Merchandise Monday: Celebrating Dads and Grads!

Nothing says “Father’s Day” like power tools and getting dirty in the backyard – and nothing says “happy graduation” like a new gadget to help in the adjustment to college life or transition to the working world. Treat the deserving dad or grad in your life this season to a new “big kid toy” fresh from Hinda’s assortment!

Coby® Bluetooth® Stereo Headphones

Stylish comfort meets Bluetooth® technology without the hassle of wires. This full-size headphone easily syncs with any Bluetooth enabled device, such as smartphones and portable devices, while delivering premium performance. Dynamic 40mm drivers transmit unparalleled audio, and convenient access to buttons let you play, pause, fast forward and control volume.  A built-in noise-canceling mic means you can always stay connected anywhere.

HP 15.6-Inch Pavilion Notebook Computer

Perfect for everyday computing, the Pavilion Notebook with Windows® 8 lets you pay online bills with ease on the numeric keyboard, view photos in stunning detail on the 15.6” diagonal HD display and connect all the devices you need with a full array of ports. Features include 3rd generation Intel® Core™ i3 processor, HD BrightView LED-backlit display (1366x768) and five hours of battery life on a single charge. Enjoy your favorite content and stay connected with social media, too!

HP Slate 7-Inch 8GB Tablet

Carry your world in the palm of your hand. Access and manage your photos, documents, music, games and apps on the go with a fully-featured, 7” diagonal tablet that brings everything down to size. Create and share memories at every turn with the 3MP rear camera or video chat on the go with the front VGA webcam. Other features include the Android™ 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system, Beats Audio™ and up to five hours of video playback – and much more!

Poulan Pro® 16-Inch 38cc Chainsaw

Whether you’re pruning branches or cleaning up after a storm, this unit can handle all jobs. The Poulan® chainsaw is a balanced machine that can cut trees up to 34” in diameter. Standard features include 38cc’s of power, a 16” bar and chain, chain brake, automatic oiler and carrying case. Get out there and show Mother Nature what you’re made of. Your backyard (and nosy neighbors) will thank you!

Poulan Pro® 17-inch Gas-Powered Curved-Shaft String Trimmer

The Poulan Pro® curved-shaft trimmer is well-suited for more demanding residential lawn maintenance and is powered by a reliable SureFire 25cc 2-cycle gas engine. With a spring assisted start system and 17” maximum cutting width, this model is easy to use, efficient and cost effective. Split boom shaft with Pro-Link attachment system transforms your trimmer into a multi-functional yard machine. Additional attachments are available and sold separately. Show your backyard who’s boss!

Vivitar® 5.1MP Flip-Style HD Camcorder

The 5.1MP Flip-Style HD Camcorder is a convenient and easy-to-use camcorder you can take anywhere! The 2.2” touch screen features a 5.1 MP resolution (2595 x 1944) so you can preview all the gorgeous images you’re capturing. Check out your videos close up with 4x digital zoom and don’t forget to save your masterpieces with the camcorder’s SD card support feature (SD card not included). Watch out, world, a new filmmaker is on the rise!

Vivitar® 10.1MP Digital Camera with 4x Zoom

The 10.1MP Digital Camera with 4x Zoom is a portable and easy-to-use camera you can slip in your pocket or purse. The 2.7” preview screen features a 10.1 MP resolution (3648 x 2736) to insure that your pictures will be sharp with brilliant colors, plus 4x digital zoom gets you close to the action. The expansion SD memory card slot gives you the flexibility to expand the memory capacity up to 32 GB (card not included). Hone your photography skills while capturing memories that will last a lifetime!

Don’t forget – Father’s Day is June 16! Why not surprise that special dad or grad with one of these great new products – or check out our assortment for plenty of other great gifts they’re sure to love! You’ll make their big day even more special, and they’ll think of you every time they use their gadget or gift! It’s a win-win!

