Costco
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Uber can deliver your Costco groceries (if you live in Texas)
Uber is launching a pilot that will deliver Costco groceries from locations across Texas — the company's first pilot with US food wholesaler.
Instacart is expanding Costco pharmacy deliveries nationwide
Instacart is now delivering medication from almost 200 Costco locations in seven states and Washington DC.
Costco and Instacart are testing one-hour prescription deliveries
People on the west coast who need medication quickly might be able to get their medication delivered in as little as 60 minutes. Costco and Instacart are testing prescription deliveries in Washington and California.
Costco now accepts Apple Pay across the US
Next time you drop by Costco for some groceries or a (non-Polish) hotdog, you'll be able to check out using your iPhone or your Apple Watch. The membership-only wholesale retailer is done installing contactless payment terminals in the US, and in a statement sent to MacRumors, the company said all its 750 warehouses across the country can now accept Apple Pay, as well as Google Pay and Samsung Pay. An Apple representative has also confirmed to Engadget that you can now check out at Costco stores using Cupertino's mobile payment service.
Google plans to boost Amazon competitors in search shopping ads (updated)
Google may be assembling a supergroup of big retail brands to go to war with Amazon over the future of online shopping. Reuters is reporting that the search engine is teaming up with Target, Walmart, Home Depot, Costco and Ulta for the new project. These companies, and any other willing participants, can index their catalogs on Google, which will show up when someone starts searching for stuff to buy. Naturally, rather than receiving an ad fee, Google simply gets a cut of the sales that are subsequently generated. This program is an extension of the existing Google Shopping ads that show up when you search for a product -- they're separate from the organic search listings, instead showing up in a dedicated shopping sidebar.
Google Express delivery expands along the East Coast
East coast residents now have a new way to shop online. Google announced on Wednesday that it is expanding its Google Express online delivery service to a dozen states throughout the Northeast. Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont are all now within Google Express' delivery range.
Google will test fresh food deliveries in two US cities this year
Google's Express delivery service has already been delivering food for a while, but it's about to expand those efforts in a big, big way. The internet giant tells Bloomberg that it will start testing deliveries of fresh food and groceries in both San Francisco and another, unnamed US city sometime later this year. Yes, you may well get fruits and veggies (technically sourced from places like Costco and Whole Foods) through your web search provider. This isn't just a kindness, though. Fresh food is potentially cheaper, since Google won't have to deal with refrigeration and other logistics involved with frozen goods. Also, this gives it a better shot at competing with Amazon Fresh -- it can offer both lower delivery rates and more of the produce you want.
Costco is now selling iPads and iPhones, with a patchy selection
Costco has a rough history with Apple products; the big-box chain sold Apple goods for a while, but pulled them in a huff after it was denied a chance to sell the original iPad. Time must have healed those wounds, then, since the retailer is now selling iPads and iPhones. There are some solid bargains, depending on what you're looking for. The iPhone 5s for AT&T, Sprint and Verizon is selling for $78 on contract, a full $120 lower than the regular sticker; you can also lop $100 off the price of Verizon-ready editions of the iPad Air (now $520) and iPad mini with Retina display ($420).
Amazon tipped to launch online wholesale store called Pantry in 2014
While Amazon has no shortage of rivals, it's now reportedly gearing up to take on big players in the warehouse store business, like Costco. According to USA Today's anonymous sources, Amazon is prepping the launch of an online service called Pantry that'll initially carry around 2,000 common grocery items to be sold at low cost. As long as you're an Amazon Prime member, you'll be able to fill a box up with Pantry goods that the retailer will ship for a nominal fee, assuming you're within the weight limit. Amazon hasn't commented on the report, so while there's no firm word on when you can start shopping in your bathrobe for month-long supplies of canned goods, sources say it'll be sometime in 2014. [Image credit: Mike Seyfang/Flickr]
gdgt's best deals for September 11: Samsung Galaxy S 4, Belkin Surge Protector
Ready to save some cash on your tech buys? Then you've come to the right place. Our sister site gdgt tracks price drops on thousands of products every day, and twice a week they feature some of the best deals they've found right here. But act fast! Many of these are limited-time offers, and won't last long. Today's hottest deals are the highly-praised Samsung Galaxy S 4 at the lowest price we've seen, as well as a Belkin Surge Protector available for a song. Join gdgt and add the gadgets you're shopping for to your "Want" list. Every time there's a price cut, you'll get an email alert!
