Good upgrade from last model

I have had this Roomba 560 for about a week now. I have 3 other Roomba models, all of the last generation, which is the third. The new Roomba 560 has onboard scheduling, a very nice feature. My other Roomba models are scheduled via the remote that came with my "scheduler" model Roomba.

The cleaning of this model appears to be much better, evidenced by the larger amount of lint and dirt that is present on the filter when I empty the bin. The suction of this model is touted as being stronger and I believe the claims. The new swing out filter is easier to deal with than the previous models pull out filter. It also appears (I didn't measure) to have a larger surface area on the filter element itself.

The new Roomba 560 come with a very simple interface, there is a "clean" button in the center of the unit with an outer ring that consists of two buttons, "dock" and "spot". An added bonus of the dock button is a voice demo of Roomba that runs it through a little "dog and pony show" of the features of the new robot. You could also use this as a diagnostic if you think something isn't running. The demo runs the suction motor, main brushes and side brush each independently to show you what they do. It also makes Roomba do a little dance (make a little love, get down tonight, get down tonight :)) A nice way to ensure everything works.

The simple speaker beep has been replaced with a synthesized beep that, funny as it may sound, is much richer in tone.

The main brushes have been redesigned in the sense that the larger of the two now is not just a brush but also incorporates rubber paddles like the smaller brush is made of.

The wheels are narrower and larger than the last model came equipped with. I don't know why, but they are. Also the front wheel is now a caster rather than the fixed front wheel that some of the last models of Roomba had on them.

This Roomba will now run across your floor at full tilt and just when it is about to encounter an object it will slow down to a crawl and just kill the item. The older models just ran right into baseboards, table legs and the like at full speed. Granted they had soft bumpers, but this approach is better.

Previous versions of Roomba had a real problem with throw rug tassels, small items like bandanas, pieces of cloth, etc that were left on the floor and pulled into the brushes. When this model Roomba encounters, say a rug tassel, it will stop the main brushes, keep moving over the rug and let the tassels come out. The side cleaning brush will also stop if it encounters something blocking it. This will undoubtedly have to contribute to a longer life of the components.

A reading of the owners manual will show that this Roomba is made to facilitate replacement of parts much more so than the past model was set up to do. The diagrams in the manual show the modular design of this robot.

A change with this model is the End User License Agreement on the bag when you take Roomba out of the box. iRobot is encouraging people to hack the software of the robot and explore what they can do with it. It says so on the EULA.

I really like the new Lighthouse virtual walls. Roomba will now clean two rooms at once and then go back and charge up. The best thing is it really works! He hasn't been stuck in a room with a dead battery yet! Very slick.
The new virtual walls are controlled by roomba itself when it turns on. Roomba is on, the walls are on. Roomba is off, the walls are off. I would like to have a power button on them so I can use them with my Scooba in the kitchen but that is a minor issue.

Now, what don't I like? This Roomba, as with the previous generations will not fit under my couch in my living room. The couch is even put up on the little teflon slider things. This surely is a combination of the depth of the carpet (a sculpted berber) and the height of the couch legs (very low). It also gets stuck under my tables but this is because they are a mission style with a sloping trim on the bottom edges, think St. Louis arch and you get the picture. Roomba can get in the middle but gets jammed under the edges. This happens on both carpet and hardwood. Just something to keep in mind if you have this style furniture.

May 08 Update:
I have had this guy for about 6 months now. I can't be happier! It is so much better than the three other older Roombas I have. I have seen some people saying it takes too long to clean. Who cares how long it takes to clean, you aren't doing it, the robot is!
I hear the same question/comments about my robotic lawnmower. "Yeah but how long does it take to mow your lawn?" What is the difference? You are out doing something else, you aren't mowing so who cares how long it takes. It is called multiplying your efforts. Same principle as a dishwasher. You aren't doing it so something else can.
Once iRobot gets the side brush breakage (super soft arms that tear rather easily) solved, this thing will be perfect.