Image: Walmart.com
Walmart is now selling a TracFone-branded LG smartphone that costs $9.82 (it also ships free if your online order total tops $50). Now, there are a few reasons why you may not want such a smartphone—for one, it's running an outdated version of Android that may make it vulnerable to hackers—but there's no denying that it represents something pretty special.For less than $10 (plus the cost of data access) the user gets access to the Google Play app store, giving him or her the power to summon transportation at the push of a button, instantly connect with friends, and watch livestreams from all over the world. A bona fide smartphone, in other words.It's perhaps even more impressive when you consider that its modest specs—a 3.8-inch display, 3G and Wi-Fi networking, and a 3-megapixel camera—surpass those of the original iPhone, which was referred to in the tech press at the time as the "Jesus phone."The sole user review of the TracFone on Walmart's website gives it four stars out of a possible five, with user traeguth calling it "pretty darn good" and "a steal" for the price.So while this smartphone may never support bleeding-edge features like Now on Tap, it's still a tiny computer in your pocket, which should not be dismissed lightly.