Dollar Store Accessories: Screen cleaning wipes
Next up on our tour of dollar store iOS tech accessories are screen-cleaning wipes. Wipes play an important role with touch-based screens, even in the age of oleophobic (oil-repelling) displays. At US$0.05 per wipe, this box of 20 screen wipes compares favorably in price to those large boxes you might have seen at stores like Costco or Sam's Club. Unlike those vendors, however, the dollar store version does not include individual packaging. The ones I tested used a "baby wipe" model, where you reseal the package after extracting each wipe. Sadly, this means the last few wipes ended up rather dried out. In terms of screen cleaning, the moist wipes did a fine job. I tested them across phones and tablets, and they managed to cut the grime, remove sneezles and otherwise bring the unit back to a cleaner state. The wipes were branded as "anti static" (i.e., not attracting dust), but I honestly had no idea how to test that feature. Although the wipes smelled a bit during use, that odor didn't linger on the iOS devices. For a dollar, it was nice to have a packet of wipes on hand as I traveled. The last few wipes were a bit of a write-off, but I got enough use out of my packet to make it feel like I hadn't wasted my money. All in all, TUAW gives the dollar store version of screen-cleaning wipes a mild "good value" score.
gdgt's best deals for July 17: HP Envy TouchSmart, Logitech Bluetooth Illuminated Keyboard
Ready to save some cash on your tech buys? Then you've come to the right place. Our sister site gdgt tracks price drops on thousands of products every day, and twice a week they feature some of the best deals they've found right here. But act fast! Many of these are limited-time offers, and won't last long. Today's hottest deals include a a sweet Costco deal on an HP touchscreen laptop, as well as a glowing offer for a Logitech Bluetooth Illuminated Keyboard. Want the latest deals delivered to your inbox? Join gdgt and add the gadgets you're shopping for to your "Want" list. Every time there's a price cut, you'll get an email alert!
gdgt's best deals for July 15: Samsung 24-inch 1080p HDTV, ASUS Nexus 7
Ready to save some cash on your tech buys? Then you've come to the right place. Our sister site gdgt tracks price drops on thousands of products every day, and twice a week they feature some of the best deals they've found right here. But act fast! Many of these are limited-time offers, and won't last long. Today's hottest deals include a dirt-cheap, dorm-ready 24-inch Samsung HDTV and a low price on an ASUS Nexus 7. It's also worth noting that the Kindle Fire HD, which we've featured before, has hit a new low at $159.99 at Best Buy, where it's available for in-store purchase only. Want the latest deals delivered to your inbox? Join gdgt and add the gadgets you're shopping for to your "Want" list. Every time there's a price cut, you'll get an email alert!
Costco UK selling full-size F1 simulator for just £90,000
Costco UK is selling an FMCG International F1 racing simulator for £89,999.89 (including delivery and installation!), or $138,338.83, which is still significantly cheaper than owning an actual Formula 1 car. We also assume it's probably a tiny bit safer and easier to maintain, but that's just a hunch. The body is available in "your own choice of colour" and is made out of various combinations of composite materials, alloys and carbon fiber, with real wheels, tyres, chromed-out exhaust tips and everything. There's no engine or transmission, obviously, but it does come with one of those totally awesome detachable steering wheels. The gaming portion of the rig is powered by an Intel Core i7, an SSD of unknown capacity, 16 gigs of RAM and a non-specified graphics card outputting to three 23-inch adjustable TFT monitors. Meanwhile, sweet jams are pumped through a 5.1 audio system into both the car's body and your body, since the subwoofer is located directly behind the driver's seat.
Wii U $50 off at Costco
If you've already spent the money for a Costco membership, you can save on a Wii U right now, and you don't even have to buy them by the pallet. The bulk retailer is selling the Deluxe system right now for $299.97, and the Basic system for $244.97, a savings of about $50 off MSRP.With no official price drop incoming, this is likely to be the best deal on the system for a while – and your best chance to get a Wii U and literally all the frozen pizza your body can physically carry at the same time.
Behringer iNuke Boom Junior shrinks a giant iOS dock, won't trigger as many earthquake warnings
As enraptured as we might be with Behringer's monolithic iNuke Boom, the 8-foot-long frame and 10,000W output don't really lend themselves to a home installation. Not unless we want to produce false positives on the USGS' earthquake meters, anyway. We're happy to say the company has addressed that domestic oversight with the iNuke Boom Junior. The iOS- and iPod-capable speaker dock won't launch nearly as large-scale an audio assault at 50W, but it's also less than a twentieth of the size of its parent; no one will need a forklift to get Junior into the living room. In spite of the less than ego-inflating dimensions, the smaller system appears balanced with discrete woofer, tweeter and mid-range components as well as separate bass control. We just wish it was slightly more futureproof. As glad as we are that the iNuke Boom Junior's $180 price at Costco spares us from raiding our retirement funds, the speaker is still using a pre-Lightning dock connector and lacks any wireless audio -- iPhone 5 owners will have to turn to an adapter or the aux-in jack. At least we won't be violating any local noise laws in the process.
