We knew Best Buy planned to close 50 of its big box retail locations by the end of its 2013 fiscal year, and now (just days after Mike Mikan took the CEO-reigns from Brian Dunn) it's detailed all of the stores that'll be getting the boot. As it stands, two locations have already been shut down, with six others set to close before the year is out -- and the company hopes to clear out the remaining 42 before May 12th. Employees at most of the stores were informed of the news this weekend, and despite the impending closures, the company says it'll try to re-position them within the company or offer up severance packages. Past that, Best Buy is also reaching out to the customers of these stores, noting that they'll still have other nearby locations to choose from -- try-before-you-buy online shoppers rejoice. There's still no specific word about the 100 Best Buy Mobile stores it hopes to setup, but more information will be forthcoming later in the year. Hit up the press release after the break if you'd like to parse the full list of affected locations or find out more details about the planned closures.

Continue reading Best Buy details its 50 big box store shutdowns in the US, most will close by May 12th

Best Buy details its 50 big box store shutdowns in the US, most will close by May 12th originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 Apr 2012 05:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Microsoft on Thursday announced a new round of challenges for its “Smoked By Windows Phone” contest series. If users with non-Windows Phone handsets can perform a variety of tasks faster than a Microsoft Windows Phone, they can win a limited edition Hunger Games PC (HP Folio 13 Special Edition) valued at $1,049.00. Even those who lose the challenge can still win, however, as Microsoft will be handing out unlocked Windows Phones to those willing to trade in their current smartphones. It should be noted, however, that this is a skill-based competition and has nothing to do with benchmarks. “The object of this Contest is for You to come into the Microsoft Store and try to beat the Microsoft Windows Phone in a series of five (5) “Smoked by Windows Phone” challenge scenarios selected by Microsoft at its sole discretion including: (1) Pocket-to-Picture-to-Post, (2) Real-Time Information with Live Tiles, (3) Using the People Hub to Stay in Touch with the People You Care About Most, (4) Updating Your Status Across Multiple Social Networks, and (5) Local Scout (“Challenge”).” The contest runs from March 22nd to March 29th in Microsoft’s 14 U.S. retail locations.

Read

T-Mobile is looking to restructure the company and in doing so, it will cut 5% of its workforce and closing seven call centers over the next three months, The Wall Street Journal reports. The carrier said the job cuts were necessary and will help fund its planned $4 billon 4G LTE network. As both Verizon and AT&T continue to add subscribers, T-Mobile shed 1.7 million customers last year alone. “The customer base is less and the call volume is lower,” said Cara Walker, a spokeswoman for the carrier. “This is an effort to optimize our operations.” The spokeswoman declined to disclose how much T-Mobile expects to save annually by cutting approximately 1,800 jobs, however, instead commenting that further cuts wouldn’t impact the remaining 17 call centers, engineers, technicians or salespeople in T-Mobile’s retail locations.

Read

China’s third largest carrier, China Telecom, launched the iPhone 4S on Friday. The popular smartphone starts at free on contract for the 16GB model and is available at 2,850 of the carrier’s retail locations. According to M.I.C. gadget, Apple’s smartphone received an astonishing 200,000 pre-orders, with orders in Beijing and Shanghai exceeded 10,000 and 20,000 units, respectively. China Telecom has 129 million subscribers and operates the largest CDMA network in China. The carrier is the second, behind China Unicom, to offer the iPhone China.

Read

A lawyer representing Proview International on Monday announced that the Intermediate People’s Court in Huizhou, a city in southern China, ruled on Friday that distributors should stop selling iPads in China, Associated Press reports. Proview has claimed ownership of the “iPad” name in China and it says Apple is violating its trademark. “We bought Proview’s worldwide rights to the iPad trademark in 10 different countries several years ago. Proview refuses to honor their agreement with Apple in China and a Hong Kong court has sided with Apple in this matter,” Apple spokeswoman Carolyn Wu said earlier in response to the lawsuits. Proview is looking to prevent Apple from importing or exporting the popular tablet in China and may sue the Cupertino-based company for as much as $2 billion in the United States. At least 45 iPads had been pulled from store shelves in various Chinese cities last week, however Apple’s tablets were still being sold at numerous retail locations across the country.

