News By Sal Cangeloso Sep. 19, 2014 3:27 pm
Roomba 880 Geek.com Edition
The number one complaint about the Roomba, at least in my experience, is about its price. Next people will typically complain about*how it looks. iRobot’s Roombas, like this Roomba 560,*have been dull, staid*devices that are largely black and grey. With the release of the popular Roomba 600 series the company inexplicably added a yellow stripe to the top*but didn’t otherwise change its*stylings. This came after years during which the company surely received endless feedback in which people asked for a glossy white model or a sleek all-black one. That all-black model did arrive in the Roomba 880, but*what about the designer home-friendly color palettes people want their robotic vacuums to match? iRobot finally has you covered.
iRobot has teamed up with ColorWare in order to release custom-colored Roombas. ColorWare currently offers up*Beats headphones, PS4 consoles, Nest thermometers, and other gadgets in custom palettes, so the Roomba was a logical follow-up. Right now it’s just the Roomba 880 and 870**that’s offered through the site, but you can also send your bot*in if you want them to recolor it. You’ll have to pay an extra $100 to*get a color customization on a new vacuum, or for $199 you can send yours in and have it redone.
The components that can be colored are the top (red above), the handle (green), the front ring (blue), the back ring (yellow), and the bin release (pink). You can choose each color independently and then choose between a gloss or matte finish for each.
A $100 upgrade on a premium Roomba, or a $200 charge on an old one, isn’t a small amount, but Colorware does a nice job with the custom components. The color on each wraps around to the underside so you can’t see any seams or gaps in the coloring and the application of the paint is nearly flawless. I did some light scratch testing and scuffing and the paint seems more than tough enough to withstand the normal trials and tribulations that our robotic vacuums go through (mainly cats in shark suits riding them). All the real impacts happen to the non-removable side panels and the front bumper — none of which can be painted.
Custom colors won’t be a practical solution for all*– or even most — Roomba ownersm but if you are upset that those Dyson vacuums look so cool and your robot vacuum looks so very dull, you might be interested in swallowing the extra expense. More likely, custom bots will be a great addition to the workplace, where an inspirational Roomba coated in your company’s colors can bounce around, making sure your floors are as spotless as your last 360 evaluation. It’ll also fit right in that basecamp man-cave, which could use a cleaning robot coated in your*team’s colors to deal with the aftermath of last night’s sporting match.
And finally, here’s the custom Geek.com Roomba in action…
The Colorware Roombas are available right now and take 2-3 weeks from the order time to get in your hands.
Now read: Meet Geek.com’s custom Moto X made with Moto Maker
More...
The number one complaint about the Roomba, at least in my experience, is about its price. Next people will typically complain about*how it looks. iRobot’s Roombas, like this Roomba 560,*have been dull, staid*devices that are largely black and grey. With the release of the popular Roomba 600 series the company inexplicably added a yellow stripe to the top*but didn’t otherwise change its*stylings. This came after years during which the company surely received endless feedback in which people asked for a glossy white model or a sleek all-black one. That all-black model did arrive in the Roomba 880, but*what about the designer home-friendly color palettes people want their robotic vacuums to match? iRobot finally has you covered.
iRobot has teamed up with ColorWare in order to release custom-colored Roombas. ColorWare currently offers up*Beats headphones, PS4 consoles, Nest thermometers, and other gadgets in custom palettes, so the Roomba was a logical follow-up. Right now it’s just the Roomba 880 and 870**that’s offered through the site, but you can also send your bot*in if you want them to recolor it. You’ll have to pay an extra $100 to*get a color customization on a new vacuum, or for $199 you can send yours in and have it redone.
The components that can be colored are the top (red above), the handle (green), the front ring (blue), the back ring (yellow), and the bin release (pink). You can choose each color independently and then choose between a gloss or matte finish for each.
A $100 upgrade on a premium Roomba, or a $200 charge on an old one, isn’t a small amount, but Colorware does a nice job with the custom components. The color on each wraps around to the underside so you can’t see any seams or gaps in the coloring and the application of the paint is nearly flawless. I did some light scratch testing and scuffing and the paint seems more than tough enough to withstand the normal trials and tribulations that our robotic vacuums go through (mainly cats in shark suits riding them). All the real impacts happen to the non-removable side panels and the front bumper — none of which can be painted.
Custom colors won’t be a practical solution for all*– or even most — Roomba ownersm but if you are upset that those Dyson vacuums look so cool and your robot vacuum looks so very dull, you might be interested in swallowing the extra expense. More likely, custom bots will be a great addition to the workplace, where an inspirational Roomba coated in your company’s colors can bounce around, making sure your floors are as spotless as your last 360 evaluation. It’ll also fit right in that basecamp man-cave, which could use a cleaning robot coated in your*team’s colors to deal with the aftermath of last night’s sporting match.
And finally, here’s the custom Geek.com Roomba in action…
The Colorware Roombas are available right now and take 2-3 weeks from the order time to get in your hands.
Now read: Meet Geek.com’s custom Moto X made with Moto Maker
More...
