NWA-PCUG Newsletter Article, June 2009
The Deals Column
Bob Click, The Dealsguy
http://www.dealsguy.com
bobclick@bellsouth.net (click to email author)

We’ve been working a few trade shows and I always find them interesting. I work an assigned post these days, usually on a loading dock, and can’t look things over unless we go in early, which I rarely do. However, occasionally during the show setup days, I get to visit with a few exhibitors, whose booth is located near my dock, as they go outside for a smoke. Other times, I only get to see the setup contractors who are assembling booths.

The PGA (Pro Golfer Association) show in January was smaller this year, yet well attended. Attendance was about 30,000. There was a booth near my post that sells a unique device that calculates data to improve a golfer’s swing. They call it the Game Changer, or the GC2. It doesn’t look like much because it’s a small electronic device. It’s a bit large for your jacket pocket, but fits easily in your golf bag. The device opens up and you place it on the turf off to the side of your golf tee so it can photograph your swing. It has two cameras in it a few inches apart and when you make your drive, both cameras snap a picture, and then almost instantly, the device calculates all kinds of data pertaining to your drive, consisting of your launch angles, speed, spin and much more.

When I watched the guy in the booth drive the ball up against a curtain, I saw the flash of the cameras, and in a few seconds, an entire screen of data was quickly displayed including a heavy line designating exactly where the drive would travel and land. They had it connected to a 42” plasma TV in the booth to display the data, but it could be hooked up to a variety of handheld smart-devices via Bluetooth. It has a USB output enabling the data to be used by various customized applications. The GC2 also has speakers to announce the data if you prefer.

If this gadget fascinates you, check their Web site at http://www.foresightsports.com for more information and a picture of the GC2. If you are an enthusiastic golfer and feel this item might help you, why not pop for the six grand and buy it for yourself for Christmas, birthday, Father’s Day, or any other occasion that you can think of. After all, don’t you deserve it? Some guys might buy their wife one for Christmas, and then borrow it.

I saw another interesting item, although much less expensive, for improving your swing. It’s a specially designed club that helps to find out what’s wrong with your swing, and can be used either inside or outside. I watched guys take a nice swing and the ball simply flipped up in the air and dropped behind them because they didn’t swing right. Others did better. I didn’t understand what was going on, but you can visit http://www.slingergolf.com. Priced at $89.95, this must be for the blue-collar gophers.

I also saw a guy walking along with a three-wheeled electric golf caddy trailing behind him and when he stopped, the caddy stopped, then when he went on, it followed. He said it was a prototype. I loved that one, but show management showed up and told him to please keep the machine in his booth, so I didn’t see him again. I’m sorry I didn’t get any information from the guy. There were many booths with electrically operated golf-bag carts so it was easy to miss.

Bat-Caddy had an electric golf caddy selling for $590 and was manually controlled. They also had a model you could run with a remote for $995. Their Web site is http://www.batcaddy.com. When finishing this column, I noticed they had special deals on their Web site that ended April 30, 2010, but why not check for deals when you read this just in case they have another deal. Would an electric caddy mean “going green?”

Ready For A Different Way For To Hold A Conference?
The FACUG 2011 Spring Conference Cruise is shaping up gradually, but surely. The deadline has been extended to June 30, 2010 so it’s not too late to sign up. People are slow to register, but the last I heard, 180 were signed on. There are no special restrictions for who can sign up, but one person from each cabin must register for the conference and be a user group member. You can check it out on the FACUG Web site http://www.facug.org. Looking at the 2011 FACUG cruise, you can’t go wrong with such great people leading the sessions. Looks like all fees and taxes are included in the prices, but look it over for other incentives. I believe no cruise will be planned for 2012 because not everybody wants it done on a cruise ship and it is a problem for an individual attendee.

I Tried To Refurbish My Computer With A Software Product
My computer is not acting very normal so I decided to try Reimage Repair to see what it could do. I read Ira Wilsker’s favorable review of Reimage, and it’s also listed on the Windows Secrets Newsletter, which I respect, so I downloaded it when they offered a discount to see if it would improve my computer’s performance. My experience hasn’t worked well as yet. I had to try four times before it would finish, and it never did actually finish as it should have. Only one of my problems was helped so far. I sent them a message asking for suggestions via e-mail and they responded that I should try the repair with the machine in “Safe Mode.” I tried to do that, but while in safe mode I am unable to connect to the Internet and it won’t work that way. I sent another message stating my problem and they are suggesting a remote control session. I need to set up a time to do that so I am in the process or arranging it.

Reminder
The special offers for Diskeeper products are probably still good so keep that in mind. Their new technology for preventing fragmentation before it happens is unique and I read a favorable review about it in a user group newsletter. Here are the URLs for the deals: Diskeeper 2010 Home 2-pack $49.95 (Save $30) https://www.diskeeper.com/store/checkout/addtocart.aspx?item=49115&qty=1&srchash=_ioxswm_p
Diskeeper 2010 Professional 2-pack $99.95 (Save $20) https://www.diskeeper.com/store/checkout/addtocart.aspx?item=49365&qty=1&srchash=_ioxswm_p
Diskeeper 2010 Pro Premier 2-pack $169.95 (Save $30) https://www.diskeeper.com/store/checkout/addtocart.aspx?item=49366&qty=1&srchash=_ioxswm_p

Undelete 2009 Home and Diskeeper 2010 Home bundle $49.95 (Save $20) http://www.diskeeper.com/store/checkout/addtocart.aspx?item=50519&qty=1&srchash=_ioxswm_p

Take A Look At Specials From Your Favorite Vendor I sometimes get an announcement from Corel, but the discount usually expires before you editors could get it published for your members since I write this column two months in advance. However, here is an announcement for some full products and upgrades that I just received, and I have no idea what the deadline is. Hopefully you can beat it if there’s something you need.

For CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X5: The full version price seems is $49.90, but the upgrade price is $19.90 less than the regular price.

For Corel DESIGNER Technical Suite X4: The full version price is $100 below the regular price and the upgrade price is the same as the regular price.

For WordPerfect Office X5 Standard: The full version and upgrade prices are $25 below the regular price.

For WordPerfect Office X5 Professional: The full version price is $25 less than the regular price and the upgrade version is $21 below the regular price.

For Photo & Video Bundle: The price is $6.50 below the regular price, but there seems to be differences in the bundle contents e.g. X2 in yours vs. X3 in the regular version.

Corel has always been a favorite with user groups. Here are some URLs to check for better information and additional products. Hopefully you can find all the information you need to make a decision: http://store1.corel.com/corel/category.jsp?cat=cat3450073&trkid=31Mar10NACDGSX5LicenseUGeDMeDM, http://www.corel.com/content/pdf/cdgsx5/CDGSX5_version_comparison_matrix_en.pdf and http://www.corel.com. Check for additional information and comparisons. There are differences in the pages so do your homework. To order by phone call 1-877-502-6735 and use promo code 4212 (Mon-Fri, 9am to 7pm EST)

That's it for this month. I’ll have some more new product announcements on my Web site that didn’t offer discounts. Meet me here again next month if your editor permits. This column is written to make user group members aware of special offers or freebies I have found or arranged, and my comments should not be interpreted to encourage, or discourage, the purchase of any products, no matter how enthused I might sound. Bob (The Cheapskate) Click . Visit my Web site at http://www.dealsguy.com

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