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Tesco now offers digital copies of movies you've bought in any store
Tesco's Blinkbox video streaming service might be facing a less-than-certain future, but that doesn't mean the supermarket giant is ready concede defeat just yet. Mirroring similar moves by Amazon and Sky, the company today announced become the first major UK retailer to let customers grab digital copies of their DVDs and Blu-rays via Ultraviolet, which can be stored inside a Blinkbox account. Tesco isn't just limiting the locker service to movies bought in its own supermarkets, either, making all of your Ultraviolet-enabled titles available to instantly stream or download across a wide number of devices, including the new Hudl2. To get started, you'll need to create your Ultraviolet library, link your Blinkbox account and then get streamin'.
Tesco cuts the price of its original Hudl tablet to £79
Tesco's Hudl2 tablet is now on sale, and as is typically the way when a next-gen product usurps its predecessor, the supermarket's cut the price of the first Hudl to just £79. When the Hudl2 was announced, Tesco said it would keep selling its first tablet, which launched at £119 before later being discounted to £99, until it had shifted all remaining stock. Now you can actually buy the Hudl2 for £129, Tesco's thought it best to make its other tablet a more attractive offer. It's now a year old, so you're not exactly getting 2014 hardware, but if you're after a couch-browsing companion or something for the kids to poke at, £79 is nothing to shrug at. It can also be picked up in-store or online for half that value in Tesco Clubcard points, so that's something to consider if you've got a loaded account and a tablet-sized hole in your life. If you're thinking the Hudl2 is more your bag, however, then keep your eyes peeled for our review of Tesco's new offering next week.
Tesco opens Hudl2 pre-orders
Suitably impressed by last week's Hudl2 launch? Tesco is now ready to take your money. The supermarket giant has opened orders on its Direct store, allowing you to put aside one (or more) of its eight vividly coloured tablets for pick up tomorrow. For £129, you'll enjoy an 8.3-inch Full HD display, 1.83GHz Intel Atom quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, stock Android 4.4.2 KitKat, 5-megapixel and 1.2-megapixel rear and front-facing cameras, Dolby-optimised rear-facing speakers, HDMI-out, dual-band Wi-Fi, 16GB of internal storage (with support for 32GB microSD) and upto 8 hours on a full battery charge. Tesco is currently offering 33 percent off Hudl2 cases if you redeem the relevant eCoupon, but make sure you cash in those Clubcard points to bring the total cost down even further.
Tesco wants robots and wearables to help shape the supermarket of the future
For Britain's supermarket chains, it's no longer just a case of selling food, it's about how you can do it better. Tesco has long thought about how technology can give it an edge over its rivals, but it's now experimenting with robotics, wearables and cognitive computing in an attempt to secure future success. That's according to Mike McNamara, Tesco's chief information officer, who revealed that the company has become the latest in a long line of retailers to leverage IBM's Watson supercomputer to explore new ideas using old data. Tesco's Labs division, the team behind its Google Glass app and other tech trials, fed Watson "thousands" of recipes and ingredients and asked it to come up with some unique meal ideas. The supermarket is already trialling smartwatches in a bid to better manage stock, but it looks increasingly likely that machines will take over such jobs in the future. McNamara believes robots that can gauge depth and height could free up time for stockroom associates, but that also brings another danger -- the risk that they'd replace workers completely.
Hands-on with Tesco's Hudl2
Tesco announced its Hudl2 tablet today, and by now you already know what it's about and how it stacks up against the original Hudl. Well, we've had a chance to play around with the device, and it's immediately clear this is a significant upgrade. Despite a notably larger 8.3-inch screen, the Hudl2 saves on width and thickness, with a taller frame accommodating all those extra pixels. The chunky bezels of Tesco's first tablet have all but disappeared, giving the Hudl2 a much sleeker look that betrays its £129 price point.
Tesco's Hudl2 vs. Hudl: what's changed?
The Hudl2 has finally been unveiled. Sticking to what it knows, Tesco has retained much of what made the original Hudl unique, but it's now bigger, thinner and a lot more powerful. Wondering how the specs compare to its predecessor, though? Well, we're glad you asked because we've laid everything out for you below.
Tesco launches the £129 Hudl2: bigger, better, faster
A popular supermarket chain isn't the first place you'd expect to find an own-brand tablet, but with its low price and a prime spot next to the beans, Tesco's Hudl has sold over 750,000 units since launch. While plans to also enter the smartphone racket have been put on hold, today Tesco's spilled all the details on its second-gen slate: the Hudl2.
Tesco is closing its Clubcard TV streaming service
When Tesco launched Clubcard TV early last year, everything we saw suggested that the ad-supported streaming service would be nothing more than an experiment. That hunch has proved accurate, because the company has said it will shutter the free service on October 28th. According to a Clubcard TV support page, Tesco didn't get "the level of repeat usage [it] had hoped for," so it'll close the service in order to concentrate on its more established resource, Blinkbox. The supermarket giant will still offer Clubcard points alongside Blinkbox movie purchases, though, which will suit those who intend to watch films on the new (and supposedly bigger) Hudl 2 when it's unveiled later this week.
