2016

Best Buy - resolutions

29 Dec: These 7 Resolutions Will Help Your Tech Life in 2017

Ever notice that when you go to your health club the first week of January, you can’t find a space in the parking lot? And then by March, you can help yourself to any spot within 15 feet of the front door?

It’s pretty obvious that a lot of people start the new year with the best of intentions…and then quickly lose interest in their plans for self-improvement.

Technology is often right there among the neglected resolutions. You swear you’re going to back up that music collection you’ve been accumulating for five years.

Best Buy - tech gifts

27 Dec: Here’s How to Get the Most from Your Tech Gifts

Smart home products, 4K TVs and laptop computers were popular tech gifts this holiday season. But the joy and excitement of unwrapping the perfect present can quickly turn to frustration if you can’t get it to work the way you want.

Thankfully, Geek Squad can pick up where Santa’s elves left off by answering questions about setting up all those devices and getting the most from them. We chatted with Agents Nate Bauer and Adam Silkey to get some helpful hints based on the questions they’re hearing from clients now that the  holiday gifts have been opened

How can people get the most out of their new smart home products?

Best Buy - cancer

23 Dec: St. Jude Surgeon Continues Brother’s Cancer Fight

It was Christmas 2009 when Mike Gleason received a diagnosis that shattered his world and that of his family: He had glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive brain tumor with a bleak prognosis. He also had a wife and two sons, ages 6 months and 2 years.

Mike, a longtime Best Buy employee, worked in the Demand Planning department at the corporate office. His role was to stay on top of technology and forecast the latest products customers would want. What he couldn’t have predicted was that diagnosis – or how he’d lose his hard-fought battle with cancer just seven months later, at age 32.

China YES program 1

22 Dec: Best Buy Community Efforts Extend to China

Best Buy is committed to helping kids reach their full potential. Our community efforts extend all the way to Shanghai, China, where I work on Best Buy’s private label sourcing team.

We wanted to help our local community and address an issue that we are very passionate about – the environment. Together with Dr. Jane Goodall’s nonprofit, Shanghai Roots & Shoots, we created an environmental education program, called Youth for Environmental Sustainability (YES).

The environment is a critical issue in China, as we have seen pollution increase significantly over the years.

Best Buy - holiday movie

21 Dec: Need a Little Holiday Movie Inspiration? Check Out This List

They spent much of the year tucked away in boxes alongside the tree ornaments, stockings and tangled strands of lights. Now, it’s finally time to pull out that holiday movie (or movies) you look forward to watching each year.

For many families, movie night has become an annual tradition when loved ones are gathered for holiday celebrations. And everyone has their personal preference, whether it’s a timeless classic or a modern favorite.

Now cozy up under a warm blanket and grab a cup of cocoa (or big bowl of buttery popcorn), because here’s a quick look at some of our favorite holiday movies.

Best Buy - fudge

19 Dec: If This Fudge Was Any Easier … It Would Bring Itself to Your In-Laws’ Party

This season, Best Buy is cooking up lots of great examples of how we can make the holidays easier. I’m here to literally help you cook up something super-easy that will make you the hero of any gathering.

But first, let’s go back to 1996. It was my first year with an official holiday duty: to bring something to Christmas brunch with my then-boyfriend-now-husband’s family.

What do you bring to impress a bunch of people you really want to impress?! The best rolled cinnamon bread … from the charming bakery located down the street.

Best Buy - everything

16 Dec: Tech Gifts for that Someone Who Has Everything

There’s a good chance there’s at least one person on your gift list who seems to have everything. That person can be a challenge to shop for.

Lucky for you, we’ve made things easy and compiled some gift options from Best Buy for those who have it all.

For the trendsetter

For those beauty lovers, the Dyson Supersonic Hairdryer is a must-have. This hairdryer is the latest and greatest in hair styling technology. Best yet: It can cut hair drying time almost in half.

Best Buy - Teen Tech Centers

13 Dec: Best Buy Plans to Nearly Double Number of Teen Tech Centers

Jacqueline Arana is a high school sophomore in Los Angeles who credits access to technology and advice from mentors for inspiring her goals of law school and filmmaking.

It wouldn’t be possible without the Bresee Youth Center, which recently joined with Best Buy to create a Teen Tech Center. It’s a state-of-the-art facility where students learn a wide range of tech skills, including digital filmmaking, 3-D design, coding and app development.

Jacqueline is already loving the new center and getting access to the latest tech, including being able “to use the cameras the professionals use.”

bby_logo_for_blog

13 Dec: Best Buy to Confront the Oppportunity Gap by Nearly Doubling its Teen Tech Center Network

 

  • Best Buy issues call-for-entries to open nine new Teen Tech Centers in 2017, expanding national network to 20 locations in challenged urban communities
  • Year-round training will reach thousands more underserved teens, helping them leverage technology for a wide variety of future career paths
  • Accelerated outreach effort addresses projections that 77 percent of all jobs will require tech skills in coming decade

 

Minneapolis, Dec. 13, 2016 – More of the nation’s underserved teens will have access to free technology tools and training as Best Buy today announces plans to add nine new Best Buy Teen Tech Centers to its year-round support network in 2017.

Best Buy - sustainable

12 Dec: Sustainable Tech: 5 Gifts You’ll Feel Good about Giving

If you haven’t finished your holiday shopping just yet, here are a few gift ideas that you can feel good about giving. Each of these cool sustainable tech items also help to protect the environment.

 

For those who throw the best dance parties: Philips Hue Light Bulb

They’ll love taking their party to the next level by setting their new colored bulbs to music. You’ll love that the bulbs are ENERGY STAR® certified, meaning they will use less energy while protecting the environment.

Best Buy - surprise

08 Dec: Keep the Element of Surprise With These Gift-Giving Tips

Ahhhhhhh. There’s nothing like that sigh of relief when you’ve found the perfect holiday gift. (Nailed it!) But if your next thought is, “How the heck am I going to keep this a surprise???” I’ve got some handy tips for you.

With three curious kids, I have to stay ahead of their prying eyes. Here are my favorite tricks for being sneaky, all for the sake of those huge holiday smiles.

Go incognito

  • When ordering online, use an email address that isn’t shared with anyone you’re buying for and be sure this email account isn’t synced across shared devices!
Best Buy - lights

07 Dec: Geek Squad Employee Brightens the Night with 10,000 Holiday Lights

You can’t miss Mike Staudt’s house during the holiday season. It’s the one with more than 10,000 colorful lights set to music and programmed into a 14-minute show.

The line of vehicles passing by and media coverage also help. But it’s not about the recognition — he just loves technology and the holidays. What else would you expect from a Geek Squad employee?

“I’ve always been into Christmas lights since I was a kid,” Mike said. “We bought our house in 2012, and I started being that guy in the neighborhood with all of the inflatables and other decorations.