![](\"https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/img_1004.jpg?w=738\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Back in March, iRobot announced that it would be bringing Alexa functionality<\/a> to its 980 Roomba, letting users with an Echo clean their home with a simple voice command. Today, that functionality expands to all WiFi connected Roomba, a list that includes a pair new additions, the Roomba 890 and Roomba 690, which lower the barrier of entry for the company\u2019s connected robotic vacuums.<\/p>\n In spite of being a pioneer (and still the industry leader) in the robotic vacuum space, iRobot was a bit late to the punch with WiFi connected devices, introducing the 980 in late 2015 after the competition had already announced their offerings. Since then, the company has also been a bit slow to add WiFi functionality to other devices. Today\u2019s two new \u2018bots bring its\u00a0total connected Roomba count to four \u2013 a fraction of the overall Roomba line.<\/p>\n The actual WiFi functionality is still fairly basic, as well, with the ability to do things like schedule cleanings remotely. Of course, the upside of connectivity is the ability to continually update the device\u2019s feature set. And while the company hasn\u2019t exactly worked fast when it comes to building out the feature set, it has outlined a long term plan to make Roomba an essential part of the connected home.<\/p>\n Alexa functionality is a piece of that, with commands like \u201cAlexa, ask Roomba to begin cleaning.\u201d Clean Map is a part of the puzzle, as well. With it, users can get a clearer picture\u00a0of where the Roomba is cleaning the most, offering a better idea of where messes are coming from. Of course, that functionality relies on the 900 series\u2019 more advanced mapping technology, with means that it may not be available for the lower-end models.<\/p>\n In future iterations, iRobot envisions its popular robotic vacuums as serving as a sort of connective tissue for the smart home<\/a>, helping a wireless system get a regularly updating insight into how different devices are laid out in the home. Of course, that\u2019s still a ways off (\u201csingle-digit years\u201d according to what the company\u2019s CEO told us). As such, I wouldn\u2019t go basing any purchasing decisions on the possibility of it coming to existing products.<\/p>\n The newly connected 690 is available now for $375. What it does offer is a significantly more affordable starting point than the 960 \u2013 previously the most affordable Roomba at $699 (not to mention the $899 Roomba 980). The 890 is arriving later this quarter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"\"](\"https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/img_1004.jpg?w=680\")
Back in March, iRobot announced that it would be bringing Alexa functionality to its 980 Roomba, letting users with an Echo clean their home with a simple voice command. Today, that functionality expands to all WiFi connected Roomba, a list that includes a pair new additions, the Roomba 890 and Roomba 690, which lower the barrier of entry for the company’s connected robotic vacuums. In… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n\n<\/img><\/a>
<\/img><\/a>
<\/img><\/a>
<\/img><\/a>
<\/img><\/a>
<\/img><\/a>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5817,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[59,66,26],"class_list":["post-339827","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-technology","tag-media","tag-techcrunch","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/339827","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5817"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=339827"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/339827\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=339827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=339827"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=339827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}