Walmart is selling an 'amazing' $80 military smartwatch for $26, and shoppers say it's 'better than the Apple Watch'
Walmart is selling an 'amazing' $80 military smartwatch for $26, and shoppers say it's 'better than the Apple Watch' originally appeared on TheStreet.
Smartwatches are so much more than just a clock on your wrist. These handy little devices let you make phone calls and answer texts without even needing to hold your phone. And now, they even double as fitness trackers, allowing you to monitor your heart rate, steps, and more. There's no denying that smartwatches are cool, but they're also expensive.
Thankfully, we were able to find a deal on a durable military smartwatch from Walmart. Normally priced at $80, you can grab this Mingwear Military Smartwatch for just $26 at Walmart. It has a two-inch HD touchscreen display and a two-way speaker, allowing you to make phone calls and receive notifications from messaging and social media apps. Plus, it's compatible with both Apple and Android Devices, so it'll work with most types of phones.
A fully charged battery should last you up to a week on a single charge, and it should only take a couple of hours to recharge. Along with the smartphone functions, there is also a plethora of fitness features to take advantage of.
The watch will continuously monitor things like your steps, heart rate, and sleep patterns. But it can also track exercise data for a specific sport or activity. Simply select your activity from the sports mode settings and start your workout. Additionally, it's waterproof and drop-resistant, so it's suitable to wear while swimming or during high-impact sports.Shoppers say the Mingwear Military Smartwatch competes with the more expensive smartwatch brands out there, with one shopper saying, "This watch is amazing. It's great, if not better than the Apple Watch. The battery life is outstanding!"
Another shopper felt like they got a great bang for their buck. "For the price, you can't beat it. It has all the functions of a fitness tracker for a fraction of the cost of name brands, and the battery life is impressive."
A smartwatch keeps you up to date on what's happening, even while away from your phone. If you don't have one yet, consider grabbing the durable Mingwear Military Smartwatch. It's just $26 at Walmart for a limited time.
Walmart is selling an 'amazing' $80 military smartwatch for $26, and shoppers say it's 'better than the Apple Watch' first appeared on TheStreet on Jul 28, 2025
This story was originally reported by TheStreet on Jul 28, 2025, where it first appeared.
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Miami Herald
20 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
BRN: The Social Security COLA and what it means
Since 1975, Social Security general benefit increases have been cost-of-living adjustments or COLAs (8%). Many people were disappointed when Social Security benefits only rose 2.5% at the start of the 2025. And, so far, next year's Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) does not look to be much higher. TheStreet's Maurie Backman joins Broadcast Retirement Network host Jeff Snyder to talk about the annual increase. Transcript: Jeff Snyder: This morning on BRN, the impacts of the 2025 Social Security COLA. Joining me now to discuss this and a lot more, Maurie Backman is a senior financial journalist. Maurie, happy new year. Great to see you. Thanks for joining us on the program this morning. Maurie Backman: Thanks so much for having me. I'm really excited to talk about Social Security because, you know, a new year means changes to the program, as always. Snyder: Yeah, let's talk about that, Maurie. And, you know, I think our audience is very familiar with your work because you've been on the program numerous times before. Let's talk about the cost of living adjustment or COLA for 2025. What is it and what does it mean? Backman: Sure. So years back, lawmakers decided that Social Security benefits were going to be eligible for automatic COLA. The COLA was going to be pegged to inflation so that, you know, inflation rises, benefits get a little bit of a boost. And when you think about it, I mean, it makes sense to have COLAs be automatic as opposed to needing, you know, Congress to vote in a raise to Social Security benefits year after year. It just makes the process a lot more seamless. And logically, you know, there are people who collect Social Security for 15, 20, 30 years, and the value of a dollar is going to get eroded over a period that lengthy. So we need Social Security COLAs to enable seniors to be able to maintain their buying power as living costs go up. So every year, Social Security gets a COLA. Well, actually, I shouldn't