Thursday, April 26, 2012

Best Buy Connect no longer accepting new activations, service to end June 1st (update: confirmed)

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Remember Best Buy Connect? If so, you'll soon have a few more megabytes of humanized DDR3 freed up, as it appears that the retail giant is ready to put the kibosh on its own branded mobile broadband service nearly two years after it was first unveiled. According to the internal memo shown in the above screenshot, new activations are no longer allowed effective immediately, and the service for legacy customers will be cut off on the first of June.

So why the change of heart? Apparently Connect is the victim of a reshuffling of priorities, and the company determined that it "can achieve greater growth by delivering mobile broadband support in ways other than an exclusive Best Buy-branded service." Of course, this is bound to upset more than a handful of folks who have been relying on Connect for their data needs, and the retailer isn't leaving them completely in the dark: to help smooth out the transition, all Early Termination Fees will be waived, and all customers will receive a $125 or $150 gift card via email to curb the cost of moving to a different carrier. WiMAX Connect users, additionally, will also be given the option to switch over to Clear service. We're still awaiting official confirmation from Best Buy -- as of this moment, the official website remains up and running as if it's none the wiser -- but we'll update as soon as we hear more.

Update: Best Buy has now officially confirmed that the service will indeed be shut off on June 1st.

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Best Buy Connect no longer accepting new activations, service to end June 1st (update: confirmed) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASA READIs early detection GPS network, aids first responders with earthquake warnings

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After tacking space shuttle Discovery onto the back of a 747, the brainy gang over at NASA's READI for a new challenge -- earthquake detection. The agency's GPS-monitoring system, known as the Real-time Earthquake Analysis for Disaster Mitigation Network, is being tested with the goal of more accurately detecting the scale of quakes and, consequently, getting tsunami warnings out as soon as possible. The setup, made possible by a partnership between the Department of Defense, the National Space Foundation, and the United States Geological Survey, works by measuring ground displacement in real-time to provide a faster, more detailed assessment of imminent damage, thereby giving first responders a head start on determining aid. So the next time you look up to the night sky and wish upon a tracking star, keep in mind that sometimes privacy-skewing, positioning tech could just save your life.

NASA READIs early detection GPS network, aids first responders with earthquake warnings originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 08:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Incipio EDGE PRO Hard Shell Slider Case for iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 only $15.95 [Daily deal]

For today only, the iMore iPhone Case Store has the Incipio EDGE PRO Hard Shell Slider Case for iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 on sale for only $15.95! Get them before they're gone!


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