• June 27th, 2011

    Macbook Air Sell-Outs Point To Upcoming Refresh

    Another day, another sold-out Mac product that points to a refresh. This time Best Buy is the culprit, noting that current MBA notebooks are not shipping from its stores. This usually means that a refresh is coming within the next few days and is most probably a minor upgrade of little interest to the average user but that will piss people off who just bought an MBA in the last week to no end. → Read More

    June 8th, 2011

    On The Move: Kal Patel Leaves Best Buy For Cleantech Fund VantagePoint

    VantagePoint Capital Partners, a global cleantech fund focused on energy and efficiency, today revealed that former Best Buy executive Kal Patel is joining the firm as partner. Patel is expected to grow VPCP’s “European presence,” and lead its international “strategic partnerships” according to a press statement from the fund.

    At Best Buy, Patel worked as executive vice president and president of… → Read More

    May 17th, 2011

    Best Buy And Nintendo Teaming Up To Serve 3DS Games Via Wi-Fi

    Best Buy will open up their in-store wireless networks to allow kids (and kids at heart) to download games in their stores. They will also, obviously, sell the 3DS and will provide a “firsthand look at the platform with experts” in store.

    While it’s certainly magnanimous of Best Buy to open their Wi-Fi to the masses, I wonder how much of this will end up being an upsell? “Pair your 3DS with Wi-Fi… → Read More

    April 15th, 2011

    Best Buy May Release Hostage iPad 2s In Nation-Wide Sale This Sunday

    There’s been some talk about Best Buy allegedly hoarding iPad 2s in order to have inventory for a big sale. We heard a few different stories and I don’t know what to actually believe, but it appears that those rumors had some truth, because Best Buy is apparently going to launch an event on Sunday across the country, according to a leaked memo. → Read More

    April 11th, 2011

    Best Buy Forces Customer To Buy Service Plan To Get An iPad 2 Out Of Storage

    We’re hearing a few interesting things about Best Buy these days, especially when it comes to selling iPads. While many of these are isolated incidents, they all point to a general nastiness on the part of Best Buy employees and management who know a good thing when they see one.

    First we have Best Buy employees holding back iPads 2 during periods of high demand and now we have managers… → Read More

    April 7th, 2011

    Rumor [Smashed]: iPad 2 Mishandling Gets Best Buy Blacklisted By Apple

    A reader who works at Best Buy just told us that there’s been a bit of a misunderstanding between the electronics retailer and Apple. Apparently, Best Buy was holding off on selling the iPad 2s it had in stock, telling customers there weren’t any when in fact they had just reached their quota of sales for the day.

    Not smart, BB! → Read More

    March 30th, 2011

    Roku Now In Big Retail Stores

    Friend: So I’m thinking about cutting the cord.
    Me: Oh yeah? You should buy a Roku then.
    Friend: I don’t know what that is. I only buy my gadgets from big box stores.
    Me: Well good news. Best Buy, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Fry’s Electronics and RadioShack now carry it.
    Friend: How much?
    Me: About $80 for the XD.
    Friend: Oh great, glad to hear Best Buy is going to carry it. I wouldn’t have known… → Read More

    March 29th, 2011

    Best Buy Adds 4G To Its Mobile Internet Service

    Best Buy is now in the the 4G business. The company has announced that its Best Buy Connect service, which first launched last July, will now support 4G, courtesy of a deal worked out with Clearwire. Access to the 4G network will set you back $45 per month, with Best Buy willing to waive the $35 activation fee if you agree to a two-year contract. → Read More

    March 22nd, 2011

    RIM Reveals BlackBerry PlayBook Versions, Pricing (Starts At $499), Retail Partners

    In case you were holding out for a BlackBerry PlayBook: good news. Research In Motion this morning announced (expected) plans to make the tablet computer available in more than 20,000 retail outlets in the U.S. and Canada. Indeed, pricing starts at $499.

    In the U.S., outlets include AT&T, Best Buy, Office Depot, RadioShack, Sprint and Staples.

    Best Buy has already announced that the tablet… → Read More

    March 7th, 2011

    Best Buy: Yes, Floor Staff Get Tablets, But Not Necessarily iPads

    We’ve heard some rumors that Best Buy would be providing its staff members with iPads for work — that is to say, as tools to carry while on the job, looking up prices on the internal website, doing price comparisons, and so on. Best Buy has acknowledged that it it is indeed thinking about handing out tablets — but that it hasn’t actually decided on the iPad. → Read More

    March 7th, 2011

    Australian College To Give Free iPads To Students; Best Buy To Give iPads To On-Floor Staff?

