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We're racing toward the giving time of year and what better way to treat a loved one (or even yourself) than with the gift of time and convenience. Robot mops and vacuums can all but wipe out the time you spend on a chore that often has to be taken care of. An entry-level Roomba has dropped to a price that may make that proposition even more enticing for newcomers to the robot-cleaner world. The Y011 Roomba Combo Robot Vacuum and Mop from iRobot has dropped to $160. Thats 42 percent off the regular price of $275 and a new record low. This unit doesnt have some of the funkier features of pricier models, such as self-emptying or advanced object detection. But it should do a solid job of keeping your floors clean. The Y011 cleans your space in neat rows, vacuuming and mopping in one pass. It has a low-profile design to help it slink under beds and sofas, while an edge-sweeping brush helps it pick up debris from corners and edges. The Roomba uses sensors to move around furniture and avoid tumbling down stairs. If there's a particularly dirty spot that needs extra attention, the spot cleaning feature enables the device to spin in place and keep cleaning that area for up to two minutes. On top of that, you can start an ad-hoc cleaning using Alexa or Google Assistant. According to iRobot, this model will run for up to 120 minutes on a single charge and automatically return to its charging station when it needs more juice. The washable microfiber mop pad can be reused up to 30 times. Meanwhile, an entry-level vacuum-only Roomba has dropped to $140, down from $250. Thats a decent deal as well, but plunking down an extra $20 for iRobot to take care of mopping as well may be a more compelling option. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/irobots-entry-level-roomba-vacuum-and-mop-combo-hits-a-new-record-low-151054307.html?src=rss
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Be prepared, you might never read another article using the word "shorts" so many times again. Ready? A UK high court has ruled Google is free to use the word shorts (here we go!) for YouTube's platform Shorts. A British short films television channel called Shorts International, sued Google last year, arguing the name Shorts infringed on its existing trademark for the word, you guessed it, shorts. The court disagreed. "None of Googles uses of signs including the word shorts gives rise to a likelihood of confusion as to origin," Judge Michael Tappin stated in his ruling. "While the similarities between Googles signs and SILs trade marks will give rise to a link in the minds of the limited group of UK consumers amongst whom SILs trade marks have a reputation, Googles uses of signs including the word shorts will not cause damage to the distinctive character or repute of SILs trade marks." YouTube Shorts launched in 2020 in response to the popularity of other short video platforms like TikTok. It reached over 1.5 billion monthly users two years later and can now show videos up to three minutes long still pretty short (that's 12 short(s) for you).This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/the-name-youtube-shorts-isnt-a-trademark-infringement-uk-court-rules-150258393.html?src=rss
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China has sanctioned Skydio, Americas largest drone maker, for providing unmanned aerial vehicles to Taiwans national fire service. Skydio CEO Adam Bry publicly acknowledged the sanctions on Wednesday. A few weeks ago, China announced sanctions on Skydio for selling drones to Taiwan, where our only customer today is the National Fire Agency, Bry wrote in a blog post. As first reported by the Financial Times, the ban has sent Skydio racing to find alternative battery suppliers. Although the company manufactures its drones in the US and sources many of the components that go inside of them from outside of China, Skydio had been wholly dependent on a single Chinese provider for batteries before October 11, when the countrys government imposed the embargo. According to Bry, the company has a substantial stock of power cells on hand, but those supplies wont be enough to prevent near-term rationing, and the alternate suppliers Skydio is working to engage wont come online until the spring of next year. Subsequently, future shipments of the companys flagship X10 drone (pictured above) will only come with one battery for the time being. Among the customers Skydio has been contracted to provide X10 drones to was Ukraines military, which planned to use the UAV for reconnaissance missions. Before the sanctions, Ukraine had requested thousands of X10 units, according to the Financial Times. Skydios relationship with Taiwan may have only been a pretext for the sanctions. We suspect Skydio was targeted by Beijing because it is likely seen as a competitor to DJI, a US official told the Financial Times. If there is a silver lining, we can use this episode to accelerate our work to diversify drone supply chains away from China. DJI, it should be mentioned, has long been in the crosshairs of the US government. In mid-October, the Chinese drone maker filed a lawsuit against the Department of Defense over a decision the Pentagon made to designate it as a Chinese military company. Earlier in the year, DJI narrowly avoided a national ban when the US Senate released its version of the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/china-sanctions-us-drone-maker-skydio-in-ongoing-trade-war-144507154.html?src=rss
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