Best Buy just spent $800 million on GreatCall, the company that made the JitterBug phone

Best Buy UK store

Best Buy announced late yesterday that it has acquired GreatCall,the company behind the JitterBug phone for seniors, for $800 million. The company currently focuses primarily on its emergency response service that has over 900,000 paying subscribers. The service is accessible through a range of connected devices and wearables, like the Jitterbug, which include a button that's preprogrammed to dial GreatCall's emergency assistance hotline.

In its release, Best Buy notes that the acquisition is a "manifestation of the Best Buy 2020 strategy to enrich lives through technology by addressing key human needs." In plain speak, it seems the deal builds on Best Buy's continued efforts to sell services as opposed to just...

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