Showing posts with label Monster. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Monster. Show all posts

Thursday, July 25, 2013

We interrupt your summer to tell you that it's almost time for BACK TO SCHOOL! #StaplesHasIt + @NickCannon & a #Giveaway too!

#StaplesHasIt


I know the thought of Back to School will send all your child's hairs to stand on end, but doing all your shopping at the very last minute, will do the same to your wallet! Did you know that the bulk of a student's shopping budget is actually in 'tech' products now? And not every back to school shopping retailer can offer a wide range of school supplies AND technology products too at affordable prices that won't break the bank!

I recently attended a Back-to-School event where we got one resounding message loud and clear STAPLES HAS IT, or in this new age of speaking in hashtags: #StaplesHasIt

Back-to-School Made Easy with the Newest Trends

For the 2013 Back-to-School Shopping Season, Staples is offering an expanded assortment of fashionable and super functional must-have supplies, that will make going to back to class more fun! To help families save money on those must-have supplies the popular Back-to-School Savings Pass is back this year which gives you a 15 percent discount on supplies! Remember you can only purchase the pass through August 31st, and it's valid through September 21st which is great, because sometimes despite our best efforts we end up having to make multiple trips to the store for supply runs anyway! The pass costs $10, but if even if you have only one tech item on your list the 15% discount will help ensure that the cost of the savings pass pays for itself!

Some trends you'll spot at Staples this season include:

Neon Sharpies








Neon - Get into the groove will cool and bold hues, Neon Sharpies or the Quilted Collection of Zipper Binders, Pencil Pouches, Tablet Cases and Clipboards!





Exclusive Patterns and Designs - Let's face it, individual expression is what it's all about, and Staples offers unique designs on products like the Staples BETTER binders, sticky notes and index card holders. One of my favorites are the ARC notebooks that offer a customizable cover that you can change whenever you get bored or want to mix things up! (for me it's like the notebook equivalent of swapping out your desktop wallpaper!)







Twinkle, Twinkle - The Glo-Lite Collection lights up when pushed and includes staplers, rulers and dry-erase boards. The Fiber Optic Pencil Pouches which are Exclusive to Staples, twinkle with designs that include shoe, piano and paisley. The Magnetic Motion Sensor Locker Chandelier with seven LED lights, the exclusive Glo-Lite Magnetic Pencil Bin, glitter rugs, Twinkle Scissors and magnetic wallpaper will help students spruce up their space and stand out in style.


Tech You Can Touch - The Acer Aspire Touch Laptop and new tablets like the HP Slate with Beats, Samsung Galaxy II, Samsung Note 8.0, Google Nexus 7 or the Kindle Fire HD help kids stay connected online both in and out of the classroom. (Again that savings pass will come in handy if you plan to purchase any tech for Back-to-School). And of course you need a cool case to protect your new touch device, how about a Zebra Print Tablet Case by Jansport? (pictured above)


Non Basic Basics -  I fell in love with the new, bendable Staples Flexible Calculator, and the Scotch Magic Chameleon Tape Dispenser which changes color when touched! (pictured above)







Lunchtime = Funtime - The Fit and Fresh 14 Piece Healthy Lunch Set features perfectly proportioned containers with ice packs that snap into the lids! Cool It! Ice Packs will keep the chill in any lunch bag or box. Or enjoy the updated classic LEGO Lunch Box. (all are pictured above)

Celebrity Surprise:

Staples surprised us all when Nick Cannon and AJ from Extra payed a visit to promote his Designer N-Tune headphones produced by Monster!

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I was there! Here is a picture of Nick giving me, 'The Official #TwitterPartyDJ' my new Monster NCredible N-Tune On-Ear Headphones (Black):

Ascending Butterfly, Nick Cannon, N-Tune NCredible Monster Headphones
Left: Tracy, Founder, Butterfly-in-Chief, Ascending Butterfly, Right: Nick Cannon

Here is a picture of AJ Calloway from Extra Television, interviewing Nick Cannon, he asked him about his new N-Tune headphones as well as how it was working with Amanda Bynes!




