Filed under: Cellphones

We already knew RIM’s BlackBerry Bold would sell for a stiff $299.99 on contract with AT&T, but if you’re one of the many AT&T users who’d rather not sign a new agreement (or renew your current one), you’ve probably been patiently waiting to hear an unsubsidized price. Here is it, but we’re warning you, you might want to sit down. The contract-free Bold is listed at $679.99 at Best Buy, and fittingly enough, the product page offers a convenient link for seeking financing. At any rate, it also tells us that pre-orders will typically ship out within one to two weeks, though we’d be hesitant to bet the farm on that. After waiting for, like, ever, for this handset to finally hit shelves, are you still so anxious to drop nearly seven bills to claim one as your own?

[Thanks, Christen]

BlackBerry Bold up for pre-order at Best Buy: $680 smackers originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Oct 2008 20:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Wireless

Not sure what exactly was so wrong with Blah Blah Black, Silver Tongue and Goldy Lips, but for those not really turned on by any of the aforementioned hues, you should probably set your navigator to the nearest Best Buy. Aliph has just introduced two new colors in the Jawbone family — Babbling Blue and Rambling Rosé (shown after the break) — which will be offered up exclusively at Best Buy Mobile. Same heralded Bluetooth headset, same $139.99 price tag — just with two new tints.

Continue reading Aliph brings Babbling Blue / Rambling Rosé Jawbones to Best Buy

Aliph brings Babbling Blue / Rambling Rosé Jawbones to Best Buy originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Oct 2008 09:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: GPS

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Filed under: Laptops

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Filed under: Laptops

Look, we hate to be crude — after all, you won’t find any bigger proponents for bulking up the breast cancer research fund than the team here at Engadget — but Toshiba might have a tough time selling its latest Portégé M800. We mean, just look at it. We’re not exactly sure how it gets off calling this thing “pink,” but the 13.3-inch machine will be sold (or just stocked) exclusively at Best Buy Canada for $799.99. As for specs, you’re looking at a 4.6-pound chassis, 2GHz T3200 CPU, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, a 250GB hard drive, Intel’s GMA4500M integrated graphics, a dual-layer DVD writer, Bluetooth / WiFi and a built-in 1.3-megapixel webcam. $40 of each sale will be contributed to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, though we’d probably recommend picking up something a touch less ugly and just mailing in a donation yourself.

[Via ChipChick]

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Filed under: Desktops

Really, eMachines? You’re honestly going to give your newest cheap-o PC this kind of tagline? Truth be told, we’re not exactly sure what a standard sized dictionary even looks like (there’s this thing called the internet…), but apparently, it’s exactly the same size as the EL1200 desktop. Not sassy enough to be called a nettop, this here mini-tower is 40% smaller and 55% lighter than the company’s second tiniest rig, and while it won’t handle the likes of Crysis, it shouldn’t have too many issues surfing the web and opening Word documents. As for specs, we’ve got a 1.5GHz AMD Athlon 2650e 64-bit CPU, NVIDIA’s GeForce 6150SE integrated graphics, 1GB of DDR2, 160GB hard drive, a dual-layer DVD burner, 14-in-1 multicard reader, seven USB 2.0 ports and a $298 (MSRP) price tag. That system we just rattled off is available now at Wally World, while a slightly more stacked edition can be had at Best Buy for $349.

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Filed under: Laptops

We knew it would be going down, but the formal announcement has finally been made: MSI’s Wind will soon be gracing store shelves at Best Buy. As early as “right now” if you’re lucky enough, the 10-inch netbook can be procured at your local BB (no word on Future Shop), and we’re told that it’ll pack a 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU, Windows XP Home Edition, a 10-inch WSVGA (1,024 x 600) display, GMA950 graphics set, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, a 120GB hard drive, 3-cell battery (sigh…) and a black or white motif. You might expect to just snag one real quick like for $399, but don’t expect to leave without being hassled for one of those Product Replacement Plans. Fun, fun! Full release is after the break.

