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Deal of the Week | July 25th, 2014: 10-in-1 Portable USB Card Reader for $5.99

10-in-1 Portable USB 2.0 Card Reader for $5.99THIS WEEK: 10-in-1 Portable USB Card Reader for $5.99 (reg. $19.99)

Access nearly any type memory card, including SDHC, microSD and more with this USB 2.0 Card Reader. One cool feature: it even has a built-in USB cable. With it, you can expect quick USB 2.0 data transfers up to 480 Mbps.

Not only is this a nifty card reader, it can also house up to nine memory cards – which makes it the ideal accessory for your digital camera, PSP, or PDA. And it’s Mac/PC compatible.

Get complete details on this week’s DOTW.

Apple milestone: On this date in 1976, original Apple I personal computer first offered for sale. Price: $666.66

Original Apple I personal computer motherboard

Image credit: Wired.com

The first Apple computer was a kit. These early versions were hand-built by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, and first shown publicly at meetings of the Homebrew Computer Club. This club was an informal, Silicon Valley-based group of electronic enthusiasts and technically-inclined hobbyists. In other words, nerds – über nerds, with a number of infamous hackers and future entrepreneurs among its members.

Apple co-founder and Apple I creator Steve Wozniak

Apple I creator Steve Wozniak

The Apple I was essentially a motherboard, with CPU, RAM, and basic text/video chips on a single board (see above). You had to build your own enclosure, and provide your own keyboard and monitor. But it was a fully functioning system on a single circuit board, it was reasonably affordable – and that was a breakthrough at the time. Apple had incorporated a few months earlier (on April 1st), but this was their first product to make it to market.

[A side note: A little over a year later, Connecting Point – then known as TEAM Electronics, on E Street in Grants Pass – would become one of the very first retailers in the world to sell and service the newly-introduced Apple II – launching a decades-long partnership between the two companies that persists to this day.]

Its $666.66 price tag works out to about $2,800 in 2014 dollars, adjusting for inflation – which may seem a bit steep for such a rudimentary device. But recent auctions have seen original Apple I’s selling for as much as $50,000. They’re extremely rare, and an important part of computing history. The Apple I paved the way for the revolution to come.

So check your attic. Scour your garage. Look under the bench in your cellar workshop. You may be sitting on a goldmine.

VIDEO: Powerful new Verizon spot urges encouragement for girls in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)

Verizon is working with Makers.com and the Verizon Foundation to #InspireHerMind and encourage more girls to get involved with high-tech STEM fields.

“Our words can have a huge impact. Isn’t it time we told her she’s pretty brilliant, too? Encourage her love of science and technology and inspire her to change the world.” – Reshma Saujari, Founder of Girls Who Code

Deal of the Week | Mar. 14, 2014: Six-foot v1.4 HDMI cable $4.99

Six-foot v1.4 HDMI cable for $4.99Happy π* day, everyone! In honor of this hallowed event, we offer 3.14 reasons why you should be excited about this week’s DOTW:

  • This is not your father’s HDMI cable. It adheres to the latest, most stringent standards: v1.4, 3D television compatible, and support for resolutions above 1080p, all the way to 4K.
  • The connectors at each end are gold plated. Gold, baby. Gold.
  • We’re selling it for a quarter of its usual price ($4.99 instead of the retail price of $19.99).
  • You can use it to r

To find out all about our latest Deal of the Week, click here.

*In case your browser fails to properly display this symbol, it’s the one for Pi.