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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.
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Believe it or not, nearly every day that I share a deal, I come back later and read the comments. Time doesn’t always permit me to reply, and when the number of comments gets into the hundreds I have to beg off. But I love, love, love hearing what you have to say — even when it’s a problem, complaint or criticism. Because professional growth!
Most of all, I love it when someone says, “I bought one of these the last time around,” or “I bought such-and-such instead,” and “it’s been great/mediocre/what-were-you-thinking.”
Yesterday, for example, when I posted about Samsung’s pricey Galaxy Tab S2 tablet, a reader referred to a dirt-cheap Acer tablet I’d written about a few months earlier. He’d bought it and loves it.
Today, then, I’d like to invite you on a trip down memory lane to talk about the products you found here, purchased and lived with. So hit the comments and fill in these blanks:
“I bought a ______, and it’s ______.”
I’ll start things off: I bought an HP Chromebook 14, and it’s way better than I expected. When I first learned about Chromebooks, I dismissed them as under-powered and pointless. But once the hardware started improving, prices started dropping and offline functionality arrived, I changed my tune.
I initially bought a used Chromebook for my son for school. Verdict: great little machine, with zero Windows hassles like slow boot times and frequent malware incursions. Then I bought the HP Chromebook 14, a frequent Woot deal, for Mrs. Cheapskate. Great machine: solid build, big screen, ridiculously good price at $200. Google Cloud Print is still a teeth-pulling nightmare, but overall I’m very pleased with my Chromebooks.
Your turn! I’m particularly interested in hearing about some of the less mainstream products I’ve shared, like the sexy Solove mobile charger or the super-fun Syma X5C quadcopter. Anyone get one of those Lazy-Hands grips from a couple weeks ago? How about that Star Wars audiobook bundle?
Whatever you bought on my recommendation, I’d love to hear about it. Even if it didn’t work out. Some deals just don’t, and I’m keen to know why. My fault? Vendor’s fault? Maybe even your own fault? (Nah.)
Oh, and this isn’t a one-way street. I’ve got two bonus deals lined up in exchange for your outpouring of conversation. Here we go!
Bonus deal: You know how Pandora is awesome, right? But free Pandora? A little less awesome, especially with those commercial interruptions. If you’ve been eyeballing a Pandora One subscription but didn’t love the idea of paying $5 a month, try this: StackSocial has a 6-month Pandora One subscription for $21.60 when you apply coupon code pandoraten at checkout. That same six months would normally cost you $30. Cheapskate exclusive, everyone.
Bonus deal 2: As my kids continue to pester me for new iPhones, I continue to remind them that for half the money, they could have a bigger, many-would-say-better Android phone. Like this one: Amazon once again has the unlocked Nexus 6 (32GB) for $349.99 shipped, or the 64GB model for $399.99. An unlocked iPhone 6s Plus with 64GB runs $850. Read CNET’s review of this fab phablet, which sold for $650 (!) when it debuted late last year.
