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Finding the Perfect Gift for Mom

By: Ricky Cadden May 9th, 2012 – 5 Comments »

With all the things that moms do, every day of the year ought to be Mother’s Day. Before you phone in your Mother’s Day gift for mom this year by getting flowers and a card, take a minute and reflect on what goes into her job.

Mom is like the administrative assistant, nurse, janitor, mediator, chef, teacher, life coach, chauffeur and entertainer of the household, and the people she works with don’t even know how to tie their shoes. This year, get mom a Mother’s Day gift as big as her heart. Here are a few things we think will make her day extra special.

Barnes & Noble NOOK Color eReader

Whether your mom is into Fabio-on-the-cover romance novels or wrote her doctoral dissertation on the taxation policies of the British Empire in the 1800s, she’ll love the Barnes & Noble NOOK eReader. With over 2.5 million books, magazines, newspapers, interactive kids’ books, comics and graphic novels, there’s something for every taste. On top of being a great reader, it’s also a full-purpose tablet for surfing the Web, checking email, playing games and watching Netflix. The NOOK is why naptime was invented.

Nikon COOLPIX L810 16.1MP Digital Camera

If your mom is still taking family pictures with an old Polaroid, it’s time to get her the camera that will last her the next 20+ years. The Nikon COOLPIX L810 is incredibly feature-rich but still easy to use. You can take pictures and HD video with the touch of a button, but if you want to get creative, you can experiment with the 26x zoom, coloring options and taking 3D still images to put on your HDTV. Finally, the Red-Eye Fix, Smile Timer and Blink Warning features are a gift for the rest of the family because mom will get her perfect picture the first time and you won’t have to hold that smile and position for half an hour.

Apple 32GB iPod touch

The iPod touch is the essential do-everything tool for the mom on the go. She can video chat with friends with Apple’s FaceTime, get where she’s going with the GPS and map app, get organized with tons of productivity apps from the App Store, take pics and videos of the kids with the HD rear-facing camera, and have all her favorite songs, games and videos stored on one amazing media device. The iPod is like mom’s Swiss army knife for all her varied tasks throughout the day.

AUVIO Pearl Buds w/ Mic (Purple)

If the standard white earbuds aren’t mom’s style, these poppin’ purple ones will make a great addition to that iPod or NOOK. They deliver high-quality stereo sound with a frequency response of 20Hz-20kHz and the in-line microphone and iPhone-compatible connector will let mom use them for hands-free calling. And hey, if purple’s not her thing, we have Auvio earbuds in enough colors to match any outfit in your fashion-conscious mom’s closet.

Samsung HM1700 Bluetooth Headset

With all the sippy cups, toys, dog leashes, strollers and the like that moms have to juggle every day, we know they could always use an extra hand. Let her stay connected to her phone hands-free with the Samsung HM1700 Bluetooth Headset. Not only can mom call in takeout while wrestling kids into the car, but she can stream media from an MP3 player or other media device, giving an action movie soundtrack to the daily hustle.


Need one more reason to go all out for mom this Mother’s Day? For a limited time, you can get a FREE $50 Visa Prepaid Card by mail when you spend $300 on your Shack Credit Card. What do you think is the perfect Mother’s Day gift? Let us know in the comments.

 

Categories: Mobile
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Ridin’ the Storm Out — 5 Essential Weather Preparedness Apps

By: Ricky Cadden May 7th, 2012 – 4 Comments »

Hunker in your bunker folks, because once again tornado season is here and hurricane season is on its way. There are definitely going to be storms a-brewin’ this summer whether you’re inland or on the coast. But, never fear, RadioShack is here to help you ride the storms out. We have all the batteries, solar chargers and weather radios to keep you informed and safe, but we also like to keep you up to date on all the great weather preparedness apps for smartphones and tablets. In addition to the ones we shared last storm season, here are five more great weather preparedness apps to take your mobile device from entertainment mode to survival mode.

 

iMap Weather Radio

Let’s face it, when the time comes to head into an interior room or get into the bathtub and put a mattress on top of you, you can’t really take the TV along with you. iMap Weather Radio keeps the news and warnings coming via audio alerts and video updates in areas where local media partners participate. The “Follow Me” feature will also use your location when you’re on the move and update as you find a safe place to take shelter.

… Read More >

Categories: Apps
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The HTC One X Lands At RadioShack And CTIA Wireless

By: Ricky Cadden May 6th, 2012 – 1 Comment »

Today is an exciting day at RadioShack – the HTC One X for AT&T is now available at your local RadioShack! This smartphone packs a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor that most reviewers have said is the fastest and most battery efficient processor on the block. It’s also running the latest version of Android, v4.0 (also called Ice Cream Sandwich) and features HTC’s new Sense v4.0 user interface.

