Hasta La Gadget!

For those who shop online for books, Amazon is probably a good place to look for said items. Not only do they have an extremely large collection, but their ability to ship to most parts of the world appeals to international customers too, exorbitant shipping rates aside. Unfortunately if you were hoping to purchase any books by the Hachette publisher, you could be out of luck.

This is because of an ongoing feud that Amazon is having with Hachette. For those unfamiliar, Hachette is one of the top five book publishers, which also includes HarperCollins, Macmillan Publishers, Penguin Random House, and Simon and Schuster. Amazon and Hachette are currently negotiating a deal with one another, but in the meantime it looks like Amazon is making life difficult for the publisher, its writers, and its customers.

This is done by either delaying the shipments of Hachette-published books, pricier physical books, as well as recommendations for alternative titles in their Amazon listings, which would essentially drive customers away from Hachette-published books to another company. We’re not sure if the latter strategy works since not two books are alike.

It seems that Amazon is doing this to frustrate writers who make royalties of books sold, and if no books are sold, then they don’t get paid. Frustrated writers will then go to their publishers and pressure them to give in to Amazon’s demands. There is a good chance that Amazon will come up on top, but in the meantime if you were hoping to get the latest title from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, you’ll probably want to look elsewhere.

Amazon’s Feud With Publisher Hachette Leads To Books Being Pulled

, original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in Web, Amazon,

A couple of weeks ago, the rumors suggested that Apple’s deal to acquire Beats could be finalized this week, but given that it’s already Friday and we still haven’t heard anything yet, it looks like there could be yet another delay. According to the folks at Billboard, they have heard several reasons as to why the deal has yet to be officially announced.

For starters, it seems that the deal is one of Apple’s biggest deals to date, and is also Tim Cook’s first major acquisition, making things a bit more complicated than it should be. Secondly, the rumors of the deal were leaked too early. When the rumors were first reported, it was suggested that the deal was close to being finalized. Apparently that is far from the truth as Apple was still in the middle of negotiations.

There was also the video featuring Dr. Dre and actor Tyrese Gibson that seemingly confirmed the deal, a move that Apple was not too pleased about, especially given how tight-lipped Apple is known to be. It also seems that Apple is still trying to figure out where Beats’ founders, Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre will fit into the company. We had previously heard that Apple could be interested in leveraging their industry connections to help make the company more culturally relevant.

Last but not least, with the purchase of Beats, it comes with Beats Music as well, and that Apple is trying to put a number of the worth of Beats Music. Given that the service is relatively new and does not have that big a user base, perhaps it might not be worth much to Apple, although the service is also backed up by major record labels, like the Warner Music Group who might beg to differ.

It seems that all of these “issues” are the reason why Apple has yet to finalize the deal. So when will the deal happen then? Well that’s pretty much anyone’s guess, but hopefully we will have more details to share come next week.

Apple’s Acquisition Of Beats Delayed Again [Rumor]

, original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in Apple, Audio, beats,

If you’re the sort that like to dive underwater and go on snorkeling trips, then perhaps you might want to invest in a snorkel mask like the Easybreath mask. The device was created by a water sports company in France, and they actually won first place in the 2014 Oxylane Innovation Awards, so safe to say it has something going for it!

So what makes the Easybreath so different from other snorkels? Well for starters, it allows the wearer to break with their nose and mouth. Typically snorkels are worn in the mouth, allowing the wearer to breathe only with their mouth. For the trained snorkeler, we guess this has become a habit and they’re used to it.

But for the occasional snorkeler or something doing it for the first time, it can be jarring. According to a diving center manager, “We naturally disassociate mouth from nose. In other words, we breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth, so when we put on a mask, we can only breathe through the mouth.”

This is where the Easybreath comes in, which allows the diver to breathe more naturally. Other features of the Easybreath includes a wider field of vision, and there’s a bright orange stopper at the top of the mask that prevents water from entering when the wearer is submerged, and also serves as a “beacon” of sorts to other divers and boaters.

Unfortunately the Easybreath isn’t quite as available as it should be, mainly because its company, Tribord, does not have the capacity to ship these devices worldwide. However they are expected to make their way to Decathlon stores in Europe by the end of May.

Easybreath Snorkel Mouth Gives Snorkeling A Makeover

, original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in General, sports,

The Nokia X we got our hands on back in February will be getting an upgrade in the near future, with leaks cropping up for a Nokia X2. According to … Continue reading

Speakers come in all shapes and sizes, and as we’ve seen in older iPhone compatible speakers is that they can double as a charger as well, allowing the user to charge their phone while enjoying some cranked out tunes. That being said, if you enjoy the idea of charging your phone while listening to some music but don’t want to be tethered physically, then the Glowdeck might be a set of speakers worth checking out.

The Glowdeck is essentially a Bluetooth speaker that comes with wireless charging. What this means is that if you have a phone or a case for your phone that will support wireless charging, all you’d have to do is set your device on top of the speaker and charge away! The speaker will use Qi wireless charging, which is more or less the standard at the moment, so you don’t have to worry about compatibility.

What makes the Glowdeck even cooler is that it can display your notifications in the screen in front of the speakers. So if you have any emails, messages, or missed calls, it will display it and you will know if you have something that needs your attention. Pretty cool, huh? This is courtesy of the Glowdeck’s own OS called Streams.

Unfortunately the Glowdeck is a bit pricey as far as speakers are concerned, but with the built-in wireless charging and notification display, perhaps some of you guys might be able to justify its price. The speakers are priced at $219.99 if you were hoping to get the Black Acrylic Edition, but if you wanted something a bit “warmer”, there is a Walnut Wood Edition that will set you back $249.9.

The Glowdeck Bluetooth Speakers Can Charge Your Phone Wirelessly

, original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in Audio, Bluetooth, speakers,