Why You Can Trust CNET Get a GoPro Hero4 Black for $149.99
It's a refurb, but a factory-sealed one with a full one-year GoPro warranty. Plus: two bonus deals!
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Once upon a time: $500 new. Now: $150, good as new.
Yesterday I brought you a Beats earphone deal. And speaking of premium brands: Are GoPro cameras worth it? Especially when you can buy any number of knock-offs for considerably less?
I'd argue that if you can get a GoPro at a truly competitive price, you should get that GoPro. Which brings us to this: For a limited time, and while supplies last, GoPro (via Ebay) has the refurbished Hero4 Black action camera for $149.99 shipped. This model originally sold for $500(!) and now runs at least $258 new.
Update: Aagh! Moments after I posted the deal, this happened: "This listing was ended by the seller because there was an error in the listing." Maybe an error in pricing? GoPro's own website sells the refurb Hero4 Black for $279.99. Anyway: sigh. So sorry for this sudden deal loss. Please direct your attention to the bonus deals below to see what else is on offer today.
Update #2: Well, I'm stumped. Now it seems to back? Maybe I pasted in the wrong link? But I just double-checked and it's definitely there now. So yay!
Don't worry about the refurbished-ness. These come straight from GoPro, meaning they're factory-sealed (as opposed to, say, open-box) and backed by a full one-year warranty, same as a new GoPro would be.
As for the Hero4 Black itself, I don't like it quite as much as the Silver, which has a color touchscreen -- but there's no question this is a capable camera.
To wit: The Hero4 can capture 4K video at 30 frames per second (fps) and 1080p at 120fps.
If you're new to the whole action-cam thing, you'll want to read CNET's review of the GoPro Hero4 Black. Spoiler alert: It earned a score of 8.2 out of 10, and Josh Goldman called it "our top choice for most people." Granted, that was back in 2014, but it was also based on a $500 price tag. More than 1,000 Amazon customers rated it 4 stars out of 5, too.
So, yeah, pretty sweet camera. And it comes with the standard waterproof housing, which is good to depths of 131 feet. (That's overkill for me -- I'm good to depths of about five feet.) You will, however, need to BYO microSD card for storage.
I'd argue that GoPro is still the gold standard for action cams. Here's your chance to get one without paying gold-standard pricing.
Your thoughts?
This mount can stick to your dashboard or windshield. Magnets do the rest.
Bonus deal: Recently I visited a friend who keeps his phone magnetically mounted in his car -- down on the center console. That means every time he looks at it -- which was often, I noted -- he takes his eyes wayyyy off the road.
Because I have precious few friends, I want to keep this one alive. So I'm sending him this F-color universal dashboard phone-mount for $6.99 (with promo code T88GXWR3). This is a short-arm, sticky-suction-cup mount that can adhere to a dashboard or windshield, a good alternative to air-vent and other mounts.
Worth noting: Because this relies on magnets, it could pose a problem if you use wireless charging or a rear-grip accessory like a PopSocket. I was able to work around both problems by putting the mounting plate near the bottom and using a Ninja Loop as my gripper. YMMV.
I think $7 is a small price to pay for a potentially huge boost in driver safety. So get one for yourself or someone you love. Me, I'm not getting into my buddy's car again until he makes a change.
Bonus deal No. 2: Not to get all political or whatever, but during last Sunday's Super Bowl, I was incensed to hear a Martin Luther King Jr. speech used to promote Ram trucks . Boo, Dodge ! Booooo! That's almost as bad as reviving Fred Astaire to sell vacuum cleaners (which also happened, albeit years ago).
Here's a much better way to experience Dr. King: For a limited time, Audible is offering "The Other America - A Speech From the Radical King" for free. The 25-minute speech, read by Wanda Sykes, promises "a clear-eyed look at the disparity of wealth in America, what it means for people of all colors -- and a message of inspiration dedicated to the power of the people."