05/04, 1:28pm
Discounts apply on store-to-store basis
(Updated with Walmart statement) The reported Walmart discounts on iPhones aren't in effect across the entire Walmart chain, reports observe. The Verge notes that it managed to find a Walmart in Austin with the same bargain, but four other US outlets had regular prices. 9to5Mac says it called 17 Walmarts around the US, none of which were offering discounts. Separate of these, though, one out of two Austin Walmarts was offering the deal, as well as one out of two stores in Edmond, though the Frontage Road location said the iPhone 4S was "$114 this morning, for a little while."
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05/03, 3:52pm
Retail outlets to see more space dedicated to Apple
Apple is likely to increase its footprint outside of its existing Apple Stores, according to analysts at Piper Jaffray. The iPhone and iPad maker is looking to expand on pilot projects that have seen Apple "store-within-a-store" (SWAS) popping up in select Walmart and Target stores. Taken nationally, such a move would tremendously expand Apple's retail reach, as the two big box retailers have significantly more rural distribution than does Apple.
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05/03, 10:56am
Wikipad Android tablet gets Gaikai's web gaming
Streaming game service Gaikai, which teamed up with Walmart last year on browser-based game demos, is back in the news. This time around, it has partnered with electronics manufacturer Wikipad to bring its games to an Android-based tablet. The tablet has grown to include a 10.1-inch screen rather than the 8.1-inch version when it was shown off at CES.
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04/30, 7:30pm
New prepaid plan, 4G hotspot due on May 1
Verizon Wireless has added new tiers to its phone and data prepaid offerings starting on May 1. A new $80 smartphone plan includes unlimited talk and text messaging while allotting 1GB of data use per month. At the same time, the carrier will ship the Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot MiFi 4510L with prepaid mobile packages.
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04/30, 6:20pm
Walmart to carry four U Prepaid phones
Regional wireless providers US Cellular and Alltel have teamed up with Walmart on an upcoming launch of a new no-contract service. Called U Prepaid, it will be available in nearly 500 Walmart stores in 18 states. The service will focus on offering simple and easy-to-understand service plans.
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04/19, 11:55pm
Vudu could go international in 2012
Vudu's streaming movie and TV service could leave the US for the first time, according to apparent leaks emerging later on Thursday. The strategy passed on to Variety from unnamed sources would have Vudu available in Mexico by June, followed by sweeping coverage in South America. Asia and Europe would be part of the expansion further into 2012, although it's unknown if Canada would join in.
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04/16, 4:20pm
May foreshadow future chain expansion
Walmart is beginning to deploy a new Apple store-within-in-a-store concept in its outlets, ifoAppleStore reports. One early example is an outlet in Lowell, Arkansas, which now has an Apple section with wooden tables that have products like iPads locked in display cases underneath. More conspicuous though are large, backlit, double-sided displays above the tables, something not normally seen in other retail chains' Apple sections.
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04/16, 7:50am
Roku media hub arrives with slight premium
Roku on Monday kicked off its Canadian launch. The country will get two higher-end models in the lineup, the Roku 2 XD and Roku 2 XS, both of which can handle 1080p video; the XS bundles in the Wii-like motion remote and includes both Ethernet and USB for wired access and local content. Canadians get much of the same content, including Netflix, Rdio music, and major sports like the MLB and NHL, although US-specific services like Hulu Plus are out of contention.
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04/10, 3:05pm
D-Link adds MovieNite media hub
D-Link threw itself into low-cost media hubs Tuesday with the MovieNite. Borrowing from the design cues of the Apple TV and Roku 2, the device at $60 is one of the least expensive capable of 1080p video. Its primary sources are Netflix, Vudu, and YouTube for video as well as Pandora for streaming music and Picasa for photos.
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03/23, 9:30am
AT&T, Verizon each double Apple figures
The number of Americans buying iPhones from Best Buy is just under the number buying them from Apple itself, according to a Consumer Intelligence Research Partners survey. The firm polled people in December, January, and February to learn where they picked up their devices. Retail stores accounted for 76 percent of iPhone sales, compared to 24 percent online. The ratios were 67 percent and 33 percent during the launch of the iPhone 4S in October.
