Samsung NaviBot Silencio promises quieter robotic hoovering

Samsung has announced the NaviBot Silencio robotic cleaner, a faster, quieter iteration of the original Roomba-alike NaviBot.

The little alien-like device can be programmed to simply putter around your home, sucking up dust and dirt while you put your feet up or go out to aerobics or whatever it is you do when you're not hoovering.

The robot also has cognitive mapping technology which uses two CPU control chips and a navigation program that allow it to remember where it has already cleaned.

Robotic servant

It also has a little camera which takes 30 photos of a room per second to create a virtual map which the NaviBot uses to decide the quickest and safest route around the room.

We've always said that robot vacuums should be seen but not heard, and the NaviBot Silencio is on its way to a quiet life with its running volume of 62dB, about the same as a normal conversation.

Don't be fooled by the name of the pet haircare system; it is not a handy dog-grooming attachment, but a special comb for picking up pet hair.

The NaviBot Silencio UK release date is set for April 2011, while UK pricing will be around £500.

But the real question on everyone's lips is: will the NaviBot Silencio prove as popular with our feline friends as the Roomba?

HTC Flyer: what you need to know

At Mobile World Congress HTC announced the HTC Flyer tablet.

But the specs didn't blow us away - it's a 7-inch single-core device running an older version of Android instead of one of the dual-core larger options running Android 3.0.

So what do we know about the new device?

The HTC Flyer doesn't have Android 3.0

HTC plumped for the earlier Gingerbread version of Android (2.3/2.4) rather than the Android 3.0 version a lot of the other tablets are using. It seems Honeycomb will arrive on the tablet imminently though.

The HTC Flyer processor is 1.5GHz

The HTC Flyer packs a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor - surprising amidst the slew of dual core tablets being released at the moment. However, it is clocked high at 1.5GHz. There's also 1GB of RAM.

The HTC Flyer has a 7-inch screen

Like the BlackBerry PlayBook and Acer Iconia A100, the HTC Flyer plumps for a 1024 x 600 7-inch display surrounded by an aluminium unibody. That's the same resolution as the PlayBook too.

A 5MP camera with flash resides on the back of the device, and we're treated to a 1.3MP offering on the front for video calling – however voice calling is not supported despite a 3G connection.

The HTC Flyer has a stylus

Yep, you heard that right. Although during our hands on: HTC Flyer review we weren't that impressed by the pressure sensitivity which "doesn't really seem to work that well when trying to annotate text – although the range of brushes and options were accurate and useful."

Every time an application can make use of the new stylus, a small icon pops up in the bottom right hand side of the screen.

We weren't blown away by the video quality on the device we were having the demonstration with, but with the settings unable to be altered at this early stage we couldn't get the brightness to an acceptable level anyway – whether this will be a decent PMP substitute remains to be seen.

The HTC Flyer has HTC Sense

It was rumoured that the skin that HTC uses on its Android phones - HTC Sense - may get a redesign and a new name for the HTC Tablet. HTC has trademarked HTC Sensation alongside a list of devices which include mobile phones, wireless devices and portable computers.

But the Flyer will actually run HTC Sense atop Android Gingerbread. There's a bunch of new 3D widgets, while HTC says it has done a lot of work on the interface - but the only visible difference is that apps are now much bigger of course (as well as working in landscape).

The dual-pane windows for things like video, contacts and mail seem to work well.

The Notifications bar now also gives you quick access to the Settings, as on the HTC Desire S.

The HTC Flyer battery life is said to be good

The charger is a slightly altered microUSB offering, designed to facilitate power to the 4000mAh battery.

The HTC Flyer is thin and light

The HTC Flyer is really light at just 415g, and with a thickness of just 13.7mm. It will fit nicely in a bag, though is 7-inch too small for you, especially if you've used an iPad? The device also has a thick iPad-like bezel.

The HTC Flyer has the standard HTC buttons

There are controls for the Menu, Back, Search and Home functions which glow when in use. Otherwise there's just a volume switch.

When is the HTC Flyer UK release date?

According to DigiTimes, Apple Daily says that a JP Morgan analyst says that Google is messing around with its Android support. Motorola is Google's priority for 3.0, LG will be priority for 3.5 and HTC follows on, which means the HTC Tablet won't ship before the second quarter of 2011.

We're betting on a March or April HTC Flyer UK release date.

The HTC Flyer price may be $790

One DigiTimes report took a stab at the HTC Tablet price, and it predicts that without subsidy it'll be $789.75.

On February 21 the HTC Flyer hit German pre-order, with pricing set at €669.

The tablet was listed by the company itself; so if we use a straight currency conversion that gives the HTC Flyer UK pricing of around £563 – not at all bad for the tablet, in our view.

The HTC Tablet price might be zero

Download Squad says the HTC Flyer will launch on Verizon in the US with a price tag of zero depending on the tariff you choose.

Sony's Vaio L series all-in-one PC arrives in UK

Sony has unveiled its latest all-in-one, with the Vaio L series multimedia PC bringing what the Japanese electronics giant is terming an 'elegant focal point for your home multimedia collection'.

The Vaio L series brings a 24 inch Full HD display with full-frame multi-touch and LED backlight.

