Yesterday, we wrote about Future Checkin, a third-party app that uses Foursquare’s API to check you in to a location without you having to actually hit any buttons to check-in. In fact, you can keep your phone in your pocket and it will work. Today, shopkick is teaming up with Best Buys around the U.S. to offer something similar. But with an important twist: without doing anything, you are rewarded for walking into retail stores. And you can’t fake a check-in with their method.
“This is the intersection of the mobile and the physical world,” shopkick co-founder Cyriac Roeding says. “You turn an offline store into an interactive experience,” he continues.
All of this works by way of a mobile application. The app is able to tell when you walk into a store (Best Buy, in this case) — and where you are in the store (that’s the future plan anyway, but shopkick demoed it today). But the key is that the user is in the store — not in the parking lot or simply close by. This works because “shopkick Signal” technology is installed in the retail stores. This isn’t about GPS. → Read More
Conventional wisdom says that it’d be a better idea to build a ladder to the moon than it would be to start a magazine in 2010. Apparently Best Buy disagrees. The retailer announced, some months back, that it would be starting a new video game magazine called @Gamer. (Pronounced “gamer”—ignore the @.) It hooked up with the good folks at Future, the same people who publish the World of Warcraft magazine, as well as Edge, PC Gamer, and Nintendo Power, to produce it. → Read More
You’ve likely seen the EVO 4G vs. iPhone video. Maybe you’ve seen the follow up. And maybe you’ve read the story about how these videos almost got the guy who made them fired from his job at Best Buy. Well, he’s back with another video. And it’s good.
TweetFired is the story of Peter, a man who gets in trouble with his job because of the tweets he posts. “I can’t believe you would write this bullshit about the company that writes your checks,” his boss tells him. The only problem? His tweets had nothing to do with his job. Yes, obviously this is a nice big F-You to Best Buy. → Read More
Remember those awesome iPhone 4 versus EVO 4G videos? Hopefully you do, it has only been a few weeks since we posted both of them. You know, the ones that almost got the Best Buy employee fired? The ones that made him rethink his career path? Yeah, those videos. Well, they just got potentially a lot more interesting.
Paramount Pictures has just contacted us, asking if we can put them in contact with the creator of the videos, Brian Maupin. Indeed we can. We’ve been talking to him since the videos went up. Sure, we could email him, but this post just seems easier. → Read More
Last week, we noted that Best Buy was looking into firing the employee that made the hilarious EVO versus iPhone 4 video (and the rebuttal video). The employee, 25-year-old Brian Maupin, was placed on suspension as Best Buy decided what they wanted to do. Today brings some good news: they’ve decided not to fire Maupin. But Maupin has decided not to return to work just yet, as he’s not sure he’s comfortable with the situation.
In their statement about the situation (below), Best Buy humorously refers to Maupin as “the aspiring film-maker.” The company notes that they took their time coming to a decision about what to do because they wanted to ensure they were maintaing a supportive environment for employees, while also making sure employees couldn’t openly disparage customers, vendor partners, and other employees. → Read More
By now it seems like just about everyone has seen the iPhone 4 vs. HTC EVO video (and the rebuttal video). The video portrays an electronics store employee trying to convince a person looking for an iPhone 4 to buy an HTC EVO 4G instead. It’s hilarious — like all good humor, so funny because it’s at least partially true. But you know who didn’t find it funny? Best Buy. How do I know that? Because they’re trying to fire the kid who made it.
The video in question was made by Brian Maupin, a 25-year-old based in Kansas City, Missouri. For the past three and a half years he’s been working at Best Buy selling mobile phones. He’s probably not going to be doing that anymore as Best Buy has suspended him indefinitely and is currently taking the steps to terminate him, Maupin tells us. The reason? The video. → Read More
Best Buy’s bargain brand, Insignia, is offering a new 5.1 home theater system with Audyssey technology, yes, Audyssey. We love Audyssey. → Read More
We’ve all heard about mayor deals with Foursquare. That is, a person who is the “mayor ” of a venue (essentially, has checked-in there the most number of times) gets access to special deals, such free items or discounts. Gowalla goes about its deals a bit differently. Because there are no “mayors” in Gowalla, instead, they’re focusing on giving everyone an equal opportunity to earn special deals.
One such deal launching later today is with Eye-Fi, the makers of memory cards that give devices WiFi capabilities. Starting in a few hours, when a person checks in through Gowalla at any U.S.-based Best Buy or Apple Store, they’ll automatically have a chance to win a free 4 GB Eye-Fi card. A message will pop up on their screen about the card post check-in. And a simple click on the “Did I win?” button below that message will reveal if you’re a winner of the $75 card the spot. There will be 500 winners for this particular promotion. → Read More
We heard about @Gamer, Best Buy’s planned in-store games magazine, last month when it was confirmed as being real. The rumor was that the first issue would hit in June, but the first issue has “July/August” on the cover, so it looks like it will be a bimonthly mostly monthly job, for sale later in June. Their hook is that the magazine will not just be game reviews and previews, but will be full of delicious and nutritious savings.
