technology

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10 Jun: Best Buy’s Geek Squad Academy Camps Begin Today

If learning robotics, making music and writing code sound more fun than swatting mosquitoes and singing around a fire, the camps offered by Geek Squad Academy (GSA) are where to be this summer.

No sleeping bags are required at Best Buy’s GSA camps, but students do need to pack curiosity and creativity. With hands-on access to computers, tablets, and other techy gadgets, they’re joining the more than 20,000 past attendees in learning new skills, gaining confidence and getting a head start on their futures.

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24 Mar: Best Buy Joins White House Initiative to Spark Science, Tech Education

Best Buy was among the contributors named by the White House yesterday committing to a $240 million effort to prepare students to excel in the fields of science and technology.

Best Buy is teaming up with FIRST, a youth science and technology education nonprofit, to  help low-income teens around the United States compete in robotics competitions. The Best Buy Foundation is providing financial support to some 20 VISTA members who will teach robotics to teens at up to 10 locations, including Best Buy Teen Tech Centers.

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23 Mar: Fewer Chemicals, Same Fire Safety for Insignia TVs

Note: This story has been updated.

Over the past several years, there has been heightened awareness about potentially hazardous chemicals in products. Consumers have become increasingly aware of what they put on their skin, handle on a daily basis and store in their homes. Some consumer electronics contain chemicals necessary to protect against immediate safety concerns like fire hazards. At Best Buy, we’re actively working to protect our consumers through safer alternatives or by eliminating potentially harmful chemicals.

With that in mind, we’re making improvements to our private label products.

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11 Feb: Say ‘I Do’ With Tech Products from the Best Buy Wedding Registry

We’ve got “something new and blue” to share with brides and grooms: The Best Buy Wedding Registry. Starting Feb. 16, couples will be able to register for their most-wanted tech essentials – products that both brides and grooms can get excited about.

More than 1.5 million couples register for wedding gifts each year, choosing items from an average of three retailers. Gone are the days of being limited to registering for candlesticks and china … today’s modern couple now can get the products they want and need in their digital lives.

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10 Feb: Play Cupid with These Gifts of Love from Best Buy

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and this year Americans will spend more on gifts than ever before — $19 billion, claims the National Retail Federation.

And no shocker here: men will spend nearly twice as much on gifts as women – close to $200 on average.

So gentlemen, don’t settle on flowers and chocolates from the closest drug store. Best Buy has a great selection of classy, cupid-inspired gifts to choose instead.

Designer Inspired Accessories

Make your fashionista feel special with an exclusive Isaac Mizrahi tablet or phone case from this popular designer’s brand new Valentine’s Day collection.

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27 Jan: Best Buy Manager Scores Front-Row Reporting Seats to NASA Rocket Launch

James Quandahl’s love of technology and passion for inspiring others helped him score a spot to watch and report on a NASA rocket launch this week. Seriously.

Quandahl, 27, is the Best Buy assistant manager at the Farmington Hills, Michigan, store and he’s also one of 50 social media reporters whose application to cover a satellite launch at the Vandenberg Air Force Base in southern California was approved by NASA.  For two days this week, James will be live-tweeting his front-row seat experience of the event — follow him on @JamesQuandahl.

07 Jan: New Year’s Resolutions Made Easy with Wearable Tech

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Have you made your New Year’s resolution yet? There’s a good chance it includes exercise. According to a University of Scranton study, getting fit is consistently one of the top five most common resolutions but only eight percent of us are successful in keeping them. Since resolutions are hard to stick to, Best Buy has a ton of wearable tech options that will keep you on track into the rest of 2015.

By now, you’ve probably seen or heard about a number of new wearable devices, including activity trackers.

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15 Dec: Holiday Tech Advice On-The-Go: Geek Squad Arrives at Chicago O’Hare International Airport

DSC_8651Over the past several years, Chicago O’Hare International Airport has been one of the five busiest airports in the U.S., with more than five million passengers coming through the airport in December.* Like 94 percent of all adult travelers, O’Hare travelers rely on electronic devices to keep themselves busy as they make their trek home for the holidays.** Dead device? No problem. Tablet that won’t play that favorite holiday movie for the billionth time? Don’t sweat it.

 

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Geek Squad Agents will come to the rescue from 8 a.m.

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10 Nov: Learning New Family Tech with Geek Squad at Engadget Expand

A piano made out of bananas. A Play-Doh Tetris game. A whisk and pie-tin drum set.

Visitors to the Engadget Expand event in New York City over the weekend got a chance to experience unique technology for the family at an exhibit staffed by local Geek Squad Agents and Best Buy Blue Shirts.

Geek Squad was there to show visitors some cool – and fun – things that can be done with technology, and show off Geek Squad Academy, which seeks to inspire young people through technology.

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05 Nov: New Fitness Devices Arrive: Which One for Me?

In a world full of breaking news around activity trackers and fitness devices, you’re probably wondering which one will get you moving, staying active and sleeping better?

Just today, Jawbone introduced two new activity trackers into their family, the Jawbone UP3 and UP MOVE. And last week, Fitbit announced three new products: Fitbit Charge, (available now in Black at Best Buy stores and at BestBuy.com) Charge HR and Surge. These devices help users have a better understanding of their activities and improve their daily activity habits.

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30 Oct: See How ‘Connected Home’ Products Alleviate Everyday Frustrations

Although the “Connected Home” space can be a little intimidating for those of us who aren’t self-proclaimed tech gurus, these products are designed to simplify your everyday life.

Keeping that in mind, Best Buy has started rolling out Connected Home sections to more than 400 stores across the country so that customers are able to see some of this exciting new technology in action. All of the stores will be completed in time for holiday shopping.

But before you head to your local store to play with the hands-on demos, here’s a heads up on a few of the high-tech products and associated features that can make your life easier and provide peace of mind:

Home Automation:

  • Honeywell Lyric smart thermostat – This thermostat is equipped with geofencing technology where your thermostat will turn off when you leave your home and turn back on once you’re within a five mile radius
  • Nest smart thermostat – This thermostat learns your habits and patterns to accommodate your lifestyle while also saving energy and money in the process.
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28 Oct: A Few Tips for the House, On the House

Last year, Best Buy’s U.S. customers purchased more than 20 million ENERGY STAR® certified products, saving them upwards of $76 million in energy costs. That’s the carbon emission equivalent of taking 98,000 cars off the road. Seeing as October is Energy Awareness Month and chillier days aren’t far behind, here are a few tips for saving both energy and money.

  • Install a programmable thermostat in your house, which allows you to adjust the temperature when you’re not home
  • When shopping for a new TV or appliance, look for the ENERGY STAR mark to find the most energy-efficient products
  • Wash your laundry with cold water – your clothes will be just as clean
  • Replace old light bulbs with new energy-saving LEDs, which save up to $100 over the lifetime of the bulb
  • Use a “smart” power strip to avoid standby power – the energy used by some products when they are turned off but still plugged into a power/wall outlet
  • Disable “instant on” and “standby” modes when you are not using your gaming console

Products for your home that enable you to help manage your energy consumption, secure your home and do it all at the push of a button are available online at Connected Home on BestBuy.com,