Best Buy Snaps Up 17 CompUSA Leases
by Joshua Topolsky, posted May 1st 2008 at 6:03PM
[Thanks, Brian]
Posts with tag best buy
[Thanks, Brian]
$399 Windows Eee PC Now Available at Best Buy
Wal-Mart seems to think that consumers don't want to buy cheap computers (earlier this eyar, the retailer pulled the $199 Everex gPC from store shelves and forcing consumers to go dig through its Web site to order one). Fellow big-box retailer Best Buy, however, has a different opinion. The home electronics powerhouse has just made picked up the recently released Windows XP version of the $399 Eee PC, which is now available both via its website and for in-store pickup.
We've reported on the low-cost Eee PC many times before, including word just last week that this XP flavored version was coming. That was good news for many who were looking for a cheap ultra-portable but wanted the familiarity of Windows. When we reviewed the laptop in February we found it to be capable and compact, if not quite a powerhouse. (What do you expect for $400?) The addition of Windows XP to the device should make it an even more appealing -- though slower -- option for many, though the faster version with a larger screen coming later this summer may be an even better choice ...
From Engadget
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HD DVD Responds to Bad Press Day
Yesterday was a bad day for HD DVD. We've already declared HD DVD dead in the water, but not everyone has come around just yet. Yesterday both Best Buy and Netflix helped bury the Toshiba-backed HD DVD coalition. Netflix announced that it would begin exclusively carrying Blu-Ray discs, and Best Buy will continue to carry HD DVDs and HD DVD players, but will "recommend" BluRay to customers. The HD DVD Promotional Group released a press statement in response to the two major setbacks:
"We have long held the belief that HD DVD is the best format for consumers based on quality and value, and with more than 1 million HD DVD players on the market, it's unfortunate to see Netflix make the decision to only stock Blu-ray titles going forward. While the Best Buy announcement says they will recommend Blu-ray, at least they will continue to carry HD DVD and offer consumers a choice at retail."
Obviously, some of the spark and fight has left the group when the best they can come up with is Blu-Ray hasn't pushed us off the shelves yet.
From Engadget
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Some Digital Photo Frames Sold at Best Buy During Holidays Contain Virus
If you bought a 10.4-inch Insignia-branded photo frame with model number NS-DPF-10A from Best Buy during the holidays, then beware: The device may come with a virus that can infect Windows-based computers.
Best Buy has taken all the remaining Insignia-branded frames off its store shelves and has discontinued producing them. According to the Insignia Web site, "this is an older virus which is easily identified and removed by current anti-virus software." The company is also providing telephone support for any consumers concerned they have one of the infected frames at 1-877-467-4289.
(Note: Insignia is a brand name created and owned by Best Buy to create several lines of consumer electronics products for distribution through its stores. This is similar to store brands of other types that consumers typically see in everything from grocery stores to auto parts dealers.)
This isn't the first time a consumer electronics product comes installed with a little something malicious that the consumer wasn't counting on. GPS maker TomTom found out the hard way in late 2006 that a batch of its GO 910 units were infected at the factory level with a virus. And even the beloved iPod hasn't been immune, with an incident also in late 2006 where a collection of its 5.5-gigabyte MP3 players sprung up with a virus that was inserted at the manufacturing point. (That virus only infected Windows machines, as well.)
How does this happen? Typically, it's not the work of some nefarious factory employee who wants to sabotage a product line. Instead, the people who work at these manufacturing points are just as susceptible as the rest of us to mistakenly downloading a virus onto their work computers. This virus then replicates itself and ultimately makes its way onto one of the computers that is tasked with setting up the consumer electronics products destined for store shelves.
Both Apple and TomTom stated at the time that they were reviewing their manufacturing processes to prevent this from happening again and issued warnings and advice to consumers, just as Best Buy and Insignia are doing now.
