CircuitCity
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Shots of the Zune in-store kiosk
One of our many thoughtful readers sent us a few snaps of a Circuit City Zune kiosk with a design that makes it clear to us that Microsoft's new packaging ethos hasn't manifested itself in every area of the Zune's marketing department. Although the kiosk is restrained in the sense that it doesn't scream for attention -- the brown Zune sees to that -- the dark shades and annoying marketing slogans don't compare to the iPod's minimalist Apple Store surroundings. Despite the kiosk's staid design, you can bet your shuffle that Microsoft will work its corporate ass off to get these things into as many gadget stores as possible.[Thanks, John Matthews]
6 Circuit City stores with PS3 midnight launch and 100 units
Circuit City is laying some cards out on the table, while most stores are messing with minds and not giving numbers or launch details. 6 Circuit City stores will have a midnight launch on November 16 with 100 units up for grabs. The events officially start at 8PM, but if you want to be positive that you'll get one of the 100 units you should plan to arrive early -- by about a day, if not more, once this info gets out.The six stores are: Union Square: New York, NY - Store 3679 Torrance: Hawthourne, Los Angeles - Store 404 Cherry Hill: Mount Laurel, NJ - Store 0734 Schaumburn: Schaumburg, IL - Store 3111 Rockville: Rockville, MD - Store 866 Short Pump: Richmond, VA - Store 3549 At 10PM vouchers will be given to the first 100 people in line and at midnight you'll be the proud owner of a PS3. Circuit City also says, in what can only be considered a sign of an impending disaster, that five stores will be "giving away" five PS3s each to "win," and the Union Square store will be "giving away" 100. No details on what that specifically means, but there better be cops with an ambulance present and waiting.[Thanks TopaZ -- Sorry, look on the bright side, you'll have company out there now]
Deal of the Day: $17 PSP games at Circuit City
If you're like me, then you like to buy your games on the cheap. And you can't get much cheaper than Circuit City and its $17 clearance on a bunch of PSP games. Here's the list: Burnout Legends Death Jr. FIFA World Cup 2006 Lumines Mega Man: Powered Up Midway Arcade Treasures Namco Museum Battle Collection NBA Ballers Rebound Pinball Hall of Fame Ridge Racer SSX On Tour Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max WWE Smackdown vs. Raw Yeah, most of these games are a tad old, but we gotta take the deals as they come to us, right? It doesn't look like this deal is currently being offered online, so you'll have to get off the computer and go outside. [Via Cheapassgamer - Registration required]
Circuit City selling Macs again
Earlier this month we reported that Macs might make a comeback at Circuit City, and sure 'nuff, reader Bob tipped us off to Macs appearing at Circuit City's website, as well as select locations. Apple has their own section under the Notebook Computers category, and CC seems to carry all flavors of both the MacBook and MacBook Pro, but no desktop models (at least online). Can't say we blame them, since notebooks have reportedly been outselling desktops since 2005, and even as early as 2003.While I'm still sitting on the fence as to whether I think Circuit City carrying Macs again is a good thing (I was working there when they screwed it up the first time), check out their new Mac section, and who knows: maybe they'll even be doing a 'get a free printer if you jump through our hoops!' rebate one of these Sundays.Update: Seems Circuit City has just added the Mac mini and the iMac to their site's inventory. Thanks Patrick!
Pioneer inno lookin' pretty in pink
With the Pioneer inno's brushed metal stylings, we're almost getting an iPod mini vibe from this new pink edition, though the masculine look of the inno is also giving us bit of a drag queen feel. Yeah, so that's... awkward. But luckily it's for a good cause! Pioneer, XM and Circuit City are teaming up with the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation for a bit of breast cancer smack down, donating $30 from each sale to the foundation -- up to $150,000. Hopefully you don't have the same problems with psychotic anthropomorphism as we do, and can pony up for the cause in our stead. In other, less exciting news, Pioneer is forcing a software "upgrade" on users that disables the inno's FM modulator when the device isn't placed in its car dock. Apparently the change is due to regulatory issues, and Pioneer is offering a full refund for your device -- for a limited time -- if the feature reduction doesn't exactly float your boat. Battery life is supposedly extended considerably by the firmware update as well, along with numerous other bug fixes, so holding off from updating doesn't seem to be that attractive of an alternative.Read - Pink Pioneer innoRead - Pioneer inno firmware "upgrade"
Circuit City back compat rip-off
For the bargain price of $28.99, the smiling crooks at Circuit City will help some gullible soccer mom install "backwards compatibility" on a newly purchased Xbox 360, despite the fact back compat updates are free via Xbox Live (or by mail for those without an internet connection). On a more positive note, a call to my local store confirmed that Circuit City does not charge Downes Syndrome kids double for all Xbox 360 related purchases. At least not yet.
Macs making a comeback at Circuit City?
