New blog articles in Best Buy Forum

Got the latest deals?

Josh-BBY — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:43:59 GMT

Hey you! Yes, you there in that shirt, looking at your screen right now. I’m writing at you this very second because you need to know something awesome. I know you like getting super deals on stuff that you buy and everyone appreciates a deal around the holidays. So Best Buy® has a solution for our savvy holiday shoppers, the Deal of the Day!

Every day the Deals website, twitter feed and text message options will tell you the featured product for the day. Then you can avoid fighting through the lines on Black Friday or our holiday rushes in our stores and just order online for easy convenience. We put the power in your hands to get the best price from Best Buy®!

For more info check out the sweet deals we’re laying down on our site: Best Buy® Deals as well as our Best Buy® Deals Twitter OR you can just have the daily deal sent right to your portable texting device, (i.e. your cell phone) by texting DAILY to 332211. Standard message and data rates by your provider still apply. Just remember that these offers are only valid the day they are announced and are only available on BestBuy.com!

Time-Sensitive Promotional Codes

Aaron-GS — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:54:57 GMT

Planning on buying the collector’s edition of a video game or movie for a loved one this year? Well, if you are you may want to make sure that they’re not only opening but also using those gifts in a timely fashion. Why you ask? The answer’s simple: in place of tangible bonuses, some collectors’ editions now include time-sensitive promotional codes that are intended to be used within a few months of the product’s release date.

Although this is by no means a new practice, it’s definitely something to keep in mind before letting that copy of Dragon Age: Origins or Watchmen sit in your closet for two months. After all, who wants to lose out on some extra in-game swag or access to a digital copy? Just keep in mind that this doesn’t only apply to in-box promotional materials! Many video game preorder codes also come with expiration dates, including the Sgt. Johnson character code for Halo 3: ODST.

Best Buy Mobile Communtiy

Gina-BBY — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:53:55 GMT

Last week we expanded our community engagements by launching a forum on the new Best Buy® Mobile website at www.bestbuymobile.com! The new website is a valuable resource loaded with news, reviews and conversations about the latest smart phones and mobile technology.

The new forum is a place where you can talk to us — and to each other — about the latest mobile phones, apps, accessories and more. It's a place to ask questions and to exchange ideas, information, opinions and tips with other technology users and mobile phone fans. We want to hear from you!

We’re excited to grow our mobile community on this innovative new website. The hope is to share all we know about the world of mobile phones and to learn from you. So, please, feel free to leave comments or suggestions about the new forum. We’ll see you there!

Acer EX5230E-2177

Aaron-GS — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:04:44 GMT

Yesterday Best Buy announced a special limited time offer for its lowest-priced advertised laptop ever, but if you woke up late this morning you probably missed your chance to place an order for it on BestBuy.com. There is good news though! The Acer EX5230E-2177 is still available for $249.99 at many of our retail stores, albeit in limited quantities.

Here are some of the unit’s features:

•    2.2GHz Intel Celeron Processor
•    2GB Memory
•    160GB Hard Drive
•    15.4” Display
•    6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery
•    Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit

Want more information? Make sure to speak with a sales associate at your local Best Buy store about this offer and other computing specials available now through Saturday, 11/14/2009!

Livescribe Pulse Smartpen

Aaron-GS — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:20:30 GMT

Yesterday evening while browsing the Gadgets & eReaders section of BestBuy.com I came across an odd little device that probably would have been handy when I was a freshman in college: a pen that records audio while you write. Sure, either a tape recorder or laptop would pretty much serve the same purpose, but when you’re a student and don’t have the budget for a new computer – and you’ve never even seen a fully-functional tape recorder – it seems like it would be a feasible alternative.

I think what intrigued me the most though was the pen’s ability to link audio to individual notes. Having the ability to do that certainly would have helped me understand why my lecture notes from History of the British Isles were filled with so many seemingly random comments about Benjamin Disraeli and William Gladstone the day after the class.

Does anyone have any experience with one of these smartpens?

Netflix-Ready Devices

Aaron-GS — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:42:04 GMT

With the recent addition of the PlayStation 3 to the growing list of Netflix-ready devices it was only a matter of time before rumors of the service coming to the Nintendo Wii started to abound. The ability to stream video on demand is, after all, one of the largest growing trends in consumer electronics, with support being integrated into everything from Blu-ray players to TVs to home theater systems.

