It’s my Birthday and I’ll Write What I Want To

Posted on March 3, 2012 by Greg

This day has led me to think about the things I thought were pretty interesting over the last year. These items may or may not have anything to do with technology though I try every week to write something related to Aluartek and/or technology – today well, see title of the blog ;)

1. I saw a great documentary called Horatio’s Drive by the great film documentarian, Ken Burns. There is also a really cool book with the same title. The book and film recount the tale of Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson’s drive from San Francisco to New York dubbed, America’s First Road Trip.

2. I am not ashamed to admit that I like comic books and love comic book movies even more. I came across a great website one day called comicbookmovie.com and pretty much check it every day. Another good geeky site is thinkgeek.com and check out their twitter page for fun and random posts.

3. I visited the Getty Museum in LA late last year and saw a wonderful exhibit called Pacific Standard Time that showcases LA art from 1945-1980. There are around 60 galleries and museums exhibiting various work from this time period from Santa Barbara to San Diego. If you are local to Southern California I would recommend checking out some of the exhibits. Wherever you may be from I recommend finding your way to the Getty Museum – a beautiful place inside and out is all I can say.

4. Ultrasounds. I will be a new dad soon and I find myself in awe each and every time my wife and I go to an ultrasound appointment. It’s awesome, strange and surreal all at the same time.

5. Who has not read a Dr. Suess book? I would think most everyone has at some point. It’s Dr. Suess’ birthday today as well (born 1904). I think I’m going to go out and see The Lorax this weekend.

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Aluratek’s Mystery Deal

Posted on February 25, 2012 by Greg

Aluratek has a Mystery Deal promotion going on right now. Let’s just say we have a bright idea. Uncovering this mystery is easy. Simply click here to find out the promotion. Hurry, this deal could vanish at any time.

Will you be checking out this mystery deal? Would you like to see more? Share your comments with us by visiting our Facebook page or leaving a comment below!

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Technology, History and Our Presidents – Part 2

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Greg

Last year at this time, In honor of President’s Day, we wrote a blog post about how many presidents were early adopters of technology. You can read this post here. Part 2 adds to list of presidents who made technological firsts:

May 11, 1819 – James Monroe became the first president to ride on a steamboat – actually a hybrid sailing ship/sidewheel steamer named Savannah that would become the first such vessel to cross the Atlantic.

June 6, 1833 – Andrew Jackson was the first president to ride a train in a passenger coach of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad that traveled a mere 12 miles from Relay to Mt. Claire Depot, Maryland.

February 21, 1838 – Martin Van Buren was said to have gotten the first presidential demonstration of the telegraph directly from Samuel F. B. Morse. The inauguration of James K. Polk was the first presidential swearing-in to be reported by telegraph.

April 13, 1843 – John Quincy Adams is said to have been the first president to be photographed, April 13, 1843, although he was 14 years removed from the White House by that time. As for the first sitting president to be photographed it was either James K. Polk or William Henry Harrison.

Mar 29, 1929 – Herbert Hoover was the first president to have a telephone line installed at his desk in the Oval Office.

April 30, 1939 – Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the first president to appear on black and white television at the opening ceremonies for the World’s Fair.

June 6, 1955 – Dwight D. Eisenhower was the first president on color television on when he appeared at his 40th class reunion at the U.S. military academy at West Point.

What will be the next Presidential technology first? Share your comments with us by visiting our Facebook page or leaving a comment below!

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President Lincoln a Tech Innovator?

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Greg

Yup, that’s right! America’s 16th President had an avid interest in cutting-edge technology. If Abraham Lincoln were alive today, like many Americans he would probably be addicted to his iPhone or Blackberry. He would probably fight just as hard to keep his Smartphone as President Obama did after he was elected.

Author Jason Emerson whos book, Lincoln the Inventor notes - Lincoln was the product of an American age of innovation, invention and expansion, was intensely inquisitive, and possessed a mechanical mind and a need to know how things work. “He never came across a machine or invention or scientific idea that he did not stop to investigate, both physically and mentally.

Here are some of his noteable tech interests:
• He is the only U.S. president to hold a patent (No. 6469, granted May 22, 1849). It was for a device to lift riverboats over shoals.
• He was a weapons aficionado – encouraged weapons development and even tested some new rifles and an early version of a hand-cranked machine gun himself on the White House lawn.
• He watched the testing of big naval guns at the navy yard on the Anacostia River and watched the testing of rifled artillery.
• Embraced the use of the telegraph to communicate with his generals and give direct orders for troop movements that helped to win the Civil War at time when electricity was a vague scientific concept and sending signals through wires “mind boggling.”
• He taught himself the highly mathematical art of surveying, he taught himself the law (He was an attorney), and geometry.
• An avid Astonomer, Lincoln had a telescope in his office and would often ponder the mysteries of space.