Merchandise Monday: A Time to Give – and Receive

 

While it might have been too early to talk about holiday season in our last redemptions update, that’s all anyone’s talking about now that we’re three days from Thanksgiving – and four days from Black Friday!

Speaking of shopping, let’s take a look at what people redeemed for most in 3^rd quarter 2012. Many of the items from Q2 remain top redemptions in Q3, such as the Pyrex®, Wagan®, Titleist®, OXO® and Garmin® items from the first list and the Coby®, Bose® and Keurig® items from the second. Hopefully this will give you some ideas for what people on your holiday list might want.

Top redemptions according to units fulfilled:

• Pyrex 18-Piece Glass Storage Set with Lids
• Wagan Battery Jumper With Air Compressor
• Titleist Pro VI Golf Ball Dozen
• Royal® 10 Sheet Crosscut Paper Shredder
• Coby® Compact Progressive Scan DVD Player
• Luger Analog Bracelet Watch
• OXO 3-Piece Mixing Bowl Set
• Bose® IE2 Audio Headphones
• Keurig® Special Edition B60 Single-Cup Home Brewing System
• Garmin nüvi® 30

Top redemptions according to dollar value: 

• Coby 40" LED HDTV 1080p
• Apple® iPod Touch® 32GB with FaceTime
• Apple iPad® 2 16GB Wi-Fi
• LG Electronics 42" LED 120Hz Smart LED TV
• Bose QuietComfort® 15 Acoustic Noise Cancelling® Headphones with Remote and Microphone Accessory
• HP Notebook PC Bundle
• Keurig Special Edition B60 Single-Cup Home Brewing System
• Apple MacBook Pro 13-Inch 2.3GHz 320GB Serial ATA Drive
• Amazon.com Kindle Fire 7" Multi-Touch Wi-Fi
• Garmin nüvi® 30

 Happy Thanksgiving week and happy shopping!

Netbooks and Laptops: What's the Difference?

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Since the release of Apple's most recent MacBook Air, the lines between what differentiates a netbook from a full-fledged laptop are becoming blurry with every new upgrade. According to our own Jim Valenti, many of the new netbooks have about as much power and capabilities as most of your average laptops. The rise of internet programs like Salesforce.com, Google Apps and other cloud-based software, the need for a large hardrive has decreased of late. Many professionals can nearly operate their day-to-day tasks with internet access alone, making the portability of netbooks becoming increasingly attractive.

Sony VAIO W SeriesAs we spoke about before here, the new MacBook Air has the small size and portability, similar to a netbook. While it also has a slightly smaller size computing power than it's MacBook Pro relative, it can still do just about anything your average user would require. However, Apple isn't the only game in town. Other technology companies are jumping on the netbook bandwagon, coming out with powerful units at lower price points.

Sony's new VAIO boasts similar features that your normal notebooks do - except with half the size and cost. Their new W Series PC has a 250GB storage capacity while having the ability to maintain up to eight hours of battery life. With 1.83 GHz of ram and weighing in at a mere 2.93 pounds, this featherweight device hits like a heavyweight. It's lower-than-a-normal-notebook price point also adds to the appeal.

HP's Mini 5103 is nothing to sneeze at either. Targeted at the HP Minismall business segment, their 10-inch device has a stylish design and a feature lacking on many netbooks: a comfortable keyboard. It also has 1GB of RAM and one-ups the VAIO with 250GB of hard-drive storage space. The Mini also has two front-firing stereo speakers, aiding those who need that volume for video chat purposes. Aside from a mediocre battery life and slightly higher price point than the VAIO, this personal computer from HP definitely ranks among the higher end of the netbook segment.

So what is the difference between netbooks and traditional notebooks? After a quick scan of the tech specs of the HP Mini and VAIO W Series, one can see the differences are hardly noticeable. Will there always be a defined line between netbooks and traditional notebooks? Or do you all think there will eventually just be one line of devices?