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.

Have you ever had that sick feeling in your gut when you think you deleted a really important file and aren’t sure if you can get it back? Trust me – I’ve been there, and it is the worst. Since that fateful day, I learned to back up duplicates of all my data on external drives.

My backup drives run the gamut from small flash drives to full-sized external hard drives. My data didn’t seem to care where it was stored as long as it had a home.  However, as I started to accumulate more than just a few flash and hard drives, maintaining my backup library started to bug me.  I hate clutter!

Enter “THE CLOUD”

Cloud-based backups allow users to securely save important files to an online data backup server. These systems allow users to store their data on professionally maintained servers while providing secure access to it anytime from any computer – and many mobile devices – with an Internet connection. Clearly just the thing for a data security maniac and neat freak like me.

Sound too good to be true? Well, depending upon how things play out in the next few months, it may just be.

Though cloud-based storage solutions like Norton, Sugar Sync and Carbonite are great options to backup your important data off-site, what happens if the company managing the storage system is shut down or closes for some reason? What happens to your data?

What happens to my data?

Users of the MegaUpload service are finding out the hard way at this moment.  The target of legal action by the U.S. Justice Department, MegaUpload recently had their assets frozen. While some users of MegaUpload may have used it to illegally share movies and TV shows, over 50 million users who used it for legitimate purposes have had their data swept up in this legal dispute. Attorneys for MegaUpload and the companies it used to host client data say the U. S. Attorney in charge of the case sent them a letter giving them permission to start deleting data from its servers as early as Feb. 2^nd.

What does this mean for users? Pictures, spreadsheets and documents for private citizens and small businesses could be deleted without advance warning. For small business owners who don’t have a local backup, the loss of client data could be devastating to their livelihood. While users have had limited-to-no access to their data since January 19, MegaUpload is continuing its fight to keep user data from being deleted.

This situation reinforces the advice of data security and privacy professionals when it comes to choosing a cloud storage provider. They emphasize users should focus on well-known, established companies as service providers. Publicly-traded companies are very good options because they will be more risk averse than start-ups. Using a company you already have a relationship with –your ISP for instance – and one based in the United States is also a good idea.

For more on the risks of cloud storage see this article from National Public Radio’s business show, Marketplace. For more on choosing a cloud storage company, see this article from PC World Magazine. Can you imagine if this had happened to you?

Cloud storage is a great part of a backup solution, but this underscores why it should not be the only option. Storing your data is too important to trust to a single method. I think cloud storage is pretty awesome, but I will not give up on the clutter and safety of the old fashion external hard drive – and neither should you.

Keep your data safe! Back up today – locally, and online. You’ll be glad that you did.

-Agent Timothy E.

To learn more about how to ensure your data is backed up safely and securely, visit your local Best Buy and talk to a Geek Squad Agent about all the different ways to back up data — or visit us at support.geeksquad.com (24/7) and we can help back your data up for you! 

One of the most common resolutions people make in the New Year is to get a handle on their finances. Here at Geek Squad, we want you to know that your technology is ready and willing to help you make that resolution a reality.

Goodbye Cable?

If you are feeling your wallet get tighter every time your cable bills arrive, it may be time to change your habits and begin using your high-speed internet connection to your advantage. Almost all major television networks now offer most of their shows online shortly after, or in some cases as, they air on live TV. Other websites  like Hulu, Joost and YouTube give you the ability to watch older episodes of many popular network and cable shows. You can also find classic TV shows on these channels, particularly YouTube. Cut yourself loose from cable by taking advantage of the wide variety of free streaming content available online.

Worried that you don’t want to watch a whole TV show on your little laptop screen?, Never fear. Almost all newer televisions allow you to connect your computer directly to the TV with an extra cable or two. Just remember you need to have minimum high speed internet connection of 1.5Mbps to be able to get a good video streaming experience. If you’re not sure what your current speed is, try out Geek Squad’s speed test: www.geeksquad.com/speedtest

Coming Soon To A Computer Near You

Sure, I suppose some people love walking through a movie theater in its sticky-floored glory. But more and more people prefer to stay at home and watch films. Staying home to watch movies in your pajamas and Snuggie is not only more comfortable than sitting in a drafty theater, it can be much less expensive

With your computer and high speed internet connection, you can use Netflix, Apple iTunes and CinemaNow to choose a movie, download it and start watching within minutes. Again, you don’t have to worry about watching these movies on a small computer screen because many services use small set-top boxes with easy set-up to stream movies from your computer to your TV. In fact, Netflix is available on all gaming consoles [Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360] and most Blu-ray players include applications for most of these services,  so you can easily turn your living room into your own comfortable movie theater. So, get your popcorn in the microwave and your family together, and make it a movie night tonight.

Phone Home, for a Lot Less

You are going to want to tell everyone about your plan to ring in the savings in 2012. Fortunately, there are new telephone options that allow you to lower your monthly bills without sacrificing talk time. These services allow you to turn your pre-existing Internet connection into a functioning phone line. Web-based providers such as Skype, magicJack and Jajah are affordable ways to turn your computer into a phone, especially for international calls. Skype and Jajah are also available as apps for on-the-go calling [free on Android and iPhone]. You can also text for free using your Gmail account or apps like textPlus and Kik [both free on Android and iPhone]. Using some additional hardware, you can use VoIP systems like Vonage and Ooma for low cost calling.

Mighty Music Master

No matter your music preference, there are ways to listen to your favorite tunes without destroying your budget. Free, high-quality radio and music streaming via sites like SHOUTcast, Pandora, Grooveshark and Spotify allow you to listen to the music you like through your internet connection. These sites are also great ways to discover new artists and songs, and you are able to listen to whole songs, not just clips. Be sure to  check out your favorite band’s website because many artists release songs as free downloads on their sites.

Smart Phone Spending

Smart phones are called smart for a reason.And now they can help you wise-up about spending. There are a plethora of applications that are available for download, offering quick and easy ways for you to save some money no matter where you are. So, download the apps and let the savings roll in!

• No longer do you need to waste ink and paper to print your online coupons. With apps like The Coupon App] and Coupon Sherpa [both free on Android and iPhone], discounts are right at your fingertips. Based on your location, these apps find coupons for stores near you.
• There seems to be an inverse relationship between a gas tank and a wallet: when one is full often times the other is empty. Gas Buddy and AAA TripTik [again, both free on Android and iPhone] are apps that list area gas stations and, most importantly, their prices, so you can fill your tank and minimize the damage on your wallet.
• Taking a trip to the store to pick up a new toy? Check out PriceGrabber, Shop Savvy and ShopKick [all free on Android and iPhone] to easily compare pricing and availability to other local stores.
• Checking in can save you cash! Download the FourSquare app [free on Android and iPhone] and start checking in at your various destinations to unlock coupons, discounts and sometimes free things using the app.  Plus it’s always fun to check in more than your friends.

To learn more ways to technify your budget in the New Year, or for help with the rest of your 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, 365 days a year.

-Agent Laura G

Every day, Covert Remote Support Agent Laura G. is remotely saving the sanity of clients around the United States while thwarting the presence of malware on their computers. When not working on computers remotely you can find Agent Laura in her kitchen in sunny Vero Beach, FL baking creative and innovative cakes. 

If your favorite website looks different on Wednesday, January 18th, it’s likely not an issue with your computer, smartphone or tablet.  A number of well-known websites will be participating in partial “blackouts” throughout the day, or will be changing their access or features to include informational and awareness messages on the page itself.

Some of the sites that have stated they will participate include Wikipedia, Reddit, WordPress and the Google home page.  We will add to the list of sites that may have limited access throughout the day as needed.

If you find that you have access to most other sites without issue, there likely is not a problem with your Internet connection. Try those sites with which you are having trouble again tomorrow, as the partial or full blackouts are likely only temporary.

However, if you do not have access to any websites, start by contacting your Internet service provider to confirm there is not an issue with your connection.  If you continue to have issue with your Internet access, call 1-800 GEEK SQUAD (433-5778), or stop into your local Best Buy to have a Geek Squad Agent check your device out.

-Agent Derek M.

Why not take full advantage of your tablet to make planning and meeting those goals easy? Today we’ll take a few common New Year Resolutions that we all share, and look at how your tablet can help with each.

Keeping organized

Syncing your tablet with the cloud has never been easier. If you have an Android device you can let your Gmail account keep track of your contacts, calendar, notes, tasks, pictures, music, messages and more, keeping everything lined up, no matter how many devices you have. Whether you are on your tablet or on your computer, everything will stay in sync as long as you’re connected to the Internet. With an iPad, iCloud will do many of the same things for you. On Windows tablets you can use Google or SkyDrive. You can even export from one service and import it into another if migrating everything to one central account makes your digital life easier to manage.

