kmart

Add another movie-downloading service to mix.

Sears Holdings has inked a deal with Sonic Solutions to offer a Web-based movie download service to both Sears and Kmart customers. According to Sonic, consumers will be able to access movies from the service on the same day they are made available on DVD and Blu-ray.

Dubbed Alphaline Entertainment, today's launch is just part one of a series of moves on the part of the companies to make the service available in several different places. Going forward, Sonic will be bringing the offering to "a broad range of connected devices," … Read more

It's easy to get caught up in Black Friday sales hype, especially as some stores seem to have started pushing holiday bargains weeks ago. But it takes more than a price listed in large, friendly type and a warning of "limited quantities" to actually make for a good deal.

We checked out some of the leaked Black Friday ads posted on Web sites such as bfads.net and blackfriday.info (bfads.net proved especially helpful by clipping images from sales circulars for many items) to see where the best laptop deals were.

Interestingly, there was a lack of high-end laptops offered at deep discounts. Most of the deals were on entry-level systems (and a few are so entry level we're hesitant to even call them fully functioning computers). Another trend was offering two versions of nearly identical laptops, one at a bargain basement price, and another with a larger hard drive and a few extra features for $100 to $200 more. As always, the most eye-catching sales are for so-called doorbuster items, typically available in very limited quantities. … Read more

Update: In statements made to Laptop Magazine, Augen's CEO Gary Gofman claims that the unauthorized inclusion of the Google Android Marketplace app on the Gentouch78 tablet was an unintentional mistake, and future production runs will not include the Google Mobile Services Application Suite. So yes, it was too good to be true.

When I heard that Kmart is selling a $149 Android tablet with a 7-inch screen, I have to admit that I blew it off with a condescending snicker. No matter how you run the math, there's simply no way to turn a $149 price tag into a satisfying tablet experience--at least not yet. Logic may have gotten the better of me, though, because the demand for this Augen brand Android tablet is apparently so great, that Kmart is already issuing rain checks. In my ivory CNET tower, I forgot to calculate for the effects of a cheap price, Android fever, and blind optimism.

But before you make that dash for Kmart's blue-light beacon, allow me to explain what you probably already know in your heart to be true: the Augen Gentouch78 probably isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Professionally, it's not in my best interest to rein in consumer gadget lust--but as CNET's resident Android tablet expert I have to say my piece. To be fair, let's take a look at what makes this tablet so appealing on paper. Price aside, the Gentouch78 offers a relatively large screen, a version of the Android OS (2.1) that even Dell can't seem to deliver, an integrated Android app store, Wi-Fi, memory expansion (2GB built-in), and the predictable array of music, photos, videos, e-books, e-mail, and Web.

Now for the reality check. … Read more

Who knew -- Apple still makes computers, and today launched a bunch of new ones, plus a ginormous desktop trackpad to go with them. Also: The robot that will make you breakfast. Eventually. Guest: Darren Kitchen of Hak5.org!

Here's how you know streaming video has gone mainstream: when mass market retailers are getting in on the game.

Scheduled for a holiday release is a new digital video service that will be available on TVs and Blu-ray players sold at Sears and Kmart. It's called Alphaline Entertainment, and will be available on devices from Sharp, LG, Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, and RCA by the end of the year. Customers will be walked through the set-up inside the store by customer service representatives so that they can just take it home and begin watching movie content at once.

The … Read more

There's certainly no shortage of coverage about Black Friday tech sales, and savvy shoppers have no doubt already scoped out their favorite deals from the leaked ad scans and early deals posted on sites such as BFads.net.

We've scanned some of the ads and picked several potentially promising Black Friday deals, including limited-time special offers, in order to give you some context on what constitutes a good doorbuster deal, and what's just a bust.

Note that many of the prices cited below are only available during the early hours of Friday morning.

Sony NW235, $399, Best Buy … Read more

StopBadware.org said Tuesday it has labeled the Sears and Kmart community software known as My SHC Community as "badware," or spyware.

The nonprofit organization run by Harvard Law School, Oxford University, and Consumer Reports WebWatch said it cited the Sears Holding Corporation community in particular "because of inadequate disclosure of extensive tracking and data collection and because the application does not identify itself while running."

In response to several accusations that it collects personal information without proper disclosure, My SHC Community has dramatically revised its Web site since last week. It has, among other changes, … Read more

Although rumors have been swirling lately that Kmart has agreed to exclusively support the HD DVD format, they appear to be false.

When reached for comment, K-mart sent a rather defensive-sounding statement attributed to Jonathan Magasanik, vice president of home electronics for Sears Holdings, Kmart's parent company: "There have been numerous statements in the media (Wednesday), attributed to Toshiba, indicating exclusive support for the HD-DVD format in Kmart stores. These statements are false. Kmart intends to support both the HD-DVD and Blu-ray platforms, and has no plans to support either platform exclusively."

Kmart representatives didn't elaborate … Read more