So, what does this mean for the average consumer? Well, apart from having yet another entry to compare on product specification pages, it also means that consumers may soon be able to do away with their computer entirely when it comes to watching their favorite movies on demand through web-based services. Want to watch that latest zombie flick on your big screen TV instead of your computer monitor? No problem! Just queue the movie up on your PS3 or DVD player. Want a second peek at that clip you saw at a friend’s house? Why not sign into your Netflix account using their home theater system, reserve the title, and then watch it later using your Xbox 360?

What other kind of services would you want to see incorporated into home theater equipment? For that matter, where else would you want to see Netflix compatibility?

DMA's Marketer of the Year

Gina-BBY — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:49:23 GMT

Each year at their Conference & Exhibition, the Direct Marketing Association awards companies or individuals for outstanding achievements in the multichannel direct marketing process. We are pleased to announce that Best Buy has been named the 2009 Marketer of the Year!

The award praises Best Buy for our commitment to new ideas and for our focus on enhancing customers' enjoyment of technology which has been instrumental in making us a leader in the retail and marketing communities.

The award specifically called out our strength in the social media space, including the widely known Twelpforce. In fact, several of our Twelpforce champions attended the event to be recognized.

Last year when I began helping Best Buy journey into the blogosphere, I never expected to grow those concepts into paradigm shift within the company. So many local Best Buy stores and senior leaders have embraced the possibilities of social media. It has been an exciting journey and I am glad to have played a part in it. Having Best Buy's efforts in the social media realm be honored by the DMA is both humbling and inspiring. Our Best Buy Communities team will continue to help Best Buy be successful by supporting our customers on our Best Buy Community forum as well as our many other social media engagements.

DJ Hero - An Exciting New Rhythm Game

Jacob-BBY — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:46:37 GMT

Have you heard about the new rhythm game called DJ Hero? You could say it is similar to Guitar Hero in the sense that both are a music video game and use a note highway. It is a highly anticipated release across the world and brings new excitement to the gaming community.

The game has more than 80 remixes that mesh two different songs into each other across numerous genres. Players press buttons in rhyme with the highway scrolling on the screen to activate beats, cross fade between the two songs and use the turntable to scratch along with the song. Performing these tasks well scores points with your in game crowd.

The game has a single player career mode and cooperative and competitive multiplayer modes. You can also use a Guitar Hero guitar with select songs alongside the DJ game play.

Many DJ and mix artists have contributed to the game's development, the creation of mixes, and by lending their images for playable avatars in the game; these including David Guetta, DJ Shadow, Z-Trip, DJ AM, Cut Chemist, J.Period, Grandmaster Flash, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and Daft Punk.

DJ Hero is available for shipping or store pickup on BestBuy.com

Club Beats

Aaron-GS — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:43:24 GMT

In the past if you walked into a Best Buy® store searching for DJ equipment you probably would not have found a very large selection. In fact, chances are that you may have missed the section entirely while browsing through our home theater, portable audio, and (in some cases) car audio departments. Well, all that is about to change!

Over the next few weeks we’ll be introducing our brand-new Club Beats section to our U.S. retail stores, areas dedicated to DJ equipment and everything that consumers might need to get started in this exciting field. Whether it’s a serious artistic endeavor or simply a new hobby you’re looking for, you’ll be able to find everything there from mixers to lighting kits and from speakers to turntables.

Want more information? Make sure to check out the official product category page on BestBuy.com for additional details:

BestBuy.com - DJ & Lighting Equipment

A 40" LCD HDTV for $499.99?!

Aaron-GS — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:50:45 GMT

If you’re in the market for a new HDTV and haven’t had the opportunity to visit BestBuy.com this week, you may want to check out the following link when you get the chance:

BestBuy.com

No, your eyes don’t deceive you - that is a 40” TV available for only $499.99. On top of that, this week you have the opportunity to pick up a Netflix-ready Insignia Blu-ray player for the low price of $99.99. Best Buy® is even offering special 2-year, no interest financing on home theater purchases $499.99 and up, as well as free delivery and recycling with TVs over $999.99.

Want more information? Make sure to check out BestBuy.com for additional details. Just keep in mind that these offers are only valid between 10/25/2009 and 10/26/2009!

A new way of support

Gina-BBY — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:05:12 GMT

I am happy to announce the expansion of our Best Buy Communities' team's capabilities. In addition to our team of Community Connectors, we are launching a new team of Retail Marketing Advisors who will assist our Best Buy retail locations with their local marketing initiatives, leveraging the Retail Marketing Tool. This tool has been in place for over a year and provides access to pre-approved, brand appropriate and legally compliant marketing collateral to help grow their local business. Our new Advisors will not be participating in the Community Forum in the same way the Connectors do, but they do welcome your input about how local Best Buy stores can connect better with customers through both traditional and new marketing means.