HTC One X

… Read More >

Categories: Mobile, Travel
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Join Us For #RSChat: Lauren Kushnerick

By: Paige Guyton May 4th, 2012 – 6 Comments »

This entry is part 1 of 1 in the series #RSChat

It may have been a long few months, but don’t worry, RadioShack’s twitter chats are back! Our chats around the holidays were such a success that we want to bring them back in the form of #RSChat. This time around we will be chatting with a different member of the RadioShack team every other Tuesday from Noon-1pm CST. The questions that will be asked will come straight from you guys – our followers!

For this weeks #RSChat we will be chatting with Lauren Kushnerick who is the Product Marketing Manager here at RadioShack.

Here is a little bit about Lauren:

My job is to act as the liaison between the customer and merchant team. When the buyers come to me with a new item or hot offer, I make sure the customer learns about it through various media channels. I work with several categories such as technical and headphone product. I’m a big geek when it comes to music, film and art. That’s why the categories I work with allow me to blend all my interests into one.

… Read More >

Categories: Inside HQ, Twitter
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Jerry Heep Lights up RadioShack HQ

By: Ricky Cadden April 24th, 2012 – 2 Comments »


Jerry Heep has been a RadioShack Staff Engineer for over three decades, and in that time he’s designed and built modems, multimeters and all kinds of other products you can find in every RadioShack store. He’s a master of his craft and a hacker of the highest order. If you thought your DIY Arduino LED display on The Great Create or Instructables was something special, Jerry has you beat. He was doing the same thing bigger, better and with less sophisticated technology back before the internet was around to teach you how. In part three of our interview, he tells us about his all-time favorite project—how he used Tandy Computers to communicate with and control the light bulbs on the exterior of RadioShack’s former Ft. Worth headquarters.

Categories: DIY, Inside HQ
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High School Makerspaces: Q&A with MAKE’s Dale Dougherty

By: Ricky Cadden April 18th, 2012 – 4 Comments »

Dale Dougherty, editor and publisher of MAKE magazine, has a mission—to bring a culture of making to America’s high schools. In Dale’s view, education nowadays is too concerned with memorizing facts. Students rarely, if ever, have the opportunity to CREATE anything with the knowledge they learn from textbooks, unless one counts interesting patterns on a scantron sheet as a creative venture. With funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Dale hopes to bring the tools and technology of makerspaces to 1,000 high schools over the next four years. Makerspace.com sums it up nicely by saying,

 

“By creating makerspaces in an educational context, students can have access to tools and equipment that they might not have otherwise; they can collaborate on projects that are driven by their own interests, and by doing so, develop the capacity and confidence to innovate.”

 

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. We managed to tear Dale away from his busy schedule for an interview about the Makerspace program, his views on education and the importance of creativity.

… Read More >

Categories: DIY
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#WhatsItWorth

By: Ricky Cadden April 16th, 2012 – 7 Comments »

#WHATSITWORTH

YOUR OLD PHONE’S WORTH MORE THAN YOU THINK.

There’s probably a treasure trove of retired tech in your home.

The RadioShack Trade & Save #WHATSITWORTH game has come to an end.

Your chance to win is over, but there’s still plenty of time to pull the old phones and other retired tech out of your catchall drawer and bring them in to your neighborhood RadioShack. Or visit RadioShack.com/TradeAndSave to see #WhatsItWorth.

Official Rules >>

$521.82

$180.00

$605.59

$544.38

$718.78

What's It Worth Round 1
What's It Worth Round 2
What's It Worth Round 3
What's It Worth Round 4
What's It Worth Round 5
Trade & Save
CLOSE

RadioShack “What’s It Worth?” Sweepstakes

Official Rules

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.

The RadioShack “What’s It Worth?” Sweepstakes (the “Sweepstakes”) starts on April 16, 2012 at 12:00 a.m. Central Time (“CT”) and ends on April 20, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. CT (“Sweepstakes Period”). The Giveaway will be divided into five (5) daily entry periods (each, a “Daily Entry Period”). Each Daily Entry Period will begin at 12:00 a.m. CT and end at 11:59 p.m. CT that same day. This Sweepstakes is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook or Twitter. You understand that you are providing your information to sponsor and not to Facebook or Twitter. The information you provide will only be used for Sweepstakes administration and as otherwise permitted by sponsor’s privacy policy, available at www.radioshack.com

  1. ELIGIBILITY: Sweepstakes is open to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia, 18 years of age or older. Employees of RadioShack Corporation (“Sponsor”), Weber Shandwick, and their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, Sweepstakes and advertising agencies, and members of their immediate family (spouse and parent, children and siblings and their respective spouses, regardless of where they reside) and persons living in the same household, whether or not related, of such employees, are not eligible to enter or win. Void where prohibited by law. Sweepstakes is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws.

