TigerDirect News

The back-to-school season is upon us and for many it’s time to make some important technology purchases including new PCs and printers.  Over the years, the retail options available for new technology purchases has  grown significantly and now include both in-store and online buying experiences, both with their pros and cons.

Buying something in-store means taking the time to research in advance, familiarizing with the products before arriving at the store, taking the time to visit the store, but also getting to see and test the products in person.  Online shopping is often considered more convenient, allowing consumers to not only do comparison shopping with the click of a mouse but also have instant access to a multitude of product information instantly without relying on a sales associate.

What if there was a way to have the best of both worlds? Including access to crucial product information available online while shopping in-store and walking out of the store with the new purchase in hand?

Here at AMD, we are excited to work with Tiger Direct to introduce the merging of the two worlds with the VISION Experience Center (VEC) and Retail 2.0 – giving consumers access to the product and review information they’re used to receiving online, but with the convenience of taking home the purchase that very same day.  The new VEC is designed to simplify the PC purchasing experience by allowing customers to determine their computing needs by how they want to use their computer and not by technical specs.

The six-foot tall visual merchandising display features a touch-screen ATI Eyefinity interface and cloud-based services that give shoppers access to valuable online information to select the best desktops, notebooks or platforms with VISION Technology by AMD based on their needs.  Whether looking to purchase a new laptop for back-to-school or building the ultimate gaming rig, the VEC by AMD gives customers the benefits of both Internet and retail shopping to easily identify the AMD processors, graphics, chipsets and platforms that match their exact needs

Now you really can have the right information to select a new PC in-store and take it home to play with too!

Take advantage of select in-store promotions during the VISION Experience Center by AMD launch event on Saturday, August 28 from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. EST at the following TigerDirect retail stores, or view the simulcast and take advantage of online promotions here: www.retail20.com/amd.

Participating TigerDirect retail store locations:

• Aventura (Miami), Florida
• Deerfield, Florida
• Dadeland (Miami), Florida
• Pembroke Pines, Florida
• Plantation, Florida

Source:  AMD

The opinions expressed in this post are those of Brent Barry, Senior Manager, N. America Channel Marketing at AMD and may not represent TigerDirect’s opinions. TigerDirect is not responsible for the contents of third party links provided in the post.

Verizon has their ‘Family Locator’ package available for parents (and spouses) who want to keep tabs on their loved (and untrusted) ones easily through a web or smartphone interface.  Today I was stumbling around the Verizon Wireless website, annd found the ‘Arrival and Departure Update” feature.  Now, this is a little big brother, but…

It’s freaking awesome. Without “watching” and checking on your family, you can simply setup specific areas for specific dayparts for specific people.  So, you can define your child’s school (down to a 1/4 mile area) for the house of 8:30 to 3:30 each weekday.  Once your child arrives in that location, you can receive a confirmation of arrival each morning.  Likewise, you’ll be notified when they leave that area each day.  Any movement outside their scheduled location will also trigger an alert, allowing you to figure out what is going on quickly and easily.

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Okay, some people just LOVE push to talk (PTT) – think back about 5 years when it was all the rage.  Sometimes annoying, yes.  Useful othertimes as well.  But I never liked the “walkie talkie” button thingy.  Made it seem too ‘low tech.’

Well, TiKL has released an app for Android that makes it cool, very ‘transponder’ like and actually is GREAT for when you are driving in the car.  No need to call when you can just ring in. 

It uses our primary phone # on your device as your “id,” simply listing all of your contacts and you choose them to add to your list.  There is a do-not disturb mode, which the “Call info” button will allow you to obtain the recent caller information.  Just hold down  the button on the center of the screen, you’ll get a red glow, and talk away.  

A confirmation tone sounds after you let go (or is an electronic “over” LOL).  It’s a great app, glad to see it’s free and you can get it too!  Just scan the QR code here to get it straight from the Android Market. 

If you’d like, you can also join the TiKL fan page on Facebook. 

What a great app I stumbled across today.  I’ve been getting office co-workers to install it all day!  Enjoy.

(Android Apps is now a regular column on TigerDirect News.  Watch each week for the best apps for your Droid phone!)

Yep, you heard it right folks,  there is an all new TigerDirect.com Retail and Outlet Store located at 2500 North Elston Avenue in Chicago, Illinois.  Right downtown for your convenience.  Best news, this store is unlike any other before:  there will be a huge array of liquidation and clearance items at this store all the time plus all of the great products you have come to count on TigerDirect for – at the same prices you will find online at TigerDirect.com.

