Gift cards—especially in their digital form—are the ultimate, last-minute cop-out gift, and if you’re willing to trek out to your nearest Best Buy, they’ll reward to effort with a little bit of free iTunes money. All their physical iTunes gift cards are 20 percent off. More »
Apple’s iPhone 5 has seen a $50 discount, with retailer Best Buy offering the latest-gen smartphone from $149.99 for those signing up to a new, two-year agreement. Both the AT&T and Verizon versions are included in the deal, in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB capacities, though currently the AT&T versions aren’t available for online purchase, only in-store.
Usually, you’d pay $199.99 for a 16GB iPhone 5, $299.99 for a 32GB model, and $399.99 for the 64GB; at Best Buy, those versions come in at $149.99, $249.99, and $349.99 respectively. That’s the same as AT&T would charge you for a refurbished 64GB iPhone 5 – the carrier did, at one point, have $99.99 refurbs, but swiftly sold out of the 16GB model.
Apple’s supply issues around the iPhone 5 have begun to ease, with the company’s own online store now listing the handset as in-stock. That comes after several months of delays following the usual post-launch furore.
In fact, Apple’s strict limiting of iPhone 5 supplies has pretty much come to an end. Not only is the company offering the smartphone SIM-free and off-contract in the US, but it has lifted its block on each customer buying more than two devices at any one time.
Whether Best Buy’s promotion will stick around is unclear, though we’re guessing plenty of people are hoping for a new iPhone 5 under the tree this holiday season.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
iPhone 5 drops to $150 in Best Buy promo is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Most of the time a shipping error is a pain in the ass for you. Maybe you get the wrong thing, maybe you don’t get anything. Sometimes though, it can be a huge boon, like when Best Buy accidentally sends you five iPads instead of one and then says “You know what? Keep ’em.” More »
Welcome to Friday evening everyone – the weekend is beginning for most of us, but before we dive in, let’s recap the news from the day. Late this afternoon, we found out that Gameloft’s full line up of games for 2013 had leaked, which is exciting to say the least. Unfortunately, all is not well in the gaming world, as BioShock Infinite has been pushed back yet again. This time it’s been delayed into March, which means the wait for it has gotten longer by a month. We learned today that Best Buy will have to pay out $27 million to TechFoward for stolen trade secrets, which is not good for a company that has been struggling lately.
The PlayStation Store silently launched on the web today, so you can do your PlayStation-related shopping from your computer from now on. The HTC One VX budget handset hit AT&T today, while Apple CEO Tim Cook was talking about the competition and sharing his feelings on the anti-Apple Samsung ads. The very cool Samsung Galaxy Camera has been announced for Verizon, while the Samsung Muse music player is has arrived in the US.
GameStop is now selling Kindle Fire tablets and offering free $25 Amazon gift cards to anyone who picks one up, and we learned that T-Mobile is currently testing a new pre-paid mobile brand. Google announced today that it’s replacing its Mergers and Acquisitions chief, while we heard that hackable hotel room door locks will be getting replaced by the manufacturer. A meteor gave some Texas residents quite the show today, and a new 268-megapixel camera has snapped the first shot of the distant Carina Nebula. Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition has launched on the iPad, so be sure to check it out if you don’t mind watching a few hundred hours of your life slip away.
As is usually the case, we have a number of original articles for you to check out tonight. Chris Burns goes hands-on with the Verizon Galaxy Note II and delivers his review of the Men In Black 3 Movie Touch app. Craig Lloyd tells us what he thought of the HTC One X+ in his review, while Don Reisinger tells us why Nintendo needs to launch a new console in 2014. That does it for tonight’s Evening Wrap-Up, we hope you enjoy your weekend everyone!
SlashGear Evening Wrap-Up: December 7, 2012 is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Have you used Best Buy’s “Buy Back” program to trade in your recently purchased gadgets for a percentage of its cost back to Best Buy and thought, “Hey! This doesn’t seem like an original idea to me!” Well, you’re right as Best Buy has been hit with a $22 million fine in damages for stealing trade secrets from San Francisco startup, TechForward.
A jury ruled in favor for TechForward, who originally came up with the program and worked with Best Buy to implement the service to its customers starting in 2009. After months of working with TechForward, Best Buy decided to cancel their deal with the company to pursue its own version of their buyback program. Unfortunately for Best Buy, TechForward didn’t take the cancelation sitting down, filed their lawsuit and won.
TechForward co-founders Jade Van Doren and Marc Lebovitz had the following to share in regards to today’s news:
“We are extremely pleased that the jury recognized Best Buy’s misconduct, and we hope this verdict puts large companies on notice that there are real consequences to illegally exploiting start-up businesses like ours”
As of now, Best Buy’s “Buy Back Program” no longer seems to be accepting new customers, but will honor existing Buy Back customers for up to 24 months of when their product was purchased. When you consider it cost Best Buy $27 million in fines, they should at least be able to continue using what they stole from TechForward.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: LG’s 55-inch OLED HDTV Gets FCC Approval, Grow Your Next Piña Colada With The AusFestival Coconut-Flavored Pineapples ,
Best Buy is in a little pickle at the moment. Aside from struggling with their own problems as an electronics retail chain, the company now owes start-up firm TechForward $27 million for stealing trade secrets. The lawsuit was filed last year by TechForward in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
TechForward alleged that Best Buy misappropriated its trade secrets relating to the company’s Guaranteed Buyback Program. A jury decided that Best Buy is guilty of making illegal use of TechForward’s trade secrets after working together for months, and then deciding to cancel the deal and implementa a buyback program of their own.
