A long time ago, in a retail landscape far, far away, we had this crazy idea for a Super Bowl spot.
The premise: We blew all the budget on the airtime, and left absolutely zilch for producing the commercial itself. That first part was absolutely accurate: Even though this spot only ran on the local FOX affiliate here in southern Oregon (KMVU FOX 26), it still cost…, well, it cost a lot. Like, budget-breaking, spreadsheet-crippling a lot.
But we wanted to give it a go, and arranged for a video shoot with a game FOX 26 crew. We shot it in our stockroom, throwing dead computer peripherals from a stepladder, and pulled in unwitting staff members as extras. The on-air “talent” was Connecting Point GM Jeff Thomas and Marketing Director Tom Pentland. The whole thing took roughly 15 minutes to shoot (at the most). During editing, the bilious fluorescent green and pink graphics were reluctantly added by some very skeptical pros in the FOX 26 video production department.
The result? What has to be one of the crappiest, ugliest, most unprofessional Super Bowl spots ever. It aired during the Big Game – Super Bowl XXXVI, in which the New England Patriots beat the St. Louis Rams 20-17 – on February 3rd, 2002. You’re welcome!
On the eve of the Super Bowl’s 50th anniversary, we thought it might be fun to revisit an earlier, more innocent time. Also, it serves as a sort of nostalgic snapshot of vintage computer gear, including the original “bubble back” iMacs. Enjoy.
A great-sounding mini cube speaker that does so much, yet is small enough to take anywhere! It’s not only portable – it’s rechargeable, via the nearest available USB port. It’ll play from any source that supports its 3.5mm stereo jack (and yes, a cable is included). It’s a digital clock, with flashing LEDs on demand. Its built-in FM tuner and antenna let you capture over-the-air broadcasts. It even has a microSD card slot, allowing you to load up a media card with your favorite tunes or podcasts and play away. All in an ultra-portable two-inch cube.
In short, you’ll quickly find this an indispensable traveling companion. Normally selling for 30 bucks, this week we’re letting them go for a crazy-low $9.99.
This offer runs from Friday, February 5th to Thursday, February 11th, 2016, or while supplies last. Sorry, no rain checks.
This week’s DOTW is a “twofer.” Either one of these would be a pretty good deal for 10 bucks. But both of them, bundled together for four dollars? That’s a GREAT deal!
That single “lighter socket” in your car? Gadget #1 triples it. Suddenly, you’ve got three 12-volt power sources for all the devices in your digital life. Oh, the gadgets you could power – simultaneously!
One of those devices could, in fact, be the second half of the twofer, Gadget #2: a two-port USB charger, one into which you may plug your iPhone, iPod, GPS, USB-powered fan – pretty much any kind of USB-powered device.
And, as we said, you get both for one penny under four bucks.
This offer runs from Friday, January 22nd to Thursday, January 28th, 2016, or while supplies last. Sorry, no rain checks.
THIS WEEK: Assorted Whimsical 2GB USB Flash Drives for $1.99 (reg. $19.99)
Embrace the whimsy. What we have here is a unique collection of MIMOBOT designer USB flash drives, presented in a blind assortment. Each individual box contains one of 15 brilliant drives, from the fractured sensibilities of Wish Come True and designed by their “super-crack Artist Series collaborators, FriendsWithYou™ of sunny Miami, Florida.” (!)
And because we’re selling them for a low, low $1.99, you just might be tempted to collect ’em all.
This offer runs from Friday, January 15th to Thursday, January 21st, 2016, or while supplies last. Sorry, no rain checks.
Instead of opening weekdays at 8 am, we’re going to start opening at 9 am. We’ve been (mostly) sitting on our thumbs every weekday morning between 8 and 9 am. Doesn’t make sense to continue on this path. All other hours remain the same.
Connecting Point will remain open until 5 pm today (December 31st). This includes both sales and service departments.
If you’re a business owner, that means you still have time to take advantage of the IRS‘ Section 179 deduction…
What is Section 179, anyway? When your business buys certain types of equipment, it usually writes them off a bit at a time through depreciation. In other words, if your company spends $50,000 on a machine, it gets to write off (say) $10,000 a year for five years (these numbers are for illustrative purposes only).
