Latest and Greatest articles

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.

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?

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!

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!

Gadgets & eReaders

Aaron-GS — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:02:39 GMT

If you’ve been following any of our Twitter feeds (@bby_community, @bby_comunidad, @bby_communaute) you’ve probably already seen the announcement that Best Buy now has a gadgets and e-readers section. And if you haven’t, guess what? Best Buy now has a gadgets and e-readers section!

BestBuy.com Gadgets & eReaders

Out of all the gizmos on the site the one that amused/confused/transfixed me the most was the electronic, touch-sensor Rubik’s Cube. I have a hard enough time dealing with the old-fashioned “manual” versions as it is, so needless to say this little wonder got quickly added to my “I love the idea, but do I really want to punish myself by purchasing it?” list.

Perhaps the reason I was initially drawn to it was the fact that it’s a new twist on a relatively old product. Then again, maybe it was the “Smart Coach” function that helps you solve the puzzle step-by-step. Who would I be kidding though? It’s because this Rubik’s Cube will scramble and solve itself while charging in its stand…

Curious? Check it out here:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9492863&type=product&id=1218123789980

As Seen in Best Buy?

Aaron-GS — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 22:11:26 GMT

Chances are that if you’ve ever visited one of our retail stores you’ve probably seen one of the end-cap displays near the store’s registers. They usually have an assortment of goodies on them, ranging from last-chance DVDs and CDs to gift cards and candy. Well, I recently discovered that some of our stores have introduced a new element to these familiar sights: an “As Seen on TV” section.

That’s right. Now you can find all sorts of gadgets and last-minute gift ideas that you could previously only see on TV at your local Best Buy store. Granted, you don’t get the full infomercial experience, but you can still catch a first-hand glimpse of Snuggies (“the blanket that has sleeves”) and Bumpits (“volumizing hair inserts”) before you decide to buy. BestBuy.com even has its own selection of “As Seen on TV” products that changes on a regular basis:

http://www.bestbuy.com/olspage.jsp?id=pcmcat78300050007&type=category

Surprised? I know I was when I found out.

What’s your favorite “As Seen on TV” product?

What upcoming games do YOU want to learn more about?

Aaron-GS — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 21:27:42 GMT

If you haven’t already heard the news, today we announced an upcoming live chat with some of the fine folks over at Infinity Ward about their upcoming title Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. This comes along hot on the heels of last week’s announcement of a live chat session with Naughty Dog about UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves. Needless to say, it’s starting to sound like it’s going to be a busy month here on the forums!

My question for you though, defenders of teh internets, is what other games would you like to see showcased like this? More FPS games? More Action-Adventure games? Is there a certain RTS, RPG or Simulation game you’re just dying to learn more about? Leave a comment here and let us know!

Live chats galore

Aaron-GS — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:47:07 GMT

It's certainly been a busy week here on the forums! Last Friday we held a live chat session with some of the developers behind Riot Games' League of Legends, on Tuesday we did the same with some of the guys from Bungie about Halo 3: ODST, and just a few minutes ago we announced an up-coming chat session with the minds behing Naughty Dog's UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves. While all these going-ons mean that there wasn't a regular entry here this week, I'm pleased to say that we have provided transcripts for the chats that have taken place so far and that we're planning serveral more chat sessions for the near future.

Want more information? Make sure to check out the links I've provided below:

League of Legends Live Chat Transcript

http://forums.bestbuy.com/t5/Gaming/League-of-Legends-Live-Chat-Session/m-p/55548#M2237

Halo 3: ODST Live Chat Transcript

http://forums.bestbuy.com/t5/Gaming/Halo-3-ODST-Live-Chat-Session-Transcript/td-p/57614

UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves Live Chat Announcement

http://forums.bestbuy.com/t5/Gaming/Uncharted-2-Among-Thieves-Live-Chat-Session/td-p/57632

Music/Band Games

Aaron-GS — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 21:21:37 GMT

Yesterday was a big day for the world of music and video games. The entire remastered Beatles collection and The Beatles: Rock Band were released, Apple announced the next generation of iPod models, and Kathy Lee Gifford retorted to critics of her Rock Band skills by asking, “You have a problem with a couple of middle-aged women having a little fun?”

