Get a Sphero robot ball for $49.96

This thing is a ball.

I know, I should totally write comedy for a living. Because see what I did there? With the words? And the funny?

Okay, resuming day job. The best toys and gadgets are, of course, radio-controlled toys and gadgets: cars, boats, airplanes, and, much to my surprise, balls.

Specifically, this ball. For a limited time, ShopTronics has the Sphero robotic ball gaming system for Android or iOS for $49.96, plus $10 for shipping. That's after applying coupon code SPHEROCNET at checkout. Yep, it's another Cheapskate exclusive! (And the last time I wrote about this, it was $85.)

The Sphero is a Bluetooth-connected gizmo controlled by your smartphone or tablet. Using tilt sensors or onscreen controls, you can "drive" the ball around, which is cool enough by itself.

But Sphero can also play all kinds of games, including some nifty augmented-reality titles. For example, try steering Sphero away virtual onscreen zombies in The Rolling Dead (arguably the best game name ever). Or how about a game of Sphero Golf?

The ball itself is darn near indestructible. It glows in all sorts of cool colors. It charges wirelessly. It's waterproof. In short, it's one seriously sweet little toy. (My dog especially loves it.) Amazon customers collectively rated it around 4 stars, and that was based on a higher price (currently $69.99).

If you're not totally convinced you need one of these, consider your dad: Father's Day is just two months away.

Bonus deal: I know most of you already have all the tablets you need, but I can't let a good Kindle deal go by. For a limited time, and while supplies last, All4Cellular has the refurbished Kindle Fire HD (16GB) for $89.99 shipped. That's an insanely good price for such a great tablet, though I can't find any info on the warranty. Might be 90 days, might be a full year (which is the coverage for refurb Kindles purchased directly from Amazon). Check with A4C first if you're concerned.