In a effort to cut costs and improve its financial situation, Sony is eliminating two divisions at its main electronics unit, promoting three executives and keeping a close eye on its money-losing television unit, Bloomberg’s Businessweek reported on Tuesday. The Japanese company will shut down its consumer products and services group, which handled consumer-level electronics, and the professional device and solutions group, which handled business oriented products and components. Executive Deputy President Hiroshi Yoshioka, who oversaw the professional device and solutions group, will head the company’s newly created medical business unit. Sony spokeswoman Satsuki Shinnaka said all changes will be effective April 1st and are aimed at speeding up management decisions. On the same date, the company will welcome its new president and CEO Kazuo Hirai. Hiari is largely credited with making Sony’s PlayStation game business profitable and will be looking to do the same with the company’s Bravia television unit, which is expected to post its fourth straight annual loss.

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Sharp on Tuesday announced that is has entered into an manufacturing partnership with Foxconn that will see the manufacturing giant take a 10% stake in the Japanese electronics company. Hon Hai has invested nearly 67 billion yen ($809 million) in Sharp in exchange for roughly 121.65 million new shares, which will be spread out between four Foxconn companies. Sharp CEO Takashi Okuda said, “Until now we have handled all of our R&D and manufacturing, but going forward we will need to include partnerships in our approach,” pledging to leverage both companies’ strengths to get products to market efficiently. Each company will hold a 46.5% stake in Sharp’s Sakai plant in western Japan, with the remaining 7% owned by Sony.

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A new subscription service allows potential gadget owners to test out new devices like Apple’s new iPad tablet before committing to a purchase. YBUY, which bills itself as a try-before-you-buy online subscription service, charges users a flat monthly fee of $24.95 for access to a wide range of consumer electronics as well as home and kitchen gadgets. Users can choose one device at a time from YBUY’s catalog and trial the gadget for up to 30 days before returning it. Beginning in April, the company’s inventory will also include Apple’s new iPad. ”For most consumers, when it comes to electronics or products for the home, the idea is that they want to test the product out first,” YBUY CEO Stephen Svajian said. ”We can actually bring the showroom straight to your living room. Our unique alternative, that comes to you brand new or completely sanitized, allows consumers to test it out for 30 days in the comfort of your own home. This can really help you get to know the item you would like to invest in, before fully committing to make the purchase. There’s no other experience like it out there on the market.” YBUY’s press release follows below.

YBUY, New Try-Before-You-Buy Online Subscription Service, To Offer Apple’s New iPad, Starting April 1

Unique Service Allows Consumers To Touch, Feel And Experience Latest In Electronics, Home And Kitchen Gadgets For 30-Day Trial Period Before Committing To Buy

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif., March 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ –  Have you been thinking about purchasing Apple’s new iPad, but not quite sure you are ready to make the investment? Wouldn’t it be nice if you had a little extra time, in the comfort of your own home, to test drive the new state-of-the-art mobile device before fully committing to buy it?

YBUY, the new try-before-you-buy online subscription service, announced today that it will be carrying Apple’s third generation iPad, starting today at www.ybuy.com. Orders placed today will be shipped to customers before April 1, 2012. YBUY, which officially launched in January, gives consumers a chance to test drive the latest in electronics, home and kitchen gadgets for 30 days before they commit to purchase.

For $24.95 a month, YBUY members can try out products ranging from iPads and high-end Bose headsets to Breville coffee makers, Rabbit Air purifiers, or the Sous Vide water oven for 30 days. After the trial period ends, YBUYERs have the opportunity to keep the item and have the trial fee applied toward the YBUY product purchase price. Or, the customer can easily send the product back to YBUY and select another item from the curated list of top-of-the-line products. On most products, YBUY will send a mid-month offer to the customer to buy the product at a significant discount, sometimes up to 25 percent off the retail price. Shipping is free both ways.

“For most consumers, when it comes to electronics or products for the home, the idea is that they want to test the product out first,” said YBUY CEO Stephen Svajian. “Typically, you’ll wait in line for hours. Then, when you finally get into the store, there’s someone right behind you breathing down your neck, pressuring you, and maybe even dripping sweat on you. And at the end of the day, you may only get five or ten minutes with a device that hundreds of other people have had their mitts on. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen someone wipe down an iPad after they use it. This can make for a pretty gross and stressful shopping experience.”

With YBUY, Svajian said, there’s no reason for brick and mortar showrooms to exist. “We can actually bring the showroom straight to your living room,” he said. “Our unique alternative, that comes to you brand new or completely sanitized, allows consumers to test it out for 30 days in the comfort of your own home. This can really help you get to know the item you would like to invest in, before fully committing to make the purchase. There’s no other experience like it out there on the market.”

