Engadget

Apple hires former Dixons CEO John Browett as senior VP of Retail

Amar Toor — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:37:00 EST

More than six months after Ron Johnson's departure, Apple has finally found a new retail chief to replace him, in one John Browett. The Cambridge- and Wharton-educated Browett will be coming to Cupertino in April after serving nearly five years as CEO of Dixons -- the Taj Mahal of British retail. Before that, he held a smattering of obscurely defined "executive positions" at Tesco plc and advised retail clients at Boston Consulting Group. In a statement, Apple CEO Tim Cook lauded his company's latest appointee, citing his "incredible retail experience" and commitment to customer service. Read more in the PR after the break.

Continue reading Apple hires former Dixons CEO John Browett as senior VP of Retail

Apple hires former Dixons CEO John Browett as senior VP of Retail originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Caption contest: this is why grocery stores shouldn't sell smartphones

Darren Murph — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 10:36:00 EST

"We call it a very nice phone and you can get it on a 12 month contract." Oh, really, Tesco? Nifty! So, how much is that bag of day-old doughnuts... with and without a contract?

Don: "Knowing my luck, if I buy this now they'll have an iPhone 4 with a Bold keyboard on sale next week."
Darren: "Do you guys sell a vegan model?"
Michael: "At Tesco, we've got raspberries, strawberries, and... ThunderBerries?"
Tim: "With Android, are you supposed to squeeze it or shake it to tell if it's ripe?"
Chris: "You can find it in the toothpaste aisle of your local grocery store."
Myriam: "Behold the Desire Torch, a new AndroBerry phone from HTRIM... now available in the cheese aisle."
Richard Lai: "By popular demand we have extended our Tesco Mobile Rewards offer to our shanzhai range."
Sean Hollister: "And Tesco embraced fragmentation, the only way it knew how."
Vlad: "Hey, if RIM's gonna use our apps on its tablet, then we're gonna use its buttons on our phones. Fair's fair."

[Thanks, Matt O.]

Caption contest: this is why grocery stores shouldn't sell smartphones originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Apr 2011 10:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile expected to cut Galaxy Tab pricing to $249.99 (update: drop is official!)

Ben Bowers — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 01:02:00 EST

After initiating the first on-contract Galaxy Tab price cascade back in December that quickly led Sprint to respond, T-Mobile may chop subsidy prices again today for the 7-inch tablet to just under $250 (after a pesky $50 mail-in rebate). Together, that's only $62 more than the bargain bin CherryPad, which should infuriate early adopters who paid double that only a few months ago, not to mention sober up Samsung. However, when you consider that pseudo-4G tablets like the Dell Streak 7 and LG G-Slate will join Magenta's lineup soon, it is a viable strategy for extending the Tab's consumer appeal in this viciously competitive Android tablet world we live in. Then again, if the dual-core processors teased for the Tab's successor actually pan out, we doubt Samsung will need any assistance getting back to its smug position on top of the Android heap. We'll be keeping our eyes peeled on T-Mobile's site today and be sure to update should the price change actually materialize.

Update: A recent peek at T-Mobile's site shows the price drop is now official. If you're in the UK and prefer buying the Tab unsubsidized, Amazon and Tesco have also chopped their prices to a palatable £341.24 ($542) and £359.20 ($571), respectively. Thanks, Raphael and Rupert!

T-Mobile expected to cut Galaxy Tab pricing to $249.99 (update: drop is official!) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 01:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG strolls into Town with C300 featurephone, offers portrait QWERTY for text addicts

Richard Lai — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 08:56:00 EST

Still on the lookout for an affordable QWERTY dumbphone? You might be in luck, as LG's just released this eye-catching Town C300 to cater to your texting and IM addiction on the cheap. Just like its predecessor, this new handset includes Facebook, Twitter, Windows Live Messenger, and push email integration, along with FM radio, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a 2 megapixel camera from the hardware camp. The damage? Just a mere £69 ($108) from Orange, but don't tell your friends -- keep the extra booze money to yourself.

Gallery: LG Town C300

Continue reading LG strolls into Town with C300 featurephone, offers portrait QWERTY for text addicts

LG strolls into Town with C300 featurephone, offers portrait QWERTY for text addicts originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Sep 2010 08:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tesco Mobile announces cheapest UK iPhone 4 tariffs yet

Vlad Savov — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 08:53:00 EST

You're not going to believe this, but someone actually bothered to turn up to the iPhone 4 launch with a bit of competitive spirit. Tesco Mobile, an MVNA riding atop O2's network, has busted out its idea of what represents good value for iPhone lovers' money, and it has put everyone else to shame. 1GB of data and unlimited texts come as standard (seems like O2's network can handle the load after all). Two 12-month options are available, at £20 ($29) per month for 250 minutes and £35 ($52) per month for 750 minutes, accompanied by the big spender platter of unlimited minutes and an almost free 16GB iPhone 4 for those willing to spend £45 ($66) over two years. It's all great news for Brits, and you can see exactly how it compares to the big networks in our comprehensive, chart-intensive breakdown right here.

