Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart offers Palm Pre for $79

In the market for a Palm Pre? Wal-Mart Stores is offering the smartphone through Sprint for $79 with a two-year contract.

As noted in CNET's review, the Palm Pre features a vibrant display with multitouch functionality as well as a solid Web browser and good multimedia integration. The Pre offered good call quality and wireless options include 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS. Palm has developed a solid OS that not only rivals the competition but also sets a new standard in the way smartphones handle tasks and manage information.

The Palm Pre took home both the Best in Show … Read more

Wal-Mart recalls fiery DVD players

Exploding iPhones are so earlier this week, people. The new scary consumer electronics product that might explode and kill you and your family is the cheap Durabrand DVD player exclusive to Wal-Mart. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced a recall of the device, saying the players can overheat, posing a fire and burn hazard to consumers.

The players retail for less than $30, are made in China, and are full of shrapnel to flay flesh from bone. OK, that last bit was hyperbolic, but still, any Durabrand DVD player bought from Wal-Mart after 2006 can be returned … Read more

Coming soon at Wal-Mart: $348 Toshiba laptop

So this isn't quite a sub-$300 laptop, but it's close and is a decent deal for back-to-school.

Beginning Sunday, Wal-Mart Stores will offer a 17-inch Toshiba Satellite L355 for $348. The model is almost a year old, so the specs aren't fantastic--3GB of RAM, 250GB hard drive, Intel Celeron processor, and Windows Vista Basic--but for the price it's understandable. (Also, you'll have to wait. If you try to buy it now it will say "out of stock.")

Of course, not everyone is going to want a 17-inch laptop, but if you're … Read more

Wal-Mart to label products with eco ratings

Wal-Mart wants its suppliers to help it get greener.

The retail giant plans to announce on Thursday that it will ask its suppliers to provide environmental information on all products carried in its stores. Wal-Mart Stores will use that information to label each item with an eco rating, designed to measure its environmental friendliness.

"We have to change how we make and sell products," Michael T. Duke, Wal-Mart's president and chief executive, plans to tell about 1,500 suppliers and employees on Thursday at a "sustainability meeting," according to a copy of his prepared remarks, … Read more

Get a Magnavox Blu-ray player for $98

Update: Just came from the Wal-Mart store in Commerce Township, Mich. Not only was the Magnavox priced at $168, but the sales guys had never seen a Blu-ray player for $98. Could be this is a regional thing, or it could just be bad reporting (on my part and others'). Were you able to find this deal? In any case, my apologies if you went to Wal-Mart and came up empty.

The good news: You can finally buy a new, non-refurbished Blu-ray player for under $100--no rebates required.

The bad news: You have to go to Wal-Mart to get … Read more

Wal-Mart Father's Day HDTV 'deals'

Following the demise of Circuit City, Wal-Mart's been making a big push into the electronics market, and one of its PR folks let us in on a couple of upcoming "deals" on certain LCD TVs. The sale runs from June 14-20, or while supplies last.

Vizio VO420E 1080p 42-inch LCD ($697) Sony Bravia KDL-52S5100 1080p 52-inch LCD ($1,788) Sanyo DP37649 720p 37-inch LCD ($398)

We've seen lower prices on the Sony, but the Vizio and Sanyo look pretty close to rock-bottom. (Note: Just checked and Walmart is selling the Vizio VO420M) online for $697. The &… Read more

Analyst: Wal-Mart looking to sell Macs

Is Wal-Mart flirting with Apple? That's what one analyst believes is behind the retailer's newly beefed-up electronics section that's being rolled out over the next few weeks.

The world's largest retailer by revenue is doing a splashy makeover of its tech section, but there are many reasons behind the move: By building up its high-definition TV and Blu-ray home theater offerings, Wal-Mart is looking to pick up where the now-defunct Circuit City stores left off. There are also a couple of new smart phones debuting soon, including the much-anticipated Palm Pre, which Palm said Tuesday would … Read more

Wal-Mart hopes for a Blu-ray boom

Wal-Mart is trying to fill the space in consumers' shopping bags left empty by the disappearance of Circuit City. As part of that effort, the retail giant is stepping up its Blu-ray offering.

In the next few weeks, Wal-Mart will sell two Blu-ray players priced below $200, according to a post on the company's official CheckOutBlog.com. We know one will be a $198 Philips player, though the other sub-$200 player's brand name wasn't revealed.

Wal-Mart does offer one Magnavox Blu-ray player in its stores right now for $168. It should be noted that Funai manufactures … Read more

T-Mobile G2, T-Mobile G1 v2 details surface

While the Android 1.5 Cupcake update is on its way to T-Mobile G1 owners, the bigger question on some people's minds is when we're going to see a new Android device here in the United States. The HTC Magic, which was first introduced at GSMA 2009, has launched in several European countries, and Canada will get its Android devices in June, so how far behind could we be?

Well, according to the Boy Genius Report, July will be the hot month. BGR posted what it says is Wal-Mart's roadmap of upcoming mobile phones and under the … Read more