say that. Every year, Social Security is eligible for a COLA. When inflation remains flat, Social Security benefits remain flat. When there's a decrease in inflation from one year to the next, Social Security benefits also remain flat. Luckily, there's no such thing as a negative COLA. So you're not going to see your Social Security benefit decrease, thankfully, from one year to the next, even if inflation goes that route. You're only going to see your benefit stay the same or go up. Snyder: Yeah. And can you imagine, Mark, if there was a negative COLA and they started trying to reclaim Social Security benefits? Can you imagine all the people that would be lined up at the Social Security Administration? Good for them that they don't have a negative COLA. Maurie, let's talk about inflation because we have seen over the last year plus food prices increase, gasoline prices increase, other prices increase. How does this COLA factor that in and how does it compare maybe to previous years? Backman: Sure. So, you know, thankfully, inflation has cooled pretty nicely over the past year. We're not seeing the same levels of inflation that we did back in 2021 on the heels of all those stimulus policies. We're not seeing the same level of inflation as 2022. The funny thing about Social Security COLAs and inflation is that, you know, the way I've always tried to explain it is they sort of cancel each other out. So this year's COLA is 2.5%. Benefits are rising 2.5%. And a lot of seniors are, frankly, bummed about that because when we look back to recent COLAs, the year before benefits went up 3.2%. Before that, we had some of the largest COLAs in history. We had 8.7%. We had 5.9%. These were the COLAs that came about following that period of real rampant inflation that we saw following the pandemic. So, you know, a lot of people are pretty up in arms about this 2.5% COLA. Oh, it's not enough. It's such a measly little raise. But the thing to remember is that because COLAs are tied to inflation, when you have a not so generous COLA, it also means that inflation hasn't been all that bad. You kind of can't have one without the other. Right. So, you know, when seniors were seeing their benefits rise almost 6 percent or close to 9 percent, I mean, all those COLAs did was match inflation. So what you gain in one regard, you gain a higher boost, a larger boost to your Social Security benefit. You lose in the form of prices really going up a lot significantly from one year to the next. So in the past year, what we've seen is, yes, we have seen costs continue to go up. And look, I'm not retired, but I've seen my own bills increase exponentially. And I've got a family to feed. And it's stressful. It's stressful going to the supermarket and buying like six yogurts and a jug of milk and a loaf of bread. And it's like, that'll be $22.50. And it's like, what? This was like, these are groceries that I'm carrying out in my hand, you know, and a week's worth of food for my family. I mean, it seems like I'm paying more than ever. So I'm definitely sympathetic to seniors who feel that, you know, their 2.5 percent COLA is not really going to cut it for 2025. I can see where they're coming from because costs are still high. But things could also be worse. Related: Secretary Bessent's Social Security remarks spark AARP outcry Snyder: Well, they could be worse. Maurie, they could be a lot worse. I want to ask you about taxation, because how does taxation or does taxation factor into this cost of living adjustment? Does that mean anything to those directly taking Social Security? Backman: So it's a funny thing. So seniors are often shocked to learn that Social Security benefits can be taxable at the federal level. There can also be state taxes on Social Security, actually, depending on the state you live in and the amount of your total income. But the federal government can tax a portion of your Social Security benefits. And that doesn't sit well for a lot of seniors. It almost feels kind of like a double taxation, right? Because throughout our working years, we're all paying into Social Security on our wages. And, you know, the promise is that you're going to pay taxes, you're going to pay into Social Security, but then when you're older and retired, you're going to get a monthly benefit. And then it's like, hey, guess what? You're not necessarily going to keep that monthly benefit in full because once your income exceeds a certain threshold, a portion of your benefits can be taxed. Now, here's the problem. Social Security is eligible for an annual COLA, which means that benefits historically have risen from one year to the next. There have been a few years in history with a zero COLA. But for