The store is currently in ‘soft open’ mode and will be having a grand opening celebration shortly, once the store is 100% together and ready for prime time.  We are still stocking some shelves and getting used to things, but we didn’t want to make you wait – and simply opened the doors while we get settled in.  Plus, the store is fully outfitted with ‘Retail 2.0’ a all-new concept in retailing that brings the convenience of the Internet right to you inside the retail store. 

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The Blu-Ray Disc Association released new specifications back in April for storage of up to 128GB of write-once capability for Blu-Ray discs and 100GB in RW format.  Now it seems that the media is actually coming out – thanks to Sharp. 

Touted to be able to handle up to 12 hours of SDTV or 9 hours of HDTV, the price may be an issue which are being estimated somewhere around $60 at the time of launch.  A stand alone player is forthcoming, later this month in Japan and who only knows when in the US.

Personally, I’m not sure how long physical media will stick around – especially when the lifespan of non-climate controlled archives may not be the ‘hundreds of years’ we expect.  Till then, I’ll keep buying hard drives.

Source:  PCWorld

PC World posted an article tonight entitled, “Full Emersion in the Cyberworld is coming” [sic].  Look at the image, yep, untouched. 

It’s 2010 folks.  Spell-check exists. 

Emersion?

Traditional print media, such as PC World and local newspapers, continue to tout their superiority in editorial skills, investigative reporting, vetting sources and grammar.  So what the heck is this?  Someone was totally immersed in their work.

For some reason, I have a feeling that using Windows Live Writer, just like me, Fred O’Connor is able to post instantly to his column on PC World.  Viola!  Instant.

Source:  PC World

For those who love Firefox, there is a whole new version now available for beta – it’s 4.0 with a whole new look, feel and some new features as well.  If you don’t want to hear my description of the new features and capabilities, just head over to the Mozilla website to download the Firefox 4 beta.

First of all, there is a whole new User Interface (UI).  This new UI is touted as sleeker and easier to use.  Tabs are given priority on the page for ‘more efficient and intuitive browsing.’ 

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Samsung has been satisfying many customers with their favorite Touch of Color displays, but these new LED eco-friendly displays will be sure to provide many with an even sleeker display.  Based on the release photographs, the new models feature a sexy metal stand without the full “disc base” that we were used to seeing on the TOC monitors.

Their specs are impressive with a 2ms response time, 16:9 aspect ratio and of course are full 1080P.  A new feature called ‘Magic Return’ does something like move your desktop around to actively powered-on displays.  Not sure how much that will wreck havoc on your life (or carefully arranged desktop), but hey, it’s a new feature!

Watch for the new 50 and 30 series LED displays soon at TigerDirect.com!

(For full Samsung Press release, keep reading)

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With the forthcoming release of the Droid X from Verizon on July 15th, people who love the Android operating system are getting more and more excited.  For those who have been using android, or are recent converts, they love it.  It’s so easy to use, Google integration makes life joyful, and I could go on and on…

To give your droid a new look, check out the live wallpaper called ‘Bezier’ as recommended by Ryan Whitwam  over at Tested.com.  It’s a great live wallpaper for those with Android 2.1 and higher, and unlike the resource intensive live backgrounds (like the awesome Mario one), this one reportedly does not drain the life from your phone.   To check it out, use the QRcode on the left from your phone – like I need to tell you this.

Urban Dictionary has provided people with a great resource for many years – and it  often gives you words you never knew about and sometimes they have very interesting definitions. 

There is a great new app which harnesses the power of Urban Dictionary for the Android, and even provides a “Word Widget” that allows you to simply shake your phone for a new word anytime!  Get it today from the QRcode on the right.

Well, those are the two recommendations I have for you today, but next time we’ll review a streaming music app and how it really works in combination with other phone services and applications IRL.

TigerDirect has been ranked number two in customer satisfaction, in the computer/electronics category, ahead of BestBuy.com, Dell.com and Newegg.com. This ranking reflects The Top 100 Online Retail Satisfaction Index, by ForeSee Results, which is published twice a year.

TigerDirect, as you know, is a leader in consumer electronics serving the needs of both personal and business computer users. They are meeting consumers at every touch point from Facebook and Twitter, to LiveChat and E-mail. continue reading…