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/32756139#32756139

No, Kathy Lee, I don’t think that anyone’s opposed to you having a little fun. In fact, it’s probably a good thing that you (or your producers) decided to play the game on the air. Ten to fifteen years ago video games were generally considered to be a child’s past-time – they weren’t an activity that many adults willingly engaged in unless they had children of their own. Since then, the world has become a more accepting place for those who enjoy this particular hobby.

Music games in particular seem to have capitalized on this wide-spread acceptance the most, partially due to their cross-platform, multiple-medium approach. Players don’t necessarily need to own a computer to play them, they don’t need to own an MP3 player to appreciate the music itself, and the short nature of most songs (3-5 minutes) allows even the most casual of gamers to enjoy them. Combine these things with the fact that companies like Apple aren’t just in the hardware market – they’re selling music and software too – and you’ve got the potential for greater media exposure than any other video game genre.

Now, while I’m in no rush to pick up a copy of The Beatles: Rock Band myself, I do know at least one person that was in line yesterday morning to buy one. Whether this was due to the media coverage on the game for the past few months or Best Buy’s Abbey Road vacation give-away I’m not too sure, but one thing’s certain: he wouldn’t have taken a day off to buy the game if it were tied to any other band. He’s a Beatles fan, not a gamer.

The Beatles Remastered

Aaron-GS — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:58:36 GMT

Ten years ago if you had asked me if I liked The Beatles my answer would have been an emphatic “no.” Nearly everyone around me – my family included – seemed to rave about how they were the best thing to happen since sliced bread. Not only did it get old fast, but I grew tired of being told why I “had to” like certain songs and albums. In fact, I often found myself not liking certain artists because someone else I knew liked them…and because they somehow felt the need lecture me on why I should too.

The usual arguments presented to me often included “so-and-so is one of the greatest [insert instrument here] players ever” and “they inspired [insert another band name here],” but I could not have cared less. There’s always someone out there that’s “better” than “the best” and just because one musical group influenced another that doesn’t necessarily mean that they sound anything alike. It wasn’t until I actually made the conscious decision to ignore such “recommendations” though that my musical tastes were allowed to broaden beyond the saccharin 80’s pop that I seemed to listen to exclusively during the first couple years of high school.

So, what do I listen for? Three things: complex harmonies, dissonance, and groups that understand that music isn’t just blaring vocals or heavy instrumentals. Although not all the groups I listen to are capable of all three, these factors mean that there will always be a place on my iPod for Ozzy Osbourne, Parliament and Wilson Philips.

As far as The Beatles are concerned, I hadn’t really considered giving them a second chance until I first heard “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” on the radio. It’s not a very complex song, but it does have a hint of the dissonance I typically look for. After all, it’s not very often that you hear a sitar and acoustic guitar playing the same melody. Eventually I decided to invest the $15 and purchase Rubber Soul.

Now, I realize that Rubber Soul was the start of the group’s transformation from a Merseybeat sound to one that’s more pop/rock, but it still served as a springboard for me into their back catalogue. While I tended to avoid the songs that always received radio airtime, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that perhaps there was something to my family and friends’ ramblings – many of the Beatles’ songs are kind of catchy and have singable multi-part harmonies.

I may not be die-hard Beatles’ fan (quite yet), but I can still safely say that I’m looking forward to the release of their remastered albums on 09/09/2009. Perhaps now I’ll finally be able to find a copy of Revolver that doesn’t have the annoying “left ear instrumentals, right ear vocals” mono recording effect that always seems to be present in most versions of “Eleanor Rigby.”

"Before using the product, carefully read this document first"

Aaron-GS — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 22:52:23 GMT

Yesterday afternoon I finally caved in and purchased something that I had my eye on for quite some time – a PlayStation Portable. I also picked up a couple of games to go along with it, including Dissidia: Final Fantasy to satisfy my Square-Enix fanboy tendencies. Naturally, the wrappers were torn off the second I got home, the PSP’s charger got plugged in, and the instruction booklets were thrown into the massive tub-o’-manuals beneath my kitchen sink. For the next three hours I sat impatiently waiting for the silly thing to finish charging.

