Hasta La Gadget!

With all the paranoia and news that the NSA’s PRISM program has caused, how much trust can you place in tech companies these days? For the most part, most, if not all, tech companies have denied working with the NSA in allowing their products to be easily hacked into to gather information, but we guess there are many who remain skeptical. Well interestingly enough despite the paranoia and mistrust many are having about their favorite tech companies, a recent study has found that as far as tech companies that consumers trusted, Microsoft was at the very forefront, which the folks at Forrester who did the research admitted that it came as quite a surprise. (more…)

Microsoft More Trusted Than Apple According To Study original content from Ubergizmo.

According to studies that have been conducted, it has been estimated that we waste about 1-13% of our toothpaste. 17-25% of our lotion, 7-16% of detergent, and 3-15% of condiments simply because we could not get them out of their containers. Sure you could also cut them open but it’s just a messy process that not many people are willing to do. Well the good news is that such wastage could be a thing of the past as former MIT PhD candidate, Dave Smith, has taken his invention on the road and is negotiating with some of the larger consumer packaged good companies to incorporate his LiquiGlide lubricant, a lubricant which is so slippery that it promises to get every last drop out of that bottle, including glue!

Naturally Smith and his company are pretty tight-lipped about how their product actually works, but assures that not only is it tasteless and odorless, but it also only uses FDA-approved materials, meaning that it should be good to go right out of the door. On top of just preventing additional wastage, LiquiGlide estimates that it will save costs in the long run, since we would have to buy refills less often, but could also impact the environment in a positive way as well. Apart from just applying their technology to consumer goods, LiquiGlide envisions their products making their way into industrial applications as well, such as medial tubes where their lubricant could help prevent clogs.

According to the company’s CEO, Carsten Boers, “We have finished a number of coatings now that are ready for market, specifically for toothpaste, paint, egg yolk, mayonnaise, yogurt, and sour cream.” So the next time your ketchup, toothpaste, or mayonnaise comes sliding out of the bottle with ease, you might have LiquiGlide to thank for that.

LiquiGlide Ensures You Get Every Last Drop Of Ketchup Out Of The Bottle original content from Ubergizmo.

Perhaps a few years ago, the idea of anyone owning a 3D printer would be ludicrous given its price, but nowadays it’s not such a far-fetched idea, and with that being said, it will be interesting to see what sort of things people are able to cook up using their 3D printers. We’ve seen in the past how 3D printers can be used to make all sorts of things, ranging from medical to novel, but what about musical instruments? During CES 2014, the folks at Mac Observer came across a 3D printing booth and performing live at the booth were a group  of musicians who, for the most part, were performing on instruments that were 3D printed!

As you can see in the video above, the drums, the guitar, and even the piano were 3D printed, at least for the most part. While the innards of the instruments remained the same, it was their shells that were 3D printed, leaving rise to the possibility that those at home could one day start fashioning their own instruments easily, coming out with all sorts of interesting looks and designs that normal instrument makers might not have thought of. Of course some might argue that using plastic is hardly the best material to use when it comes to making an instrument, especially given wood’s inherent acoustic properties, but hey if it sounds good, who are we to judge, right?

If you have a minute to spare and want to see what jamming with 3D printed instruments might look and sound like, check it out in the video above.

Musicians Perform Using 3D Printed Instruments original content from Ubergizmo.

BlackBerry has gone through quite a few major changes in the past couple of months. The company abandoned a plan to sell itself after the only takeover bid it had received fell through due to rumored funding issues. Instead it received a $1 billion institutional investment and drove out its CEO Thorsten Heins. Former Sybase CEO John Chen was brought on as interim CEO and executive chair of the board. Back then the company announced that Chen would man the helm until a permanent CEO was found. The “interim” has been quietly dropped from Chen’s title, and BlackBerry has confirmed that he won’t be stepping down soon.

Adam Emery, a spokesman for BlackBerry confirmed that Chen is going to have the top job at BlackBerry until the company is back on “solid financial footing.” He also confirmed that the search for a CEO has now been put on the “back burner.” Chen has already set the wheels in motion for the turnaround of this ailing Canadian manufacturer. He is focused on returning BlackBerry back to its roots and focusing primarily on government and enterprise customers. Design and risk related to the device business have been outsourced to Foxconn, which will handle low-end and mid-range devices that are geared towards emerging markets. Having lost $4.4 billion last quarter, the company still has a couple of billion in cash and continues to tighten its belt so as to find the permanent road to sustainability.

Search For BlackBerry CEO Has Been Put On The ‘Back Burner’ original content from Ubergizmo.

Back in December it was reported that Target had been the victim of a massive security breach which resulted into personal information of more than 40 million customers being compromised. The retailer did acknowledge that it was attacked, but assured customers that their bank PINs were safe and sound. Last week it was reported that the number of people affected by the Target hack might be as high as 70 million. We also heard recently that Neiman Marcus was hacked as well and according to Reuters, at least three other “well-known” U.S. retailers were hacked over the holiday shopping season.

Those retailers are yet to be named, though Reuters claims to have heard from “sources familiar with the attacks.” It is not known right now what kind of information has ended up in the wild due to these attacks and exactly how many people have been affected. The sources also claim that similar attacks might have taken place earlier last year as well. Investigation is still ongoing in the Target and Neiman Marcus attacks but so far it has not been found out exactly who carried out the attacks, law enforcement sources cited in the report believe that the ring leaders might hail from Eastern Europe.

Other Major U.S. Retailers Were Also Reportedly Hacked During The Holiday Season original content from Ubergizmo.