What can your local Best Buy store do to reach your specific community?

Best Buy, Dell, and Windows 7

Matthew-BBY — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:51:06 GMT

If you purchased a Dell computer from Best Buy and want to apply for the Windows 7 upgrade there might be an additional step you need to take to be able to apply for the upgrade. Before you fill out the upgrade form on Dell's website you will need to register your computer will dell so their system shows that you are the owner of the computer.

There are 2 ways to register the computer into your name;

Visit http://support.dell.com/support/topics/topic.aspx/global/shared/support/order/en/retail_landing_page?c=us&l=en&s=gen and complete the form. The transfer of ownership is instant and you should then be able to complete the upgrade form.
Contact Dell at 1-800-624-9896 This process should also be instant.

When completing the Registration (Transfer of Ownership) you will be asked for your contact information as well as your Service Tag. The service tag can be found on a white-bar coded label attached to the computer (5-7 digit alphanumeric code).

After you have the computer transferred into your name you can then visit https://win7.dell.com/ and complete the upgrade form.

Windows 7 Upgrade Status

Matthew-BBY — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:50:06 GMT

If you are wanting to check the status of your Windows 7 upgrade please refer to the information below. You may also find information about various manufacturers on BestBuy.com.

As more manufacturer information is received , this posting will be updated.

o Sony – Status Website. Phone: 909-930-0800 (M-F 8 am to 5 pm PST).

o Dell – Status Website. E-mail Form.

o HP – Status Website. Phone: 877-280-2279 (M-F 10 am to 10 pm; Sat 12 pm to 4:30pm). E-mail: hpupgrade@arvatousa.com. FAQs.

o Toshiba – Status Website. E-mail: Windows7Upgrade@tais.toshiba.com. FAQs.

o Gateway – Status Website. FAQs.

o Asus – Status Website. Phone: 949-268-5620.

o Compaq – Status Website. Phone: 877-280-2279 (M-F 10 am to 10 pm; Sat 12 pm to 4:30pm). E-mail: hpupgrade@arvatousa.com. FAQs.

o Averatec – website down.

o E-machines – Status Website.

o Acer – Status Website.

o Samsung – Website. Phone: 1-800-726-7864

Mobile Broadband Card Compatibility

Matthew-BBY — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:07:02 GMT

Not all USB based broadband cards will be compatible out of the box with Windows 7. However, there are updates available for each device to provide full support for the new operating system.

WIN 7 News Special Feature

Matthew-GS — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 06:00:27 GMT

Helpful Links for Windows 7

Matthew-BBY — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:32:04 GMT

Want to learn more about upgrading to Windows 7? Check out these resources.

Pre-Order Questions

Matthew-BBY — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:20:17 GMT

We would like to provide an update on the status of pre-orders placed for Windows 7 on BestBuy.com. All orders placed before 11AM on October 21^st, 2009 with express or expedited shipping were shipped yesterday and should be arriving today or tomorrow. Orders placed with ground or standard shipping have started to ship and will continue to ship as inventory allows through Saturday.

Thank you for your interest in the exciting new Windows 7 operating system. We appreciate your business.

Another week, another blog name change?

Aaron-GS — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 22:05:06 GMT

Back in July the former “Red Ring of Death and Other Gaming Nightmares” blog became the “Games and Gadgets” blog. Then, just last month, the blog underwent another name change to become the “Latest and Greatest.” The name wasn’t the only thing to change though – slight format tweaks also occurred. What originally started out as simple, instructional material slowly turned into staff observations and the occasional announcement of new products and community events.

But why talk about it? The answer’s simple: we want to know what you want to read about. Would you like to see more step-by-step basic use guides, or would you prefer more information on upcoming events? Would you like to hear more about our staff’s experience with technology, or would you rather see more updates on upcoming tech and gaming trends? Heck, do you want more info on our weekly specials and upcoming promotions?

Let us know what you think!

Nearing the Finish

Matthew-BBY — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 20:12:56 GMT

Best Buy has a lot of options for those of you looking to upgrade to Windows 7.

If you are looking for more information please visit http://www.bestbuy.com/windows7upgrade for more information about Best Buy's special Windows 7 offers.