Here is a picture of me and AJ from Extra TV, he just loves bloggers!

AJ from Extra TV, Tracy from Ascending Butterfly
Right: AJ from Extra TV, Left: Tracy from Ascending Butterfly


Staples Gives Back:

Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) and Staples, Inc have teamed up with teen actor Jake T. Austin for the 6th annual Staples for Students national school supply drive to help kids get the tools they need to be successful in school and achieve great futures!




There are THREE ways YOU can HELP!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Give $1 at checkout - Donate $1 at any Staples register from June 30 - September 28

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Share to Give - Visit Staples for Students on Facebook and they will donate $1 for every share starting July 15th! Isn't that awesome?

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Donate Supplies -  Drop off donated supplies at your local Staples August 11-17th (Just make sure it's not the stuff you pilfered from the office, LOL)

My Take:

As a tech enthusiast I know the Savings Pass will definitely pay for itself! It's been awesome having the opportunity to attend Staples Preview Events, they always present something unique, and their events are always fun, but I will admit I didn't expect the celebrity surprise this time, and Nick couldn't have been more down to earth. I can see why he is so excited about his latest collaboration, Monster produces quality audio accessories and better still they really stand behind them (which I can personally attest to, when my Monster Vivienne Tam Butterfly Headphones died way before they should have, Monster took the time to make it right and send me a replacement, which is not just good customer service, it means they really stand behind the product!). Nick took the time out of his day, to present each and every single one of us with our headphones and to take pictures. He was super approachable and I definitely wish this latest venture of Nick's great success!

YOUR Chance to WIN:

Check out the #StaplesHasIt Photobomb Giveaway - Every Tuesday you can enter the #StaplesHasIt Photobomb Giveaway by submitting a caption for a chance to win a tablet and a Savings Pass! You can enter via Facebook or by following @Staples via twitter and tweeting your caption to the photo of the week! (Hint: That Cool Tape Dispenser I Posted the Picture of above? it just might be in this week's giveaway, so get those creative juices flowing and head on over for your chance to win!)

Have you started your Back-to-School Shopping Yet? What is on your shopping list for this year Butterflies?

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FTC Disclosure: We were provided with the opportunity to learn of Staples Back-toSchool Products at a Digital Press Preview Event, we got to meet Nick Cannon and were supplied with the N-Tune headphones  and a gift bag with an assortment of products to facilitate our review, no monetary compensation has been received in exchange for our event recap coverage. All opinions are 100% my own. See our full disclosure policy for any questions.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Monster® Butterfly™ by Vivienne Tam with ControlTalk™ High Performance In-Ear Headphones {Review}


I am an audiophile. I have had a life long love of music, with a widely varied collection of music, and a collection of portable devices to match!  I always need more memory to accomodate my expanding collection. And if I had a dollar for all the headphones I've gone through in all these years...

I would make mix tapes all the time and lucky for me, many of my friends are DJ's (I'm even considered the 'Twitter Party' DJ  because I'm always thinking Tunes!) Some of my mixes have fooled quite a few pros, and I don't even have a studio!

I live in the 'City That Never Sleeps' which means a public transportation commute daily. I need to retreat into my music during the commute to get me motivated! My needs as a result of my commute are very specific for earphones, the audiophile in me wants rich, true, and dynamic sound, and the commuter that I am needs to have background noise reduced as much as possible! I do not want to hear screaming children, crying babies, arguing couples, the garbled 'noise' that is supposed to be messages being made by the MTA (that no one seems to understand anyway), and the loud conversations of teenagers on their way to school are among the 'ambient' noises I need to block out (not to mention the noise coming out of other people's cheapo earphones!).

Then there is the butterfly loving fashionista in me. The one who has a very fancy custom skin on her iPod Touch. The one who finds it super important to have form meet function AND fashion. There is no reason I have to keep things generic and sacrifice my sense of style!

My favorite pair of noise reducers had finally had it, when the 'music Gods' smiled upon me and a  box, (whose name simply delighted me before I even opened it) arrived on my doorstep!