the most part, we have seen benefits rise from one year to the next. The problem is that the income thresholds that determine whether you're going to pay taxes on your Social Security benefits, those income thresholds have not increased since 1984. That's a long time ago. Snyder: I was 12. Backman: I was around. It was a long time ago. So, you know, when you kind of just then logically put those two pieces together, it's like, well, wait a minute, you know, Social Security benefits rise every year, and Social Security benefits are calculated in the formula that determines your income and that determines whether your income is high enough to have your benefits taxed, if you get what I'm saying. Basically, it's a concept called combined income. It's a factor of your adjusted gross income. It throws in any tax-exempt interest income you receive, like if you're a municipal bond investor, you might get some tax-free income. That's counted into your combined income and then also half of your annual Social Security benefit is factored into your combined income. And basically, if you're single, once your combined income is $25,000 or higher, you're going to be paying taxes on a portion of your Social Security benefits. Now, let's think about that. $25,000. I mean, you know, yes, that's factoring in half your annual Social Security benefit, but even if we want to pad that by another $10,000, $12,000, let's talk about $37,000 a year, $40,000 a year. Are you like rolling in dough at $40,000 a year? I'm not. Snyder: No, you're typically, you know, especially if you're a retiree, you're at a fixed income. And so, you know, one of the things I want to ask you about, I want to kind of close on this, is you talked about taxation now during the campaign, we're not a political show, but, you know, there were some policy preferences or suggestions about eliminating the tax on Social Security. First, Maurie, is that possible? And what would that mean to our conversation this morning about the cost of living adjustment? Related: Medicare beneficiaries quietly face looming crisis Backman: So, that's a tricky thing too, because so President-elect Trump had pledged to eliminate taxes on Social Security benefits. And a big part of me wants to say that that's a really good idea, because there's a lot of people whose income is really right above that threshold where they're liable for taxes, right? But since we just discussed that it was such a low threshold, these people cannot afford to lose some of their benefits to taxes. So, in that regard, I think eliminating taxes on Social Security benefits could be a positive thing. But then we also have to remember that Social Security doesn't just get funded by payroll taxes, it also gets funded by these taxes on benefits. Now, as it stands, we are already looking at a funding shortfall for Social Security. The program's combined trust funds are set to run dry in 2035. And at that point, benefit cuts could be on the table. So, now we have to balance the upside of not taxing Social Security so that seniors get to keep their benefits in full now versus the potential downside of, well, then what does that do to Social Security's overall financial picture? And what does that mean for benefit cuts down the line? It's a very tricky thing, and I do not envy lawmakers who have to make these decisions. And Jeff, to be clear, there's a push to not only end taxes on Social Security benefits, but also to change the way Social Security COLAs are calculated. That's a whole other issue because the reality is that the formula that's used now is not very beneficial to seniors. It really does not very accurately capture the costs that seniors specifically tend to incur. So, lawmakers really have their work cut out for them in the coming years with regard to Social Security. Snyder: They certainly do, Maurie. We've got a new Congress, a new president. Hey, look, they can't kick the can down the road too much longer because they're going to have to deal with other potential challenges. Maurie, it's always great to see you. Expert Analysis, as always. Thanks so much for joining us, and we look forward to having you back on the program again very soon. Backman: That's it. Snyder: And don't forget to subscribe to our daily newsletter, The Morning Pulse, for all the news in one place. Details, of course, at our website. And we're back again tomorrow for another edition of BRN. Until then, I'm Jeff Snyder. Stay safe, keep on saving, and don't forget, roll with the changes. Related: Jean Chatzky shares retirement tips on Social Security, Medicare The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Is Apple getting ready to launch a PlayStation and Xbox competitor?