Now, while it’s true that this is better than no write off at all, most business owners would prefer to write off the entire equipment purchase price for the year they buy it.
That’s the purpose behind Section 179: To stimulate the American economy (and your business) to move in a positive direction. For most small businesses, the entire cost can usually be written off on their 2015 tax return. In fact, this year Congress raised the ceiling on the Section 179 deduction limit to $500,000.
So don’t miss out – talk to your financial advisor right away. If it makes sense, pick up the computer systems, devices, and peripherals your business needs to remain strong and competitive in the coming year. And Connecting Point will remain open until 5 pm on New Year’s Eve to help make that possible. We can even offer up to 18 months interest-deferred financing for qualified applicants.
For more detailed information about Section 179, visit the Section179.org website. We strongly advise talking to a qualified tax professional before making any decisions.
THIS WEEK: AMP LifeBar 05 Portable Battery Charger for $10.99 (reg. $29.99)
All your devices will really get a charge out of this. Connect to this 5000 mAh portable battery charger, and give your devices the power they need. Featuring Smart IC, AMP’s exclusive intelligent charging circuit design automatically identifies and matches the fastest charging speed for your device (max 2A) for a quicker, more efficient charge. Designed to be taken everywhere, LifeBar 05‘s slim profile easily fits in your backpack, purse, or gym bag. The 1A and 2A USB ports rapidly charge two devices simultaneously, providing smartphones, MP3 players, cameras, or other USB gadgets with enough power to keep going throughout your busy day. With its built-in LED indicator and durable aluminum housing, LifeBar 05 is made to go wherever life takes you.
Micro-USB DC input: DC5V / 1A
USB DC Output: DC5V / 2A
Dimensions: – 5.39″ x 2.81″ x 0.29″ (137 mm x 71.5 mm x 7.5 mm)
mAh: 5000
Standby Time: 400 hours
Talk (3G): 13 hours
Talk (2G): 17 hours
Internet Time: 27 hours
Audio Time Talk: 133 hours
Video Time: 17 hours
The LifeBar 05 normally retails for $29.99. This week, it’s on sale for a shockingly low $10.99.
This offer runs from Friday, December 26th through Thursday, December 31st, 2015, or while supplies last. Sorry, no rainchecks.
A great-sounding mini cube speaker that does so much, yet is small enough to take anywhere! It’s not only portable – it’s rechargeable, via the nearest available USB port. It’ll play from any source that supports its 3.5mm stereo jack (and yes, a cable is included). It’s a digital clock, with flashing LEDs on demand. Its built-in FM tuner and antenna let you capture over-the-air broadcasts. It even has a microSD card slot, allowing you to load up a media card with your favorite tunes or podcasts and play away. All in an ultra-portable two-inch cube.
This week’s DOTW is a “twofer.” Either one of these would be a pretty good deal for 10 bucks. But both of them, bundled together for four dollars? That’s a GREAT deal!
Embrace the whimsy. What we have here is a unique collection of MIMOBOT designer USB flash drives, presented in a blind assortment. Each individual box contains one of 15 brilliant drives, from the fractured sensibilities of Wish Come True and designed by their “super-crack Artist Series collaborators, FriendsWithYou™ of sunny Miami, Florida.” (!)
We’ll be back on Monday at our 
What is Section 179, anyway?
All your devices will really get a charge out of this. Connect to this 5000 mAh portable battery charger, and give your devices the power they need. Featuring Smart IC, AMP’s exclusive intelligent charging circuit design automatically identifies and matches the fastest charging speed for your device (max 2A) for a quicker, more efficient charge. Designed to be taken everywhere, LifeBar 05‘s slim profile easily fits in your backpack, purse, or gym bag. The 1A and 2A USB ports rapidly charge two devices simultaneously, providing smartphones, MP3 players, cameras, or other USB gadgets with enough power to keep going throughout your busy day. With its built-in LED indicator and durable aluminum housing, LifeBar 05 is made to go wherever life takes you.
