You can control the new Wi-Fi-enabled Roomba vacuum from miles away

iRobot’s Roomba robot vacuum is a pretty smart device, but it takes a big leap forward with Wi-Fi network integration and app-based control

That’s not the only change. iRobot is finally making good consumer use of the navigation technology it picked up when it acquired rival robot vacuum manufacturer Evolution Robotics in 2012, and Roomba — the world’s best known, if not the most popular, robot vacuum — may be better for it.

The new Roomba 980 is iRobot’s first Wi-Fi enabled robot vacuum, and also the first to clean up an entire floor of a house in a row-by-row sweep. That’s right: The days of the Roomba’s lazy circles, just to ensure that all floorspace was covered, are apparently over Read more...