Newsletter October 2009

Hi,

A regular Collectorz.com newsletter, with lots of news and
a Dutch collector sharing his story.

No team video this time, but AJ did create a cool video about the new
Opticon OPR-3201 laser barcode scanner that is now on sale.
Watch the video here:
http://www.collectorz.com/opr3201-offer.php

In case you missed our email with the special offer, here's the deal:

** Get your OPR-3201 laser scanner for only $79.95 **

I was able to buy 850 units of this high-quality and super robust scanner,
for a very low price. And because I want all of you to experience the joys
of cataloging stuff by scanning barcodes, I will let you buy this scanner
for only $79.95 (regular retail price is $114.95).

This offer ends on November 15 - 23:59 or when stock runs out,
whichever comes first.

HOWEVER: since announcing this offer last Thursday, we have already sold
over SIX HUNDRED units. Currently, there's only 231 scanners left.

So... if you want one too, you will have to act NOW. Go here, fast:

http://www.collectorz.com/opr3201-offer.php

The OPR-3201 is fully compatible with the Windows, Mac and Connect editions.

** Live now: Book Collector Connect. Try it free for 30 days **

On October 12, we launched the book edition of Collectorz.com Connect:

* Publish your book collection online by uploading it to Connect.
and/or
* Catalog books online by using Connect as a stand-alone online book database.

Browse our public demo collection here:
http://connect.collectorz.com/users/demo/books

We have received some great feedback from "early adopters" and Robbert,
Sven, Ronald and Dinh are already implementing many of your suggestions to
both Book Collector Connect and Movie Collector Connect.
Thanks for helping us improve these new services!

Next up: Game Collector Connect!

** All iPhone apps updated to version 1.1 **

Dinh has just finished creating 1.1 updates of all iPhone/iPod touch apps.
Clz Movies, Clz Music, Clz Books and Clz Comics are live in Apple's App
Store already. Clz Games is still in their approval queue, but I expect it
to be released this week.

New in the 1.1 editions:
* Smart "Updates Only" Exporting makes updating your iPhone/iPod much faster
* New sorting options, on several fields, ascending or descending
* New fields and tab pages
* Better support for longer titles
* Improved layout of details pages
* Save cover images to Camera Roll and use them as your wallpaper
* Faster iTunes backups because cover images are not included anymore

Already own the apps?
The get your free update using the Updates tab in the App Store on your
iPhone / iPod touch or by using Applications / Check for Updates in iTunes.

Own an iPhone or iPod touch, but no Clz apps yet? Then check em out here:
http://www.collectorz.com/iphone-apps.php

** Meet the Collector: Jacco de Wit **

"In 1984 (I was twelve) my father brought one of the first CD-players home.
A Philips (forgot the type, sorry about that) with a built-in pre-amp. The
thing weighed a ton! Living in the city where the technology of
transferring digital audio through laser was actually invented (at Philips
NatLab, Eindhoven), my father (a Philips employee - like almost 50 per cent
of the people living in Eindhoven at that time) got a big discount on that
player. It costed him 2,400 Dutch guilders (appr. $ 1,500 US Dollars). Man,
THAT was a lot of money back than.

The player had no remote control, but came with 4 FREE CDs! 'Let's Dance'
by David Bowie, 'Love over Gold' by Dire Straits, 'Seven and the Ragged
Tiger' by Duran Duran and a classical music sampler from the Archiv label.
I was in awe.
It was simply the most wonderful thing I had ever seen and heard! I
remember too that with the player and the disc, a catalog was issued. A
book, consisting of a mere 200 pages. Containing ALL the then available
CDs. With cover art and descriptions! The Full CD Guide 1984/1985.
It's insane what happened since. A couple of years back, I bought The
Penguin Guide To Jazz On CD. A massive book, with over 1,500 pages and
only the index counts around 80 pages. And that's "jazz".

1984, the year of Purple Rain (Prince, one of my all time heroes), will
never be forgotten. It was the start of my addiction.. er.. collection. It
started with those three CDs that came with the player (my father kept the
classical music sampler). Next were the Prince albums that started to come
out on CD. Remember, 40 Dutch guilders (18 euros now or $ 25 USD) was a
great deal of money. And me, being a teenager, deprived of the necessary
liquidities, had a hard time. But still, every extra went to music. Well,
everything, actually.

My first place to store my discs was a shoebox. Then I bought some kind of
casket that would hold 60(!). I thought that thing would stay empty
forever. But.. it did not and I needed a second one. Alas! It was not being
sold anymore. So I found a nice series of boxes to store my (then 100) CDs.
When these were full, they were also gone from the shops.
Well ... this went on for quite some time. And then, somewhere around the
year 2000, IKEA made Benno! Benno holds appr. 12x15 discs (180). I now have
12 Bennos (and two on their way). That's, indeed, 2,160 CDs.

And thanks to the alphabet (and the wonderful Collectorz.com software)
I know what I have and where to find it!

I still have the three CDs that came with the player. And despite all that
they say about the data not being eternal (some even say that it won't last
15 years), they're still fine. We're talking 25 years now.

I bought the missing classical music sampler about 5 years ago. Found it in
a thriftway and I still wonder why somebody would want to part with it."

And with that, we end this long email.

Enjoy (and connect) your collection,

Alwin
Collectorz.com