YBUY offers both new and factory refurbished products certified by the manufacturer. All returned products are sanitized and refurbished before being sent to another customer.

According to Svajian, YBUYs quantities of Apple’s new iPad will be limited, beginning April 1. He encouraged customers to sign up as soon as possible so they can add their name to the waiting list. For more information, or to start your 30-day in-home trial of the latest electronics and home gadgets, visit www.ybuy.com.

Brick and mortar shopaholics have so few places to turn for an adrenaline rush these days thanks to the advent of online shopping, but Black Friday always promises to be a battle that tests even the most seasoned shopper’s will. Anxious consumers line up early outside their retailers of choice and prepare to push, shove, crawl and even trample their way to some of the deepest discounts of the year. It’s no holds barred and things are bound to get dirty, but those who plan to work off their Thanksgiving feasts by throwing elbows and sprinting from store to store had better get their game faces on and go in prepared. Following the break, we lay out all the top tech retailers in the country and link you to the tools you need to map out your plan of attack. Good luck, be safe, and Godspeed.

Best Buy Black Friday 2011 sale details

Doors open: 12:00 AM

BJ’s Wholesale Club Black Friday 2011 sale detail

Doors open: 7:00 AM

Costco Black Friday 2011 sale details

Doors open: 9:00 AM

GameStop Black Friday 2011 sale detail

Doors open: 12:00 AM

Kmart Black Friday 2011 sale detail

Doors open: 5:00 AM

RadioShack Black Friday 2011 sale details

Doors Open: 5:30 AM

Sam’s Club Black Friday 2011 sale details

Doors open: 5:00 AM

Staples Black Friday 2011 sale details

Doors open: 6:00 AM

Target Black Friday 2011 sale details

Doors open: 12:00 AM

Walmart Black Friday 2011 sale details

Doors open: 12:00 AM

Bonus

For those who would rather not fight through angry mobs of sale-hungry consumers, feel free to enjoy Amazon’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals from the comfort of your desk or couch.

Amazon Black Friday 2011 sale details

AmazonWireless Black Friday 2011 sale details

Doors open: Always

What are consumers planning to buy on Black Friday? Computers and tablets, according to data compiled by Mashwork, which gathered data from thousands of Twitter users. 18% of consumers discussed buying computers and tablets, 17% want to buy DVDs, music and video games, 16% are most interested in shoes, 14% will buy clothes, 12% want to buy a new television and 9% are planning to purchase a new cell phone or camera. The remaining 14% are planning to purchase items outside of those categories. The most talked about item among all of those categories is a pair of black Air Jordan Cement 3s, followed by the PlayStation 3, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console and Kinect accessory, Call of Duty: MW3 and the iPhone 4S. Read on for more information, including the full infographic.

Mashwork’s infographic also suggested that the iPad will be much more popular than the Amazon Kindle Fire on Black Friday, at least until people begin talking more about Amazon’s new tablet on Twitter. “For every 10 times the iPad 2 is talked about in relation to Black Friday, the Kindle Fire is mentioned just once,” Mashwork said.

In another sample taken from 100,333 tweets, 46% of shoppers said they are planning to buy goods for themselves on Black Friday. 36% are planning to buy for others and 18% are planning to purchase items for both themselves and others.

Walmart will be the busiest store, a survey of 2,158 tweets found. 21% of Black Friday shoppers plan to visit the national retail outlet, followed by Best Buy (20%), Target (13%), Macy’s (11%), Amazon.com (10%), Kmart (9%), Kohls (9%) and Nordstrom (7%). Gender does not appear to have a major role, either. In a sample size of 1,676 tweets, 53% of those planning to purchase goods on Black Friday are men while 47% are women.

You are not alone if you walk into brick and mortar stores to check out a product only to turn around and buy it online later. According to a new study from Retrevo, 66% of all shoppers and 78% of smartphone owners “look at a product in a store” and then purchase the product online from a different outlet. Consumer electronics stores are taking the biggest hit; 58% of smartphone owners decide to buy products first spotted in a store online. Retrevo suggests that is because consumers feel overwhelmed with the amount of products on display. 53% of the respondents who walked into a retail electronics store could not decide what to buy. 30% of those shoppers said it was because they did not have an adequate amount of information on the products they were searching for and sales staff were of no help. Smartphones could help save stores such as Best Buy, however. 42% of shoppers use their phones to check prices while in store, 25% use smartphones to find coupons and 29% read reviews and product specs on their phone. Retrevo suggests that a carefully crafted application that provides access to the aforementioned information could help consumers stay in stores instead of heading home and buying goods online.

