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Multi-deal Monday: Monitors, Oomas, convertibles, and more!

That sound you hear is your credit card trying to escape your wallet for these amaze-balls deals.

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

Some days, deals are hard to come by. Others, they come fast and furious, to the point where I can't settle on just one. This is one of those days!

1. AOC 4 U and me

aoc-e2450swd.png
Woot

This is probably too good to last the day, but I must share anyway: Computers.Woot has the refurbished AOC E2450SWD 24-inch LED monitor for $99.99, plus $5 for shipping. Whaaat!

Granted, it's a little on the entry-level side, and it sells new at places like Staples for as low as $140. But a 24-inch monitor for under $100? I'm not sure I've ever seen that.

The AOC has DVI and VGA inputs (no HDMI, alas), and because it's a refurb, the warranty expires after 90 days. But if you read the nearly 200 user reviews over there at Staples, you'll see endless love (in the form of a 4.5-star average) for this monitor.

2. iLuv NFC, and you do, too.

iluv-mobiaria-on-shelf.png
iLuv

Bluetooth speakers? Awesome. Bluetooth speakers with NFC? Double-awesome, so long as you have an NFC-equipped smartphone or tablet. That makes pairing as easy as touching the two gizmos together. (Hey, um, Apple, why do you hate NFC?)

While you're at Woot, click over to the Sellout section and grab the iLuv MobiAria NFC-enabled Bluetooth speaker for $49.99, plus $5 for shipping. It sells elsewhere for at least $80.

This is no pocket-size portable speaker, but rather something you'd stick on a bookshelf for living-room audio goodness. It's a big, monolithic slab of black plastic that, based on the very positive user reviews at Amazon, sounds very good.

3. A Transformer that doesn't suck

hp-split-x2-angled.png
HP

Michael Bay's "Transformers"? Barf. Transforming laptops? Yes, please!

For a limited time and while supplies last, DealFisher has the refurbished HP Split x2 13.3-inch convertible laptop/tablet for $469.99, shipped. Price elsewhere: in the $600 range.

This isn't one of those hinged, Yoga-style systems, but rather a keyboard dock with a removable screen (or a screen with a removable keyboard -- potato, potahto).

The specs are solid for an entry-level machine: Intel Core i3 processor, 4GB of RAM, 128GB SSD, and even Beats Audio speakers. However, this isn't exactly a lightweight at just under five pounds.

CNET hasn't reviewed this model, and in fact, I found few pro-level reviews anywhere. But based on various user reviews I've perused, this is a great laptop -- except for the weight. Such is the price, I think, of a convertible or hybrid with a bigger display.

4. Ooma? Oprah! Oprah? Ooma!

ooma-telo-angled.png
Ooma

To my thinking, there's no better landline replacement than Ooma. Buy the hardware and you'll enjoy unlimited local and long-distance calling for a few bucks per month. Step up to Ooma Premium ($10/month) for a gazillion cool additional features (like blacklisting, essential in this robo-call political season).

Normally the Ooma Telo box runs $150, but until Aug. 2, you can get an Ooma Telo for $99.99. That's after a $30 post-activation rebate (PDF), which is applied to the credit card you use to activate your Ooma account.

In the meantime, you'll grab the Telo from Amazon, Best Buy, or one of various other retailers participating in the promotion. (My advice: pick Newegg, which offers your best chance for dodging sales tax.)

Bonus deal: What? After all that, you want another deal? Well, I aim to please! Get your trigger finger ready: For a limited time, Newegg has Borderlands Game of the Year Edition and Borderlands 2 for $8.49 (both for Windows) when you apply coupon code EMCYTZG693 at checkout. Your purchase will produce codes for downloading and installing the games via Steam. Both are tons of fun and come highly recommended by yours truly.