Gadget Lab Notes: Autonomous Vacuum Cleaner Also Plays Spy

The Samsung Tango View Cleaner has an onboard webcam and mic

Gadget Lab Notes is an eclectic roundup of gadget news briefs and intriguing products that catch our eye.

Samsung Tango View Cleaner-Bot Streams What it Sees

If you?ve always wanted some sort of spy cam in your home, and your floors are perpetually dirty, Samsung has created the hybrid device you?ve been looking for. The Tango View VC-FL87W is an autonomous, Roomba-like vacuum cleaner with a built-in webcam that can stream its view to a smartphone or tablet. An onboard mic and low-light video support make it a sneaky (creepy?) way to keep tabs on what?s going on in your abode when you?re not around to keep an eye on things. Or you can just have fun getting a mouse-eyed view of the world as your floors get cleaned.

Samsung Robotic Vacuum Cleaner [Akihabara News via Slashgear]

Expedition Tripod Is Made of Wood Instead of Metal

The Expedition Tripod is made of sustainably harvested varnished ash in Germany. Why wood? It absorbs vibration better than metals like carbon, steel, or aluminum (or so they manufacturer says). And craftsmen have used the same techniques to build it for over a century.

Wood Camera Tripod [Photojojo via Uncrate]

LinkedIn and Snaptu Join Forces to Bring a Smartphone-Style App to Feature Phones

For international users who want to access LinkedIn on the go but are lacking a smartphone, life will soon get easier. LinkedIn is working with mobile developer Snaptu to create an app that lets dumbphone users access their update stream and profiles, search their network, accept invitations, and invite users to their network. Snaptu is also working with Facebook to bring the social network to feature phones.

LinkedIn Teams Up With Snaptu [TechCrunch]

Google Joining In on the NFC Payment Game

Although Google has explicitly stated that they don?t sell hardware, they have, according to Bloomberg?s sources, been purchasing ?thousands? of VeriFone?s NFC payment terminals. The search engine giant is planning to install them in the tech-forward cities of San Francisco and New York City so users can swipe their Android smartphone to pay for transactions. There have been previous rumors that Google was developing their own payment system; this Verifone-purchasing information is right in line with that.

Google is said to ready payment test in New York and San Francisco [Bloomberg via Engadget]

Harman GHS-1 Gaming Headphones Look Sweet, Are Packed With Features

Currently available for $80, Harman?s GHS-1s feature a directional (cardioid) boom mic and passive noise reduction for filtering out background noises. It?s got in-line volume control and mic on/off switch as well as a mechanism in the headband so it can fold up compactly. They?re designed for longwearing comfort, and won a Red Dot Design Award for their good looks.

GHS-1 [Harman via Crunchgear]

Magic Spoon, A Simple Solution for Transporting Flatware

When I decide to eat some food in my room, it?s always a pain to juggle a glass, plate, and forks or spoons as I walk across the house. The Magic Spoon design fixes at least part of that problem by elongating and bending the handle of your utensil, turning it into a hairpin-type clasp. Just slide and clamp it onto a plate or cup to secure it.

The Magic Spoon [Yanko Design]