Tesco's Hudl 2 tablet to be unveiled on October 3rd
In addition to announcing its smartphone plans had been put on ice, Tesco said at the start of September its second-generation Hudl tablet would be revealed in a matter of weeks. And today we've received a not-so-subtle invite from the supermarket chain for a morning event on October 3rd. Considering the invite is blazoned with the hashtag #Letshudl, it's pretty clear we'll be introduced to Tesco's next tablet on that date, and we'll be there to bring you the news. The supermarket's dedicated Hudl page now has a new section where you can register for updates on the Hudl 2, and a colour-changing banner also suggests the device will arrive in multiple hues, or will at least have several vibrant cases. Tesco already let slip the second-gen slate improves "on just about every area of its predecessor, from screen size to speed, design and accessories." One of the Hudl's best features was its low price-point, so let's hope this successor continues that trend and isn't marked up so Tesco can actually make some of the money it's been pulling out of thin air.
Tesco shelves its smartphone plans to focus on Hudl 2 tablet
Tesco makes its own affordable range of everyday products for penny-conscious consumers, and last year the supermarket extended this concept to tablets. The Hudl slate wasn't just cheap, but also the perfect vehicle for showcasing Tesco's various streaming services. Despite a few hardware teething problems, the Hudl has gone on to sell over half a million units, prompting the commission of a sequel earlier this year. Alongside the Hudl 2, Tesco also said it would launch an affordable Android smartphone, but now the chain's announced those plans have been shelved while it focuses on the new tablet, which is due out "in the next few weeks." As Robin Terrell, Group Multi-Channel Director at Tesco explains, since the plan was revealed "the mobile market has become even more competitive," leading the supermarket to "put the phone on hold."
Tesco's prototype Glass app lets you order milk by looking at the barcode
While supermarkets have gone mobile to help you order bread and milk while on the go, wearable tech has remained largely unexplored. Not wanting to be left in the chilled section, Tesco gave its R&D boffins Google Glass and tasked them with helping customers order their groceries while barely lifting a finger. The result was a new prototype Glass app that lets the wearer scan a barcode to quickly add products to their virtual basket or find out their nutritional information. Tesco admits that it would struggle with the rigors of a weekly shop, but says the app perfect for "micro interactions" -- i.e. that time when you realise you've just used the last piece of toilet roll.
Tesco fixing Hudl screen responsiveness issues with new update
It's fair to say Tesco's Hudl has been a success: the company has sold more than half a million units and is prepping a new model for release later this year. It hasn't been all plain sailing for the supermarket giant though, as some of its Android slates shipped with a display issue that would often cripple the tablet by rendering the screen unresponsive. Tesco, to its credit, has been quick to replace customers' Hudls no questions asked, but it may not need to anymore after it's begun rolling out an Android update that eliminates those exact issues. The company tells us that some updates have passed Google certification and are already hitting affected Hudls, but it could take up to three weeks for the fix to reach everyone.
Waitrose and Tesco begin trialling iBeacons for in-store offers and alerts
Apple's Bluetooth-based iBeacon technology looks set to enrich in-store shopping experiences, so it should come as no surprise that two of Britain's biggest supermarkets are looking to see what it's all about. Mirroring pilots by their counterparts in the US, Tesco and Waitrose have commenced trials that deliver location-sensitive notifications and offers to shoppers via their smartphone without the need for GPS. Tesco began trialling in its Chelmsford store in April, issuing messages to customers to remind them to pick up pre-ordered goods. Waitrose started using the technology at its new experimental Swindon store last week, using iBeacon to alert shoppers to promotions when they're near a particular aisle or food counter. Unlike its rival, Tesco has said it will holding off using beacons to issue marketing messages (including promotions) over fears it could scare customers away. Whether or not iBeacons will make their way to more supermarket stores across the UK depends on the outcome of the trials. However, the technology has seen strong early backing, suggesting your local store could one day begin sending you tailor-made notifications and offers.
Tesco to launch an Android smartphone alongside the Hudl 2 later this year
After accumulating more than 500,000 sales of its first ever own-brand tablet, the Hudl, supermarket giant Tesco is to expand its device line-up by launching a high-powered Android smartphone. Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, chief executive Philip Clarke confirmed that the company's upcoming handset will feature hardware comparable to Samsung's Galaxy S5 and, like the Hudl, come preloaded with Tesco apps and services. Speaking of the tablet, Clarke also said Tesco will release a refreshed version of its discount slate, appropriately named the Hudl 2, in September. While the tablet has been priced at the low end of the market at £119 (even less if you used ClubCard vouchers), Tesco's smartphone is expected to command a higher price to match its specifications. That might make the handset less of an impulse buy, but Tesco says it will still price the handset aggressively, allowing shoppers to pop a couple of Android devices into their trolley alongside their bread and milk.
