Why You Can Trust CNET Four-deal Friday: A $9.99 Bluetooth speaker and more!
From the Cheapskate: Killer deals on Chromebooks, hybrid laptops and games.
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Or, in this case, daily deals (plural). Today, in honor of Friday and alliteration (my very favorite "ration," above even "hyd-" and "celeb-"), I've got four sweet deals. Four-deal Friday.
This speaker, 10 bucks. You're welcome.
Starting with this one: For a limited time, and while supplies last, BobTronics (via Amazon) is offering the Urge Basics Cuatro portable Bluetooth speaker for just $9.99 shipped (with Prime) when you apply promo code DD8UK62M at checkout.
Update: Some folks are reporting that the code isn't working. I just tested it (again) and it's still okay at this end, so I'm not sure what the issue is. Make sure there are no spaces before or after the code -- that can be a factor.
Update No. 2: It appears this deal is officially done, because the code no longer works. Sorry if you missed out; congrats if you managed to score the speaker!
Available in your choice of red, green, blue or orange, the Cuatro is a really cute little brick-shaped speaker -- way better-looking than most, in fact.
It's good for up to eight hours on a charge, according to Urge Basics, and it supports Bluetooth 4.0, meaning you can keep two devices paired to it. (That's really convenient.)
Of particular interest, the user reviews average out to 4.1 stars -- and the quality of those reviews earned an 'A' grade from Fakespot, something I don't think I've ever seen. At $9.99 out the door, this is the Bluetooth speaker deal of the year (so far)...
'Shock'-ing game deal
...followed closely by one of the better game deals of the year: Green Man Gaming has the BioShock triple-pack for $8.99. (You need a GMG account to get that price, which will appear once you add the games to your cart. Otherwise they're $9.99, still a killer bargain.)
You get BioShock, BioShock 2 and BioShock Infinite, all of which rank among my favorite PC games of all time. This deal ends tomorrow (July 30).
Back-to-school laptop option 1
A Chromebook for just $129. That's amaze-balls.
As we swing into August, it's time to start thinking seriously about the laptop your student is going to need for school.
Option number one: a Chromebook. Like this one: Walmart has the Hisense Chromebook for $129 shipped (plus tax). It's an 11.6-inch system with fairly rudimentary specs -- but what does the average, say, middle-schooler really need?
A screen. A keyboard. A browser, a word processor, maybe access to e-mail. A Chromebook affords all of that, along with freedom from viruses and other Windows-y hassles. The only downside is that getting a Chromebook connected to your printer can be challenging. So if printing is a key consideration, consider option two...
Back-to-school laptop option 2
Need or prefer Windows? Hey, sometimes you gotta dance with the devil. (I kid, I kid... my grief level with Windows is definitely lower than it used to be. Yet I still find cause to roll my eyes at it once a week or so.)
For a limited time, and while supplies last, Daily Steals has the refurbished Acer Aspire Switch 11.6-inch hybrid laptop for $219.99 shipped. This same model runs at least $40 more elsewhere, or closer to $350 if you opt for a new one.
The Switch features an Intel Core M processor, 4GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD -- decent specs for any laptop in this price range. But this isn't actually a laptop: It's a tablet that comes with a detachable keyboard. And unlike a lot of similar hybrids, that keyboard dock has a hinge that rotates well past 270 degrees, meaning you can position the screen in both "tent" and "presentation" modes.
I haven't found a ton of reviews (if you go looking, don't confuse this with the newer "V" model), but a handful here and there suggest a four-out-of-five-star product. It comes with a 90-day Acer warranty.
Have a great weekend, cheeps! See you back here on Monday.