  2. HOW TO PARTICIPATE: During the Sweepstakes Period, there are two (2) ways to participate; 1) Via Facebook: Visit www.facebook.com/RadioShack and click the Sweepstakes tab. Then, follow the directions provided to complete and submit the registration form and estimate the Trade & Save value of the electronic devices depicted in the drawer of the onscreen illustration. If your estimate is within $30 (higher or lower) from the Trade & Save “actual” value, you will receive one (1) entry for the applicable Daily Entry Period. If your estimate is not within $30 from the Trade & Save actual value, you will not receive an entry. The actual value of drawer contents will be posted by Sponsor on the day following each Daily Entry Period. Limit one (1) entry per person and per email address per Daily Entry Period via this method. OR 2) Via Twitter: Visit http://blog.RadioShack.com to view the onscreen illustration of a drawer containing electronic devices. Then, tweet to @RadioShack your estimate of the Trade & Save value of the electronic devices depicted with the hashtag #WhatsItWorth. If your estimate is within $30 (higher or lower) from the Trade & Save “actual” value, you will receive one (1) entry for the applicable Daily Entry Period. If your estimate is not within $30 from the Trade & Save actual value, you will not receive an entry. Limit one (1) entry per person and per Twitter account per Daily Entry Period via this method. In the event that the Sponsor receives more than one (1) entry from any person and/or Twitter account for any Daily Entry Period, only the first entry submitted by that person and/or Twitter account will be eligible for the corresponding drawing.

    The Trade & Save value and contents of the drawer will vary each Daily Entry Period. Entries must be received by the end of the applicable Daily Entry Period to be considered for the applicable Daily Entry Period drawing. Entries generated by script, macro or other automated means and entries by any means which subvert the entry process are void. If you choose to tweet using your mobile phone, standard data fees may apply. See your wireless provider for pricing plan details. Entries received from any person or e-mail address or Twitter account in excess of the limitation stated above for any Daily Entry Period will be void. All entries become the sole property of the Sponsor and will not be returned.

  3. RANDOM DRAWINGS: Six (6) potential Daily Prize winners will be selected for each Daily Entry Period in a random drawing held within approximately twenty four (24) hours following the end of each applicable Daily Entry Period from all eligible entries received for that drawing. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received for the applicable drawing. Non-winning entries from one Daily Entry Period drawing will not carry over into subsequent Daily Entry Period drawings. Limit one (1) Daily Prize per person and per household throughout the Sweepstakes Period.

  4. WINNER NOTIFICATION: Potential winners will be notified by e-mail and/or Twitter direct message and will be required to execute and return an affidavit of eligibility, a liability release and, where lawful, a publicity release within forty eight (48) hours from time of initial notification attempt. If such documents are not returned within the specified time period, a prize or prize notification is returned as undeliverable, Sponsor is unable to contact a potential winner or a potential winner is not in compliance with these Official Rules, prize will be forfeited and, at Sponsor’s discretion, an alternate winner selected. If a potential winner is at least 18 but still considered a minor in his/her jurisdiction of residence, prize may be awarded in the name of his/her parent or legal guardian who will be responsible for fulfilling all requirements imposed on winner set forth herein.

  5. DAILY PRIZES (30) (Six (6) per Daily Entry Period): A $300 RadioShack gift card. ARV $300 each. All federal, state and local taxes and all other costs associated with prize acceptance and use not specified herein as being provided are the sole responsibility of the winners. Gift cards are subject to terms and conditions as specified by Sponsor. Prizes are awarded “as is” with no warranty or guarantee, either express or implied by Sponsor. Winners may not substitute, assign or transfer prize or redeem prize for cash, but Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to substitute prize with one of comparable or greater value. Total ARV of all prizes $9,000.

  6. GENERAL CONDITIONS: By participating, each entrant agrees: (a) to abide by these Official Rules and decisions of Sponsor, which shall be final and binding in all respects relating to this Sweepstakes; (b) to release, discharge and hold harmless Sponsor, Weber Shandwick, Facebook, Twitter, their respective parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, and advertising and Sweepstakes agencies, and the respective officers, directors, shareholders, employees, agents and representatives of the forgoing (collectively, “Released Parties”) from any and all injuries, liability, losses and damages of any kind to persons, including death, or property resulting, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from entrant’s participation in the Sweepstakes or any Sweepstakes-related activity or the acceptance, possession, use or misuse of any prize; and (c) to the use of his/her name, voice, performance, photograph, caption, entry, and/or likeness for programming, advertising, publicity and promotional purposes in any and all media, now or hereafter known, worldwide and on the Internet, and in perpetuity by Sponsor and its designees, without compensation (unless prohibited by law) or additional consents from entrant or any third party and without prior notice, approval or inspection, and to execute specific consent to such use. By participating, entrant also agrees not to release any publicity or other materials on their own or through someone else regarding their participation in the Sweepstakes without the prior consent of the Sponsor, which it may withhold in its sole discretion.

