The kids at myRoomBud are at it again.  In a neverending quest to give personality to a little robotic vacuum, they've released the myRoomBud Is Alive Dashboard (MIAD), which uses the RooTooth interface to give your Roomba a behavioral makeover.  MIAD is free, but you have to buy the RooTooth interface for $100.

For example, you can cloth your Roomba in the Roobit the Frog costume, and then use MIAD to teach it to hop like a frog.  Ok.  It's weird.  But I was laughing out loud when I saw the video demo (scroll down to the bottom of the page). 

But hey, why stop there.  myRoomBud also sells a french maid outfit (RoomBette La French Maid), and now with MIAD, you can teach your Roomba to shake its butt will it cleans.  Again, the video demo is a must-see.  But, it forces me to ask the question, will robotic-maid-sex-appeal really sell vaccuums? 

If you've got an itch that only a hopping, growling, or butt-wiggling Roomba can solve ... well, 'nuff said.  Or, maybe you just go here instead.

Summer Gadgets Countdown #9: Rechargeable Fan/Radio

I suppose if you just have to have a radio implemented into your fan, then this rechargable radio/fan could be a nice beach or pool companion. But you can get a fan and radio separate for much cheaper.

Design: Sold by FrontGate.com, the Rechargeable Fan/Radio is made of plastic and is 20" (H) x 15-1/2" (diameter), weighing 21.5 lbs (which seems kind of heavy for something that's supposed to be portable).

Features: 2 speeds. Portable. Comes with an integrated AM/FM radio and rechargable battery.
 

How It Works: Couldn't find an online manual or other info, but hopefully it's as simple as turning the power on and tuning in to a station!

Price: The Rechargeable Fan/Radio sells for $79.50 on FrontGate.com.

Lovin' Factor (1-10): 3

Tune into this week's Gearlog Radio show (available on Friday), to hear Jenn's pick for gadget of the week!

The Toyota Prius was the top-ranked compact car in the 2005 J.D. Power & Associates Initial Quality Study (IQS). This year, the 50-mpg gas/electric hybrid is nowhere to be seen in the top three, even though a sibling car, the Toyota Corolla, is now Number 1. What's up?

Manufacturers are turning on the technology floodgates, but they forgot to make the cars easy to use. It's the "Flashing Twelve" syndrome all over again: VCRs are too complicated to program, the buttons on digital cameras are too small to manipulate, the reset button on your printer won't cancel a job run amok. And car-tech features are too hard to fathom.

This year's 20th-anniversary IQS measured not only initial defects but also perceived problems with the car's design and layout of technology features. The upshot was that a number of cars with high-tech touches didn't fare so well. Most notably, BMW, with its pioneering iDrive cockpit controller, fell from number 3 to number 27 despite near-the-top fit and finish. And Audi, with MMI, the best cockpit controller (in my opinion), fell from number 8 to number 18; Mercedes-Benz, with its perplexing Comand system, dropped from number 5 to number 25. See a trend? Buick fell from number 5 to number 25 on IQS, but Buick is a champ at production-line quality and also is not incorporating lots of tricky technology. So the conclusion might be that when your buyer demographic has one foot in the grave, even small doses of technology are befuddling when not carefully implemented.

Power changed the IQS methodology again (it had previously added in more potential problem areas) to stretch the life of an aging survey. Twenty years ago, the Alfa Romeo Milano racked up 408 defects per 100 cars in the first 90 days. Now, the top five brands (Porsche, Lexus, Hyundai, Toyota, and Jaguar) average about one defect per car, and several dozen individual models are at that level, too. For many people, there's no return trip to the dealer for warranty work in the first month, and in many cases, during the first year. These days, the odds are that if your car is ranked in the middle on the IQS, it's not that much worse than high-ranked cars.

The difference between the highest- and lowest-ranked brands is now about 2 to 1, not 5 to one 1, as it was in the past. Critics say the compression in quality among car brands makes reliability surveys less meaningful, whether they're from J.D. Power or Consumer Reports. If you're using a fixed number of points to characterize the results, you have to magnify the differences between average and much-worse-than-average cars, to keep readers' attention. In scientific talk, the question is whether the numbers you generate still amount to a JND (just noticeable difference).

