A Review of iRobot's Roomba and a Eufy Robot Vacuum

When you think about keeping your house clean, there are some modern conveniences that make life significantly easier. While you don't NEED a dishwasher, it sure is easier to rinse your dishes and put them in a device that does a pretty good job cleaning and sterilizing them. Robot vacuums are not really a need but they really free up time to do other things like play video games. Back in 2015 I got my wife one of the iRobot Roomba vacuums designed specifically for pet hair. I loved that vacuum. Unfortunately they don't last forever.

Several weeks ago the vacuum stopped charging itself. It had started to exhibit other problems and so I figured it was time to replace it instead of getting replacement parts. My son has purchased several Eufy vacuums and so my wife replaced our Roomba 655 with the Eufy Robovac 11S Max. She only paid around $200 vs. the $350 I paid for the Roomba that I got from Costco. I figured I would post my comparison between these two robot vacuums.

The price of the Eufy is very attractive. You can almost get 2 for the same price as the Roomba and who wouldn't want a robot vacuum for each level of the house? Yes the Eufy is less expensive but how does it compare to the original standard? Frankly the Eufy is not nearly as good as the Roomba. There are some things that are better but the Roomba generally seems to be a better device.

The first thing I noticed about the Eufy is that my wife has it set to run daily instead of twice a week. When it runs that often, I am probably more aware of its defects as it always seems to be getting itself stuck behind a table in the living room or too far from its home base to return and charge itself. I'll be down in my office and hear it start beeping. I'll run upstairs and have to rescue it. The Roomba had similar problems but not nearly as often. I'm seeing this particular issue 45-50% of the time. The Roomba was probably only 5-10%.

You may not mind having to rescue your vacuum and it really isn't that big of a hassle to me. So how does it clean? I'm afraid I'm split on the answer to this. My experience is that the Eufy is better at picking up dust but the Roomba is better at picking up pet hair. I am always the one that empties the dust bin on both devices. I liked the Roomba's fur balls but don't remember much dust. The Eufy constantly has a thick dust blanket up against the filter and hair needs to be untangled from the roller brush.

The real test of the Eufy robot vacuum came the other day when my wife used the living room floor to cut out fabric for a large sewing project. She didn't worry about cleaning up all of the stray bits of thread because she knew the vacuum would take care of it the next day. Unfortunately the Eufy only got about 75% of the stray string. I had to go back through and handpick the thread off the floor. It didn't take more than 30 seconds but the Roomba did a much better job.

Unfortunately we have not had the Eufy very long and so I can't comment on how long it will last. If I get 6 years out of it then I will be very satisfied. My overall impression is that it is a good device and while I need to rescue it every other day, I don't mind as the cost savings make it an attractive alternative to the Roomba. If someone was to give me a choice of either one for free, I'd go for the Roomba.

Silicon Slopes Summit 2021

Today I attended the second day of the Silicon Slopes Summit. I attended as a guest of another company and appreciate Lucid Software for inviting me to the event. I made sure to wear my PlayStation 5 jacket and got a lot of comments. I learned a lot and want to share some of that today.

When I first arrived, I made sure to register and get my wristband so I could move freely about the summit. One of the people there saw my jacket and asked if I work for PlayStation. I told him I did and he responded that he loves his PlayStation 5. Naturally I asked how he managed to get one and he gave me a good secret. He said that a local furniture chain (RC Wiley) has some in stock and you just need to ask if they have any. Sometimes people will get a PS5 ordered but then not be able to pay for it. If you get them on the right day, you can pick up a new console. I will have to check if that works. Fortunately it did for the guy I talked to.

Next I went to look for the Lucid booth so I could thank them for the ticket to the summit. It took me a bit because I couldn't find a map of the exhibits floor. I ended up walking around and eventually found them. While walking around, I had several people ask me if I worked for PlayStation. They all thought it was cool and had some good questions. The most common was why there is a shortage of consoles. The best answer I could give is that we are manufacturing them as quickly as possible but demand is more than anticipated.

I did a bit more walking around the floor and discovered that there are a lot of companies hiring in the Salt Lake area. Now is a great time to see about improving your job situation if you live here. I liked seeing what new technology companies are in the area.

