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 Facebook and Twitter!
Dymo
Wow! All this time I’ve been turning my nose up at dashcams, when it turns out many of you are quite interested in that product category. Based on my Twitter poll alone, more than 75 percent of readers would like to see dashcam deals. Glad I asked!
[The writer pauses and puts a finger to his lips, suddenly wondering what other items he’s overlooked, and hoping readers will continue to make their interests known.]
I’ve got my minions out searching for deals, so stay tuned. In the meantime, you may recall that last month I wrote about a backup camera that’s also a dashcam — though my focus at that point was definitely on the former feature. But the Auto-Vox M6 is also a pretty versatile car DVR, so check it out. And the promo code still works! (Just make sure Auto-Vox is still listed as the seller.)
Label Baby Jr.
In that spirit of looking a little beyond the usual tech stuff, today’s deal is… a label-maker. Something everyone needs to own, am I right? (Aside: I can’t look at a label-maker without thinking of the eponymous “Seinfeld” episode. The question is, if you give someone one of these as a gift, will it get regifted?)
For a limited time, and while supplies last, Amazon has the Dymo LabelManager 160 handheld label-maker for $9.99, shipped free for Prime subscribers. Sick of buying every single thing from Amazon? Staples also has the Dymo 160 for $9.99, but shipping isn’t free unless you spend at least $50. Either way, it sells for at least $30 most other places.
Coincidentally, I just bought one of these. (And it was not on sale at the time, grrr.) It works well enough; I like the fact that it doesn’t add a lot of blank space to either side of your label when it prints. That was the definitely the case with my old labeler; tons of wasted tape!
To create a label, you just type on the QWERTY keyboard. The LCD is large and easy to read, but narrow, showing only about 10 characters at a time.
The Dymo 160 offers six font sizes, eight text styles and four kinds of boxes, along with over 200 symbols and clip-art images. It runs off six AAA batteries, though you can plug in an optional AC adapter (not included) if you prefer.
As with any printer, you should always look at the cost of consumables — in this case tape cartridges. Good news: You can get Dymo-branded cartridges for around $6-$9 from Amazon, and there are plenty of inexpensive third-party options as well.
The 160 earned a 4.2-star average rating from over 5,000 Amazon buyers and a 4.3-star average from 300-plus Staples buyers. Translation: Pretty darn good label-maker for the price.
Your thoughts?
Bonus deal: One big reason most PowerPoint presentations are so dull: Everyone has seen the same boring backgrounds and layouts a zillion times. Want my attention? Show me something fresh! Show me some pizzazz!
That’s the idea behind Slideshop, a library of nearly 16,000 professionally designed presentation templates for PowerPoint, Keynote and Google Slides.
The service normally costs $99 per month (ouch), but for a limited time, AppSumo is offering a lifetime Slideshop subscription for $39. That entitles you to 20 templates per month for as long as Slideshop exists, or as long as you do, whichever comes first. So it’s not quite unlimited access, but does anyone really do more than 20 presentations every month? (If you do, my heart goes out to you.)
Alas, this magnetic mount doesn’t actually make your phone levitate, regardless of what this photo suggests.
iTech Deals
As with all AppSumo deals, you’ve got 60 days to try this out. You can get a full refund within that period if you’re not happy for any reason.
Bonus deal No. 2: In honor of today’s release of iOS 11, which includes the potentially lifesaving Do Not Disturb While Driving feature, I bring you another potentially lifesaving item: A magnetic car mount for your phone. Yep, another one. Get used to it. My mission is to make sure phones are kept as close to eye level as possible, because I don’t want you looking down at your lap or the center console while you’re driving.
For a limited time, and while supplies last, iTech Deals has the iTD Gear Universal Dashboard Magnetic Car Mount Holder for $4.49 shipped when you apply promo code DNCAR4 at checkout. Usually these things run at least $10.
The mount itself is designed to stick to your dashboard, which for some drivers will be preferable to a vent or cigarette-lighter mount. To use it, you’ll adhere one of two included metal plates to the back of your phone or inside of your case. (Note that doing so will preclude the use of a wireless charger, which is definitely a bummer.)
I use something very similar to this; so does Mrs. Cheapskate. We absolutely, positively love magnetic mounts. So easy, so effective, so cheap!