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03/19, 4:20pm
eSport Clip has 1.8-inch screen, 5MP camera, more
Ematic has just shipped its latest portable media player, the eSport Clip. It has a capacity of 4GB and attaches onto user's belts or clothes thanks to an integrated clip. The screen is just 1.8 inches in size, and the player has a five-megapixel digital camera built-in as well that can take either photos or videos.
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03/15, 5:05pm
Will beat Apple launches by several hours
In an unexpected move, Walmart has announced that it will start selling iPads at 12:01AM on Friday. The retailer is promising only a "limited supply" of tablets; midnight launches are also being restricted to 24-hour locations. As with most retailers selling the new hardware, prices will start at $499 for a 16GB Wi-Fi model.
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03/14, 8:40am
Apple details new iPad launch beyond first batch
Apple in its customary pre-launch details both confirmed a launch time for the new iPad and outlined the next wave of countries after the initial March 16 date. True to recent leaks, the first 10 countries will start selling the new tablet at retail at 8AM through at least Apple stores. Best Buy, RadioShack, Sam's Club, Target, and Walmart will also have the iPad, although some of these are likely to open later.
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03/13, 3:35pm
Walmart kicks of UltraViolet service, now in beta
Walmart has officially announced its UltraViolet conversion service, letting users digitize their existing DVD and Blu-ray movies. Viewers will have the ability to bring a movie into one of the more than 3,500 participating stores in the US and have their movies added to a Vudu account, after which they can stream it at any time.
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03/12, 8:45pm
DVDs stamped to avoid multiple licenses
Walmart is reportedly set to formally announce its UltraViolet services sometime tomorrow, after the endeavor has been detailed by several recent leaks. The retailer is said to be allowing customers to bring in their existing DVD collections and pay between $2 and $4 per disc to gain access to corresponding digital copies.
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03/01, 11:30pm
Target and Walmart join pact on NFC payment
Target and Walmart have joined in the development of yet another mobile payment system, insides gave out on Thursday. The two were said by Wall Street Journal's contacts to now be part of a group with about 24 member store chains hoping to create a standard that, though not directly named, would use NFC. Consulting firm BetterBuyDesign's Steve Mott corroborated the plan by revealing its involvement in the project, with word that big chains as well as drugstores, fast food restaurants, and vending machine firms were involved.
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02/28, 2:50am
Customers will be able to access digital content
Walmart is reportedly preparing to launch in-store UltraViolet service, in an attempt to assist customers who want to take advantage of the digital licensing system. The company is said to be involved in discussions with UltraViolet partners to work out the final details.
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02/20, 6:50am
Barnes & Noble set to tackle Kindle Fire head-on
Barnes & Noble looks set to tackle the hot-selling Amazon Kindle Fire head-on by releasing a reduced storage capacity version of its Nook Color sequel, the Nook Tablet. According to the The Verge, it has received documentation purported to be from Walmart showing that it is set to release an 8GB model at 12:01 AM on Wednesday, February 22. Currently, the 16GB version of the Nook Tablet retails at $249, suggesting that Barnes & Noble aims to get close to, equal, or beat the pricing of the Kindle Fire at $199.
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02/13, 11:30am
NPD says Apple top US tech brand
Apple now represents about a fifth of all technology sales in the US, new NPD data showed Monday. By the end of 2011, 19 percent of revenue in the US was related to an Apple product. The company was now the top company selling technology in the US, topping HP, Samsung, Sony, and Dell even when the others could include their sales from all categories.
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01/18, 7:05am
Canadians hit by clay iPad scam
Canadians have been hit by up to 24 known cases of iPad 2s being sold substituted with clay at major retailers in Vancouver, including Future Shop, Best Buy, Walmart, and London Drugs. According to CTV News, customers were sold boxes that looked like new. However, while perfectly sealed, they were given weight by clay, where in at least one instance, a charger was also replaced with clay.