Verizon Galaxy Nexus listed in Costco's systems with a $289 price tag
If you're still thirsty for any release details of Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Nexus, allow yourself to be ever-so-lightly-moistened by this Costco inventory screenshot from Android Central. It shows the Galaxy Nexus for Verizon priced at $289, a slim $10 discount on the $299 we'd heard in a leak a few weeks ago (that also predicted the price of the HTC Rezound, if you're keeping score). There never was much doubt this Ice Cream Sandwich would be a pricey one, but it's definitely one thing to consider while we await official news on its release and seemingly-inevitable Verizon exclusivity.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Mobile Miscellany: week of August 29, 2011
This week, as always, was packed with news on the mobile front, so it was easy to miss a few stories here and there. Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of wireless for the week of August 15, 2011: More rumors are circulating about the upcoming Sony Ericsson Nozumi, originally leaked two weeks ago. The new specs getting floated around are even better than we previously thought, which include a 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, 1GB of RAM, 4.3-inch display with 1280 x 720 resolution for a PPI of 342, and NFC. (Thanks, David) [via XperiaBlog] The Motorola Milestone 3 -- the GSM twin of the Droid 3, essentially -- was released in Brazil this week and will be available in select Latin American countries later this month. [via AndroidCentral] Just as we're getting used to the idea of a white HTC EVO 3D at Radio Shack, it's now reported that a purple version will soon be available exclusively at Best Buy. [via PocketNow] The BlackBerry Torch 9860 has two new Canadian homes, as it launched this week on Telus for $100 and SaskTel for $130. Both carriers involve setting up a three-year commitment. [via MobileSyrup(1) and (2)] Did someone mention SaskTel? Yes, the carrier is jumping on the 4G bandwagon by announcing its intent to deploy LTE by the fall of 2012. [via MobileSyrup] AT&T's LG Thrill 4G is finally getting released tomorrow after several weeks of delays. While the phone will be offered for $100 by the carrier itself, you'll be able to get it at Costco for $30. [via PhoneArena] Alongside the Kyocera Milano, Sprint will also launch a new feature phone called the Kyocera Brio. The Brio will offer a QWERTY keyboard, a 192MHz CPU and will run Java. [via Electronista and AndroidCentral] At HTC's Windows Phone launch this week, reps confirmed that all of its new Windows Phones will indeed have the mobile hotspot feature included, though it won't be a part of the software update to the company's existing lineup. It's likely to be added with a future refresh, but apparently the feature was added too late in the process to get thrown into the initial rollout. (Thanks, Gilles) [via Pocket-Lint]
Engadget's back to school guide 2011: tablets
Welcome to Engadget's Back to School guide! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we're here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Today, we're leaning back with our tablets -- and you can head to the Back to School hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back -- at the end of the month we'll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides -- and hit up the hub page right here! There are certain back to school purchases we could never talk you out of. A laptop? Vital. A smartphone? Highly recommended. A printer? Necessary -- if you're the kind of person who finishes papers minutes with minutes to spare, leaving no time to swing by the computer lab on the way to class. But a tablet? We'll be honest: we can't think of a good reason why you need one, but we can more than sympathize if you're dead-set. We've picked a few noteworthy choices for each budget, though if you're really lucky you'll win one of 15 Samsung Galaxy Tabs and won't have to pay a dime. Simply leave a comment below to be entered to win, and check out our giveaway page for more details. So wipe off the glasses, grab your clicker, and get ready to jump past the break for this year's tablet picks for back to school.
Vizio Tablet tiptoes into retail, starting at Costco
We know it's been a long wait since CES, but after getting pawed at by both Blake Griffin and yours truly, the Vizio Tablet is starting to show up in stores right about on schedule. Frequent Engadget commenter DaHarder took a step away from the Disqus box and snagged this tablet at a local Costco store for $329 ($20 off the regular price), an achievement also unlocked by the folks at Mobileslate. According to their reports you may have to ask around to find out if the VTAB1008 is actually in stock but it may be lurking along with its $40 Accessories Kit, while it's already showing in stock on the Vizio online store. Impressions so far suggest a "budget" tablet experience above that of the flood of craptablets with decent hardware and battery life, but a software experience behind the top of the line slates due to the custom UI, small internal storage and RAM and slower single core Marvell CPU. Our review is yet to come, but if there's around three bills burning a hole in your pocket and you've just got to have an Android tablet with integrated IR blaster, we're not seeing too many other options available. [Thanks, DaHarder]
