Comcast claims about the cost of its wireless offerings versus those of Verizon Wireless aren’t wrong but should contain more information, the Better Business Bureau's National Advertising Division said. Verizon had challenged the ads. “NAD determined that Comcast’s choice to compare its plan to Verizon’s cheapest 5G plans that offer Ultra Wideband -- the same speeds offered by Xfinity -- when properly disclosed is appropriate because they are the cheapest plans from Verizon with speeds most equivalent to Xfinity Mobile,” said a Thursday decision. “Comcast’s comparative savings claim would not be misleading if the basis of comparison and material limitations are clearly and conspicuously disclosed.”
Commemorating this week's first Thursday Night Football game to be streamed exclusively on Prime Video, Amazon on Tuesday announced offers for discounted NFL-licensed products and experiences. Deals for NFL gear will be offered to Prime members throughout the season at up to 25% discounts, and Amazon is selling Echo Studio devices and bundles at up to a quarter off, it said. Ex-San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice and other celebrities will appear in an interactive viewing experience from Los Angeles with more than 250 Prime members who added Thursday Night Football to their Prime Video Watchlist, Amazon said. Attendees will experience the game through LED screens enabled with interactive features, X-Ray and Next Gen Stats powered by Amazon Web Services, plus sound effects from big game moments, amplified by DJs, the company said. In addition, more than 150 Prime members who added TNF to their Prime Video Watchlist for a specific game received a package of experiences for the cities where 15 TNF games are being hosted, including a hotel room, plus a personal video from a hometown player ahead of the game. The guests will get to stand on the field during pregame warmups, sit in a Prime-branded section and receive a personalized football as a memento. Amazon also tied in Alexa voice control, saying Prime members with Fire TVs can tune in the game by saying, “Alexa, play Thursday Night Football.”
Digi-Key Electronics began accepting submissions Monday for its annual Back2School Prize Draw sweepstakes, giving college engineering students the chance to win tools to further their educational careers, said the distributor. There will be 11 prize giveaways in total, and winners will be randomly selected, said Digi-Key. One grand prize winner will receive a LulzBot Mini 3D printer, it said. The contest is open to any student with a university or college email address, and entries may be made in students' local language, it said. Submissions close Oct. 28, and winners will be announced shortly afterward, it said.
The Discover Samsung sales event, running Monday through Sept. 18, will be accessible for the first time via social media platform Discord, the electronics maker said Thursday. Since its Samsung 837X launch in the Decentraland virtual marketplace earlier this year, Samsung has been able to connect with users in a new way that “encourages boundary breaking creativity and self-expression,” the company said. In a Discord exclusive, Samsung is giving users a way to earn non-fungible tokens in a gamified hunt for clues, it said. Participants need to answer three questions based on clues in Samsung’s U.S. Discord; answers will be scattered throughout Samsung.com and Discord. While on Samsung.com, users can make customized wish lists, it said. When the game is complete, users can submit their MetaMask wallet address on Discord for a chance to earn an NFT worth up to $500. The game will run from Monday at 10 a.m. to Wednesday at 5 p.m., with 30 winners and $10,000 in prizes, the company said. Samsung will airdrop the NFTs, which have a random value of $0-$500, Sept. 15, with winners then able to redeem NFTs for an e-certificate to shop the Discover Samsung event. Users have to open a Discord ticket and trade in their winning NFT to redeem the certificate.
Hisense is bringing back its No Regrets Guarantee, which debuted last year, allowing consumers to experience a Hisense Google TV 65 inches and larger for a 100-day trial, then nab a $100 Visa gift card at the end of the trial period if they keep the TV. The company wants to “eliminate any hesitancy in choosing a Hisense product” while rewarding customers who choose the brand, said David Gold, Hisense USA president. The offer is good through Oct. 31 and applies to the company's ULED U Series and 4K A Series TVs ranging $420-$1,799. Customers have to register the product; those who don’t want to keep the TV can return it within 100 days for a full refund, it said.
Samsung smart TV owners can get a free three-month subscription to Apple TV+ in a promotion running through Nov. 28, said the TV maker Thursday. To redeem the offer, customers with 2018-2022 Samsung smart TVs open the Apple TV+ app on their TV's home screen and follow instructions, it said. The offer is available to new Apple TV+ customers only.
Roku is running a promotion on select hardware through Saturday, it emailed customers Sunday. Urging customers to “upgrade your streaming and audio with one smart device,” Roku pitched the Streambar sound bar for $99, down from $129; its Roku Express 4K+ voice remote is $29, down from $39, during the promo period, it said. The fine print noted that channel preset buttons, a revenue-generator for the company, “vary.” Those in the photo showed preset buttons for Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+ and hulu.
AT&T is offering the family members of FirstNet subscribers up to 25% savings on eligible unlimited wireless plans, all on a single account. AT&T said FirstNet has 3.7 million subscribers in more than 21,800 agencies and organizations. “For those who dedicate their lives to serving their communities, many only see the badge, the firehose, or the stethoscope; but first responders are also moms and dads, husbands and wives, daughters and sons,” the carrier said Monday.
Qualcomm signed a multiyear agreement making it the “official global partner” of Manchester United, they said Thursday. The “global strategic collaboration” will enable Qualcomm to promote the Snapdragon brand for smartphones, PCs, gaming devices, connected cars and smart wearables, they said. Qualcomm also will advise the U.K. team on planned improvements to mobile connectivity at Old Trafford, its home stadium.
New and existing LG smart TV owners can get three free months of Google’s Stadia Pro subscription cloud gaming service during a promotion Aug. 10-Jan. 31, LG said Thursday. LG TV owners claiming the free, limited-time promotion have access to over 50 games, plus more than 250 games available for purchase. The offer applies to LG TVs with webOS 5.0 or higher, the company said, positioning its TVs with Stadia Pro as an alternative to a console game experience.