Netgear Tells Customer to Call Geek Squad -- WTF? Posted

Let\'s not kid ourselves, Best Buy\'s Geek Squad division isn\'t exactly a respected establishment in DIY circles, and referring someone to Geek Squad for tech support is like, well, does this even need an analogy? No offense to any of our readers who may work as a Geek Squad tech, but you know what they say about a few bad apples.

What\'s even worse -- and we thought unthinkable -- is when the manufacturer of one your computer parts suggests calling Geek Squad to diagnose your failing gear before they\'ll replace it. That\'s exactly what one user who wrote into The Consumerist claims happened when his Netgear DGN2200 wireless router with DSL modem went on the fritz.

\"Five calls to [Netgear\'s] tech department and it is still not working,\" the user claims. \"On the fifth and final call they suggested I call the Geek Squad (approximately $139 for them to come to our home) to troubleshoot it and if it proves the modem is bad they will send me a new unit at that time (which I only paid $79 to begin with).\"

It doesn\'t take a math whiz to figure out that\'s a bum deal. Assuming it all went down the way the user claims it did, let\'s hope this was an isolated incident.

Best Buy to offer notebooks with CLEAR WiMAX modules

CLEAR has announced a partnership with Best Buy which will make WiMAX capable laptops available at Best Buy locations across the US. The goal is to outfit every laptop with an Intel Core series processor that Best Buy sells with a 4G modem by the holiday season.

The CLEAR press release only mentions a couple of models by name, including the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 netbook, Inspiron 14 and 15 laptops, and Toshiba Satellite M645 notebook.

It’s not clear at this point whether the CLEAR modem will drive up the price of these laptops, but the 4G network is offering customers a $100 discount on the notebooks when they sign up for a 2-year service contract.

While CLEAR says the WiMAX capable laptops will be available at every Best Buy location across the country, it’s also not entirely clear why you’d want to pick up a notebook with a CLEAR modem at each of those locations… since CLEAR’s coverage area doesn’t even come close to Best Buy’s.

via Electronista

HTC EVO 4G will have a HDMI dock, sold through Best Buy

One of the things we bemoaned in our EVO 4G review was the lack of an included Micro HDMI cable in the box, mostly because they're still somewhat hard to find, but that worry can now be allayed thanks to this newly uncovered HDMI dock from HTC. It will work with the Micro-USB port at the bottom of your EVO for data and power transfers, but the main attraction will obviously be its compatibility with the phone's Type D connector and HDMI 1.4 connectivity. Before you rush to your nearest Best Buy to get one, though, there are a couple of caveats. PC Mag's testing of the HDMI output found some TVs only recognized a 480p signal when the EVO was sending out 1080p, and a number of apps, including Sprint TV, refused to send their goods out over the High-Definition Multimedia Interface at all. Might be worth trying before buying in this case, as in most others.

Android Community, pocketnow

Android and Me

Best Buy launching cellular modem-equipped GPS units

Best Buy sure looks to be aiming high with its first Insignia-branded GPS units, which will apparently not only pack all the expected run-of-the-mill specs but two-way, Dash-like communication as well. That desirable feature will be included on both the 4.3-inch NS-CNV20 and 3.5-inch NS-CNV10 models, each of which make use of that cellular connectivity to provide real-time traffic information and access to Google Local Search, among other things, all of which will be free for the first year (no word on pricing after that). In addition to a larger screen, the $499 NS-CNV20 will also give you some built-in Bluetooth, but if that's more than you need, you can save a $100 and opt for the $399 NS-CNV10. Look for both to go on sale October 19th.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/03/best-buy-launching-cellular-modem-equipped-gps-units/