Items tagged with Store
Microsoft just opened a brand new, flagship store at 677 5th Avenue, in New York City. And since we’re just a short drive away, and were already spending some time in Manhattan today with the folks from Motorola and Verizon, we thought we’d pop in and take a look around.Microsoft's New Flagship Store On 5th Ave.Before you even get close to the front doors, there is no mistaking that this new store is all about Microsoft. Multiple logos are visible from across the road and a ton of product is front-and-center for all to see, behind the giant wall of glass out front. The store is comprised of multiple stories—an elevator has buttons for floors 1 – 4, but only the first three floors are open to...
Read more...
Say what you will about the power of the ecosystem, but one of Microsoft's biggest hurdles to overcome in the mobile arena isn't quality hardware nor software. Nokia makes killer phones, and most of the AAA-level apps in the Windows Phone store are of high quality (just look at Evernote, for example). But there's a reason that the iPad and iPhone have exploded, and a lot of that has to do with a unified app buying experience. Now, Microsoft is reportedly looking to pull off something similar. For years now, the company has been leaning towards a more Windows-centric world. In other words, tying the raw DNA of Windows into each of its business sectors. Xbox, Windows, Windows RT and Windows Phone...
Read more...
Friendly gestures evidently only get you so far, and in the cutthroat world known as technology, it appears that RadioShack and Staples are tossing a cold shoulder in the direction of Amazon. As retail locations selling consumer electronics begin to fade, same-day delivery icons like Google and Amazon are beginning to gain major traction. The annoyance of having to visit a store to pick something up (compared to having it appear at one's doorstep) cannot be understated, and in a bid to get those straddling the divide into a B&M location that they may otherwise pass over, Staples and RadioShack previously agreed to install Amazon Lockers in their stores. For those unaware, Amazon's Locker...
Read more...
We hear the phrase "the future is mobile" a lot, but just what does that mean? Most of us are equipped with smartphones, and some of us tablets... just how much more mobile can we get? With devices that we don't own, but still use, of course. Case in point: an installation eBay is planning to kick-off with a major retail partner in New York City this summer. The plan was mentioned at TechCrunch's ongoing Disrupt conference by eBay CEO John Donahoe. Details are extremely light at the moment, but what is known is that this retail outlet will have a touchscreen window, likely to allow passersby to browse various collections and maybe even buy something. Would you have to log into your eBay account,...
Read more...
In addition to tinkering with its return policy, it looks as if Best Buy is making another change in order to deal with one huge, lumbering reality: the Internet. A few months ago, Target announced that it would begin price-matching Amazon all year round in an effort to halt "showrooming" -- a term that describes the act of using a retail shop to check a product out, only to go home and buy it online for less. A few years ago, this process happened, but not in huge enough numbers to make material dents in the bottom line of brick-and-mortar retailers. Nowadays, it's notable. In fact, Circuit City caved years back in large part because of its inability to cope with a world where massive amounts...
Read more...
If the first thing to come to mind after hearing that a store with "Apple" in its name, or one which uses a logo with an apple in it, was forced to shut down, I think very few people would blame you if you thought it was caused by the Cupertino giant's hands. It's happened before, after all, and I'm sure it will happen again. However, for "The Apple Shop" in Norwich, UK, which sells actual apple food products, there were other reasons it was "forced" to change its name. You see, if your business has "Apple" in its name, even if it has nothing to do with electronics, people are bound to ignore the differences and ring you up for warranty information, product problems and other inquiries that end...
Read more...
The digital shopping world is firmly upon us. Target is making the lives of parents a little easier this winter, with the addition of QR Code shopping. The company is planning to prop up 20 popular toys in a special section of the store in the weeks leading up to the holidays, with each of them boasting QR codes. The company will let parents scan the codes of toys they'd like to discretely purchase, and then they can sort out the shipping details later -- and shipping is free to anywhere in America. It's a really interesting take on shopping, and the benefits are numerous. For one, it'll allow parents to snag a toy without their kid seeing it in the cart. Secondly, it'll help those in urban areas...
Read more...