The screen features a glossy-black display and a is a tilt-adjustable "floating" display on a V-shaped stand with a novel touch sensitive 'edge access' to functions.

"It's beautifully easy to interact with your media collection using the full-frame multi-touch screen," explains Sony's release.

Mouse-less

"Open and scroll through files, zoom and rotate images with intuitive fingertip gestures… and no mouse or menus needed," it continues.

"In an exciting innovation by Sony, the LCD screen of the VAIO L Series is surrounded by a touch sensitive new "Edge Access" that gives friendly 'no mouse' access to key functions."

Spec-wise, you can have either Core i7 or Core i5 Intel processors and the possibility of a Blu-ray player, along with S-force front-surround 3D and the potential to use the screen as just a monitor (for such things as a PS3, Sony readily points out).

It's certainly a nice bit of kit and is available now, but don't expect much change out of a grand for the basic version, with the UK price starting at just under £1000 and moving ever upwards as you boost the features.

Sony's Vaio C series glows orange or green

Sony has unveiled a laptop range which positively glows, with the Vaio C series offering the novel if slightly odd sounding "light emitting translucent style option".

The 14-inch Sony Vaio C series offers the usual range of goodies including Exmor HD web camera and 3D supported HDMI out, but it is the glow that's going to catchj the attention.

"With eye-grabbing looks that demand attention, the colourful new 14" VAIO C Series from Sony makes a dramatic lifestyle statement," states Sony's release.

Radical!

"The latest Vaio C Series showcases a radical style direction by Sony that stands out from run-of-the-mill notebook PCs, it continues. "A choice of fashion colours include two special orange and green 'light emitting' options.

"This audacious design scatters light along edges of the translucent PC lid and other key surfaces to create a dramatic glow effect."

Also worthy of mention is a backlit keyboard and speedy internet access without booting up the full OS.

Specs wise the laptop brings Core i5 Intel processors, 320GB HDD and 4GB of memory along with Windows Home Premium.

Did we mention that it glows?

Facebook Breakup Notifier app goes live

A new Facebook web app will send you an email to let you know when your friends' relationship statuses change.

If you allow the Breakup Notifier to link up with your account you can select the Facebook friends you'd like to monitor and then receive an email notification when their love life takes a turn.

So, for example, if you're friends with an old school sweetheart who's got married to the guy who stole her from you, you can have Breakup Notifier follow her in the hope that it all goes south.

"You like someone. They're in a relationship. Be the first to know when they're out of it," says the app's website.

Many of us have probably been there, but it's still pretty creepy.

Unofficial

While, to our knowledge, the app isn't endorsed by Facebook, the site hasn't exactly discouraged the voyeuristic folks among us in the past.

So if you're living hope that "In a relationship" is going to become "it's complicated" then there's now a tool that'll do it for you without you having to manually check every day... or every hour.

Microsoft to launch Kinect for Windows SDK this spring

Microsoft has moved a step closer to bringing Kinect to Windows-based PC's by announcing that the SDK will be launched this spring.

The motion sensing tech launched last year as a peripheral for the Xbox 360 console and developers will now get the opportunity to create software for desktop and laptop PCs.

A post on the Official Microsoft Blog says that interested parties will get access to the total Kinect package in order to create new tools.

The post reads: "The Kinect for Windows SDK is being developed and released by Microsoft Research.

"It will be available this spring as a free download, and will give academic researchers and enthusiasts access to key pieces of the Kinect system - such as the audio technology, system application programming interfaces and direct control of the Kinect sensor itself."

More than gaming

The announcement confirms what we're been expecting for some time and will come as a huge fillip for software developers seeking to get their mitts on the tech.

The blog continued: "We are very excited by this announcement. Not only does it showcase our investment in this important technology trend, but it ensures that people have the tools they desire to revolutionize how people interact with technology.

"The possibilities are endless. Natural and intuitive technologies such as Kinect can be more than just a great platform for gaming and entertainment.

"They open up enormous opportunities across a wide variety of scenarios, including addressing societal issues in areas such as healthcare and education."

You can read the full blog post on the Official Microsoft Blog

Egyptian baby named 'Facebook'

An Egyptian father has named his newborn daughter 'Facebook' after the role the site played in the country's recent revolution, according to reports.

Many used the social networking site to raise awareness of the attempts to remove president Hosni Mubarak and organise the widespread protests that gripped the country during the last month.

Now Gamal Ibrahim has commemorated Mark Zuckerberg's multi-billion dollar baby, by naming his own baby girl in the site's honour, reports the Al-Arham newspaper.

The paper says that Ibrahim chose the name "to express his joy at the achievements made by the January 25 youth," the name given to the movement that successfully campaigned to remove Mubarak.

Overjoyed

TechCrunch has translated the report which reads: "The girl's family, friends and neighbors in the Ibrahimya region gathered around the new born to express their continuing support for the revolution that started on Facebook. 'Facebook' received many gifts from the youth who were overjoyed by her arrival and the new name."

Facebook, Twitter and YouTube were all used as efficient tools to organise the regime change despite a widespread government-enforced internet blackout during the protests.