We are like all companies and use the internet to advertise our products.  We try to keep our website www.a2000systems.co.uk regularly updated either with new products or with info on how things are going with the company in general (see the articles section on the website).  It pays to check us out to see what we are up to as we are always looking at our products to see if they can be improved (not that theres nothing wrong with them!)  and also if we are stocking anything that might be a solution to a specific requirement that you are looking for.  We are also updating the shopping facilites that we use so that we can still reach a wide audience again with new or improved products.  Know where and advertise  is always a hit and miss affair - we are always looking at expanding our sales to to do this we need to be flexible.  We need to look at what sources will be the best for us and can change either the magazine or shopping facility accordingly so as to reach a greater share of the market/public.  As more and more companies use the net we need to try to be at the top which cant be easy at times but we always are adapting and changing to try to come out on top!

A2000 Systems is no different to most businesses.  At the end of the day we are looking to make a profit from the products we sell.  Getting a business plan that works can be a time consuming affair with many aspects to take into consideration.  Starting at the beginning we saw that LCD/Plasma TV’s were being mounted on the wall more and more so designed a range of brackets for this purpose.  These sold very well but soon we realised that the market had become saturated with wall-mounting brackets and that we needed to branch out.  We then developed a extensive range of Cable Management Systems which not only complemented our brackets but also ones from other sources so if someone already had one they would still consider bying a CMS from us.  With our website displaying our range of items we then needed a gateway to direct customers to us and have used both magazines and various shopping facilities for this purpose with great success.  We also used “word of mouth” which has not only helped product sales but is of course free.  At A2000 we are constantly looking into every aspect of the business so that we can continue to give the public what we feel they want in this ever changing visual/audio market.  If you have any views about us then (both positive or negative) we are always grateful for these pointers!

When it comes to defining an invention that has shaped the modern world people will argue till the cows come home.  If you were to survey most people then it would be a toss up between the car, the telephone or the internet.  Since its invention the internet has shaped our lives more and more and there is not a single aspect that hasn’t been affected by its all powerful touch.  It effects our daily lives not only from the moment we wake to the time we go to bed but continues to interact with us even when we are counting sheep.  It makes no destinction of age, colour, economic or social status, global position, religion - the list goes on.  Its reach is also felt from the moment we are born to the day we day - some will say it even effects us outside this timeline.  There are those who live their complete lives using the internet and before long not a single person on the planet will not have had some dealing with the all powerful world wide web - billions of us will have something in common, from the 8 year old in China right through to the tribal leader in Borneo.  To encompass the internet and its place in the modern world in a 150 word blog is impossible and to truely define its impact on us all would take literally a lifetime.  Watch this space!

Once again its my look at some of the latest gadgets as advertised in “Stuff” magazine. This publication is well worth a browse if you are looking at buying yourself (or a loved one) something wonderful, weird or down right unusual. The first offering is the “Parrot AR.Drone” - an iPhone-controlled small copter that you controll by twisting and tilting your iPhone or iPod Touch. It beams back live video to you and has a handy autopilot for those who cant control their chopper. Good for adults and kids and those you like to spy on their neighbours! Or what about the “Stealth Laptop Sleeve” - a cunning tearproff, waterproff laptop pouch thats disguised to look like a tatty old jiffy bag. It fits anything from 8in up to 17in and only costs £17 (who said security wasnt cheap?) For the budding World Heavyweight Boxing Champs out there in armchair world hows about a Q12 Punch Bag (£100) to make you get up and vent some anger. The classic shape punch bags come in a variety of print finishes ranging from a picture of the Empire State Building, Fairy Cakes to various coloured Postage Stamps. My favourite has to be the one stuffed with foam and shaped like a pigs carcass - ideal for all pugalistic meat eaters!!

Whilst most people seem to think that 3D will be BIG NEWS in 2010 there is no consensus about which delivery method will prove most popular.  While the Blu-ray camp is hoping it holds all the cards TV broadcasters may well give them a run for their money.  A recent survey of 1000 HDTV owners founds that three-fourths of us would rather get a 3D fix from satellite/cable than from Blu-ray.  A majority of those quizzed even went as far as saying that a 3D channel is enough of a draw to make them switch TV supplier for a rival’s service.  A market research company found that the majority would prefer subscribing to a 3D movie channel than purchasing 3D Blu-ray discs.  78% of those asked said they had had a 3D viewing experience and over 50% expressed interest in watching 3D at home.  The number crunchers spokeswoman is confident the format will take off – “Consumers who have seen a 3D film in the past tear are very interested in owning a 3D screen even if it does require glasses”.  It now seems that the public are on the threshold of wanting this new technology and that combined with industry standardisation will allow 3D to really take off.

