Why You Can Trust CNET Get an Apple Watch Sport 38mm for $164.99
From the Cheapskate: That's the lowest price I've seen on the single best smartwatch for iPhone owners. Plus: three bonus deals, including free software!
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Yesterday I shared an Android Wear-powered smartwatch. Today, let's look at the Apple option.
Specifically, the first-generation Apple Watch, which is now available for considerably less than a new one. For a limited time, and while supplies last, Best Buy has the refurbished Apple Watch Sport 38mm in white or space gray for $164.99 shipped plus tax.
I don't know how long these will last at this price. The last time Best Buy sold refurb Apple Watches at a higher price, buyers snapped them up quick.
As I've mentioned before, I'm an Apple Watch owner, and I find it useful for two things: telling me the time and relaying notifications from my phone. Everything else? Meh. I don't use the fitness features at all because I already exercise regularly, and I find most apps pointless. In fact, I remain miffed that Apple still limits me to just a smattering of watch faces, most of them pretty dull. Android Wear utterly destroys Watch OS in this respect, by the way.
So why bother with this thing at all? Like I said: notifications. Although watches like the Martian Notifier and Pebble Time can deliver them as well, neither of those integrate as well (or as reliably) with iOS -- and neither make it as easy to kick back replies to text messages. Indeed, I love being able to reply using canned text, emoji or a dictated response. That's insanely handy.
And, hey, you might get a lot more use out of your Watch than I do. The remote camera-trigger feature is something I really should use but always forget about, and I do occasionally appreciate the play/pause controls for audio.
As for the battery, well, you'll almost certainly have to recharge the Watch every night. (The same is true of most Android Wear products.) But this isn't the hassle I thought it would be; I just plop it onto its inductive charger on my nightstand. If only charging an iPhone was that easy!
Will you be able to score an even better deal as Black Friday and Cyber Monday near? Perhaps. I could see holding out for a new Watch rather than a refurb, as the warranty here is just 90 days. But if you've always liked the idea of the Apple Watch but couldn't stomach the $349-and-up pricing, this your chance to save big. Really big.
Bonus deal: Not to sound like a broken record, record, record... If you own a Samsung Galaxy phone, it's time to treat yourself to a Gear VR headset -- which has never been cheaper than it is today. And only today: A4C has the first-gen Samsung Gear VR for $44.95 shipped. Surprisingly, it's new, not refurbished. Take note, however, that although the product page indicates compatibility with the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, this version of the Gear VR is not compatible with those phones. For an S7 you'd need the 2nd-gen Gear VR, which A4C has refurbished for $69.95.
This versatile mobile charger features a USB-C input and very compact design.
Bonus deal 2: I've long been a fan of Solove's mobile chargers, largely because they're just so slick-looking. The company's new models aren't nearly as sexy, but they are a lot more compact -- and they incorporate a forward-thinking USB-C input (for recharging) alongside the usual Micro-USB.
Want to check them out? You can get the Solove A9S 10,000mAh mobile charger for $21.99 with promo code GYO6G4DE, or the A8S 20,000mAh mobile charger for $28.99 with the same code. Both versions offer two 2.4-amp USB ports and a nifty red numeric LCD power gauge.
Bonus deal 3: I don't know if anyone is still ripping DVDs these days (I don't think I've touched a DVD in about two years), but if you're looking to bring an old library of them into the digital age, here you go.
For a limited time, Digiarty is offering its WinX DVD Ripper Platinum (for Windows) for free. (It's available for Mac users as well.) And if you need to convert some videos to other formats, you can also grab WinX HD Video Converter Deluxe for free -- Digiarty is giving away 500 copies per day between now and December 4.