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The advent of online shopping changed the retail industry forever, but many consumers are still not willing to shop for consumer electronics online despite potential cost savings. New data from market research firm The NPD Group shows that while nearly two-thirds of U.S. consumers use the Internet to research consumer electronics purchases, only about half go on to purchase electronics online. ”It’s not surprising to see that so many consumers won’t buy TVs, smartphones, and other popular CE products online, despite using the Internet to perform basic product research,” said NPD analyst Stephen Baker in a statement. “Computers and other IT products have a much longer history online with a wider variety of outlets, including direct sales from manufacturers, for consumers to choose from.” The firm found that computers and computer software where the most popular online purchases for consumers, with 34% of NPD’s 1,326-person study saying they would make such purchases online. Televisions were the least likely online electronics purchases, with only 19% of respondents saying they would buy a TV online. The NPD Group’s full press release follows below.

The NPD Group: Consumers Still Reluctant to Purchase Traditional Consumer Electronics Online

According to NPD’s new “E-commerce and Consumer Electronics: Online Shopping & Purchasing” report, 63 percent of consumers consult the web first when researching electronics but only half of all consumers end up making the purchase online

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y., September 15, 2011 — According to a new report from The NPD Group, a leading market research company, even as the incidence of Web-shopping increases, many U.S. consumers remain reluctant to purchase certain consumer electronics (CE) products online, even after using the Web to find out more about them. NPD’s “E-commerce and Consumer Electronics: Online Shopping & Purchasing” report reveals that televisions are the fourth most-likely item that consumers research online prior to purchasing (56 percent); however, it’s the least likely electronics product that consumers would actually purchase online (19 percent). Smartphones also showed a much higher level of research versus buying online: while 52 percent of consumers would seek out information about smartphones on the Web, just 23 percent could imagine themselves going online to purchase one. In contrast more people (66 percent) do both their research (66 percent) and expect to make an actual purchase (34 percent) online for PCs then for any other CE device.

“It’s not surprising to see that so many consumers won’t buy TVs, smartphones, and other popular CE products online, despite using the Internet to perform basic product research,” said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis for NPD. “Computers and other IT products have a much longer history online with a wider variety of outlets, including direct sales from manufacturers, for consumers to choose from.”

Top consumer electronics products consumers were “extremely” or “very likely” to purchase online, included the following:

• Computer software | 34%
• Computer | 34%
• eReader | 32%
• Digital Camera | 30%
• Computer accessories/peripherals | 30%
• Tablet computer | 29%
• Printer | 24%
• Smartphone/mobile phone | 23%
• Camcorder | 21%
• Blu-ray player | 21%
• Home audio | 20%
• Television | 19%

“Part of consumers’ unwillingness to purchase certain electronics online might be due to a lack of awareness, or as a result of the slow pace taken by many traditional CE companies establishing a direct-to-consumer buying presence on the Web, or it could be something inherent in the products themselves, such as price or complexity,” Baker said. “Whatever the cause, the result is a badly skewed online sales mix that relies heavily on a narrow range of products, and one that doesn’t adequately address some of the more exciting growth opportunities.”

According to Baker, “retailers continue to have an edge with consumers, when they can leverage their physical storefronts with a strong online presence.” In fact more than three quarters (76 percent) of all consumers say they have used a retailer’s website to research a potential purchase, compared to just 62 percent for manufacturer-direct shoppers and 65 percent for online-only shoppers. Reinforcing consumers comfort with a multi-channel approach to gathering information, NPD’s data shows that using retailers’ stores and websites are among the top five activities consumers do first, when they begin to consider purchasing consumer electronics.

Information in NPD’s “E-commerce and Consumer Electronics: Online Shopping & Purchasing” report is based on online surveys fielded in June 2011 to a representative sample of 1,326 panelists from NPD’s online panel. Results were balanced to represent the U.S. adult population.

A new study obtained by ABC News suggests that cell phones and other personal electronic devices might be causing electronic interference on airplanes. U.S. airlines all require that passengers power off any and all electronic devices, many claiming that “flight mode,” isn’t even allowed. Of course, if you’re like us, you may ignore those warnings and leave your phone on until the last possible second (or entirely with flight mode activated). The report, however, found that there were 75 different incidents between 2003 and 2009 where interference from personal electronics was possible. From ABC News:

Twenty-six of the incidents in the report affected the flight controls, including the autopilot, autothrust and landing gear. Seventeen affected navigation systems, while 15 affected communication systems. Thirteen of the incidents produced electronic warnings, including “engine indications.” The type of personal device most often suspected in the incidents were cell phones, linked to four out of ten.

