On the heels of similar offers from Target and Radio Shack, chains Best Buy, Sam's Club, and Sprint have succumbed to peer pressure. Best Buy and Sam's Club have reduced the price of the iPhone 4 8GB model to $50 with a new two-year contract. As reported earlier, Sprint is offering "at least" $100 off a new contract on an iPhone 4S with the exchange of any prior iPhone.
The HTC Evo 4G LTE has become available for preorder from Best Buy. The Sprint handset, which Electronista was able to try out last month, is being promoted by the electronics retailer with a $50 gift card for those that take up the offer ahead of the May 18 release date.
As promised, Nikon's latest D3200 DSLR camera is now shipping over at Best Buy in black, with the red version still listed as coming soon. The $700 bundle includes an 18-55 kit lens and the $60 WU-1a wireless adapter isn't yet available, but Best Buy does allow customers to pre-order it. The accessory will let users send photos wirelessly to their smartphones or tablets on the go.
Verizon Wireless has added new tiers to its phone and data prepaid offerings starting on May 1. A new $80 smartphone plan includes unlimited talk and text messaging while allotting 1GB of data use per month. At the same time, the carrier will ship the Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot MiFi 4510L with prepaid mobile packages.
Best Buy Connect, the branded mobile 3G and 4G data service that went live in June of 2010 is now being discontinued, Engadget learned. A leaked memo indicates that new activations will no longer be accepted, effective immediately. Current customers will see their service end on June 1.
TiVo is quietly reviving the Premiere Elite DVR as its range-topping model. Badged as the Premiere XL4, the quad-tuner box should come to Best Buy stores on April 22 for $400. The Premiere and Premiere XL are staying in place at $150 and $250 each.
Best Buy and Microsoft have teamed up on a Behind the Tiles series of events to spur on Windows Phone sales that borrow a handful of Apple cues. Running from Thursday to as late as May 17, some stores will be holding workshops that both let users try the overall lineup and undertake a "deep dive" into the Lumia 900 with an instructor. The events will be catered, and even developers and enterprise users will get the "latest info," Microsoft said.
Jawbone's Big Jambox, the second Bluetooth speaker from the headset manufacturer will cost $300, according to a leak from Best Buy's website. The webpage detailing the product has since been taken down, but the cache from Google still shows the expected pricepoint.
Embattled electronics retail giant Best Buy has published the full list of 50 ‘big-box’ store closures that it targeted for the 2013 fiscal year. With eight of the stores already either shutdown given notice, the list contains the remaining 42 stores to get the chop. Highlighting the extent of the company’s financial position, most of the remaining stores will cease trading as soon as May 12.
The sudden resignation of Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn may have been prompted by conditions with some similarity to those that forced HP chief Mark Hurd out in 2010. Tips to the Wall Street Journal on Thursday explained that the probe was over Dunn possibly misusing company resources for a "relationship" with a 29-year-old woman working at a Best Buy leadership training facility. The board took action after it got complaints, although it's not known who relayed the information.
A newly-leaked internal memo shared by Engadget has revealed that the LTE-enabled LG Viper 4G will arrive in Sprint stores on April 22. The $100 handset will also be available on the store shelves of Best Buy and Radio Shack as well on the same time. The eco-friendly handset will not be capable of accessing Sprint's 4G network just yet, however, as its launch hasn't been detailed yet.
The sudden resignation of Best Buy's CEO Brian Dunn was in the wake of an investigation into "personal conduct," the company said Tuesday night. Without going into details, it said in a statement that "certain issues" were mentioned to the board that prompted an investigation. Dunn had decided to quit before the probe was over, the retailer said, and it didn't relate to the company's direction or its finances.
Best Buy offered a surprise on Tuesday with the sudden resignation of CEO Brian Dunn. The reasons for the exit weren't outlined, although the big-box retailer stressed that it was a "mutual" decision between the board and the CEO. It didn't stem from disagreements over how to run the business, the company said.
