Tech Fair '09!

Join us from 10am-2pm on Wednesday, October 14th for our annual Tech Fair in Campus Center! There will be games, give-aways and great workshops including:

10:00am “Photoshop CS4 for photographers and designers” by Adobe
11:00am “Social Networking Security” by ITS
12:00pm “Mac 101 - Tips and tricks for college “ by Apple

You're not going to want to miss this fun, informative event!

iPod Blowout!

Oh.

My.

Goodness.

We're clearing out our discontinued iPods at ridiculous prices - from $279 for a 32GB second gen touch to only $29 (!!!) for a 1GB shuffle!

While supplies last, natch. Don't be the last to get yours at a KILLER price.

It's Snowing at the Bookstore!

A warm Bookstore aloha and welcome back to all our dear customers!

After a quiet summer we're sure hopping these days. Most of you students have already been in the Bookstore to purchase your required texts, but we've got a great reason for you to come back in now. Not only are the lines much, much smaller now, we've got a few killer deals still going on:

* Apple's still offering a free (after rebate) 8GB iPod touch with the purchase of any computer (except the MacMini). But don't wait much longer if you haven't gotten in on this - the deal ends NEXT WEEK on September 8, 2009
* Snow Leopard is in stock NOW! We've got it on the shelves for $30.49 (effectively $29 plus tax). A fairly quick and easy upgrade, not gonna make your Mac look much different, but has some real nice tweaks and will definitely improve your computer's performance.
* 20% off flash drives, USB cables and ethernet cables, 10% off ink and printers now until THIS SATURDAY only!
* Microsoft Office 2007 Pro (for Windows) regularly $199, on sale now for $89! This offer is valid until 9/19/09.

Few cool new additions to our product offerings: Acer Netbooks for $349, Acer and Dell laptops and some Dell desktops at great prices; slick-looking Sumo laptop sleeves, iHome portable speakers, and a great selection of webcams and chat headsets.

And on that note, for you our loyal readers, here's a cryptic little heads-up about the new sale starting on the 8th - the theme will be "Keep in Touch". Check back Tuesday for more details!

Deals of the week

Sorry, we don't ACTUALLY sell the dockshound station pictured above. One of my vendors sent me that, but when I tried to order some, it seems they're currently out of stock. Dang!

Anyway, come in this week, buy a Mac and take home a HP F4280 printer. Free. It's not a rebate offer, they're just FREE. While supplies last, natch. And yes, you can combine that with the iPod rebate offer.

Also, it's Customer Appreciation Week. Get 20% off most stuff in the store. NO, computers, iPods, software, gaming consoles and games don't qualify, nor do textbooks, previously reduced merchandise and a few other things. But it's a great chance to pick up a new pair of headphones, a backpack, a cap and t-shirt...see y'all there!

Your mission, if you choose to accept it....

K. Down in November, 'round about Veterans' Day, I wanna have some kind of patriotically themed promotion. It could go one of 2 ways. First, we could do a sale on red, white and blue merchandise, like flash drives, headphones, stuff like that.

But I'd RATHER do it this way - I wanna feature and promote American made products. Problem - there's not a whole lot in the computer and consumer electronics arena that's made here any more (one notable exception - Celly Smellys!). So my humble request to you - if anyone out there knows of computer related products that ARE domestically made, please let me know! You can just leave a comment on this page. Thanks!

It's only July, but I'm already in Back-to-School Mode. Personally, I've fallen into the daily habit of jogging at Magic Island and jumping in the water to cool off and watch the sunrise as a stress-coping mechanism. To help ease YOUR financial stress for Back-to-School we've got the following deals:

* Buy a Mac, get a free (after rebate) iPod Touch. AND, starting Monday, July 13, get a FREE HP All-In-One printer, too (not a rebate, just a free printer!)
* August 17-22, get 20% off everything in the store (excluding, of course, certain items like CPUs and iPods)
* August 24-Sept 5 10-20% off essential BTS items like printers, ink, flash drives, stuff like that

Will announce more sales as they come closer.

Also, heads up:
* Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard will be out in September. NO, I DON'T know the exact date, but we'll probably have a party when we get it on the shelves!
* Windows 7 will be out October 22. I heard it doesn't suck quite like Vista (shhhhh...I didn't actually say that!) AND we'll have it on sale for the first week and a half!

