NEATO BOTVAC CONNECTED $699
This robot vacuum is expensive but efficient

Technology has caught up with robot vacuums. One choice is the round Roomba vacuums. Another is the Neato Botvac Connected, whose D-shaped design allows the machine to get into corners better. This is Neato's first foray into a connected robot vacuum, and it's a good start. The Botvac Connected uses a rotating laser to continually map your rooms so it knows where things are and where it has already cleaned.

When you press the start button, the laser gets a read of the space, and then the vacuum takes a lap around the edges of the room to clean against the walls. It then moves back and forth across the room, much like you do in your yard with a lawn mower.

The vacuum will return to its base to recharge when the battery is low. Charging can take two to three hours. The Botvac can get stuck, for example, on exposed electrical cords or in a space that's too narrow. The Botvac has a free app available from the iOS and Android app stores that allows you to control the vacuum remotely.

ANKER EXTERNAL BATTERY $49.99
Charging cellphones when there's no outlet

External batteries have become smaller and more powerful, but they also take longer to charge once they are exhausted.

Let's look at a typical battery-charging situation with two phones and a tablet. An iPhone 6S has a battery capacity of 1,715 milliamp hours (mAh). A Samsung Galaxy S7 has a battery capacity of 3,000 mAh, and an iPad Air 2 has a battery that holds 7,340 mAh. To charge these three devices one time would take about 12,055 mAh of power.

When you shop for an external battery, you will notice that they all have their own capacity, which is how much power they can store and provide to the devices they are charging. The largest Anker external battery found was the 26,800 mAh Anker Astro E7, which can charge three devices at a time. The E7 can charge those three devices two times with a little juice left over.

You can recharge the E7 if you have access to electricity, but it'll take 12 to 14 hours to fully charge.

Not much help when on some vacations.

Portable solar panels also are a charging option.

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