Best Buy has not issued a recall of the photo frames. Since the flaw is (apparently) easy to correct, we don't think a panic is forthcoming -- or necessary.
From ComputerWorld.
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Best Buy's Geek Squad Finds Child Porn on Janitor's Computer, Janitor Arrested
Best Buy's Geek Squad isn't exactly known for respecting people's property. This time, however, instead of us catching them, they caught a guy with child porn. A middle school custodian sent in a hard drive back in August of 2007 to recover lost data. Upon performing their usual search (and invasion of personal privacy), the Geek Squadders at a Twin Cities location found over 800 images of young girls between the ages of 7 and 15 in various states of undress and performing sexual acts. The Geek Squad promptly turned the evidence over to the police. The police eventually obtained a search warrant and -- upon execution -- found more evidence in the janitor's home.
While we would like to say that this guy is sick and deserves whatever punishment he gets, we are disturbed by the conduct of Geek Squad employees who seem to make it a habit of going through customer data. Whether or not the data is illegal and leads to arrest, warrantless searches by non-law-enforcement personnel is disturbing on an ethical level and we're pretty sure unconstitutional.
From Consumerist
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Best Buy Caught Faking Low Nintendo Wii Supplies
Nintendo's Wii console has been very hard to find for a long time now -- so long that some are calling shenanigans. A lot of folks think that Nintendo is artificially creating news and demand by keeping supplies of its little white console low. Those claims have never been substantiated, but now we have some proof that some other players are getting in on the game. The Consumerist has is reporting that Best Buy employees are clearing out their Wii inventories by broadcasting that they're down to a single Wii console -- over and over again.
The report was filed by a witness at the Princeton, New Jersey Best Buy. The witness saw an employee parade around holding a Wii over her head while another employee announced "Julie is now walking through the store with our last Nintendo Wii! If you're looking for a Nintendo Wii, please look for Julie!" Someone in the store grabbed the box and bought the console, of course. 30 minutes later, another employee did the same thing, with another Wii held aloft for all to see. The witness claims he overheard the store's managers discussing the scheme and planning to send Julie out a third time forty minutes later.
This isn't the first time Best Buy has been caught doing something shady: Earlier this year, some branches of the chain set up a second, secret version of the Best Buy Web site, which was accessible only from within the store and had higher prices than the public Web site, presumable to keep people from getting lower in-store prices. The discount chain has also been accused of tricking people into signing up for subscriptions to MSN, as well as selling a hard drive that contained only bathroom tiles.
From The Consumerist
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Best Buy's $200 Black Friday PC and Other Cheap Computers
If you decide to brave the battlefield at Best Buy this year, you'll be rewarded with an opportunity to grab an eMachines PC with a 17 inch LCD monitor for the super low price of $200. Don't expect the world though. The PC is rumored to be powered by an Intel Celeron running at 2.66 Ghz (meaning no efficient and powerful 'Core' for you), comes with 512 megabytes of RAM (which is the bare minimum for doing just about anything on a computer these days), has a measly 80 Gigabyte hard drive, and it has no DVD burner.
Don't get us wrong -- $200 is still a heck of a price, but you could get so much more, or at least more interesting for a tad more cash. For instance, Wal-Mart is selling their own $200 PC without monitor. The gPC, as it's called, runs Linux instead of the resource-hungry Vista and uses an ultra low-power (and carbon-neutral) processor from Via. Or, how about the diminutive and cheap Eee from Asus which is also powered by Linux (noticing a trend here?). Priced from $200 to $400, these little laptops let you get all your basic computing tasks done by focusing on web applications.
Or, if you're in the market for something truly different, head on over to Laptop.org and you can get yourself one of the OLPC XOs (also Linux powered). These tiny, innovative convertible laptops are meant for kids in developing nations, but for a limited time you can order one for yourself as long as you're willing to pay for two. The second one gets sent to a child in the third world on your dime. In that case, $400 gets you a technological marvel, a piece of history, and a warm, fuzzy feeling.
