The iRobot Roomba line has had a little Spring clean and now its the turn for the Scooba floor washing robot too. The new tiny robot has been given a brand new look and a massive feature upgrade.

Its been making waves too with all major review sites giving the new Scooba a massive thumbs up.

Trusted reviews have given it a respectable 8/10 saying that  “In terms of pure performance the cute little unit delivers” While the Which? reviewers say how impressed they were with it too.

You can check out the trusted reviews full description of it here. Or view the video below to find out more.

To see the full product and all the information for it and to buy, click here to see the Scooba 230 on our site.

We’re excited about the new Roomba 770 and 780 models, not just because they look so much better but also because of the new technology thats inside them. The Roomba 700 series machines have lots going on under the bonnet to talk about, such as a 50% improvement in battery life and HEPA allergy filters. They also have upgraded dirt detect, thats when the Roomba will stay in one spot to make sure it clean, and have given is a new dust bin too. The new 700 series performs better than the already acclaimed Roomba 500 series.

We have a day booked with Roomba in a few weeks where they will be showing off lots of this new technology, we’ll tweet live about it on the day, so stay tuned!

You can find out more about the new range of Roombas in this document.

The iRobot Roomba 770 and Roomba 780 are available now. Find out more about Roomba and the fantastic range of robot cleaners at our dedicated iRobot Roomba page.

Calling all coffee connoisseurs, caffeine-junkies and java-freaks, if you love your cup of steaming freshly brewed coffee, then it’s time you you had a taste of Nespresso. For true coffee lovers and connoisseurs, perfect coffee is not just an indulgence, it is a lifestyle.

Black gold, with an intense aroma

Nespresso is winning the battle of the brand when it comes to capsule coffee, and for good reason. It’s also the brand we use in our office coffee machines – yep, with everything we have on offer to us at electricshopping, we have all chosen Nespresso. Why? We love it as it tastes great, is quick and is mess and fuss free. With most espresso machines, you will need to add the coffee ground, pat them down, then connect the grounds holder to the machine, wait for it to heat up and then start the coffee cycle. Once you are done, you then have to clean up. With Nespresso, you just add the capsule, press the button and…. well that’s it really, you just can enjoy from then on. Simple huh?

For those who say that they will only drink the finest coffee and would not imagine ever drinking something that’s not been ground in front of them, Nespresso say:

The non-stop quest for perfection begins with the transformation of the finest green coffees into exquisite Nespresso Grands Crus offering full-bodied taste, exceptional aromas, and perfect crema.  Moreover, Nespresso ensure that coffee farmers and their communities benefit from a shared dedication to highest quality coffee through the Nespresso Ecolabaration program.  These exclusive Grand Cru coffees, combined with stylish, east-to-use espresso machines and personalised services are all designed to guarantee you moments of genuine coffee pleasure wherever, whenever and however you wish.

The Nespresso capsule is amazing in its simplicity, each has a perfectly measured portion of premium coffee and is sealed to protect it from light and humidity, which will degrade coffee in normal environments, keeping your coffee at its best. The high pressure extraction means you also get a lovely creama layer on top of your cup, every time. brilliant.

So, interested? you can find out more about Nespresso at our Nespresso store and whats more, if you place an order between March 31st and May31st, you will get £40 to spend on free coffee from the Nespresso club, that’s over 150 cups of espresso, enough to keep even the most die hard coffee fan awake and alert! Machine prices start from under £100.

We’ve just been given a sneek peek at the brand new iRobot Roombas that will be making their way to us in a month or two. There have been some exciting improvements as well as a major design change to the Scooba floor washing robot.

Both new models will feature the new iAdapt technology (why does everything at the moment have to have a lower case i at the beginning?) which iRobot says the most intuitive, flexible and effective way to clean your floors. You may not think its so scientific, but in fact the new Roomba models will monitor the cleaning environment 64 times per second, using dozens of behaviours to ensure the entire floor is thoroughly cleaned. Also thanks to it’s size it can clean under furniture too.

Jeff Beck, president of iRobot’s Home Robots division had this to say:

“These new robots represent our ongoing commitment to developing innovative products that make a difference in people’s lives. While Roomba is already the world’s best-selling vacuum cleaning robot, we continue to make improvements to ensure it is the best on the market and stays at the head of the pack. With the compact Scooba 230, we focused on reducing size without compromising effectiveness and navigability. The launch of Scooba 230 has effectively made one of people’s least favorite household chores, cleaning the bathroom, a whole lot easier.”

