Hasta La Gadget!

I imagine that there are plenty of folks out there who would be psyched to receive some manner of cleaning tool for the holidays. I can’t say I’m a part of that group, but here’s a tip: if you do plan on buying me something to clean my apartment with, make sure it’s also a robot. Like iRobot’s Scooba 380, for example.

Good news, the little mopping robot has gotten a healthy little Cyber Monday discount. iRobot is offering $50 off the price of the floor washing robot–plus free shipping. For today only (until midnight eastern time), the Scooba 380 will run you $349.99, if you buy it directly from iRobot’s site.

The 380 can handle up to 850 square feet on a singe battery charge and comes with two virtual walls. It’s a friendly little way to say “I love you, now for god’s sake, please clean your floor.”

It’s been quite a few months since we’ve seen any major developments in Microsoft’s patent battle with Toronto-based i4i Inc over Microsoft Word, but it looks like things are now about to change in a big way. As The Wall Street Journal reports, the US Supreme Court has today agreed to hear Mircosoft’s appeal in the case that dealt it $290 million in damages and prevented it from selling versions of Word that contained the allegedly infringing technology. That could not only have some pretty big ramifications for Microsoft in this particular case, but for patent law in general, as it gets to the very heart of the legal standard for determining the validity of a patent. Needless to say, we’ll be watching this one very closely — the court is expected to hear the case sometime next year.

US Supreme Court agrees to hear Microsoft appeal in Word patent case originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 14:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There’s no better way to say “Merry Christmas, dear friend” than with a double-bevel compound miter saw or a heavy-duty 18V impact driver. But before you pick up a cordless tool for that special someone, keep these five things in mind. More »

Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide! The team here is well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties of the seasonal shopping experience, and we want to help you sort through the trash and come up with the treasures this year. Below is today’s bevy of hand curated picks, and you can head back to the Gift Guide hub to see the rest of the product guides as they’re added throughout the holiday season.

Sit back, relax, grab a controller, and enjoy some obsessive-compulsive button mashing while you work in that body-sized groove into the couch… that’s not the M.O. for the console makers this year. You don’t have to embrace the jumping, hand-waving, and other methods of physical exertion, but it’s definitely the “it” gaming hardware of this holiday season. Be sure to triple-check just what box your loved ones play on, and click on through for our gaming gift suggestions.

Continue reading Engadget’s Holiday Gift Guide: Gaming

Engadget’s Holiday Gift Guide: Gaming originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 13:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thinking you’re going to have to replace your printer if you want to take advantage of iOS 4.2’s cool new AirPrint feature? Think again.

Originally posted at iPhone Atlas