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Siri can add items to your Walmart grocery order
Apple users who do their shopping at Walmart might be able to ditch their pen-and-paper grocery lists. Walmart Voice Order is now available in the company's Grocery App for iOS, meaning users can tell Siri to add an item to their cart, building their list until they're ready to pick up the order or have it delivered. The process seems straightforward -- say, "hey Siri, add to Walmart," and list out the items you want. This feature is only in Walmart Grocery app, as opposed the company's more general Walmart Mobile App.
Tesla and Walmart settle lawsuit over solar panel fires
Tesla and Walmart clearly weren't ready for a knock-down-drag-out fight over solar panel fires. The two companies have settled a lawsuit that accused Tesla of neglecting and botching installations for solar panels that caught fire on the roofs of seven Walmart stores. In a joint statement to Engadget, the companies said they were "pleased" and that concerns had been "addressed." The duo looks forward to a "safe re-energization of [their] sustainable energy systems," according to the companies. You can read the full statement below.
Vudu could be up for sale, if Walmart finds an interested buyer
Just shy of a decade after Wal-mart bought Vudu, The Information reports that the retail giant is "considering" selling its digital video on-demand store. There's no word on how far along in the process any potential deal is, or if will actually happen, but anyone can see that the service made more sense a few years ago, when it was one of the best ways to access DVD digital copies linked to an Ultraviolet locker. That went right along with in-store disc sales, and enabled a business selling digital copies to people who wanted an easier way to watch movies they'd already purchased on discs. Now, Ultraviolet is dead and Disney's Movies Anywhere setup has largely taken over that space. While it also connects to Vudu, it's not exactly what Wal-mart had in mind back in 2010. Increasingly, video watching hours are devoted to subscription streaming services, which are using inflated budgets to swallow up exclusive content. There was a rumored plan to try and do the same thing for Vudu, but that appears to have fallen through, while Apple, Disney, Comcast/NBC and AT&T/Warner/HBO are all preparing to launch new subscription options. In a statement to The Information, a Walmart spokesperson cited the service's 100 million-strong install base, and said "We're constantly having and [are] open to conversations with new and existing partners to explore opportunities for continued growth; however, we never share details of those discussions." Maybe a potential buyer will see benefit in a service that many people already use to get movies and TV shows, with some included free options, a small selection of original content like Mr. Mom, and a history that stretches back to 2007 when it launched on a $400 set-top box.
After Math: Stand and Delivery
Things happened this week, such as Alphabet commencing commercial flights of its Wing drone delivery program in Christiansburg, Virginia. But they weren't the only tech corporation that decided to put things where they previously were not at speeds the public is unaccustomed to.
Walmart's direct-to-fridge delivery service now available in three US cities
If taking groceries from the front door of your home to your kitchen is too much of a hassle, Walmart wants a word with you. Following an early announcement in June, the retailer's direct-to-fridge InHome Delivery service is now available in the US. Today's launch includes three cities: Pittsburgh, Kansas City and Vero Beach, Florida.
Walmart will take on Amazon with discounted third-party products
Walmart wants some of your holiday shopping money, and it has launched a new program that could make you think twice about buying everything from Amazon. According to Bloomberg, the retail giant plans to offer limited time sales on items from third-party vendors on its website. The vendors will still get the full amount they listed their item for, though, which means the company will eat the difference.
TP-Link's $70 WiFi 6 router is destined for Walmart
The speedier WiFi 6 standard is barely a year old, but it's already becoming easy to find low-cost routers that support it. TP-Link is introducing two Walmart-bound WiFi 6 routers, the Archer AX1500 and AX3000, that are focused on lower the price of entry for next-gen networking. The AX1500 you see above won't floor you with its 1.2Gbps peak speed (300Mbps on 2.4GHz), but it also costs just $70. It's a relatively easy pick if you're just looking for a tangible improvement over WiFi 5 (aka 802.11ac). The five gigabit Ethernet ports don't hurt, either.
Walmart intros low-cost versions of Roku's smart soundbar and subwoofer (updated)
Were you tempted by Roku's Smart Soundbar and Wireless Subwoofer only to be put off by the $180 price tag? Walmart has your back, provided you're willing to make some compromises. It's releasing Onn-branded versions of both devices that start at an easier-to-swallow $129. They don't appear to have Roku's voice control remote (just a basic model), but you're not otherwise giving up too much. They'll arrive at Walmart stores sometime in the "coming weeks."
Walmart will reportedly stop selling e-cigarettes
Walmart seemingly isn't taking any chances in light of recent concerns about e-cigarettes. CNBC and Yahoo Finance both have obtained a memo indicating that the retailer will stop selling e-cigarettes at all of its US stores (including (Sam's Club) after clearing through its existing inventory. The growing levels of "regulatory complexity and uncertainty" around e-cigs is to blame, the company reportedly said.
