Dyson dropped a widely refreshed vacuum lineup on us this morning, and managed to squeeze in the debut a new air multiplier, as well. Dubbed the AM09 and sporting the same space-age looks as its predecessors, the new bladeless fan blows both hot and cold, and offers users the choice between a focused stream of air or wider, whole-room coverage.Like most Dyson products, it's a beautiful, functional appliance. It also costs $450 or AU$769 (oddly for a British product, UK prices aren't available, but the US price converts to £295) -- that's $50 more than the starting price of the original Dyson Hot. That's a fairly exorbitant amount of money to spend on a space heater, even one offering high-end looks and year-round climate management. If the price doesn't freeze you out of buying one outright, it's a perfectly good appliance, but understand that you're paying for name-brand luxury -- not a patently better heater. Like the rest of Dyson's air multiplier lineup, the AM09 is a pretty obvious design play.

If you're buying it because you think it's hundreds of dollars better at heating and cooling than the competition, you're doing it wrong.Imagine the same device with the same performance and the same features -- but a boring, ordinary design. Not an ugly design. Just not a Dyson. In fact, go ahead and take the name Dyson off of the thing and replace it with something bland and generic. It's the same heater, all of the same features, blowing just as hot in the winter and just as cool in the summer. But it isn't a Dyson. Would you still spend $450 on it?Of course you wouldn't. It's a design play, pure and simple. You're going to buy it because you love the way it looks, and because you love that it's a Dyson product. Mind you, there isn't anything inherently wrong with that. This is a premier brand we're talking about, and for good reason. For years, Dyson's brought striking, innovative designs to typical household appliances, transforming them into functional luxuries. Save for the inevitable knockoffs, there's nothing else quite like them -- and that's why you pay so much more.

Because you're going to pay so much, and because this thing carries the expectation of pristine design, the AM09's build deserves heightened scrutiny. And, like the versions that came before it, it largely passes the test. It's an elegant design, with just about every feature you could realistically want from a space heater. The remote adds an extra layer of convenience, and, thanks to a magnet, nestles neatly onto the top of the fan when not in use.But I could say all of this about the last generation of Dyson heaters, and I can't say that this new generation is adding much to the conversation. Dyson points to bumps in performance and efficiency, but not drastic ones, and none that stem from any sort of compelling innovation. There's a new feature that lets you select between a focused jet of air and a wider, more evenly distributed stream, but aside from a few fairly specific circumstances, I don't see it being terribly useful.About the only useful new feature is a dedicated button on the remote that'll kick the AM09 into cooling mode with just one button press.

On the older models, you needed to dial the temperature all the way down to the minimum of 32 degrees F (0 C) before it would switch over.That's a welcome addition, but I'd balance it against the fact that the AM09, unlike the AM05 that came before it, features no additional controls on the body of the fan aside from the power button. Misplace the remote (or worse, lose it), and you'll only be able to switch the fan on and off, or hold the power button down to dial the temperature up or down. bionaire air cleaner manualYou won't be able to turn oscillation on, you won't be switch to a more focused stream of air -- you won't even be able to adjust the fan's intensity.air duct cleaning edmondIn sum, the AM09 feels like an incremental step forward from the AM05, and not one that necessarily gets everything right. dna chrome 90 degree air cleaner kit

If the design is what's drawing you in, I have a hard time imagining why you'd go with the AM09 over the nearly identical and less expensive AM05.I use a space heater in my own apartment, the Lasko 754200. It's a smaller heater than the AM09, but it boasts an equivalent power draw of 1,500 watts, and came highly recommended by the Sweethome in a very detailed space heater rundown from last year, even beating out the AM09's predecessor, the AM05.Here's something you might not know about PC Labs: They can get pretty cold. I keep a heater running on the floor under my desk at pretty much all times, but I've learned that temperature can be subjective. My editor, Jamie Lendino, for instance, is wearing a short sleeve shirt and has a desk fan on as I write this. [It's warm in here. -Ed] We might not be able to agree on what constitutes fan or heater weather, but with the right device, we might not have to. Enter the Dyson Hot + Cool AM05. It's an absolutely gorgeous appliance that does double-duty to bring you the best of both worlds: It works as a powerful fan when you're hot, or provides fast, even heat distribution when you're cold.

It's safer and easier to clean than traditional options, but at $399.99, it's very expensive, and rather noisy. The AM05 shares a similar design with the AM06 we reviewed earlier this year (the AM06 is a fan only, though). It measures 22.8 by 7.9 by 7.9 inches (HWD) in total, and features an oblong hoop (what Dyson calls the air loop) set atop a sturdy cylindrical base. It comes in black-and-nickel, iron-and-blue, and white-and-silver versions. I reviewed the black-and-nickel model, which has a black base with a nickel heating and cooling fan. No matter the color, it's a striking, modern design that should complement just about any interior design scheme. It's probably one of the only fans or heaters you'd actually want people to see. View All 6 Photos in Gallery The front of the base is home to a two-digit LED display (which is invisible when turned off) surrounded by two sets of controls. To the left of the display is a Power button, along with buttons to adjust the airflow speed.

You can choose a low flow of air to spot heat, or a higher flow for a whole room. To the right of the display you get buttons to control the thermostat. Pressing the blue thermostat button will make the temperature cooler and change the light around the Power button to blue. The red button will increase the temperature and change the Power button light from blue to red. Finally, a button all the way to the right toggles oscillation control, letting the fan rotate from left to right in an 80-degree arc. Unless you want the fan blowing directly on you, you'll get the best results through oscillation. You get the same set of controls on an included remote. It measure 3 by 1.25 by 0.25 inches (HWD), and has a slight curve in the middle. That curve allows you to dock the remote magnetically on top of the heater, which I found very convenient. The remote has a good range, but it needs to be pointed toward the front of the control base in order to work. The fan can tilt to direct the flow of air upward or downward by 10 degrees.

To tilt it, you must hold the base while gently pushing the air loop forward or backward; it's not motorized like the oscillation movement. I found the upward tilt to be helpful when the fan is set on the floor. Since there are no visible moving parts, seeing the AM05 in action is kind of magical. Its motor draws in six gallons of air per second at the base of the machine. The air is accelerated through a 2.5mm opening and passes over an airfoil-shaped ramp, which guides its direction. This airflow draws in the surrounding air, and sends it through the loop as well, effectively multiplying the amount of air that moves through the fan. Dyson calls this Air Multiplier technology, and it works—the AM05 delivers surprisingly powerful airflow. In heater mode, two Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) ceramic plates are used to heat the air as it passes through the machine. The Hot + Cool has an internal thermostat that maintains the temperature between 33 and 99 degrees Fahrenheit (you can set the desired temperature on the machine between 32 and 99 degrees).