To extend the lifetime and usefulness of the IQS, Power also asked its 63,607 survey-takers about design issues—dashboard controls and entertainment systems, not the graceful flow of the fender lines. Those two areas, physical/mechanical defects plus perceived design glitches, constitute the current IQS. Perhaps it will prove to be a force for encouraging better, easier-to-use technology over the next few years.

In the case of the Prius, a Toyota rep said that perhaps dealers didn't do a good enough job explaining the unique features of the best-selling hybrid. But when you take delivery, the average Prius has more here's-how hang tags than a church's make-a-wish tree at Christmas. There's one, for instance, that reminds you to put the electronic shifter in Park when you get out of the car. If you step out when the car is still active (the gasoline engine isn't running, the electric motor is active, and the car is still in Drive), your Prius will motor away from you.

The Prius also has annoying defaults, such as a beeper that sounds inside but not outside the car when you're backing up. If the car is running on quiet electric power only, a pedestrian with his back turned is liable to get run down. You can change the setting, but it's not obvious, and there's no option to beep outside and not inside. Maybe this is the Prius's solution to overpopulation.

This year's IQS finally gave customers a chance to sound off about unusable technology and other dumb design features: CD changers hidden in the glovebox or under the seat, unfathomable cockpit controllers, tiny buttons, electronic transmission and turn-signal indicators that return to a centered position after being selected, hybrids with too-small indicators for showing that the car has been started up, and flimsy cupholders.

Joe Ivers explained some of the details behind the new IQS methodology and discussed why the five automakers fell so far.

"BMW, Mercedes Benz, and Audi … show a somewhat common cause for declines, but it isn't uniquely related to design quality. Two things are in common, and one is different. First, all three are very heavily influenced by large-volume, new-launch models (the 3-Series, the M-Class & R-Class, and the A4). These carry varying amounts of the weight for the overall brand (for example, 46 percent for the 3-Series), and these all show typical first-year 'bugs.' Usually new-model launches have unforeseen problems, and many show improvement after the first year.

"For each of these [automakers], however, there is a preponderance of design quality issues. BMW stands out from this crowd in having remarkably few defects or malfunctions. They, in fact, are the equal of Toyota, ranking third in the industry. Design quality, however, shows remarkable obstacles for American buyers in the operation of the vehicle. Much of this is ergonomic, but there are other design-quality matters as well. Things like voice-activated, hands-free communication that won't recognize commands, but also things like controls of door locks and side windows that owners still find difficult to understand and use at three months in service.

"All three of these brands share a common degree of complexity in the user interface designed into their vehicles. This might suggest to some that such a result is inevitable, given the high-content, high-tech features and inherent complexity of these cars. However, this is not the case. Porsche, who ranks number 1 in Initial Quality overall and also in design quality, has all of the complexity but almost none of the problems. Porsche has also taken a much simpler approach to integrating all this technology.

"Also consider Lexus and Jaguar. These have most of the same complexity but present very simple and intuitive control strategies that allow the buyer to master the controls quickly so that they can be manipulated… without [the driver] having to stop for a study-break.

"For] Hummer and Buick… superficially, the answer is the same, but for somewhat different reasons. First, the Hummer H2, which was a highly problematic vehicle for its first year in the IQS, has seen steady and aggressive product improvement. This year it also looks very good, at 111 problems per 100 vehicles. The big drop in ranking is due to the introduction of the H3, which carries 81 percent of Hummer's sales volume and is also in its launch year. It is a launch with many vehicle problems (181 problems per 100), with a rich mix of defects and also design problems.

"Buick dropped in the list mainly because two of its largest-volume and best-quality vehicles have been taken out of the line-up. The Century and the LeSabre, two of GM's highest-quality vehicles, have been replaced by newer models, the LaCrosse and the Lucerne. While these are launch-year vehicles and show some of the higher problem-incidence that is common to launch years, they also reflect [to a greater degree] the problem perceptions of younger buyers, on average, than did the models replaced. While this usually means that younger customers report more problems, other things [being] equal, this is actually good news for the Buick brand, where there has been a years-long search for products that would bring the brand some younger customers. On these vehicles, stay tuned for the APEAL study results, about three weeks out."

