Kindle joins Nook and Kobo on Walmart store shelves

The tablet market is still a one-horse race, but e-readers continue to ramp, and Walmart wants another piece of that precious pie at big box retail. Starting this week, the online retailer will deliver shipments of Amazon’s mighty Kindle 3G and ad-supported Kindle to over 3,200 Walmart stores across the US, where it will join the Nook and Kobo e-readers in competing for shelf space. Could this be the beginning of another e-reader price war? Perhaps not yet, but it could be one more retail channel for Amazon’s ethereal tablet.

Kindle joins Nook and Kobo on Walmart store shelves originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 May 2011 02:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Walmart offers custom gaming PCs from iBuyPower, tube socks still only L or XL

iBuyPower <3 Walmart

How’s this for unexpected: you can now pop over to Walmart.com and build yourself a custom gaming rig from iBuyPower. Systems start at $599 (though they’re currently on sale for $578), come in a choice of five different cases and can be equipped with up to 8GB of RAM and a 2TB hard drive. Both Intel and AMD fans will find CPUs to make them happy, including Core i5 and i7 K-series chips, which have unlocked multipliers for all you thrift-happy overclockers out there. You can also choose from nine different AMD and NVIDIA graphics cards, all the way up to a 1.5GB GeForce GTX480. You won’t find seriously heavy-duty hardware like Extreme Edition processors or three-way SLI setups, but you can pick up a pair of $3 flipflops to wear while you lounge around playing Portal 2.

[Thanks, Mark]

Continue reading Walmart offers custom gaming PCs from iBuyPower, tube socks still only L or XL

Walmart offers custom gaming PCs from iBuyPower, tube socks still only L or XL originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 09:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Walmart to Sell Samsung Infuse 4G in May for $178.88?

The Samsung Infuse 4G has yet to make its way to market, but when it does, you might be able to find it at Walmart. Rumor has it that the retail giant has been sending around circulars indicating that the Infuse and its 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display will hit shelves sometime next month. The notices also mention that the device will be sold for $178.88, which would likely be bundled with a two-year AT&T contract. There hasn’t been any confirmation from Samsung, which unveiled the ultra-thin smartphone way back in January, but we’ll let you know as soon as we get word.

[Thanks, John]

Walmart to Sell Samsung Infuse 4G in May for $178.88? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Apr 2011 08:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Walmart to Shrink Size of Electronics Department

 

walmart.jpgWalmart is slowly shrinking the electronics department in stores across the nation. In the past few years, Walmart has expanded the electronic areas. But it now appears that the sales in gadgets have slumped causing Walmart to reorganize the stores. Walmart has stated that the focus will shift to outdoor and camping merchandise for now.

However, Walmart is maintaining that electronics are still a key part of the store, but made it clear that the sales of electronics have been disappointing for a while now. Most Walmart stores will set their electronics sections back to their original size, taking 2,000 square feet off the category in all stores.

Walmart did not release info on when the change will be made or how the company plays to compete with big-box electronic stores. Walmart has been working hard for years to beat Best Buy, but it now appears to be slowing down on that path.

Via Hot Hardware

Vudu starts streaming movies to the browser, but only in SD

Vudu’s movie service is already available on 300-odd set top boxes and HDTVs including the PS3 and Boxee Box, but now it can add your personal computer to the list since it will start streaming its entire catalog right on the company’s website. The Flash-based player will let customers watch movies they’ve rented or purchased like any other device, but due to licensing issues it’s limited to a maximum 480p resolution with stereo sound for now. That’s disappointing for a company that pioneered high quality 1080p streaming with its HDX format but it could help attract customers who find a rental packed in with one of their DVDs or Blu-ray discs from Walmart. There’s no word yet on plans for mobile devices, but general manager Edward Lichty confirmed to us it plans to make content accessible in “as many places as possible” so we’d expect to hear something on that front soon (but probably after the launch of premium VOD.) Until then, there’s a few more screens in the gallery and a press release after the break or you can just check out the 2.0 interface for yourself on Vudu.com once everything goes live.