The Apple TV is probably my favorite device that Apple makes. While the Apple TV app is in dire need of some basic improvements, the hardware box itself is a standout—especially compared to competitors like Amazon's Fire TV and Roku's streaming devices. This is largely thanks to the stellar Siri Remote, which makes navigating the device with your fingers or voice a cinch, and the powerful Apple silicon chip inside that makes the Apple TV's operating system, tvOS, run buttery smooth. Other countries are stepping up after Trump pulled the U.S. out of the climate fight Emotionally intelligent people use the 2-week rule to motivate themselves and reach their biggest goals Exclusive: Google is indexing ChatGPT conversations, potentially exposing sensitive user data However, when it comes to being a device meant to sit at the center of your living room as an all-encompassing entertainment hub, the Apple TV is lacking in one big department: gaming. The Apple TV is technically a gaming console, since it can play rudimentary games and supports third-party console controllers. But no one is likely to replace their PlayStation or Xbox with one any time soon, because the current Apple TV lacks the processing power to run console-quality games. Yet perhaps that could be changing. Recently, I've noticed that Apple has been making moves that suggest the company may be on the cusp of turning the Apple TV into a full-blown PlayStation and Xbox competitor. Doing so would open up another potential billion-dollar revenue stream for the company. The new Apple Games app is currently MIA from tvOS 26 At Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) this year, the company unveiled a new cross-device app called Apple Games. The app acts as a central hub and launcher for all the games you've ever bought on Apple's App Store or have access to via the company's Apple Arcade subscription service. The Apple Games app also gives you quick access to game events and challenges, and helps you discover new games to play and see what games your friends are playing. In other words, the new Apple Games app is similar to the PlayStation 5 Game Hub and the Xbox Dashboard—the interfaces on the consoles that significantly differentiate the living room gaming experience from PCs. Apple announced that Apple Games is coming to the iPhone, iPad, and Mac with iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS 26 this fall. But the new app is conspicuously absent from the Apple TV's next operating system, tvOS 26, which also ships this fall. This is a notable omission, especially considering that Apple markets its Apple Arcade gaming service as a core feature of the Apple TV experience. It also offers thousands of mobile-level games through the tvOS App Store. The more I think about the Apple Games omission from tvOS 26, the more it makes sense—if Apple is set to turn the Apple TV into a true gaming console but doesn't want anyone to know it yet. The next Apple TV is rumored to have two key hardware improvements essential to top-line gaming consoles Apple doesn't update the Apple TV as often as it does iPhones or even its iPads. Typically, years pass between Apple TV updates. The most recent Apple TV, the Apple TV 4K, was last updated in November 2022, nearly three years ago. That means it's ripe for an update this year. Rumors suggest that a new Apple TV is indeed coming later this year and that it will feature two significant hardware upgrades—ones that would enable it to become a true gaming console. The first is an updated chipset. The current Apple TV 4K features the Apple A15 Bionic chip, the same one found in the iPhone 13 from 2021. Most people expect the next Apple TV to get a significant upgrade—perhaps to the A18 or A18 Pro, found in the current iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro series, or perhaps even the unreleased A19 chip, which will go into this year's iPhone 17 series. It's also possible Apple could put the M1 or M2 chip, previously found in Macs and iPads, into the new Apple TV. This jump from the A15 to the A18, A19, M1, or M2 would give the Apple TV the performance boost it needs to run AAA console games, such as the Resident Evil series from Capcom, which are currently capable of running (with controller support, no less) on the iPhone 15 Pro, thanks to its A17 Pro chip. Another upgrade the next Apple TV is expected to get is a new Apple-designed Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chipset that will support the Wi-Fi 7 standard (via MacRumors). This standard offers lower latency and faster Wi-Fi speeds than the current Wi-Fi 6 standard—something critical for gaming consoles and the bandwidth-hungry games that stream to them. The leading games console, the PlayStation 5 Pro, currently offers Wi-Fi 7 support. In other words, the hardware components Apple needs to turn the next Apple TV into a PlayStation and Xbox competitor are all in the pipeline. And, increasingly, so is something else the Apple TV would need to become a true gaming console: increasing commitment to Apple's platforms from major games studios. More AAA games are hitting the Mac—and iPhone—than ever before In the video game industry, the top games are known as AAA (triple-A) titles. These are the games with the most advanced graphics and the biggest budgets, and are frequently the highlights of the console gaming