Power conducts several other surveys worth paying attention to. One is the Vehicle Dependability Index, or VDI, which measures reliability after three years. It used to cover five years of ownership, but by then the data was so outdated it wasn't of much use to automakers; and Power makes its money selling information to automakers, not giving it away in small doses to consumers. This study is the best measure of overall reliability, more so than the IQS. Even the two IQS defects per car of the worst-ranked brand this year, Land Rover, isn't all that bad.

There's also the Customer Satisfaction Index, or CSI. While it used to be a measure of reliability, it has morphed into a measure of how much customers liked dealer service departments over three years of ownership. Finally is APEAL, for Automotive Performance, Execution, and Layout. This survey measures "owners' delight with the design, content, layout, and performance of their new vehicles" in the first 90 days of ownership.

If you're planning to hold on to your car, I'd rank the VDI as the most important survey currently. The old IQS was the least useful, but now that it measures things gone wrong with technology, it could be a powerful tool for change. So could APEAL, since it also tracks perceptions about vehicle design.

John David Power, the founder of J.D. Power & Associates, was rudely booted out of the GM offices 25 years ago, when he had the temerity to tell the automaker that unless it changed its ways (and bought his surveys), the General was about to be overtaken by the Japanese in quality, customer satisfaction, and sales. It's a mistake to shoot the messenger just because you don't like the message.

It's no secret that I use an Apple PowerBook G4 (15-inch, 1.67GHz if you must know) along with my IBM/Lenovo ThinkPad T40.  I used to be able to get over 2 1/2 hours of use out of the G4's battery before I had to plug it in, but now it conks out after 1 1/2 to 1:45.  Still not too bad, but starting to get annoying.  Battery life goes way down while I'm using a WWAN card like the Verizon PC 5220. 

I was sent a Newer Technology AL15 55.5WHr battery the other day (the standard battery was 44WHr) from MacSales, and it is like having a new laptop.  I can now surf for about 3 hours, though watching a DVD movie will top out at about 2:30 (long enough to get through most movies, aside from Titanic or one of the Lord of the Rings movies).  The battery even has the Apple battery's best feature, the 5-LED power indicator on the bottom, that's accessible even when the PowerBook is on.  The AL15 55.5WHr is $139.99, not bad considering the Apple replacement battery is $129.99 and has less capacity.  It's not quite the 5+ hours I get on my ThinkPad with extended battery, but not bad just the same.

It's no surprise that if you're thrown out of your house by, say, a major natural disaster, you'll probably end up talking on your cell phone a lot. So Houston, TX and New Orleans, LA -- two cities joined by the misery of Hurricane Katrina refugees -- topped the list for most cell phone minutes used per person in the first quarter of 2006, according to research firm Telephia.

But the other eight cities on Telephia's top 10 list are more mysterious. Daytona Beach, FL comes in third -- are kids still going for Spring Break there? Toledo is fourth, followed by Atlanta, Mobile Alabama, Raleigh NC, Knoxville TN, and Dallas. Apparently Southerners like to chat on their cells more than people in any other part of the country, according to Telephia.

Can anyone from Toledo out there explain why you folks are so chatty?

(Photo of Daytona Beach, left, from the Daytona Beach CVB.)

Read Telephia's full press release.

On Friday, Chris from Engadget Mobile hit Destination Q, the new Motorola "pop-up store" in Chicago, and took a Q-load of pictures. The Motoshop does seem to have been slapped up in haste as a response to the great looming Nokia store nearby, which will sell Nokia's full line of products. Destination Q focuses only on the Q, Motorola's new smartphone which I quite like and David Pogue doesn't. Considering that Chicago is Motorola's home town, I'd expect them to really represent and show off the full range of Moto goodness in a more permanent form. Where's the Ming, guys?

