Why You Can Trust CNET The best Prime Day 2017 deals that aren't on Amazon
Believe it or not, Amazon isn't the only game in town. Other stores have put together some mighty good deals of their own.
CNET's Cheapskate scours the web for great deals on PCs, phones , gadgets and much more. Questions about the Cheapskate blog? Find the answers on our FAQ page. Find more great buys on the CNET Deals page and follow the Cheapskate on Twitter!
In case you haven't heard, it's Amazon Prime Day. Who are we kidding -- of course you've heard, because it's been the lead technology story for, like, two weeks.
But guess what? It turns out there are other companies that sell products online! And some of them have pretty great deals lined up. Let's take a look at some noteworthy items from places other than Amazon. And be sure to check back throughout the day, as I'll be updating the post with any noteworthy new deals that appear.
Computers
Gamer's laptop: Newegg chopped $200 off the price of the MSI GL62M 7RD-265, a 15.6-inch gaming laptop now available for $599. This powerhouse features a 7th-gen Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, a 1TB hard drive and Nvidia Geforce GTX 1050 graphics.
The Bebop 2 originally sold for $500 all by itself. Now you can get a refurb kit that includes the controller and a VR headset.
Gadgets
PC-powered VR: Is it affordable at last? Best Buy and Newegg both have the Oculus Rift VR bundle (including two Touch controllers) for $399 shipped. That's $200 less than the regular price and by far the best Rift deal I've seen. Which store should you choose? Best Buy's bundle includes the game Eve Valkyrie (a $40 value), but you're less likely to get hit up for sales tax at Newegg, and there's a 2-percent cashback option available for the latter via Ebates.
Drone deal: Speaking of virtual reality, wish you could fly like a birdie? All you need is a drone that can transmit live video to a pair of VR goggles. Typically such setups are expensive, but for a limited time, TechRabbit has the refurbished Parrot Bebop 2 FPV kit for $349.99 shipped when you apply discount code CPAR50. New, it would run you $500.
The kit includes not just the drone, itself a compact and capable flier, but also the Skycontroller 2 and Cockpitglasses. Read CNET's review if you want to learn more, keeping in mind that it's based on the older, bigger Skycontroller and didn't mention the VR glasses, which weren't available at the time.
Smart Home
Google Home bundle: Haven't pulled the trigger on a smart speaker yet? If you feel like Google Home is more your cup of tea than an Amazon Echo, head to Ebay, where you can score a Google Home and Google Chromecast for $99.99. Normally that twosome would run you $164.
Speakers
Harman Kardon has a reputation for exceedingly stylish design, and the HKTS 20BQ 5.1 speaker system is no exception.
Surround-sound: Your TV provides a feast for the eyes -- but where does that leave your ears? Listening to crummy built-in speakers, that's where. For a proper home theater, add a surround-sound system. Like this one: Harman Kardon has the HKTS 20 5.1-channel speaker system for $189.99, with free two-day shipping. Price elsewhere: at least $225. And it originally sold for $500, like when CNET reviewed it way back in 2011.
Storage
2TB external drive: It's pretty easy these days to find a 1TB external drive in the neighborhood of $60, but 2TB? Nice deal if you can get it. You can get it: Newegg has the Seagate Backup Plus Slim 2TB USB 3.0 hard drive for $59.99. Regular price: $76.99, already a pretty damn good bargain.
Cameras
GoPro: It may be a couple years old, but it's still the gold-standard for action cameras. Originally $500, the GoPro Hero 4 Black is on sale for $276 from BuyDig via Rakuten. Amazon's price: $310. CNET's review has the full scoop.
TVs
Roku TV: Over at Amazon, you can score a 28-inch TCL Roku TV for $120. But if you want something a little bigger, Best Buy has the Insignia 32-inch Roku TV for $139.99 shipped, which is $40 off the regular price. That's solid; only on Black Friday was it any cheaper.
More deals to come... check back soon!