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5-deal Friday: Dirt-cheap games, sport 'phones and more!

From the Cheapskate: Dead Space for a dime? Yep. An MFP with AirPrint for under $30? Yep. All that and more!

Rick Broida Senior Editor
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida
3 min read

CNET's Cheapskate scours the Web for great deals on PCs, phones, gadgets and much more. Questions about the Cheapskate blog? Find the answers on our FAQ page.


Let's kick the weekend off right with five -- count 'em, five -- deals!

1. Meet your new 'buds

Cheap earphones are exactly that, right? Not always: Jokeret (via Amazon) has the Magnet Sports RM-S2 Bluetooth headset for $22.99 when you apply coupon code OFLCG958 at checkout. These behind-the-neck earphones come in green or black (the first two colors; the others are different versions of the product) and feature inline controls, a zippered carrying case, three earbud sizes and a mountain of ear hooks.

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$23 out the door? Sold! Jokeret

I got some ears-on time with these, and they sound surprisingly good. Like, way better than I expected given the price. That said, I probably wouldn't go running with them, as the inline control unit, though slim, tends to bounce around uncomfortably.

Also, the instructions don't explain how to use the ear hooks, which can require a maddening amount of experimentation.

On the plus side, my music played without interruption when I was outdoors, even when my phone was way down in my pocket. Other Bluetooth headsets I've tried experienced occasional dropouts. For the price, these are hard to beat.

2. Dime is on your side

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Google

Quick! Check the couch cushions. If you can scrounge up a dime, you can score a great game from the Google Play Store.

That's because, for a limited time, EA and Chillingo are offering a baker's dozen Android games for just 10 cents apiece. I'm not familiar with all of them, but I will say that Contre Jour, Dead Space, Monopoly and Need for Speed Most Wanted are, at this price, must-buys.

3. Today your prints will come

I can't pass up a good deal on a multifunction printer, especially one with wireless savvy.

For a limited time, and while supplies last, Adorama has the Canon Pixma MG3522 wireless all-in-one printer for $29.95 shipped. That's after applying coupon code 1CHEAPSKTE at checkout. (Yep: Cheapskate exclusive! And nope: I did not misspell that code!)

This super-compact MFP can print, copy and scan, and it supports AirPrint for easily wireless printing from your iPhone or iPad. It also offers duplex printing, a surprising (and awesome) feature for such an inexpensive model. (The last I dared to suggest that was a non-essential, readers took me out to the woodshed.)

4. Winter is coming...

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Aukey

...so you should be prepared for a dead battery. In your car, I mean. If you don't already have a mobile jump-starter, consider the Aukey PB-C2 multifunction car jump-starter for $50 shipped when you apply coupon code EAP8LOB2 at checkout. Regular price: $69.99.

This thing looks like your average mobile device charger, but apparently it can also start a car! It packs a 12,000mAh battery that Aukey says can deliver up to 20(!) jump-starts. It also has an LED flashlight (handy because car batteries only ever die at night) and two USB ports: 2.1A and 1A.

The whole thing comes in a car-friendly plastic carrying case, complete with jump cables. I'll confess I have zero experience with mobile jump-starters like this, so if you do, hit the comments and share your thoughts. I'm pretty tempted to grab one.

5. The host with the most

Need an online home for your new blog, business or political-rant site? Plenty of hosting services have cheap deals, but they don't get much cheaper than this: StackSocial is offering six months of Doteasy Web hosting for free.

This is the company's "Unlimited SSD 100" plan, which would normally run you $11.95 per month -- or about $72 for six months. And although the storage isn't unlimited (you get 100GB), pretty much everything else is: domains, mail accounts, data transfer, etc.

After your six months, you can always hop to another host, or just keep on going at the regular rate. Which is very competitive, if you ask me.

Thoughts?