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Instacart now offers same-day delivery from Best Buy
The option is available for almost every store in the US.
Best Buy throws in a $50 gift card with the 15-inch Surface Laptop 3
If you're in the market for a good deal on a Microsoft Surface Laptop 3, you might want to check out Best Buy. The retailer is offering a $50 gift card with the system, which starts at $1,199. Best Buy is also throwing in a six-month Trend Micro Internet Security subscription worth $30. While it's not exactly a door crasher bargain, it certainly sweetens the deal.
Google Pixel 3a XL spotted at Best Buy ahead of launch
Google's Pixel 3a XL has been spotted at a Springfield, Ohio Best Buy, removing any remaining mystery about what the search giant is about to announce. The handset was seen in its packaging by an Android Police tipster in plain view (but under glass) in both of the previously leaked colors, "Purple-ish" and "Just Black." The sighting all but confirms the imminent launch and availability of the device, expected to happen on May 7th at Google's I/O event.
Best Buy offers a steep discount on Verizon's Pixel 3 phones
Despite some teething problems, Google's Pixel 3 smartphones combine incredible power and features with a pure Android experience. If you've been thinking of jumping in but are dissuaded by the $900 Pixel 3 XL price, now's the time. Best Buy is offering the Verizon version of both devices at a steep $400 discount, so you might never find them cheaper.
Google's Pixel Slate is available to pre-order
Google has been coy about just when you could get your hands on a Pixel Slate, but it's ending that mystery today. Both Google and Best Buy have made the Chrome OS tablet available for pre-order, with the device reaching your door within two to three weeks if you 're an early adopter. You won't see the vaunted $599 entry model with a Celeron chip at Best Buy, but everything else is the same. There's a $799 model that packs a Core m3 processor and 64GB of storage, a $999 Core i5/128GB model and a flagship $1,599 Core i7/256GB version.
Motorola One launches in the US on November 11th for $399
You'll soon be able to buy the Motorola One in the US. The phonemaker says it's bringing the Android One phone stateside "after a successful launch" in Latin America, Asia Pacific and Europe where it's sold for €299. In the US, the device will set you back $399 as an unlocked GSM device. It's already up on Best Buy's website for pre-sale and will be available in store starting on November 11th. Take note, though, that its black version is an online exclusive, while the white one will be sold in brick-and-mortar outlets.
Vector, Anki’s cute robot companion, is available today
Anki's Vector, the $2 million Kickstarter darling, is out today, and he's ready to be your best friend. Vector is the follow-up to Anki's first Robot, Cozmo. While Cozmo was more focused on being a toy for kids, Vector aims to be a robot assistant. It will even have Alexa integration by the end of the year, giving it access to a larger trove of information to be able to answer more questions. Vector's defining characteristic are its large, expressive eyes. The Wall-E-esque nature of the robot gives it an adorable personality. And even while you're typing away at your desk, Vector will be doing its own thing, exploring and messing around. It can even do tricks, like pop a wheelie. Vector has a front-facing camera that can recognize your face, as well as a four-microphone array on top for voice commands. And whenever Vector runs low on battery, he'll truck on over to a charging port and juice up. Anki will be updating Vector throughout its lifespan. The company plans to add additional features like delivering messages to contacts, pet detection, music recognition, smart home integration, and Tile support. Vector and the Vector Space, a small plastic plate for your robot buddy to hang around in, is available for $250 and $30 respective on Anki's official website. Vector can also be purchased on Amazon and Best Buy.
Best Buy inadvertently sold Google's next-gen Chromecast
Google is still having an absolutely lousy time keeping its October 9th announcements under wraps. Redditor GroveStreetHomie managed to buy the as yet unreleased third-generation Chromecast at a Best Buy that had mistakenly put it out for sale. Externally, it's more a subtle refresh of the 2015 model than a revolution -- it's still a puck-shaped dongle, just with a matte surface and the Chrome logo replaced with the virtually omnipresent "G" from newer devices. Inside, however, it might be more interesting.
After Math: What could go wrong?
It's been a week of risk in the tech world, and I don't just mean Elon Musk's recent Twitter-on-acid experiment. Best Buy is wagering $800 million on a company that teaches your grandparents how gadgets work, Saint Louis University is peppering its dorms with Echos for some reason, and Reebok is hoping folks won't be too tempted to eat their vegetable-based sneakers.
Best Buy bought the company behind senior-friendly JitterBug phone
Yesterday, Best Buy announced that it paid $800 million to acquire GreatCall, the company that makes the senior-friendly JitterBug phones. Perhaps more importantly, it has an emergency response service that more than 900,000 subscribers pay for. That fits the retail giant's pivot to providing tech support and services as it moves away from focusing exclusively on devices and physical media.
