Why You Can Trust CNET The iHome iGV1 smart speaker with Google Assistant is just $57 today
Originally $140, it supports Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Chromecast. Plus, a hilariously ingenious neckband fan and two bonus deals.
Cheeps! Trying something a little different today. Here are two quickie deals I wanted to get on your radar. Let me know if you like seeing these little "bonus deal" bursts at the top.
OK, on to the main event:
The iHome iGV1 was hard to recommend at $140, but a great buy at $57.
If you're in the market for a smart speaker and prefer Google's ecosystem to Amazon's, here's a pretty sweet deal. For a limited time, and while supplies last, Daily Steals has the iHome iGV1 Google Assistant Built-In Bedside Speaker System for $56.99 when you apply promo code CNETIHM at checkout. Back in 2018, when this first hit the market, it sold for $140.
Although iHome markets this as a bedside device, that's actually not its strong suit. As CNET's Andrew Gebhart pointed out in his iHome iGV1 review (and numerous users echoed in their own reviews), the clock display is annoyingly bright, even at its lowest setting. That might be fine for you, but it's definitely something you should know going in.
Instead, I say put this baby on an end table, in the kitchen or anywhere else a clock might be welcome. Or just ignore the clock altogether (the display can be turned off) and use it as a straight-up Google Assistant speaker, one that sounds much bigger and better than, say, the Echo Dot with Clock.
Speaking of sound, Gebhart noted that the iGV1's microphones did a great job picking up his voice, even through a closed door, and that audio quality matched that of the full-size Google Home . Meanwhile, the speaker scored a respectable 4.4-star average rating from Amazon customers, overbright display notwithstanding.
I think a midsize smart speaker at this price is definitely worth a look.
Your thoughts?
This wearable neck fan can transform into two handheld fans for just $16.49
You can wear this while walking around, too, or detach one or both fans to use as handhelds.
Filed under "Products I Didn't Know Existed but Now Can't Live Without," the Opolar Hand Free Neckband Fan is exactly what it sounds like: A fan you wear around your neck, the better to keep your face cool and maybe even keep mosquitoes at bay. It's actually two fans, and here's the cool (ha!) part: You can unscrew them from the neckband and use them as individual handheld fans.
For a limited time, and while supplies last, the Opolar Hand Free Neckband Fan is just $16.49 with promo code 505JEXKI.
Make no mistake, this is a big, dorky thing to put around your neck. People will laugh at you. And then you'll laugh at them because you're staying nice and cool.
But it's not so heavy as to be uncomfortable, and you can adjust the soft, flexible band and the fans so the airflow goes exactly where you want it. The fans charge independently via USB and can run for up to four hours on the lower of the two speed settings.
There are similar products priced about the same, but they have hard plastic neckbands and don't let you detach the fans. This is a great little item; ingenious, practical and super cheap.
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