Tesco Mobile announces cheapest UK iPhone 4 tariffs yet originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 08:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How-to: figure out the best value iPhone 4 contracts in the UK (updated)

Vlad Savov — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 06:49:00 EST

Choices, choices. Do you get the 16GB or 32GB iPhone 4? The black one now or the white one a little later? We can't tell you which variant of Apple's next phone will hold its value best over the coming months, but we can try to clear up a bit of the fogginess surrounding price plans on offer from UK networks. Orange and O2 are the first to drop handset pricing and full contract details, but they haven't made it easy for the discerning buyer, with each carrier offering more than a dozen options. Vodafone, T-Mobile, Three, and even Tesco Mobile are set to follow suit in the coming days and weeks, but we thought we'd get the ball rolling with the pair we have now.

Update: And just as we publish this, Voda has gone official with its tariffs. We've now broken them down into a more digestible format as well. Just for you.

Update 2: Tesco Mobile has also outed its pricing and it's by far the best of the bunch. Check out the full chart inside the post.

Update 3: Three's iPhone 4 pricing has now also been made known.

Continue reading How-to: figure out the best value iPhone 4 contracts in the UK (updated)

How-to: figure out the best value iPhone 4 contracts in the UK (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Jun 2010 06:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone 3GS coming to Tesco Mobile on December 14, extreme price plans in tow

Vlad Savov — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 04:48:00 EST

The marriage of a high-priced smartphone to a value-minded department store was always going to be interesting and Tesco has not disappointed. Having just announced that availability of the latest and greatest iPhone is coming on December 14, the company has also detailed some unique -- for the UK at least -- price plans to go with it. Most notable is the unlimited (subject to fair use policy) 3G web and BT Openzone WiFi access on offer, which will be free for a year to Pay As You Go and one-year contract customers or for two years if you're on a 24-month agreement. Tesco's also bringing the minimum monthly outlay down to £20 ($32) on its one-year contract, but that only gets you a £60 ($98) calls and texts allowance and you'd have to pony up £320 ($520) for the 16GB handset. On the other hand, you could go nuts and get the unlimited calls and texts plan for £60 a month, which isn't too bad value for the incessant chatterboxes out there. Finally, there's also half-price calling to your favorite five numbers, which isn't going to matter much to people on the all-you-can-eat price plan, but is a nice extra.

[Thanks Tony H. and everyone who sent this in]

iPhone 3GS coming to Tesco Mobile on December 14, extreme price plans in tow originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Dec 2009 04:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone to be sold by Tesco in the UK, hemorrhages cachet

Vlad Savov — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:30:00 EST

So we know the iPhone has been slumming it and selling itself on Walmart shelves in the US for a while now, but it's retained a somewhat more dignified cachet over here in Europe. Until today, that is. Just "in time for Christmas," British retailer Tesco will make it possible for you to buy your socks, no-frills groceries, and shiny smartphone all in the same place. You'll still be riding O2's network, thanks to the Tesco Mobile service, but the department store chain is likely to price its contracts more aggressively, as it already has a £30 per month plan that includes unlimited calls, texts, and web surfing. Maybe there's something to this whole "competition" thing after all then, eh?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

iPhone to be sold by Tesco in the UK, hemorrhages cachet originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft and Tesco strike up 'virtual DVD' partnership

Vladislav Savov — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 06:24:00 EST

Starting this autumn -- which is sort of like now -- Tesco stores in the UK will be offering "virtual DVDs" to customers who purchase certain home video titles. Promising no less than a "DVD-equivalent" experience, the new service will be replete with all the menus, copyright warnings and extra bits you'd find on the disc itself, plus additional exclusive content and movie viewing parties with online chat. We're not entirely sure films need all the added interactivity Microsoft has cooked up, but ambitions are to expand the bonus content and to offer the service in other markets "eventually." And hey, seeing as it's based on Silverlight, all that good stuff will be available on Mac too.

