Hasta La Gadget!

In February earlier this year, Intel confirmed that it has set up a new division called Intel Media which is working on its internet TV project. It was back in December 2012 when the first rumors about Intel playing with the idea of becoming an internet TV provider started making the rounds. Though recent rumors suggest that Intel is now willing to give up the project, Verizon has reportedly been in talks with the chip maker to takeover Intel Media. If the latest from Bloomberg is to be believed, Big Red may face some competition from European cable operator Liberty Global.

Citing three people “with knowledge of the situation,” the report claims that talks between Intel and Liberty Global are at an early stage right now and there is a possibility that they might fall through. While spokespersons for both Intel and Liberty Global have declined to comment on the report, it is said that the latter plans on using Intel’s internet TV system outside the U.S. Verizon was said to be in advanced negotiations with Intel, but the report doesn’t say if Verizon is still interested in the division or if it has decided not to pursue Intel Media any further. The people cited in the report have not disclosed the price being discussed for Intel’s internet TV project.

Intel Internet TV Project Reportedly Attracts Interest From Liberty Global original content from Ubergizmo.

Lady Gaga is definitely a trailblazer in all forms of the word, and one of the prime and most recent examples which we have seen so far would be the Volantis flying dress that she wore. This time around, it seems that Lady Gaga also has her sights set on another (literally) out of this world experience – by singing right from space itself. How is this going to be made possible? Well, Lady Gaga has already booked a trip aboard Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo in the year 2015, where from there, she will ride into suborbital space as well as sing a song as part of a festival that celebrates Spaceport America in New Mexico.

Singing in space is not going to be that easy despite astronaut Chris Hadfield making it look extremely easy. Gaga is said to undergo at least a month of serious vocal training in order to adjust for the special atmosphere that can only be found aboard the spacecraft. Not only that, it will also be assumed that she will require additional training in order to blast off right out of our atmosphere. Isn’t it cool to be part of her entourage then, as they too, will accompany her on her travels? I would suppose if there was a way for her to go to Mars and perform, she would do that, too.

Lady Gaga To Perform From Space original content from Ubergizmo.

Former Sybase CEO John S. Chen has taken up what is arguably one of the toughest jobs out there, leading BlackBerry. After receiving a $1 billion investment, the company’s board announced that CEO Thorsten Heins is leaving, and in his place John Chen is coming as interim CEO. He will hold on to this position until the company finds a permanent CEO, but it hasn’t given a timeframe for the search. Perhaps Chen will emerge as a strong contender, seeing as how the company has given him an incentive worth $88 million to stay onboard.

According to documents filed with the SEC, Chen will receive a base salary of $1 million per year, along with an annual performance bonus of up to $2 million. Apart from pay, he has been awarded 13 million shares of restricted BlackBerry stock which vests in five years. As of now, the shares are worth $85 million and will be worth significantly more if Chen is able to turn the company around and bring its stock price up. A quarter of the shares will vest in three years, another quarter in four years whereas the remaining 50 percent will become payable after five years. If things go south in the meantime and Chen is terminated, he will receive a $6 million payout. That’s a big compensation package, one that’s geared to keep Chen onboard for the long run. Up till now Chen has been displaying confidence in BlackBerry, he believes that the company has enough ingredients to become a sustainable and profitable business once again.

BlackBerry Gives Interim CEO John Chen $88 Million Reasons To Stay original content from Ubergizmo.

We humans know that no man (or woman, if you want to be politically correct) is an island, which is why communication with one another is so important. Hence, here we are with the Tactile Dialogues that happens to be a specially designed e-textile pillow that has been constructed with the inclusion of touch sensors and vibrating motors. This particular pillow is used to generate a positive interaction between a caregiver as well as an individual who happens to be suffering from severe dementia. It is somewhat akin to Vibe-ing, where Tactile Dialogues happens to rely on the very same technologies which has taken on an extremely different format.

You wear Tactile Dialogues on the body, where it functions as a medium to generate interaction and conversation. It does offer a glimpse into the future as to how wearable technology would look like and contribute to mankind’s development in communications. Imagine tactile knits and wovens, alongside haptic feedback mechanisms that function in a pleasurable manner to touch as well as wear. Tactile Dialogues happen to be a collaboration between Eindhoven University of Technology (Martijn ten Bhömer), De Wever Borre Akkersdijk, Optima Textiles BV and Metatronics. How would you like your wearable tech served in the future?

Tactile Dialogues E-Textile Pillow Brings Communication To A Whole New Level original content from Ubergizmo.

We’ve seen humans build an entire leg out of LEGOs, and even more amazing, the woman who built the LEGO leg was able to walk on it. Now, it’s the animal’s turn as a turtle has been spotted with an appendage that is LEGO-inspired.

Schildi is a pet turtle that was abandoned, and as a result, lost his leg due to an injury. Due to the surgery, Schildi was left with just three legs, which makes for getting around very difficult for turles. As a result, one of the veterinarians that was observing his recovery decided to build Schildi a prosthetic. (more…)

Turtle Receives LEGO Wheel Prosthetic After Its Leg Was Amputated original content from Ubergizmo.