Archive for the ‘News and Events’ Category
CES is traditionally the home of the latest and greatest in cellular, home theater, gaming, and computing technologies. In today’s video blog, Agent Derek talks about a new and rather surprising category, showing up at CES more and more every year.
Over the last few months, we have renewed and reinvigorated the mission of the Geek Squad Intelligence Blog. I am excited to be bringing additional Agents from around the United States to create articles to keep you informed, but that is only part of our new mission. We are also creating the first international news wire for Geek Squad, bringing Agents together from countries around the world to battle unruly technology, keeping our public informed.
2011 was quite the year for technology, and our clients. More tablets are entering the market, changing the way we compute. Home Theater systems are getting smarter. Computers are becoming more and more integrated into our lives. As we progress and advance as a society, the ways we interact with each other, and our devices, continuously change and adapt. That’s why I’ve renewed our commitment at the Geek Squad Intelligence Blog to keep you informed, up to speed, and educated when it comes to your technology. Whether that is keeping your data backed to prevent a catastrophic loss, or maximizing your potential with a new Tablet, or learning the ins and outs of potential for your next smart-phone syncing, remotely-starting, (soon to be) self-driving vehicle.
In 2012 I look forward to not only having more Agents and more Intelligence, but more possibilities on Facebook, Twitter, and the Geek Squad Intelligence Blog. We have big plans to benefit not only our existing clients, but the Do-It-Yourself tech as well. Have a feature you’d like to see on one of our sites? Think we should have a “Client Question of the Week” or product reviews by Agents? I want to hear about it. Let me know your ideas on Facebook and Twitter, or leave a comment below.
People every day ask me what the best part of being an Agent is. While the badge is great, and the people I work with are amazing, ultimately it’s you, the people I serve and protect against unruly technology that drive me every day. I look forward to providing you with the information to keep you in charge of your technology, not the other way around, through 2012.
Agent Patrick B. has been an Agent with the Geek Squad since 2005. When he isn’t overseeing the Geek Squad Intelligence Blog or the Geek Squad’s Social Media presence, he can be found wandering the streets of Minneapolis for a fresh new source of caffeine to fuel his all night gaming sessions.
Many people hear the word “refurbished” and cringe. They see refurbished items as someone else’s castoffs and want nothing to do with them. Here at Geek Squad, we want to show you that refurbished does not have to mean unreliable. When we certify something, we mean it.
What you hear
Most of us assume that “refurbishing” a product involves replacing worn parts and taking care of obvious cosmetic damage. But we’ve all gotten “refurbished” products that didn’t last. Your friends at the Geek Squad know this process should be better, so we are making a change.
The Geek Squad Difference
We test every product that comes in, even if it’s only guilty of being the wrong color. If we find anything wrong, we fix it and put it through a series of testing routines to make sure every part works like new. Every refurbished product is also visually inspected for any scratches, scrapes, fingerprints and scuffs. You don’t want to see them and neither do we. Once the product meets our strict standards for repair, it becomes Geek Squad Certified Refurbished and made available for purchase at a Best Buy store, or online at BestBuy.com.
To prove we believe in our ability to refurbish these products, we back up all our Certified Refurbished items with our 90-day Limited Warranty. We want you to love your product just as much as we do.
Although this whole thing started with us fixing up a couple iPods, it has taken on a life of its own. Our Certified Refurbished crew now fixes up iPads, iPod Touches and Sony laptops. Keep an eye on the Refurbished collection on the Best Buy site – you never know what could turn up there. For additional details on our Geek Squad Certified Refurbished program, check out GeekSquad.com.
-Virtual Agent Kristen K
Steve Jobs is gone. The founder and father figure of Apple has died, leaving us all wondering what will happen in the wake of his passing.
Steve’s impact on modern computing is incalculable. When you look at technology (MP3 players, smartphones, tablets, and laptop/desktops) in pop culture, hardly a segment of it doesn’t have Steve’s handwriting all over it.