Who knew Abraham Lincoln was the first president to rally enjoy and embrace technology? What technology should our President embrace next? Share your comments with us by visiting our Facebook page or leaving a comment below!

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Keep In Touch With Aluratek Through Social Media!

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Greg

Keep In Touch With Aluratek Through Social MediaAluratek is working hard to keep in touch with our current and future customers through social media. Our motto – Let’s Get Digital, Our goal – to bring to you simple yet elegant connectivity solutions to enhance your consumer electronics, communications and computing experience. Each product is carefully designed with the consumer in mind. Each product is solution-driven to address the need of the consumers and deliberately planned to provide the ultimate user experience.

We are always up to something new and here are the places (besides this blog) to find out all the latest and greatest from Aluratek:

FACEBOOK - Product images, news, updates, promotions and more
TWITTER – Product news, tech news and industry info
YOU TUBE - Product videos and reviews

Engage with us through our Social Media outlets or leaving a comment below!

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Bluetooth Audio Devices Coming Soon

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Greg

For the first blog post of 2012 I thought I would mention Aluratek’s new line of Bluetooth Audio devices – coming soon. This product category is sure to grow, but right now we are announcing our first three devices.

Bluetooth Wireless Stereo Headphones
Delivers hands-free convenience and superb hi-fidelity stereo sound wirelessly. Stream your favorite tunes and listen to audio from your Smartphone, Tablet, PC or Mac laptop. Features large, cushioned ear cups with an adjustable headband and convenient foldable design for easy portability.

Bluetooth Wireless Speaker / Speakerphone
Featuring Bluetooth technology with Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP), Bluetooth enables the stereo audio wireless link to a compatible sound source for the best possible sound quality. Make or receive calls using the mobile phone hands free function built-in.

iStream DockFree Bluetooth Audio Receiver
Docking and playing your music from an iPhone dock or speaker system is great, but you lose all the other cool functions on your phone. Now you can stream music from your iPhone wirelessly via Bluetooth to a dock or stereo speaker and retain all the functionality of your phone with our iStream DockFree Audio receiver. 

Go to our What’s New? section of our website to check out our new products and our Outlet Store for great product deals on refurbished items.

What Aluratek products are you thinking about giving this holiday season? Share your comments with us by visiting our Facebook page or leaving a comment below!

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Aluratek’s Power & Surge Products Makes Life Easier

Posted on December 16, 2011 by Greg

There’s no doubt you have at least one cool digital device that needs recharging. Maybe you have 2…or 3? Between your Smartphones, Tablets, eBook Readers and other USB devices thats alot of cables and power adapters. Aluratek has brought to the market many power and surge devices that make charging your multiple devices quick and easy – whatever your situation or location.

Our newest product is the Dual USB Car Charger. This little guy allows you to charge most USB powered devices including your iPhone, iPad, iPod, Smartphones,Tablets, GPS devices and more simultaneously using your cars valuable 12v DC power socket providing 5V / 2.1A of power for a quick and efficient charge.

Also, we have recently launched our new Lithium-ion Battery Case for iPhone 4 / 4S. Get on-the-go power and protection for your iPhone 4 / 4S in a sleek, light-weight external rechargeable battery case. The Battery Case is designed to protect and double the time you have to talk, web browse, listen to music, play games and watch videos.

Whether you are at home or flying around the world, Aluratek’s line of USB Charging Stations are the perfect solution to instantly add a USB charging port(s) to any standard AC outlet. Best of all, these are uniquely designed so you don’t lose an electrical AC outlet. This convenience eliminates the need to charge from your computer.

Coming soon is our 8000 mAh Portable Battery Charger. The Battery Charger utilizes the latest Lithium-Ion battery technology offering superior charging capability and offers two standard USB charging ports to charge device simultaneously. Click here to see our 5000 mAh Portable Battery Charger.

Go to our What’s New? section of our website to check out our new products and our Outlet Store for great product deals on refurbished items.

What Aluratek products are you thinking about giving this holiday season? Share your comments with us by visiting our Facebook page or leaving a comment below!

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Aluratek Spreading Holiday Cheer

Posted on December 9, 2011 by Greg

Holy mistletoe – is that what I think it says? Yup, today is December 9th – already. Yikes! X-mas always creeps up on me every year. Before you know it, it will be Firday, December 23rd and you have not started your x-mas shopping. Maybe you take the day off work so you can head to the mall before all the other people realize what day it is too. Don’t wait til the last minute and put yourself through the stress.

