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, The Crusher]

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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Leaked Rayman Legends for Wii U trailer showcases NFC feature (video)

Leaked Rayman Legends for Wii U trailer showcases NFC feature (video)

If you're counting down the days till the Wii U is released, you might recall that back in January Nintendo chief Satoru Iwata said the console will ship with an NFC chip inside. Well, you can now get a taste of how games will incorporate that feature, thanks to this just-leaked trailer for Rayman Legends. According to the video, Rayman Rabbid action figures can jump into the game when a player taps them to the Wii U's screen. (It looks like that trick will work with an Assassin's Creed Ezio Auditore da Firenze figurine too.) Check out the trailer, courtesy of Gamekult, while you can -- after all, Ubisoft didn't want you to glimpse the U's magical powers just yet.

Continue reading Leaked Rayman Legends for Wii U trailer showcases NFC feature (video)

Leaked Rayman Legends for Wii U trailer showcases NFC feature (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 13:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Rare Sale: Despite 30 Million Activations In The Last Year, Google Sends SketchUp To Trimble

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Mon.ki Is Building A Rapportive For The Web

logo-monkiPrepare for the concept of the address book to be flipped. Today, a startup called mon.ki is launching a new way for you to discover "who you know" by providing that information to you in the context of what you're viewing. The product, which they're calling a "social compass" of sorts, automatically extracts information from the web page you're viewing, and then displays relevant information from Twitter about the people and tweets related to the page . To be clear, it's not just about finding out who tweeted about that page, but about the people related to that page. For example, a TechCrunch article would point you to the author's profile, as well as Twitter profiles related to that writer. And Twitter integration is just the beginning. The company is adding support for Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn, too. In addition to today's launch, mon.ki has also closed a round of $400,000 in seed funding.

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Opera 12 opens its beta doors: improves performance and stability, adds new themes

Opera 12 opens its beta doors: improves performance and stability, adds new themes

Similar to that other, foxy browser, Opera reached numerical version 12 (although in beta form), promising to be as fast and smooth as it's ever been. Included in the new revision are a slew of under-the-hood enhancements, along with a few cosmetic alterations. For starters, Opera 12 now offers complete 64-bit compatibility for both Mac and Windows, while "experimental" hardware acceleration and WebGL support are also in tow. Furthermore, the browser added a "smarter" tab-loading sequence, speed improvements for faster page uploads and a way to customize the look with a bundle of new themes -- of course, you can create your own as well. As for the backend tweaks, Opera announced it's abandoning its Unite and Widgets features in favor of an extension-driven model. Those of you eager to take it for a spin can hit the Opera link below to get started.

[Thanks, Yousef]

Opera 12 opens its beta doors: improves performance and stability, adds new themes originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Please Welcome TechCrunch?s New COO, Veteran Exec And Entrepreneur Ned Desmond

ned4.25.12There?s lots going on behind the scenes here at TechCrunch ? not only are we hiring top writers and putting together a kick-ass lineup for Disrupt in New York next month, we?re also getting a chief operating officer (among other moves soon to be announced). Ned Desmond, a veteran media executive from Time Inc and more recently an entrepreneur, will be joining us as COO on May 7th. He?s going to be leading all of our non-editorial operations out of our San Francisco headquarters. He?ll also serve as the general manager of the AOL Tech properties. which include Engadget, TUAW and Joystiq.

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