Steve had a unique vision. It didn’t always buy him friends. He was a perfectionist in every sense of the word. “Good enough” wasn’t in his lexicon — and aren’t we glad for that! He was an uncompromising visionary, and his vision & drive brought a true marriage of form and function together in Apple products that first delighted print and design professionals, and then the rest of the world.
Each Apple Keynote with Steve was a magical event, looked forward to with great anticipation. “What new piece of technological wizardry will he unveil now?”, we’d ask, sitting on the edge of our seats. And like the master showman that he was, Steve would spin it out like a well-crafted yarn — releasing tidbits slowly, bit by bit, until — with a final flourish — he’d unveil the final bit of magic. Whether it be a new iPod, new iPad, Macbook or the like, he did it with style — and the people voted with their pocketbooks, gobbling up the new technology and cementing his impact on the world.
The loss of Steve came like a blow yesterday. Yes, we all knew it would happen eventually — and when he stepped down as CEO, I figured it would be sooner rather than later. That still didn’t lessen the impact when I heard he was gone.
Steve: you walked the land as a giant. You showed us the power of true belief, what happens when you aren’t afraid to dream, and are willing to follow thought with action. You showed that it is possible to marry form and function, creative design and excellence in performance — all with class and style. You inspired a new generation of dreamers, and left your mark upon the land.
You will be remembered.
Farewell, Steve.
Since the program’s inception in 2007, the tech boot camp has grown from a one-day summer camp in Chicago to a nationwide program spanning nearly 20 states. This year, Geek Squad Summer Academy adds five camps for military communities through its participation in the “Joining Forces” initiative, a national initiative led by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden to support those who serve in the military and their families.
By teaming up with local non-profit organizations, whether it’s The Girl Scouts of America or local YMCA’s, Geek Squad Agents volunteer their time to accomplish one unanimous goal: to inspire curious teens to embrace technology by exploring the ins and outs of their favorite gadgets. Agents teach attendees about everything from iPods to gaming consoles to desktop computers – and help them incorporate these gadgets into their everyday lives. Geek Squad Summer Academy is a unique opportunity for any child with a passion for technology to spend some time learning what makes it work.
New markets this year include: Charleston, S.C., Greensboro, N.C., Honolulu, Houston, Sarasota, Fla., and Phoenix, as well as five military bases located throughout the country.
For additional information, please visit http://geeksquadacademy.com/summeracademy.
Details are still coming out about the entire rescue operation, but myself and other Agents are happy to hear the good news. Welcome home Ivan!!
Earlier this week, I found out that a fellow fighter in the battle against malware and cyber-criminals became a victim of an unfortunate tragedy. Eugene Kaspersky’s son, Ivan Kaspersky, was kidnapped on his way to work in Russia and is reportedly being held for ransom. I was saddened by this unfortunate news and my heart goes out to the Kaspersky family. I sincerely hope Ivan is safely returned home to his loving family as soon as possible. I can’t imagine what this is like to go through.
I know what some people might be thinking, who is Eugene Kaspersky? For those that do or do not know, Eugene Kaspersky is the founder of Kaspersky Anti-Virus, a leading company in the anti-malware industry. His software has been used daily by Agents like me and our clients for many years to fight against cyber criminals, malware, and viruses. Eugene holds an extra special place in all of our hearts as a fellow fighter against unruly technology and has on several occasions spoken directly to me and other Agents. This makes this sad news a little more personal than usual.
In closing, this situation has really pulled the heart strings of me and other Agents in the Geek Squad. Myself and other Agents want to let the world know we have the Kaspersky family in or thoughts and hearts. I hope a happy resolution comes soon and Ivan can return home to the family that loves him.
These exceptional services demonstrate Geek Squad’s unerring commitment to empowering people to make the most of their gear. Geek Squad Agents are here to help day and night, present and future.