The new Scooba washing robot will be smaller but taller. The robot’s three-stage cleaning system washes, scrubs and squeegees floors, neutralizing common household bacteria. It can also clean large rooms on a single tank, telling you when it done though a series of lights and chimes.

Also, when you use a mop and bucket to clean, you are reusing dirty water. The Scooba however only uses clean solution for the whole cleaning cycle, keeping clean and dirty solution separate. So instead of just moving dirt around, it picks it up.

The New 700 series Roomba will also be jam packed with new features, here are the highlights of the new tech under the slimline bonnet:

• Advanced cleaning head improves overall cleaning from previous models, including 20 percent better pickup of fine particulates.

• New AeroVac™ Series 2 bin with a powerful vacuum maximizes air flow through Roomba’s cleaning head to pull more hair and debris off the brushes and into the bin.

• Two HEPA-type air filters keep fine household dust from re-circulating in your home.

• Dirt Detect Series 2 (available on Roomba 770 and 780) uses an acoustic sensor to detect excessive amounts of small and hard debris, such as sand, and an optical sensor to detect larger and soft debris, such as popcorn. Dirt Detect Series 1, which uses the acoustic sensor, is available on the Roomba 760.

• With a Persistent Pass Cleaning Pattern, Roomba uses a brush-like, back-and-forth motion to focus its cleaning when it finds an excessively dirty area.

• New power management software results in 50 percent longer battery life than previous Roomba generations, ensuring hundreds of cleaning cycles with proper use.

• Soft-touch bumper with a new polymer coating protects walls and furniture.

• Full Bin Indicator light turns on when Roomba detects a full dust bin (available on Roomba 770 and 780).

• Touchpad interface provides state-of-the-art control using just your fingertips and eliminates buttons (available on Roomba 780).

The new range will be available online the moment they arrive in the UK. We love Roomba at electricshopping and we should be one of the 1st stores to have them. For more information on Roomba Robotic Vacuum cleaners, click here.

Here are some more pictures of the new range too, for your viewing pleasure.

Roomba 700

iRobot Scooba 230

Roomba 700 Series, side by side

Sorry for the radio silence of late blog-fans, we have been super busy in the office preparing for lots of exciting things over the next few months. We wanted to update you all on some results from the Which? cookware survey.

Three brands from Meyer Group have taken first and joint third Best Buy awards in an in-depth laboratory test of saucepans, undertaken by consumer watchdog Which? The results appear in the December issue of the consumer magazine. So for those of you who must have the very best in cookware, the Which? boffins have spoken!

The overall Best Buy, scoring an impressive 82%, was the Prestige non-stick aluminium saucepan. Taking joint third place was Raymond Blanc by Anolon Professional saucepan  and Circulon Infinite saucepan; both of which scored 80% in the laboratory tests.

All saucepans were scored on weight and balance, performance, durability, corrosion and ease of use. Testers said The Prestige non-stick aluminium saucepan scored full marks for weight, balance, performance and corrosion. It was the most efficient Best Buy for heating water and maintaining heat, while the non-stick base spread heat evenly, preventing scorching. Which? testers also commented on the comfortable silicone handle and how the pan’s balance made it easy to pour contents out.

Which? awarded Raymond Blanc by Anolon full marks for performance and durability, commenting that out of all the saucepans tested, it was the most effective distributor of heat, extremely durable exterior and generous in its capacity.

Circulon Infinite was awarded full marks for its performance, with testers noting that it had the most even heat distribution which prevented it burning food. Testers also liked the fact it had a generous capacity, could withstand oven temperatures up to 240°C because of its stainless steel lid and that it was robust enough to handle repeated cleaning in a dishwasher.

You will find a wide range of cookware in stock and with free delivery at electricshopping, for the whole range, click here for our wide selection of premium pots and pans.

Lets face it, vacuuming can be dull. Well, I guess for most people it is anyway. I am most people. I don’t enjoy wheeling a noisy object around my house when I could be sat on sofa, or better, out enjoying the more interesting things life has to offer. Two years ago I bought my first Roomba, every day without fail off it goes and vacuums my home, without me having to lift a finger. Just like some of the best behaved children, my Roomba is also seen and not heard; I’ve set it to start cleaning in the hours that I know I will not be at home. So everyday when I get home from work, I get home to a freshly cleaned house, ready for me to relax. Robots don’t do the ironing just yet, but this has got to be a step in the right direction!

