TikTok sale to Walmart and Oracle shelved

Posted on by Prakhar Khanna

Last year in September, TikTok reached a deal with Oracle and Walmart to avoid its US ban. The Trump administration had approved the deal, which was supposed to effectively establish a new company called TikTok Global headquartered in the US. Tiktok was given the December 4 sale deadline, which came and went with no response from the outgoing Trump administration. Reportedly, Trump also demanded that the US Treasury get a “lot of money” from any sale.

Now, it seems like President Biden has other plans. According to Wall Street Journal sources, TikTok’s forced sale to Oracle and Walmart has been put on hold “indefinitely”. The step comes as Biden reviews past efforts to handle security risks from Chinese technology companies. While the officials haven’t ruled out a sale, it might happen under different terms or might not happen at all.

The Biden administration might make a decision on TikTok soon. The government is yet to offer a formal response to TikTok’s legal challenge against the divestiture on February 18. We are yet to see what the official stance will be.

TikTok is said to be in talks with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS) to resolve security concerns. It is being reported that an alternative to a sale might involve sending data to a “trusted” third party in a bid to combat the allegations of sending Americans’ information to the Chinese government. However, the Chinese government would prevent TikTok parent ByteDance from exporting the algorithms the app uses to recommend videos.

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Walmart is joining hands with Microsoft to purchase TikTok’s US operations

Posted on by Nadeem Sarwar

A few weeks ago, Microsoft confirmed that it is in talks to purchase TikTok’s operations in the US, following an executive order by President Trump threatening a ban on the app unless it is acquired by a US-based company. Now, Walmart has told CNBC that it is partnering with Microsoft to purchase TikTok’s operations in the US, however, financial details of the deal or how the partnership will be split between the two companies are still a mystery.

“We believe a potential relationship with TikTok US in partnership with Microsoft could add this key functionality and provide Walmart with an important way for us to reach and serve omnichannel customers as well as grow our third-party marketplace and advertising businesses,” Walmart as quoted as saying by CNBC.

Walmart claims its partnership with Microsoft to purchase the viral social media app’s US operations will meet the expectations of TikTok users in the US and will also satisfy the concerns of US regulatory bodies. The report claims that Microsoft’s deal with ByteDance to purchase TikTok’s operations in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand falls in the range of $20 billion to $30 billion.

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Flipkart buys Walmart India Business to launch Flipkart Wholesale in India

Posted on by Prakhar Khanna

Flipkart has announced Flipkart Wholesale, a digital marketplace to serve local kirana stores and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in India. It is buying 100 percent stake in Walmart India, which is Walmart’s subsidiary that operates the Best Prime cash-and-carry business in the country. With this acquisition, Flipkart will take on Amazon and Reliance Industries’ JioMart in India.

Flipkart Wholesale is said to begin its operations in August. It will initially offer piloting services for the grocery and fashion categories. The company says local manufacturers and sellers have partnered with the Flipkart Wholesale business. The partners are claimed to receive a broader reach across the country. However, the names of initial partners are yet to be revealed.

“With the launch of Flipkart Wholesale, we will now extend our capabilities across technology, logistics and finance to small businesses across the country,” said Kalyan Krishnamurthy, Chief Executive Officer, Flipkart Group.

Via: Gadgets360

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Walmart is turning store parking lots into drive-in movie theaters for summer

Posted on by Nadeem Sarwar
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It’s almost been half a year and most of us are sorely missing the experience of watching a movie in theaters. But Walmart has partnered with Tribeca Enterprises and come up with a solution. The retail giant is turning 160 of its store parking lots into contact-free drive-in movie theaters for the summer season.

There will be a combined 320 showings starting next month, and these drive-in theaters will be up and running until October. Ahead of each screening, moviegoers will be able to purchase picnic essentials by ordering it online for curbside pickup. Walmart said it will also offer car-side snack and beverage facility.

The partnership is an extension of Tribeca Enterprise’s Tribeca Drive-In festival initiative that aims to screen modern classics and family favorites throughout the summer season. Walmart notes in its press release that there will be a mix of ticketed and free events honoring frontline workers. You can find scheduling and location details here for your next drive-in movie experience here.

Source: Walmart

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Walmart’s Onn Pro tablets bring USB Type-C port and Android 10 to the entry-level

Posted on by Lee Kelly
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Wallmart has launched updated versions of its dirt-cheap Onn series tablets and is calling the new ones Onn Pro. The new tablets come in two sizes – 8-inch and 10.1-inch – and run Android 10. Aside from slightly upgraded internals, the Onn Pro tablets bring a USB Type-C port to the entry-level segment.

The only difference between the Onn Pro tablet’s 8-inch (HD) and 10.1-inch (FHD) variant is the display size and the amount of RAM, with the smaller one packing 2 gigs of RAM while its larger sibling adds another gig for better multitasking experience. You get a 5MP camera at the front as well as back, while an octa-core processor clocked at 2.0GHz keeps things running.

There is 32GB of onboard storage, while the battery capacity is rated at 10 hours of usage. The Onn Pro tablets come pre-installed with a host of apps such as Walmart, Walmart Grocery, Vudu, and Walmart eBooks among others. The Onn Pro tablet’s 8-inch model is priced at $99, while the larger 10.1-inch variant will set you back by $129. Both the tablets are already up for grabs from Walmart.


Onn Pro (8-inch)

Onn Pro (8-inch)

Onn Pro (8-inch)

Onn Pro (8-inch)

Onn Pro (10-inch)

Onn Pro (10-inch)

Onn Pro (10-inch)

Onn Pro (10-inch)

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More iPhone SE stock on clearance from Apple, Walmart has a prepaid bundle

Posted on by Jules Wang

The occasional iPhone SE sale from Apple has not helped to dispel rumors of a sequel phone coming soon. But alas, we've got a deal from Walmart, too.

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Galaxy Note 9 announced with terabyte potential, enhanced S Pen and more OIS

Posted on by Jules Wang

The S Pen can do pretty much more than anything on the phone and we're seeing a first for the Note line with individually-stabilized cameras.

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iPhone SE refurb for $85 also comes with discounted Straight Talk service if you want

Posted on by Jules Wang

Walmart is offering complimentary no-contract wireless service with the refurbished iPhone SE for $85.49. And you don't even have to use the network.

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