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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.
Enlarge ImageA4C
If you’ve watched and wondered about smartwatches but just couldn’t bring yourself to spend $200, $300 or more on something you weren’t sure you’d like, today is your very lucky day.
Ending at midnight, and while supplies last, A4C has the refurbished Pebble (in black) for $59.95 shipped. Sure, that’s only about $20 less than the best price for a new one, but to me it suddenly feels like an impulse buy. (Do note, however, that because this is a refurb, it “may contain minor scratches and/or slight cosmetic defects due to prior usage,” according to A4C. You do get a 90-day warranty, thankfully.)
This is the original Pebble , the Kickstarter darling that arguably paved the way for the likes of the Apple Watch and Moto 360. Even at $150 it was a pretty solid deal. But at $59.95 it’s a steal.
I like the Pebble for a variety of reasons, the first being that it’s compatible with both Android and iOS devices. In your face, Apple Watch and Moto 360!
The Pebble offers a huge array of nifty watchfaces, of course, but for me it’s all about the notifications. When a call or text message comes in, the watch vibrates, thus alerting you even if your phone is out of earshot, eyeshot or “feelshot” (meaning you can’t feel it vibrate). Then it displays pertinent information on its screen.
People don’t understand the value of this until they try it for themselves. Trust me; once you stop missing important calls and messages, you’ll never go watchless again.
All this is not to say the Pebble is perfect. In my experience with this all-plastic model, scratches appeared on the face within days. I highly recommend applying a skin or screen protector, which could help cover any aforementioned cosmetic defects.
What’s more, I rarely got anywhere near the promised week of battery life. Instead, it usually needed recharging by the end of day four. Also, it occasionally (and inexplicably) lost its connection with my iPhone, and re-pairing was a major hassle. YMMV.
I should also note that I’ve just wrapped up a review of the Pebble Time Steel, the company’s new flagship watch. It’s nice enough, with much better battery life, but the color display is kind of superfluous, and functionally it’s not much different than this first-gen model.
Aukey
If you can find a first-gen Pebble Steel for under $100, I’d strongly consider it. But for $60 out the door, this is one watch deal that’s hard to pass up.
Bonus deal: If you’ve ever tried charging a phone or tablet with your car’s built-in USB port, you know that it’s usually a slow, trickle-charge affair. That’s because those ports typically supply very little power. What you need is a plug that “goes up to 11” (by which I mean 2.4 amps). For a limited time, and while supplies last, Aukey Direct has the Aukey 4.8A dual-USB car charger adapter for $6.99. That’s after applying coupon code VQKAZZW5 at checkout.
Shipping is free for Amazon Prime subscribers. Though extremely small, the little plug serves up two 2.4-amp USB ports for charging your gear.