I love when companies made a mini-version of products. This miniature LED lantern is 2-inches tall and fits on your keychain. Bring it along for camping trips or even for night swimming when you don't want a large light attracting those pesky mosqitoes. Plus, it's water resistant. Requires 2 CR2032 button cell batteries that are said to power for 25 hours straight (or 50 hours when in flashing mode).

I think I saw the bigger version of this LED lantern last night while watching Instinct starring Anthony Hopkins.

Now available on ThinkGeek.com for $9.99.

Updated: Scandal! Our audio expert, Mike Kobrin, just analyzed the Times's ringtone and found it wasn't the promised 17 Khz, but a more audible 15.1 Khz. He's generated a 17 Khz MP3 and we'll be posting it soon. Mike (age 30) and I (age 32) listened to it and, yes, it's harder to hear than the 15.1 tone from the Times -- but we could still hear it, and wow, it's annoying.

Original post: I'm always suspicious of New York Times trend stories, but I couldn't resist this one about a cell-phone ring tone that teenagers are using, thinking that the high-pitched sound can't be heard by their elders. According to a nifty chart in the article, the ringtone should be inaudible to almost anyone over the age of 30, because hearing in high frequencies diminishes with time. The reporter even found two schoolteachers to whom the ringtone was completely inaudible, showing he wasn't taking teens' claims on faith.

There's only one problem. I'm 32, and I hear it just fine. And I have miserable hearing -- I spent a few years in my early twenties in a funk listening to the Cure on full blast through headphones, I can't distinguish conversations at a loud party and I always tell my wife to turn up the volume on the TV, threatening to wake the baby. But the 17 Khz "teenage ringtone" sounds perfectly audible, and utterly irritating, like that "emergency broadcast system" signal people my age or older would remember appeared on TV periodically for no apparently useful reason.

Try it yourself: Can you hear the teenage ringtone?

Now that I think about it, though, there's something hilarious about a ringtone that kids think grownups can't hear, but that we can...

Tune into this week's Gearlog Radio show (available on Friday), when everyone will make fun of those who can't hear the cursed ringtone.

Thanks to senior editor Sean Carroll for this post!

I love this bag. And to judge by the many compliments I got while carrying it, so did nearly everyone around me. Comments ranged from: "I lust after your bag," from a total stranger on my train to "I love your bag, you bastard," from an apparently jealous Laarni Ragaza (a frequent Gearlog contributor) who burst into my office and offered that by way of a morning greeting. The TimBuk2 Datadump is a terrific bag (it's in the fall/winter line so not available yet, but check back at the site for details). It's great looking, well designed, and a pleasure to carry, whether you're loading it up for a long weekend or just carrying your laptop and daily junk back and forth to work.

Lots of well-designed details make the Datadump desirable. The top zippered opening, for example, is an enormous wide-mouth that gives easy access to your stuff but snaps down to the sides for a sleeker look when closed. Inside the capacious main compartment is an MP3 pocket with a headphone port that leads out the top of the pack, as well as a net compartment that holds the cable sack. On the exterior are two lightly padded side pockets with a variety of interior pockets, pouches, tethers and so on designed for credit cards, keys, cell phones, and even 32-ounce water bottles. Finally, the large laptop compartment is easily accessed via a side zipper, and it's well padded, with a corduroy lining. I actually found the bag more comfortable to carry with a laptop, as it lent the bag a certain additional rigidity. Few bags are that well made.

The Datadump is made from ballistic nylon with well padded contoured shoulder straps and a rigid padded carrying handle that's also handy for getting the bag onto your shoulders, if you've got it loaded up for a longer trip. If you're doing some serious traveling, you'll appreciate extras like the waterproof rubberized bottom, the attachments loops on the shoulder straps (they let you dangle more junk off the pack) and the nicely padded back panel with an air channel cut into the center. There's even a removable waist strap.

The bag isn't cheap, at $100 MSRP, but you really have to look at this as a serious day pack that happens to have a laptop compartment, and not just another laptop bag. It comes in black and gray, brown and burnt orange (the color scheme that I carried), navy and slate blue, and soft green and silver. I'd recommend this bag. In fact, when they're available later this year, I'll probably buy one for myself.