As soon as I noticed that the charging indicator had turned off, I plopped myself down in my living room rocking chair to fiddle with the unit’s display settings. The XMB menu was fairly easy to navigate since I was already used to it from both my TV and PS3, so I had made the necessary changes in no time flat. It wasn’t until I attempted to play Dissidia, however, that I started to encounter problems.

Like other PSP games, Dissidia has a standard option that allows you to install a portion of the game onto a memory stick, letting you play the game with less loading time than you would have if you solely relied upon the UMD disc media. Since this was a brand-new PSP, I decided that I had nothing to lose by opting for the largest installation file size option…and promptly got treated to a message that said “installation will take approximately an hour.”

I sat the PSP down (on edge) on the end table next to me and decided to go make supper while it was installing. Forty-five minutes, a plate full of spaghetti, and a sink full of dishes later I returned to discover that the installation had been aborted. Apparently the PSP had fallen flat on the “cancel” button when my cat decided to treat the living room furniture as his own private playground. Not exactly the wisest decision on my part, leaving it unattended.

Since I actually wanted to play the game for a bit before I went to bed, I decided to re-try installing it in my office. This time though I left the PSP on my desk face-up - well out of reach of the devil with fur – while I was cleaning the mess I call a workspace. Another 30 minutes later or so and the game finished installing.

After playing the game for about an hour I decided that I should make sure that I had gotten the most recent system update before going to bed. I set up the MAC filters on my wireless router, configured the wireless networking settings on the PSP and…nothing. The thing didn’t respond. I tried entering the WPA passphrase a second time to make sure that I didn’t miss any characters, but still it wouldn’t connect to the network. I even tried doing it a third and fourth time to verify that I wasn’t doing anything wrong.

It was at this point that I started to panic a bit. I had just purchased a new gadget and it wasn’t working properly. Disappointed, I sat down to see if I could find anything online that would help me troubleshoot the problem. It wasn’t until had been browsing Sony’s support site for at least 15 minutes that I realized I had never turned on the WLAN switch.

Apparently there’s a reason why you’re supposed to read instruction manuals…

PlayStation 3 "Slim"

Aaron-GS — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 21:26:37 GMT

Yesterday afternoon Sony finally confirmed a rumor that had been floating around “teh internets” for several months now: the existence of the PlayStation 3 "Slim." Along with that announcement came details of a $100 price drop on existing “fat” PS3 models:

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2009/08/18/playstation-3-now-299-slimmer-version-coming-september-1st/

Since then a good number of customers have asked us if Best Buy will be honoring price matches on recent PS3 purchases. In short, the answer is yes – but only if customers are still within the 30-day price match period for video game consoles.

The steps customers need to follow in order to obtain a price match vary depending upon where they made their purchase. For purchases made at one of our retail stores, customers simply need to return to their local store with a copy of the original receipt and speak with an associate at the customer service desk. For online purchases, however, customers must contact our BestBuy.com support staff at 1-888-BEST-BUY (1-888-237-8289).

Looking for additional information regarding our price match policy? Make sure to check out the links below!

Best Buy Retail Store Price Match Guarantee

BestBuy.com Price Match Guarantee

Gift giving made not so easy

Aaron-GS — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 20:32:18 GMT

I tend to have a difficult time picking out birthday gifts for my family and friends - not because of personal indecision, but due to the same stubbornness and personality quirks that everyone seems to share. My parents generally refuse to give a straight answer to the “What do you want?” question, my brother always answers with “I don’t know,” and the majority of my friends will go on and on about how they’d feel guilty for accepting any kind of gift. It’s frustrating and almost invariably means that something is bound to be re-gifted six months down the line.

Well, my brother’s birthday is just around the corner and this past weekend I once again found myself at a loss regarding what to get him. As usual, he hadn’t been very forthcoming about what he wants – he just said that he’d let me know when he thinks of something. Without knowing it though he did manage to give me an idea.

