Reviewing the Roomba – is it Google Glasses or Good?
(review by Big Jim O’Brien @wcsxjim)
I have this theory when it comes to new electronic devices – it’s the “plus-ing” theory (made famous by Walt Disney). Does the new device:
- Improve your life
- Replace an existing piece of equipment
- Meld into your routines
Being totally transparent – I wasn’t sure about the Roomba i7+ when we first got it. I had filed it in the same category as Google Glasses and Instapots…they’re neat, but not game changers. So how do I feel now that we’ve had one buzzing around the house?
I was wrong. Soooo wrong about the Roomba 7+.
Ridiculously easy to set up…we downloaded the app and let it start mapping the main floor of house (den, dining room, kitchen, living room). When you first set it loose it takes it’s time and maps the house (smart map) while cleaning – which comes in handy with exclusion areas (we’ll get to that later).
One of the key features of the Roomba i7+ is the Clean Base system, when it’s full of dirt it simply returns to the base and empties itself. So smart.
Then there’s the Roomba itself. You’ll spend the first couple of times watching it run around the house cleaning up – and yes, you’ll talk to it. We noticed it did a nice job on the hardwood floors and transitions onto carpeted areas were seamless.
Yes you’ll need to pick up some of the cords on the floor for the Roomba (we’re always charging something), and the Dual Mode virtual wall barrier is perfect to keep Roomba from trying to go under the couch that might sit a little too low – or we used it in a semi-circle mode to keep Roomba from the Christmas tree.
Exclusion zones on the smart map are also key – you’ll figure out pretty quickly where it can and can’t go…simply open the app and use the map to tell it where to skip (easy).
I don’t remember the last time I manually opened a garage door, or got up to change the channel on the TV. Roomba is one of the most unexpected surprises in my life – it’s quickly become part of our family and the vacuum cleaner sits in the closet…next to the Instapot.
For more info on the Roomba click here
