Get a refurbished Kindle Fire tablet for $69.99
It's the first-gen Fire, but still one of the best tablets around for consuming movies, music, TV shows, and, of course, books. Plus: an incredible online-backup deal.
Just yesterday I told you about Ematic's new 7-inch Android tablet, which goes on sale next month for $79.99. If you can't wait, or prefer to stick with a name brand, today's your lucky day.
While supplies last (and I guarantee you they won't last long), CNET has this exclusive deal: the refurbished Amazon Kindle Fire (first gen) tablet for $69.99 (plus sales tax) when you use coupon code CNETFIRE at checkout. There's no shipping charge because the seller is Best Buy, and you'll need to visit your closest store to pick up the product. There's a limit of three per customer.
If this sounds familiar, it's because CNET ran a similar promotion last month, though with a rather unfortunate tech glitch. Hopefully this time everything will go smoother (and based on what I know of the advance testing this time out, it should).
You probably don't need me to tell you much about the Kindle Fire, but I'll share a few thoughts anyway. This was Amazon's first color tablet, introduced in 2011. It weighs just under a pound and measures 7.6 x 4.8 x 0.4 inches. It's on the boxy side, but with a nice rubbery backside for easier gripping.
The Fire notoriously lacks a few amenities, like Bluetooth, an expansion slot, and cameras. However, and this is what counts, it hooks into Amazon's ecosystem, most notably Amazon Prime, to deliver a king's ransom in books, movies, music, and TV shows. If you like to consume that kind of stuff, the Fire is arguably one of the best tablets on the planet. (Ultimately, you'll have to decide if Amazon Prime is worth $79 annually. Given the recent additions of "Justified" and "The Shield," two of my favorite shows -- which aren't available on Netflix, ahem -- I definitely think it is.)
And, of course, it can run virtually all Android apps, though you'll get them via Amazon's Appstore, not Google Play. For all intents and purposes, tomato, tomahto.
Because this is a refurb, it comes with a 90-day warranty. For what it's worth, I grabbed one of these the last time around, and it arrived at Best Buy in mint condition (though with little more than a box and USB cable). For $69.99, this is still an incredible deal, especially if you're new to tablets or just want something the kids can paw without you worrying about a $300 to $500 investment.
Like I said, these won't last long. If you're interested, don't hesitate.
Bonus deal: Still haven't found the ideal backup service, one that blends high capacity with low price? Try this on for size: StackSocial is offering three years of SOS Online Backup (100GB) for $29. Normally a one-year subscription runs $99.99. Here you're getting three, which works out to less than 10 bucks per year. Plus, you get backup for up to five PCs, Macs, Android devices, and/or iDevices. By the way, that's my referral link. If you'd rather not use it (no harm, no foul), grab the deal here. Either way, this seems wayyyy too good to pass up.
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