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Walmart’s $97 iPhone: a bargain?

Walmart is offering the iPhone at a hundred dollars less than the Apple store, but with a restrictive contract and a new iPhone on the way, it might not be worth it.

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Walmart’s slogan is “Low prices are just the beginning”. That phrase can be applied to the process of figuring out if their offer of an iPhone 3GS for $97 is a bargain or not. Sure, it’s a low price, over a hundred dollars less than what Apple charges for the phone, but that’s just the beginning. You’re also entering into a two-year contract with AT&T because that is the only carrier that supports the iPhone. Essentially, you’re placing a bet that this phone and this carrier will be the right choice for the next two years of your life.

Thing is, Apple is just about to announce a new iPhone with a forward facing camera for video conferencing, a better screen, and some other improvements we don’t even know about yet. And AT&T might not be the exclusive carrier forever as rumors persist about Verizon and other companies maybe getting into the mix.

We unpack the Walmart bargain with John Biggs of Crunch Gear and Leander Kahney of Cult of Mac.

Also, we hear about a simple add-on to your Firefox browser that will remove teen heartthrob Justin Bieber from your online experience.

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