buying

CNET's back to school gift guide rounds up late summer tech

Believe it: even though the mercury may be inching toward 100 and everyone is still planning beach getaways, school will start in less than six weeks.

For students and their parents, that means now's the time to stock up on school supplies. These days, that means lots of tech: laptops, tablets, phones, and printers, for starters. For college students, the list is even longer: a dorm room needs to be a home away from home, and that includes a TV, sound system, and other amenities.

Don't have kids? Not going to school? I'll let you in on … Read more

Best Buy employee accused of copying woman's steamy photos

Again, the temptation of holding someone else's personal things seems to have been too great for one employee of Best Buy.

Sophia Ellison needed her photos and contacts transferred from an old iPhone to a new one.

According to WTOP radio, she hired the services of a Best Buy Geek Squad employee at Fair Oaks in Fairfax, Va.

Promising to transfer her data, the employee -- called George -- allegedly offered to buy her old iPhone for $60. He also allegedly promised to wipe away all the photos and videos that were on it. And, no, she says that … Read more

Sell your old stuff on Quick

Open up Quick and you'll see two paths you can take: Sell or Search & Buy. Selling an item using Quick is totally straightforward. Just hit List an Item and input all of the vital info, like Title, Price, Category, Description, Payment Options, Delivery Options, and Photos. You can snap a few new pics or import existing ones from your Gallery. If you're selling a fairly common item, there's a nice feature that lets you use Quick to search for it (either by keyword or scanned bar code), in order to autopopulate the item fields. Lastly, at … Read more

Replace a 'dumb phone' with an iPhone now or wait until later?

It's that time in the iPhone life-cycle when Apple is expected to launch a new version of the popular smartphone in a couple of months, leaving many potential first-time iPhone fans wondering what they should do about getting a new phone.

In this edition of Ask Maggie, I lay out the options for a reader considering buying a used or refurbished iPhone now to replace her basic "dumb phone." I also explain to another reader the difference between a tablet and e-reader.

Where can I get a cheap iPhone?

Dear Maggie, I think I'm one of … Read more

Best Buy to cut 650 Geek Squad employees

Best Buy has decided to cut down the number of employees working in its Geek Squad division.

The company confirmed to Minneapolis-St. Paul news station KARE 11 last night that it will lay off 650 Geek Squad workers nationwide. The company told the news outlet that it will offer the affected employees severance, and will aid them in finding new jobs.

Some of those jobs might be within Best Buy itself. KARE 11 says that the last day for Geek Squad employees will be August 1, assuming they don't find another job outside or even inside the company before … Read more

Best Buy takes cue from Apple in new retail store design

The Apple Store has become an educational case on what to do right in the retail sector. And it appears Best Buy has taken notice.

The retailer is testing out a new prototype that cuts down on floor space and uses a help desk, run by Best Buy's Geek Squad, as the focal point of the company's layout. The Geek Squad desk allows customers to ask questions and handle issues. According to The Wall Street Journal, which took a tour, the desk closely resembles Apple's Genius Bar.

According to the Journal, that's not all Best Buy … Read more

New MacBook Pro, Air prices get slash treatment at Best Buy

Best Buy was quick to discount the newest MacBooks, offering savings up to $140 over the weekend.

The biggest discount is on the $2,799.99 Retina Pro with 8GB of memory and a 512GB solid-state drive (Model: MC976LL/A). That is off $140 to $2,659.99.

The least expensive Retina Pro dropped to $2,089.99 (Model: MC975LL/A), shaving $110 off the regular price (see image below).

New MacBook Airs got cut too. The $999.99 Air (Model: MD223LL/A) fell to $949.99, off $50.

The latest MacBooks feature Intel's new "Ivy Bridge" … Read more

Best Buy founder mulls selling out, taking retailer private

While the media spotlight is often on whether or not tech companies are ready to move forward and declare an IPO, the case for Best Buy is just the opposite.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Best Buy founder Richard Schulze is mulling over the possibility of taking the big box retailer private. The other option is for him to sell his $1.4 billion stake in the company and run.

Earlier this month, Schulze announced his resignation from Best Buy's board of directors amid the news that he was also exploring options to sell his 20 percent … Read more

Apple turns you on with the angle of its laptops

Sometimes, you're in a bar and there's a member of your target sex leaning just slightly toward you.

At least, that's what you think. Or rather feel. Something about their posture beckons you. Something suggests that you should be at one with them. Something tells you that they want you to complete them.

This is, apparently, a feeling Apple would like you to have inside its stores.

According to a moving piece from Forbes, each morning Apple employees whip out their iPhones, use an app called Simply Angle, and position the laptops to seduce.

The angle of … Read more