3 Reasons Why to Buy at Best Buy Mobile

I buy most of my gear at Best Buy, because I like the staff there.

So when they reached out to see if I’d like to blog for them, it was an easy yes. I visited the Best Buy Mobile centre at their flagship store, and learned why it is I’ve always liked the people.

(L-R – Shaneel, mobile manager Sug, me. Find them at the Dundas Square location, they’re fun)

#1 – the staff does not work for commission

It’s a friendly, educated team who genuinely want to help. And many of them are mega-nerds too, or like Sug put it well, “we’re like their smart friend”.

So because there’s no commission involved, that’s how…

#2 –  Best Buy can sell phones for less 

Examples:

– iPhone 5s regularly – $229, Best Buy price – $179 ($60 less)
– Samsung Galaxy s4 – regularly $179, Best Buy price – $99 ($80 less)

Saved the big one for last…

#3 – they’ll transfer your contacts, for free

This is a big deal, it’s harder than you think.

Each phone manufacturer has their own way of doing things, files are proprietary: a Samsung address book won’t talk to an iPhone one.

So unless you use the cloud*, porting over your address book between devices is difficult.  I’ve spent a reasonable amount of critical thinking on this, which is why if there’s an opportunity I always ask “how?” Mostly I get back a stumped face.

Not this time.

Launched in August and called “The Genie“, move your contacts between any device.

My eyebrows went up, this makes Best Buy rare, 1/2 in the country maybe. And really, without your contacts,  it’s a paperweight, who are you going to text?

* haven’t yet decided if I trust the cloud, will blog why

(this post has been brought to you by Best Buy)

 

 

Got Sucked into the Traditional Media World

Which is still pretty different than the new media one… best way I can describe it: less time online and more IRL.

And cut-throat harsh big time. Yesterday 200 people got fired from my newspaper, you may have read about it in the news. That’s the 3rd round of mass-firings I’ve now made it through, helps that I’m a freelancer.

And also, turns out that being an auto journalist is all-consuming, more of a lifestyle than job, really. I’m full steam ahead into it, and last week it tipped over sorry; I caught it last tonight, that’s where this tweet came from.

Things from this week:


Latest OCD song is such a happy one – “Pay Day” by Classified.

Anything you read by me in the last 2 weeks, was probably written to this. It’s in my ears right now.

I’m writing blog posts, and next week’s column (about product planning). Last week’s column got 112 comments holy crap, highest ever.  There’s a lot of anger, haven’t yet decided how I’ll respond.

Last night I talked on the phone for FOUR hours. Four.

I probably talk on the phone more than most (here and here), but still, that’s a lot even for me.

Laughed for at least half of it, jacknifing neighbour-distrubing laughs, it’s like everyone I knew was mega-funny yesterday (for a visual, here’s an old video of me laughing really hard).

Jogging pants are addictive eh.

It’s PR company Chrismtas party week, have another one tonight, after the Canadian launch of the new Audi A3.

You into these EOS lip balms yet?  The application method is what makes them amazing.

kk I have to get back to deadlines, TTYL

 

 

Saturday Night Big City Girl

Hi hi from home. I’m being quiet, blogging, listening to a radio feed coming out of a dance club in Woodbridge.

Whirlwind week woah #w

That’s it guys, 2013 is OVER. More detail on why here, but basically: everyone mentally checked out this weekend, the next 2 weeks are spent tidying yearly loose ends and Christmas parties, then blink it’s New Year’s, then here we go again.

Wanted to make it a good-end week, and it was: my KOD column mini-series on speeding tickets went over well; sold a big blog post; not to jinx it, but this editing help is going ok; confirmed, my new upscale jogging pants can be worn anywhere; my inbox is zeroed; and congratulations to a good ending for OOK Incorporated.

Closed my laptop lid last night at 9, been quiet ever since. Phone is on silent face down, lots of time in my couch nest, did a ton of Life Admin, and daydreamed the day away.

Imagination time is so important,
that’s where this all comes from.

Looked forward to making this all week – a real-life collage.

Ahhh making collages is so soothing, as I’ve said.  This is for a security post.

Painted my nails.

Tried something I saw online – first, cover your fingertips in glue -> paint your nails -> peel away the mistakes -> reveal a crisp manicure tada.

Nope, finicky and way too time consuming. Back to the old system – paint nails -> Brillo pad off mistakes > add clear coat.

Hey remember that video, about painting my nails, “Dropped & Caught my Nail Polish“?

Probably not, because my point is, that video surprised me how poorly it went over. Here, I’ll re-embed it.

Come ON.

Yes my otherworldly reflexes, but mostly, that this moment was caught on camera.

Filmed a Michelin tire drive event on Wednesday – race up to a plastic pad covered in ice, and fly around, nice.

Even found time this week to crush it at the casino.

Still have a video in my mind:

“How video poker strategy, is similar to a strategy that’s used to win at life”

Worked on my dance skills.  I actually quite love to dance. I invented a style years ago, been refining since.

Bottom left not bad symmetry, top right needs to be tighter, and bottom right oh, where has my back arch gone.

Imagine if one time, at a party…

Shuffle quietly across the floor, sneak a nod to the DJ, he mixes in a 20-second beats boom beats, out comes a whirlwind routine that includes flips aaaaand end POSE hold 1,2, melt away.

Me this week.

mmm may be wearing that fleece too much.  Blogging makes you notice things.

Next week ToDo’s includes booking cars into the new year, and finalizing my 3rd Annual Christmas Extravaganza. I figured out my exact plan on Tuesday, hard part is done, now to put it into action. Next week’s column is about data mining with Google, about how we shop for cars online. Oh and have to do my taxes, they’re due soon friendly reminder.

kk that’s it, TTY Monday, have a great rest-of-weekend.

 

 

A Sticky Note System, Always & Forever

The system is:

epiphany –> scribble a sticky –> post on wall –> analyze epiphany –> make conclusion –> remove

Also, to-do lists.

I wish I’d kept more over the years, stuck them in a notebook with dates, documented better.

Show you a sticky, then a few months later tada, the sticky became tangible.

These stickies are also where I write my one-line-inventions, and I’m mostly doing this post, to claim ownership to all you see above, all this gold.

It’s gonna be great.