Gather Your Roster: There’s no better way to watch the big game than with a big crowd, so make sure all of your friends are on time for kickoff by sending them an email invitation to your party. Create an email-able football-themed invite on a website like Evite.com, Smilebox.com or Pingg.com. Choose from dozens of football templates, customize it with your text and send it out to your network – for free! These sites are quick and simple for the time-constrained party planners and will rally spirits before game day.

Bring in Reinforcements: Buffalo wings. Nachos. Chips and dip. You know your guests will be expecting these tasty treats, but what’s your game plan for cooking them? Geek Squad Agents suggest using your apps to make your apps! Smartphone apps, such as Cook’s Illustrated (iPhone, free), Healthy Recipes – 200k Recipes From SparkRecipes (BlackBerry, free), Party Food Recipes (Android, free) and Weber’s On The Grill (iPhone, $4.99) have thousands of simple recipes that are sure to score you the extra point with your party guests.

Go the Distance: Make sure your television is the right distance and height from your couch so you and your guests feel like you’re front row center on the 50 yard line. Geek Squad Agents recommend you should be able to comfortably see the screen without moving your eyes from right to left or up and down. If you prefer a more precise measure, they recommend a distance that’s about two times the size of the screen. For example, 4 feet away from a 24-inch TV or 8 feet away from a 48-inch TV. The height of the TV is also very important for optimal viewing. Geek Squad suggests putting the TV at a height of about 48 inches and no more than 15 degrees above eye level. However, higher mounting is an option and should be used if you have an extremely large viewing area.

Call an Instant Replay:  Corporations throw down the big bucks for airtime during the big game because they know commercials have become as much a part of the tradition as the game itself. Use your DVR to create your own instant replay on your favorite spots. You’ll be sure to catch every ad so you can take part in the “best and worst” chatter with your colleagues on Monday. If you’re going to be away from your TV and forgot to set your DVR to record the big game, don’t worry. Wireless TiVo is available – just set your box via any high-speed Internet connection. And with the TiVo Desktop service, you can transfer the program to a portable device or computer and catch up on the action in between meetings or travels. You can even program your DVR from your phone using apps, such as those from TiVo (iPhone, free), DirecTV (iPhone, Android, free) and Verizon Fios (iPhone, Android, free).

Go Mobile: If you can’t watch the big game, never fear, your smartphone could be the answer. There has been an explosion of sports applications for smartphones and tablets. The apps can give you the latest updates, scores, news, standings and live game details. iPhone and Android devices offer a variety of free apps including ESPN ScoreCenter, NFL Mobile and WatchESPN.

De-clutter Your Coffee Table: You want space for all your snacks and drinks, not all those remotes! A Geek Squad Agent can show you how to de-clutter your coffee table by consolidating your remotes with a universal remote. Operating the many complex components of your entertainment system is as easy as the touch of a button. Universal remotes can also control your lights and electronic blinds in your new home theater. Geek Squad offers Remote Control Setup both online and in-home.

To learn about programming a universal remote, check out Geek Squad’s how-to videos on GeekSquad.com:

• Universal Remotes
• Expand the Range of Your Universal Remote

For help with all your sports technology needs, call 1.800 GEEK SQUAD to set up an onsite consultation, find an Agent or location near you at www.geeksquad.com, or visit the Geek Squad Precinct at Best Buy and other locations to speak with an Agent directly. We provide our services wherever and whenever you need them – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

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.

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.

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’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.

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.

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.

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