My question is how we are supposed to reconcile ourselves with the fact that they are selling the same games they’re reviewing? → Read More
At this week’s Google I/O Conference, the company carefully articulated its vision of the world. There’s Apple in one corner, carefully controlling its ecosystem, rejecting Flash, and conjuring images of an Orwellian Big Brother. As the “one man, one company, one device” (Vic Gundotra’s words) becomes more powerful, Google is trying to posit itself as the other choice. The more “open” choice. Whether or not you agree with Google’s goggles, it’s a very smart and well defined message, creating an us vs. them environment and reinforcing the mantra “Don’t be evil.”
This point of “openness” was driven home on Thursday, during the I/O keynote, when Gundotra and Co. unveiled the highly anticipated Google TV project. Unexpectedly (and to great effect), Schmidt took to the stage at the end to introduce Google TV partners, a panel of high power CEOs (Best Buy, Sony, Intel, Dish Network, Logitech, Adobe). Together, those companies represent a market capitalization of roughly $200 billion ($350 B when you add Google). Their attendance wasn’t really necessary— there was plenty of flash in the presentation (no pun intended)— but it punctuated Google’s message: Google is open, inclusive and powerful and we are definitely not an army of one. Let’s just say, I don’t think it was a coincidence that Adobe’s CEO Shantanu Narayen was seated next to Schmidt. (Bonus: a quick video interview with CEO of Sony & Best Buy ahead.) → Read More
“We’ve been waiting a long time for today,” says Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who is presiding over a power panel of CEOs helping to make Google TV possible. The panel, at Google I/O, includes the CEOs of Sony, Best Buy, Echostar, Adobe, Logitech, and, of course, Google. He needs all of them, as well as developers, to make his new Google TV a hit.
Google TV will be built into a new Sony TV coming out this fall in time for the holiday shopping season, as well a Logitech TV companion box which can be hooked up to existing TVs with an HDMI port. It is Google’s attempt to bring together the 50-year-old TV-watching experience with the Web. It does that in a variety of ways,from a universal search box which searches both TV and the Web to opening up the TV as an application platform for developers and media companies to enhance their video offerings. Its ambition is to bring the Web into the TV and have the same impact on TV as Android and other smartphones are having on mobile phones. → Read More
We could either give Best Buy the benefit of the doubt and chalk these stickers up to an over-zealous blue shirt or Best Buy really does expect to con some ignorant customers out of some cash. Your call. [via Consumerist] → Read More
>Best Buy is getting into the video game magazine racket. Why not, right? GameStop has Game Informer after all. But it’s a bit strange, athough not unprecidented, to see Best Buy commit heavily to one segment. → Read More
There you have it. Right from the big man himself. Best Buy will have 3G iPads on launch day. Or the email is laugh-out-loud joke and I’m a dbag for posting it. Your call. At least the email header info makes it seem legit. It’s after the jump for those that care a bit too much. → Read More
Best Buy‘s move to the UK has been known for a little while now, but, to quote Jim Ross, business has just picked up. Other stores in the UK are planning how to best confront the store when it makes its debut this spring. (The first one opens in May.) Luckily for the local guys, Best Buy doesn’t exactly have the best reputation out there. Fair or not, that’s the way things are. → Read More
So we know that Apple’s iPad has started shipping, and this morning the company also confirmed that the device will be on sale in all 221 of its retail stores across the United States as well as “most Best Buy stores” this Saturday, beginning at 9 AM.
Apple also said its retail stores will offer a free Personal Setup service to every customer, helping them customize their new iPad by setting up their email, loading their favorite apps from the App Store, and more. Furthermore, all US Apple retail stores will host special iPad workshops to help customers learn more about the product. → Read More
We could be looking at the end of RadioShack, boys and girls. The company is said to be exploring a strategic partnership, or outright sale, possibly to Best Buy. I don’t see why Best Buy would be interested: what does RadioShack sell that’s either A) not already available or B) entirely too niche for its Wal-Mart approach to selling consumer electronics? → Read More
It looks like, come launch day, you’ll only be able to buy the iPad at retail from the Apple Store or from Best Buy. Who buys things from stores anymore, I wonder. But despite the inconceivable amount of hype accompanying the iPad, Best Buy cannot be bothered to open early. Sorry, mate. → Read More
Here’s a candidate for the Canadian parent of the year award. Police in Richmond B.C. are looking for a couple that used their kids to load up on over $3000 worth of Blu-ray and DVD discs from Future Shop. The estimate is that the couple took between 80 to 100 movies. → Read More
Viliv makes some hot, little portables. That’s a fact. The X70 and S5 touchscreen along with the S7 convertible netbook are among the best in their respective niche markets. But previously the products were only available from online retailers, which of course limits their visibility from a whole segment of potential customers. Starting Monday though, Best Buy shoppers will be able to pick up the products in store and online. There will even be an instant rebate available on the none-3G modem-equipped models. → Read More
San Francisco, CA