From Engadget
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Circuit City Shopper Cuffed for Refusing to Show Receipt
If you shop with any frequency at giant chain stores such as Circuit City, Best Buy, Home Depot or even Bed, Bath & Beyond, you've probably grown accustomed to showing a security person your receipt and allowing him to inspect the contents of your bag as you leave the store.
For most of us, this inspection is routine and nothing more than a nuisance. But, have you ever stopped to wonder if this is even legal, or that this search of your bags is essentially an accusation of theft? Well, this past weekend, an Ohio man decided to refuse the search of his bag at an area Circuit City and soon found himself behind bars.
Though he tells the story in much more detail on his own blog, here's a synopsis of what happened to Michael Righi of Brooklyn, Ohio. This past Saturday afternoon, he dropped into Circuit City and bought a surge protector and a copy of Disney's 'Cars' video game for the Ninetendo Wii. When Righi was told by the door person that his bag needed to be inspected and compared to his receipt, Righi refused with a polite "No thank you" and kept walking outside, where his father was waiting behind the driver's seat of his car. The security person and manager ran out of the store and blocked the car's exit from the parking lot. When neither could tell Righi which U.S. law gave them the right to search his bag, Righi asked to be let go or he would call the police himself. They refused and Righi called the police. When the officer showed up, he inspected the bag and saw nothing had been stolen. He also asked Righi for his driver's license. Since Righi was not driving his father's car, he refused to give up his driver's license, but was happy to give his name and address at the officer's request. Not amused, the officer arrested Righi and booked him for 'Obstructing Official Business.'
From Slashdot
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Thieves Begin Tracking Gadget Shoppers
According to Consumerist, shoppers in Canada's Mississauga, ON, region are on alert after several consumers were robbed shortly after making big-ticket purchases at electronics stores. Police say criminals are staked out at these stores where they lay in wait for a person to buy an expensive item. The thieves will then tail the shopper to his or her next destination, wait until the shopper leaves the car, then break in and rob the items the victim had just bought.
These Canadian hooligans sure are creative -- though definitely a non-confrontational bunch. Here in the good ol' United States, a similar post-purchase rash of thefts occurred when the rare and expensive PlayStation 3 was launched last year. Only, that time there were a lot of blades, blood and hospital visits involved. That's America, baby.
From Consumerist
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Wait Until After the Holidays to Buy a New TV, Analysts Say
If you've been thinking about getting a fancy new HDTV, you might want to wait unitl after the holidays to make your purchase -- at least that's the advice several analysts have given to the New York Times. Over the past couple of years, flat-panel prices have plummeted (and subsequently) so have profits.
As a result, retailers are focusing less on the affordable brands (Vizio, Norcent, Olevia) and more on pricier name-brand models (Pioneer, Sony, Sharp). Best Buy, Circuit City and even Costco are not only pushing higher-end models with the latest features like 1080p and HDMI 1.3, but also high-profit additions like extended warranties and professional installation
The relentless push for higher profits will likely let up after the holidays. Many retailers also have large post holiday sales events. So if you're in the market for an HDTV, wait until Dec. 26th. In the meantime, you can always check sites such as dealnews.com to find the latest promotions that may in fact exist before or after the holidays.
From The New York Times
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Best Buy Employee Caught Perving Out
Perhaps Best Buy should have named its computer diagnostic and repair division Perv Squad. Following April's incident in which one of its Geek Squad technicians was caught videotaping a customer while she showered, a second employee has now been videoed copying porn files from a customer's computer onto his own drive.
The video was captured as part of a sting operation run by the Web site, The Consumerist. The Consumerist set up a PC with software to capture a video log of all on-screen activities. It then dropped off the PC at several different Geek Squad locations and asked for help with simple tasks like installing iTunes. Most technicians performed their duties without any snooping, sometimes even doing it for free at the counter. But one unnamed 'Agent' (as they call themselves) helped himself to personal folders sitting on the desktop. When he discovered they were full of pornographic images and video, he copied the folders onto a USB thumb drive.