Keeping fit

There are apps available to help you with pushups, sit-ups, yoga or walking. Nike, and coming soon from Jawbone, there’s pedometer-like gear that will work with apps to give you more accurate readings of your accomplishments. If making fitness more social and fun helps keep you motivated then you can go to Fitocracy from your tablet web browser to share your experience with others while keeping track of your progress.

Keeping in touch

Keeping in touch with friends and loved ones can be a challenge with our busy schedules. Fortunately, social sites like Facebook, twitter and foursquare make it easier to share in the lives of the people that you care about. If logging in to separate web pages to check in with your social network is a bit overwhelming to you, you may want to consider consolidating them into one app on your tablet. Both Tweetdeck and Hootsuite do a great job of streamlining this experience in a way that may just make you want to use those services even more.

So no matter what you resolve to change in your life this year, remember your tablet can help you out, and help you stick to it! Also, keep in mind that we are always here to help. If it all seems a bit overwhelming, Geek Squad offers a Tablet Setup, as well as a variety of other services to help you skip the “techie” part, and get straight to using your new tech-tools. As always, Geek Squad Agents are standing by 24/7/365 at 1-800-GeekSquad and GeekSquad.com to help keep your unruly tech in order.

-Agent Shane N.

Geek Squad Online Support Agent Shane N serves the public by policing technology at Support.GeekSquad.com

He is father to four boys who remind him that no matter how smart he thinks he is, they are smarter. He likes Sci-Fi and skateboarding.

For example, you used to have to spin a knob on your television to change channels.  Over the years, we added remote controls to allow us to interact with our TV without even having to leave the couch.   Thanks to gaming systems like the Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360 Kinect, we’ve added motion control and voice commands to how we can interact with our entertainment.

Several Television and set top box makers have jumped onto what is being called call “the Kinect Effect”. The idea is to make better use of motion and voice controls, augmenting those features you normally had to figure out a complicated remote to use (or call one of our Geek Squad Home Theater Agents to help to setup a programmable remote).

One example is Samsung’s Smart Interaction feature set that the company is adding to their Smart TV line.  Now, to take control, you simply have to say “Hi TV”, along with a command, such as “Web Browser” to get the built-in Internet connectivity software to connect you to your favorite websites in your living room.

PrimeSense Natural Interaction is another company using similar technology to allow you to raise your hand to bring up a menu, and allow you to fast forward through a movie by sliding your arm to the right, or changing the volume by moving it up or down.

Sony is improving their updated Google TV options by using their remote as a 3 axis motion controller. Their new system also allows you to search for your favorite online content by speaking search terms out to the built-in voice controller.

Of course, if your family is like ours  at Geek Squad, fights can easily break out over who gets to control the remote.  What that means when motion control and voice commands make you the remote, who knows.  In the meantime, Geek Squad Agents will be standing by 24/7/365 to help you figure it all out.

-Agent Derek M

But what about things like tax records, photographs, and music?  Used to be, we kept those things in drawers, books, and file cabinets.  Not anymore.   These days, a lot of what’s important to us are strings of zeros and ones, as more and more of our priceless documents and memories are stored on computers.

Computers aren’t foolproof, and accidents happen that can cause data loss.  It’s important to be prepared.  Why take chances with things that are important?  Make a New Year’s resolution to back up your data, and we Geek Squad Agents can help make it a reality.  Let me break it down – here are a few different solutions for a few different people.

• Flash Drive: Small, inexpensive storage, this device is ideal for a business professional on the go.  Just stick it into the side of your laptop!  The drive will show up with its own letter in My Computer, so you can easily drag your most important files into it.
  
  Drawbacks: The small size makes it easy to lose and those with a lot of data to store may run out of room quickly.

• External Hard Drive:Perfect for media hounds, or families with only one computer.  External hard drives have large capacities!  Buy one as big as the hard drive in the computer you own, and set your computer to back up your files once a week.  Both Windows and Apple machines have backup options built right into the operating system.  Check out the Backup and Restore feature for Windows, and Time Machine for Apple.Drawbacks: More expensive than flash memory and external hard drives can also be bulky to transport.

• Network Attached Storage (or NAS drive): Like an external hard drive, but typically with more storage, these are hard drives that can be accessed by multiple computers and devices in your home.  They’re perfect for families with many computers and a lot of files, and some can even be accessed wirelessly!  It’s like giving your family their own personal cloud.  Check out this two terabyte NAS device here.Drawbacks: NAS devices require a router, and can be tricky to integrate into your home network.  If you don’t have our number – oh wait, you do.