No worries, Aluratek makes it easy for all the shopping procrastinators out there by offering great specials on many of our products. Just visit our Online Store, Product Specials page or Outlet Store where you can find the perfect gift. Take a look at our What’s New page for the latest Aluratek items.

Some of our specials include:
• LIBRE | PRO eBook Reader - Special Price $89.99 (Regularly $129.99)
• USB Internet Radio Jukebox - Special Price $16.99 (Regularly $19.99)
• USB to HDMI 1080p Adapter with Audio – Special Price $69.99 (Regularly $99.99)

Some of our new releases:
• 14″ Digital Photo Frame with 512MB Built-in Memory – $149.00
• Hi-Fi Noise Reducing Metal Stereo Earbuds (Silver or Pink) – $19.99

Happy shopping. Share your comments with us by visiting our Facebook page or leaving a comment below!

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Black Friday Madness

Posted on December 2, 2011 by Greg

A week ago today was what people refer to as Black Friday. The day where early holiday shoppers can get great deals on a whole range of items – mostly it seems technology devices like HDTV’s, computers, monitors, gaming systems etc. The deals are very tempting – but tempting enough for you to dive in to the black friday madness?

Every year I am still shocked at the droves of people who line up outside a store in the early morning hours before the store opens – on some cases people camp outside a store two days prior to the sale further confirming in my mind that people are crazy! I watched on TV Thanksgiving night as the media focused on the madness – it seems to start earlier each year. Does the woeful economy drive this craziness? As the country struggles with unemployment and debt, do these sales that offer huge savings really entice people to get caught up in the frenzy?

 Here are some interesting quotes I found to sum up the day:

“The very first person got there at 2 p.m. — 2 p.m. on Thanksgiving,” says the store’s manager, “So they’re waiting 10 hours for us to open.”

“Every management person went through crowd-control training this year. It’s the first year we’ve done that.”

“It was like a bowling ball hitting the ground, that’s how bad it was.”

“I only got one game and people were trying to take it away from me.”

“There’s no way I’d ever go Black Friday shopping, I’d probably rather pay double online than go out then. People are crazy.”

Personally there is no way I’m every putting myself in that environment. I don’t need anything that bad. Although I do enjoy Cyber Monday. Aluratek, I guess in a way, only encouraged the biggest shopping day of the year by offering our own Black Friday (Wednesday) sales promotions. We still have great deals on many Aluratek products. Check out our Specials page and our Outlet Store. Stay tuned for more promotions as Christmas approaches.

Did you participate in Black Friday Madness? What did you expereince? Share your comments with us by visiting our Facebook page or leaving a comment below!

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Thanksgiving Shmorgishborg with Tech on the Side

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Greg

Thanksgiving is next week – no need to remind anyone here. So in looking to find a topic to write today I decided to just throw a bunch of stuff out there – just like a Thanksgiving meal. I am always one for historical facts so I looked up some facts you may not know about Thanksgiving:

- There is no evidence that the Pilgrims ate turkey at the first Thanksgiving in 1621

- President Abraham Lincoln declared the final Thursday in November as a national day of thanksgiving. Congress made Thanksgiving Day an official national holiday in 1941

- The modern custom of having a turkey at Thanksgiving came from a marketing campaign to sell farmed turkeys

- The turkey is the only North American bird ever domesticated

- In 1784, Benjamin Franklin wrote a letter to his daughter complaining that the bald eagle was a poor choice for a national symbol. He argued that the turkey, with its habit of fiercely defending its territory, would have made a better choice

- Farmers in the 1800s engaged in “turkey drives:” herding domestic turkeys along country roads to bring them to market, similar in ways to herding cattle

- The American Automobile Association (AAA) estimated that 42.2 million Americans traveled 50 miles or more from home over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend in 2010

- Minnesota is the top turkey-producing state in America, with a planned production total of 46.5 million in 2011

- Snoopy has appeared as a giant balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade more times than any other character in history. As the Flying Ace, Snoopy made his sixth appearance in the 2006 parade

- The Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears have played a game every Thanksgiving (except between 1939 and 1944) since 1934

So what role has Technology played in the evolution of Thanksgiving of the years? Here are some ways technology has influenced Thanksgiving:

Football on TiVo and HDTVs – Football on Thanskgiving? No way, really?
Skyping Friends and Family – Because it’s almost impossible to get the entire family together every year
Tech Support – You’d be surprised how many people spend half their holiday providing tech support to a loved one (me next Thursday)
Buying Gadgets – Retail outfits and online stores will do their part: opening early Black Friday and offering insane deals
Cooking Digitally – Everything from recipes on the web to digital thermometers

How are you spending Thanksgiving with technology? Share your comments with us by visiting our Facebook page or leaving a comment below!

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