Best Buy slaps Blue Label on Sony and Toshiba laptops, packed to the exhaust vents with extras
That fancy new Toshiba E305 we checked out back in January is up for pre-order now, and it's brought along a friend from Sony (the VPCSC1AFM/S) to join the Best Buy-exclusive Blue Label party. In terms of specs the two machines are practically identical -- both boast a 2.3GHz Core i5-2410M, 4GB of RAM, a 500GB hybrid hard disk, a Blu-ray drive, WiDi (and an adapter for your TV from Netgear), and a WiMAX radio. The big differences between the two PCs are price and size, with the 14-inch Toshiba weighing in just under 5 pounds and costing $900, while the Sony squeezes in under the 4-pound mark for $950. Considering the wealth of extras, including a year of Kaspersky anti-virus, 90 days of Geek Squad support, and an extended two-year warranty, the Blue Label machines are actually a pretty good bang for your buck and cost about $100 less than comparably equipped systems from their respective makers. If you don't care about things like Blu-ray or WiMAX, and distrust the Geek Squad though, you could save yourself some cash by skipping on these pre-configured models and going with a customized rig from Sony or Toshiba directly. PR after the break.
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Best Buy® Launches Pre-Sale of Exclusive Blue Label™ 3.0 Laptop Line
Collaboration with Intel, Sony and Toshiba yields two new notebooks that meet consumer expectations for performance and protection
MINNEAPOLIS – April 14, 2011 – Today Best Buy (NYSE:BBY) launches the online pre-sale of Blue Label 3.0 laptops, the latest computing solutions in an exclusive line created by and for consumers. Developed and manufactured in partnership with Intel®, Sony and Toshiba, the two new Blue Label notebooks deliver a combination of features such as pre-loaded anti-theft technology, streaming wirelessly to your TV in 1080p and solid state hybrid technology.
Blue Label 3.0 laptops are the latest arrivals in the customer-inspired You Spoke, We Listened program at Best Buy. The new Toshiba Satellite® E305 (priced at $899.99) and Sony VAIO® VPCSC1AFM/S (priced at $949.99) are available for online pre-order beginning today, and for sale in-store and on-line starting May 1.
"Three years ago, when we first launched Blue Label, we created thin, lightweight laptops with backlit keyboards and prolonged battery life because those were the features people said were really important to them," said Jason Bonfig, vice president of Computing at Best Buy. "Today, those form factors are really the new basics, and what we're creating now are notebooks with a whole new set of essentials that improve performance and deliver better data protection."
"Best Buy's Blue Label 3.0 program is bringing great PC innovation like 2nd Generation Intel® Core Processors, Intel® Anti-Theft Technology and Intel Wireless Display 2.0 to the market in attractive form factors. And when great performance and innovative features come together in cool form factors, consumers win," said Mooly Eden, vice president and general manager of Intel's PC Client Group.
Blue Label 3.0 laptops offer a broad range of features to address consumer expectations for getting fast, reliable and safe performance from their notebooks. With a backlit keyboard and improved battery life to seven hours, the laptops also feature:
PC Theft Defense (PCTD) service powered by Intel Anti-Theft Technology provides hardware-enabled security for added peace of mind. If the PC is lost or stolen, PCTD service will automatically shut down the PC and lock down the data stored on the PC. Built directly into the hardware, Intel Anti-Theft provides local protection that works even if a thief reinstalls the operating system, uses a new hard-drive or stays off the Internet. These Blue Label 3.0 systems include three years' of PC Theft Defense service.
A built-in Blu-Ray drive and Wireless Display technology with push button streaming to provide easy transfer of content from the laptop to the TV in 1080p without wires. Included in the package is the NETGEAR Push2TV™ adapter that connects to the HDMI port on the television.
A Seagate solid state hybrid drive with up to 50 percent faster boot-up time over 7200 RPM1.
A two-year extended manufacturer's limitedwarranty, 90 days of Geek Squad phone and remote support, and 12 months of Anti-Virus protection.
More information about Blue Label 3.0 laptops is available by visiting www.bestbuy.com/bluelabel. Customers also can conveniently pre-order a new laptop at this site for free in-home delivery beginning May 1.
About You Spoke, We Listened
Since their launch in late 2008, laptops emerging from the You Spoke, We Listened program at Best Buy have changed the dynamics of how computers are designed. Each generation originates with insight into desired features, styling and performance gleaned from Best Buy's own customers and employees. These are translated into product specifications for further development by the retailer's computing partners. The resulting laptops are offered under the brand names Blue Label, Next Class and First Glimpse, and are available exclusively at Best Buy stores and online.
About Best Buy Co., Inc.
With operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, China and Mexico, Best Buy is a multinational retailer of technology and entertainment products and services with a commitment to growth and innovation. The Best Buy family of brands and partnerships collectively generates more than $50 billion in annual revenue and includes brands such as Best Buy, Audiovisions, Best Buy Mobile, The Carphone Warehouse, Five Star, Future Shop, Geek Squad, Magnolia Audio Video, Napster, Pacific Sales, and The Phone House. Approximately 180,000 employees apply their talents to help bring the benefits of these brands to life for customers through retail locations, multiple call centers and Web sites, in-home solutions, product delivery and activities in our communities. Community partnership is central to the way Best Buy does business. In fiscal 2011, the company donated approximately $25 million to improve the vitality of the communities where its employees and customers live and work. For more information about Best Buy, visit www.bby.com.
