Thursday, 29 February 2024
Get an open box Asus ROG Ally for nearly $200 off at Best Buy
SAVE $196: As of Feb. 29, get an open box Asus ROG Ally handheld gaming system in excellent condition for just $503.99. That's $200 off its regular price of $699.99 and a discount of 32%.
Handheld gaming PCs are a lifesaver if you have a long list of games you want to complete, but little time to sit at your gaming rig and play them. There's a reason Valve's Steam Deck is so popular, after all. But if you aren't so sure you want a Steam Deck and feel like shopping around, there are other handheld gaming PCs to choose from – like the Asus ROG Ally. It's an affordable way to enjoy resource-heavy games like Baldur's Gate 3 or casual titles like Stardew Valley while away from your computer. And right now, you can get one for a great price.
As of Feb. 29, you can get an open box version of the Asus ROG Ally in excellent condition for just $503.99. That's $196 off, or a 32% discount, on a new version's price of $699.99. Tech in this condition looks "brand new", according to Best Buy, and includes all its original parts and accessories as well as packaging.
This portable handheld is more than just a game player that runs your favorite titles. It's a whole miniature PC. It runs Windows 11 and is powered by a Ryzen Z1 CPU for a boost of power that can tackle most games you want to take on the go. It has a crisp 7-inch 1080p LED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, and 16GB of RAM as well as 512GB of storage.
You can take it with you on your daily commute or out and about, but if you plan on playing resource-heavy games, you'll want to keep it at home. It offers about three hours of game time on normal mode and on standby, but when you switch to Turbo or Performance Mode, you'll get 1.5-2 hours. That makes it ideal for gaming on the sofa or in bed, all cozied up. Wherever you decide to play, this is a deal you shouldn't miss.
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Wednesday, 28 February 2024
Get the Soundcore Anker Boom speaker for under $75 and prep for backyard season
SAVE 32%: The Soundcore Anker Motion Boom waterproof Bluetooth speaker is just $74.99 at Amazon, marked down from the usual price of $109.99. That's a savings of $35.
Long summer nights are returning soon. If you haven't already booked your weekend campsites, it's time to get on that. It's also a great time to make sure you're outfitted with tech that makes the outdoors more enjoyable. Whether you like to listen to jazz music in the backyard or hits from the ’80s while camping, the best portable Bluetooth speakers can make a world of difference to your mood — and today's deal will have you humming along for less.
As of Feb. 28, the Soundcore Anker Motion Boom speaker is just $74.99 at Amazon, down from the typical price of $109.99. That's a 32% discount or a savings of $35.
The Motion Boom speaker is designed for outdoor life. It's waterproof, so splashes from the pool won't matter, and the speaker itself is designed to float. Should it wind up going overboard on your kayaking adventures, you'll be able to retrieve it without diving to the bottom of the lake.
You'll get up to 24 hours of playtime from the Motion Boom so a weekend spent camping and away from easy charging won't be an issue. The built-in handle helps with portability while the titanium drivers add clear sound quality. The Motion Boom uses Bluetooth 5.0 for seamless pairing and you can customize the sound by tuning the EQ settings of the speaker.
If your next outdoor gathering needs upgraded sound quality, grab the Soundcore Anker Motion Boom speaker for just $74.99 at Amazon and rest assured that come summer, you'll be ready. Now all that's left to do is make the ultimate playlist.
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The best luggage deals to shop before you book your spring break getaway
LUGGAGE DEALS: Score spring break luggage deals on carry-ons, checked bags, and more. Save big on top brands like Samsonite and SwissGear.
One of the worst parts of traveling is trying to fit everything into whatever bag you can find in your closet. (I've definitely sat on a few suitcases, hunched over and out of breath from the struggle of zipping them shut.)
While vacuum-sealed bags will help you save some space, if you don't have the right luggage to begin with, you'll still end up with a mess of wrinkled clothes and a bag that's barely holding it together. If any of this sounds familiar, it may be time to invest in some new luggage before your next trip.
To help you out, we've rounded up some of the best luggage deals to shop this week. From lightweight carry-ons to expandable checked bags (for all those shoes and accessories you need, you know, just in case) to rolling duffles, here are our top picks:
Best carry-on luggage deal
$399.99 Save $239.99
Why we like it
Samsonite is a big name in the luggage game; the company's been around for ages and is known for durable and high-quality products.
So, if you're looking for a carry-on that's just as good as a checked bag (but isn't as bulky or cumbersome), we recommend the Samsonite Outline Pro 21-inch Hardside Carry-On Spinner. This little bag weighs 6.9 pounds empty, expands one additional inch for extra storage, and has a built-in TSA-approved lock for added security. There's also a USB charging port to charge your phone or tablet while on the go.
