Walmart unveils Walmart+, its Amazon Prime competitor that costs $98/year and will launch Sept. 15

(Bigstock Photo)

Walmart on Tuesday officially unveiled Walmart+, its new $98/year membership program that competes with Amazon’s $119/year Prime membership.

Walmart+ will launch Sept. 15 and offer members unlimited free delivery on more than 160,000 items; fuel discounts; and access to Walmart’s Scan & Go touchless payment experience.

The subscription differs from Amazon as it only includes free shipping for orders that meet a minimum order basket of $35. Amazon Prime does not have a minimum.

Walmart already offers free 2-day and next-day delivery on orders of $35 or more for select items, without requiring a membership.

Walmart+ can be paid for monthly at $12.95 per month. Amazon also offers a monthly Prime option at $12.99.

Walmart’s e-commerce business in the U.S. grew 97% in the company’s second fiscal quarter, ended July 31, the retail giant reported last month. That amounts to more than $10 billion in quarterly U.S. ecommerce sales, exceeding 11% of the retail giant’s overall U.S. net sales for the first time, according to GeekWire’s calculations, based on Walmart’s current and past financial results.

The new milestone reflects the ongoing shift toward online shopping amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and the fuzzy line between online and physical retail sales. It’s also an example of the pandemic accelerating the shift to digital commerce at traditional brick-and-mortar retailers.

Amazon and Walmart are increasingly competing head-to-head, with the Seattle tech giant expanding its physical retail footprint through Whole Foods and Amazon-branded stores, at the same time as Walmart moves further into e-commerce.

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Microsoft will launch xCloud game streaming service Sept. 15 on Android

(Microsoft Image)

Microsoft on Tuesday revealed a launch date and other details about its new cloud-based gaming service.

Project xCloud will debut across 22 markets (including the U.S.) on Sept. 15 for Android, allowing Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription members to play more than 100 games on their phone or tablet. Microsoft did not say when xCloud will be coming to iOS devices; there could be a delay due to Apple’s App Store policies, as The Verge noted.

Bit disappointed we havent heard an update yet on xCloud for PC or iOS.

Android stuff is good, but only one piece of a much larger pie.

— Brad Sams (@bdsams) August 4, 2020

xCloud lets users play high-powered Xbox games such as Halo on their smartphones. xCloud will be coming to Windows 10 as well as the Xbox platform. The service was in public preview across North America, Europe, and South Korea earlier this year; the preview will end on Sept. 11.

Microsoft said last month that Project xCloud would be included in its Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership program. The Ultimate package includes access to both console and PC games, in addition to an Xbox Live Gold membership, for $14.99/month. There are more than 10 million Xbox Game Pass members.

Some refer to xCloud as the “Netflix of games,” given that it lets users access a library of games via the cloud.

Microsoft said today it is partnering with Razer, PowerA, 8BitDo, and Nacon to sell new accessories built for xCloud such as phone clips and travel controllers. Gamers can also use the Xbox One Bluetooth Wireless and PlayStation DualShock 4 controllers.

Games available via xCloud include Halo 5: Guardians, Destiny 2, Grounded, Gears 5, Tell Me Why, Forza Horizon 4, and most of the titles in the Xbox Game Pass library, according to an FAQ page.

Microsoft is competing with companies including Google and Nvidia that are also investing in cloud-based gaming services.

“Cloud gaming removes the need to wait until you can access your console in order to play your favorite games: Just pick up your phone or tablet and play the games you want, any time you want,” xCloud chief Kareem Choudhry wrote in a blog post.

Microsoft is also gearing up to release its new console, the Xbox Series X, later this year.

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Seattle and Comcast launch $100,000 initiative to improve technology access for job seekers

Seattle City Hall. (Flickr Photo / Daniel X. O’Neil)

The City of Seattle launched a new program this week designed to provide necessary technology to people of color and other marginalized groups who are looking for jobs. The Digital Bridge program, developed in response to the coronavirus crisis, is designed to provide internet access and other essential tools to Seattle residents looking for work through the Seattle Jobs Initiative (SJI).

Comcast is providing $50,000 to purchase 200 refurbished laptops from the computer recycling nonprofit InterConnection to provide to participants in the SJI job training program. The first round of refurbished laptops were donated to 20 participants in the program earlier this month.

Seattle’s Office of Economic Development is providing an additional $50,000 to expand the tools and resources the city offers job seekers through its digital equity programs.

Digital Bridge is a partnership between the City of Seattle, Comcast, Seattle Jobs Initiative, Technology and Social Change Group at the University of Washington Information School, and InterConnection. The initiative is part of Seattle’s Digital Equity Initiative, which provides grants, skills training, and other resources intended to expand access to jobs of the future.

Celebrate the leading innovators, entrepreneurs, and technologists at the 2020 GeekWire Awards, livestreaming on GeekWire.com starting at 4 p.m. on Thursday, July 23. 

Don’t miss one of the region’s most-anticipated and hotly-contested tech events. 

Thanks to presenting sponsor Wave Business for supporting us as we’ve transitioned to a virtual event. 

Register today

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