At the museum of a well known French carmaker it auctioned off its “duplicates” so it could afford to fill in the gaps.    The auction in Sochaux (halfway between Dijon and Zurich) is a small nondescript town but on offer at the museum (it get 100,000 visitors per year) were some unique and interesting vehicles and items.  These varied in type, age and condition – a hydrogen quad bike replica (broken), a popemobile (unused), a 1930’s pushbike (no tyres), 10 coffee grinders (empty), a futuristic concept car (from 1988).  This French car giant has 200 years of history on show ranging from drills, saws, sewing machine and even cars!  So here’s a collection of what some of the items went for:  Armour-plated 206Gti £11.5k, Oxia built for 1988 Paris show £108k, 504 Papamobile (never used in papal anger) £8.5k, Quark replica hydrogen guad bike (complete with knackered electric motors) £6.3k, 205T16 EVO rally car (only contested 2 events) £201k, D4A Fourgon Vitre restored van (needs new clutch) bargain at £2k, 1995 Jordan F1 car (1 3^rd place and 6 retirements) £62k.  My fav has to be the Popemobile (described at the auction by some of the cannier collectors as “absolutely f***in useless).  By the way the empty coffee grinders went for £540 – wot a bargain!!!

Don’t expect a mass migration to domestic 3D just yet – that’s the cautious message from a leading Japanese manufacturers chief American marketing officer.  Whilst they are expecting 50 per cent of their TV’s to be 3D-capable by 2013 they are warning against a big initial uptake with most other big brand names adopting 3D technology taking a similar stanch.  The cost of upgrading your home entertainment set-up to allow 3D-compatibility is the main reason why take-up may be gradual.  Those looking for the Full HD 3D experience will not only need a new 3D screen but will also have to fork out on a 3D Blu-ray player and an updated AV amp.  On the plus side however 3D is launching with no competing standards to baffle buyers and the software industry is as keen as the hardware companies to establish the format.  The Blu-ray Disc Assoc announced final specs in December 2009 for 3D after a year and a half of talks and negotiations between the world largest hardware suppliers.  This will allow standards to be maintained across the equipment board and it seems that the industry is looking at 3D TV as a long game rather than a gimmick as some believe.

Little more than 10 years or so ago a 32inch TV would have been seen as an plaything for the audio-visual aficionado, a bulky expensive extravagance.  Since then, however flatscreens have replaced CRTs and thus enabling prices to come down and sizes to increase.  Nowadays a mid-sized LCD set is the starting point for anyone looking to give TV broadcasts justice or movie pictures a proper airing.  32in screens are by far the most popular at the moment and the range of choice that is on offer can be bewildering.  Narrowing it down to a final decision seems like a never ending task with most flatscreens that are available at the moment boasting impressive specifications and additional features and then there is the question of how much do you spend.  With prices that range from say £400 up to £1000 and above there is more than enough choice to bewilder the feature AV punter.  Also some people may choose to look at buying a Plasma screen with a handful on offer at under a grand.  Anyone after something a little more adventurous meanwhile may plump for a 40-42in for the same sort of money that they would have spent on a 32in flatscreen - its all swings and roundabouts!

Once upon a time if you wanted a computer then maybe the only real option was a PC.  With the advent of the Mac series of computers (be it the iMac or the MacBook) then there became a serious contender in the PC market.  One of my brothers has both a MacBook and a iMac which if you ask him thinks “its the greatest thing since sliced bread”.  I must admit I do like the look of the iMac which is a great piece of design.  He also has an iPhone which again I will admit I do like.  Going back to the question of “Mac Vs PC”  I admit I am not the most knowledgeable about which is the better machine as I am still using an “ancient” PC which is suitable for my needs of emailing, browsing the web and storing/viewing my photo’s.  And now there is the “iPad” - a 9.7inch LED backlit display hand held gadget that looks like a larger iPhone.  Weighing in at 1.5lbs and just 0.5in thick its capable of receiving your emails, surfing the net, viewing your pic’s etc as well as being able to use almost 140,000 apps ranging from games to productivity apps.  The original press releases do seem impressive and will have “Apple-fans” drooling and with prices starting in at 500 bucks it appears they are on to a winner (just waiting now for my Apple loving brother to obtain one!).  I do have a tendency to look at products from a design point of view and there is just something about Apple’s range of white machines!

It can always be difficult knowing what the public likes to buy to keep their TV screen on.  Once upon a time it used to be a nice stylish table to keep all their visual equipment on.  Then with the advent of the LCD and Plasma TV they decided that mounting them on a wall was a viable alternative.  This didn’t help if you had a DVD player and Digibox – you still ended up using the old table for these bits.  A2000 Systems range of functional cable management systems complimented our extensive range of TV wall-mounting brackets so you didn’t have to buy one item from one supplier and one item from us.  We quickly realised that there still was a market and a need for the classic 3 tier table so we decided to stock a whole range of styles and sizes with no one type proving more or less popular.  However black did seem to be the more favoured be it for a table or for a cable management system.  Demand for tables changed week by week with one particular type selling generally more than the other ones.  We do try to stock a wide range of products that hopefully the public like but at the end of the day find it a juggling act trying to keep up.