Continue reading MSI’s 10-inch Wind winds up in Best Buy

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Filed under: Laptops

The Toshiba E105 has been sneaking around the fringes for a few days now, but apparently it’s not just announced — it’s available for purchase. That’s right, the oddly familiar looking 14.1-incher can be had at Best Buy for the totally reasonable price of $1,199.99, packing a 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo, a 1280 x 800 TruBrite LCD display, 4GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, and an Intel 4500MHD integrated GPU. The Satellite also sports 802.11a/b/g/n, an HDMI out, Vista Home Premium, and that all-important fingerprint reader (just remember, this increases the odds of someone cutting off your finger). The laptop is available right now online, no word if it’s on store shelves yet.

[Via LogicBUY]

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Filed under: GPS

Best Buy sure looks to be aiming high with its first Insignia-branded GPS units, which will apparently not only pack all the expected run-of-the-mill specs but two-way, Dash-like communication as well. That desirable feature will be included on both the 4.3-inch NS-CNV20 and 3.5-inch NS-CNV10 models, each of which make use of that cellular connectivity to provide real-time traffic information and access to Google Local Search, among other things, all of which will be free for the first year (no word on pricing after that). In addition to a larger screen, the $499 NS-CNV20 will also give you some built-in Bluetooth, but if that’s more than you need, you can save a $100 and opt for the $399 NS-CNV10. Look for both to go on sale October 19th.

[Via GPS Tracklog, thanks Rich]

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Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

If there’s one thing we’ve learned over years (aside from the fact that Segway users will always be looked at strangely), it’s that Best Buy’s inventory systems are famous for turning us on to forthcoming wares. Just this year, strange part numbers in its stock system have correctly predicted the arrival of new MacBook Pros, the Nikon D90 and an unlocked US 3G Touch Diamond. Now, we’re feasting our eyes upon the latest snippet from Future Shop’s (Best Buy’s Canadian sibling) inventory system, which shows a half dozen new Mac placeholders for French and English language machines. Unfortunately, “Apple Mac” is about as vague as it gets, but we wouldn’t be shocked one iota to see new MBPs surface in the near future. C’mon stock system — don’t let us down.

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Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Household

Let’s be honest — after sinking a few large on a new HDTV, a few hundies on some overpriced cables and even more on HD programming, you weren’t about to cough up another month’s paycheck for a decent TV stand. For the 48,600 customers out there who purchased one of four different King Pao Enterprise TV Stands (likely sold and distributed by Studio RTA), you now have a product known for tipping over and ruining lives. The E Series, Fierro, Madison DLP and Madison 3000 — all of which were sold at Best Buy and other big box retailers from May 2004 to August 2008 — have been deemed unstable and unfit for use in your living room, and it’s suggested that you cautiously remove your set and wait for a “repair kit” before it does the removing for you. Godspeed.

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Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Look, we know there’s some kind of good explanation for these things existing, but Apple, don’t you think it’s a little weird how they keep cropping up in stores even though you never, ever mentioned them? That’s right, those 4GB iPod nano 4Gs we saw at Dutch retailers last week have now made their way onto Best Buy’s Canadian website. Over in North America, the players will apparently sell for $139, and will be available tomorrow… or so they say.

[Thanks, Robert]

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Filed under: Cellphones

It’s no shock to see a US 3G-enabled Touch Diamond showing up at Best Buy (unlike the hamstrung sibling over at CompUSA) — though we can’t say we were expecting the big box retailer to start shipping this soon. If its website is to be believed (read: don’t book it just yet), the unlocked Touch Diamond 3G you’re about to order for $699.99 will leave Best Buy’s warehouse within one business day. If that’s not cool with you, you can also pick it up “at most stores.” Shame there’s no white option listed…

[Via MobileTechReview]

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Filed under: GPS, Transportation

Comically enough, we already knew that Geek Squad employees took a few liberties with their company car, but this is a debacle. Can you imagine how enraged the poor sap is who was expecting this fool? They probably took a vacation day just to stay home and overpay for some potentially dodgy PC fixer to remove a virus. For shame.

Chris: “Late at night — well after their shifts end — testosterone-crazed Geek Squad and Firedog employees meet in alleyways across the nation for dangerous games of chicken that all too often end in tragedy.”
Paul: “Did you unplug it and then plug it back in? Look mom, I’m a little busy right now…”
Joe: “Geez… it’s called multi-tasking!”
Darren: “Hey there Brad from Circuit City! About that job ad on Craigslist…”
Don: “But sir, the GPS said I was going the right way.”
Sean: “Naw, really, I just scuffed up the paint on the bumper and lost the hubcap, the MRI disk is still secure.”
Nilay: “Hello… is it possible to retroactively buy that $29.95 PRP plan?”
Josh F.: “So I think we figured out the problem with your laptop. Looks like someone dropped it.”

