Merchandise Monday: Weathering the Storm

Mid-July means long hot and humid days, which make for some interesting weather situations. From sun showers to lightning storms to full-on torrential downpours, you never really know what’s in the forecast when you head out the door. Prepare for anything with our collection of tracking devices and weather-resistant gadgets.

Whether you’re watching the storms roll in from the comfort of your backyard or trying to entertain with an iffy forecast, you don’t have to let the rain spoil your parade when you put your trust in these great items!

Acu-Rite® Digital Weather Station with Forecast/Temperature/Clock/Moon Phase

Plan the day with confidence with your own weather and weather prediction information. The Digital Weather Station uses patented Self-Calibrating Technology to provide your personal forecast of 12- to 24-hour weather conditions, giving you the most accurate forecast available for your exact location.

Acu-Rite® Emergency Weather Alert NOAA Radio with S.A.M.E.

Tune in to emergency alerts, storm alerts, tornadoes, floods, disasters, Amber alerts and public announcements. Digitally tuned to NOAA Weather Radio (NWR), this radio provides continuous weather information including warnings, watches, forecasts and all hazards 24/7.

Acu-Rite® Sportsman's Hunting and Fishing Activity Meter and Weather Forecaster

Don't miss out on favorable weather and wildlife conditions! This handy device predicts wildlife activity levels by combining weather observations with lunar positioning data. Receive outdoor temperature, barometric pressure, moon phase and Intelli-Time clock readings on the bold LCD display.

Brookstone® Weather-Resistant Indoor/Outdoor Wireless Speaker with Dock

Weather-resistant and portable, the wireless speaker booms out rich, omni-directional sound in yards, patios or anywhere within 150’ of your docked MP3 player or stereo. Volume controls on the speaker mean you don’t have to leave the party and the speaker dock rocks inside the house, too. 

Bulova® Indoor/Outdoor Weather Clock

The outdoor wall clock illuminates at dusk, shuts off at dawn and features a metal case in oil-rubbed bronze finish. Arabic numerals and instrument graphics are printed in a light-reflective ink, covered with a clear acrylic diffusing overlay and sealed with a gasket for protection from the elements.

FUJIFILM FinePix All-Weather Proof 16MP Digital Camera Bundle

Capture and share extreme scenes in places a tablet or smartphone can't go and optically zoom in tight – even for movies. This is FUJIFILM’s toughest camera yet for extreme weather protection in extreme places, whether sea, sand, snow or time with kids.

Howard Miller® Weather Sentinel Clock

The Weather Sentinel features a crescendo alarm with snooze, removable stand for wall mounting, 12/24 hour time format and shows month, date, day of the week and moon phase. A weather trend RF sensor transmits outdoor temperature and humidity wirelessly to the clock.

Kaito NOAA Weather/AM/FM Radio with Cell Charger

The Radio/Cell Charger delivers up-to-date weather reports in every county and in all 50 states. It features a 5-LED flashlight/14-LED reading lamp, 4-way power – hand-crank, solar, AA batteries or AC adapter (not included) –,siren, rechargeable battery, DC jack and USB phone charger jack.

Merchandise Midweek: Trends from the Trade Shows

PART 1 - CES

This year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas drew 165,000 attendees from 150 countries to browse the latest and greatest from 15 product categories, including audio, automotive electronics, connected home technologies, digital imaging and photography, electronic gaming, entertainment and content. Hinda’s director of merchandising, LeeAnn Schumacher, was on the show floor and reported back with the trends for the coming year.

Tablets, Super-Sized

Last year, mini tablets were all the rage. Now, the pendulum has swung in the opposite direction and new larger “slates” are coming to the forefront. Companies such as Panasonic®, Sony® and Lenovo® are introducing tablets that are being billed as multi-user table-top devices that can be used for collaboration in the workplace. These are scheduled to launch in summer of 2013.

In related news, notebooks are appearing lighter, thinner and available at lower price points. Touch will be a big feature for Windows® 8 notebooks. PCs are being developed with tablet flexibility and removable keyboards, and PC gaming is looking to make a comeback in 2013.

Apps, Apps Everywhere

At CES, Apple® announced it had topped 40 billion downloads during the show. But that’s just the beginning. Everywhere you turned, apps were being used for everything from voice-controlling a car to organizing your kitchen.

For example, Ford®’s Fiesta and Focus let drivers manage the Ford app through voice and 16 various radio controls. Samsung®’s T9000 – which is a refrigerator – has an LCD front and comes with pre-loaded, kitchen-friendly app Evernote.

TVs: Smarter, Brighter, Larger

These aren’t your grandparents’ black-and-white-and-rabbit-eared sets. HDTVs are a big business that’s continually evolving. For example, tech giant LG® will be launching a 55-inch OLED screen in March. OLED stands for organic light-emitting diode and represents the latest in thin, power-efficient and bright displays. Samsung countered with 85- and 110-inch TVs.

Another trend among TVs is the doing-away with the traditional remote control by making TVs compatible with smartphones and letting users operate their TVs using their phones. We’re also going to see a rise in ultra-HD 4K, OLED, smart integration and large screen displays of 60-inches or more.

Talking Tech Becomes the New Norm

Voice-activated products are making a big splash, especially in automotive technology and developments in television. Software company Nuance will bring more speech-recognition solutions to the near future. Dragon dictation, taking verbal notes on the iPhone® 5 and other solutions prove that it’s all about getting a lot more work done without lifting a finger.

Other News from the Show Floor

Health and fitness is one of the fastest growing product categories in the consumer electronics industry. Wireless technology and portable devices are two major drivers in this market. “Wearable technology“ is hot, and over 60 million sports, fitness and health monitoring devices with Bluetooth® technology will ship by 2015.

Cameras remain a popular category, and 2013 will see an increase in long zooms, Android™ and Wi-Fi® connectivity, larger image sensors, sports/action cameras and camcorders, mirrorless (or compact system cameras) and retro-looking cameras. 

…Stay tuned for Part 2 of our trade show wrap-up, where we’ll be focusing on trends from the Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) Expo.