Get a refurbished Asus VivoTab RT 10-inch tablet for $139
Even if you don't love RT, at this price you almost have to consider it. Don't you?
Cheapskate regulars know my feelings about Windows: bloated, buggy, overpriced, outdated piece of...
Whoops, sorry, I forgot: family blog. Anyway, for all my complaining about Windows, the reality is that it gets the job done for most folks -- and you can forgive a lot when staring at a deal like this.
Today only, and while supplies last, DailySteals has the refurbished Asus VivoTab RT 10.1-inch tablet for $139, shipped. Let me repeat that: a 10...inch...Windows tablet...for $139.
What's not immediately clear is whether the VivoTab comes with a keyboard. In most configurations it does, and many of the listing page photos show one -- but it's not mentioned anywhere in the description. I've reached out to DailySteals for clarification and will update the post once I get it. For now, I'm assuming there's no keyboard.
Update: There's no keyboard.
And that's OK, because even without one, this is a 10-inch Windows tablet for $139. And let's check the rest of the specs: 1.3GHz quad-core processor, 32GB of solid-state storage, a microSD slot for adding more, dual cameras (including an 8-megapixel rear camera with flash), Bluetooth 4.0 and even NFC. (Full specs here.)
The 10.1-inch touchscreen runs at 1,366x768 -- more than sufficient for this size. (Anyone who says you need 1080p or higher on a 10-inch display is just plain silly.) That's an IPS+ display, by the way, which is "noticeably brighter than the Surface," according to CNET's very favorable review .
Like other Windows RT tablets, this one comes with Office 2013. Also like other Windows RT tablets, it can't run Windows 8 software; only Windows apps. That leaves out programs like Google Chrome and iTunes.
Remember, though, this isn't meant to take the place of your desktop or laptop. It's a tablet in much the same way the iPad is a tablet -- except it's priced at $139. And you can use it for Netflix, Evernote, Web browsing, email and all that other tablet-y stuff. At this price, I find it easy to overlook the handful of things Windows RT can't do. Your thoughts?
Bonus deal: Hey, don't forget, today is your last chance at winning a sweet set of A-Audio headphones. Of course, if you want to hedge your bets, consider buying a sweet set outright. For a limited time, StackSocial has the AIAIAI TMA-1 DJ Headphones for $159, shipped. List price: $200. (Just to clarify, there are a couple different TMA-1 models out there; this one includes the three-button in-line remote with microphone.) Check out CNET's review (five stars, Editors' Choice award), which called the TMA-1 "ideal for traveling DJs who need tough headphones with an up-front, bass-slamming sound profile."
Bonus deal No. 2: Mea culpa: The MacBook Air deal I shared the other day wasn't fabulous. In fact, I made a few mistakes in describing it, for which I apologize profusely. Here's a much better configuration that's just $100 more: For a limited time (possibly very limited), Newegg Flash has the refurbished MacBook Air MC969LL/A for $599, shipped. Specs include an Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM, a 128GB SSD and an 11.6-inch screen. It comes with OS X 10.9 Mavericks.