Get a 10.1-inch Toshiba Excite tablet for $199.99 shipped

About a year ago, the Toshiba Excite 10 LE debuted to somewhat lukewarm reviews. Priced at a whopping $530 for the 16GB model, it was praised for its thin, lightweight design, but dinged for its so-so screen and proprietary charger.

With today's deal, let's see if our perspective changes at all. Today only, and while supplies last, 1SaleADay has the refurbished Toshiba Excite 10 LE Android tablet for $199.99 shipped. That's one of the lowest prices I've seen on a 10.1-inch tablet, especially one with this design.

Quick note before I proceed: 1SaleADay continues to draw the ire of some readers for its slow shipping and inconsistent communication. My advice: expect a 2- to 3-week wait. I've ordered from this company several times, and have always received my products in good condition -- usually within 1 to 2 weeks. Your mileage may vary, of course.

The Excite 10 LE measures 0.3 inch thick and weighs 1.2 pounds. The comparable 9.7-inch iPad is just a hair thicker, but weighs 1.44 pounds. As CNET's Donald Bell so succinctly put it, "If most 10-inch tablets feel like a cutting board, this one feels like a knife."

On the spec front, the tablet covers the basics well enough with its dual-core TI processor, 16GB of built-in storage, and 1,280 x 800-pixel IPS Gorilla Glass screen. It also provides Bluetooth, GPS, Wi-Fi (but not 3G), HDMI out, and a microSD slot.

Although it originally came with Android 3.2, this refurb has already been upgraded to Android 4.0. I haven't found any substantial evidence that Toshiba will offer Jelly Bean, but at least one source noted its availability for similar models in the Excite 10 line.

The tablet's shortcomings remain. That screen is decent, but a far cry from Retina. And proprietary chargers, like the one used here, are a huge pain in the butt -- though I suppose iPad users live with them, after a fashion. (Apple gear is so ubiquitous, those connectors hardly seem proprietary.)

Ah, but consider the price: a mere $199.99 out the door. Suddenly it's a lot easier to overlook a few minor issues. If you've been eyeballing a big tablet but didn't want to spend $300-$400 (or more), this might be just the thing.

Bonus deal: Remember how crazy-cheap hard drives were getting a couple years ago, before some factory disaster drove prices up? Well, happy (i.e., crazy-cheap) days are here again. Newegg has the Seagate Expansion 2TB USB 3.0 external hard drive for $79.99 shipped. That's after applying coupon code EMCYTZT3382 at checkout. Good gravy, that's a lot of storage for not a lot of dough.

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