It's available in multiple colors, including ultra pink, emerald green, midnight black, and shiraz/burgundy. With eight spinner wheels and eight height adjustment settings, you can easily wheel this baby right through the airport, no matter how crowded it is.
Plus, the hard shell makes it easy to clean and adds a little more protection than a soft-sided bag.
More carry-on luggage deals:
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Wrangler 20" Spinner Carry-On Luggage — $40
$49.50(save $9.50) -
WNDR LN The Overnighter Weekender Bag — $41.99
$49.50(save $18) -
Travelpro WalkAbout 6 Carry-on Expandable Spinner — $136
$39.99(save $203.99 with code HOME) -
Samsonite Lite Air ADV 21" Carry-On Spinner — $144
$359.99(save $215.99 with code HOME) -
Samsonite 20" Centric Hardside Expandable Luggage with Spinner Wheels — $167.99
$189.99(save $22) -
Travelpro Platinum Elite 21" Softside Carry-On Spinner — $296
$739.99(save $443.99 with code HOME)
Best checked luggage deal
$139.99 Save $28.00
Why we like it
If you need a little more space (because, same), the SwissGear Sion Softside Expandable Roller is a solid option. This 29-inch bag has more than 17,000 ratings with a 4.5-star average rating on Amazon, which is pretty impressive for a bag under $200.
This suitcase features a 360-degree multi-directional spinner wheel system for smooth maneuverability in and out of the airport, multiple pockets, and convenient side handles for easy lifting.
It comes in several colors, but dark grey is the only one currently on sale at this price.
More checked luggage deals:
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Wrangler 30" Wesley Rolling Duffel Bag — $39
$44(save $5) -
Sharper Image Journey Lite 28" Hardside Check-In — $83.99
$139.99(save $56 with code HOME) -
Travelpro Platinum Elite 25" Softside Check-In Spinner — $344
$859.99(save $519.99 with code HOME)
Best luggage set deal
Why we like it
If you're looking for a complete luggage set, the Wrangler 5-Piece Elysium Luggage and Accessories Set includes three expandable rolling suitcases and two packing cubes. It's also cheap (as far as luggage prices go) at just $149.99.
The hardside bags have four spinner wheels and 360-degree maneuverability for easy transport. They're expandable by 2.5 inches and have top and side carry handles so you can grab them and go.
More luggage set deals:
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Travelhouse 3-Piece Hardshell Luggage Set — $89.99
$105.99(save $16) -
SwissGear 7739 Hardside Luggage Trunk with Spinner Wheels (2-Piece Set) — $199.99
$319.99(save $120) -
Samsonite Ascella X Softside Expandable Luggage with Spinners (2-Piece Set) — $211.32
$389.99(save $178.67)
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Tuesday, 27 February 2024
The Roomba Combo i5+ sees a new record-low price of $299.99, but only in the Best Buy app
Save $250: As of Feb. 27, the Roomba Combo i5+ is on sale for $299.99 as Best Buy's Drop of the day. The limited-time record-low price is only available in the Best Buy app.
The Roomba Combo i5+ on sale for $349.99 at Amazon and iRobot's own website would be a noteworthy price drop... if the same Roomba wasn't also featured as a Best Buy Drop for $299.99 on the same day.
Before Feb. 27, the Combo i5+ had never dropped below $348.99 according to Amazon price tracker Camelcamelcamel, and a dip that low has only been seen sporadically since Black Friday. The Drop feature's whole thing is to beat those records, though — they're exclusive to Best Buy's mobile app, and will disappear sometime on Drop day depending on how fast other customers hit "add to cart."
If you've been meaning to find a budget-friendly 2-in-1 robot vacuum, $250 off this hybrid Roomba should make your choice easy.
If you've been meaning to find a budget-friendly 2-in-1 robot vacuum, $250 off this hybrid Roomba should make your choice easy.
The Roomba Combo i5+ is the most affordable Roomba that mops and self-empties. (Worth noting, the only mopping Roomba that is even more affordable is the version of the i5 that doesn't self-empty, the regular Combo i5). The older i5+ got this much-needed refresh in Sept. 2023, when iRobot released a handful of new vacs months before CES.
While the gray woven design of the Combo i5 itself is nearly identical to that of the older i5, the important change lies subtly underneath in the detachable water tank. When you want to mop, the Combo i5 needs to have that tank and mopping pad clicked on, and to send the Combo i5 back out to vacuum the carpets it skipped while mopping, you can simply pop the tank off. The two-part cleaning runs are made easier by the fact that the Roomba i5 series has smart mapping and can clean certain rooms based on what you've queued up in the app.