Eventually I made my way to the presentation that drew me to the conference in the first place. I enjoyed what I saw and glad I could attend. Once I finished the presentation I boarded the train and headed home.

Looking forward to the next Silicon Slopes Summit, it is an event that I will plan to attend in the future. Should you find yourself in the area next year, I recommend setting aside some time so you can do the same.

Don't Be Afraid to Push Buttons or Click Icons

Saturday evening I returned from visiting my son and his family in Ohio. He recently purchased his home and it was built about 100 years ago. The original seller did an excellent job fixing it up and ensuring my son did not get stuck with problems. The house has a lot of character and a number of interesting features. One that stuck out on this last trip is the sturdy front door. The front doorknob has a nice feature that when you pull it shut behind you, it locks automatically like many hotel rooms. My son made sure to warn me not to close the front door or I would have to walk around to the back door to get back in the house.

Towards the end of our trip, my son was examining his front-door latch and noticed 2 buttons. One was depressed and the other flush with the side of the door. Out of curiosity, he pushed the flush one in and the other popped out so it was now flush with the door. It also caused the outside doorknob to open the door even when it was pulled shut. Simply by playing with the buttons my son figured out how to switch between auto-lock and an unlocked front door.

I had a similar experience with some computer software recently. I saw some icons and buttons but didn't know what they did. Instead of remaining ignorant, I played with them and discovered some functionality I needed. I now use those buttons all the time and they make my work significantly easier.

The moral of the story is to not be afraid to try new things on your computer and in your software. If you don't know what something does, try it out, after you have saved your work. Rarely will it do something that is irreversible. Yes you may have to play around if you find yourself in an unfamiliar place but you will almost always be able to undo any negative effects.

Whatever Happened to Computer Documentation?

I was cleaning out a bookcase recently and wondered whatever happened to computer documentation. When I got my first personal computer, it came with 3 one-inch-thick manuals. I know that those manuals became a sore point when Apple introduced the first Macintosh computers. However those manuals were useful. In contrast, the Macintosh operating system has become so complex, it could use at least 5 of those one-inch-thick manuals now.

In the days before the Internet, you would purchase a piece of software and it would come on a number of floppy disks. Included with those disks were printed manuals that provided all sorts of information on how to run the software. As more companies started releasing more software, a certain uniformity of the documentation emerged. If you upgraded from one version to the next, you might get a whole new set of manuals but all you really needed was the release notes which talked about new features and which bugs had been fixed.

Now there really isn't much of a reason to install software on your computer as most things are run in the Internet. That's fine, but how about including some quality documentation for those sites or tools? It seems as if most companies have come to the conclusion that if you can't figure it out on your own, they don't really care. Then someone that does care will create a video and post it to YouTube to help you figure it out. If YouTube isn't the right forum, then there are any number of online forums that will have the answer for you. Does that absolve the software producers from needing to create documentation? I don't think so.

Computers have evolved a long way from command-line interfaces and the need to have bookshelves full of printed instructions next to your desk. I just wish companies would do a better job of disseminating information about their latest products and not leave it up to users to create documentation for them.

Sometimes You Can Get a PS5

My youngest son sent me a text message saying that PlayStation Direct sent him an e-mail with an exclusive code to get a PlayStation 5. It is because he is a PlayStation Plus member and opted in for the chance to buy one as soon as it became available. I told him he should get it the moment he could as PS5's are still very hard to get. He didn't think he would and so I told him I would buy it off him if he didn't want it as I have a large number of people that are trying to get one but can't. I told him I wouldn't make any money off the deal but would do it as a service for someone.

My son decided to go for it and buy it knowing he wouldn't lose any money. He got in the queue at exactly the time he needed and ended up only waiting 20 minutes before being able to purchase the PS5. Two days later it arrived at his front door. I then got another text from him saying that I could have it when I come to see him in two weeks if he couldn't sell his current PS4. With the backwards compatibility of the PS5 he doesn't really need the PS4 any more and that can help offset the cost of the new console.

Only 5 minutes after that text I got another one saying that he had already sold his PS4. I asked him how much he got for it and he told me. Now he didn't pay anything for his PS4 as I gave it to him as a gift and so he really had no idea how much I paid for it. He ended up selling it for $100 more than I paid. Now I get a significant discount for them because I work for PlayStation, but that amazed me. He said he could justify the premium as he threw in his second controller and a few games. I'm still amazed.

