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Circuit City is coming back
RadioShack's recent demise isn't keeping Circuit City from getting back into the retail business. According to Twice, a publication that covers tech industry news, Circuit City is preparing to return soon. The report claims the company, which filed for bankruptcy in 2008, will be opening a new store in Dallas, Texas this coming June, led by the efforts of a new ownership group. Circuit City's also said to have the support of many major brands, including Canon, Intel and Sony, after holding successful meetings at CES 2016.
Seiki officially prices its 50-inch 4K TV at $1,500 with a late April launch
When Seiki's 4K TV set popped up on retail listings with a price that's just a fraction of what we've seen from its more expensive rivals, we were almost convinced it was a site glitch -- that couldn't be real, could it? The company would like to reassure us that it's quite serious. The 50-inch Ultra HD set is officially shipping to the US later in April, and it will still carry that regular $1,500 price tag when sales expand from TigerDirect (which claims to have stock today) to include Amazon and QVC, among others. We'd remain cautious about leaping in when Seiki is trying to skip a year or three of the usual commoditization process, but those who insist on their 4K bragging rights won't have long to wait before they can start boasting.
Seiki 50-inch 4K TV on sale for $1,299, offers Ultra HD for a regular HD price
The entry price for Ultra HDTV plunged by more than $10,000 earlier this week thanks to Sony's new 4K sets, but now it's going even lower with this model from Seiki. The brand is new to the US market and as such unfamiliar to most, but with a $1,300 listing on TigerDirect it's been lighting up AV enthusiast and deal-hunting forums alike. We haven't yet had a chance to see this display, but hope to take a look shortly. In the meantime, there are plenty of reasons not to be an early adopter -- the infamous eye charts suggest 4K's impact at this size may be reduced, it's an unknown company with unknown standards for quality and service, a new HDMI standard may be incoming and there's no content until the $699 FMP-X1 player arrives this summer -- but with a sub-$2K pricetag some would say you can't afford not to have an Ultra HD set in your possession. Those same people would also suggest inviting us over to watch the game (sports, console, but most likely a super high-res PC title if you can manage) on it, and indicate we are willing to bring refreshments. [Thanks, Eric Kotz]
Engadget Giveaway: win an ASUS S400 Windows 8 Ultrabook, courtesy of TigerDirect!
Microsoft's finally released the Windows 8 hounds, and retailers aren't skipping a beat on stocking up on pre-loaded hardware. TigerDirect is one such outlet eager to get you hooked up with a Windows 8 device, and to prove it, it's provided us with an ASUS S400CA-DH51T Ultrabook (currently an $899 value)! All you have to do is leave a comment below to enter, but you should definitely take a few minutes out of your day to check out TigerDirect's website for some great online deals! Specs for the Ultrabook include a 3rd generation Intel Core i5-3317U 1.7GHz, 4GB DDR3, 500GB HDD + 24GB SSD Cache, 14.1" Touchscreen and Windows 8 64-bit. Head to the above link for more details. Note: This giveaway is now closed. Congrats to our winner: Kazi K., Lawrenceville GA!
PayPal lines up 15 retailers for mobile payments, will let you buy Jamba Juice smoothies with a smartphone
Although PayPal's mobile payment system started out small with a Home Depot deal, that snowball is quickly rolling itself into a boulder. Starting next month, 15 extra US retailers will be happy to see you slap down your smartphone (not literally, we hope) instead of a credit card. The selection leads us to think a lot of smartphone owners like to shop for wearables -- Aéropostale, Foot Locker and JC Penney are in the batch, along with others -- but there's a few useful exceptions, like Barnes & Noble, Jamba Juice and TigerDirect. At least a total of 20 merchants are expected by the end of year, and as with Home Depot, you won't need special hardware besides an Android or iOS device to spend your hard-earned cash. We'll just be thankful we won't have to buy our yogurt with actual cash, like savages.