The buyback program involves customers choosing to purchase the plan at the time they’re buying a gadget, similar to purchasing an extended time warranty. Customers then have the option of selling the gadget back to Best Buy for store credit once they no longer want the product, but the longer they keep the gadget, the less they’ll get back.
It’s certainly a win for the small guys, and an even bigger loss to Best Buy who is already struggling to keep its sales up, as well as attempting to stay relevant as online shopping is becoming more and more popular. TechForward co-founders Jade Van Doren and Marc Lebovitz said that they’re “extremely pleased that the jury recognized Best Buy’s misconduct” and they hope that the verdict gets seen as a warning to other large companies “that there are real consequences to illegally exploiting start-up businesses.”
Best Buy owes TechForward $27 million in damages over stolen trade secrets is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
This post sponsored by Best Buy
I’ve been a home theater buff since the earliest surround-sound systems came out back in the 1980s. Since then, I’ve seen my home theater transform from a 25″ Trinitron CRT with a Betamax Hi-Fi deck, giant speakers and a standalone Dolby processor to a razor-thin 64″ plasma TV with a Blu-ray player, a couple of game consoles and a 7.1 surround system.
Not only are today’s home theater options so much more refined, the image and sound quality is often more pristine in your home than in today’s crummy multiplex theaters. With that in mind, I though I’d throw out some ideas for home theater holiday gift-giving.
The centerpiece of any home theater these days is the screen. I’m a bit of a snob when it comes to picture quality, and must have the best possible image quality. If a screen 64″ or under is big enough for you, then I personally recommend going with a plasma set. My personal fave has to be the Samsung 8000 series plasma TV ($2899.98 USD). I’ve got the 64″ model in my media room and I couldn’t be happier with the display.
It’s got an amazing Full HD 1080p panel, with stellar black levels and an beautifully sharp and cinema-like picture. I’ve actually got the 2011 model, but the latest version adds even more features, especially in terms of the Internet “Smart TV” capabilities, with full support for Netflix, Pandora, YouTube, Blockbuster and more. While it’s not the least expensive TV you can buy, you can’t beat the cinematic image quality for the price. It’s also got full support for 3D. That said, for some of you guys, bigger is always better, and you can’t go wrong with Epson’s latest PowerLite 3020e Home Cinema projector ($1799.99.)
This beast can output a full 1080p image at sizes up to 180 inches! It packs in a bright 2300 lumen light source, so you can even watch in a room without great light control. I also love how it offers wireless HDMI for up to 5 devices, so you don’t have to worry about running wires from your video sources to the projector. The image is brought to life using three 1920×1080 LCD panels, offering a substantial 40:000 to 1 contrast ratio. Like the Samsung flat-panel, it also supports active 3D.
While some home theaters can really take over a dedicated space, with today’s big flat-screen TVs making their way into our living rooms, sometimes that’s all you need. However, many of us can’t really stand wires running all over the place and surround sound speakers taking up room in our main living space. That’s where soundbar technology comes into play. And while there are dozens of soundbars on the market these days, I’m still a fan of Yamaha’s models.
Their innovations with simulated surround sound have impressed me for years, and now they’ve got some very reasonably priced options if you don’t want to drop nearly $2000 on their top-of-the-line model. The Yamaha YSP-2200 does an awesome job simulating 7.1 surround sound from a single small bar that sits at the bottom of your HDTV.
The slim 3-1/8″ tall bar offers 3 HDMI inputs so you can connect multiple devices, as well as an ample, but compact subwoofer for deep bass. It’s also got an auto-calibration feature which can optimize sound for your room nearly instantaneously. The virtual surround is very impressive, and you’ll really think there are speakers behind you – especially if you have a square or rectangular room.
If your gift recipient is already set with their TV and sound system, not to worry. I’ll be following up in a couple of weeks with some more gift ideas for taking home theater to the next level with gifts under $300.
Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored post.” Technabob received compensation for writing it, however, we only recommend products or services we find interesting or have used personally, and believe will be good for our readers.
There are sane people. There are insane people. And then there are people who line up for Black Friday deals more than a week early. These two women camped out in front of a Best Buy on Wednesday of this week so they can snag some Black Friday deals after Thanksgiving. More »
It’s not always super door buster TV deals that are better and even cheaper than last year, a lot of times big box stores sell the same exact items for the same exact price. Hell, sometimes they even charge more. NerdWallet took a look at Black Friday Ads and found some interesting stuff. More »
I think it’s clear that cable companies and satellite providers fear streaming content providers such as Netflix and Amazon Prime. It’s also easy to see that television networks aren’t exactly keen on offering their current programming to streaming companies out of fear of losing lucrative contracts from traditional cable and satellite companies. However, it’s also clear that no matter what Hollywood or cable companies believe, consumers are switching to streaming services and many are leaving cable and satellite behind.
If you’re fed up with your satellite provider, or maybe you’ve finally decided you’re tired of waiting for current episodes of The Walking Dead to hit Netflix and you want to get cable in your home, Best Buy and Time Warner cable have teamed up for an interesting exclusive deal. Perhaps the most interesting part of this deal is that Time Warner cable seems to be so desperate for customers it’s willing to hand out some impressive freebies to lure customers in.
The exclusive Best Buy deal works for new and existing customers who upgrade to the Triple Play package. The package will cost you $89.99 per month for one year and includes Internet access, home phone service, and digital TV.
In exchange for agreeing to use the service for a year, Best Buy and Time Warner will give you a Xbox 360 4 GB console and a $150 Best Buy gift card. Ironically, many customers will end up using that free Xbox 360 to stream video from Netflix and other competitors.
Time Warner Cable offers free Xbox to subscribers in attempt to lure new victims is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
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