Google Chromecast Audio: Stream your favorite music with Google Chromecast Audio. Simply plug into your speaker's auxiliary input and connect to your Wi-Fi network. Then just tap the Cast button from your favorite apps on your phone, tablet or computer to cast songs, radio stations and podcasts to your speaker.
This user is a My Best Buy® Elite Member, who has spent $1,500 on eligible purchases and is now getting 1.10 points per dollar. They may have received My Best Buy® bonus points for submitting reviews.
I had been using two Chromecast Audio devices to connect my Spotify account to our family room and bedroom stereos. I was pleased with the setup and performance of that arrangement, so I began researching whole house solutions to stream music. Sonos was the obvious first choice, but I didn't really care for the sound of their lower priced speakers. Since I wanted music in five additional rooms (seven total), the Play 5 was beyond my budget.
Do to the idiosyncrasies of Bluetooth, I wanted a WiFi based solution to provide sound to the additional rooms. The Chromecast Audio device is easy to connect to your existing network with the Google Home app on either iOS or Android. There an audio jack on the device to allow you to connect the Chromecast to any powered speaker with an audio jack. Once connected, you can name each Chromecast then use the Google Home app to assign the Chromecasts to groups like "Whole house", "Upstairs", "Bedrooms", etc. Each Chromecast can be in several (or no) groups. Through Spotify, I just select playback to the group of my choosing and the music streams seamlesly to the rooms I've picked. I was able to find speakers that I liked as well or better than Sonos that are now connected as a whole house solution. Everything sounds/looks great and I was able save several hundred dollars in the process!
Only at Best BuySync or charge your Apple® iPod®, iPad® or iPhone® with this Dynex™ DX-MA5S 3' Lightning-to-USB cable, which features PVC jacket material to ensure durability.
This reviewer is a member of the Best Buy Tech Insider Network Program. This invitation-only program provides BestBuy.com reviewers with manufacturer-supplied products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased and usage-based reviews. Outside of receiving products to test and review, Best Buy Tech Insider Network Reviewers are not compensated in any other way.
This was on sale at just the right time! I needed to replace a knockoff cable that died. This one was priced under $2 when I bought it. You can't beat that for an MFi Certified cable and it works perfectly.
Only at Best BuyConnect your mobile devices with this Dynex™ DX-MC3G 3' micro USB-to-USB cable, which features male connectors compatible with most micro USB and USB ports. The PVC jacket material provides strength and durability.
This reviewer is a member of the Best Buy Tech Insider Network Program. This invitation-only program provides BestBuy.com reviewers with manufacturer-supplied products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased and usage-based reviews. Outside of receiving products to test and review, Best Buy Tech Insider Network Reviewers are not compensated in any other way.
Bought this to use in my car. Green color was the key factor influencing my purchase because I needed to differentiate this one from several other cables. With three phones and two tablets in use most of the time, it's easier to keep track of what cable goes with what device.
Simplify your everyday life with the Google Home, a voice-activated speaker powered by the Google Assistant. Use voice commands to enjoy music, get answers from Google and manage everyday tasks. Google Home is compatible with Android and iOS operating systems, and can control compatible smart devices such as Chromecast or Nest."
There is a lot to like about this device, but be aware of the shortfalls if you're considering a purchase. Google Home is obviously going to be compared to the Amazon Echo, Dot and Tap. While it does not have the audio quality of the Echo or Tap, it does sound better than the Dot. If you're looking for something to primarily listen to music, this is not the way to go.
On the other hand, it puts the power of Google search on your shelf or table if you want to shout out random questions. It really comes in handy when you need to get immediate answers without having to reach for your phone or sit down at a computer. The Amazon products cannot handle these requests very well at all.
Google Home has some catching up to do to compete with the Amazon products in terms of integration with third party hardware and software. I have confidence that Google will get there, but if that is important to you right now, an Amazon Echo, Dot or Tap might be better suited for your needs.
Safeguard your Apple iPhone 6 while on the go with this Griffin Technology Reveal GB39040 case that features 1-piece polycarbonate hard shell construction with rubber edges for rugged protection. The slim design defends against damage without added bulk.
This user is a My Best Buy® Elite Member, who has spent $1,500 on eligible purchases and is now getting 1.10 points per dollar. They may have received My Best Buy® bonus points for submitting reviews.
I like to use the lightest, thinnest cases available on my phones. I want some level of protection for the corners, but dislike adding much weight or thickness. I just happened to be browsing some clearance cases and this one looked perfect. It was thin, it seemed like it had adequate corner protection and had a clear back. Each of these features is important to me, so I decided to buy it even though my existing case was just fine.
Overall, the case did meet all of my most important criteria, but had one major flaw that keeps me from using it daily. The corners are not quite flexible enough to slip over the phone easily. I swap out SIM cards frequently because I carry two or three phones with me at all times. I always felt like I was going to break the phone and/or the case when i tried to put this case on or remove it. For this reason, I stopped using the case after two weeks.
Luckily, I purchased this on clearance at my local Best Buy store. Had I paid full price, I would have been very disappointed and likely would have returned it. That said, at the price I paid, it is worth keeping as a spare. If you're the type of person that places your case on the phone and rarely takes it off, this would be fine for you. For me, not so much...