Samsung Chromebox gets a premature outing, $330 price tag (video)
Samsung has been almost completely silent regarding its Chromebox since its CES outing, so we were taken aback when we were tipped off that it was hiding in plain sight on TigerDirect's web store. Sure enough, a product listing provides a lot more detail about the tiny Chrome OS desktop than Samsung gave us in January, including its use of a 1.9GHz, dual-core Celeron B840, 4GB of DDR3 memory, a 16GB solid-state drive and six (not five) USB ports. We haven't seen mention of the promised wireless keyboard and mouse bundle, although the retailer's configuration might reflect a stripped-down trim level: at $330, it's a lot less than the $400 we were quoted at the start of the year. We wouldn't count on the store listing staying up -- at least, not until Google I/O -- but you can get a whirlwind tour of the Chromebox's core features through the hilariously awkward video below, which strips out the price if you're not watching from TigerDirect itself. [Thanks, Pete]
April Fools' Day roundup: the big toys, the small toys and the cats
Depending on where you are right now, you're either pretty much done with April Fools' Day (hence our bloated inbox thanks to all you lovely tipsters!) or it's just about to start on your side of the world. In fact, some of this year's submissions already got a head start, including the excellent 8-bit quest mode in Google Maps. Oh, don't worry, there's plenty more from Mountain View and the usual participants this year -- we've rounded up the best of the lot right after the break for your amusement. Keep an eye on this as we will be adding new goodies to the list throughout the day. [Thanks to everyone who sent these in]
HP TouchPad returns in TigerDirect bundle, if only for a moment
"We've got TouchPads!" That's the slogan, but even TigerDirect admits that it's expecting its latest batch of TouchPad slates to evaporate in a matter of minutes. Strangely enough, we've seen the zombie-like webOS tablet on sale in a variety of locations during the past few months, and if you're quick, you'll be able to buy yet another from yet another vendor at 2:30PM ET today. The company's not saying how many are in stock, but we're told to expect the entire batch to be claimed "by 2:32PM ET." The deal? $249.99 nets you a 32GB TouchPad, a 10.1-inch Belkin tablet case and Creative Labs' D80 Bluetooth speakers, while a $299.99 bundle replaces the speaker with a Photosmart printer. Oh, and don't even bother trying to order over the phone -- this one's online only, and it's one bundle per customer. We're telling you now so you've got time to memorize your credit card number. Feel free to talk about nerves, shaking limbs and tales of luck in comments below.[Thanks, Andrew]
Circuit City starts shipping Lenovo IdeaPad U400, reminds you it still exists
Remember Circuit City? It may no longer exist in your local mall (or alongside the 405) but somehow it's wangled a flock of Lenovo's new IdeaPad U400s -- ahead of the company's own official store. This thin yet powerful object of desire has a 14-inch 1366 x 768 Backlit LED screen, 6GB of DDR3 RAM, 1GB ATI Radeon HD6470M graphics and a 2.40GHz Intel Core i5-2430m processor. Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit is stashed on the 750GB HDD and the whole thing is rated to run for four-hours on the built-in battery. If you want one to be slung on the back of a UPS truck on its way to your domicile, it'll set you back $920 -- a little more than the $850 that Lenny had promised, but isn't it worth a little bit extra to get one before anyone else? [Thanks, Elliott]
Systemax relaunches Circuit City's website, this time with feeling
After shelling out some $6.5 million, you had to know that Systemax planned on doing something with Circuit City's trademarks and internet domain names. As of today, CircuitCity.com is back and better than ever, carrying on the legacy of a name that became synonymous with overpriced consumer electronics for nearly six decades. Of course, this doesn't mean that any Circuit City retail stores will be re-opening, but at least the brand is living on in the world wide web. The wonders of the internet: I Can Has Cheezburger?, Twitter and the continuation of an icon that would otherwise be six feet underground.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Systemax snaps up Circuit City's brand and domain name
Just like it did in January of last year, Systemax is snapping up leftovers from a now-defunct national consumer electronics retailer. As part of the post-bankruptcy proceedings, Circuit City Stores Incorporated recently closed a deal that'll net it $6.5 million. The price for the coinage? Systemax taking control of its trademarks and internet domain names. Circuit City stated in the filing that the sale of its intellectual property and internet assets would bring "significant recovery for the sellers' estates and creditors," and we're also told that Circuit City would be able to snag an unspecified share of sales from the brand name. Look out, Best Buy -- we hear Systemax has eyes for you, too.[Thanks, Sid]
Lenovo's IdeaPad Y710 available 4 months early... for a price
If you can't wait for Lenovo's $1,200 (starting MSRP) IdeaPad Y710 to hit the regular channels, you can order it today from TigerDirect with a "2 to 5 day" turnaround. Your $1,860 nabs you a 17-inch consumer slab with 2.5GHz T9300 processor, 2GB memory and 500GB disk, with Blu-ray disc drive a full 4 months ahead of the expected April release. Might be worth it, eh?
Systemax salvages CompUSA brand, website, and up to 16 stores
We're not sure how many people will be relieved by this news, but the few die-hard CompUSA fans out there can rest easy tonight, as the big box retailer will continue to live on as a ward of Ohio-based Systemax. According to Reuters, the TigerDirect owner will shell out around $30 million for the CompUSA brand, trademarks, e-tail business, and as many as 16 brick-and-mortar retail locations, although the particular sites have not yet been chosen. The acquisition -- which comes just a month after the company was sold to liquidation firm Gordon Brothers Group -- was justified by Systemax CEO Richard Leeds as being a good match for its Tiger Direct operation because he believes "the value of the CompUSA brand remains very high."[Thanks, Quentin]