During one flight, for example, autopilot disengaged at 4,500 feet. When pilots asked flight attendants to search the cabin for electronic devices, they discovered that one phone and three iPods were being used. After those devices were powered down, the flight continued without any incident. ABC News’ aviation expert, John Nance, isn’t convinced the electronics are to blame, however. “If an airplane is properly hardened, in terms of the sheathing of the electronics, there’s no way interference can occur,” he said. For reference, there are over 35,000 flights daily in the United States.

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Moments ago Amazon announced that its Trade-In program will now accept consumer electronics. That means anyone who wants to trade-in consumer electronics, along with other goods, can send a box to Amazon and receive an Amazon gift card in exchange. Amazon originally launched its trade-in program in 2009, and until now it only accepted games, text books, and movies. “We want to give customers the opportunity to get great value from their used electronics,” said Paul Ryder, vice president of electronics at Amazon. “Hundreds of thousands of customers have already received millions of dollars in gift cards from the other products in our program.  The Electronics category is a natural extension and we are delighted to offer our customers more trade-in options.” We gave the service a quick test and noticed that a 16GB black iPhone 4 on AT&T could bring in as much as $314.50. An original 30GB Microsoft Zune? Just $25. Hit the jump for the full release.

Amazon Trade-In Program Expands With Thousands of Electronics

Great Trade-In Values on Used Textbooks, Video Games, Movies and now Electronics

Ship For Free, All in One Box

SEATTLE, May 18, 2011 — Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) today announced the Electronics Trade-In Store, offering customers a new way to conveniently trade in used electronics for Amazon.com Gift Cards.  The Electronics Trade-In Store enhances Amazon’s existing Trade-In program, giving customers great value on everything from video games and DVDs to textbooks and now electronics, without visiting multiple stores.  Starting today, customers can trade in electronics, including tablets, cell phones, MP3 players, cameras, GPS devices and more.  With Amazon Trade-In, only one box is needed to ship multiple items and shipping is free.  Simply visit http://www.amazon.com/tradein and start searching for items to trade in.

“Technology is constantly evolving and newer, better versions of consumer electronics are introduced all the time,” says Paul Ryder, vice president of Electronics for Amazon.com.  “We want to give customers the opportunity to get great value from their used electronics.  Hundreds of thousands of customers have already received millions of dollars in gift cards from the other products in our program.  The Electronics category is a natural extension and we are delighted to offer our customers more trade-in options.”

Regardless of where electronics and other products may have been purchased, customers start by simply searching for items to trade in.  If the product is listed as eligible for trade-in, then customers can click the Trade-In button to add items to their trade-in shipment.  Amazon’s Trade-In program offers a variety of condition types including “Like New,” “Good” and “Acceptable,” giving customers an easy way to view multiple trade-in values.  Once customers have added all the items they would like to trade in to their trade-in shipment, they can print a pre-paid shipping label and ship everything for free.  After the product is received and inspected, an Amazon.com Gift Card will be deposited into the customer’s Amazon.com account, generally in less than 48 hours.  There are no claim codes or waiting for a check in the mail.  Amazon.com Gift Cards can be used on purchases towards millions of items on Amazon.com.

Amazon’s Trade-In program (http://www.amazon.com/tradein) offers great value on used products, and starting today, customers can now trade in used electronics.

Amazon.com Gift Cards are issued by ACI Gift Cards, Inc., a Washington company.

iPhone 4GS and iPhone 5 rumors are so played out. Might as well move on to the iPhone 6, right? Blog AppleInsider is reporting that Apple, Inc. has selected Sharp Electronics as the display supplier for its next, next smartphone — being called the iPhone 6. The information comes courtesy of Japanese newspaper Nikkan, who writes that the purported agreement will have Sharp producing p-Si LCD displays for the iPhone maker — not OLED as previous rumors have suggested. The benefits of p-Si LCD displays include higher aperture ratios, better durability, and fewer connecting pins — the screens are also said to be thinner and lighter than the current LCD screen employed by the iPhone 4. The report states that the new screens will be made at Sharp’s “Kameyama Plant No. 1.” No word on the size or pixel density of the new screens, but just give it time… it is iPhone rumor season after all.  