A stealthy tipster has clued us in to the possibility that Macs - including MacBooks, MBPs, iMacs and Mac minis - might be making a belated encore appearance at a Circuit City near you. This observant reader caught these products listed on a few internal documents, but we don't have any ETA for now (though our money is on 'just in time for the fall/winter holiday shopping season'). This could be great news for US customers (and potential Mac owners) who might be in the market for a new Mac, but are nowhere near a bright, shiny Apple Store.I call this an encore because I used to work for Circuit City, right around the time Circuit and Apple parted ways - just before the introduction of Mac OS X; in fact I even (regrettably) had to help tear down the display from the store shelves. While part of me wishes I was still there (a small part, indeed) so I could gloat over this good news to all those who laughed and pointed at my Mac, I'm more hopeful that this turns out to be true for all those who could benefit from Circuit signing on (again) as an Apple reseller.
Circuit City will make your 360 backwards compatible ... for $30
Practicing a form of Social Darwinism, Circuit City has decided to steal money from those who are dumb enough to give it away. One quick-witted Kotakuite (that's what they call themselves ... ) spotted a poster in a Newport Beach, California Circuit City where they offer to install backwards compatibility into an Xbox 360 for the low, low price of $28.99.Nevermind that backwards compatibility is available outside of the box, updatable through Xbox Live (or a disc that you can request from Microsoft). No, no, let Circuit City install it for you! It even brags that "every* game will be backwards compatible." Did you see the asterisk (*) mark? The fine print notes that one should "refer to the original Xbox games list to ensure compatibility on the Xbox 360." But if you know to do that, you also know that this deal is bullshit -- it's a Catch-22.You are welcome to be mad at Circuit City, but wouldn't you do the same thing if you could get away with it?[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Madden 07 for $47.99
CircuitCity.com is letting Madden 07 go for $47.99. If only they'd throw in a jockstrap.[Thanks Corey]
Deal of the Day: Madden for $28
The deals just keep on coming. Easily the most high-profile game to come out this week, Madden 07, is available for dirt cheap at Circuit City. The game has earned a solid 8.0 from IGN, and most likely doesn't feature the horrible glitches of NCAA Football. $28 is a great price to satiate football fans, until next year's minor upgrade installment.[Via Cheapassgamer]
Circuit City 'forgets' to mention HD DVD
Go grab your Circuit City flier from Sunday's paper and turn to page 17. What do you see? We see Circuit City trying hard to educate their would-be customers about the different ways to get a high-def signal. Good for them, but the only problem is that 1/4 of that page is dedicated to Blu-ray. Yes, a person can easily acquire and view high-def content via that medium but what about HD DVD? Circuit City does have more HD DVD titles then Blu-ray but yet they failed to mention them on this page. Circuit City's love with Blu-ray doesn't stop there. if you search for 'HD-DVD' or "HD DVD" on their home page you get sent to general product categories where if you search for Blu-ray, you get an info page comparing them. The part for Blu-ray clearly indicates more points for that format and our favorite is the one that indicates that Blu-ray has drives for computers already. Do that search for HD DVD again but add Toshiba too. Do you see the same Toshiba laptop with HD DVD as we do? Good. We thought were going crazy here. So it looks like the Blu-ray Association has Circuit City in their pocket. [via Digg]
CONFIRMED: Circuit City is going to carry Mitsubishi
That was quick. We broke the story last night that Circuit City might start Mitsubishi TVs and here is the confirmation. The press release does indicate that Circuit City is going to sell their flat-panel LCDs and 'select' DLPs. We wish we could tell you what model lines the City is going to carry but that info isn't available yet. They have announced however that these TVs are going to be available online at www.CircuitCity.com and in stores nationwide in early August. No word on the JVC part of that rumor but we will keep our eyes open.How does this play with your image of Circuit City?
Circuit City well positioned for HDTVs
The digital switch over is in full swing and Circuit City is taking aim with not only products but also services. This hot HDTV trend is helping Circuit City climb out of its sales slump from a few years back. It was the strong flat-panel sales last quarter that helped move their books from red to black - that's a good thing for you non-financial type. But Circuit City understands that it is just not the TV itself that people want anymore, but rather everything to go with it like installation and furniture. A good amount of consumers that shop at big box stores like Circuit City want, and need, a one stop shop for everything they will need. Circuit City has the HDTVs but now they are trying to do everything else too.
