated success solving the three major storage challenges in one device – data protection, capacity adjustment, and application service-level optimization – through patented BeyondRAID™, Thin Provisioning / Reclamation, and the breakthrough Automated Data-Aware Tiering technology. WIRED Magazine recently named Drobo as one of The 10 Silicon Valley Companies You Wish You Worked for (or Started) so check out our job openings here. It’s not too late to join Drobo!



Innovative Storage Solutions

Unlike other storage options, Drobo lets users hot-swap drives, mix and match drives of different capacities, speeds, and types (SATA / SAS), and perform zero-support drive pack migration. This means that customers can optimize storage economies without worrying about drive order, data loss, downtime, or compatibility. They can swap in drives as needed, while the Drobo is running.



In terms of read/write speed, I’m expecting the Drobo 5Dt, with it’s built-in 128GB mSATA SSD, to give us very good results.

Nice Automatic Gate Opener Review

MIGHTY MULE MM360 openers are the highest quality gates in America. For more than three decades, the company has been leading in the provision of different kinds of automatic doors. The company has earned a reputation as the best makers of reliable and security doors. It is not surprising that they have achieved this feat. They use the most qualified and talented technicians. All their products lines are assembled in the country.

Nice  has diversified into different lines of production ranging from slide gate operators, swing gate operators, barrier arm operators, and so on. Nice slide gate operators include the following: MIGHTY MULE MM360, 8300 ETL, 7500 ETL.. The most prominent among them includes the Nice  3600, 3500, 1650, 1600, 1724, 1824 and several others. All these product lines are available for you at the lowest prices once you source it from the right dealers.

MIGHTY MULE MM360 relies on solar to power its products. This is why their automatic gate products are eco friendly. Moreover, you can save substantial amount of money when you use their products, because it will not be connected to home power source. Their solar panel is such efficient that, you will always enjoy quality services.

You can see that many people in the country and beyond are using Nice automatic gate opener, because of its high-end services. The products can be used for different kinds of services such as commercial and private purposes. Here are some of the reasons you will consider Nice  Gate opener, if you have not started using it.

Automatic Gate Opener Features

It provides improved security

If you use Nice  automatic gate products in your home, you are sure of enjoying maximum security. It is programmed such that you would be instantly alerted when an unauthorized persons attempt to get access to your house through your door.

Enhanced functionality

Nice products lock automatically. You are not going to have any problem using the product. You are not going to encounter any problem using the doors. This door remains the best because it opens the lock automatically.

Elevated safety

Perhaps, the greatest benefit that you can derive from the automatic gate opener is that you are sure of enjoying an elevated level of safety. This is because the gates have important sensitive sensors located in the gate openers and they are intended to offer you better security. It ensures security by not opening.

Ease of use

These automatic gate openers were designed that it will be simple and easy to use. The gates are even easier to use compared to the manual gates. Its convenience is perhaps the most important selling point. The functions you want the gate performed for you are contained in the remote control. This means that you are not going to find it hard to manage these gates.

There are different sizes of these automatic gates. Before you make your choice, you have to measure your home to ensure that you get the correct size. Try Nice  automatic gate openers and see the qualities that make it better.

“What’s one thing you’ve learned at Harvard Business School that blew your mind?”

I’ve gotten countless variations of this question over the past year. I can’t tell you everything I’ve learned at HBS, and no book would have prepared me for the experience. Instead, I’m going to give you a taste.

Some of these literally blew my mind. Some blew my mind because I never realized how important they were.

I’m going to give you the lesson I learned from each of the core classes — and the case that showed it most clearly for me. I won’t share any specific case details because that’s against HBS policy (some of the same cases are used over multiple years). Some of the lessons may sound obvious, but the conversations you have to get to them aren’t.

“Rules of Business”

Pretend like you’re a human being

With the possible exception of artists and architects, no one is more full of shit than designers. We can find a way to justify anything. Blah blah blah. That means no matter what you end up with, you can come up with some reason why it’s a good design. The best advice I have for designers is to practice being not-designers: stop what you’re doing, close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and then look again like you’re just a regular person encountering this product/service/user interface/object/page/poster for the first time. Where do your eyes go? What do you think it is at first? How do you figure out what you are supposed to do?

Today, there’s a complete disrespect for what it takes to build a business. Too many people think they can become an entrepreneur overnight and establish a real business in a 1–2 year window, but it’s just not realistic.

And I get it, because that’s what’s portrayed in the media we see every day. With Shark Tank, The Social Network, and all of these “unicorns” with quick exits and huge payouts, I can understand why the sentiment is skewed. There’s a misconception that just because a VC or “angel” throws cash your way, hoping that you’re the next Zucks, that your startup is going to be successful. But that’s not how it works. It’s the market that decides what works and what doesn’t.