The Consumerist ran the sting after an anonymous Geek Squad employee admitted that hunting for nudie pics on the hard drives of customers is a regular practice amongst technicians. When asked to comment on the video, a Best Buy official called it an isolated incident and asked for the name of the Agent in question so he could be fired. The Consumerist refused to name names, claiming that this was not an isolated incident, but proof of a systemic problem.
Either way, it's hilarious, and proof that it's always wise to remove anything you don't want discovered on your PC before taking it in for service -- with Geek Squad or anyone else.
From Boing Boing and The Consumerist
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Best Buy Sued for Being Scummy
It works like this: Let's say you want a new plasma HD TV. You check online and see Best Buy has one on sale for $1,299. Rather than pay insane shipping fees or trust UPS with your delicate electronics, you head down to your local Best Buy brick-and-mortar location to pick it out in person.
When you arrive at the store, however, an employee tells you the price is actually $1,599. When you tell that employee the TV was listed for $1,299 on the Web site, he or she takes you over to a kiosk, opens the Best Buy Web site and shows you that it does indeed cost $1,599. The site he has shown you, however, is not accessible to the public, only inside Best Buy retail outlets.
The practice is shady to say the least. After receiving about twenty complaints, the Connecticut Attorney General, Richard Blumenthal, opened an investigation and is now suing Best Buy for deceiving and overcharging customers.
We think the most disturbing part of this story is the complicity required by Best Buy employees. Usually you don't want to make it corporate policy to hire the most dishonest people you can find.
From USA Today
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Geek Squad Opens General Hospital
When slapping screens and punching keyboards fail, Best Buy's Geek Squad is there to fix America's computer-related woes (or, to sneak a peek at America in the shower). Though Geek Squad units are stationed inside of Best Buy stores throughout our great land, a new Geek headquarters has just opened up in Louisville, Kentucky.
The brand new 165,000 square-foot facility, dubbed Geek Squad City, will service PCs and laptops shipped from local Geek Squad locations, courtesy of Louisville's massive UPS air hub. In-store Geek Squads will still take their best crack at healing sick computers, but anything too serious or that requires special parts will head to the Bluegrass State to be serviced by one of the new location's 600 employees. The average turnaround time will be just three days, and Geek Squad City anticipates handling upwards of 700,000 repairs each year.
So, why Kentucky...the lure of the mint julep? Nope. According to Geek Squad City 'mayor' Wes Snyder, it was the state's offer of up to $9.3 million in tax benefits.
From CNN
Best Buy Perv Videotapes Customer
Sarah Vasquez of Pomona, CA, needed help getting her computer fixed. But when Hao Kuo Chi of Best Buy's Geek Squad arrived at her door, he helped himself to a peek at Vasquez in the buff. Chi waited until Vasquez entered the shower, at which point he allegedly slithered into the bathroom with his camera phone, hit the record button and slithered out.
When Vasquez emerged from the shower, she noticed the phone resting behind the sink with its recording light on. The memory card was immediately removed from the phone, which Chi then attempted to win back by offering discounts on his service -- presumably the services that don't involve humiliating customers and staining his company's reputation. Vasquez refused and Chi was later arrested. She and her family are now filing a lawsuit against the retail giant. Of course, no one's asking the question: Who takes a shower with a stranger in the house?
From CBS
When Vasquez emerged from the shower, she noticed the phone resting behind the sink with its recording light on. The memory card was immediately removed from the phone, which Chi then attempted to win back by offering discounts on his service -- presumably the services that don't involve humiliating customers and staining his company's reputation. Vasquez refused and Chi was later arrested. She and her family are now filing a lawsuit against the retail giant. Of course, no one's asking the question: Who takes a shower with a stranger in the house?
From CBS
