Crave

(Credit: Blake Stevenson)

Now that I've moved into a new mouseless apartment, I can finally settle down and live the dream of digital cable television. First things first, though: I need a new TV. Since it's been eights years since I've even considered buying a new box, needless to say I need all the help I can get. Luckily I've got Jeff, Wilson, and CNET's HDTV World to help me decide on a size, resolution, and brand! Feel free to send me your shopping advice or hot deals at the404(at)cnet(dot)com or @the404 on Twitter.

Everyone's talking about the latest gossip: Attack of the Show stole our show motto! In light of this controversy, our buddy Blake Stevenson drafted the amazing fight announcement poster you see to the left.

With so many awesome fans like Blake on our side, we're sure to win this Battle for the Brow. And if you think that Kevin Pereira and Olivia Munn can even occupy the same air as our low brow-itude, you're on the wrong side of the ring. D-Topping, pearl necklaces, bean bag chairs, buzz-outlouding!? We DARE Attack of the Show to step to us and find out what happens when you mess with the Nerdy Dirty (please don't steal that one).

Click thumbnail for larger image.

(Credit: Brian from Pittsburgh)

Jeff brings a great first story to the table about Best Buy's Geek Squad charging $130 to set up a PlayStation 3! This story is so ridiculous that it actually prompts Jeff to bring back the classic "ARE YOU KIDDIN' ME!?" and sadly...they aren't. Neither Best Buy nor Geek Squad have the best customer service reputation, but this might as well be a crime. We understand that there are some fairly techno-inept folks out there, but setting up a PS3 literally requires one plug. Save your $130 and buy some games.

Finally, much thanks to Brian from Pittsburgh--the first winner of our "Take-a-photo-of-yourself-in-a-hockey-rink-with-a-404-sign" competition! Click on the thumbnail over yonder to see him in all his hockey-garb glory. A copy of NHL 10 is on its way to your doorstep, Brian! There's still time left to submit YOUR photo to the404(at)cnet(dot)com, so don't sleep on your chance to win!

Going to a retail store for consumer electronics purchases can be both exciting and frustrating. After working at Best Buy for two years, I have a few opinions to share that you might want to consider before your next shopping trip.

1. We have no formal training in the field of consumer electronics.
Upon transferring to the computer department from home theater, I expressed concern to the manager: "Will there be time for someone to train me on laptops/desktops? What do these specifications mean?" His reply was simple: "Just do your best. A good salesperson can just read the labels and compare specs." Ouch.

Salespeople are not necessarily experts in the products sold in their departments, even if they are expert salespeople. Though many express a strong interest in the products they sell, your time spent at a retail store fishing for information about a future TV purchase could be better spent online researching the products yourself (I heard CNET has pretty great reviews).

"You need those HDMI cables, you know you do."

(Credit: Amazon)

2. We make little off the big-ticket items, so we smother you with accessories.
Remember the story "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie"? Well, if you tell a salesman you're going to buy a TV, he's going to want to sell you a DVD player to go with it. Once he sells you the DVD player, he's going to want to get you to buy an HDMI cable, too.

Managers at Best Buy (and possibly all retailers) tell employees that the store profits surprisingly little from video game consoles and computers. Cables, accessories, mice, and other components, however, have a huge profit margin-- stores can make about $120 from a $150 Monster HDMI cable. Angry yet? The point is, we're going to work really hard to convince you to purchase that big item, but once you've said "OK" you've opened Pandora's Box.

Here's my advice: Grab the big item, and run. Purchase all accessories online, including memory cards, cables, traveling cases, and so on. Amazon, Monoprice, and Newegg are all reputable discount Web sites. You'll find what you need at a much lower price.

As someone who regularly councils consumers to avoid overpriced after-market repair services for computer hardware, I was intrigued by a report from Glassdoor.com (a Web site where employees anonymously dish about their employers) that compares the purported average salaries for Apple and Best Buy front-line tech-support personnel.

