Archives for November 14, 2019

Walmart’s early Black Friday deal: 512GB 10.5-inch iPad Pro for $599

by

This second generation model has never been this cheap before.

Black Friday is still a couple of weeks away but retailers are doing everything they can to get and keep your attention right now. For Walmart, that means releasing its ad now to tease Black Friday offers like a $129 Apple Watch Series 3, $99 Samsung Chromebook Series 3 or a 1080p 40-inch Roku Smart TV from its house brand onn. for $98.

Deals you can jump on starting today include a 512GB 10.5-inch iPad Pro for $599 — the lowest price we’ve seen. This is the 2017-era second generation model, so while it doesn’t come with newer features like FaceID or a USB-C connector, it still packs impressive power to multitask with Apple’s new iPad OS, and at this price its performance is hard to beat. At the time we originally reviewed it, two problems were that it was expensive and iOS 11 wasn’t out yet — those have now been addressed.

If you have milder tablet aspirations, there’s also a 7-inch 8GB Samsung Galaxy Tab A available now for $78. Walmart has more pre-Black Friday deals planned for next Friday too, so stay tuned.

Siri can add items to your Walmart grocery order

by

The big box store’s Voice Control feature is no longer exclusive to Google Assistant.

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.

Walmart Voice Order learns from your past orders so that users don’t have to specify exactly which item they want. According to Walmart, if the customer has ordered “Great Value organic orange juice with no pulp” before, they can just say “orange juice” and the app will figure out the user’s preferences.

The feature — which was previously exclusive to Google Assistant — is available pretty much anywhere if you’re steeped in Apple’s ecosystem; you can tell Siri to add to your cart via iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, HomePod or in your CarPlay-enabled vehicle. While iOS users probably weren’t turning green with envy over Android users’ ability to order groceries with voice controls, some of them will likely find the feature to be an easier way to get their weekly shopping done. Fans of Alexa probably shouldn’t hold their breath, though — Walmart’s direct competition with Amazon means Voice Order will likely only work with Siri and Google Assistant.

Apple’s AirPods Pro are on sale just weeks after their release

by

You can save $14 on Amazon, but you may have to wait months for them to arrive.

Less than a month after Apple released its AirPods Pro, they’re on sale for $235 on Amazon. That $14 savings is a little surprising. It’s unusual to see these things go on sale so soon, and it might irk some of the folks who bought them at full price a couple weeks ago.

Normally $249, the AirPods Pro are Apple’s best and most expensive true wireless earbuds yet. They offer refined design, better sound and more features, like active noise cancellation (ANC). They add transparency mode, on-board controls and silicone ear tips. They’re rated as sweatproof (IPX4), and of course, they have hands-free Siri.

There are still a few drawbacks to this model: the touch controls are a bit awkward, the settings are buried in iOS and not everyone is a fan of the silicone tips, which are essential for ANC.

While you might save $14 ordering through Amazon, the listing says these usually ship between one and three months. That will likely be a deal breaker for most people. You could also tempt fate and wait for any Black Friday sales that may or may not materialize.

SpaceX successfully completes Crew Dragon engine tests without an explosion

by

Everything went swimmingly this time.

SpaceX has successfully completed a round of Crew Dragon tests, which previously ended in an explosion. The space company attempted a similar set of static fire engine tests on April 20th, but it admitted a few days later that the Crew Dragon capsule it used was destroyed. It blamed the explosion on a component that leaked liquid oxidizer into high-pressure helium tubes. The more recent attempt went off without a hitch.

The company conducted the tests near Landing Zone 1 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, starting with two one-second burns for two of the Crew Dragon’s 16 Draco thrusters. Those thrusters will be used for maneuvering and attitude control, as well as for re-orientation of the spacecraft. The Crew Dragon team then fired up eight SuperDraco engines, which will be in charge of accelerating the spacecraft away from its launch vehicle, for nine seconds.

E.W. Scripps Company (The) (SSP) Plunges 5.5%

by

E.W. Scripps Company (The) (SSP) had a rough trading day for Wednesday November 13 as shares tumbled 5.5%, or a loss of $-0.835 per share, to close at $14.35. After opening the day at $14.95, shares of E.W. Scripps Company (The) traded as high as $15.13 and as low as $14.22. Volume was 309,543 shares over 4,169 trades, against an average daily volume of n/a shares and a total float of 80.87 million.

As a result of the decline, E.W. Scripps Company (The) now has a market cap of $1.16 billion. In the last year, shares of E.W. Scripps Company (The) have traded between a range of $23.41 and $11.36, and its 50-day SMA is currently $n/a and 200-day SMA is $n/a.

The E W Scripps Co is a media enterprise with interests in local and national media brands. It owns and operates a collection of daily and community newspapers, primarily in medium-sized cities in the southern and western portions of the United States. The company’s portfolio of broadcast television stations are mostly major network-affiliated and are located in the top-fourty television markets in the U.S., including Detroit and Phoenix. It operates in reportable business segments namely, Local Media, National Media and Other.

E.W. Scripps Company (The) is based out of Cincinnati, OH and has some 3,950 employees. Its CEO is Adam P. Symson.

E.W. Scripps Company (The) is a component of the Russell 2000. The Russell 2000 is one of the leading indices tracking small-cap companies in the United States. It’s maintained by Russell Investments, an industry leader in creating and maintaining indices, and consists of the smallest 2000 stocks from the broader Russell 3000 index.

Russell’s indices differ from traditional indices like the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) or S&P 500, whose members are selected by committee, because they base membership entirely on an objective, rules based methodology. The 3,000 largest companies by market cap make up the Russell 3000, with the 2,000 smaller companies making up the Russell 2000. It’s a simple approach that gives a broad, unbiased look at the small-cap market as a whole.

MDC Partners Inc. (MDCA) Plunges 5.19%

by

MDC Partners Inc. (MDCA) had a rough trading day for Wednesday November 13 as shares tumbled 5.19%, or a loss of $-0.15 per share, to close at $2.74. After opening the day at $2.87, shares of MDC Partners Inc. traded as high as $2.90 and as low as $2.73. Volume was 221,455 shares over 1,476 trades, against an average daily volume of n/a shares and a total float of 72.15 million.

As a result of the decline, MDC Partners Inc. now has a market cap of $197.68 million. In the last year, shares of MDC Partners Inc. have traded between a range of $3.53 and $1.65, and its 50-day SMA is currently $n/a and 200-day SMA is $n/a.

MDC Partners Inc is a marketing company in Canada. Its core activities involve direct marketing, mobile marketing, market research, data analytics, design & branding, social media communications, and e-commerce. MDC Partners operates in the US, which leads in terms of revenue, Canada, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. The company operates in five segments namely, Global Integrated Agencies; Domestic Creative Agencies; Specialist Communications; Media Services, and All Other.

MDC Partners Inc. is based out of New York, NY and has some 6,024 employees. Its CEO is Mark Penn.

MDC Partners Inc. is a component of the Russell 2000. The Russell 2000 is one of the leading indices tracking small-cap companies in the United States. It’s maintained by Russell Investments, an industry leader in creating and maintaining indices, and consists of the smallest 2000 stocks from the broader Russell 3000 index.

Russell’s indices differ from traditional indices like the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) or S&P 500, whose members are selected by committee, because they base membership entirely on an objective, rules based methodology. The 3,000 largest companies by market cap make up the Russell 3000, with the 2,000 smaller companies making up the Russell 2000. It’s a simple approach that gives a broad, unbiased look at the small-cap market as a whole.