Tesco says 400,000 people have already picked up a Hudl tablet with their groceries
UK supermarket Tesco appears to be on to a winner with its £119 Hudl tablet. After notching 35,000 sales in its first few days on sale, the chain says healthy Christmas demand helped it offload more than 400,000 units in the last three months of 2013. While the figure isn't likely to have heavily impacted sales of Google or Amazon tablets, it's a very healthy start for the Hudl, which aims to keep customers locked to the brand by offering grocery orders and movie downloads via its custom apps. With Tesco set to refresh its Hudl lineup later in 2014, its year-end sales undoubtedly prove customers like being able to pick up a low-cost tablet along with their bread and milk.
Tesco Hudl review: Can a supermarket chain put out a decent tablet?
One may seem like a paragon of modernity compared to its 94-year-old rival, but the UK's two biggest retailers have a lot in common. For starters, both Amazon and Tesco succeeded far beyond their original missions (bookseller and greengrocer, respectively) to become retail giants. Both understand the value of consumer data and exploit that information mercilessly. Finally, both sell dirt-cheap Android tablets in the hopes of maintaining a foothold in our living rooms, hearts, minds and, most importantly, wallets. In the UK, there are around 50 million people who don't own a tablet or any other mobile computing device. That's the group of people that Tesco is going after with the Hudl, an Android slate that tech snobs, obsessed with blistering benchmarks, would turn their noses up at. Priced at £119 ($191), but available for £60 ($91) if you redeem Clubcard vouchers, it's not a surprise that the company sold 35,000 units after launch. So, is it better than the Kindle Fire that it seeks to emulate? And when all is said and done, is this the device for which we'll be stuck doing technical support when the in-laws inevitably purchase it?
Carphone Warehouse discounts budget tablet to £49, which is probably all it's worth
Brits in the market for a cheap 7-inch tablet have been spoiled of late, what with the launch of Tesco's £119 Hudl and Argos' £100 MyTablet. "But, hang on," Carphone Warehouse's thought, "we sell a budget tablet, too." And so, seeking some attention itself, the UK retailer has discounted its Avoca tablet from £99 to £49 (around $80) -- until November 4th when the offer expires, anyway. That investment will get you a 7-inch display at 800 x 480 resolution, a 1GHz Rockchip CPU, half a gig of RAM, 8GB internal storage (a microSD slot for up to 32GB cards is present), a 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera, a WiFi radio, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and, of course, a healthy dose of bezel. Carphone Warehouse may have succeeded in undercutting its UK competition, if only temporarily, but we can't help but think you'll probably get what you pay for in this instance.
UK retailer Argos tries to undercut the Hudl with £100 Android tablet
UK supermarkets carrying their own branded tablets is apparently a thing now, and Argos has joined Tesco with its launch of the 7-inch MyTablet. Though the £100 price trumps the £119 Hudl, the tab is decidedly more budget, featuring a 7-inch, 1,024 x 600 screen, dual-core 1.6-Ghz CPU, 2-megapixel camera and Android 4.2.2. Hudl, meanwhile, rocks a quad-core 1.5Ghz CPU and 1,440 x 900 screen. Also, unlike Tesco's in-house styled offering, MyTablet appears to be a rebadge, though we can't put our finger on the manufacturer. Argos told the BBC that it'll be affordable to its tween target market at that price, explaining that "kids find it hard to share." We won't argue with that logic, but we reckon parents should be more willing to spend the extra £19, given the difference in specs.
Tesco sells 35,000 Hudl tablets in first few days following launch
Wondering how your old buddy Tesco is faring with the launch of its first branded bit of hardware, the £119 Hudl tablet? Well, according to Tesco's CEO Phil Clarke, via a tweet from Retail Week's Jennifer Creevy, not too shabby: the supermarket chain has offloaded about 35,000 of the devices over the past few days. We very much doubt the likes of Google and Amazon, which have never been forthcoming with early sales figures, will be threatened by the number, but it's surely not a bad start from a retailer that knows more about selling bread and milk than tablets. Incidentally, Amazon's just dropped the price of its soon to be last-gen 7-inch Fire HD to £119, matching that of the Hudl -- if you've got no ClubCard points to secure a discount, that is. We now have one of Tesco's tabs in our possession, so look out for the review. We're assessing the display by rewatching the entirety of Game of Thrones, however, so it might take a while.
Report: Nintendo UK planning Wii U awareness strategy with Tesco
Nintendo UK is planning a marketing effort with Tesco to boost customer awareness of the Wii U in an effort to address that "many people out there that don't know what this is," Nintendo UK's marketing director Shelly Pearce told MCV. The marketing push will include a purchase of in-store space at Tesco, a five-page flier that will be sent to 300,000 Tesco customers that previously purchased a Wii, and coupons for unspecified games. MCV reports that Nintendo is also planning "major online activity" in addition to an "out-of-home promotional tour aimed at reaching 115,500 shoppers." "There was a big misconception at launch about what Wii U is," Shelly said. "And one of the big messages is that this is a new console and a new controller." The strategy reflects Iwata's statements in June concerning plans to regain the console's momentum "towards the end of this year." Once that momentum is obtained, Iwata said the company will then "try to establish successful third-party support for Nintendo platforms."