Read

Barnes & Noble bans aren't just for superheroes anymore. The bookseller let it be known this week that it will be pulling Amazon Publishing titles from the shelves of its 700-odd retail locations, in protest of exclusivity deals struck by the mega-online retailer. As one B&N exec told The New York Times, "Our decision is based on Amazon's continued push for exclusivity with publishers, agents and the authors they represent," adding, "Their actions have undermined the industry as a whole and have prevented millions of customers from having access to content." Barnes & Noble will apparently continue to sell some Amazon titles through its own site, but good luck using its WiFi.

Barnes & Noble to pull Amazon Publishing titles from shelves over exclusivity concerns originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  The New York Times  | Email this | Comments

Google recently announced that its Google Wallet NFC mobile payment service now accepts a host of new retail locations, including American Eagle Outfitters, Foot Locker, Jamba Juice, Guess, The Container Store, Toys”R”Us and OfficeMax. Previously, the payments were only accepted in a handful of Walgreens and Subway sandwich stores in San Francisco and New York. In addition, Google says its Offers service, which provides discounts at each location, is also available in a number of the aforementioned retail outlets. Users can purchase a smoothie from Jamba Juice for $2 or take 15% off at Macy’s, for example. Unfortunately, Google Wallet is still only available to owners of Sprint’s Nexus S 4G, but we hope to hear more about Google’s NFC plans during its joint Ice Cream Sandwich press conference with Samsung in Hong Kong tonight at 10:00 p.m. EST. A video of Google Wallet in action follows below.

Read

We’ve got the run-down on how exactly Sprint is going to launch its first ever Apple product, and it seems pretty intense. Then again, with Apple involved, would you expect anything else? Here’s what’s going to happen… Apple, or an independent contractor, not Sprint, will be coming to all corporate retail locations to set up the iPhone 4S displays in the next few days, most likely Thursday. We’re told that Apple and the company’s team gets to choose where the iPhone 4S displays will go in each store, not Sprint. More after the break.

After the displays are installed, it seems that the stores will close for the rest of the day to give the locations time to prepare for Friday’s launch. We are told iPhone 4S devices will be shipped overnight to retail store locations on Wednesday, and all employees are under strict orders to not open any of the iPhone boxes or related materials. In fact, Sprint has communicated to employees that Apple’s team will be there on Thursday, and if any boxes are tampered with or opened, employees “will be fired immediately and walked out of the store.”

Sprint will start selling the iPhone 4S alongside AT&T and Verizon Wireless starting this Friday at 7:00 a.m. local time.

T-Mobile on Tuesday announced an upcoming smartphone sale that will last for one day only. During the carrier’s “Yes, Every Smartphone Is on Sale, Sale” on Saturday, September 24th, each and every one of its smartphones can be had for $99.99 down or less (after a mail-in rebate) along with a T-Mobile Value plan. T-Mobile’s Value plans essentially remove the handset subsidy from T-Mobile’s monthly plan pricing, though this sale reintroduces the subsidy by charging a low up-front “down payment” and then spreading additional payments across 20 months. So for example, customers can purchase the HTC Sensation 4G — one of our favorite Android phones at the moment — for $99.99 down after a $100 mail-in rebate, and then $15 per month for 20 months. The HTC Sensation 4G, HTC myTouch 4G Slide, BlackBerry Bold 9900, Samsung Exhibit 4G, T-Mobile Sidekick 4G, LG G-Slate tablet and the T-Mobile 4G Mobile Hotspot are all included in this sale. A two-year service contract is required with each purchase, and Value plan pricing starts at $34.99 for 500 “whenever minutes” with no messaging or data. T-Mobile’s one-day sale is available in T-Mobile retail locations only, and the carrier’s full press release follows below.

T-Mobile Continues to Celebrate Value by Discounting All Smartphones and Tablets During a One-Day, In-Store Special Promotion
On Sept. 24, T-Mobile will hold the “Yes, Every Smartphone Is on Sale, Sale� during which all data- and feature-rich devices can be purchased for $99.99 down or less

BELLEVUE, Wash. — Sept. 20, 2011 — On Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011, T-Mobile USA, Inc. will continue to celebrate its new Value plans with a one-day promotion allowing consumers to purchase any smartphone, tablet or mobile broadband device on any of the company’s Unlimited Value™ plans with 2GB or higher of full-speed data, on a two-year agreement, for a down payment of $99.99 or less, after mail-in rebate card, at T-Mobile retail locations nationwide.

