Hasta La Gadget!

This awesome Optimus Prime steampunk mask is an amazing piece of art. You can wear it or just put it on a shelf. If you do wear it, it has a voice changer built in. This means awesome adult playtime coolness and fun. This mask makes Optimus a robot in disguise, who is in disguise again, with a steampunk makeover.

It may have started out as one of these cheap toy masks, but it’s pretty special now. I love the antiqued finish, and the bolt and rivet details are super nice.

Etsy seller CaptainBayley says that this mask is being offered for a limited time only. It is just $143.13(USD). That’s not a lot to ask, especially since this means that you can finally start that Steampunk Transformers movie you’ve been meaning to make.

There has been a lot of speculation about BlackBerry’s future ever since the company announced that it was forming a Special Committee to probe “strategic alternatives” for it’s survival. The alternatives may include alliances, partnerships and a possible sale of the company as well. According to various reports, there hasn’t been much interest in the market in acquiring BlackBerry as a whole, analysts believe that it might be broken up and sold off in parts. Independent director and member of the Special Committee, Bert Nordberg, who has served as Sony Ericsson’s CEO in the past, believes that BlackBerry might be able to survive if it trims some proverbial fat and becomes a niche player.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Nordberg said that there are “subsets” within the company that BlackBerry can get rid of, but only if it decides to become a niche company. It has always had larger ambitions, Nordberg says, adding that battling giants such as Apple, Samsung and Google is “tough.” To become a niche player, the company will have to revise its entire business plan. Nordberg didn’t point out exactly which subsets BlackBerry could get rid off, but there has been chatter lately that BlackBerry Messenger might be spun off as a separate company. BBM is a popular product and might be able to sustain itself against competition from behemoths such as WhatsApp. The company can’t simply switch it’s devices to Android, after its new BB10 platform failed to make a dent, because that would weaken its position with enterprise customers, which are quite essential for BlackBerry. Nordberg seems hopeful that the committee will be able to “piece something together” at the end of the day.

BlackBerry Director Says Company May Survive As A Niche Player original content from Ubergizmo.

Britain’s Vodafone Group Plc currently holds a 45 percent stake in Verizon Wireless, the largest carrier in the U.S. Last week it was rumored that both parties were involved in discussions regarding a possible buyout of Vodafone’s stake, analysts believe such a deal might cost Verizon around $130 billion. Vodafone confirmed the talks a few days ago but an agreement has not been reached as of now. According to Reuters, boards of both Vodafone and Verizon have met over the weekend to approve the proposed transaction, a formal announcement is expected tomorrow.

According to the report, under the terms of this deal Verizon Wireless would buy Vodafone’s U.S. holding company, Vodafone Americas, which owns the 45 percent stake in the Big Red apart from several other assets. In order to reduce Vodafone’s tax bill, after acquiring Vodafone Americas, Verizon will sell back the holding company’s European assets to Vodafone. This move alone is expected to save the British telecommunications giant nearly $5 billion. Verizon will reportedly raise $65 billion through a combinations of bonds and bank loans whereas the difference is expected to be covered by Verizon shares. As per sources, JPMorgan Chase & Co, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Barclays will aid Verizon in raising the $65 billion.

Verizon’s $130 Billion Vodafone Stake Buyout Might Be Announced Tomorrow original content from Ubergizmo.

There are plenty of amazing watches out there, but this is the first watch I know of which allows you to evaluate the timing rate on the fly, so that you can fine-tune the mechanism, depending on the conditions you’re in.

The titanium and steel Urwerk EMC Watch has got a Witschi watch tester built-in. This device is electronic, but wound up manually, which is kind of cool. The Witschi listens to the watch’s rhythm and balance, and displays this information for the prior 24 hours. This is perfect for anyone for whom having accurate time is paramount. 

The mechanism is designed to allow wearers to tweak timing based on the minor variances that can happen due to position, temperature and shocks. Its maker says “thanks to EMC’s unique and pioneering monitoring unit, not only can the wearer obtain the precise timing rate on demand, they can then use that information to accurately adjust the precision of their watch to suit their own personal rhythm.” 

The watch is expected to retail for around $120,000(USD). Horologists, get ready to mortgage everything you own.

[via Uncrate]

Last month Motorola unveiled the Moto X smartphone. It is currently available from AT&T and Verizon in the U.S. for $199 on contract, the smartphone will be available from T-Mobile and Sprint as well in the near future. Right now it’s price is in line with other premium smartphones, which sell for roughly the same subsidized price along with a two year contract. If a rumor is to be believed, the Moto X price on contract might be dropped down to $100 in the fourth quarter of 2013.

The rumor comes from @evleaks, who has a pretty credible track record with leaks and privileged information. He also claims that the wooden back for Moto X, which was unveiled at the announcement event in August, will cost $50. Four variants of the wooden back will reportedly be offered. Motorola has not yet confirmed if a price cut for Moto X is indeed on the cards. A reason hasn’t been given, most would assume that price would be cut in order to speed up sales, which might otherwise be struggling. Could this be a move to counter the onslaught from some of the new devices that are going to be unveiled at IFA this week and will possibly be released in Q4? One can only speculate.

Moto X Price On Contract Will Drop To $100 In Q4 [Rumor] original content from Ubergizmo.