Best Buy offering free mobile hotspots with iPad purchase

Planning to pay Verizon an extra $130 for an iPad + MiFi 2200 bundle? Hold on a sec, because Best Buy's planning to give away hotspots free of charge when you purchase Apple's tablet. This advertisement, obtained by 9to5 Mac, does mention that you'll need to shackle yourself to a carrier for two years to qualify -- unlike Verizon's original arrangement -- but in exchange you get a free Verizon FiveSpot, AT&T MiFi, or perhaps most excitingly, a WiMax-capable Sprint Overdrive. Fine print in the lower-right hand corner suggests that the promo will begin immediately and run through January 2nd. What better way to spend your leftover Hanukkah gelt than on gigabytes of wireless data?

Sleep At Westin Hotels, Get Free New Balance Gea

Westin + New Balance.

New Balance and Westin Hotels & Resorts have teamed up to offer free shoes and gear. On the footwear side, Westin guests will begin by having access to the New Balance 759 neutral trainer shoe. Full details on the program in the official presser announcement below…

New Balance and Westin Hotels Join Forces to Help Travelers Stay Healthy and Fit on the Road

New Program Provides Guests with Complimentary Athletic Footwear, Apparel, Accessories, Equipment, In-Room Workouts and More

BOSTON and WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Dec. 14, 2010 — Two renowned global brands in the fitness and hospitality categories are joining forces to empower travelers to stay healthy and fit when away from home. New Balance and Westin Hotels & Resorts have forged an exclusive, worldwide partnership to help hotel guests overcome the hurdles of exercising on the road by providing New Balance footwear, apparel and fitness program content. The complimentary program recently launched at 10 Westin properties across the globe and will begin rolling out brand-wide in 2011.

No More Excuses – Pack Light and Still Stay Fit with Westin and New Balance

Guests of the 10 Westin pilot properties have access to New Balance shoes, apparel and accessories through a product loan program. During their stay, guests can borrow running shoes with brand new, disposable insoles for each use, as well as a variety of men’s and women’s apparel including shorts, shirts and socks for men and shorts, capri pants, shirts, sports bras and socks for women.

Westin guests will also benefit from travel-specific fitness content and added-value experiences provided by New Balance. New Balance Fitness Ambassador and Exercise TV celebrity trainer Holly Perkins will develop exclusive in-room fitness and equipment-free content that includes stretching and strengthening workouts, cardio and yoga. The program includes “Wellness in Travel” tips from Holly on nutrition and creative ways to combat jet lag and promote healthy living. In addition, New Balance is working with individual Westin properties to enhance its current three- and five-mile local area running maps. As part of the partnership, participating properties will provide guests traveling to a city for a major athletic event, such as a marathon, with wellness amenities, including turn-down gifts with “performance/fuel” goodies for the race and “good luck” wake-up calls.

“Keeping guests’ fitness goals in mind, we’ve partnered with New Balance to provide yet another option to help travelers stay well on-the-road,” said Nancy London, Vice President, Westin Hotels & Resorts. “Guests simply need to show up ready for a great workout. We provide the rest.”

“Convenient access to the proper athletic equipment and programming is vital to the traveler who wants to stay healthy and fit while they’re away from home,” said Hilary Keates, director of global marketing and brand management for New Balance. “New Balance is excited to partner with Westin to provide their health and fitness-minded guests with footwear, apparel, accessories and programming for an overall enhanced experience. As leaders in our respective categories with like-minded consumers, this alliance made perfect sense.”

The 10 participating pilot hotels include: The Westin Boston Waterfront; The Westin Michigan Avenue; The Westin San Francisco Airport; The Westin Maui; The Westin Santa Fe; The Westin Jersey City; The Westin Beijing Chaoyang; The Westin Tokyo; The Westin Valencia; and The Westin Grand Berlin. Additional details are also available on the co-branded website developed for this partnership at www.westin.com/newbalance.

The new fitness offering joins a host of wellness initiatives recently introduced by Westin Hotels & Resorts. In late 2009, the brand launched a sleep study and sleep hotline with the National Sleep Foundation aimed at helping travelers troubleshoot common sleep problems. In the fall of 2007, Westin partnered with SuperFoods Partners LLC to become the first hotel brand to create a SuperFoods-focused menu. In 2006, the brand introduced Breathe Westin and became the first in the industry to go smoke-free and offer guests a healthy, 100% smoke-free hotel experience.

This partnership is part of an ongoing effort by New Balance to forge innovative partnerships with active lifestyle and fashion brands that share a similar customer base, as evidenced by the company’s recent collaborations with Heidi Klum on a global active wear collection and with J.Crew on a domestically-manufactured footwear collection.

New Internship For College Kids...Drive a Bugatti

In college? Looking for a part-time internship? Volkswagen's got an opening. You'll have to file papers, pick up dry cleaning and... oh, right... schedule Bugatti's press fleet and drive $1.7 million Veyrons cross-country. You know — normal intern stuff.

Seriously. According to this position description on Volkswagen's recruitment site, the automaker's looking for a "Marketing Intern" in Herndon, Virginia for the Bugatti brand to "coordinate press activities," "schedule press cars" and provide "management of Bugatti's car plan and customer test drives." I mean, I knew they needed some help in Herndon, but this is ridiculous. Really ridiculous. Like, Bugatti Veyron Mouse on the Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien ridiculous.

Here's the job description:

Job Description:

Bugatti Marketing Intern - Herndon Virginia
Part-time Intern - 20 hours a week

*All candidates must be enrolled in a College or University

•Coordination of press activities in cooperation with Bugatti's public relations firm
oScheduling of press cars for events
oCommunication of planned activities to secure involvement of Bugatti dealers as necessary
oCoordination of press activities with Bugatti S.A.S. priorities

•Management of Bugatti car plan and customer test drives
oEnsure adequate coverage of press cars for dealer test drives
oSecure signatures as required for Vehicle Loan Agreement and Liability Waiver Form
oInvoice dealers for use of press cars
?Vehicle transportation
?Professional driver services
oIn coordination with Bugatti After Sales, ensure press vehicles are properly maintained and any damage repaired.

•Dealer communications as directed by the Bugatti Market Manager

•Event planning support
oDealer attendance
oGuest invitations in coordination with Bugatti S.A.S.

•Promotion of Bugatti after sales products, "Feel the Road" driving program, and merchandise to dealer organization to encourage dealer display and increased sales

•Monitor activities associated with the Bugatti order / delivery process to ensure all agreements and notifications are completed as required

•Provide daily support to Bugatti Market Manager as needed

•Periodic support for Bugatti After Sales personnel

•Organization of transport of customer cars to/from Westlake, CA as needed

Candidate must be currently enrolled in a college or university.

Skills:
Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications
Ability to learn new subjects, concepts, processes and computer applications easily.
General vehicle knowledge.

Required:
Fluency in English Language (Read/Write)
Proficiency in Word and Microsoft Office Applications
Extensive Excel knowledge including formulas, referencing, linking, etc.
Extensive PowerPoint capabilities, including the ability to create aesthetically pleasing and functional presentations.

Minor travel may be required.

We are proud to be an EEO employer M/F/D/V. We maintain a drug-free workplace and perform pre-employment substance abuse testing.

On the one hand, coolest internship ever. On the other, you'll have to ensure press vehicles are properly maintained and any damage is repaired. Have you seen how auto journalists treat press fleet cars?

But whatever. It still would be the best internship ever.

So, if any college-age Jalopnik readers in the Herndon, VA area apply for this internship and get it — and then direct all the press fleet drives to us— we will absolutely hire you after the internship. Deal?

Good. Hop to it.