New and existing customers will be able to purchase T-Mobile’s newest devices, including the HTC Sensationâ„¢ 4G, T-Mobile^® myTouch^® 4G Slide, BlackBerry^® Boldâ„¢ 9900 and T-Mobile^® G-Slateâ„¢ with Googleâ„¢, for a down payment of $99.99 or less, after mail-in rebate card, when paired with any of T-Mobile’s new qualifying Value plans with unlimited data — including the unlimited talk, text and data family plan for $49.99 per month for each of two lines. Every smartphone, tablet and mobile broadband product T-Mobile offers will be included in the promotion and will range in price with a down payment between $0 and $99.99, after a mail-in rebate card, on an Equipment Installment Plan.¹

“T-Mobile is committed to making 4G affordable with the latest wireless mobile Internet services and devices that fit within every budget, all on America’s Largest 4G Network,� said John Clelland, senior vice president of marketing, T-Mobile USA. “We continue to look for ways to help consumers step up to data. Our one-day, in-store promotion will make it easier for customers to get greater savings by making all of our smartphones, tablets and mobile broadband devices available with minimal cost upfront.�

In July, T-Mobile launched its featured Value plan, with unlimited talk, unlimited text and unlimited data — with 2 GB of high-speed data — for just $49.99 per line for two lines.

The following is a sample list of some of the exceptional devices available through the promotion at participating retail locations nationwide:

Device	Net Down Payment (after rebate)	Mail-In Rebate Card	Monthly Payment
HTC Sensation 4G	$99.99	$100.00	$15.00
T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide	$79.99	$100.00	$15.00
T-Mobile Sidekick® 4G	$49.99	$50.00	$15.00
Samsung Exhibitâ„¢ 4G	$0.00	$50.00	$10.00
BlackBerry Bold 9900	$99.99	$150.00	$15.00
T-Mobile 4G Mobile Hotspot	$0.00	$25.00	$5.00
T-Mobile G-Slate with Google	$99.99	$200.00	$10.00

More information about T-Mobile’s new unlimited Value plans and the “Yes, Every Smartphone Is on Sale, Sale� is available at http://deals.t-mobile.com/phone-deals. Phone promotion may not be combined with other offers.

A purported internal memo sent by Sprint management suggests the carrier is set to launch Apple’s fifth-generation iPhone in early October. ”Due to the possibility of a major phone launch in October we are blacking out September 30th through October 15th,” the memo reads, referring to employee vacations which apparently may not be taken between the dates specified. Vacation blackouts are common at carriers during major device launches to ensure retail locations are well-staffed to accommodate increased foot traffic. Numerous reports have suggested that Sprint will launch the iPhone 5 in October, and BGR exclusively reported last week that Best Buy is gearing up to take Sprint iPhone 5 pre-orders early next month.

Read

Sprint will end its current port credit promotion more than a month and a half ahead of schedule. This past May, Sprint kicked off a promotion that offered up to $125 per line for new subscribers who ported their service in from another carrier. Customers purchasing a feature phone and porting in a number receive $50 per line as part of the promotion, and new customers purchasing a smartphone, netbook, notebook, tablet or mobile broadbrand device and porting in a number receive a $125 service credit per line. This enticing promotion was scheduled to run from May 4th through October 1st of this year, however BGR has learned from a reliable source that Sprint is ending the promotion early. Tomorrow, in fact. Interestingly, Sprint retail locations will no longer offer or advertise the promotion, but they will continue to honor it through the original end date. In the event that a new customer already knows about the promo — and only in that event, we’re told — Sprint will honor the deal and dole out the associated credits. With that in mind, those looking to move over to Sprint for one of its great new phones like the Motorola PHOTON 4G should be sure to mention the promotion when making a purchase at a Sprint retail location, as the promo will no longer be offered up willingly starting tomorrow.

In some weird alternative universe, this is how retail is done: you walk into a store, buy a voucher for a digital product, and then download it. It's a model that GameStop is embracing by offering digital PC game purchases through its retail locations. There are certain benefits to buying from a brick and mortar location -- for one thing, customers can use trade-in credits for their purchases. And those who pre-order a digital copy of Deus Ex: Human Revolution -- the first game being offered through this model -- will receive some extras including downloads of earlier entries in the series. Just be mindful of pop-ups -- they're way worse in real life.

