If they can talk, can they get angry?

Newark, New Jersey based iSpeech is best known for their DriveSafe.ly app, but now plans to bring its voice-recognition expertise to a brand new arena – the home. Could we soon be discussing last night’s episode of Game of Thrones with our dishwasher? Maybe not, but iSpeech’s recognition of natural talk, rather than basing their software of a preset list of commands, will make setting the DVR or preheating the fridge a bit more personal. (more…)

We got the pleasure of getting our grimy little fingers on Google’s impressive new 7-inch tablet – the Nexus 7.  Google’s first attempt at designing and building a tablet from the ground up was essentially everything they said it would be; smooth like butter.

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A completely “connected” home is becoming easier with the new line of Cisco routers designed to expand the experience of a home network while making set-up, monitoring, and controlling it easier than ever before .  As people’s habits of consuming bandwidth-heavy multimedia increase, Cisco has developed a router to keep up with this data demand and just because they made their products more advanced, doesn’t mean they are more difficult to use – quiet the opposite in fact. (more…)

If you are still shopping for the perfect TV for the upcoming Super Bowl, Abt Electronics made a stop at WGN TV yesterday morning. Take a look at our news and reviews for the best TVs to watch all the Big Sunday Action!

While the result of this past weekend’s football game was less than thrilling for us in the Chicagoland area, a lot of the fun came from the build up. One of the exciting things came from planning a party.  Josh Davis, made an appearance on NBC Morning News on Saturday to share some of his ideas for great things to have for your ultimate football party.  While our Bear’s chances are dashed, all these items are still great to get for the upcoming Super Bowl in February.

Monday, Sony announced NetFlix will be available on the PS3 game console starting in November. XBox 360, rival to the PS3, already allowed users to access NetFlix—subscription only for $50 per year.

The PS3 will be able to stream movies and programming from the NetFlix online library at no charge as long as you are a NetFlix subscriber.

Temporarily, users will need to access NetFlix with a special Blu-ray disc, eventually just getting downloadable updates from the internet.

-Kelly B.

“Cash for Appliances” is the latest Federal stimulus program. Similar to the “Cash for Clunkers” program, the government is hoping to stimulate the economy and help consumers save money in the long run with Energy Star appliances.

According to an article in today’s Wall Street Journal (where Abt’s showroom was featured), each state will individually determine how much of a $50 to $200 rebate will be offered for specific energy-saving appliances.

Abt’s General Manager, Mark Cook, spoke with both ABC and NBC’s local news stations about the latest incentive program on August 26, 2009.

Abt is currently offering great deals on Energy Star Appliances, contact any Abt appliance specialist for details. Click Here

For more information on the new Federal Program, “Cash for Appliances,” Click here

Also, to read more on “Cash for Appliances” follow the link to the Wall Street Journal Article, Click here

-Kelly B.

Abt audio/video manager Marc Cook was featured on Chicago’s ABC-TV a few days ago, talking about the digital television (DTV) transition that goes into effect this Friday and discussing the things you need to do to make sure you’re prepared. After watching this video, be sure to check out the post below, which contains more details as well as information about our new Antennas Buying Guide.

—by Graham W.

Those of you who shop on our website may have wondered from time to time just what our store looks like in person. You’ve probably read things about our Atrium, our Apple Store, our Sony Store, the Time Watch Boutique, our huge saltwater aquarium, and other store attractions, but it’s hard to visualize what they actually look like unless you’ve been here.

That’s why we’ve put together this Virtual Tour of Abt, which lets you wander around the store as if you were really here. You can click on areas of interest, zoom in for a closer look, and basically take in the whole Abt experience at your own pace. There are convenient navigation tools, a map, and instructions that tell you what the various arrows and other symbols do when you click on them, if you’re unsure. Just click on the photo above, and you’ll be on your way.

Our first virtual tour was posted on our site four years ago, but while looking at it recently, we noticed how much things had changed. So we decided to create this new one, which we hope you enjoy. We also hope to see you in person one of these days.    —by Graham W.

Abt audio/video manager Marc Cook made an appearance last night on national superstation WGN-TV, during the station’s nightly newscast. Marc talked about the digital television (DTV) transition, which is scheduled to take place on June 12, and discussed the things TV viewers need to be aware of if they’re not already prepared for the analog-signal shutoff. Here’s a video clip of Marc’s appearance:

A recent tracking poll by Nielsen Media Research found that nearly 3.5 million households in the U.S. remain unprepared for the DTV transition. The original analog shutoff date was February 17, but the federal government gave TV stations the option of waiting until June 12 because so many people still weren’t ready for the transition. Approximately 33 percent of U.S. television stations have shut off their analog signals and currently broadcast only in digital.

To see if you or someone you know needs to take steps to avoid losing your TV signals on June 12, click here to read our handy DTV Transition Guide. If you still need a DTV converter box, click here to see the selection available at Abt. To see our entire line of digital-ready TVs, click here.     —by Graham W.