[Thanks, DS]

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Filed under: Portable Audio

It’s been a long, tumultuous road for Napster, but the music service once loathed by James Alan Hetfield will soon be property of Best Buy. Announced this morning, the retail giant has agreed to buy Napster Inc. for a staggering $121 million, $67 million of which will be cold, hard cash. The deal is set to close in Q4 of this year, and it will include Napster’s “700,000 digital entertainment subscribers, web-based customer-service platform and mobile capabilities.” According to Best Buy president Brian Dunn, it intends to use “Napster’s capabilities and digital subscriber base to reach new customers with an enhanced experience for exploring and selecting music and other digital entertainment products over an increasing array of devices.” We’re still remaining calm for the moment, but if Best Buy starts buying up unprecedented amounts of dark fiber without explanation, we’ll go ahead and assume it really is trying to take over the world.

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Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio, Portable Video

We’ve heard this about this dream so many times before, DRM that will make digital media as easy to use and as consumer friendly as a physcial medium like DVD. We’d normally be quick to disregard this as yet another DRM “ecosystem” for digital media, but the list of players backing the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (or DECE) has us taking notice. As impossible as this seems, if anyone could make it happen, it’d be a group composed of: Best Buy, Cisco, Comcast, Fox, HP, Intel, Lions Gate, Microsoft, NBC Universal, Paramount Pictures, Philips, Sony, Toshiba, VeriSign, and Warner Bros — yes, we also find it hard to believe that all these companies are working together. We’ll have to wait until January at CES for the ins and outs of how this would actually work, but we do know it’ll be based around a “rights locker” which will amount to a website where digital purchases will be stored — we assume this is where VeriSign fits in. Oh, and Apple is noticeably absent from the list

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Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

So the good news here is that Best Buy’s getting ready to open its arms to yet another HTC product that’s impossible to find by wandering into the brick-and-mortar store of the US wireless carrier of your choice; the bad news, though, is that it doesn’t seem to be the version we wanted. The Touch Diamond now has a Coming Soon page all its own on Best Buy’s site, which is just fantastic considering that neither AT&T nor T-Mobile have yet bothered to pick it up — but the problem is that the specifications make no mention of US 3G despite the fact that we know there’s just such a version floating around. Our hope is that we’ve just caught the big box with its pants down (wouldn’t be the first time) and they’ll look into carrying the real deal by the time “coming soon” switches to “in stock,” especially since they’ve given the Touch Dual the same courtesy.

[Thanks, Mark]

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Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

First comes smoke, then comes flames a-blazin’. Shortly after hearing that Apple was gearing up to unveil a new iPod nano (at the very least) on September 9th, in flies a curious Best Buy ad that could be evidence of a tweaked iPod touch. According to our tipster, the image in the ad and the image on Best Buy’s website are ever-so-slightly different, and while we’d typically pass this off as the result of a fading ink cartridge, we’ve been expecting new touches for months now. Just a few days left until we figure out what’s really going on here.

[Thanks, Samm]

Update: As a few folks pointed out, it seems the image is a touch on the ancient side. Still, we know new iPod touches are coming in our hearts — we can just feel it.

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Filed under: Gaming

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Filed under: Gaming

Last we heard, it was still up in the air somewhat as to whether upcoming PlayStation 3 consoles would house the elusive 65-nanometer RSX graphics processor. According to a curious buyer of Sony’s newest 80GB unit, there is a smidgen of data that hints at a 65nm chip actually being under the hood. By using the oh-so-scientific Kill-A-Watt, he discovered that his older 40GB PS3 sucked down 125.8-watts when idle, while the fresh 80GB edition ate up just 111.9-watts. The findings were similar when looking at power draw during DVD playback and while spinning Metal Gear Solid 4. Unfortunately, this mighty fine fellow is planning to return the new unit after being disappointed by the minimal energy savings, so he’s not apt to rip the thing open and prove once and for all what kind of GPU is in there. Meanwhile, we heartily suggest that someone do just that and put this question to bed.

[Thanks, Khattab]

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