Aside from the ultra nerdy and early tech adopters that have a handle on the latest technologies, I see three common questions the average Joe might ask before looking to take the Slingbox plunge:

1. "What is Slingbox?"

2. "Does it really work?"

3. "Can I see it in action or get a good demo?"

Numbers one and two are pretty easy to answer, "Slingbox let's you watch and control your home television sources from anywhere," and "Yes, it really works."

The tricky question is number three. Shy of knowing someone that already owns a Slingbox to let you peer over their shoulder at the laptop screen or bugging the guy at Starbucks to let you take SlingPlayer through its paces, there really hasn't been any good way to take Slingbox for a spin and see exactly how it works before you buy. Fortunately, Sling Media and their sales teams are taking steps to change the answer to number three from "the guy at Starbucks" to a much better solution.

I was recently chatting with Sling Media's Dave Zatz, and learned Sling has been working with Micro Center, a national retailer of computer and technology goods, to put together new displays, train employees, and better demonstrate Slingbox to customers on the showroom floor. Using a real, working PC streaming live programming from a Slingbox to a flat screen display, users can now interact with Slingbox while getting their questions answered from knowledgeable Micro Center employees.

To get an idea on what this is like, check out the two photos of the Sling display at Micro Center below:

Click for full size

"We're very excited to be working closely with Micro Center to promote the Slingbox," said Gregg Wilkes, VP of Sales for Sling Media when asked about their relationship with Micro Center. "We are firm believers that when it comes to the Slingbox you have to see it to believe it. Therefore, each Micro Center store will have a fully functional Slingbox demo and store reps have been trained by our very own Slingvangelists."

Slingvangelist is kind of a funny word, but it's a long-time nickname for their sales reps.

Kevin Jones, Vice President over at Micro Center, is equally stoked about working with Sling to show off one of the coolest gadgets in ages.

"Our customers have been waiting for a product like Slingbox. Today's digital lifestyle consumer demands mobile connectivity to multimedia content from anywhere using a variety of computing devices," he says. "As Slingbox continues to drive partnerships with national media content providers there are few limitations to what types of experiences this product can enable and we plan to be there to support Sling Media as they expand their business."

Most stores aren't even sure where to put Slingbox on the shelf (should it go in computer networking peripherals or home theater gear?), let alone how to demonstrate it effectively. Kudos to both Sling's sales staff and Micro Center for addressing the need to better show the Slingbox at retail and getting employees educated enough to answer questions beyond, "How much is it?" and "Did you want an extended warranty with that?"

We Slingers all love to show off our Slingboxes (and this certainly won't change that), but it's nice to have a place to send the "normies" for a good demo if we just don't have the time. Hopefully we'll see similar efforts with other major retailers down the road if this turns out to be successful for both Sling, Micro Center, and the customer.