Hasta La Gadget!

Look, nobody’s saying Linux is perfect for every consumer (or even most), but Microsoft’s “training material” for Best Buy employees casts the open source operating system in a bit of a bad light — and isn’t exactly accurate. A few of the humorous tidbits in the Linux comparison guide include mentioning World of Warcraft as incompatible with Linux (despite great support for it under WINE), calling Linux’s safety reputation a “myth,” and describing Linux updates and upgrades as difficult and time consuming. The availability of Windows Live Essentials as a “free download” is also quite laughable — Linux has endless free alternatives to Microsoft’s Live Essentials, and many of them are better than what Microsoft offers. Not to say there hasn’t been the odd consumer that was burned by purchasing a Linux-running netbook, but we’d say there are enough tangible benefits to Windows for Microsoft to avoid misinformation when talking down the open source competition.

[Via technabob]

Filed under: Software

Microsoft’s training materials teach Best Buy employees how to trash Linux originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Sep 2009 11:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you were wondering when you’d be able to get your hands on the Nikon D300s and its 720p/24 movie mode, the answer is… yesterday, apparently. The cam was spotted (along with the lower-rent D3000) at a big box Best Buy, and a bit of testing was performed — an admittedly limited bit, but there’s only so much you can do when the cam is bolted to those annoying six-inch tethers. The updated video recording mode was the thing that underwent most scrutiny, and while the new auto-focus seemed to work reasonably well (if slowly — and noisily) on stationary objects, swinging the camera back and forth resulted in the same jelly-time sloshing effect we’ve seen on the D5000 and D90 before it, as seen in the video embedded below. Maybe its time for that 12.3 megapixel CMOS to hit the gym and tone up a bit, Nikon.

Continue reading Nikon D300s spotted and tested at Best Buy with its little brother, still does that jelly video thing

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Nikon D300s spotted and tested at Best Buy with its little brother, still does that jelly video thing originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Aug 2009 06:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Sony PS3 Slim turns up at Florida Best Buy

Filed under: Gaming

Sony PS3 Slim turns up at Florida Best Buy originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Aug 2009 11:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Now that NVIDIA is totally free to chat up its Tegra involvement in the Zune HD, it’s wasted little time in publishing a list of Zune HD preview locations where you can witness the magic for yourself this weekend. The tour is fairly limited to the big urban hubs, but peep the PDF and see if your friendly neighborhood Best Buy is represented.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in. Warning: PDF link]

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Zune HD getting previewed at select Best Buys this weekend originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony and Best Buy announced Tuesday that they will partner on a new line of audio products, dubbed Altus.

The Altus line will include wireless music systems, as well as speakers and home theater products, the companies said. Most of the products are currently available for pre-order on sonystyle.com and will be in Best Buy stores in September.

They will include two iPod docking systems.

The $700 ALT-SA31iR will include an iPod/iPhone docking station and two high-output wireless speakers. It will also feature an AM/FM tuner, and an S-AIR remote control with LCD display. That display will show album, artist and track information.

Its smaller counterpart, the AIR-SW10Ti, will include a compact docking station with two built-in speakers and a wireless subwoofer. It has a maximum output of 60 watts RMS and includes an infrared remote control and FM tuner. It will also be able to transmit wireless audio with other Altus and S-AIR products. It will retail for $400.

Both products are available for pre-order and will be in Best Buy stores in September.

On the wireless PC front, Sony is introducing two multi-room packages.