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Today's top Prime Day Countdown deals: Harry Potter movies and a posture-correcting gadget

Own, don't rent, the Harry Potter flicks for $5 apiece. And let the Lumo Lift assist you in sitting up straight while you watch (or work).

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").
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Rick Broida
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Watch this: Jaybird X2: Popular wireless sports headphones get upgraded

Amazon Prime Day is coming -- tomorrow! But guess what? You can start scoring deals right now.

That's because Amazon is offering "Countdown" deals in the days leading up to the main event. Needless to say, the company is saving all the best deals for Tuesday, but it's still worth a daily look to see if there's anything good.

Today, for example, is all about "Summer Basics/Essentials," and while I wouldn't say any of the deals have anything to do with summer, there are a few worth considering -- specifically these three:

  • The HP 255 15.6-inch laptop for $299.99. Although the handful of user reviews are low, the big complaint seems to be with the "artificially inflated" list price (shown here as $800). But there are some solid specs, including a quad-core processor, 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD. The screen resolution is on the low side, but if size and performance count more to you, this could be a good fit.
  • The Lumo Lift posture coach and activity tracker for $49.99. It originally sold for twice that price and now runs $79.99. Given that smartphones and tablets are turning us into a nation of slumpers, I applaud anything designed to help us sit up straight. Read CNET's review if you want to learn more.
  • The Jaybird X2 sport Bluetooth earphones for $79.99. Available in your choice of colors, the X2 had a list price of $180 when it debuted last fall. CNET's review praised the battery life, carrying case and, most important, sweat-proof design, but dinged the high price. That ding doesn't apply today!

Amazon is also offering Prime subscribers some exclusive deals on movies, most notably the Harry Potter flicks for $4.99 each. They're normally $12.99, and you can excuse Amazon's faulty math ("Prime members get 50 percent off") when it works in your favor. "10 Cloverfield Lane" is also "half off" (it's a little more than half) at $6.99 to own.

Check back tomorrow for an ongoing roundup of the best Prime Day deals! In the meantime, read these 7 things you should know about Prime Day -- including what you can do if you're not currently a Prime subscriber.

This article is also available in Spanish. Read "Amazon Prime Day: películas de Harry Potter y un 'gadget' para corregir tu postura".