Jawbone UP24 Wireless Activity Tracker Gain insight into your daily habits, and reach your personal goals with the sleek, comfortable Jawbone Up24. Now you can wirelessly sync your movements and sleep to the accompanying free UP app. You'll also get personalized suggestions for setting goals and improving how you feel day-to-day.
This user is a My Best Buy® Elite Member, who has spent $1,500 on eligible purchases and is now getting 1.10 points per dollar. They may have received My Best Buy® bonus points for submitting reviews.
The Up24 is the third fitness band/product that I've tried. The software for this unit is good, but moderately buggy. I frequently have to stop and restart the app to get it to update. The android version is a little more dependable than the ios version for me, so that's the one I use. The biggest benefit that I've gotten from the fitness bands I've owned is the subtle reminder to do something everyday. That, accompanied with the sleep tracking each day, have definitely helped to get me in better shape in just a few months.
If you're a fan of Bob Marley and especially if you're a multi-channel sound fan, this is the best way to hear these tunes. Hi-res surround sound is fantastic if you're in the right frame of mind. And I think you know what I mean... Just be sure that you have the right hookup to play this back properly.
Add a smart router to your connected home. With technology to prioritize which tasks get the most bandwidth, your entire household will be able to work and play online at the same time.
Over the past 15 years I have owned at least 10 different routers. Some of them have been great, most of them average and a few have been lousy. That said, this piece of garbage is hands down the worst router I have ever owned.
I had been using a perfectly good Buffalo router since November, but wanted to try out the new AC protocol. I also wanted a dual band router to help split the network load from the 13 or 14 devices in our home. I had a small credit at Best Buy and this was on sale, so I thought I'd give it try.
Now on to the review: There is absolutely no documentation or installation information in the box. Normally this wouldn't be an issue since 90% of the routers in known existence use 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 as the default IP login. Ha! Not this junk. You have to Google to find out that the default IP is 192.168.2.1. That ridiculous Belkin decision requires you to make the choice of changing the default IP on the router or changing the static IP addresses you have assigned to other devices on your network if you want your existing network to work. Normally, changing the default IP on the router would be the logical choice. Unfortunately, that is also a convoluted and requires a non-standard set of steps that only a Google search can solve.
After spending 45 minutes setting up something that normally takes 10, the thing was up and running. At first, it seemed to work OK on both bands. 2.4Ghz connections were a bit slower than what I had with the Buffalo router, but they were acceptable. The 5Ghz band was a little faster and we could finally take advantage of the AC capability of our phones, so that was great. The wireless range was inferior to the Buffalo and Asus routers I had used since June of last year. I had to buy a WiFi extender to get a decent signal to the rear of the house, and never needed one previously.
About three weeks after setup, the router began to drop connections and would require a reboot to reconnect. At first, I was not that bothered since it didn't happen every day and I have had other routers do this in the past.
Fast forward three more weeks and the router is now completely unusable. It drops connections almost hourly. Rebooting the thing that frequently is obviously a giant pain in the rear. Since I'm past the window to return it to Best Buy, I have been dealing with Belkin. They want me to send it back at my cost, which I am reluctant to do since I've subsequently found several online reviews of folks dealing with the same issue. They have complained that Belkin doesn't really fix the problem after multiple returns. I don't want to throw good money after bad, so it looks like I have a $67 paperweight. (plus a $30 WiFi extender)
My advice to you: STEER CLEAR of this stinky thing! There are many other options out there and as far as I can tell, ALL of them are better than this.
Roku 3: Access more than 1,500 channels in up to 1080p and view videos from Netflix and YouTube directly on your TV. Fast, powerful and loaded with features, the motion-sensing remote lets you play games or plug in headphones to watch late-night flicks without waking up the household.
We have been fans of the Roku streaming players ever since the first one was released. Although we own Blu-ray players, Chromecast sticks and an Apple TV with similar features, the Roku 3 is my favorite. The Roku has the widest variety of third party apps. Most smart TVs, networked Blu-ray players and set top boxes provide access to Netflix, Amazon Prime, Vudu, Hulu Plus and a few others. Apple TV only has about 30 channels, and Chromecast and Amazon Fire TV even less. By contrast, Roku has several hundred authorized channels. Admittedly, we only watch about 50 of those, but the selection is much broader (including p*rn if you know how to add UNauthorized channels)
One of my most used features of the Roku 3 is the ability to plug in headphones to the remote so you can watch TV at high volumes without disturbing others. Setup is quick and easy and the latest Roku interface is cleaner and faster than previous iterations.
A few caveats: You should have a fast internet connection to stream TV. This applies to Roku, Apple TV or any other networked product. You must have a credit card or PayPal account to set up Roku for the first time. If you don't have either, you're out of luck.
Based on hardware specs and features like voice search, Amazon Fire TV may provide formidable opposition in the future. Currently, the lack of programming on Amazon Fire is a big drawback, so as of this writing the Roku 3 is my choice for best streaming player. Thankfully, this heated competition will spur Roku, Apple and Amazon all to improve their products going forward. Consumers will be the ultimate beneficiaries of this scenario.
My Best Buy number: 0769844686
My Best Buy number: 0769844686
What's great about it: Size, Ease of setup, Features