With the recent devastation from the tornado in Oklahoma and the bad weather surrounding the mid-west, there are a variety of ways you can protect your family and your home during nasty weather.  Abt has designed a storm gear page that will help you get what you need to keep going during inclement weather.  From power generators, to sump pumps to more, keep your home and family comfortable.

Our friends at Allstate have also created an infographic offering a bevy of information on what to include if you have plans on designing a safe room.  Check it out below and visit blog.allstate.com for a wide variety of additional safety tips.

Infographic courtesy of The Allstate Blog.

The community of Glenview and Northbrook were rocked with a devastating incident last summer.  The railway off Shermer road near the Glenview-Northbrook border, collapsed.  Since then, the community has been working to re-establish themselves back to normal.  Businesses have been finding it difficult to reach out to customers, however Abt has been working with the villiage to remedy the situation.

Abt sponsored a raffle contest to help encourage customers to shop at the Wil-Sher Plaza.  For every item purchased or service provided, the customer would be entered in a raffle to win a 50-inch LED Samsung HDTV.  Congratulations to Tina Theodorakakis who won the grand prize. Betsy Baer, Executive Director of the Glenview Chamber of Commerce, Alex Benitez, representative from La Taquiza Restaurant at Wil-Sher Plaza and Ellen Dean, Economic Development Director for the Village of Glenview were all in attendance.  We wish the Wil-Sher Plaza continued success.

 Left to right: Betsy Baer, Alex Benitez, Tina Theodorakakis, Jon Abt & Ellen Dean

We’re kicking off summer with a look into the world of BBQ grilling.

After a long, arduous winter (basically a regular winter for us Chicagoans), and a few false starts, it appears that Summer is here to stay. Or at least for the next few months. Those of us used to this annual cycle know how important it is to squeeze all the juice from the fruit of summer, or, to steal a phrase from one of the great works of American Literature, “suck out all the marrow of life.” And what better bone to start at than the one in a  juicy hunk of pink-in-the-middle beef, or perhaps one of many in a slab of St. Louis style ribs? That’s right. Summer’s here, so it’s time to fire up that grill and get cookin’.

It may be a bit of a secret, but we’re big fans of outdoor cooking here at Abt, and not just because we carry a large selection of grills and smokers. We love it because it’s a great social activity, a great way to bring friends and family together. Oftentimes, it seems people feel the need to have a reason to get together, be it a birthday, anniversary or National Holiday. And while stats show that there are certain holidays that people consider to be “grilling holidays,” we think the truth is that you don’t need a special reason to enjoy friends, family and flame-broiled foods. (more…)

The Denon Exercise Freak Armband Promotion is perfect for those who love to work out.  Purchase any Denon Exercise Freak Wireless Headphone set between May 19-June 16, 2013 and fill out a form to get a free armband with your purchase.  This is an excellent promotion from Denon to keep you going through even the toughest of workouts.

Check out our video below of the Exercise Freak Headphones in action.

The Samsung 85-inch UltraHD LED 3D TV that was first showcased at CES 2013, has finally arrived at Abt Electronics.  This TV has a wildly incredible picture and a really cool looking design   Check out the overview from Abt’s YouTube channel.  If you are in the Chicagoland area, stop by ouor store and see this HUGE HDTV in person!

This weekend, May 17th to May 19th, Abt is hosting its annual Time Watch Boutique Watch Fair.  Come on by and see our wide selection of elegant timepieces and meet with watch representatives.  Enjoy a variety of light hors d’oeuvres and champagne and see our full collection in our Time Watch Boutique.

Samsung has entered the field of 4K HDTVs with their new 85-inch Ultra HD TV.  For those that aren’t familiar, 4K means four times the resolution of standard 1080p HD picture quality.  Samsung calls their new TV a work of art, which works because the presentation looks like a canvas on an easel.  It has a floating design that offers you control to tilt or raise and lower to perfect your eye-level viewing experience.

The Samsung 85-inch 4K HDTV is packed with a whole lot of exceptional features.  The frame has speakers that pump out volume up to 120 watts giving you great audio with amazing picture quality.  There is a camera in the upper frame which gives you accessibility to online chat through Skype and other various programs.  Being connected to the internet is a breeze with Samsung’s proprietary Smart Hub menu offering you a vast array of applications and more.

Stop by Abt Electronics this evening, May 15th and see and see the Samsung 85-inch Ultra HD 4k TV for yourself during our Samsung Live Event and be amazed!  Hope to see you there!

