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Best Buy opens first UK store in Thurrock, we go hands-on (video)
Ah, there it is, UK's first-ever Best Buy store, officially born at 7am local time yesterday. Naturally, we had to be there to witness such magical moment for Britain's consumer tech market -- the Brits had longed for an injection of energy and professionalism to the seemingly slacking chain stores. Many would agree that DSGi's two main brands -- Currys and PC World -- are on the naughty list, even after their recent relaunch. From what we saw today, it looks like Best Buy's already heading in the right direction. Let's start with the front-line employees. Most of these Blueshirts provided genuine technical answers rather than bluffing their way out, plus we were given product recommendations with no desperate sales pitch as commonly seen in other stores. When we revealed our identity to one of the sales reps, he confirmed that they were trained to not force random products onto customers -- quite the opposite culture to his old days at DSGi (assuming he was telling the truth). We sure did appreciate this new-found shopping freedom in gadget stores, but did the other customers feel the same way? Find out what we heard after the break.%Gallery-92099%
Currys, Dixons to stop selling analog TVs in Europe
DSG International, the parent company to Currys, Dixons and PC World stores across Europe, has announced that it will no longer be stocking analog sets (sound familiar?). Granted, only 10-percent of the remaining TVs it sold were of the analog flavor, but it looks as if even those units will soon be gone. Reportedly, the chains are looking to further promote units with integrated digital Freeview tuners, and considering that some parts of Europe have already begun the analog-to-digital switchover, we suppose that follows logic precisely. Also of note, these same retailers will halt sales of DVD recorders with only analog tuners within, but on the real, we can't say we'll miss 'em.[Image courtesy of Waltondale, thanks CMC]
UK's Currys finds Bully too spicy
Oh bother, somebody didn't send the memo that Bully is tame to the British. After various U.S. press outlets, along with wire service Reuters and the pinnacle of print media USA Today, gave Bully a collective hall pass, it looks like a few people across the pond don't read those venerable institutions. The UK Sun is reporting retail store Currys is refusing to stock Bully's British version, Canis Canem Edit -- which is different in title only -- stating, "We're a family-friendly retailer. We don't think this game is appropriate for our stores and have decided not to stock it."The ESRB gave Bully a T rating in the U.S., which taking into account how puritanical the states are means Canis Canem Edit is kosher for the pre-teen UK set. Tipster Geoff says that Currys was, "One of the retailers who stopped selling Manhunt in this country, along with Woolworths and Game. All three retailers were stocking Manhunt again within three weeks of the 'ban'." Of course, this "family-friendly" retailer currently sells the 18+ game Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. Bully being controversial is so passe at this point that the game may sell based on its merits rather than ridiculous pre-conceptions. Guess we'll find out how U.S. gamers feel about the game tomorrow, Currys has till the British launch Oct. 27 to decide if the mean Bully will hurt their bottom line.
Slingbox released in UK
Because you can never have convenient enough access to all that great BBC programming, Sling Media has just released a version of their popular Slingbox for British TV junkies. The UK model has been tweaked a bit for European viewing, with PAL tuners replacing the NTSC versions found in US boxes, and a DVB-T tuner thrown in for placeshifting that sweet, sweet OTA Freeview content. In conjunction with the UK rollout, the folks at Sling also announced an updated version of the SlingPlayer PC software, whose main upgrades include widescreen 16:9 support and a skinnable client. Slingbox: UK will initially be available exclusively at PC World's website and retail locations -- and at Currys stores in four to six weeks -- for £180, VAT included.
