Technolust: Home Necessities and Accessories

iRobot Roomba 980

Crazy speakers, a sucky robot, and a cloud to sleep on

Speakers worthy of the gods

One Devialet Phantom speaker costs $2,000 and supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, and optical. It also peaks at 750 watts and has a sound range between 16Hz and 25Hz with a 99dB SPL rating one meter away. That’s a lot of volume firepower, and I want two of them for stereo audio. I was literally blown away by them when I got the chance to hear them live at Maximum PC Editor-in-Chief Tuan Nguyen’s house. They look extremely crazy up close, with the little spheres inside the 35x25x25cm body pulsating with an almost alien-like movement, but it was the sound that truly blew me away. It was easily the most powerful and amazing sound quality experience that I’ve ever heard in a home. We played a smattering of songs and I felt like I was at a live concert in front of live instruments.

Phantom

So, what would the Devialet Phantoms provide me that I'm not getting now?

Right now, I’m using two cheap Dell speakers that I got as hand-me-downs from a decade ago. They get the job done, but won’t blow anybody away, let alone an audiophile. The Devialet Phantom would allow me to blow the roof off my place, much to the chagrin of my neighbors.

A cloud for my back

Right now I’m using a bed from Ikea that I bought several years ago, but I would love to have is a fancy bed. I googled “best bed in the world” and the $7,500 GrandBed by Tempur-Pedic was one of the first beds to pop up. Upon further research, it looks like the bed would indeed be a dream to sleep on. Dubbed “the ultimate sleep experience,” the GrandBed Mattress offers dual Tempure-HD Comfort Layers with awesome tailoring and expensive textiles. I’m no mattress expert, but that sounds like a dream come true.

GrandBed by Tempur-Pedic

So, what would the GrandBed by Tempur-Pedic provide me that I'm not getting now?

I suffer from a mild case of insomnia and I am sometimes up from the middle of the night until the sun creeps over the horizon. There are probably a number of contributing factors to blame, but I suspect my stiff bed has a lot to do with it. The GrandBed could greatly alleviate my sleep issues, and also help out some budding back pain issues I’m hoping to correct before they become worse.

My own Rosie the Robot

I’ve recently looked into getting a Roomba, and must admit I had no idea how expensive they can be! The one that I am eyeing in particular, the iRobot Roomba 980 Vacuum Cleaning Robot, costs a staggering $900! That’s one expensive Vacuum cleaner, and for that price, it better suck! While it’s too steep for my wallet, a $900 robot that helps clean my room is the stuff of TechnoLusts.

iRobot Roomba 980

So, what would the iRobot Roomba 980 Vacuum Cleaning Robot provide me that I'm not getting now?

Right now, I have to bust out the heavy vacuum cleaner to clean up the carpet, and if I’m being honest, I haven’t been terribly great with that as of late. The Roomba 980 would allow me to be a little lazier, while having a cleaner place at the same time.

Jimmy Thang
Jimmy Thang has been Maximum PC's Online Managing Editor since 2012, and has been covering PC hardware and games for nearly a decade. His particular interests currently include VR and SFF computers.