Samsung is offering a free battery bundled with the Verizon edition of the Galaxy Nexus. The package deal is available through the Best Buy-run Samsung Mobile shop. The 2100 mAh battery normally retails for $50.
A new round of smartphones may be getting Android 4.0 shortly. Phone Arena reports from a source that Best Buy has supposedly said on one of its an internal employee websites that the Motorola Droid RAZR and Droid RAZR MAXX, as well as the HTC Rezound, will be getting updates over the air (OTA) next week. Motorola's official position still has no official timing for the updating these Verizon phones in the US.
Best Buy has started contacting customers who have pre-ordered the HTC One X for AT&T to advise its rumored launch has been moved to May 6. Previous reports had the device pegged for a mid-May launch. To date, the only official international launch announcement for the eagerly awaited class-leading Android device is that it will go on sale in Austria, Germany and Switzerland from April 2 with other countries to follow.
(Updated: loss in context) Best Buy planned dramatic action Thursday after it posted a $1.7 billion loss for the last quarter of its fiscal year. While better than expected, it led the company to a plan to save $800 million by its fiscal 2015 that would see it close 50 of its "big-box" stores during its fiscal 2013, which started with the beginning of March. The retail chain hadn't named the stores in question, but expected these and other cost savings to cut $250 million in 2013 and $300 million just for retail by the 2015 target.
Hulu has added Hulu Plus support for several new devices. The new components include select Toshiba 2012 Blu-ray players, Sharp 2012 TVs, and Best Buy’s Dynex Blu-ray players. Hulu confirmed that it hoped offer to its premium service through Apple TVs and Boxee Box systems "someday soon."
The number of Americans buying iPhones from Best Buy is just under the number buying them from Apple itself, according to a Consumer Intelligence Research Partners survey. The firm polled people in December, January, and February to learn where they picked up their devices. Retail stores accounted for 76 percent of iPhone sales, compared to 24 percent online. The ratios were 67 percent and 33 percent during the launch of the iPhone 4S in October.
The flagship Canon EOS 5D Mark III will be shipping at Best Buy stores and likely other retailers on March 25, Engadget learned. The date is indicated in a photo of the inventory screen at Best Buy sent in to the source and lines up with earlier reports that the camera will be out before month's end. At the same time, the 404-page owner's manual (PDF) is also available online, and ahead of the release.
Third-party retailers around the world are starting to receive stock of the third-generation iPad, according to reports. In one instance photos are said to show iPads sitting in inventory at a US Best Buy outlet. In the UK, anecdotes suggest that PC World outlets are already receiving stock.
Apple in its customary pre-launch details both confirmed a launch time for the new iPad and outlined the next wave of countries after the initial March 16 date. True to recent leaks, the first 10 countries will start selling the new tablet at retail at 8AM through at least Apple stores. Best Buy, RadioShack, Sam's Club, Target, and Walmart will also have the iPad, although some of these are likely to open later.
Sprint's inability to get an iPad might be short-lived if a discovery Friday is an indicator. A full 14 entries for a "Sprint iPad new" are in the inventory database as seen by an Engadget tipster. There aren't any clues as to possible release dates, if it releases at all.
Sealed boxes of iPad 3 cases are starting to show up at Best Buy stores, a source claims. Each box is noted to have a sticker with a warning: "Do not display until official iPad 3 launch." This may suggest that "iPad 3" is the next-generation iPad's official name, but it could alternately be a placeholder.
Starting Monday, March 5, electronics retailer Best Buy may expand its return policy for all items from 14 days to 30, TUAW learned this week. This will include tablets that include the iPad, notebooks such as MacBooks, and other electronics. The screenshot embedded below also reflects this change.
Best Buy is taking the step of deleting the iPad 2 from its inventory systems, a leak at the retailer indicates. One screenshot reportedly shows a white 32GB model as deleted, but the source of the leak claims that other models have also been removed. The change comes alongside a confirmed $50 discount on all iPad 2 models.