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You’re still stuffed from a supersized feast the day before but you manage to pry yourself out of bed hours ahead of sunrise. A quick shower does little to wash off the shame brought on by having ingested five slices of pumpkin pie, but at least it helps to wake you up. As you exit your home and click the unlock button on your car’s key fob, your mind strays as you think of a hundred different reasons to go back inside and get back in bed. But you can’t. Your local retailers are calling to you from afar. The urge to save is too strong.  There is no turning back… It’s Black Friday.

If you plan on going to war this Friday, you had better be armed — and that’s where your pals at BGR come in. In our Black Friday 2010 guide, we lay out your 10 best local deal wielders and give you links to all the ammo you need. This way, instead of flying blind, you can put together a strategy and score all the gadgets you can carry at the deepest discounts of the year. Good luck, be safe, and Godspeed.

BEST BUY Black Friday 2010 sale details

Doors open: 5:00 AM

BJ’s WHOLESALE CLUB Black Friday 2010 sale details

Doors open: 7:00 AM

COSTCO Black Friday 2010 sale details

Doors open: 9:00 AM

GAMESTOP Black Friday 2010 sale details

Doors open: 5:00 AM

KMART Black Friday 2010 sale details

Doors open: 5:00 AM

RADIOSHACK Black Friday 2010 sale details

Doors Open: 5:30 AM

SAM’S CLUB Black Friday 2010 sale details

Doors open: 5:00 AM

STAPLES Black Friday 2010 sale details

Doors open: 6:00 AM

TARGET Black Friday 2010 sale details

Doors open: 4:00 AM

WALMART Black Friday 2010 sale details

Doors open: 5:00 AM

Bonus

For those who would rather not fight through angry mobs of sale-hungry consumers, feel free to enjoy Amazon.com’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals from the comfort of your desk or couch.

AMAZON Black Friday 2010 sale details

Doors open: Always

The month of November was a sweet one for the Amazon Kindle as the e-book reader posted its best sales month ever. The Kindle is the best selling electronics product on Amazon right now and hits the top spot as the most gifted and most wished for device. Seriously. With the Barnes & Noble Nook missing in action and Sony’s lineup of e-book readers still lacking wireless connectivity, the Kindle is the only game in town for the casual consumer looking to get in on the e-book explosion. It also doesn’t hurt that Amazon brought the Kindle down to a more reasonable $259 price point and added in that much requested international wireless connectivity.  Somebody has to be buying all these Kindles, so ‘fess up, will there be a Kindle in your stocking this holiday season?

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Circuit City closed its doors earlier this year following a last ditch effort to stay afloat that just didn’t pan out. Some, such as the 35,000 or so people left without a job, were pretty sad to see the company go — there isn’t much competition these days as far as brick and mortar electronics mega retailers go. While Circuit City’s physical locations have all been retired at this point, their spirit lives on in the newly revived CircuitCity.com. Earlier this week, Systemax completed a deal to purchase various Circuit City assets and the company wasted no time in relaunching the website, which is now live and boasting lower prices, a wider selection, faster shipping and 24/7 customer service. Cool. Systemax also owns TigerDirect and CompUSA (which it acquired last year) so consumer electronics is clearly nothing new for the company. Anyone happy to see CC back in action, at least to some extent?

[Via Gizmodo]

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Recession? What recession? Best Buy posted its financial results for the fourth quarter of its fiscal year ending February 28th yesterday and all things considered, business looked pretty darn good. In the 12 months leading up to March 1st — the same period of time that saw Circuit City tank and wither away — Best Buy added 213 new locations (net). Crazy. Q4 revenue rang in at $14.7 billion, 10 percent above Q4 in the company’s prior fiscal year. The big sellers? Laptops and cellphones. Profits did decline 23 percent to $570 million however; partially a result of bad exchange rates and $144 million in restructuring and impairment charges. Perhaps the most interesting takeaway was Best Buy’s statement that while traffic in its stores dropped in Q4, customer spending increased. Less people are shopping but those who are spend more money — surprising considering the fact that consumer electronics costs are constantly being driven down.

[Via The New York Times]

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Black Friday is behind us now, thankfully, but that doesn’t mean the savings are going to stop any time soon. Electronics retail stores are hurting just like everyone else in today’s troubled times and as such, expect huge deals from the big boys in the weeks leading up to the holidays. Along those lines, Best Buy and Circuit City have both made their Cyber Monday deals available beginning today and it might be the perfect time to take a huge bite out of your holiday shopping. Special deals at both retailers can be found through COB tomorrow, although don’t be too upset if you can’t find the time to head down to your local store or even browse the sale sections online. There will be plenty more deals to come in December as retailers do everything in their power to get you to fork over some cash, even if it means watching their profit margins dwindle.

Read (Best Buy)
Read (Circuit City)