Hasta La Gadget!

Best Buy founder Richard Schulze may have stepped down as chairman of the board, but he’s certainly not out. His plan to buy the turbulent company has reached the next step — an agreement which pre-empts the formal offer. Schulze now has access to all the private numbers he’ll need to put together an investor group within the 60-day timeframe. And, if this round is unsuccessful, it’ll be next January before another bid can go to the Board of Directors, followed by direct shareholder offers if the second attempt fails. Given that Schulze owns 20 percent of Best Buy, he gets two seats-worth of voting power as long as he sticks to the agreed process. So, with a new CEO taking the reigns in September and the acquisition machinery in top gear, is there fresh hope for the big box retailer?

Continue reading Best Buy founder ever closer to finalizing company buyout bid

Filed under: Misc

Best Buy founder ever closer to finalizing company buyout bid originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Aug 2012 13:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s been a rough year for Best Buy — it’s shuttered dozens of stores, seen its founder step down and even lost its CEO, Brian Dunn. Still, the big box retailer hasn’t given up hope, and today chose a new chief executive, one Hubert Joly. Until Sunday afternoon, Joly was responsible for Carlson, a hospitality and travel outfit that operates hotels and restaurants in over 150 countries. If you’ve eaten at a TGI Friday’s, you’ve patronized Joly’s old firm. Best Buy seems optimistic, according to the Wall Street Journal, noting that Joly has a knack for turning around companies in trouble. Still, Best Buy will have to get along without its new head honcho until September — the new boss is French, and is apparently waiting on a visa. In the meantime, Mike Mikan will continue to serve as interim CEO, presumably helping the board of directors sift through Richard Schulze $10 billion rescue plan.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Best Buy names Hubert Joly as new CEO, will take on leadership in September originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 01:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’d originally been tipped that Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 7 2.0 Student Edition, a $250 bundle which comes with a keyboard dock and USB connector for peripherals, would officially hit Best Buy’s shelves around August 19th, but asking nicely might score you one now. According to an email from tipster, Jason (who’s also posted details over at Phandroid’s forums), the unit was locked inside one of the store’s cages and simply asking for a price check let him proceed to checkout with nary an issue (see the photo). Despite only having 8GB of storage, a dual-core 1GHz processor and the same 1024 x 600 screen resolution of its predecessors, the slate is a solid performer — but unless you’re hell-bent on having extras like a rear camera, we’d be remiss not to mention that the Jelly Bean- and Tegra 3-loaded 8GB Nexus 7 clocks in at $200 by its lonesome. That said, it may be worth trying your luck at your local Best Buy if you’re not so concerned with top-tier specs and okay with Samsung’s variety of ICS. You’ll find the video unboxing after the break.

[Thanks, Jason]

Continue reading Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 Student Edition let loose at Best Buy ahead of schedule, gets unboxed on video

Filed under: Tablet PCs

Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 Student Edition let loose at Best Buy ahead of schedule, gets unboxed on video originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Aug 2012 20:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re looking for something — anything — to lessen the burden of summertime studies, then a trip to Best Buy may soon be in order. We’ve just heard from a helpful tipster that a student edition of the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 is due to be stacked on shelves around August 19th, which keeps the regular $249 selling price of the 8GB WiFi-only model but bundles a keyboard dock and USB peripheral connector. If you’ve been weighing the Samsung up against the Nexus 7 (which we’ve ranked higher in our back to school tablet guide), then factor this into your research.

[Thanks, Anon.]

Filed under: Tablet PCs

Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 Student Edition expected at Best Buy: $249 with bundled keyboard and USB adapter originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 04:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Roku unveiled its miniaturized Streaming Stick at CES, and while we still don’t have an exact release date or price tag, the company has produced a list of manufacturers that will deliver “Roku Ready” hardware. That list is comprised of Element Electronics; GlobalVue International, LLC; Haier; Hitachi America, Ltd.; Insignia / Best Buy (which already tried out this strategy once with the whatever-happened-to-the TiVo-powered cTV); Mitsubishi Electric (TVs); Onkyo and Integra; OPPO and TMAX Digital, Inc.(Apex Digital(R) TVs). In case you’ve forgotten, the Roku Streaming Stick plugs into MHL-compatible HDMI ports to not only feed video to the HDTV, receiver or other device, but also accept remote control inputs and power, and brings its own WiFi hookup for internet access. That way, users can add this single accessory to make a “dumb” flat panel into a connected TV all without any extra cords or switching remotes, and, if necessary, easily upgrade in the future.

As CEO Anthony Wood mentioned just days ago Roku’s current focus is finding companies willing to work together to provide a well integrated experience for the add-on. To make that clear for potential buyers, Roku Ready devices like HDTVs, receivers and Blu-ray players will not only be stamped with a logo to show they’re compatible, some will arrive with the dongle packed in. Its due date is set for “the coming weeks” so it shouldn’t be long until we nail down the other details about the Roku Streaming Stick — all currently available information can be found in the press release after the break.

Continue reading Roku Streaming Stick ready devices will come from Insignia, Mitsubishi, Onkyo, Oppo and others

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Roku Streaming Stick ready devices will come from Insignia, Mitsubishi, Onkyo, Oppo and others originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Aug 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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