ASUS' Android Go phone comes to the US for $110
The first Android Go phone to reach the US, the Alcatel 1X, was frankly lackluster between its not-even-720p screen and mediocre processing power. ASUS, however, is hoping to spice things up by launching the ZenFone Live (L1) in the US as a Best Buy exclusive. The unlocked handset costs slightly more than its rival at $110, but you're getting a lot more for your extra Hamilton. The ZenFone carries an 18:9 ratio, 5.5-inch 1,440 x 720 LCD screen, a speedier Snapdragon 425 processor and a heftier 3,000mAh battery, not to mention dual nano-SIM slots and a place for your microSD cards. This might be an ideal phone if you're a traveler who'd rather not risk their main device on a trip.
Listing hints that Netflix and YouTube are coming to Nintendo Switch
Nintendo's Switch may not be the nexus of the living room like the PS4 and Xbox One, but its hybrid-mode mobility makes it an entertainment powerhouse -- so the absence of streaming service apps over a year after the system's launch has been strange. But mention of Netflix, Hulu and YouTube have apparently surfaced on listings for the Switch on Best Buy's website.
Amazon recruits Best Buy to sell Fire TV Edition smart TVs
Best Buy has partnered with Amazon to sell voice-controlled Fire TV Edition branded TVs in its stores and on its website, the companies announced. CEOs Jeff Bezos from Amazon and Best Buy's Hubert Joly said the retailer will sell 11 Amazon-powered TVs, including 4K and HD models, starting this summer with Toshiba models. At the same time, Best Buy will become a merchant on Amazon's website and get exclusive rights to sell Amazon Fire TVs.
Sony Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact arrive in the US on April 20th
If you're an American and have had your curiosity piqued by Sony's heavily redesigned Xperia XZ2, you can indulge your curiosity in the very near future. Sony will sell both the XZ2 and the XZ2 Compact through Best Buy starting online April 20th (with pre-orders beginning April 13th), and retail on May 6th. Amazon and other retailers will sell the handsets on May 20th. Be prepared to pay a premium for the cachet of owning a relatively uncommon phone in the country, though: the XZ2 Compact will cost $650, while its full-size counterpart will carry a $800 price tag.
Best Buy may also have had customer data exposed
Yesterday, both Sears and Delta revealed that thousands of their customers may have had personal and financial information exposed. This was because the companies had entrusted data to the tech firm [24]7.ai, which itself suffered a several-week breach last fall and informed its clients last month. Lo and behold, another well-known corporation has had its customers' data potentially compromised: Best Buy. Luckily, they anticipate that only a "small fraction" of overall online Best Buy shoppers may have had their information compromised.
Best Buy has 'ceased ordering' Huawei smartphones
It's not just carriers giving Huawei the cold shoulder in the US; retailers are, too. A CNET source has learned that Best Buy has "ceased ordering" new Huawei smartphones and will phase them out over a matter of weeks. Best Buy was the one who made the call, according to the claim. Best Buy's spokeswoman wouldn't confirm or deny the apparent scoop, but it said it changes its product offerings for a "variety of reasons."
EFF: Geek Squad has been working with the FBI for a decade
When the defense in a California doctor's child pornography case accused the FBI of paying Geek Squad's crew to look for evidence in the defendant's computer, Best Buy denied it enjoys close ties with the agency. Now, according to the EFF, the big-box retailer's team of IT technicians are even closer to the feds than previous reports indicated. The non-profit has received the results to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) it filed last year and found that Best Buy has been enjoying "a particularly close relationship with the agency" over the past 10 years, at least.
Best Buy will close 250 phone-focused stores in the US
All those standalone Best Buy mobile phone outlets you see in malls will be gone by the end of May. According to various sources, the big box retailer is shutting down all the 250 mobile-focused shops it built across the US over the years, even during times it had to shut down some of its big box locations. It put up its first stores back in 2006 to capitalize on the growing mobile phone industry, but the phone biz is no longer as lucrative as it was back then. Best Buy chief Hubert Joly apparently told employees in a letter that those small outlets are now more expensive to run than a big box store.
Best Buy will stop CD sales as digital music continues to take over
There's not much reason to shop for CDs when you download or stream all your music, and big-box stores are reacting to that decline. Billboard sources have learned that Best Buy has told suppliers that it will remove music CDs from its stores as of July 1st. The chain was only making $40 million per year from the plastic discs -- a drop in the bucket for a retailer this size. Vinyl aficionados will still find records on sale for the next 2 years, according to the insiders, although they may have to be sold next to the turntables themselves.
How the 'Grinch bots' stole Christmas
Resellers have existed since way before the internet. But with the surge of online shopping, they have found the perfect weapon to aid their business: bots, automated software that can add products to a virtual cart and purchase them faster than any human. Even if your browser autofills personal information, like your address and credit card, and it only took you one minute to get to the checkout page -- that's too slow. Bots can buy almost anything in a matter of seconds, which is why they've become the ideal tool for people who make money by snatching up coveted items and selling them on eBay, Amazon and Craigslist for a profit.