To learn more about these new out of this world services log on to www.geeksquad.com.
For all other technology needs, call 1.800 GEEK SQUAD to set up an onsite consultation, find an Agent or a location near you at www.geeksquad.com, or visit the Geek Squad Precinct at Best Buy or freestanding locations to speak with an Agent directly
Catching every moment of the college basketball tournament can be difficult. Technology, especially wireless applications, can help you stay connected to game scores, bracket standings and player stats whether you’re at work, at home or on the road. If you’re one of many that is stuck at work during a match-up, never fear! Geek Squad has created a customizable excuse note that will explain to your boss why you’ll be ducking out of work for a few hours. College Basketball Tournament Excuse Note 3 18 11
Today, Google held a press event to discuss the Honeycomb version of their Android operating system which is geared toward tablets. The goal, according to Google, was to “equip developers with the best possible toolkit that we can build then just get out of the way.” There were several parts of that toolkit revealed and reviewed today. Here are some of the highlights:
The OS is optimized for larger screens and now includes tablet-friendly features such as a multitasking button which provides a scrollable visual preview of all recently used apps for quick multitasking access. Widgets can also present larger blocks of data and are now scrollable in several ways, such as standard in-widget scrolling used for e-mail, stacked widgets for pictures, and block widgets for a list of bookmarks, to give a few examples. Multitouch even allows for scrolling on two different widgets simultaneously.
Notifications are still unintrusive, but will now contain more information. For example, when receiving an IM, you will now see the picture and part of the message for a brief moment in the corner of your screen where you can choose to open the notification or ignore it. In the same corner, there is a headphone notification button when the music player is running. Tapping this brings up a small widget to play, pause, skip or adjust volume quickly and easily.
“Application fragments” work as frames within an application to allow more flexibility in how information is presented. Each fragment represents a part of the full app and the presentation can be customized more effectively with this method. This also allows new dragging features, such as dragging an e-mail message into a folder in the folder list.
A brand new graphics engine called “Renderscript” delivers a fully immersive three-dimensional experience demonstrated by the new tiltable Google Maps which features 3D buildings and by a port of the PS3 game Monster Madness. Another app highlighting these capabilities is the new Google Body, which was referred to as “the Google Maps of the human body” with 3D layers demonstrating muscle, skeleton, circulatory system and more, with all parts searchable by name.
Support for front and rear cameras means support for video chat, which was demonstrated quickly and effortlessly with a call from musician Cee-Lo Green. Image stabilization has been a major focus of the video chat functionality. The camera itself also has a new software interface which puts white balance, exposure, color effects, flash and more at your fingertips.
Also announced was a very interactive new way to find, purchase and install apps. By visiting http://market.android.com, you will be able to search and sort through apps much more efficiently. You can hotlink to individual apps using this web store and tweet that hotlink right from the site. Opening the hotlink from an Android device will take you right to the installation screen.
The app pages themselves are much more robust with the ability for developers to upload high resolution banners, larger icons, YouTube videos and more to each app’s page. A sidebar shows all other apps from the same developer. If you are browsing the market through your computer and decide you want an app, you can click “Install” and it will automatically download and install on your Android device. A “My Market Account” section shows all apps you have downloaded and makes it easy to download these to additional Android devices, helpful if you get a new phone or an additional device.
Several apps were featured to highlight added functionality including Tap Tap Revenge 4, which will be one of the first apps to allow in-app purchasing. This functionality means that you can buy bonus levels, virtual currency, premium versions of apps and more straight from the application itself for the first time. Also featured was the upcoming CNN application which, in addition to providing a rich multimedia news experience, also allows users to take photos and video of events as they happen and submit them, with text, to the network’s popular “iReport” section.
All things considered, it looks as if the tablet market is only getting hotter and hotter. Honeycomb is Google’s proverbial throwing down of the gauntlet in what should prove to be the next big technology battle. What would you like to see out of Honeycomb? Tell us in the comments!
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