The weather is beautiful today in the Chicagoland area.  What better way to usher in the beautiful weather, than firing up your grill and enjoying some delicious BBQ food!  At Abt Electronics, we have a wide variety of outdoor grills and grill accessories to get you cooking your favorites all Summer long.  To help you cook your various items, you are going to need some great accessories.  Shop our grill accessories page and find just what you are looking for!

Not sure what grill is best for you?  Not a problem.  If you need a little guidance, visit Abt’s How to Buy a Grill buying guide and find out what’s best for you!

Be sure to visit the blog this summer as we will have new, weekly grill updates featuring grilling events, recipes, and new sales on all your favorite grilling items!

For many people, checking the time of day is no more than a quick glance at their cell phones or a turn to the clock on the wall.  Owning and wearing a watch isn’t as necessary as it once was, but there is still an element of style involved.  Citizen Watch Company has released a new watch that gives users much more than the time of day: a sense of classic style.  Check out our video below.

Called the Citizen Eco-Drive, the watch offers exceptional craftsmanship.  The word “eyes” comes from Citizen’s belief of having “astute, unclouded eyes and foresight, and to represent a futuristic concept watch.

Since “Abt at the Movies” took a brief hiatus, there have been a handful of movies that have come and gone.  Many of which became Oscar winners or nominees this past February at the Academy Awards.  One such film had been under intense scrutiny before it even came out.  Noted for its subject matter and controversial depictions,  Zero Dark Thirty was ruffling feathers and sparking interest before the opening credits even began to roll.  Since its release, it has garnered a wide variety of critical acclaim as well as public outcry, much of which derives from the various interrogation scenes that were, according to the filmmakers, true to life.

The opening of the film is set on a black screen with the headline, “September 11, 2001″.  We hear an audio clip of a woman frantically calling 911.  She is in one of the World Trade Center buildings on a floor above where the first plane just hit.  Her fate is clearly understood in her voice.  A chilling start to the movie, but a necessary part that gives the audience an idea of just why the protagonists in the movie do what they do.

Directed by Katherine Bigelow and written by Mark Boal, Zero Dark Thirty showcases a whirlwind of emotions, perfectly crafted by the three lead actors, Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke and Kyle Chandler.  The rise and fall and rise again of the chronological hurdles that were faced is nothing short of exhausting.  Chastain earned her Oscar nomination as the beleaguered Maya who, through her tenacity and voracious determination, fought hell and high-water to find her target.

Director Katherine Bigelow does an equally amazing job at telling this story.  No stranger to military-style film-making  Bigelow was recognized by the Academy for her last film, The Hurt Locker.  Her attention to detail and gritty representation of the horrors of warfare were a perfect match to direct this movie.  The time progression in the film is handled perfectly.  With the events that followed September 11th, you are presented a series of immensely intense moments.

We all know the end of the movie.  We know what happened, or we know what we’ve been told, with the events that led up to finally eliminating Osama Bin Laden.  What Bigelow has done, is recreated a series of events spanning over 10 years that catapulted America to locating and disposing one of America’s Most Wanted.  In no small feat she has assimilated every little detail, every nuance and every possible feeling involved and encapsulated them in just under 3 hours of cinema experience.

Zero Dark Thirty is not necessarily an action movie.  It’s not totally a drama and it’s not a documentary.  It’s a primal look into what was gained, lost and then found again, to reach the ultimate catharsis for the players involved and, more appropriately, an entire country and more.  It’s a movie that has subject matter, riddled with a  variety of emotions, and presented them as thoroughly as possible, no matter how gut wrenching they may be.

Make no mistake, this movie can be difficult to watch.  Whether the events of September 11th are still a sensitive subject, or whether the idea of any kind of torture, no matter the outcome, is horrific, emotions will be touched upon in this 2 1/2 hour endeavor.  Zero Dark Thirty is an overall accomplishment in film-making and storytelling.

Rated R for strong violence including brutal disturbing images, and for language.  Running time: 157 minutes.

Summary:

HOME THEATER DEAL OF THE WEEK

Samsung 40-inch Black LED 1080p 3D HDTV UN40F6400

Enjoy your favorite programming in beautiful high-definition with the Samsung UN40F6400 TV.  With incredible clarity and a Clear Motion Rate of 480, your images will be smooth and blur-free.  Connect directly to the internet to stream your favorite music or programs with the built-in Wi-Fi capabilities and Samsung’s proprietary Smart Hub TV.