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01/17, 3:40pm
Walmart adds unlimited data to family plans
Walmart and T-Mobile have just added unlimited data to Walmart's Family Mobile plans. They already include unlimited talk and text, and retain the same monthly price points of $45 for the first line and $35 for additional lines. Previously, the family plans included just 250MB of shared web access.
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01/04, 2:55pm
Part of move toward improving internal Mobile Labs
Walmart has bought out Small Society, a mobile app developer currently based in Portland, Oregon, reports say. While mostly unknown to the public, the developer is responsible for a number of high-profile apps. A partial resume includes Amazon, Starbucks, Zipcar, Live Nation, Whole Foods, and the 2008 Obama election campaign.
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12/23, 11:30am
Foreign buyers report US-only credit accepted
Shoppers who are stuck for a very last-minute Christmas gift at a discount price can opt for Wal-Mart's ongoing offer of $50 in iTunes credit via a "virtual card" that is delivered via e-mail for just $40. Shoppers report the credit can be obtained after purchase in as little as 15 minutes, once users verify their e-mail address and use a special PIN number in the confirmation e-mail to redeem their purchase. The "eCard" can be sent as a gift to another e-mail address.
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12/22, 11:35pm
Apple helped by Black Friday, iTunes shopping
Early holiday shopping helped push Apple past some of the largest stores online for visitors, comScore said Thursday. Apple's website and iTunes combined got over 79.2 million unique visitors in November, large enough to push it past eBay (72.1 million) and even retail giant Walmart (58.5 million). Other major shopping sites it eclipsed included Best Buy (36.5 million) and Sears (31 million).
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12/22, 1:55pm
Sonos update stops Zune, Microsoft devices
Sonos has quietly put out an update for its Play and Bridge devices last week that unusually strips out features. The 3.6 update pulls support for copy-protected Windows Media files, leaving Zune Pass users and those still tied to mostly inactive PlaysForSure DRM stores without a way to stream their music to Sonos boxes. The company hasn't given an explanation for the switch but has been asked for a comment.
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11/28, 5:05pm
Limited time offer may be price matched
Certain local Target and Walmart stores have at least temporarily been selling the Amazon Kindle Fire for $123.38. Images have surfaced showing the Fire, as a limited time special in a Trumbull, Connecticut Target store for 35 percent off the normal selling price of $199. Photos of Walmart matching that price have also appeared on the web.
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11/28, 10:50am
Initial iPhone sellouts replenished on Saturday
New analyst data may back up claims that Apple did extremely well on Black Friday. Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore says his firm checked with over 200 locations, divided between about 100 Apple Stores and 100 AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, Best Buy, Walmart, and Target outlets. Roughly 75 percent of Apple Stores were sold out of the iPhone 4S by the end of Friday, although by Saturday that number had dropped to 30 percent.
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11/23, 7:30pm
Netflix wins summary ruling after Walmart settles
A federal judge in California has dismissed a class action suit against Netflix on Tuesday. The plaintiffs had sought up to $654 million in damages, claiming that movie rental and streaming giant had entered into an illegal "market allocation" agreement with Walmart. The judge summarily dismissed the case, which was filed in January, 2009, after finding that the plaintiffs hadn't shown any collusive agreement.
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11/20, 5:25pm
Nintendo Wii blue ready for Walmart
Walmart's flyer for its Black Friday sale [Flash needed] has revealed that it will have an extremely rare blue edition of the Nintendo Wii. The Limited Edition Blue Console bundle has what looks to be the cheaper Wii, minus GameCube support, in the same light blue as Nintendo had previously been using just for an add-on remote. Accordingly, the remote is color-matched to the console; the included Nunchuk controller hasn't been shown, but likely matches as well.
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11/17, 1:45pm
Vudu-To-Go downlaods open to Macs and PCs
Vudu broke out of its streaming-first mode on Thursday with Vudu-To-Go. The service now lets those who have bought a movie or a TV show download it to a Mac or Windows PC to watch without needing an Internet connection. The videos run through an Adobe AIR app that keeps the videos protected.