The Un-Veiling, or is that Un-Boxing?


The Box Arrives, the name made me giddy with delight!

Like a Kid at Christmas I tear it open!

Totally Insert Singing Choir Here!
I have tested these out on the train and commuter buses, and this weekend I finally tested them on a very long bus trip! And can't begin to put into words how much I love them. I wasn't too happy when my previous pair (different brand) died out on me, it took forever to find them and I really loved them (they were replacing a pair I bought at Brookstone), I didn't think I'd find a pair that compared. When it comes to my music, I do not scrimp, I refuse to compromise sound quality in any way! I use my headphones practically all day, during my commute weekdays and weekend, and at night I plug them into my computer so I don't disturb anyone. Simply put, Music makes me happy and my headphones have to also!

To say that these are beautifully packaged is a total no brainer. They are designed by iconic designer who I am already totally obsessed with, Vivienne Tam. (I am still very much dreaming of her butterfly netbook! Hopefully the computer Gods will hear my prayers on that one too!). But what really 'got' me are the details. Vivienne and Monster leave no stone unturned. Everything you need is literally in the box.

It comes in a box you will want to re-purpose for keepsakes that has a raised butterfly on it. Inside the following words are inscribed 'Music, Tech and Fashion Equal Triple Happiness'. Hello! Like MY Motto in a nutshell!

There is both a hard sided and soft sided carrying pouch,  the hardsided pouch has a butterfly in the middle and looks like a fancy zippered cosmetics case. It is packaged with earbuds in varying sizes to ensure a perfect fit! (and of course as replacements!)


@Monster


Favorite Features:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - First and Foremost - High Performance Sound.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Lustrous All-Metal Housing - helps to cancel resonance for purer sound

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Performance Ear Tips - Better Fit Equals Better Sound

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Right-Angle Connector - Reduces Wear and is perfect for Airline Jacks

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 24k Gold Contacts - Gives you maximum signal transfer, offers corrosion resistance and a beautiful look

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Two Protective Cases - I love that both are included, the soft sided case works when I am carrying a smaller bag and the hard sided is perfect for travel and luggage to keep them safe in transit.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - ControlTalk Feature: Butterfly with ControlTalk has a built in Monster ControlTalk feature for use with music, phones, and an iPod or iPad. The ControlTalk cable has a call answer button AND microphone so you can easily switch between listening to music and talking on your phone. It also features music and video playback control for iPod/iPhone/iPad. (I love that I can easily switch between music and my phone!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - The Cable Slider is designed to reduce tangles during storage (In the subway I love this feature. I can skip through songs without ever taking my iPod out of my bag!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - The Cable Management Clip - Designed to control the cable and keep it out of your way, and reduce accidental pulling of the In-Ear Speakers from your ears, and keep the cable weight off the In-Ear Speakers so they stay snug and in place in your ears

I definitely give these 5 butterflies, my highest rating. They are a perfect gift for the butterfly loving audiophile in your life. And if she's just a style maven, then the rich, pure sound will be an incredible bonus!

I'm not careful or gentle with my headphones, I have to often times pull them out unexpectedly during my commute, or stuff them carelessly in my handbag with no time for the carrying case, and I can tell you while these appear 'delicate' on the outside, these are no dainty in ear speakers! They have held up quite well so far to the abuses I've put them through!

While I was not able to snag a giveaway this time, please leave a comment letting Monster know you'd like a chance at these, I'm sure if we get enough reader interest I can approach Monster and let them know that my community of butterfly lovers really want one too!

Ah, Vivienne you and Monster had me at butterfly! This is truly a marriage made in music heaven for me, butterflies and the rich sound Monster is known for!

Want fashion, great sound, AND a great price? Press on them below and snag em for less!















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FTC Disclosure Info: I was provided a pair of Monster® Butterfly™ by Vivienne Tam with ControlTalk™ High Performance In-Ear Headphones to facilitate my review. My experiences with the headphones are solely my own. I am truly finicky about earphones, and truly do love these!