About that $300 laptop at Wal-Mart...

Have you seen this laptop?

(Credit: Wal-Mart)

Last Friday, Wal-Mart announced a selection of in-store discounts, including a 15-inch Compaq laptop for $298, that would be part of a one-day, in-store sale. That day, November 8, has come and gone, but what about the remaining supplies of the participating laptop, the Compaq CQ50-139WM?

The laptop is listed on Wal-Mart's Web site, but you can't buy it online or even find out the price, which is listed as varying by store. I used Walmart.com's store locator earlier today and plugged in more than a dozen zip codes chosen at random to find out if it was still available and, if so, for how much. Every result returned was the same: Not in stock.

I gave up and submitted my First Take of the product to copy edit this morning, and full-time copy editor and part-time Crave blogger Daren Darrow uncovered Compaq CQ50-139WM hiding out in his home state of Oklahoma. We both called the Henryetta, Okla., Wal-Mart and were told that they have the laptop, but it costs $398.

Even at $400, it still costs less than most Netbooks. Given that it uses a single-core Intel Celeron processor, it likely performs on par with a Netbook, but with less battery life. For those on a tight budget who care more about screen size than portability, the Compaq CQ50-139WM might work. Good luck finding though. If you've had any luck finding this laptop, please let me and Crave readers know below.