Finally, thought this was good for a laugh. Me, I can only do about 6 of these, but I have a sneaking suspicion Altair's hovering around 90%+.
100 Essential Skills for Geeks

We now take PC repairs!

We're expanding the range of computer and electronics service we're able to offer! You can now come to us for:

* Virus removal
* Data recovery
* Hardware repairs and upgrades
* Printer service

Stop in or call Altair at 956-3881 for information or a quote.

You win some, you lose some...

Sigh...

Following is the text of an e-mail I got this morning:
"HP announced that they have decided to cut their US printer inventory for the next quarter. This will of course squeeze the product [...] U.S. distributors can source. "
What this effectively means is that it will be difficult for us to get HP laser printers for special orders (i.e. something we don't normally carry in inventory) in a timely fashion. If you have an order you're trying to place, please call me before making out your purchase order, so we can discuss availability and perhaps other options (different models, brands, etc.). This all comes on the heals of TREMENDOUS jumps in the cost of HP toner carts. I just have to shake my head in amazement. Ya think HP might have some corporate trouble these days? Me, I sure ain't buying their stock...


On the upside, please read this e-mail:
"Great News! Celly Smellys have been swamped with calls regarding the utility of our fun, new product for protection against outbreaks like the Swine Flu.
H1N1 (Swine Flu) is a virus, not a bacteria. The CDC indicates that alcohol based cleansers are helpful in preventing the spread of the flu virus and Celly Smellys are alcohol based!
We NOW have test results for Celly Smellys antibacterial efficacy - In an Independent Laboratory study, Celly Smellys ARE antibacterial!
Of 10 cell phones swabbed including Blackberry, iphone, slider phones, flip phones and flat phones, Celly Smellys officially
removed 100% bacteria on 8 phones and >95% on the Blackberry and iphone."
W00T! So you can protect yourself from bacon fever AND make your laptop and phone smell like strawberries! Now, how awesome is that?!?

Also, in other good news, Microsoft Student Licensing is FINALLY back in stock. Hoooooooray!

Tax Season!

Taxes are almost due. Many of you, my fine responsible readers, have already filed yours. Not me - I always end up owing on mine, and I refuse to e-file before 11:55pm the day they're due because I'll be I'll be d@mned if those THEIVES will get one red cent of MY money before it's due.

Hmmmmmm.....maybe I should just not pay at all. Maybe I can get a cabinet position then...

Anyway - who wants to stick it to the man with me? New deal on Apple computers and iPods - NO MORE TAX! That's right - we're not gonna pass the tax on to you for the month of April. That means you save 5% on all hardware we carry (sorry - this applies to our current inventory only and not special orders). W00T!

GREAT DEALS INSIDE AND OUT FOR THE UH BOOKSTORE TENT SALE!

The UH Bookstore will be having a tent sale on Friday, 2/20/09. Check out our AMAZING deals:

For sale under the tent from 9am to 1pm only:

HP F4280 All-In-One Printers - ONLY $30

8GB 4th generation iPod nanos - ONLY $140

16GB 4th generation iPod nanos - ONLY $190



Inside the store, all day long:

Take an extra $100 off our already low prices on ALL Apple laptops and iMacs!

Save up to 57% on selected Mac-compatible RAM



All sale prices are limited to stock on hand.

This just in!

A few new products have arrived! We now have:

Speck cases for the new aluminum unibody MacBooks and MacBook Pros. You know, those plastic ones that make your computer look like a great big Jolly Rancher? Yeah, those ones. We also have skins for 4th gen nanos and 2nd gen touches from Speck, as well.
Laptop alarms from Belkin. These are great for those of you who have MacBook Airs, some of the new Netbooks, and other laptops that don't have slots that allow you secure them with a standard cable lock. These connect to your USB port and if removed lets out a very obnoxious squeal if removed. Come in if you want a demonstration - my kids are having a lot of fun with it!
Handplants from Isis Dei. These are skins for MacBooks and MacBook Pros (not the unibodies, sorry - those aren't out yet) that'll keep that place where you rest your wrists from getting all grubby looking. But I do NOT recommend using them to assist you in doing handstands on your laptop, like the photo on the package shows (where do they find these people?).