Continue reading Vudu starts streaming movies to the browser, but only in SD

Vudu starts streaming movies to the browser, but only in SD originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Apr 2011 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BrandFinance declares Google the most valuable brand in the world

Well, it looks Eric Schmidt wasn’t far off when he said recently that Microsoft is bigger competition than Facebook for Google — at least when it comes to overall brand value, that is. According to BrandFinance’s latest annual ranking, Google has just barely edged out Microsoft for the title of most valuable brand in the world, with the pair of them pushing Walmart out from the number one spot last year. As for Facebook, it just entered the top 500 for the first time at number 285, while Apple jumped twelve spots to make its first appearance in the top ten at number eight — a shift that partly comes at the expense of usual suspect Coca Cola, which has dropped out of the top ten for the first time. The biggest loser? Nokia. It dropped all the way from number 21 last year to number 94 this year. Hit up the source link below for the complete list.

Continue reading BrandFinance declares Google the most valuable brand in the world

BrandFinance declares Google the most valuable brand in the world originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 04:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPad 2 launch day: everything you need to know

You know what tomorrow is right? Yep, Friday, but it’s also iPad 2 launch day! After months of rumors and a pretty impressive launch event, Apple’s releasing the second iteration of its popular tablet. Yes, it’s true, in a lot of ways the iPad 2 is a lot like the first iPad, so many of you should be old pros at this, but if you happen to be a first timer or you simply just need a refresher, we’ve broken down everything you need to know about getting your own “magical” tablet. We’ve also put together a short list of things to do with it as soon as you’ve gotten it out of the box. Hit the break for a full breakdown of everything you need to know and don’t forget to read our full review.

Continue reading iPad 2 launch day: everything you need to know

iPad 2 launch day: everything you need to know originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Mar 2011 18:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LetsTalk goes out in a blaze of glory, sells Atrix 4G and Laptop Dock bundle for $250 as AT&T partnership ends

We can totally picture how this went down: AT&T appears to have made it not worth LetsTalk’s time (or Wirefly’s time) to sell its phones anymore, which means they’re parting ways staring next month. LetsTalk — wishing to end its AT&T relationship in the most spectacular fashion imaginable — has elected to sell the Motorola Atrix 4G / Laptop Dock bundle for $250 on contract after rebates, essentially half of what you’ll pay through AT&T directly (LetsTalk runs Walmart’s wireless store portal, which we’ve linked). The fire sale might not fix some of the dock’s flaws… but it certainly makes them a little less painful.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

LetsTalk goes out in a blaze of glory, sells Atrix 4G and Laptop Dock bundle for $250 as AT&T partnership ends originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Feb 2011 16:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Redbox is planning a Netflix-like subscription streaming movie service, could partner with Amazon or Walmart

According to Company Town, Redbox prez Mitch Lowe informed analysts yesterday that its upcoming online movie service would be subscription-based like Netflix and Hulu Plus instead of charging per-movie like iTunes, Zune or Amazon VOD (we can guess why.) Users would pay the monthly fee to stream to various devices (perhaps to the new iPhone and Android apps) and access discs at the kiosks. Lowe mentioned Redbox would have a partner in the service and while previous rumors pointed to CinemaNow, the Seattle Times suggests Walmart / Vudu and Amazon — rumored to be launching a subscription service of its own this month — as possibilities. Meanwhile, in its existing disc based business, word is Disney has decided to raise the amount it charges Netflix and Redbox for each DVD to the full wholesale price, although they’ll still be available the same day the DVDs go on sale.

Redbox is planning a Netflix-like subscription streaming movie service, could partner with Amazon or Walmart originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Feb 2011 05:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Hollywood Reporter  |  sourceCompany Town (1), (2)  | Email this | Comments

Man Claims Walmart Sold Him a Fake iPad

LiePad

Ken Lamal walked in to his local Walmart and picked up an iPad he wanted to buy, paid for it, and when he unboxed it, inside he found not an iPad, but a display model – plastic that’s been painted to resemble an iPad for display purposes. When he returned to the Walmart to report the fact that he essentially got a display iPad in a box, Walmart told him they couldn’t refund his money, he should contact Apple, and that all returns are processed through them. 
The store says that all returns are processed by Apple and they’re not allowed to repack electronics, so the iPad must have shipped from Apple the way Lamal got it, and that the whole thing is Apple’s problem – not so indirectly implying that Lamal is the one who put the display iPad in the box and is now trying to get cash from the store for it.  
Lamal, for his part, bought himself a real iPad at his local Apple Store instead, and the rest is history. He plans to file suit, if only to finally get his money back. 
[via KPLC TV]