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Tablet Tuesday: Get a Kindle Fire HDX 4G LTE tablet for $229

For the same price as the Wi-Fi-only model, you can enjoy 4G service from AT&T or Verizon. Plus: two bonus deals!

Rick Broida Senior Editor
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida
3 min read

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Amazon

I'm just going to come out and say it (again): I consider the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX the Rolls Royce of tablets. The 7-inch model has been my preferred travel companion for nearly a year, for reasons I'll explain shortly.

For now, this: Today only, Amazon has the Kindle Fire HDX 7-inch tablet (16GB) with 4G LTE for $229 shipped. That's a full $100 off the regular price, and exactly what you'd normally pay for the Wi-Fi-only version. (The 32GB and 64GB models are on sale as well for $269 and $309.)

Don't want "Special Offers" ads on your lock screen? That's silly, if you ask me -- you see the lock screen for, what, a second before swiping past it? And sometimes the deals are exclusives. Occasionally they're awesome. In any case, you can pay an extra $15 to remove them, either now or later.

Anyway, 7-inch tablets equipped with 4G are few and far between. Given the ubiquity of Wi-Fi these days, I'm not sure it's something many people need -- but it's certainly nice to have the option. If you're already an AT&T or Verizon subscriber, you may be able to add the Kindle for relatively cheap. Otherwise, plans appear to start at $15 and $30, respectively. The good news is there's no contract required, so you should be able to start and stop service as needed.

As I noted above, I seriously dig the HDX. Just as Amazon intended, it's awesome for consuming content like books, music, movies, and magazines. As a Prime subscriber, I especially love being able to download movies and TV shows for offline viewing, like when I'm on a long flight.

I'm also totally ape for Amazon's X-Ray feature: When I'm dying to figure out where I recognize that actor from, I just pause the playback for an instant pop-up playbill of who's onscreen.

I've seen the Wi-Fi HDX dip below $200, but it's rare to see deals on the 4G model. If you've been waiting on a tablet that can stay connected pretty much anywhere you go, hop on this sale before it's over.

Bonus deal: Game time! Newegg has followed up yesterday's awesome Borderlands deal with an even more awesome deal: BioShock, BioShock 2, and BioShock Infinite for $10.70 when you apply coupon code EMCPCHH99 at checkout. These are among my all-time favorite games, and they're a steal at this price. Note that all three require a Steam account for download and installation.

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Humble Bundle

Bonus deal No. 2: Just can't wait for "The Walking Dead" to return to TV? Why not pass the time by reading the comic-book series that started it all? Humble Bundle's The Walking Dead bundle lets you pay what you want for four comic collections: The Walking Dead, Vol. 1 (issues 1-6); Ghosted, Vol. 1; Invincible, Vol. 1; and Witch Doctor, Vol. 1. Beat the average (currently $10.45) to unlock tons more. And there are higher tiers that can net you a T-shirt and even an action figure. As always, some proceeds go to charity. The comics are all DRM-free and available in a variety of formats.