Both the Geek Squad and Genius Bar offer carry-in service for your hardware, although the Genius Bar is more focused on in-warranty service for your Mac stuff, while the Geek Squad sells a variety of upgrades, security, installation, and maintenance services.

The Glassdoor.com data is based on submissions from people who claim to be employed by the respective companies, so it's far from scientific. That being said, the reported average hourly salary for a Genius Bar tech was $18.30, while the reported average hourly salary for a Geek Squad Agent was $11.58.

Anecdotally, the Genius Bar seems to have a better reputation than the Geek Squad, which has been busted stealing data from customers' computers (hence the nickname "Peek Squad"), but I'm sure plenty of people have both good stories and horror stories about both.

Is the Genius Bar attracting better people with better pay? What experiences with one or both services have you had?

Already the biggest seller by volume of electronics in the U.S., some Wal-Mart stores are now trying their hand at tech support.

Starting this month in 15 stores around Dallas only, employees manning a new kiosk concept called Solutions Station by Dell will be available to do TV and home theater installations, PC repair, wireless network setup, and probably some other tech-related stuff too.

Dell and Wal-Mart have a pretty cozy relationship--Dell picked Wal-Mart as the first place to sell its PCs when the company started selling retail again last year--so the pairing isn't so surprising.

And this could potentially work out well for both. Dell has had problems with its customer service; in-person tech support, if Solution Stations customers feel satisfied, could be helpful in fixing its image. And Wal-Mart says this pilot program will help it find out more about what its customers want when it comes to installation and tech-related services--or if they want them.

For now, Wal-Mart says there are no plans to expand the service.

(Via Check Out)

A goofy marketing gimmick plants Geek Squad 'agents' in select cities' theaters near screenings for 'Sex and the City,' designed to help male patrons escape the chick flick.

(Credit: Geek Squad)

The movie spinoff of Sex and the City hits theaters Friday, and if the estrogen-fueled near-rioting at its New York premiere is any indicator, it'll be a cinematic event of such shriekingly girly proportions that the average straight man is bound to run and hide.

But Geek Squad, the electronics help service owned by Best Buy, saw it as a potential marketing opportunity. I got an e-mail pitch in my inbox on Thursday explaining a gimmick that the company's pulling in a few cities geared toward men who have been dragged to the theaters for Sex and the City by wives, girlfriends, moms, co-workers, and other female tormenters.

"Not even the Geneva Convention can save us from the torture about to hit screens tomorrow," the release read. "Sure, Sex and the City will be adored by fanatic females that sip cosmos, adorn Manolos and look for their Mr. Big to get them out of credit card debt, but what about the unfortunate men that get dragged to this film?"

Consequently, Geek Squad "agents" will be stationed at select megaplexes in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles to hand out promotional packets containing excuses for maneuvering one's way out of the movie at the last minute, along with quarters for use at the nearest video game arcade. The message: Look, Geek Squad won't just fix your computer, it'll fix your sense of masculinity!

Cute. But here's my advice to the men of the world: If your significant other is making you go see this pink-and-fluffy pastiche, grow a backbone and say no. Unless you forced her to go see 300 with you. Then you're obliged.

Those who prefer getting help from peers over negotiating the sometimes headache-inducing labyrinth of traditional tech support will have an additional online outlet come Tuesday. FixYa, a user-generated Web site for product care support, is set to announce a co-branded effort that brings Best Buy customers and the Geek Squad together to swap real-world solutions to common technical problems. Think social networking meets tech support.

Customers wanting to perform their own fixes (or trying to dig others out of trouble) can go to the Best Buy Web site and access http://geeksquad.fixya.com from the "Customer Service" tab. They can search by product, SKU, manufacturer, or product category, or post a new query and receive community troubleshooting. Solutions are free, and visitors to the site do not have to be Best Buy or Geek Squad customers.

If visitors still need "professional assistance" after querying their peers, they have access to the 17,000 Geek Squad technicians populating the site with tips and support. FixYa's community currently has more than 30,000 contributors; the Geek Squad gang will help expand that base through their own contributions.