The difference between the Combo i5 and the Combo j5 is that the j5 series Roombas have small obstacle avoidance technology, meaning they can sense and avoid pesky items on the floor like charging cords or pet waste. The Combo j5, which is on sale for $499.99, still requires the water tank to be manually swapped on and off between sessions.
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Monday, 26 February 2024
Hands on: Motorola has a phone that's somehow also a bracelet
How would you like to have a smartphone you can bend all you like without it breaking? Motorola's got you covered.
At this year's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the company brought a new bendy phone concept (the company showed a similar, yet far more primitive prototype back in 2016). The phone was announced in 2023, but now we got to see how it actually works in person.
A Motorola rep gave me a short demo, and I was pleasantly surprised with how well the phone worked. It supports several modes of operation, including "tent mode," which we used to play a simple game (I lost. Badly). You can also bend a smaller portion of it to turn it into a stand, and the phone will actually push its user interface upwards, giving you full control of the apps on the screen.
Finally, yes, you can use the phone as a bracelet, though you do need to wear a smaller bracelet to attach the phone to. Would we do this? It's probably not very comfy to wear for longer stretches of time. But as a fashion accessory, or something that you'd wear to a very special type of party (keyword: cyberwear), it could work.
The way Motorola did this, the rep explained to me, is by using a bendable pOLED display, and a number of smaller batteries instead of the typical one big unit, arranged in such a way to form a sort of a spine for the device, supporting it when you bend it.
We don't expect to see the bendy phone on the market very soon (if at all). Motorola wouldn't let me take it into my own hands and bend it myself, though I did test the touch display (it works the same it does on any other phone, except it's bendy). The company rep also told me that there aren't too many apps designed for it at the time - understandable, given it's just a concept at this stage. But it did work surprisingly well throughout the demo. Perhaps Motorola is onto something here?
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Sunday, 25 February 2024
Why the Cost of Getting Solar Panels Is So Unpredictable - CNET
It's hard to get a straight answer out of a solar installer about how much you'll pay. How to get the best deal.from CNET https://ift.tt/mbML3RW
Dog Essentials List: 13 Necessities for New Dog Owners - CNET
We’ve rounded up all the gear your dog will need to live comfortably in your home. From beds and blankets to bowls and chew toys -- and everything in between -- we’ve got you covered.from CNET https://ift.tt/begqdXE
Saturday, 24 February 2024
Heart Health: Tips and Recipes to Help You Master the Mediterranean Diet - CNET
Help keep your cardiovascular system healthy with this popular, budget-friendly diet.from CNET https://ift.tt/J96BEHL
Best Standing Desks of 2024 - CNET
Get your standing hours in, or kick back in a low chair with the best standing desks of 2024.from CNET https://ift.tt/WjSAKBv
You Can Find Many Great Deals at Best Buy's Member-Exclusive Weekend Sale - CNET
If you're a My Best Buy Total or Plus member, you can use your membership to find a ton of excellent deals across various product categories.from CNET https://ift.tt/f2HTIyZ
Instagram may be developing Snap Map dupe to locate your friends
Originality is overrated, anyway. Instagram is reportedly going to do what it does best: blatantly copy another social media site's feature.
Think about it. Stories were ripped from Snapchat. Reels are a TikTok dupe. It copied Notes and Threads from Twitter/X and Candid from BeReal. The latest dupe? Snap Map. That's right, Insta is reportedly going back to its roots and taking inspiration from Snapchat.
Software engineer Alessandro Paluzzi posted on X that Instagram was working on a Friends Map. This follows, Paluzzi noted, a related nearby feature.
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Paluzzi noted the feature would be opt-in and that your location would be end-to-end encrypted. But basically, you would reportedly be able to see where your friends were located on a map, just like Snap Map.
Now, to be clear, this feature has not yet been released and amounts to a rumor at this time. The Verge noted, however, that Paluzzi "discovers a lot of Instagram features before they’re announced."
If Paluzzi ultimately proves to be right, well, then, you'll have yet another Snap feature on Instagram.
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Friday, 23 February 2024
Don't feel like cooking? These are the best DoorDash promo codes this week.
UPDATE: Feb. 23, 2024, 9:00 a.m. EST This article has been updated with the latest DoorDash promo codes from across the web. Note that some of these codes are exclusive to new users or location-specific, so they won't work for everyone. You may have to test them out at your location to see if they stick!