experience. Historically, AAA game developers have shied away from releasing their major titles on the Mac (the Apple device with the hardware power most comparable to professional gaming consoles). But in the past year, that's changed a lot, thanks to Apple's move to make game development on the Mac easier and more cost-effective than ever, thanks to tools like the company's Game Porting Toolkit 3 and the hardware-accelerated graphics API, Metal 4, which makes graphics-intensive games look better on Mac and iPhone. Considering Apple devices are more popular than ever, game studios stand to financially benefit by bringing their biggest titles to Apple's platforms and their millions of users. In July alone, two major AAA titles made their debut on the Mac: CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate and Deep Silver's Dead Island 2. Other major AAA titles have also been released on the Mac over the past few years, including Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed: Shadows and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Remedy's Control Ultimate Edition, Kojima Productions' Death Stranding Director's Cut, Round 8 Studio's Lies of P, 11 Bit Studios' Frostpunk 2, and Capcom's Resident Evil series remastered editions. Additionally, more AAA titles are coming to the Mac this year, including IO Interactive's Hitman World of Assassination, InZOI Studio's InZOI, and Pearl Abyss' Crimson Desert. Most of these games require an M1 series chip or later, found in the company's Apple Silicon Macs released since 2020. Some, like the Resident Evil series, can even run on the A17 Pro and later, first introduced in 2023. Apple's current A18 Pro is roughly equivalent to the M1 in terms of performance, and if Apple puts it, the M1 or M2, or the upcoming A19 Pro, inside the next Apple TV, as expected, there is no reason these AAA games that currently run on the Mac couldn't run on the new Apple TV. And if that happens, the Apple TV becomes a professional-level gaming console. Turning the Apple TV into a gaming console makes sense for Apple's ecosystem and the company's bottom line When Apple announced the upcoming Apple Games app for all its devices except the Apple TV, it stood out as a glaring hole in the company's lineup, especially since Apple Games is a natural fit for the Apple TV. But when you take in the odd omission, along with recent rumors that the next Apple TV is set to get powerful new CPU and wireless chipsets, and the flood of new AAA titles hitting the Mac and iPhone this year, things start to look a lot clearer. Yet something else leads me to believe that Apple could be turning the Apple TV into a gaming console this year: the company's history of being unwilling to let software announcements spoil new hardware features. In the past, Apple has withheld software announcements at WWDC to avoid revealing upcoming hardware improvements to its devices. The AAA titles available on the Mac appear in Apple Games on the macOS 26 beta. If Apple had previewed Apple Games on the tvOS 26 beta, Mac games that run on the new unreleased Apple TV, including these AAA titles, might have also shown there. That would spoil a major, as-yet-unannounced feature for the as-yet-unannounced Apple TV. Of course, all this is just conjecture on my part. Still, all the signs seem to be pointing to Apple TV becoming a true gaming console. This would make a lot of business sense for Apple. At price points of $129 or $149, depending on whether you want more storage and an ethernet connection, the current Apple TV 4K is much more expensive than such competitors as the Roku Streaming Stick 4K ($49), the Roku Ultra ($99), and the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K ($49). However, if Apple gives the new Apple TV gaming console capabilities, the current $129/$149 price suddenly looks like a bargain. A triple-A gaming experience on the Apple TV would be a unique selling point that Roku or Amazon couldn't compete with. It could also give Apple a major new revenue stream in the form of 30% App Store commissions on AAA titles sold through the tvOS App Store. As of 2024, the global AAA gaming market is valued at approximately $75 billion annually, according to a July 2025 Business Research Insights report. It's expected to grow to nearly $108 billion by 2033. But most of all, a new Apple TV with console gaming capabilities would further solidify the device as the digital heart of the living room and smart home, giving users another reason to stay within Apple's ecosystem, both inside and outside the house—an ancillary benefit Apple likely finds invaluable. This post originally appeared at to get the Fast Company newsletter:
Wall Street Journal
an hour ago
- Wall Street Journal
The Fate of a Little-Known Company Behind Goldman's Apple Card Is in Limbo
Leland Strange is addicted to Dr Pepper and goes to Waffle House so often the staff knows how he likes his hash browns: with onions burned to a crisp. The unassuming 84-year-old is the force behind the little-known company that gives Apple's AAPL -2.50%decrease; red down pointing triangle credit card distinctive features, like bills on the first of every month and a payment wheel that shows cardholders their projected interest costs. His business confidants include Metallica's co-manager, who is also his company's second-biggest individual shareholder.