  7. MISCELLANEOUS: Released Parties are not responsible for lost, late, incomplete, damaged, inaccurate, stolen, delayed, misdirected, undelivered, or garbled entries, estimates or tweets, or for lost, interrupted or unavailable network, server, Internet Service Provider (ISP), website, or other connections, availability or accessibility or miscommunications or failed computer, satellite, telephone or cable transmissions, lines, or technical failure or jumbled, scrambled, delayed, or misdirected transmissions or computer hardware or software malfunctions, failures or difficulties, or other errors or difficulties of any kind whether human, mechanical, electronic, computer, network, typographical, printing or otherwise relating to or in connection with the Sweepstakes, including, without limitation, errors or difficulties which may occur in connection with the administration of the Sweepstakes, the processing of entries, estimates or tweets, the announcement of the prizes, or in any Sweepstakes-related materials. Released Parties are also not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by site users, tampering, hacking, or by any equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Sweepstakes. Released Parties are not responsible for injury or damage to any person’s computer related to or resulting from participating in this Sweepstakes or downloading materials from or use of the website. Persons who tamper with or abuse any aspect of the Sweepstakes or website, who act in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner or who are in violation of these Official Rules, as solely determined by Sponsor, will be disqualified and all associated entries will be void. Should any portion of the Sweepstakes be, in Sponsor’s sole opinion, compromised for any reason, including virus, worms, bugs, non-authorized human intervention or other causes which, in the sole opinion of the Sponsor, corrupt or impair the administration, security, fairness or proper play, or submission of entries, Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to suspend, modify or terminate the Sweepstakes (or portion thereof) and, if terminated, at its discretion, select the potential winner(s) for the drawing(s) at issue from among all non-suspect, eligible entries received for the applicable drawing(s) prior to action taken. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE THE WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE SWEEPSTAKES MAY BE IN VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES AND OTHER REMEDIES (INCLUDING ATTORNEYS’ FEES) FROM ANY SUCH INDIVIDUAL TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW, INCLUDING CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.

  8. ARBITRATION: Except where prohibited by law, as a condition of participating in this Sweepstakes, entrant agrees that (1) any and all disputes and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Sweepstakes, or any prizes awarded, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by final and binding arbitration under the rules of the American Arbitration Association and held at the AAA regional office nearest the entrant; (2) the Federal Arbitration Act shall govern the interpretation, enforcement and all proceedings at such arbitration; and (3) judgment upon such arbitration award may be entered in any court having jurisdiction. Under no circumstances will entrant be permitted to obtain awards for, and entrant hereby waives all rights to claim, punitive, incidental or consequential damages, or any other damages, including attorneys’ fees, other than entrant’s actual out-of-pocket expenses (i.e., costs associated with participating in this Sweepstakes), and entrant further waives all rights to have damages multiplied or increased.

  9. CHOICE OF LAW: All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of entrant and Sponsor in connection with the Sweepstakes, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the substantive laws of the State of Texas, USA.

  10. REQUEST FOR WINNERS’ NAMES: For the names of the winners, send a self-addressed, stamped, envelope by May 31, 2012 to: RadioShack “What’s It Worth?” Sweepstakes Winners, Attn: A.Gardina, Weber Shandwick, 1717 Main Street suite 1600, Dallas, TX 75201.

  11. SPONSOR: RadioShack Corporation, 300 RadioShack Circle, Fort Worth, TX 76102-1964.

ABBREVIATED OFFICIAL RULES

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. Open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. & D.C., 18 or older. Void where prohibited. Begins on 4/16/12 at 12:00 a.m. CT, ends 4/20/12 at 11:59 p.m. CT. Subject to Official Rules, available at www.facebook.com/RadioShack. Sponsor: RadioShack Corporation. This Sweepstakes is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook or Twitter.

Categories: Giveaway, Mobile
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Calculus & Soda Bottles – Jerry Heep on Electrical Engineering

By: Ricky Cadden April 13th, 2012 – No Comments »

 

Jerry Heep has been a RadioShack Staff Engineer since the days of the Tandy TRS-80.  He’s worked on all kinds of cool gadgets, and products that he designed are on RadioShack store shelves across the country. We asked Jerry to impart some wisdom to those who want to learn to build and create electronics. His answer—stay in school, study engineering, and LOVE the math. Watch part two of our chat with Jerry and maybe someday you can feel the same high of being able to point to something on a shelf and say, “I did that!”

Categories: DIY
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  • Finding the Perfect Gift for Mom
  • Ridin’ the Storm Out — 5 Essential Weather Preparedness Apps
  • The HTC One X Lands At RadioShack And CTIA Wireless
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  • Jerry Heep Lights up RadioShack HQ
  • High School Makerspaces: Q&A with MAKE’s Dale Dougherty
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