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11/09, 1:20pm
iPad title mainly layout upgrade
Walmart has updated its iPhone shopping app, and simultaneously introduced a separate iPad title. Both apps let users browse and order products, as well as get directions to nearby outlets. Other functions include checking local store stock, creating item lists, and browsing sales.
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11/08, 1:55pm
Virgin Group's Sir Branson invests in Square
Square, maker of the hardware and software required for vendors to take credit card payments, has recently landed Sir Richard Branson of Virgin Group fame as one of its investors. This is the third piece of positive news for the company, which recently received $100 million in funding from Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers. Branson's investment amount isn't being specified, however.
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10/26, 7:25am
Samsung Exhibit II 4G official for T-Mobile
T-Mobile USA on Wednesday became one of the first carriers to pick up the Galaxy W. Rebadged as the Exhibit II 4G, it targets mid-range users with a 3.7-inch LCD and a single-core, 1GHz Snapdragon chip. Most of its cost-savings come through three-megapixel back and front VGA (0.3-megapixel) cameras, although it supports 14.4Mbps data.
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10/09, 2:10pm
Zune HD clearing out from stores
Microsoft over the weekend provided a more definitive answer on the end of the Zune after repeatedconfusion as the Zune HD exited stock in earnest. Best Buy, the Microsoft Store, and Walmart all now show the MP3 player as out of stock. Microsoft had pulled the Zune HD from its Originals plan but, until now, still had supply in other stores.
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10/06, 2:00pm
Intellectual Ventures now takes Motorola to court
Intellectual Ventures swung back into its patent lawsuit campaign by targeting Motorola Mobility, with the company now filing a patent infringement complaint (PDF) in the US District Court of Delaware. According to the company's Chief Litigation Counsel Melissa Finocchio said Intellectual Ventures and Motorola Mobility weren't able to reach a licensing agreement after lengthy negotiations. It thus has a responsibility to its current customers and investors to defend its intellectual property rights, the company claimed.
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10/05, 7:35pm
Miramax wants to curb potential Apple power
Miramax chief Mike Lang explained to those at the MIPCOM media conference Wednesday night that his studio was trying to prevent Apple from repeating its effect in music on the movie industry. He saw the iTunes operator as having walked in on a digital music business with poor competition and taking a control that persists to this day. With so much influence, he said, labels couldn't set the agenda and showed what could happen if movie studios didn't act faster.
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10/03, 9:35am
T-Mobile tries to catch data crowd with 30 plan
T-Mobile started off the week by launching a new phone plan targeted at an audience much more focused on messaging than calls. A $30 prepaid plan will have just 100 minutes of voice but 'unlimited' data and unlimited text. It will support full HSPA+ speeds for the first 5GB and will cost 10 cents for every US minute over the included 100.
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09/28, 4:55pm
Best Buy to halve seasonal worker hiring spree
In a sign of a less busy holiday shopping season, Best Buy announced it will hire about half of the temporary workers it did in 2010 in the US. The exact numbers are 15,000 compared to 29,000 from 2010, according to a Tuesday report. It's not alone either, with a quarter of the retailers surveyed by the Hay Group stating they are hiring less seasonal workers.
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09/22, 10:15am
Cricket adds ZTE Score and hits big retailers
Cricket made a big push to get prominence as a US cell carrier Thursday by unveiling a new Android smartphone as part of a larger push. The ZTE Score fits in the current entry level with a 3.5-inch, 320x480 capacitive touchscreen, a 600MHz processor, and a 3.2-megapixel camera. It carries a partly customized Android 2.3 but claims Cricket's Muve Music as its real advantage, with unlimited song and ringtone downloads when using the $55 combined data, text, and voice smartphone plan.
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09/21, 2:00pm
Walmart setting up to carry UltraViolet media
Walmart is in negotiations to carry the UltraViolet cloud-video platform, CNET learned from sources. UV is a number of standards and specifications that will allow movies and TV shows to play on many devices. Customers would purchase a UV movie, for example, and have access to it from servers and view them on multiple UV-licensed devices.