Filed under: Misc

Microsoft and Tesco strike up 'virtual DVD' partnership originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 06:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft and Tesco strike up 'virtual DVD' partnership

Vlad Savov — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 06:24:00 EST

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Microsoft and Tesco strike up 'virtual DVD' partnership originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 06:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tesco's �349 Mini 10 actually a �349 Mini 9

Darren Murph — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 19:11:00 EST

Can you say "oops?" That so-called Mini 10, which curiously emerged at Tesco before anywhere else, is actually not a Mini 10. As the story goes, folks across the pond who plunked down £349 for their very own 10-inch Dell netbook have started receiving shipments only to find a perfectly average Mini 9 within. Furthermore, Tesco's Mini 10 order page is now completely nonexistent, further signaling that a serious mishap occurred somewhere along the line. Hate to burst your bubble, but if you ordered one of these pups from this vendor, you should probably expect to hit the return to sender option and eagerly await a refund.

[Via PortableMonkey, thanks Peter]

Filed under: Laptops

Tesco's �349 Mini 10 actually a �349 Mini 9 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 24 Jan 2009 19:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell Mini 10 shows up at Tesco for �349

Nilay Patel — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 17:04:00 EST

Well, Dell might have been super cagey about pricing and release dates for the new Mini 10 during its CES Adamo non-event, but you can't keep the kids locked up forever, and Dell's netbook middle child seems to have shacked up at Tesco for £349 ($480). Basic specs are generic netbook -- 1.6GHz Atom Z530 (it lists a Z520, but we know it's a Z530), 1GB of RAM, 160GB hard drive, Windows XP, and a sesame seed bun -- but we were actually quite taken with Dell's "perfect 10" when we played with it at CES, and the addition of a multitouch trackpad, built-in GPS and optional WWAN certainly make the Mini 10 a little more interesting than the competition. We'll see how pricing looks when Dell sees fit to bring this guy Stateside -- let's hope this mix of features doesn't end up costing $900 like a certain not-a-netbook competitor with a similar spec sheet.

[Thanks, Fry]

Filed under: Laptops

Dell Mini 10 shows up at Tesco for �349 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Jan 2009 17:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tesco leaks 12-inch Dell E Slim specs running "Ubunto" -- October 6th launch?

Thomas Ricker — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 07:15:00 EST

Hard to say what's going on exactly what this clusterfrack of a listing over at Tesco. While the Dell laptop shown is the £299 Inspiron Mini 9, it's labeled with an Inspiron Z530 title bellowing a 12-inch display. Moving down to the specs, we've got a spec-for-spec match to the unreleased 12.1-inch E Slim exclusive we brought you back in June: same 1.6GHz Atom processor; heavier 1.2kg (2.6-pounds) weight; bigger 12-inch WXGA (1,366 x 768 pixel) display; wider 29.9-cm (11.8-inch) dimension; and 40GB hard drive spinning ~~Ubunto~~ Ubuntu Linux. So Tesco, October 6th you say? Full Tesco specs listed after the break because that read link won't be up for long.

P.S. Dell doesn't sell a Atom-based 12-inch laptop under any model number presently, nor does it have a Z530 in its product roster.

[Thanks, GeorgeJ, Craig and Yau]

Continue reading Tesco leaks 12-inch Dell E Slim specs running "Ubunto" -- October 6th launch?

Filed under: Laptops

Tesco leaks 12-inch Dell E Slim specs running "Ubunto" -- October 6th launch? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Sep 2008 07:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The MODEC electric delivery van

Conrad Quilty-Harper — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 23:12:00 EST

While the simple van may not be the most glamorous of vehicles, it's hard to argue against a practical electric version that could do the same tasks, but without burning fossil fuels. That's exactly what the MODEC does, an electric van with a 100 mile range that can shift up to 2 tons of goods from supermarket to customer's doors. UK supermarket company Tesco recently arranged a contract to upgrade its home delivery fleet to the MODEC, which has a top speed of 50 MPH with its 102 horse power electric motor. It ain't no Tesla, but it's sure got style.

[Via Autoblog Green]

Filed under: Transportation

The MODEC electric delivery van originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 18 Aug 2007 23:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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US Tesco building to sport "world's largest" solar roof

Omar McFarlane — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 07:21:00 EST

Unbeknownst to most, we are lovers of our planet Earth and depend so much on solar power that we're often compared to the mighty Birdman. We cheered during Sanyo's CES keynote when it announced "Think GAIA," and now we come again to applaud Tesco. Joining forces with Solar Integrated Technologies, the British supermarket giant is set to build what it claims to be the "world's largest" solar roof on its new distribution center in California. By the end of the $13 million project, the roof will provide 1/5 of the facilities power and save "1,200 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year." With all that said, now we have to go and ponder whether or not this is enough for us to leave our beloved Trader Joe's.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

US Tesco building to sport "world's largest" solar roof originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Jan 2007 07:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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