best

Best Buy bails out of European venture in $775M deal

Best Buy is selling its 50 percent joint venture stake back to mobile phone retailer Carphone Warehouse for 500 million pounds ($775 million).

It's a massive loss for Best Buy, which bought 50 percent of Carphone Warehouse's retail operations for $2.1 billion in 2008, during the time where the global financial crisis was about to kick the European market firmly where it hurts.

In a statement on Tuesday, Best Buy said it has entered a definitive agreement to sell its half of the business in conjunction with Carphone Warehouse back to the company. The total figure includes … Read more

Best Samsung Galaxy S4 cases

iPhone owners have always had a variety of cases and covers to choose from, but the Samsung Galaxy S3 and S4 are among the few ultrapopular Android smartphones that have spurred cottage industries of cases and covers.

In boiling down the best of what's currently out there, I tried to provide a good mix of well-designed, affordable cases with more-expensive models that offer some unique attributes.

One thing to watch for when buying cases these days is that you can come across pricier products from better-known brands that sell under unknown brand names for much less (yes, factories in … Read more

Leap Motion to delay ship date until July 22

Leap Motion said today that it will delay shipping its Leap 3D motion controller to preorder customers until July 22. The startup had said previously that it planned on shipping next month. Retail partners will make the product available to other customers "shortly after" that date.

In a conference call, CEO Michael Buckwald said that although he felt that the company could have gotten Leaps into people's hands by the original schedule, that time frame wouldn't have allowed time for adequate testing. As such, Leap Motion plans a beta testing period starting in early June. The … Read more

Busy fall for Apple, Xbox, and Amazon

CNET Update is out of breath:

Apple fans will have to wait until the fall for new "amazing" products, or so promises CEO Tim Cook.

Samsung fans will also be doing some waiting. The Galaxy S4 was said to hit stores this weekend, but the smartphone is facing supply issues -- and that's causing T-Mobile and Sprint to push back launch dates and only sell online. But you may be able to find one on Saturday in stores at AT&T, and on Tuesday at U.S. Cellular. [Read CNET's review here.]

For shoppers that … Read more

Samsung, Best Buy to operate mini shops for three years

Shoppers hoping to check out the Samsung mini shops in Best Buy stores will have a few years to do so, the companies said Wednesday.

The agreement to operate Samsung Experience shops within all U.S. Best Buy locations will last for the next three years. The companies then will evaluate whether to extend their pact or end it, executives from Samsung and Best Buy said.

So far, the few experience shops already open have received "a lot of positive customer feedback," Best Buy CEO Hubert Joly said Wednesday during a press event in New York.

"Both … Read more

Always On: Best of Season 3

Well, folks, it's about that time again. That time when we head out into the world to get our hands on today's hottest gadgets and to explore the promising technologies of the future. And, of course, we'll keep an eye out for some clever ways to destroy those hottest gadgets, too. But, in the meantime, we've mustered up our favorite segments of Season 3 to make the wait for Season 4 less grueling.

First up, we head back to Mount Shasta Ski Park to watch Molly rev a snowmobile over the poor Kindle Fire, Nokia Lumia 920, … Read more

How Dish's deal could improve Sprint

CNET Update dishes the details:

Dish has made a $25.5 billion unsolicited bid to merge with Sprint. Today's video explains what this deal means for consumers and how it might improve Sprint's network.

Also in this tech roundup:

- Microsoft reportedly is considering making a smartwatch

- Windows 8 apps for news and maps get updates

- Electronic Arts will shut down Sims games on Facebook

- This 55-inch Panasonic plasma is the first television to get a 5-star rating from CNET

Watch CNET Update in the video above, and subscribe to the podcast via the links … Read more

Best iPhone 5 cases

The iPhone has been out a while, but new cases for it keep arriving.

Update, April 11, 2013: Added Skech Lisso Book and Otterbox Armor Series cases.

What's the best one? Very hard to say. The problem is that everybody has different tastes in cases. And, of course, some folks choose not to bother with them at all.

In doing this roundup, I've tried to present a good selection of products, highlighting some of the better cases that have hit the market -- or are about to. But this is by no means a "best of" … Read more

Best Buy chops older iPad prices as much as 30 percent

Consumers looking to pick up an iPad will find discounts as high as 30 percent courtesy of Best Buy.

The retailer is offering the 16GB version of the 3rd-generation iPad $314, down from $449. The 32GB will run you $384, down from $549. And the 64GB edition is on sale for $454, down from $649.

The discounts also extend to the cellular flavors of the iPad 3, mostly with A&T but at least one with Verizon.

Consumers not interested in the iPad can also land a few discounts at Best Buy.

The first-generation version of Amazon's Kindle Fire is on sale for $99, … Read more

Nokia shutters its flagship China store

Nokia has closed its flagship store in China, once touted as its largest worldwide.

Nokia told ZDNet that the Shanghai store, which opened in 2007, shut down at the end of March. CNET also confirmed the closure.

"For a while now, Nokia has been focusing on growing its presence in operator and third-party retail outlets, rather than through our own physical stores," according to a company representative. "We are, of course, also continuously beefing up our online presence."

Nokia is shuttering the store even as it presses further to regain lost ground in China, considered one … Read more