This Spring, after a long wait, the UK finally has the new Roomba range, and of course, we have them all right here on electricshopping.com. There are lots of improvements under the bonnet and a new entry model which makes joining the robot revolution more accessible then ever. At the introductory level, the Roomba 520 has everything you need to get started and for the first time, now the models lower down the range also come with a home base, so the Roomba will return home automatically when the cleanings done!

Here’s a little video of our one heading back home after a clean.

As you move up the range you get more options such as automatic scheduling, a feature that allows you to tell Roomba what time to switch on and start cleaning. Lighthouses come with the Roomba 555 robot and above. These help guide the Roomba though your home, and get it back to the base when its power is running low.

The new Roomba Lighthouse can be a virtual wall or a ‘lighthouse’ helping to guide Roomba home.

At the top of the range sits the all black, stylish Roomba 581 – its the cream of the crop. It has all the features of other models as well as a wireless remote control. Handy if one of the reasons you bought the Roomba is for mobility problems, or just to show off!

We’ve dug up this user video of the ‘wireless command centre’ in use.

Whats next?

Coming soon are more models too, were waiting for the official release of the Pets model in the UK, which will be better at picking up pet hair. Theres talk of an upgraded Scooba Floor Washing Robot too – stay tuned and we’ll let you know when it comes out. For iPhone users, there’s also a Roomba app – crazy but fun!

Roomba iPhone app

Want to join the robot revolution? Well here’s a range summary my adventurous but lazy friend!

The iRobot Roomba is available from us at great prices with free uk delivery. For more information on the range and the brand, visit our dedicated Roomba Store.

For anyone who’s seen the film i-Robot, starring the infectious Will Smith, the technologically-induced future of temperamental human-like robots, cars that embody a Jeremy Clarkson fantasy and voice responsive household appliances, appears some way off.

Sci-fi films seldom predict a realistic future, but I guess that’s the point. The outlook in this genre is always an exciting and often over-excitable blue print of how things can be should technology ever advance to this degree and become part of society. Well, in America first, led by the heroic Will Smith of course…

For now, however, we will have to settle for the iRobot Roomba Vacuum Cleaner. That’s not to say this self-sufficient and competent little machine is primitive in comparison, or wouldn’t nestle nicely in a scene from the aforementioned flick – it has all the required characteristics to do itself proud in the future.

It can happily run for at least 75 minutes before retreating to its self charging base, which means three average sized rooms benefit from its appetite for dust and dirt. It also enjoys hair, particularly pet hair, so as well as not getting blocked it’s generally animal-friendly.

Now for the really clever bit: The Roomba automatically shifts from hard floors to carpet without intervention, as well as the two virtual wall/lighthouse units informing it exactly where and where not to clean. Oh, and the lighthouse unit is activated by the Roomba itself, so will navigate freely without attacking the dog or dicing with wet surfaces.

The only thing we’d recommend is to leave the Roomba on charge permanently when not using it to ensure maximum performance and awareness, but this is by no means a flaw. The Roomba is cute as it’s clever and is ostensibly the next best thing to a human-esque robot prancing around the house with a feather duster. Kind of….

Every so often a product comes along that is worth mentioning. Not necessarily because it’s ground breaking or massively hi-tech; a product can ooze simplicity, charm and functionality and still steal the headlines.

And when it comes to coffee machines, the Krups Coffee and Espresso Machine has the latter in abundance. Krups has always been noted for its ability to produce high quality coffee makers, without you having to remortgage the house, as well as nestling comfortably between the other heavyweight, household brands.

What does separate them from their rivals, however, is their remarkable affordability when you consider the attributes this little fella has. It’s suitable for espresso, cappuccino and filter coffee, has a 10 cup capacity and strength selector, to name but a few. We like to think that if this particular coffee machine was an actual person, we would indeed like to take them out for a coffee to get to know them better. Strange you may think, but it has all the spec that exudes brains as well as brawn, and not only that, it’s low maintenance, so it wouldn’t expect you to cover the bill at the end of your date! (*sigh*).

With Christmas only just behind us in the distance, it’s understandable that people aren’t compelled to spend frivolously during January and February. But the best way to justify the Krups Expert Combi Coffee & Espresso Machine is to calculate how much you spend on coffee over the course of a week or month.

True coffee advocates will be aware of their outlay while fulfilling their caffeine fix, so at a highly reasonable £163.48 (that equates to three month’s worth of coffee if you were buying a £2.50 cup every day over a five day week) you will actually save money in the long run. We’ll drink to that! Although after four espressos today already, maybe that’s not wise…

See our full range of quality coffee machines to suit your kitchen and budget.