Posts Tagged ‘Retail’
Best Buy Acquires Online Music Service Napster For $121M
Online digital music market is getting warmed up, as US retail giant, Best Buy, announces it will acquire Napser for an astonishing $121 million price tag. The transaction is set to be accomplished in Q4 of this year and we have no doubt it was carried out in order to try snatching a substantial share from iTunes’ market dominance. Napster allows its 708,000 subscribers to access an unlimited library of music or using the “Napster Mobile” platform, on their mobile phones, for a small monthly fee of $15. Having said that, the company has never turned a profit, during its long years of existence.
Best Buy president Brian Dunn confirms the company’s desire to expand Napster services and to use “Napster’s capabilities and digital subscriber base to reach new customers with an enhanced experience for exploring and selecting music and other digital entertainment products over an increasing array of devices.” Be sure it’s just the beginning and we expect more developments to take place in the near future. We do hope this move will increase the competition and at the end of the day, will be profitable for the consumers.
[via ZDNet]
Tags: acquisition, Audio, best-buy, business, digital downloads, digital music, Internet, Music, napster, online, online digital music, Retail
Creative Zen 32GB Goes Live
Finally, after months of expectations, the new Zen 32GB is available for customers, incidentally on Xmas time. This credit card-sized player comes with 2.5″ screen and plays music, videos and photos.
specifications:
- Display: 2.5″ TFT 16.7 million colors (320 x 240 pixels).
- Audio: MP3, WMA, WAV, Audible 2/3/4.
- Video: WMV9, transcode MPEG2, MPEG4, DivX and XviD.
- Pictures: JPEG, transcode GIF, TIFF, PNG and BMP.
- Features: SD slot card, FM radio, Voice recorder and more.
- Battery Life: 30 hours audio, 5 hours video.
- Size:3.26″ x 2.16″ x 0.44″.
Price: $349.99
[via engadget]
Tags: Creative, General, Media Players, Music, photos, Retail, Storage, videos, Zen
CompUSA - The End
After 24 years, with 103 chain stores, CompUSA has reached its very final end. One of the 90’s biggest computers retail network, owned by the billionaire Carlos Slim, was purchased by Gordon Brothers Group, after facing a liquidation. According to reuters, CompUSA stores will remain open and staffed during the holiday season, offering discounts on computer and electronics ahead of the planned store closures, at the beginning of 2008.
Prior to the announcement of the sale, CompUSA closed more than half of its stores, so the final events did not surprise the analysts.
[via engadget]
Tags: CompUSA, Computers, gadgets, General, liquidation, News, Retail