buying

Digging deep into Microsoft's Surface

Wednesday's CNET Update covers the Surface:

Microsoft's Surface RT tablet hits stores Friday, but CNET has the full review here. Today's tech news roundup also goes over the differences in Windows RT and Windows 8.

If phablets are more your style, CNET also has the review of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, now available at T-Mobile for $370 after a rebate and two-year contract. AT&T will sell it for less, at $300, when preorders begin Thursday.

Ready for shopping on Instagram? A new service called Chirpify gives users on Twitter and Instagram the ability to … Read more

Nokia Lumia 920 no longer available through Best Buy

Best Buy's preorder offer on the Lumia 920 didn't last long.

On Sunday, the retail chain first listed the 920 on its Web site for customers who wanted to preorder the Windows Phone 8 handset. But now a search for the Lumia 920 on the Best Buy Web site fails to turn up any results.

A direct link to the 920's Best Buy page provided by WPCentral lists the phone as "Sold out online." The page shows a price of just $149.99 for the 32GB version with the standard two-year contract.

But why the … Read more

Best Buy starts taking pre-orders for Windows 8 Phone handsets

With the debut of Windows Phone 8 a little more than a week away, Best Buy has begun taking pre-orders for Nokia's and HTC's flagship smartphones running Microsoft's new mobile operating system.

The electronics retailer's Web site now lists the Lumia 920 for $149.99 with a two-year commitment and off-contract at $599.99. It also lists the HTC 8X for $99.99 with contract and $599.99 without contract.

The listing doesn't indicate when customers can expect delivery, saying only that the phones "will ship when available." Earlier this month, AT&… Read more

Best Buy employee gets dumped by lover, wins $30.5M

As Cher almost sang once: Do you believe in loot after love?

It's funny how the fates can bring a fetching closure to an unsuccessful relationship. Ask 22-year-old Best Buy employee Sandeep "Sunny" Singh from Hyannis, Mass.

It seems he wasn't quite so sunny when his girlfriend tossed him to other fish in the sea just two weeks ago.

And then, as CBS Boston reports, it was as if Best Buy's new Insignia Flex tablet suddenly outsold the iPad.

For Singh was rather chirping after winning $30.5 million in the lottery.

"Ahh, I'… Read more

Amazon pushes Kindles for classrooms

Wednesday's CNET Update is syncing your reading assignment:

Amazon has launched a way for teachers to easily push out reading assignments through a Kindle. Today's tech news roundup looks at Whispercast, which allows organizations to manage books and documents synced to a group of Kindle accounts. Everyone the group doesn't need to own a Kindle, but they do need a device with a Kindle app. Classrooms can also order Kindles with custom profiles that block Web browsing or disable purchasing.

In other news, Best Buy is joining retailers like Barnes & Noble and Toys "R" … Read more

Best Buy's Insignia Flex tablet to get mid-$200 price tag

Best Buy has priced a homegrown Android tablet to take on offerings from Apple and Samsung.

The Insignia Flex, which the electronics retail giant revealed on Facebook last week, will sell for between $239 and $259 when it hits the market on November 11, according to a Reuters report. The tablet will feature a 9.7-inch screen and be powered by a dual-core 1GHz processor running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

The tablet will be available only from Best Buy, but the page didn't reveal any additional details regarding memory, storage, screen type, or wireless configurations. CNET has … Read more

Top 5 sites for buying FLAC music

If you want to listen to better-quality digital music, then FLAC files are a great way to do it. They typically use half the storage space of uncompressed music files and should sound identical to music played from a CD. And yes, you can use apps like FLAC Player to listen to them on iOS devices.

Like MP3s, there are two main ways to get FLACs legally: rip them from CDs, or buy them directly. While we cover how to rip your own music to FLAC format here, there are several sites that offer FLAC album downloads for less than the price of a CD, and yet offer the same level of quality. You'll find that most of these sites are independent and that's because major labels have yet to embrace fully lossless downloads, presumably because of the ever-present "piracy concerns."

Below are the best five stores that sell the FLAC format. If you're interested in higher-than-CD quality, some of the following sites also offer 24-bit "HD" downloads for an extra charge.… Read more

Apple might unwrap iPad Mini on Oct. 23

Friday's CNET Update is scanning for sales:

Best Buy plans to match prices on Amazon this holiday season, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. Today's tech news roundup dives into the trend of "showrooming" and how you can use apps to get the best price at the register.

There's a fresh report on the iPad Mini. All Things Digital says Apple will reveal the smaller tablet at a news event on Oct. 23. But of course we won't know for sure until Apple breaks its silence. Pricing will be a big … Read more

Best Buy ready for battle with Amazon on pricing

Best Buy, hit hard by cheaper online prices, has decided to take the fight to Amazon.

During the holiday shopping season, Best Buy will match Amazon's prices in its stores to keep pace with its chief competitor, the Wall Street Journal is reporting today, citing a source. In addition, the retailer will offer free home delivery on products that are out-of-stock at its brick-and-mortar stores.

The move is a thinly veiled attempt on Best Buy's part to head off so-called "showrooming," which sees consumers come into the company's stores to check out products without buying. … Read more

Samsung Galaxy S3 price drops $100 Sunday only at Best Buy

And just like that, the Samsung Galaxy S3, which has reigned as king of the Android smartphone hill since the summer, seems to be on its way to being a has-been.

A release from Best Buy indicates that the retailer -- also not quite the big shot it used to be -- will be slashing $100 off the price of the Galaxy S3 for this Sunday, October 14, only.… Read more