Announcement

 Love to take a Polaroid picture? Or love when Taylor Swift posts an Instagram photo of a Polaroid with her model friends? I know, the later sounded too Meta. Fujifilm Instax has brought the immediacy and fun of instant photography back with a line of cameras that can instantly print your favourite moment. The company has taken it to the next level with the Canada launch of the Fujifilm Instax Share SP-2 Printer on Thursday, July 14, in Toronto. I had the opportunity to check out this new gadget … and I want one; here’s why: 

 The original Dropcam (later branded as the Nest Cam) was one of the crucial pillars of growing IP Camera technology in the world of Home Automation. With its wide angle filming, cloud storage capabilities and communication and alerting abilities, it was one of the class leading standards for which all competing IP Cameras would have to meet. Now Nest is back with those same philosophies in a waterproof outdoor camera, coming soon to Best Buy. Read on to find out more.

 Two new TVs just out are widening the options for smart TV shoppers. Toshiba has just launched two new smart sets that use the Google Cast TV platform.

 This August, Xbox One is about to become 4K Ultra HD-ready with the release of the sleeker, slimmer, Xbox One S 2TB console. Announced by Xbox head Phil Spencer at E3 2016, the Xbox One S is ready to deliver the latest games and entertainment with richer and more luminous colours on your 4K TV.

 Microsoft Office has been around longer than most of its users and it keeps getting better.  In fact you may be surprised at how many different applications are included. Stream the live Facebook event with experts from Microsoft and Best Buy so you can learn about how many different things you can now do with Office 365. Ask questions during the event and you may win a fantastic prize, including a new Surface Pro 4 computer.

 Cooking is fun, especially when you have the right tools. KitchenAid has been making the right tools for decades and their newest mixer will bring years of enjoyment in the kitchen to anyone who uses it. The Artisan Mini Mixer is 25% lighter and 20% smaller than their flagship mixer, so it is perfect for any chef with a smaller kitchen. What recipe would you love to make in the KitchenAid Artisan Mini Mixer? Tell us and you just might win one from Best Buy and KitchenAid. 

 Following a supercharged E3 Expo, and a spring season filled to the brim with blockbuster games, July is comparably quieter month for video games. As such, I’ll be devoting some time to catching up on recently released games, but I also plan on checking out a few new games too. Games high on my radar this month include Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII, Monster Hunter Generations, Batman: Return to Arkham, and a few more!

 In celebration of the upcoming release of LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens, WB Games hosted an exclusive Canadian media launch event inside the Rogers Centre’s upscale TD Comfort Clubhouse. At the event, not only did I get a chance to try the game early, but also the opportunity to meet Toronto Blue Jays’ starting pitcher R.A. Dickey!

E3 2016 is officially in the books, wrapping up my second year in a row providing highlights on Best Buy’s Plug-In blog, and fifth time overall attending the greatest gaming show on Earth. Now that I have a moment to reflect on the show, I’d thought I’d take this opportunity to tell you all my best highlights of the show!

 My last booth visit at this year’s E3 was Konami to check out the latest version of this popular soccer franchise, Pro Evolution Soccer 2017. The folks at Konami were kind enough to invite us into their private room so that we can play as we please. Melanie and I spent our time learning about the refined controls and updated to get an idea of what this game will offer when it releases later this year for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC.