iRobot Roomba 790 with Wireless Command Center hands-on (video)

What to get the homeowner who has everything? Perhaps a robotic vacuum styled in the fashion of an RC toy will fit the bill. Here at a gdgt event in New York City we happened upon iRobot's Roomba 790, which comes with a touchscreen remote for manually controlling where the bot goes. The controller -- make that the "Wireless Command Center" -- has an interface matching the one on the 790 itself, so there's no second set of menus to master here. In addition to deciding where it moves, you can also schedule daily cleanings or tap a "Clean" button to push the robot into action.Though this isn't the first time iRobot's dabbled in remote-controlled vacuum cleaners, all previous models relied on infrared sensors, meaning you could only control the Roomba if it was in your line of sight. This guy, though, uses a proprietary technology that allows you to program that 4pm scrubbing from up to 25 meters away.

As for battery life, it runs on four AA cells, and is rated for three to six months of runtime, depending on how compulsively you plan on cleaning. Interestingly, despite the change in wireless standards, the 790 is compatible with older 700-series Roombas, though it's not as is the controller would be sold separately. If you happen to be the kind of fabulously wealthy family who can afford (and has a need) for multiple Roomba cleaners, you can only pair the remote with one robot at a time anyway. Don't have the budget for a $700 robotic vacuum kit? We've got hands-on photos below and a demo video after the break.

Zach Honig contributed to this report.

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Marquee Media Center hands-on (video)

Winning gdgt's StartUp contest has its perks -- just ask recent winner Marquee, which is showcasing version 2.0 of its Media Center here on the showfloor. The imposing device, currently available on the outfit's site for $899, packs 2TB of storage, 4GB DDR3 RAM, DVD player and a 2.4GHz dual-core Intel processor into an aluminum-lidded box to let you stream a mix of online and locally-stored multimedia content. Seen from above, the unit is mostly unadorned, save for a quite sizable power button, three circular vents and two notification LEDs. Off to the right side hiding just beneath that generous metal hood, lies ports for audio I/O and standard USB, with HDMI-out on the back.

Naturally, you need a way to parse through the goods and that's where Plex XBMC -- running atop Ubuntu 12.04 -- and a custom wireless controller outfitted with a full QWERTY keyboard come in handy. According to Marquee's CEO, set-up out of the box is a no-brainer and requires nothing more than connecting to an external display and your home network (via ethernet or WiFi) to get things started. We had the opportunity to take the Media Center for a quick test spin and immediately noticed a calibration issue that, combined with the cluttered remote, made for some extremely unintuitive navigation. You can check out some pics of the startup's progeny below and, while you're at it, click past the break to view a video demo of this pricey kit in action.

Edgar Alvarez contributed to this report.

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Hands-on with G-Technology's Mac-friendly, USB 3.0-packing G-Drive slim

When we set out to get hands-on with a hard drive, of all things, you can bet we're going to do more than just pick it up and marvel at how lightweight it is. Here at a gdgt event in New York City, we spotted G-Technology's new Mac-friendly USB 3.0 drives on display and immediately got to work running some speed tests on the thinnest of the bunch, the G-Drive slim. Though transfer rates varied, both download and upload speeds tended to hover around 95 MB/s, and that was after ten or so runs in the Blackmagic benchmark. (Next time we'll bring a USB 2.0 cable to test a backward-compatible setup.)

According to a company rep staffing the event, the other drives in the lineup, the G-Drive mini, mobile and mobile USB 3.0, should deliver similar performance. Really, the differences here are in the specs: the G-Drive mobile and mini have FireWire ports, and all three offer more storage (750GB to 1TB, as opposed to 500GB for the slim). Design-wise, all the drives on display here seemed fairly impervious to scratches, and that rubberized band around the edges also makes the devices feel a little less delicate. On that point, you can check out the hands-on photos to see what we're talking about, though you'll just have to take our word on the speed testing.

Zach Honig contributed to this report.

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Chinese astronauts go hands-on, manually dock with orbiting module

By Jason Hidalgo posted Jun 24th 2012 2:49PM

Looks like China continues to add to its space cred after recently joining the rarefied ranks of countries that have successfully docked craft in the final frontier. Fresh off from the recent joining of the Shenzhou 9 capsule with the Tiangong 1 orbiting module, China's three astronauts have now replicated the feat manually, according to the Washington Post . For the uninitiated, the first docking was done via remote control from the ground. The mission has had plenty of firsts for China so far, including the country's first female astronaut. It also serves as a precursor to establishing China's first permanent space station, a 60-ton facility that's about a sixth of the size of the International Space Station but is slightly bigger than NASA's old Skylab. 'Cause sometimes, you just gotta have your own space in space, you know?

[Image credit: Associated Press]

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Pentax K-30 weather-sealed DSLR hands-on with sample photos and video

We can count on one hand the number of times a waterproof camera was the only suitable option for any given photo shoot, but drizzle and even flash monsoons can strike at any moment, especially in some locales. Most clothing and other analog gear can survive such attacks of mother nature nearly unscathed, but smartphones and cameras are another story altogether -- unless they're coated in head-to-toe weather sealing, of course. Pentax may not be a top player in any digital imaging category, but the company does have a few serious DSLR contenders, and should be taken seriously for anyone in the market for a new ILC. The manufacturer's latest swappable-lens model, the K-30, is quite a respectable beast, and a fairly solid value at $900 with an 18-55mm kit lens. Beneath that steel and polycarbonate black housing there's a 16.3-megapixel APS-C sensor with shift-based stabilization, a 100-percent FOV optical viewfinder, a color-adjustable 921k-dot 3-inch LCD and a bevy of manual control options, for stills and video alike.