Liquid Submersion Indicators

Following is the text of an e-mail I just got from Altair, our tech:

There are new guidelines that I must now follow regarding Liquid Submersion Indicators that Apple has just recently started placing on all portables (MacBooks/MacBook Pros/Airs). Computers that are damaged by liquid are NOT covered by the 1-year limited warranty and AppleCare. According to Apple, these indicators are "very accurate" and "will not be affected by humidity or environmental factors," so customers should not have to worry about false readings.

When a customer drops off a computer for repair, please let them know that a diagnostic charge will be assessed if liquid damage is found, whether or not their computer is covered under warranty. Getting to these indicators is NOT easy, in most cases -- around 2 hours total to take apart the computer, just to check if there is liquid damage. Please call me if you, or any customers, have questions regarding these additional procedures.

Questions, comments and concerns can be directed to Altair at 956-3881.

In other news:
Altec-Lancing BackBeat headphones - in stock now and they sound AWESOME (trust me, I bought a pair).
Blue Microphones are in - we've got the Snowball and Snowflake models, as well as the Eyeball webcam + mic, and our prices are VERY competitive.
The Bookstore is having a tent sale on February 20. I won't say just yet what the deals are gonna be, but they'll be slick!

I'm famous!

You'll never guess who just sent me e-mail. Go on, guess.

The president of Celly Smellys! She reads this blog!

I am on my way to the big time, y'all! But don't worry. I'll try real hard not to let it go to my head. Get your autographs while they're still free!

ALSO Wacom's offering $30 rebates on 6X8 Wacom tablets. First time in the 3 1/2 years I've been doing this that I've seen them offer anything like that, so if you've been on the fence, get off it and get your tablet.

And then you can make it smell like berries with your Celly Smellys ;)

Wheeeeee!

So, my spoiled brat of a kid got a Wii for Christmas. Plus the extra controllers, nunchuks, and Wii Fit and Balance board. And boy do I feel silly now - because if I'd had all that stuff in stock here at the Bookstore I could have bought it from myself for a lot less!

But don't make the mistake I made and buy elsewhere - we've got Wiis in stock now! We've got games and accessories and dance pads and yoga mats and more on the way. We HOPE to get some balance boards even next week. More will be coming in continuously, so keep checking!

Now, I come from the PacMan/Donkey Kong generation, so I need a little help choosing the right assortment of games. Right now I have the kids on my staff advising me. I am TOTALLY open to suggestions, so please leave a comment or e-mail me.

Incidentally, all our stuff is competitively priced AND tax free, so don't buy anywhere else (like dummy me) or you'll pay too much!

We've also got DS's and PSP's. We're bringing in some Blue microphones, webcams and iPod recorders for you audiophiles. And you can keep it all clean with - drum roll, please - Celly Smellys! Celly Smellys are scented, pre-moistened cleaning wipes for for cell phones and personal electronics. And take it from me, as I type this on my Pina Colada scented MacBook, they work great!

Oh! And we've got HP F4280 All-In-One printers available for $49.95. Get 'em while they last!

3rd Gen iPod nano prices have fallen $40 to $109 for the 8GB, and 1st Gen iPod touch prices are down $50 to $159 for the 8GB, $199 for the 16GB and $329 for the 32GB. Quantities are limited!

Spring sales!

Aloha, all - hope your holidays were merry! Me, I spent Christmas in Hampshire, IL where I froze my buns off with the family and gained about 6 lb in one week. So if you see me around campus looking grouchy, it's because I'm on a diet and hungry.

Anyway, I hammered out my weekly sales for the next several weeks, and you loyal blogsters and Facebookers are getting advance notice:
1/12/09-3/6/09 - Microsoft Office Pro 2007 (Windows) - $89 1/12/2009-3/6/2009
1/20/09-1/24/09 - Logitech webcams and chat headsets - 20% off
1/26/09-1/31/09 - All headphones - 20% off
2/2/09-2/7/09 - MobileEdge laptop bags and sleeves - 20% off
2/9/09-2/14/09 - LaCie external hard draives - 10% off

More to come!