Ahead of strong indications of an imminent iPad 3 announcement, Best Buy has dropped the price of the iPad 2. The electronics retailer has knocked $50 off of every iPad 2 in stock. Such discounts are rare, suggesting a link with the iPad 3.
Kobo made an important leap forward for itself Wednesday after it landed a deal for the Vox e-reader tablet to reach US Best Buy stores. The Android slate should be in stores now for the same $199 asked elsewhere. All four colors should be available on the Vox, which ships preloaded with both Kobo's own book app as well as PressReader newspapers, Zinio magazines, Merriam-Webster's Dictonary, and major apps like Rdio's music streaming, Facebook, and Twitter.
Apple's Time Capsule routers are seeing delays or shortages in different parts of the world, notes 9to5Mac. The company's online stores in the US, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, and France are sometimes seeing delivery times of one to three weeks for 3TB models, or one- to two-week delays for 2TB routers. Third-party vendors Amazon and Best Buy are out of 3TB models, and some Australian Apple Stores may be completely out of stock.
Apple now represents about a fifth of all technology sales in the US, new NPD data showed Monday. By the end of 2011, 19 percent of revenue in the US was related to an Apple product. The company was now the top company selling technology in the US, topping HP, Samsung, Sony, and Dell even when the others could include their sales from all categories.
An upgraded Apple TV media hub might come sooner than thought after signs emerged that multiple stores ran low on stock. Amazon, Best Buy, Buy.com, Radio Shack, and Target all show the device either as out of stock or taking weeks to ship. Apple and others do have supply, but it follows a pattern of third-party resellers usually running out first.
Honeywell on Monday sued Nest Labs, makers of thermostats, for allegedly violating its patents in the US. Seven patents related to thermostat technology are in contention, with some focusing on methods of operating and programming the devices. The lawsuit also aims to involve Best Buy into it, which sells Nest Labs' thermostats.
A new Best Buy customer survey is asking for feedback on a potential "Apple HDTV," says The Verge. Mockup promotional text touts that "Apple finally reinvents what a TV can do," and describes the display as a 42-inch, 1080p LED model, running the same version of iOS used in the current Apple TV set-top. Like the set-top, the TV could be controlled via an iPad or iPhone, fetch content from iCloud, and access services like Netflix, YouTube, and Flickr.
Both Americans and Canadians alike got the opportunity to preorder the Samsung Galaxy Note on Sunday. An AT&T listing lets Americans pick the 4G device and a matching plan ahead of the February 19 release. Contract-free purchases aren't available ahead of time on the $300 Android phone, although both the very dark carbon blue and ceramic white colors are options.
Motorola has started up a return program after a minor but still significant privacy gaffe during a Woot auction. About 100 of 6,200 refurbished Xoom Wi-Fi tablets sold during auctions between October and December are believed to have still had some private data stored inside. These could have included anything from account logins through to personal files, Motorola said.
A few days later than expected, Acer's new Tegra 2-based 10.1-inch tablet has gone on sale in the US. The Iconia Tablet A200 is now available at Best Buy. The tablet had been anticipated to arrive on US shores this Monday.
Canadians have been hit by up to 24 known cases of iPad 2s being sold substituted with clay at major retailers in Vancouver, including Future Shop, Best Buy, Walmart, and London Drugs. According to CTV News, customers were sold boxes that looked like new. However, while perfectly sealed, they were given weight by clay, where in at least one instance, a charger was also replaced with clay.
The last-minute delay of the Motorola Droid 4 was inadvertently confirmed after a pair of sightings. Visting the Best Buy Reward Zone shows a picture of a bonus point giveaway with the unannounced Android slider clearly in view. Separately, a scrape of the DroidDoes.com page by a Droid-Life tipster has produced audio samples that showed Verizon had already prepared at least some of a Droid 4 page.