We put the K-30 through its paces during a half-day shoot around NYC. There was no rain, sand or snow in sight, but the brutal heat and humidity didn't take any toll, with the camera offering consistent performance and excellent battery life for hours on end (we captured nearly 700 stills with live view and a few minutes of video with plenty to spare, and you can also swap in four AA lithiums for up to 1600 shots). We spend much of our time shooting with mirrorless cameras these days, but when absolute portability is less critical, there are obvious benefits to lugging around a full-size DSLR like the K-30. The camera was able to shoot with perfect exposure and white balance in almost every situation and images captured with the 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens were sharp and vibrant. Video performance was sufficient as well -- most of our clips were captured at 720/30p, but 720/60p and 1080/30p are also on offer. Focus wasn't the fastest we've seen (the Olympus E-M5 still holds the title), but the lens adjusted accurately even in low light, especially when aided by the green illuminator.

High-ISO performance didn't blow us away with noise reduction deactivated -- noise was visible at a 25-percent view at ISO 12,800 and a 12.5-percent view at the ISO 25,600 extended setting, but the sensor-shift stabilization mode enabled us to capture sharp handheld shots at 1/40 second, so it's not terribly difficult to avoid venturing into that high-sensitivity zone. Pentax also added a unique Astrotracer mode, which moves the sensor precisely for long night-sky exposures, using an optional GPS module to provide location and direction information (there was no way to test this feature in NYC, where the city lights never sleep). We did have a chance to test out that weather sealing, however -- the camera functioned just as well while under a running water fountain as it did on dry land. Overall, we were quite impressed with the K-30 -- it's one of the best sub-$1,000 DSLRs we've used to date, and if you've made an investment in Pentax KAF2 glass (or you're ready to load up now), you can expect to be pleased. Click past the break for a sample gallery and video.

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LeapFrog LeapPad 2 and Leapster GS Explorer hands-on (video)

If you've got little ones of your own, you're probably familiar with LeapFrog's various learning devices for children. Since last year, the company stepped things up a notch by offering up its LeapPad tablet breed for youngsters and pricing it at just $100. Not only did it ensure you'd never have to your precious iPad loose into rigors of the adolescence (read: having it tortured by kids in unimaginable ways), but it also packed LeapFrog's developmental education know-how into all of its apps. If you'll recall, it was just yesterday that the company announced its second iteration of the device, the LeapPad 2, and today we were able to spend some time with near production-quality engineering samples. On that note, the same can be said of its latest Leapster, the GS Explorer -- a $70 Gameboy-like portable unit focused more on educational gaming. Join us after the break for a brief rundown of what's been improved and our initial impressions of both.

While the LeapPad two looks nearly identical the original LeapPad Explorer, there are some notable enhancements. Moving around the device, all of the ports have remained the same and it still includes a stylus, but now there's a secondary front-facing 2MP video and stills camera for easier self-portraits (the rear shooter has also been upgraded to the same resolution). Aside from that, it still features an accelerometer and a resistive 5-inch touchscreen (480x272), but we're told that this time around the screen is less power-hungry. According to a LeapFrog rep, this allows for an extra hour of battery life from that of the previous generation. We did notice that the screen had a much warmer look to it, but we're told that the color-calibration is still being worked out. Internally, the unit now packs enhanced bracing for better durability, 4GB of storage (up from two) and a 550Mhz processor (up from 400). Sure those specs might seem weak up against the last smartphone, but its more than enough juice to run 325 (and growing) apps LeapFrog has for it, not to mention that the new unit really is noticeably quicker. Better yet, the device is now rated for youngins as little as three years old, and LeapFrog says it'll have software to match. In case you're wondering, there's still no wireless connectivity to be found, meaning tethering to your computer is a must for loading and off-loading digital content.

Moving right along, let's talk about that Leapster GS. The gaming system has seen a fairly extensive overhaul compared to its predecessor, and it all seems to be for the better. The device has increased in width, but it no doesn't have a bulky battery pack and certainly feels much better in the hands. The shoulder buttons have been pushed more to rear to be easier to press, while the action buttons and D-pad have better tactile feel and responsiveness. The screen's size has been increased to 3.5-inches (from 3.2, albeit no bump in resolution), but it's still resistive and functions either with your finger or an included stylus. The unit also features an included a 0.7MP shooter on back, allowing for similar functionality to that of the LeapPad 2. As you can see in the video above, the game Attack of the Sillies makes full use of all the system's features -- so much so that we were enjoying it much more than we'd like to admit.

Delving deeper into the issue of software, you'll be glad to know that both systems are essentially backwards compatible. So whether you were using cartridges or downloading apps (priced from five to 25 bucks) from LeapFrog's store, all of that content can go back and forth between the devices. That said, the LeapPad 2 comes pre-installed with the likes a new music player and a few creativity apps.

If you're ready to pick one up for your little one(s), both items are set to hit shelves in the middle of August in the UK, US, Canada and Ireland. Those eager to secure their own sooner however, can do so by pre-ordering the devices straight from LeapFrog on July 18th. Also worth note, both units AA batteries for power, and you'll also be able to pick up rechargeable batteries as add-ons. Last but not least, the LeapPad 2 will also be offered in Disney Princess-themed bundle that includes a case and other goodies for an extra 30 bucks. If you haven't already, check out the videos above to see the learning devices in action.

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