(Credit:
Neato)
In the history of The Cheapskate, I don't think I've ever written about a vacuum cleaner. Because, let's face it, they're boring household appliances, not cool techie gadgets.
Unless, of course, it's a self-guided, hackable robot vacuum. Like this one: Today only, and while supplies last, DealFisher has the refurbished Neato XV-12 robotic vacuum for $149.99 shipped. Regular price: hundreds more. (This is a discontinued model, but I've seen list prices in the $379 to $399 range.)
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I'm a Roomba man, myself, but I can safely say that there's nothing like a floor that keeps itself clean as if by magic. The XV-12 relies on laser guidance to scuttle around your house, cleaning as it goes, without all the random bumping and circling that Roombas are known for.
Indeed, watching a Roomba bounce around is like watching, well, a drunk robot. The XV-12 promises much better accuracy and, therefore, more efficient cleaning. It features scheduled cleaning and a bagless design -- you just empty its dirt bin when it gets full. Best of all, it will automatically return to its base when its battery gets low, then charge up and head out again as scheduled.
CNET hasn't reviewed the XV-12, but over 150 Amazon customers collectively rated it 4.1 stars out of 5. And over at Walmart, where it currently sells for $279, the vac earned 4.6 stars.
If you have a hacker mindset, you'll be glad to know you can fiddle with the vacuum's laser guidance system (LIDAR). At least, I think you can: There's a whole Wiki devoted to hacking the XV-11, but I haven't found much that's specific to the XV-12 -- though my guess is the same info applies. (If you know the answer, share it in the comments.)
Because this is a refurb, its warranty expires after just 90 days. If you're willing to accept that risk, here's your chance to get in on some robot-cleaning goodness for a lot less than usual. And once you do, I think you'll realize that robots should be doing all our cleaning for us. Until the inevitable robot uprising, of course. (Turns out they don't like work any more than we do.)
Bonus deal: Still stopping for a cloud-backup service? (You should definitely be using one alongside your usual local backup.) For a limited time, CNET has partnered with Nero to offer one year of unlimited cloud backup for $39.99. Regular price: $69.99. That would be a pretty good deal for one device, but this plan actually supports up to five PCs and unlimited tablets and smartphones! And Nero's backup software offers simultaneous local backup to your hard drive, NAS, or whatever, for a total backup package.
Bonus deal No. 2: If you'd rather buy into something a little more long-term, check this out: For a limited time, you can get four years of unlimited DrivePop cloud backup for $39.99. That's for one PC. The five-PC family plan is $79.99, which works out to just $20 per year -- a pretty sweet option, IMHO. This is an Olympics-oriented promo, hence the rather appealing "no additional payments until the 2018 Olympics" tagline.
Deals found on The Cheapskate are subject to availability, expiration, and other terms determined by sellers.
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