Hasta La Gadget!

Google has certainly gotten itself involved in a fair number of projects in the past, but this time around, they do seem to have something that is rather unusual – which would come in the form of the Google Barge. Basically, the Google Barge happens to be a possible floating showroom in San Francisco Bay that will feature some of the more recent technologies unveiled by the company, but sad to say, plans from Google for this unique floating showroom has been put “on hiatus.”

CNET claims that it has been quite some time since there was any visible progress made to the construction of this barge, with work stopping shortly after the United States Coast Guard conducted an inspection of it on October 23. While the Coast Guard did mention that it “did not stop any work on” the barge, perhaps there are some other underlying concerns that have not yet been revealed to the masses that point out the barge’s “suitability for being visited by members of the public.” What do you think? I am quite sure that many of us have heard about the floating bookstores before, namely the (now retired) Doulos, Logos and Logos II, with Logos Hope being the only ship left that plies the seven seas.

Google Barge Project Apparently Halted original content from Ubergizmo.

For those unfamiliar, Evernote is basically an app and service for mobile devices and computers where one can store notes, receipts, and etc. and save it in the cloud and sync it across multiple devices. It’s pretty handy for those on the go who need to have their notes with them at all times and don’t want the hassle of carrying around a flash drive or external hard drive. Despite Evernote originally starting off as a software and service-based business, interestingly it would seem that a third of their revenue is actually coming from the company’s online store, where they sell items such as backpacks, stylus, notebooks, and etc.

According to TechCrunch, the Evernote Market has managed to reach $1 million in sales in the first month alone just and now account for 30% of the company’s monthly revenue. In fact what makes this even more interesting is how some of their customers, 11% to be precise, don’t even use Evernote’s services or apps. We’re not sure if it’s the new Evernote Market, but CNET is reporting that Evernote Premium now accounts for about 61% of Evernote’s revenue, which is actually down from 89% prior to the launch of Evernote Market.

It’s actually a little bit ironic considering that Evernote was supposed to be the digital solution to notebooks, but they are now making a fair amount of money from the sales of such products. Why do you guys think that is?

Nearly A Third Of Evernote’s Revenue Comes From Its Store original content from Ubergizmo.

It was back in October when we first heard about Google being tied to a mystery barge that had been docked in San Francisco Bay. According to rumors, the barge was supposed to be a “floating marketing center” for Google Glass. Another theory that went around was that the barge will be a VIP only Google Glass showroom, complete with a party deck on the roof. Then another barge turned up in Portland Harbor, adding to the mystery. Last month Google finally confirmed that it is indeed behind these barges, but said that the project was still in its early days and that things are likely to change. It appears though that work on one of the barges might have been put off, because according to CNET, the barge at Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay is currently “on hiatus.”

Brad McCrea, the regulatory affairs director at San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission said that its likely the project won’t be completed “until late spring 2014,” and that Google is still exploring options about how it will use the barge once the construction is completed. The Coast Guard has already carried out an inspection and assured the public that there currently are no security concerns. While the BCDC reiterates that Google is yet to request for a permit to dock the barge in San Francisco, the agency also appears to be considering if it will require the company to obtain a permit so that construction can be continued on Treasure Island. Could the interest from two separate agencies have compelled Google to put the barges on a “hiatus,” while it tries to hammer out a long term course of action? Nothing can be said for sure, Google hasn’t commented on this report.

Mystery Google Barges On A ‘Hiatus’ original content from Ubergizmo.

I am quite sure that many of us have heard of this complaint before, that men are unable to multitask. The folks over at LG have come up with a new short film, calling it ’So Viral It’s Scary’, where they intend to see whether men are really unable to multitask as legend has it, or is it just a misconception? This particular humorous film will also throw in a bit of advertising (that goes without saying, of course), where the all new LG IPS 21:9 UltraWide monitor is touted to be the perfect tool for multitasking. The video will obviously make use of the aforementioned monitor in addition to some rather outrageous scare tactics that will include hidden compartments, killer dogs and psycho clowns.

‘So Viral It’s Scary’ might sound familiar to some, where it happens to be the next installment in LG’s extremely successful ‘So Real It’s Scary’ viral prank series. In fact, all of the previous three films picked up over 45 million views collectively, although there is the danger of pranking consumers being stale as more and more advertisers start to adopt this particular tactic. LG did make good use of its 84″ UHD TV to depict a fake meteor crash as part of a prank in the past that did draw some attention, too.

LG Reveals Men Can’t Multitask Video original content from Ubergizmo.

Amazon recently announced a rather ambitious project that its R&D division has been working on. Called Amazon Prime Air, the company plans to employ drones to deliver packages of up to five pounds in 30 minutes. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said that the company hopes to make this project a reality by 2015, despite the fact that there are several challenges and hurdles in the way that Amazon Prime Air will have to clear first before it takes off. Speaking with Bloomberg TV, eBay CEO John Donahue said that his company isn’t focused on “long-term fantasies” such as Amazon’s drone project, instead he said that eBay is focusing on things “that will change consumers’ experience today.”

In select markets, eBay already offers a service called eBay Now. These markets include New York City, Dallas, Chicago and the San Francisco Peninsula region, eBay Now will also be launched in London soon. Users can opt for this service if they want items delivered within an hour after they have placed the order. The company’s personal shoppers handle the pickup from retail partners and delivery, all within 60 minutes. Despite the fact that its roll out has been rather slow, eBay Now is only expected to cover 25 markets by the end of next year, the fact remains that its already being offered to consumers. Amazon Prime Air, no matter how ambitious, still exists only on paper. However, Donahue agress that “bold innovation is important,” and that’s what Amazon’s delivery drones are at this moment, bold innovation. The CEO says that eBay’s bold innovation is focused around commerce.

eBay CEO Believes Amazon’s Delivery Drones Are A ‘Long-Term Fantasy’ original content from Ubergizmo.