A hard shopping lesson taught by APEX
Lets be honest. How many of us have been tempted to buy an entry-level (read: cheap-no-name-but-it-is-a-heck-of-a-deal) consumer electronic? Most have 'cause they might have a great picture or the styling is rather nice. You would think that in these days of class action lawsuits and consumer watchdog groups that manufactures would not be able to get away with selling...crap. Well, this isn't entirely true. Walk into any major electronics store like Best Buy or Circuit City and take a look at their lineup. They will have some nice name brand products and then some no-name entry-level products at the other end of the price range. Ron Donoho bought the APEX at the low-end of the scale and is now paying the repercussion. Most people remember APEX as a rock bottom priced product line-up sold almost exclusively by Walmart and Circuit City from 2002-2005. Ron purchased his 27-inch APEX LCD from Circuit City in February of '05 and well, it broke. Very long story short, he declined the extended service plan from CC but it still had parts covered by APEX and local service centers won't touch the set because of bad relations with APEX. In fact APEX themselves are in heaps of trouble with the Chinese government (CEO was physically tortured for fraud and bad debt - can we send Ken Lay over there?) so they aren't any help at all. So the moral of the story? Sometimes those entry-level products that look like such a good deal might not be that. Sure, there are always exceptions to the rule and even name brand products go bad, but more often then not, they outlast no-name products. Mr. Ron Donoho has a very lengthy write-up on his experiences with APEX that might be worth a read if you are in the market for a new TV. We are curious to hear your experiences with entry-level product lines like APEX. Tell us everything - good or bad.
HL2: E1 for $8 means you have to buy it
One of the primary tenets of episodic distribution is a lower price for a shorter game. In the case of Half-Life 2: Episode One that means $20 for about 5 or so hours of Gravity Gun-wielding fun. Err, rather, that meant $20 for 5 hours but, if you cash in on the current promotion at retailing box-store Circuit City, you'll nab it for the low, low price of $8! That's like $1.60/hour if you're good. If you suck, you're talking about a pretty phenomenal dollar to hour investment. The jig is up June 17th, and it isn't available online, so you best get going before the eBayers start grabbing em all. Indeed, at this stage in their evolution, they can smell a deal; their senses are acutely tuned to major retail discounts. For anyone who's already purchased a copy, don't feel bad ... cause you got to play yours earlier, right? Alright, you can feel bad.[Thanks, Andy; via Insane Central]
MS first party titles for $29.99
According their latest Sunday circular (helpfully scanned by Xboxic) electronics retailer FYE is letting aging launch titles PGR3, PDZ and Kameo go for the low, low price of $29.99. The offer doesn't appear to be available on their website, so consider it an old-fashioned brick and mortar sale, complete with fine print (no rainchecks, two per customer). Circuit City will likely match the price if you bring in the ad.
Circuit City has HD DVD movies
This is some interesting news. Circuit City is not going to carry Toshiba's HD DVD drive for whatever reason but an alert reader called something to our attention today. Darrin L. Wade dropped us a tip today indicating that his local Circuit City is selling a HD DVD. He found The Phantom of the Opera and The Last Samurai; both for $25. This caught our attention but we cannot seem to pull any HD DVD items up on Circuit City's website. Can anyone else confirm this? If this is true, they will be sitting on the shelves for a while till Circuit City gets their HD DVD player in.
A plethora of new flat panels including new Panny plasmas now available
Oh boy, this is a great time of year. Out with the old and in with the new. There are tons of new HDTVs from major manufactures just now becoming available. Panasonic is leading the way with their new Viera plamsa now available at Best Buy's and Circuit City's. (No, that 58-incher is not yet available.)Oh it doesn't stop there boys and girls. It looks like Sony's new line of high res' LCDs are also just now becoming available. Samsung has a sweet new lineup of larger LCDs that have been spotted and their LED DLPs are suppose to become availible in April...who knows if that is going to happen though.The four of us cannot do this by ourselves though and need your help. Drop us a comment if you have a sighting of a brand spanking new HDTV. Oh boy, we love this...new HDTVS!!!
Circuit City's 360 "relaunch" 10am tomorrow
According to their circular, electronics retailer Circuit City will have a minimum of 12 Xbox 360 consoles (we're assuming they mean 12 premium consoles) per store tomorrow, March 5th at 10am. For those of you who've managed to track one down already, but are looking for some more games, you'll be able to pick up Project Gotham Racing 3 and Perfect Dark Zero for only $39.99 each.[Via digg]
Circuit City nails it!
We all know that there is TONS of bad info out there about HDTV and the digital transition, but Circuit City seems to be on the ball. Check out this sign that was located at one of our readers local store. It reads: If you rely on a TV antenna to receive your TV signal please note: Congress has passed legislation requiring "analog" TV broadcasting to end on February 17, 2009. After that date, all "over the air" TV broadcasts will be available exclusively in "digital" format. If you rely on a TV antenna to receive television broadcast and are shopping for a new TV, you should check whether that TV has a digital tuner. This change will not affect the ability of any TV to work with cable boxes, satellite boxes, DVDs, VCRs or game consoles. For more information ask a product specialist or visit www.circuitcity.com/tvsignal. This statement is simple and complete. The link is even better and gives a very extensive, but easy to read explanation of the DTV transition. Well done Circuit City. [Thanks for the tip Kyle!]