It's official: if you missed the initial pre-order wave for iPhone 5 shipments, you missed the boat. In just 12 hours after going on sale at 3:01am ET on the 14th, pre-orders everywhere are sold out. If you pre-order one today, you're looking at a 2-5 week wait at the minimum. Apple has been quoted as saying that they're "blown away" with the response, but they said the same thing for the iPhone 4S. And really, did anyone not expect the iPhone 5 to be a hot commodity? So, if you aren't up for waiting a solid month to get one, and you aren't about to pay $2000 on eBay, what are you other options? Brave the lines and hit retail. Apple Stores as well as carrier stores (Sprint, Verizon Wireless and...
Read more...
Well, well -- what's this? It's the Windows Store, and no, we're not talking retail. The company just took the wraps off of the official Windows Store preview, a few months after teasing us with the name as part of Windows 8 and the distribution point for Metro style apps. The company had a launch party tonight in SF, where they described the app policies and business terms for the Store, both of which are now published to our Dev Center. They also announced our First Apps contest for developers, and confirmed that we’re also inviting a select set of developers to submit Metro style apps for inclusion in the Beta version of the Store. What's really wild is the revenue sharing. Unlike the...
Read more...
One has to wonder if Apple can keep this up. They've been knocking it out of the park for years now, with quarter after quarter of record growth. At this point, it's doubtful that any other technology company is capable of stopping them. Their stock price is way up, sales are way up, and market share is way up. And when things are going so well, it's easy to justify massive new stores in massive places, to get products and services in front of even more people. That's why Apple's currently awaiting approval from the M.T.A. to build their biggest U.S. store yet in New York's Grand Central Terminal. Hordes of commuters and tourists float through this landmark location, and pending approval, Apple...
Read more...
Is your mobile browser in need of a storefront? Possibly not, but Opera thinks so anyway. This week, Opera announced the opening of the Opera Mobile Store, which is available in over 200 countries. This storefront is a featured Speed Dial link in the Opera Mini and Opera Mobile browsers, which makes the storefront immediately accessible by more than 100 million people who use an Opera browser on their mobile phones. The Opera Mobile Store has been built and delivered through a strategic partnership with Appia, the leading provider of open application marketplace technology. It offers both free and paid applications for virtually any mobile platform and device, and the storefront experience is...
Read more...
Did you know that Amazon will soon be launching their very own App Store for Android? It's true. Soon, Android users will have access to the standard Android Market (ran by Google) and the Amazon Appstore for Android (ran by Amazon). Why does Amazon need their own app store? The reasons are numerous and complicated, but the primary reason is that they already have a massive customer base, and a base with credit cards already on file. And since they already sell so many Android devices (tablets, e-readers, phones, etc.), there's a big opportunity to also sell apps to those customers. In fact, developers who submit their apps to the Amazon Appstore will benefit majorly from one thing in particular:...
Read more...
The multi-media drive market has really exploded over the last few years, right along with demand for DVRs, web-connected televisions and blossoming personal media libraries. More and more content is coming from the web rather than a disc, so people are requiring more and more capacity to store all of it. Toshiba's StorE TV+ is a unique twist on things, with a classy enclosure and the ability to handle up to 2TB of media locally. Users will be able to connect this device directly to their HDTV via HDMI, and if having 2TB of content right at your fingertips isn't enough, there's also an Ethernet port and 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi for putting content from other network drivers and PCs/Macs. The primary...
Read more...
My, oh, my. What a difference a few years makes in the smartphone market. Nokia has long since been the dominant cellphone provider the world over, holding well over 40% of the overall market share in terms of mobile phone sales. But with companies such as RIM (who makes the BlackBerry), HTC (responsible for the Hero and myTouch 3G), Motorola (with its DROID) and Apple (no explanation needed) joining the fray, things are vastly different now. Nokia has also struggled with landing carrier partnerships in America, which are generally a necessity for a phone to become a really hot seller. Americans are trained to expect relatively cheap phones thanks to the 2-year contracts that they are tied to,...
Read more...
It's a crazy world we live in. While some industries are shutting retail locations down to cope with a slower economy, the consumer electronics realm seems to be ramping up for growth. While Apple has already made the (smart) decision to open a 24/7 location in the Big Apple, Best Buy still has yet to open a single store that remained open around the clock. But all that changes in a month.On the ever-so-spooky Friday the 13th in November, the company's first-ever 24-hour location will open in the heart of New York City. The 48,000 square foot store will be located on the corner of 14th Street and 4th Avenue, right smack dab in the midst of historic downtown Manhattan’s Union Square. If our math...