No matter where he goes, my brother always lugs around with him an ancient Walkman CD player. Along with that player comes a massive folder full of CDs, as well as a carrying case that looks like it is only being held together by the sheer willpower of an otherwise malevolent entity. Needless to say, upon seeing him Tuesday afternoon walking around with the “Carry-All-That-Should-Not-Be” I decided that it was time to buy him an MP3 player – whether he wants one or not.

When I first started my search Tuesday evening the obvious big names came to mind: Apple, Microsoft, Samsung and Sony. The field was narrowed down significantly though when I realized he probably would never use one without a built-in radio tuner. Eventually, my search led me to the “Coming Soon” section of BestBuy.com and to the Zune HD.

My first thoughts of the Zune HD were that while it may not initially prove to be as app-friendly as the iPod, it does appear to promise at least one thing that the iPod cannot deliver: the ability to play back videos purchased through the Xbox Live Marketplace. What were my next thoughts? I may have found the perfect match - my brother is an avid Xbox 360 player and would probably love the ability to bring downloaded Netflix videos wherever he goes.

Now, if it only came out before his birthday…

PSPgo!

Aaron-GS — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 22:04:20 GMT

Ten years ago you would have been hard-pressed to find musical artists that distributed their work digitally. Today, digital distribution seems to be part of the norm. Whether that change was a result of the advent of the MP3 player, file sharing services, or fee-based subscription sites is uncertain, but it most definitely means that digital distribution is here to stay.

Imagine everyone’s surprise then when Sony confirmed at this year’s E3 convention that the next generation of their handheld console would be doing away with disc-based storage media entirely. That’s right. Not only does the “worst kept secret of E3” eschew the UMDs of its disc-based predecessors, but all “new” titles for the PSPgo will be available for download through the PlayStation Network as well.

Now, I have to admit that this news left me a bit skeptical at first – I like having a physical copy of everything I buy, especially video games. It made sense though when I considered the popularity of online services such as iTunes and Napster. Add in the fact that the PSPgo is expected to feature the same PS3 compatibility and software support as earlier PSP models and you’ve got a pretty convincing alternative to the iPod Touch. True, there’s no direct access to the iTunes app store, but the primary purpose of the PSPgo is to play games…not to use as a Rolodex or egg timer.

Both the piano black and pearl white models are available for preorder on BestBuy.com, but for more information make sure to check out the official product page:

http://www.us.playstation.com/PSP/Systems/pspgo.html

...and yes, Kaz Hirai does actually call it the "worst kept secret of E3." Don't believe me? Check out his segment of the press conference at 28 minutes, 45 seconds into the video!

This story is brought to you by...

Aaron-GS — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 20:08:56 GMT

Call me old-fashioned, but I’ve always felt that sitting down with a good book generally beats the pants off anything that television has to offer. Sure, I enjoy the occasional episode of NCIS and will sometimes watch shows like America’s Got Talent just to see the acts that didn’t quite make the cut. I prefer, however, to let my own imagination run wild instead of relying upon someone else’s vision when discovering a new story. It’s a lot more immersive for me that way.

Well, while “watching” one of said shows on an overhead monitor at the gym last night I caught a glimpse of something on another screen that I had been meaning to take a look into: an e-book reader. I didn’t catch the exact model number, but it looked similar to one that I had seen every now and then on BestBuy.com. As I learned when I got home the reader turned out to be Sony’s PRS-505, and it was being discussed in response to the following announcement:

http://news.sel.sony.com/en/press_room/consumer/computer_peripheral/e_book/release/41133.html

Now, I’m not entirely convinced that cold, shiny metal and EPUB files will ever fully take the place of time-worn pages and paper cuts, but it’s certainly good to see that “classic literature” staples like Jane Austen, Robert Louis Stevenson, and George Bernard Shaw are being given exposure to a new generation in this medium. I was also a bit surprised – and slightly amused – at the fact that one of the advertised books on the service’s landing page was Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451.

[Insert child-like giggling…here.]