Continue reading GameStop brings digital download purchases to stores, thus completing the retail circle

GameStop brings digital download purchases to stores, thus completing the retail circle originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Aug 2011 03:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Yahoo News  |   | Email this | Comments

Qualcomm announced that it has purchased gesture recognition technology from GestureTek on Monday. “Applications processors are enabling a range of new ways for consumers to interface with their home entertainment and mobile devices,â€� said Qualcomm executive vice president and group president Steve Mollenkopf. “Our acquisition of key technology and assets from GestureTek will strengthen Qualcomm’s smartphone product portfolio and enable our customers to launch products with new and compelling user experiences.â€� The company said that it plans to build GestureTek’s gesture recognition technology into its current and future Snapdragon processors. The tech will allow manufacturers to create mobile devices with interactive user interfaces based on “natural human gestures.” The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Read on for the full press release.

Qualcomm Acquires Gesture Recognition Assets from GestureTek

SAN DIEGO – July 25, 2011 – Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) today announced that it has acquired certain assets from GestureTek, a developer of gesture recognition technology. A leader in the gesture recognition field, GestureTek has more than 25 years of experience implementing gesture-based technologies in mobile devices, entertainment facilities, healthcare systems, retail locations, and public and private venues. The acquisition gives Qualcomm ownership of certain intellectual property assets related to gesture recognition, as well as key engineering resources. GestureTek is retaining other assets in continuation of its gesture-controlled public display and digital signage business.

“Applications processors are enabling a range of new ways for consumers to interface with their home entertainment and mobile devices,� said Steve Mollenkopf, executive vice president and group president, Qualcomm. “Our acquisition of key technology and assets from GestureTek will strengthen Qualcomm’s smartphone product portfolio and enable our customers to launch products with new and compelling user experiences.�

Gesture recognition technology will be integrated into Qualcomm’s current and next-generation Snapdragon™ processors, giving OEMs the capability to produce smartphones, tablets and home entertainment devices with user interfaces based on natural human gestures.

BGR has exclusively learned that AT&T has begun communicating launch plans internally for Apple’s next-generation iPhone 5 handset. We have been told that AT&T has begun informing employees across the company, and those who work in retail locations, to finish any sort of employee training as soon as possible. AT&T is asking managers to finish training in order to have employees available for the influx of foot traffic expected in September, a proven source has shared with us. Other reports indicate that Apple is looking to hire additional Apple Store staff to be on hand for “new product launches” during the same period of time, further supporting our information. Apple is expected to announce the company’s next-generation iPhone at the end of August, with a launch to follow in the first half of September.

Continue reading Libratone's AirPlay-enabled soundbars want to cozy up with your iOS wares

Libratone's AirPlay-enabled soundbars want to cozy up with your iOS wares originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 23:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Pocket Lint  |  Libratone  | Email this | Comments

The oft-leaked Motorola Droid 3 is dripping information yet again, this time over on Droid-Life where an internal flyer confirms it will be available at retail locations July 14th, with direct fulfillment orders (upgrade in-store, get the phone by mail) starting a week earlier. If that's somehow not enough, there's also a PDF copy of the manual available for download but if you watched the tutorial videos there's probably not much new information to be digested there. The one detail that continues to elude us however, is a confirmed price for Verizon's QWERTY slider w/ 1080p camera and dual core processor, but after all the early reveals we're sure you've had time to scrape together a suitable dowry.

Droid 3 leaks reveal manual, confirm July 7th and 14th release dates originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 22:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Droid-Life (1), (2)  | Email this | Comments

So, we knew the Galaxy Tab 10.1 was coming, but it looks like some shoppers eagerly anticipating the tablet's arrival will go home empty handed today. We just received word from a Samsung rep that there have been "shipping delays to some stores in certain regions." They went on to say, "We expect most retail locations to have inventory by tomorrow while supplies last." That's all we have at the moment, but we'll keep you posted as soon as we know more.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 experiencing shipping delays, unavailable at some outlets originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Jun 2011 20:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments