In the last couple of days, I have read at least two articles on Best Buy and its innovative use of technology. WSJ carried a piece on how they are using prediction markets to test and manage new product or service introductions. In one instance they even allowed their system integration partner to view the market information and make mid-course corrections. The second highlight was the use of discussion boards to get a feel for what its associates (115,000 in number) are concerned about. The second big announcement was the acquisition of Napster. With this they get into content distribution and may pose a competitive threat to Apple, Amazon and Netflix. Although I see marketing flyers on Best Buy, I never considered it as an innovative company. I plan to keep on it from now on.