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09/15, 3:40pm
Beats Microsoft, Walmart, other major corporations
Apple has leaped ahead in rank to become the second most valuable brand in the world, an interim 2011 Brand Finance study claims. Although the worth of a brand is difficult to quantify, Brand Finance's latest metrics put Apple up 33 percent to $39.3 billion. Leading the list is Google, which rose 9 percent to just under $48.3 billion.
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09/14, 11:55pm
Availability to extend beyond Walmart
Sharp appears to be expanding its launch plans for the FX Plus handset, a budget Android offering that takes inspiration from the company's Sidekick messaging phone. Walmart was the first retailer to sell the device, however it is now set to arrive at many of AT&T's other outlets.
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08/30, 4:35pm
New Canadian store opening Saturday
Apple ranks 34th in the US in terms of retail revenue, according to a Chain Store Age Magazine survey. During 2010 Apple managed $9.82 billion through its retail stream, allowing it to leapfrog out of 57th place. A separate analysis by RetailSails recently placed Apple first in the US in terms of sales per square foot.
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08/22, 5:45pm
Smartphone sold for $45 monthly prepaid plan
Walmart will be adding the Samsung Galaxy Precedent to its cellphone line up. Straight Talk, the retailer's prepaid wireless service, has begun pre-marketing the smartphone as a web exclusive on a special website. The company offers no details on the phone itself, but encourages viewers to sign up to receive emails with more information in the future.
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08/22, 5:15pm
Zune, PlayStation stores lose ground
iTunes movie sales have managed a turnaround in US marketshare, according to research firm IHS. During the first half of 2011, Apple's portion of electronic sellthrough and video-on-demand spending grew to 65.8 percent, versus 64.9 percent in the first half of 2010. In an equivalent gap between 2009 and 2010, Apple dropped by 11.9 percent. IHS remarks that Apple's last rise in share was during 2009.
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08/16, 10:40pm
HP may have sold 9pc of Touch Pads at Best Buy
HP may be having serious trouble selling the TouchPad at Best Buy. New leaks from internal HP reports claim that Best Buy has taken 270,000 of the webOS tablets so far but has sold only 25,000 so far, just 9.3 percent of its stock. The retail chain hasn't independently confirmed it, but corroborating AllThingsD sources claimed that the result was not only logical but might even be "charitable" as it omits refunds.
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08/11, 1:20pm
Walmart, Target, Best Buy drop 3DS price early
Nintendo's significant price drop of its 3DS console that's scheduled to go live tomorrow is being pre-empted by some retailers. This includes retail Walmart and Target stores in the US, though the web pages for the portable games console do not yet reflect the change. In Canada, Best Buy and Costco have already dropped the price to $170 from $250, which is a 30 percent price drop.
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08/10, 7:50am
Vudu goes web-based for iPad
Vudu on Wednesday began offering its streaming movie service on the iPad over the web. The strategy uses HTTP Live Streaming to push the movie while adapting the bitrate to match the connection. Video is limited to standard definition when seen on the iPad, but only due to "restrictions by content providers," Vudu said.
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08/09, 6:15pm
Walmart to shutter MP3 store by August 29
Walmart said Tuesday that it would close its MP3 store on August 29. The discount retailer said it had made a "business decision" to get out of MP3 downloads and would wind down in just under three weeks. No reason was given for the closure.
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08/02, 12:00pm
Sharp FX Plus for ATT tips up
Walmart has spoiled some of AT&T's plans by pre-announcing the Sharp FX Plus. The Android phone owes a clear debt to the Sidekick that Sharp once made and has the same concept of a slider where the display, not the body, slides out to reveal a QWERTY keyboard. Sharp keeps it simpler than the Sidekick 4G with a 3.2-inch display, a three-megapixel camera, and a mix of 512MB of internal storage with a bundled 2GB microSD card.
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