    Remember when the iPod was the new kid on the block a few years ago, and there was all those stories about various colleges including the portable media player to their students? History is repeating itself, only this time with the shiny and new iPad. Oh, and to Best Buy employees! → Read More

    February 28th, 2011

    Best Buy's Buyback Program? Yeah, Not So Hot

    There are a few buyback programs out there, and at CES we even saw a meta-buyback program, EcoSquid, that lets you get the best price from among those. But retail electronics juggernaut Best Buy had to have a piece of the pie — and why not? They have a captive audience of people who like to shop “in real life” and who would probably be excited to get anything for an old TV.

    Unsurprisingly… → Read More

    February 18th, 2011

    Google, Best Buy & Others Form Alliance To Champion AllVid Adapter

    The FCC proposed something called AllVid last year, a device that would help deliver “multichannel video programming and Internet content” to whatever it’s connected to. The cable companies freaked out, calling AllVid a one-way ticket to “ignor[ing] copyright, patent, trademark, contract privity, licensing, and other legal rights and limitations that have been thoroughly documented.”… → Read More

    February 14th, 2011

    Best Buy Brings In Ozzy And Bieber To Completely Hose TechForward, Says Lawsuit

    You don’t see total betrayals like this every day. But if the facts that TechForward are alleging in their lawsuit (embedded below) against Best Buy are true, this is some truly sleazy stuff.

    Last year, says the lawsuit, Best Buy and TechForward engaged in a trial program of TechForward’s Guaranteed Buyback Plan in a number of Best Buy stores. Customers choose to purchase the plan at the time… → Read More

    February 7th, 2011

    Motorola Xoom Will Cost $800 And Require A Data Plan, Says Leaked Best Buy Ad

    When we first saw of the Motorola Xoom at CES, we thought and said good things. How could you go wrong with a dual-core full Honeycomb tablet? Then we heard rumors that Motorola wanted to sell a lot, so that got us thinking that the price would be competitive. Then we started seeing rumors of an $800 price tag, and that made us sad. And now it has been all but confirmed that it will cost $800 when… → Read More

    February 7th, 2011

    HD Guru Turns Up The Dirt On Best Buy's Buy Back Program

    Best Buy wants to buy your old electronics. That’s actually nothing new. The retailer had trade in programs for years. Unlike those deals through 3rd party services, the new Buy Back plan will be sold like extended warranties and then rewards buyers a gift card when the product is turned back in. But is it worth it? HD Guru took a deep look at the HDTV section and discovered that in some… → Read More

    January 30th, 2011

    Rumour: HTC Thunderbolt to hit Best Buy Feb 14th

    What you’re looking at above is a screenshot from a Best Buy inventory. Pretty amazing, eh? But why am I showing it to you? There seems to be nothing juicy about it. Y’see, it’s not all that it appears to be, my friend…

    Pulling off some serous sleuthing, Android Central forum member, paulmike3, noticed that the number seen up the top left of the image (highlighted as number 3) is actually the… → Read More

    January 19th, 2011

    Best Buy To Talk You Out Of Verizon iPhone (Which They Won't Have) With A BGR Blog Post

    We’re now just three weeks away from the launch of the iPhone on Verizon’s network (or two weeks if you’re already a Verizon customer). There’s no question it’s going to be a massive seller. And we already knew that AT&T would attempt to do everything in their power to make sure that their customers don’t jump ship. But now it appears that they may have a partner in this perilous mission… → Read More

    January 16th, 2011

    New iPad 2 Rumors Could Suggest Price Difference For Retina Display

    Here’s yet another piece of proof that the next iPad may be coming soon. As Devin pointed out yesterday, there is support for large (perhaps Retina Display) resolution graphics, all tied up in the latest release of Apple’s iBooks app. Now, some new leakage by way of Best Buy, that tells us the new iPad 2 may be right around the corner. → Read More

    January 10th, 2011

    Best Buy Sells Future Proofing For Your Gadgets

    It happens to everyone; you buy that new phone, or laptop – and then a new more powerful version of the same product comes out the very next week. Best Buy has come out with a program designed to help with this phenomenon, but it doesn’t come cheap. → Read More