On Thursday I saw an article saying that because of shipping delays you will want to start your Christmas shopping early. Fortunately my son got a special invitation and now has some of that shopping done. He also proved to me that it is possible to get one of the latest video game consoles.

Video Game Review: Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

Saturday morning I woke up early as I couldn't sleep. I got some breakfast and then headed into my office to finish up my latest video game: Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. I knew I was close to the end as the game told me so. I got the message that once I started the next section of the game, I wouldn't be able to stop until I completed the game. With a whole Saturday before me, I started the final battle and finished the game in about 30 to 45 minutes. I actually expected it to take longer.

Unfortunately the latest Ratchet & Clank game is only available on the PlayStation 5 console and not everyone that wants one can get one. The only reason I have one is because I work for PlayStation and had the chance to get one on launch. I also received a copy of Rift Apart for free as it came from Insomniac which is part of my company. While I try not to let that influence my review, it probably does. My hope is that should some of you finally get your hands on a PS5 and look for games to play, you will be able to decide if the game is for you.

My two sons love the Ratchet & Clank games. They have ever since the PlayStation 2 days. Needless to say we have every Ratchet & Clank game. This is actually the first Ratchet & Clank game I have ever played all the way through. I have watched my sons play them but never really played more than a few hours. There was the one Christmas I played with my daughter but I never really completed any games. I have to say I enjoyed it a lot and am glad I finally played one of the titles to completion.

Ratchet & Clank games are fun for the whole family. Yes there is cartoon violence and so this game has an ESRB rating of E-10+, meaning it is for everyone but players should be at least 10 years old. Most of the violence is against robots and they are obviously bad guys. I would have no problem playing this with my 4-year-old grandson. In fact, my son did play it with him watching.

One of the things that used to confuse me watching my sons play the Ratchet & Clank games is the large number of weapons to choose from. By the end of Rift Apart, I had collected something like 20 different weapons. Each has their own strengths as well as stash of ammunition. The more you use a particular weapon, the more you can upgrade it. Ultimately it becomes an exercise in trying to find the merits of each weapon and use it appropriately. When you go to select a new weapon, all action stops. That allows you to take your time selecting the best tool for the job. It also allows you to let your pulse slow back to somewhat normal levels.

The story line for Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is a lot of fun. While there is a natural progression to things, you have the option of going back and finishing the task of finding collectibles in other parts of the story. I made sure to have everything collected and all parts of the story completed before beginning the final battle Saturday morning. I am also close to collecting every trophy from the game but am not yet sure if I will go back to try and platinum the game.

If you are looking for a fun game to play because you are a kid or want to play it with your kids, I highly recommend Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. I consider myself to be a big kid which is why I enjoyed it so much. I can't really comment on the price of the game other than to say that I have a huge backlog of games to play and I prioritized it over a number of other great titles and am glad I did. If you can get your hands on a PS5, it is the favorite of all the PS5 games I have played so far.

Bad User Interface Design

I just got off a Microsoft Teams meeting with one of my co-workers where we saw a good example of bad user interface design. Fortunately only the two of us attended the meeting and I had seen the flaw before. Otherwise it could have been more embarrassing to my co-worker.

In Microsoft Teams, the button to share or stop sharing your screen is located directly next to the button to leave the meeting. My co-worker was sharing his screen and then went to click the "un-share" button. Instead he clicked the "Leave Meeting" button. When I found myself as the only one in the meeting, I knew what had happened because I have done it as well. I patiently waited for my co-worker to rejoin and then we finished up the meeting.

 Many years ago I worked on creating training for a phone user interface. Basically the service would call you and have you respond to questions using the dial-pad on the phone. When you had a question with "yes" or "no" answers we recommended that you use the number 1 to indicate a "yes" response and the number 9 to indicate "no." The idea is that you didn't want someone to mash the wrong number because the buttons were too close together. Microsoft should have placed the "Leave Meeting" button far away from all other buttons. If both my co-worker and I had the same problem, I wonder how many other users have made the same mistake? Let me know if you have too.