Vudu adds parental control to skip adult scenes
Vudu, the streaming video platform owned by Walmart, announced today a new batch of parental controls that will give guardians the ability to automatically skip or mute scenes that contain objectionable content. The new Family Play tool will allow parents to set up rules that bypass on-screen examples of substance abuse, language, violence, sex and nudity. The feature will be available on more than 500 major studio titles to begin with, and Vudu is planning to expand the offering to more movies and TV shows each week.
Google Photos has a new stories-style 'Memories' feature
The cameras on our phones keep getting better, and we keep taking more and more pictures. That presents a challenge for for Apple and Google: how to surface the best moments out of the thousands of photos we shoot every year? iOS 13 has a new intelligent view that shows users highlights from any day, month or year, and now Google's making some changes to its Photos apps to help people see meaningful pics from the past. Unsurprisingly, the new feature is called Memories, and it uses the popular "stories" format you'll see in Snapchat and Instagram to show you photos from your past.
Walmart takes its $98 Delivery Unlimited service nationwide
Walmart began trialling its Delivery Unlimited service -- its grocery-based take on Amazon Prime -- at select locations earlier this year. Now, the company is rolling it out to a further 1,400 stores across all 200 metro areas where regular grocery delivery is already available. Walmart aims to have more than 50 percent of the country covered by the end of the year.
Google Photos will let you order same-day prints from Walmart or CVS
Google Photos has given users the option to create and buy physical photo books since 2017 -- now it looks like the app is expanding to offer prints and canvas prints as well. In an APK teardown of the latest version of the app, 9to5Google found that Google plans to work with CVS or Walmart to deliver same-day pickup for 4x6 inch photo prints, as well as a number of options for canvas prints with three-day print times.
'Mr. Mom' is the first Walmart Vudu original
Walmart's Vudu streaming service has released the first trailer for Mr. Mom -- its modern adaptation of the 1983 film starring Michael Keaton. Vudu announced its team-up with MGM to develop original family-friendly shows for the platform last year, and Mr. Mom is the first title to come out of that partnership. The 11-episode comedy follows the story of a couple who switches places: Greg quits work to take care of the kids after former stay-at-home mom Megan lands her dream job.
Walmart sues Tesla after solar panels catch fire at stores (updated)
So much for Tesla's renewed solar power efforts getting off to a good start. Walmart has sued Tesla after rooftop solar panels on seven of the retailer's stores caught fire, allegedly due to poor safety practices. Tesla supposedly didn't ground its electrical and solar systems properly, according to Walmart, and regularly sent inspectors who "lacked basic solar training and knowledge." Walmart also asserted that Tesla's panels were rife with visible defects.
Walmart pulls displays for violent media after El Paso shooting
Some politicians are rushing to blame violent video games for mass shootings, and Walmart is apparently quick to respond to this fear. Leaked internal memos revealed that the retailer (which served as the venue for the El Paso shooting) is rushing to pull all store displays that include "violent images or aggressive behavior." This includes demos and events for some console games, movies playing in the electronics section and hunting season videos. It's particularly concerned about anything depicting "combat or third-person shooter" games.
UC Santa Barbara sues Amazon and IKEA over LED lighting
UC Santa Barbara has had enough of retailers selling its patented LED light bulb technology without authorization. This week, the university filed a lawsuit charging Amazon, IKEA, Walmart, Target and Bed Bath & Beyond with infringing its patents. According to Nixon Peabody, the law firm representing UC Santa Barbara, this is the "first-of-its-kind direct patent enforcement campaign against an entire industry."
All Walmart pickup locations now accept SNAP for online grocery orders
Walmart is now accepting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits as a payment method for online grocery shopping at all of its pickup locations, according to TechCrunch. The retail giant will allow customers to select "EBT card" as a payment option at checkout when shopping on the Walmart Grocery website. Items can then be picked up at any of more than 2,500 locations across the US—shoppers will just have to provide their EBT card to a store associate before collecting their order.
Walmart Mexico begins delivering grocery orders sent via WhatsApp
You may not give WhatsApp a second glance in the App Store, but in other countries, it's the messaging app of choice. It's so big in Mexico, for instance, that Walmart Mexico is now accepting grocery delivery orders for its Superama supermarkets sent via the messaging service. According to Reuters, customers can send their orders through WhatsApp to a number owned by Walmart -- they don't even have to type their list out. The publication tested it by sending the number a photo of a handwritten list and got a response from a representative immediately.
Walmart uses AI camera tech to track checkout theft at 1,000 stores
Walmart's early use of AI at its stores isn't just for the sake of convenience. The retailer has confirmed to Business Insider that it's using camera-based computer vision tech to deter theft and losses at its checkouts (including self-checkouts) in over 1,000 stores. The simply titled Missed Scan Detection program notifies attendants if an item moves past a scanner without an actual scan, giving staff a chance to step in. Most of the incidents are unintentional, such as forgetful shoppers or fatigued cashiers, but Walmart is clearly hoping this will deter thieves hoping to make off with unscanned items.