    December 20th, 2010

    Best Buy Brings The Banhammer Down On Its Own Restocking Fees

    Yay for consumer-friendly practices! Best Buy no longer has restocking fees meaning the following can be returned without incurring any additional cost: iPhones, computers, tablets, projectors, camcorders, digital cameras, radar detectors, GPS navigation, in-car video systems, DJ equipment and lighting, or Pro-Audio equipment. Only special order items will still carry the fee. This isn’t… → Read More

    December 16th, 2010

    Best Buy sells Droid 2 Global and Droid Pros for cheap, Verizon gets mad, drops ban hammer

    If you thought that Best Buy selling the Droid 2 Global for $100, or the Droid Pro for $50, was a crazy-mad bargain, it seems that you weren’t the only one.

    Engadget are reporting that Best Buy have issued a “stop sale” on the two handsets, and are officially dubbing it a recall. It’s so serious, in fact, that it seems Verizon are no longer activating any phones bought at Best Buy.

    But, with no… → Read More

    December 15th, 2010

    Dell Streak drops to $100 at Best Buy

    For those with a love of jumbo phones, or 80% off sales, Best Buy have just dropped the price of the recently froyo-nated Dell Streak from $499.99 to a mere $99.99 (plus two years with AT&T). No matter which way you look at it, that’s a bargain*. It’s available in both the black and the white versions at this price, so no matter what your gadget-colour affiliation, you’re… → Read More

    November 17th, 2010

    White Dell Streak now available exclusively from Best Buy

    If you like white as much as you like large phones, then you’ll be chuffed to know that Best Buy now (exclusively) have the Dell Streak available in white.

    Well, kind of… It’s not all white: it’s white-backed, giving it a two-tone look reminiscent of 1920s gangster footwear. → Read More

    November 17th, 2010

    Now Best Buy Is Offering Free Shipping

    Best Buy wants your business this holiday season. They want your business so bad that they will cover the cost of shipping on most of the items they sell. CDs, DVDs, AV equipment — the vast majority of the online store now ships for free. Of course in-store pickup is still available at no charge as well with the free shipping offer valid through December 21. Note, free shipping does not apply to… → Read More

    October 5th, 2010

    Facial Recognition Tech Startup Viewdle Raises $10 Million From Best Buy, Others

    Facial recognition technology companies have been in the limelight lately, with Apple buying Polar Rose for a rumored $29 million and rival Face.com raising $4.3 million from Russian search juggernaut Yandex and others.

    A lesser-known but equally impressive startup in said field, Viewdle, announces today that it has secured $10 million in Series B funding from a group of noteworthy investors that… → Read More

    September 28th, 2010

    Best Buy ‘Happy To Sell’ BlackBerry PlayBook

    If you want that BlackBerry tablet, the PlayBook, your best bet may be to visit a Best Buy near you. Best Buy’s chief executive said that when the device hits the market (hopefully before the end of the year), “we’ll be happy to offer it to our customers.” → Read More

    September 23rd, 2010

    Tecca, Best Buy's Secret Weapon Against Competition

    On the surface, Tecca looks like a pretty cool service. You download an app, browse it for devices you’re looking at in store, and figure out if the price is right. How? By checking out online prices, most notably the prices available from Best Buy, one of the investors in Fuse Capital, creator of Tecca. Even if the app brings up 50 other prices from 50 other stores, the assumption here is that BB… → Read More

    September 22nd, 2010

    Canon 60D On Sale Right Now

    I just walked into Best Buy and what do I see? A stack of Canon 60Ds ready to be grabbed. The lady working said that they just came in; when she looked on their internal website it showed full availability and no holds. If you’ve been waiting for the new 18.0 megapixel camera with the Vari-Angle LCD and superb video quality then now is your chance–you can grab this new SLR with an 18-135mm lens… → Read More

    September 17th, 2010

    Best Buy CEO: The Reports Of Microsoft's Death Are Grossly Exaggerated… By Me.

    All day, the Internet has been erupting with news that the age of notebook and netbooks is over, and the age of tablets — specifically, the iPad, of course — has begun. One of the main catalysts of this eruption was Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn who supposedly told the Wall Street Journal that the iPad is cannibalizing laptop sales, especially netbook sales. Or did he?

    Here’s the blurb from the WSJ… → Read More