• EyeFi SD Card: This device is perfect for those on vacation.  Essentially, it’s an SD card with the ability to access the internet – just stick it in your camera and it will use the internet to send your pictures to your computer.  That way, if you drop your camera off the Golden Gate Bridge, at least you won’t lose the pictures.  Check out a 8GB Eye-Fi Card here.Drawbacks: Requires a wireless internet connection to work.

• Cloud Storage: If you use a lot of different computers and want to be able to access your data anywhere you go, or if you don’t like the idea of keeping track of another accessory, then cloud storage may be right for you.  The Cloud is a place where you can send your files to keep them safe if anything should happen to your computer.  You can access the files anywhere that you have an internet connection.  Many online companies offer Cloud storage, including SugarSync and Symantec (Norton.)  They’ll give you software that backs up your files for you, too – so no need to worry about it.  Some companies will even have data-management apps that you can install on your tablet or smartphone.Drawbacks: Backing your files up to the cloud requires an internet connection, and most services charge an annual or monthly fee.

We all have things that are important to us.  Don’t let the intangibility of your most important documents and memories stop you from taking steps to protect it.  As you can see, there’s a solution out there for everyone, and as always, your friendly neighborhood Geek Squad Agent is just a phone call away.  Chat with an Agent today at Http://www.geeksquad.com, at 1-800-GeekSquad, or stop by for a visit at your local Geek Squad Precinct in Best Buy.
-Agent Laura M.

Every day, Counter Intelligence Agent Laura M, of Precinct 329, heroically removes malware and saves the personal lives of computer users in Maple Grove, MN.  She has a vitamin D deficiency from playing too many video games.  She likes animals and books.

CES 2012 will run from January 10th through the 13th and will bring together an estimated 140,000 people from throughout the consumer electronics industry. Retailers, manufacturers, software developers and even a few celebrities will be there to show or be shown the latest in technology. For Geek Squad, this event gives us a sneak peek at all the gadgets and electronics we’ll be setting up for you over the next year.

Some of this year’s highlights are expected to include “ultrabooks” from a variety of computer makers. The term was created by computer chip-maker Intel to describe higher end ultraportable laptops. These ultrabooks differ from netbooks in that they don’t sacrifice performance and features as they become smaller and lighter. Ultrabooks, with a higher base price than a netbook and are designed for users who want access to the same power as a regular laptop but with the portability of a netbook.

Another item that I expect to see many makers showing off are Windows 8 devices. Although Microsoft has not announced an official release date for the next version of their Windows operating system, 3rd party hardware development has been underway for some time. Any Windows 8 tablets being demonstrated will be sure to capture attention. Windows 8’s cross-platform capabilities will interest consumers hoping to share more of their programs and data across their PCs, tablets and even smartphones and gaming systems. In Geek Squad, we love the idea of the connected world, where our tech talks to each other automatically for our benefit.

In 2011, “the cloud” became a mainstream term among tech consumers, and CES promises to show how the electronics market hopes to make your everyday gadgets make better use of it. Of course, not all data storage will be on the Internet, so I expect we’ll also see more devices coming with solid-state drives (SSD) to reduce weight and improve response times when accessing data.

In the home theater world, I expect we’ll see continued improvements with 3D and smart TVs, but I also am hoping to see some of the large screen OLED (organic light-emitting diode) HDTVs that have recently been talked about. OLED screens can display deeper blacks than an LCD resulting in huge contrast benefits and better overall picture quality. They’re also thinner, helping to make HDTVs lighter. Up to this point, however, OLED screen creation has not been cost effective for the sizes you need for that big screen TV you’d want in your living room. In 2012 we may start to see that change, and our Geek Squad Home Theater Installers can’t wait.

Finally, I’m excited to see all unexpected technology that shows up every year at CES. Whether it’s the seat designed to allow you feel the rumble of NASCAR racing, or robot pets designed for hospital waiting rooms, past shows never cease to amaze us at how ingenious tech makers can be.

Whatever it is, I am looking forward to seeing what the next 12 months of tech looks like at CES 2012. Stay tuned to the Geek Squad Intelligence Blog this week, and follow us on Twitter, @GeekSquad, and Facebook for the latest updates from this week’s Consumer Electronics Show

-Agent Derek M.