Read more...
Anyone who wants to work in one of Microsoft's new retail stores had better be in pretty good physical shape or start pumping iron now.The job description for sales associates says:Lifting/carrying 75 pounds (loading and unloading all those great products and carrying purchases out for our customers will be required!)A Microsoft employee in the U.K. first noticed this requirement, and then TechFlash dug further and found that store managers need only be able to lift 50 pounds. Retail technical advisors also have the 75 pound requirement, while retail trainers have the lower, 50 pound requirement.It might be worth noting that "Microsoft technology knowledge" is merely a "plus" in getting the job...
Read more...
Given that "radios" lost their glitz decades ago, we'd say a RadioShack re-branding is long overdue. Announced today after a flurry of rumors, RadioShack Corporation has decided to completely overhaul its brand, its mission and in some ways, its purpose. Moving forward, you'll see less of the aged RadioShack branding and more of "THE SHACK," a hip new label that will hopefully encourage more consumer electronics shoppers to stop by and check out items that fit their lifestyle. Previously, RadioShack was best known for odd-and-end adapters and batteries; now, THE SHACK is looking to be your go-to store when it comes to electronics accessories.It's a tough battle, for sure. The accessory market...
Read more...
You know that Apple store down at your local mall? In a few months, it may be sharing a zip code with your local Microsoft store. In all goes to plan, the software giant responsible for Windows and Office will launch an assault on Apple and other consumer electronics companies by erecting a number of retail outlets designed specifically to showcase, market and sell Microsoft wares. A company representative was quoted as saying: "As we progress on our retail strategy there will be scenarios where we have stores in proximity to Apple. We are on track to open stores in the fall time frame." Of course, the intentions to launch this fall makes perfect sense. Two major launches are on track for Microsoft's...
Read more...
Dell and Microsoft have had something more significant than just a working relationship for some time now, but it looks like that partnership just got ratcheted up a notch. As more and more outfits (Adobe, for one) offer full applications online, Dell has landed a deal that will allow it to sell "digital" versions of Microsoft products. In fact, the newly created Dell Download Store is the very first non-Microsoft consumer site authorized for downloads.Wares such as Word, Excel and Outlook are now available from the Dell Download Store, though there's no word on just how far the expansion will go. Sadly, it seems as if the prices aren't the best, with Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 listed...
Read more...
It has taken awhile, but Nokia's response to Apple's App Store is finally open for business. After being teased a few weeks ago, Nokia has announced that its Ovi Store is now live in select markets, with AT&T looking to join in here in the United States later this year. Nokia customers can surf over to store.ovi.com on their device browser in order to begin downloading, personalizing and loading their phones up with applications, games, videos, podcasts, productivity tools, web and location-based services, etc. Tero Ojanperä, Executive Vice President, Nokia Services, seemed pretty stoked about the opening: "Ovi Store is open for business and we've stocked the shelves with both local and global...
Read more...
Sony Ericsson Xperia™ X1 Available in U.S. for 2008 Holiday Season Pre-orders for the premium converged device begin today at SonyStyle.comSony Ericsson North America announces the arrival of the highly anticipated Xperia™ X1 to the U.S. marketplace. The Xperia™ X1 delivers a range of multimedia and communication experiences that have long been coveted and in demand by consumers.The Xperia™ X1 will be available unlocked through Sony Electronics and its authorized retailers beginning on “Black Friday,” November 28. Pre-orders of the Xperia™ X1 will be available through the Sony Style Web site at www.sonystyle.com beginning November 13. This...
Read more...
A number of rumors were circulating around the web on Sunday, with more than one site saying that on Monday Circuit City will be announcing the closure of 155 stores around the nation. It's just another bad news item for the struggling retailer, which according to a form filed with the SEC Thursday, has been warned by the NYSE that its stock was "below criteria" because the average closing price was less than $1 per share for the 30 previous days. With that warning, Circuit City has six months to get the stock's price up. As long as the average 30-day closing price is more than $1 sometime during the next six months, it will continue to be listed on the NYSE. On Friday, Circuit City stock closed...
Read more...
