Spar

The Ellen Show Segment Featuring the ZEPHYR!

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 08:58:22 +0000

Before Christmas we were thrilled to be a part of Ellen's 12 Days of Giveaways. On day nine of her giveaways, Ellen had an all-music day, and gave away a guitar, keyboard and a ZEPHYR Speaker! Ellen dubbed it "one of the coolest devices we've ever given away." Check out The Ellen Show segment here:

Video coming soon.

Ellen’s 12 Days of Giveaways – Featuring the ZEPHYR!

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 09:47:42 +0000

Today is Day 9 in Ellen’s 12 Days of Giveaways. So far she’s awarded gift cards, eBook readers, videogames and even Hulu memberships to her lucky audience members. Today, however, we’re very excited that she’ll be giving away none other than our ZEPHYR 550 and a brand new iPod Touch!

The excitement in the SPAR offices can hardly be contained – be sure to tune in today (check here to find out when it airs in your area) to see the giveaway!

A big thanks to Ellen for featuring us and we hope everyone enjoys their new ZEPHYR 550!

Want to purchase a ZEPHYR for someone on your holiday list? Check out our line of Bluetooth speakers and pick the one that’s perfect for his or her lifestyle!

Spread Holiday Cheer with your Zephyr Portable Speaker

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 21:34:42 +0000

Let’s set the scene: There’s hustle and bustle happening in the kitchen as preparations ramp up for a special holiday meal. You’d like to listen to music and your phone really needs to be charged, but while you’re cooking, you can only accomplish so much at one time. Suddenly your phone rings, but you don’t have enough hands to hold the phone and continue cooking during your conversation.

Thankfully, the team here at Spar has developed the perfect mobile solution for all of your needs. Enter: the Zephyr of portable speakers, speakerphone and device charger – all in one!

With three different product styles to choose from, the Zephyr offers capabilities that most portable speakers could only dream of, paired with a much sleeker design.

The Zephyr 300 is a speaker small enough to fit in your pocket, and offers approximately 12 hours of playtime. The sleek Zephyr 500 speaker fits easily in a bag or purse, is available in both black and white, and boasts an amazing 18 hours of wire-free operation. The high-end 550 model is encased in aircraft grade anodized aluminum, is available in silver and black, and offers a class-leading 28 hours of battery life.

The Zephyr not only allows you to seamlessly listen to music while also charging your mobile device, but it also acts as the perfect speakerphone device. It allows you to talk right through the device – and without having your phone tied to the speaker location! Just connect your cell phone and Zephyr via Bluetooth and start taking calls; it’s that easy!

It’s essential during the holidays that electronics are simple to use, perform at a high quality, and offer a sleek design that will enhance your holiday décor. The Zephyr perfectly combines all of these elements into a small package, and even offers the ability to talk to family members who couldn’t make it to the holiday celebration!

To get your Zephyr just in time for the holidays, visit SPAR.com to preorder now! We start shipping on December 15.

Best Music Apps for iPhone

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 03:47:17 +0000

With so many apps in the iTunes store, it’s hard to differentiate the good from the best in mobile apps. While we’re quite clear on who has the best speakers, we have to ask ourselves, what are the best mobile apps for the iPhone?

Pandora. Pandora is simple to use and available for free on your iPhone. Simply name a favorite artist or song and Pandora creates a station for you.
Shazam. Over 165 million people around the world use Shazam to discover new songs. Available for most mobile devices, including iOS, BlackBerry and Android, Shazam adds more than 1.5 million new “Shazamers” every week, according to their website.
Last.fm. Founded across the pond in the United Kingdom, Last.fm is a favorite among members of our staff. Use Last.fm to track the music you and your friends listen to most and get recommendations based on your favorite artists.
Slacker. Slacker allows you to listen anywhere to free personalized Internet radio stations playing your favorite music. As of right now, the service is only available in US and Canada.
iHeartRadio. Similar to Slacker, iHeartRadio is a mobile app with over 800 real radio stations across the country. Don’t like what’s playing on your favorite local station? Create your own based on millions of songs or artists.

Stream your music with these apps and with the line of ZEPHYR portable speakers, speakerphone and device charger from SPAR. For more on the line, visit http://SPAR.com.

Round One: Innovative Package Designs

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 04:15:21 +0000

In the land of online shopping, it’s often extremely difficult to stand out among a sea of products on the electronic shelf.

A recent U.S. study by Shikatani Lacroix shows that packaging remains an important element during the online purchase process. According to Lacroix’s study, “60 percent of respondents use packaging to help them identify what they are buying during their selection process.”

At SPAR, we appreciate innovative designs. Here is a quick list of some of our favorites, more of which we will add in future blog posts:

Anti-Theft Lunch Bags. Say goodbye to the lunchroom troll with these tricky sandwich bags. Equipped with green splotches on either side of the bag, these clever lunchtime necessities will ensure that no one steals your ham sandwich.

Corey’s Wheat Grass. Designed by Anna Magnussen, this simple, yet meticulously crafted design wins high marks for any lover of justified text blocks and refined font.

Reebok Extra Grip Shoes. This design innovation lies not outside of the box, but within. In effort to play up the true grip factor of this pair of climbing shoes, McCann Erickson created packaging to have the shoe still holding on tight to the shoebox lid once removed.

Bravo to leaders in design! Be sure to check back in the future for additional design superstars.