Hasta La Gadget!

While the calendar may say it’s spring, for many of us there is still a lot of snow on the way. By this time we are getting mighty tired of breaking our backs shoveling so many loads of the white stuff. It’s a pain in the . . . back. So what if you could shovel your snow with the ease of using a push mower on your lawn? With a spiral snow shovel that might happen.

Right now devices like tablets and smartphones are pretty much limited in their size, as in you can only pick what is available and what is within your budget. This means that if you want a 27-inch monitor but can’t afford it, you’ll have to make do with the 21-inch model. However a device by the name of the Lazertouch wants to change that.

Basically the Lazertouch reminds us of those laser Bluetooth keyboards from back in the day. It is essentially a projector that will be able to turn any surface into a touchscreen, meaning that you can project a display as large as 150-inches across your entire wall if that’s what you want, which for its price is a lot cheaper than buying a 150-inch display (if they exist).

According to its creators, how the Lazertouch works is by putting out a laser that is parallel to the surface, so by breaking the laser’s beam, it sends a signal to indicate where you have touched. The device will also come with Android as its platform of choice so right off the bat, you’ll have a platform that is already touchscreen-optimized.

The company behind the device, Shanghai Easi, claims to have been working on this project for the past 5 years. It will not come cheap as its suggested retail price is at $650, and given that even PayPal recognizes the risks behind crowdfunding campaigns, we guess this is a pretty huge investment to be making, but if you’re so inclined, head on over to Indiegogo for the details.

Lazertouch Will Turn Any Surface Into A Touchscreen Interface , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

Back in March, we heard rumors that Google was considering launching a rival to Amazon’s Echo. Now according to a report from Recode, it seems that additional details have emerged, along with a possible debut date. According to their sources, the device has been given the codename “Chirp”.

In terms of design, Chirp is rumored to resemble the OnHub router, although as to what the final product will be called remains to be seen. As to when Google will take the wraps off the device, Recode’s sources have told them that it is unlikely that it will be launched in full at Google I/O next week, but Recode believes that maybe Google will tease it or at least give us a sneak peek.

However the current plan is for it to be released later this year. Details of the device are still scarce but if it is meant to rival Amazon’s Echo, then we can only imagine that Google will probably be integrating Google Now into the device, where just saying “OK Google” will activate it and allow you ask it to perform tasks for you.

So far Google Now has proven to be pretty handy on Android devices, so we can only imagine that it will be pretty handy as a standalone device. In any case Google has declined to comment, but hopefully we will still be able to get some information about the alleged device next week.

Google’s Amazon Echo Rival ‘Chirp’ Could Be Teased At I/O , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

If you had to ask gamers who in the gaming industry has some of the best cinematic trailers around, safe to say that a good many of those responses would be “Blizzard”. In fact a couple of years ago, Blizzard’s cinematic trailer for Overwatch was so good that it was even nominated for a Webby.

We definitely got a Pixar/Dreamworks vibe when we saw it and that’s saying something. Now if you’ve always wondered what a Blizzard cinematic would look like on the big screen, wonder no more because in a recent announcement, Blizzard has announced that together with Coca-Cola and Cinemark Theaters, they will be bringing Overwatch’s cinematics and shorts to theaters.

According to the announcement, “For one night only, on May 22, selected theaters in the United States and Canada will dedicate their projectors to Blizzard’s new team-based shooter, broadcasting a collection of Overwatch cinematics, hero trailers, and animated shorts—including two new episodes, featuring the Shimada brothers, Hanzo and Genji, and the masked vigilante, Soldier: 76. As an added bonus, attendees will also get a behind-the-scenes look at the game’s lore and storytelling efforts during a special developer panel hosted by Michele Morrow (not to mention some pretty sweet swag).”

In the meantime if you’re interested in checking out the screenings, Blizzard has listed the names and areas of the venues that will be offering the screenings, so head on over to the Overwatch website for the details and to reserve your tickets. In the meantime if you haven’t seen the Overwatch cinematic trailer yet, check it out in the video above.

Blizzard To Bring Overwatch’s Cinematics To Theaters , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

The always-on feature on devices like the Amazon Echo makes it infinitely more useful. After all what’s the point of issuing voice commands when one has to manually enable it first, right? However at the same time it makes it infinitely more dangerous as an always-on microphone has the potential to be hacked.

Now the folks at Gizmodo actually filed for a Freedom of Information request with the FBI several months ago in which they asked if they had ever wiretapped an Amazon Echo speaker. The response is rather vague and ominous which has us assuming the worst. It reads, “Please be advised that, upon reviewing the substantive nature of your request, we can neither confirm nor deny the existence of records…”

Basically the FBI isn’t saying that they have wiretapped an Amazon Echo, but neither are they denying that they have. Usually if the answer is a no, then it is a no, and statements like these usually seems to suggest that they have. However this is just assumption on our part and for all we know, the real answer might be ambiguous.

It could mean that the FBI has plans for a wiretap but has not implemented one yet, or it could mean that they haven’t and they’re just being vague on purpose. So maybe the next time you consider leaving your Amazon Echo on all day, maybe you should reconsider that.

The FBI May Or May Not Have Wiretapped An Amazon Echo , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.