We all love a good, home-cooked meal. But, simply who has the time to make one every single night? Couldn't be us. That's why we always keep our delivery apps downloaded and at the ready. Our app of choice at the moment? DoorDash. There's a constant bounty of promo codes to be used within their app, scoring you savings on not just takeout, but also grocery delivery and select retail stores. Below are our favorite DoorDash promo codes from across the web this week, so take a look and chow down while booting up your favorite streaming service or video game. Oh, and a lot of these codes will be exclusive to new users, so if you already have an account, you may want to consider creating a new one (you didn't hear that from us). Also note that some codes are location-specific, so they may not work for everyone. Just test them out and see which ones stick for you!
How do I use a DoorDash promo code?
Before we get into our picks for the week, let us quickly go over how to use a DoorDash promo code, because if you don't know how to do that, you won't benefit from any of the great deals we're about to show you. Thankfully, the process is really easy. (If you already know how to do this, feel free to scroll to the bottom of this page and get straight to those promo codes.)
All you need to do is load up your shopping cart with whatever is on your menu for the night and head to the checkout screen. Once you get there, scroll down to the bottom where you'll find a section labeled "Summary."
Tap on that section, and you'll be brought to a separate screen titled "Promo codes, rewards & gift cards." Then, just input your promo code (and gift card, if you have one) and head back to the checkout screen. You should now see your discount applied to the price breakdown.
Congrats! You just scored some savings, and that takeout order is going to taste so much better because of it. Now, on to this week's promo codes — take a look below, and enjoy your meal.
Best DoorDash promo codes this week
-
Get 25% off on your first order ($15 minimum): US25SAVU1Q24
-
Save 30% on grocery delivery at Stop & Shop: STOPSHOP30
-
Get 20% off $25+ orders at 7-Eleven: 7ELEVENSAVE
-
Get 25% off $55+ orders at Aldi: ALDINEWYEAR
-
Save 50% when you spend $20: J2MLPZ
-
Get 50% off your next three orders of $15+ at stores near you: 3SAVE50
-
Spend $20, save $10: XHQ34L
-
25% off coupon on orders $12 or more: 25FORME
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Thursday, 22 February 2024
Best Tablet 2024: Top Tablets From Apple, Samsung, Amazon and More - CNET
There are plenty of tablets to choose from based on the operating system -- iPadOS, Windows, ChromeOS or Android, and these are the best tablets tested and reviewed by CNET editors.from CNET https://ift.tt/OVNeycv
Wednesday, 21 February 2024
Netflix's 'Love Is Blind' isn't all that interested in love
Imagine if, after The Fonz jumped the shark, actor Henry Winkler turned to the camera and winked. That's what's happening in the ongoing season of Netflix's Love Is Blind.
The show, the cast, and the audience seem to realize the entire concept has become an un-look-away-able train wreck, and the be-podded castmates are more than OK with that fact. They knowingly signed up to jump the shark.
Love Is Blind, in which you agree to date someone sight unseen, be filmed constantly, and live together, is perfect fodder for the internet. It's also the kind of reality TV machine that churns out D-list celebrities every season, and the participants know this. There is a strong chance this show will leave you humiliated. But you'll also gain followers. Even the folks who are there for the right reasons know that becoming a micro-influencer is the backup plan.
This new season of the show makes that clear. It's dropping in batches. The first few episodes premiered last week, while a new crop drops on Feb. 21. In the pods, everyone is acutely aware that they're on a TV show. Matthew told AD that "America" would watch him try to win her back. And then there was Jessica's made-for-TV dragging of Jimmy, telling him he'd need an EpiPen for all the choking he'd do when he saw her. Meanwhile, Clay is giving a gratuitous performance of a villain, too shallow to really grasp the meaning of the series. The cast knows they're putting on a show.
Not to mention that the show itself is designed to go viral. Cringe sells, especially online. And hell if Love Is Blind isn't cringey. This season, for instance, an entire saga unfolded after Chelsea told Jimmy people say she looks like Megan Fox. Jimmy, upon meeting Chelsea IRL, clearly disagreed and wasn't pleased. It was a reality TV moment that launched countless posts on X, many of them unkind. But Chelsea herself, not to miss the moment, was immediately capitalizing it on TikTok.
In fact, you could pretty much find the entire cast posting about the season as it dropped. Here's Jessica, with her daughter, talking about her EpiPen rant at Jimmy.
And here's Jimmy on that very same rant.
Here's AD with a fellow cast member.
Here's Trevor addressing not getting chosen by Chelsea.
On X, the chatter was constant as well, as viewers dissected the season and its cast members.
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
The cast are basically a TikTok guerilla marketing team. Where actors loathe promoting their work, Love Is Blind participants feed into the internet chatter ecosystem.
