Get the OnePlus Buds, a true AirPods alternative, for $59 (save $20)

Lots of people love the fit and feel of hard-plastic earbuds, which helps explain why Apple's AirPods are so popular. It's surprising, then, that so few competitors make a similar product. The vast majority of modern true-wireless earbuds -- pretty much everything recent from Anker, Edifier, Jabra, Samsung, Sony and others -- incorporate an in-ear design with silicone ear tips.

So are AirPods your only option? Thankfully, no: For a limited time, and while supplies last, the OnePlus Buds are on sale for $59 -- $20 off the regular price and literally $100 less than the current-gen AirPods. But not that you can routinely find the latter selling for $129, and they'll be just $99 at Walmart on Nov. 11.

If Amazon happens to run out or the sale ends before you catch it, OnePlus proper also has the Buds discounted to $59.

As you can tell from the photo, the Buds are decidedly similar to Apple's AirPods, with a hard-plastic design that does not block outside noise. Whether or not that's desirable is, of course, entirely up to you. (The Buds do promise something called "environmental noise cancellation" for improved sound during phone calls.)

Here's the thing: If traditional AirPods fit your ears well, chances are good these will, too. Some users may find them uncomfortable. The same is true for any earbuds you buy, including those that use the aforementioned silicone ear tips.

CNET hasn't reviewed the OnePlus Buds, but the reviews I've seen elsewhere are mostly positive. (A couple thousand Amazon customers collectively rated them 4 stars out of 5.) Battery life is excellent, and the charging case relies on USB-C (though doesn't support wireless charging). The earbuds are IPX4-rated for water resistance; AirPods are not.

Read more: Best cheap true-wireless earbuds in 2020: Top AirPods alternatives for $100 or less

They also offer ear detection, meaning they'll automatically pause and resume play when you take one out and put it back in. However, unless you're pairing them with a OnePlus phone, you can't customize the earbuds' double-tap controls.

Bottom line: If you like hard-plastic earbuds but don't like spending $129 or more on AirPods, this is an affordable alternative.

Your thoughts?

This article was first published last week. 

Watch this: Trying the best cheap wireless earbuds under $40

13:23

Put an ice maker on your counter for $99

Some refrigerators don't have built-in ice makers. And many that do, well, why do they break so often? (I'm looking at you, LG fridge with ice maker that broke twice within the first year.)

Anyway, there are lots of reasons to consider a countertop ice maker -- especially when it's on sale. For a limited time, the Costway Mini Portable Compact Electric Ice Maker Machine drops to $99 with promo code DN05284716. Note that you must have a Costway account in order to use that code. The machine is available in a variety of colors.

Just pour some water in and push a button. Ice cubes will start appearing within 6-13 minutes (a weirdly wide range, I'll admit). It can make up to 26 pounds of ice per day, according to Costway (though not all at once, of course). What's nice is that the machine is fairly portable, meaning you could bring it with you to, say, an outdoor party or even on a boat -- anywhere there's electricity.

I haven't tried one of these, but over at Amazon (where it's currently on sale for $120, but regularly $140), it has a 4.4-star average rating from over 2,000 buyers.

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