Best Buy kicked off a rare buy-one-get-one iPhone promo only for Saturday. Those who buy a 32GB iPhone 4 on a contract for $200 can get a second model for free. The deal requires the second be on a contract from the same carrier, though it can be AT&T or Verizon.
Early holiday shopping helped push Apple past some of the largest stores online for visitors, comScore said Thursday. Apple's website and iTunes combined got over 79.2 million unique visitors in November, large enough to push it past eBay (72.1 million) and even retail giant Walmart (58.5 million). Other major shopping sites it eclipsed included Best Buy (36.5 million) and Sears (31 million).
ASUS' claims of the Transformer Prime arriving on time have been cast into doubt on Monday. In spite of an intended launch Monday, new reports from Engadget readers buying from Amazon have seen their orders "inadvertently cancelled" and ask them to pre-order again with a $10 gift card as compensation. Best Buy, meanwhile, has told advance order customers that theirs have been "back-ordered" by one to two weeks.
Siri now indirectly lets iPhone 4S users have access to information from Best Buy, notes RazorianFly. Earlier this week Wolfram announced that its Wolfram Alpha service would integrate data based on public Best Buy APIs, covering some 35,000 products. Because of a built-in Alpha applet, 4S users can simply ask Siri questions related to appliances and electronics to pull up Best Buy results.
A series of newly leaked documents from retailer Best Buy and wireless provider Verizon reveal the two are already stocking Galaxy Nexus handsets. The screenshot of an internal memo shared by Android Central reveals Best Buy already has the handsets in stock but isn't yet allowed to share this information with the public. The launch date isn't being revealed, however, but the device is expected to come out on December 9.
TJ Maxx on Saturday acted on its recently rumored $399 iPad 2 promo. The 16GB Wi-Fi tablet costs $399, a full $100 less than it does officially, while supplies last. Stock is known to be low to start, if not already exhausted, and won't include every store.
RIM provided mixed details of its attempt to clear excess BlackBerry PlayBook stock. The company revealed that it was taking a provision of $360 million after tax, $485 million before, to account for the worth of its unsold tablets. There was still a "high level" of inventory, the company said.
Best Buy and Mophie have announced recalls for certain iPhone and iPod battery packs. In the case of the iPhone, Best Buy has issued a recall notice for its Rocketfish branded iPhone 3G and 3GS battery case. Mophie has also issued a recall notice for its battery cases for the iPod touch 4G. In both instances, the packs have experienced overheating problems, which could result in a fire.
"iPhone" was the top search term on Yahoo during 2011, the company has announced. Most of the top 10 list consists of celebrities, the second- and third-place spots in fact belonging to Casey Anthony and Kim Kardashian. Yahoo remarks that a piece of electronics hasn't dominated the list since 2002, when Sony's PlayStation 2 occupied the top spot. The last technology-related term to peak was filesharing service KaZaA in 2003.
The Galaxy Nexus could hit Best Buy shelves on December 11, according to a leaked inventory screen image sent in to Engadget. The handset has been pegged for a December 8 release elsewhere, including Verizon itself. While the Best Buy screen says the handsets will be in stock on the 11th, that doesn't necessarily mean that's when it will go on sale at the retailers.
ASUS' Transformer Prime tablet, the first to sport NVIDIA's quad-core Tegra 3 chipset, will indeed ship in the US on December 8, the company confirmed. ASUS spokespeople revealed to Netbook News that the first market to receive the device will be Taiwan, with deliveries arriving tomorrow, December 1. The US is next, with December 8 shipments, while Europe will get it throughout January, depending on the country.
Best Buy on Monday explained the rationale behind its decision to cancel BlackBerry PlayBook orders and pull listings. The company responded that it still planned to carry the tablet and that shoppers had just "responded very positively" to the $300 price drop, selling out by mid-weekend. Its promo was still going on and would have a restock soon.