Netflix, for its part, gets that this show causes a lot of conversation. Why else drop the episodes this way? It simultaneously lets the virality build via binging while also assuring everyone is on the same page to discuss it online. It was so ubiquitous that I felt like I had to watch the episodes right as they dropped to avoid spoilers. For a deeply unserious dating show, mind you. This is not everyone watching and reacting to Game of Thrones in real time. The design of the show and it's effectiveness at going viral, essentially lets it over-perform online. You probably think Love Is Blind is a bigger deal than it actually is.
Whatever might be the TV version of eating your vegetables, Love Is Blind is the opposite. It is empty calories. And this coming from Mashable's resident Bravo lover. I am far from anti-reality TV. And yet, despite its inanity, Love Is Blind works because it also gets you invested in these characters. And they do feel like characters sometimes and not people. That's because everyone involved seems to know how the game is played. Why else are they immediately TikTokking about their respective experiences?
As The Cut noted in a piece titled "Is It Time to Stop Watching Love Is Blind," the show has been subject to serious allegations of awful workplace conditions and mostly seems uninterested in creating real relationships (except, perhaps, on the first and only season of Love Is Blind: Japan).
It's really a show about people having a truly strange experience in those pods, then flailing in a manufactured version of the real world. Everyone will have cringey moments and very few people will come out of it looking good. In exchange, everyone gets a little famous for a short while.
Love Is Blind feels like show designed to go viral. That's why it works and also why it can give you the ick. Because what is being online if not a bit unsettling?
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Apple Sports is a new app that lets you track scores. Here's how to get it.
Apple's got a new free app for iPhone users: Apple Sports.
Launched on Wednesday, the app lets users track scores and stats on their favorite teams in real time. Apple Sports currently supports MLS, NBA, NCAA basketball (both men's and women's), NHL, Bundesliga, LaLiga, LigaMX, Ligue 1, Premier League, and Serie A.
Additional leagues are coming, Apple said, including MLB, NFL, NCAAF, NWSL, and WNBA for their upcoming seasons.
Features include customizing the scoreboards by setting up your favorite teams, tournaments, and leagues. Apple says that Apple TV seamlessly syncs with favorites selected in the My Sports experience in Apple TV and Apple News.
Apple Sports is available now as a free download in the U.S., Canada, and the UK.
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Get Samsung monitors for up to 44% off and upgrade your work, gaming, and streaming setup for less
UP TO 44% OFF: Shop Samsung monitors at Amazon and save up to 44%.
If your current monitor is lagging and causing eye strain, it might be time for an upgrade. You don't have to buy a brand-new computer or a high-end graphics card (unless you want to), but committing to a new Samsung monitor may be a clutch move, especially since several are on sale today.
Samsung is a well-known, quality brand and the company has a range of monitors from entry-level to high-performance. Whether you need a monitor for work, gaming, streaming, etc., Samsung has an option to fit your budget and meet your needs.
The best part? Right now, you can get up to 44% off Samsung monitors at Amazon. Here are our top picks:
Best Samsung curved monitor deal
Why we like it
The Samsung ViewFinity S65UA has an ultrawide, 34-inch display with HDR10 tech for up to one billion colors. (That's a lot of vibrant pixels.) It also features an ergonomic design with an adjustable stand and a 100Hz refresh rate (gamers will appreciate this).
This immersive curved monitor provides a more cinematic viewing experience, so you can binge your favorite shows, game while chatting with your friends on Discord, or, you know, work.
Best Samsung gaming monitor deal
Why we like it
If you're a gamer but don't want to spend big money on the Odyssey Ark, the Samsung S39C is a more affordable option. This curved, 32-inch gaming monitor is designed to be easy on the eyes with Flicker-Free technology and Eye Saver Mode, minimizing blue light for a more comfortable viewing experience. And, with AMD FreeSyncTM technology, you can say goodbye to screen tearing and enjoy smoother gameplay. It'll be like you're actually in the game.
Best budget Samsung monitor deal
Why we like it
There's nothing wrong with bargain shopping, even when it comes to monitors. If you're on a tight budget, the Samsung S43GC is a solid choice. It has around two thousand reviews on Amazon, with an average rating of four-and-a-half stars, so you know it's reliable.
It's not very fancy, but it does have a 27-inch display, an adjustable stand, and advanced eye comfort technology, so you can pull long hours without straining your eyes.
More Samsung monitor deals worth checking out:
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Samsung ViewFinity S6 — $246.83
$384.99(save $138.16) -
Samsung ViewFinity S50GC — $269.99
$349.99(save $80) -
Samsung M80C — $449.99
$649.99(save $200)
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