Friday: refurb Nexus 6P for $240+ or Nexus 5X for $140+

Project FI is a great way to have cellular service without breaking the bank. Especially if you like to use or switch between various smartphones. However, to get into Project FI, the guardian at the gate requires a Nexus or a Pixel phone or the new Moto X4. If you want in, but don’t want to pay the big bucks for Pixels, and you have a soft spot for the Nexus phones, you have until Saturday at 3am eastern to decide!

Because among the daily deals at Amazon for Friday is a sale on a handful of certified refurbished Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X phones. Prices vary by phone color and storage option. The Huawei Nexus 6P models range from $240 to 4260, while the LG Nexus 5X range from $140 to $150.

Once you are in Project FI, you can order from Project FI what they call “Data SIMs”. These can be used for data service only, no voice. However, you can use the Google Hangouts and Hangouts Dialer combination (or Google Voice if you want a different phone number) and then you can make/receive calls and send/receive texts with the “Data SIM” only phones. Google sends these to you for FREE. You can have up to nine of them per Google account, great for developers, testers, reviewers and smartphone/tablet aficionados. I just did this with the Sony Xperia L2, I will finish the blog-post during the weekend if you are curious!

March 9, 2018 Filed Under: android Tagged With: , ,

Refurbished LG G4 (Verizon) for $85 [UPDATED]

UPDATE 3/1/18 at 10pm ET: the price has dropped from $100 to $85. Same seller and shipping situation…

If you are looking for a former flagship that is running on the Verizon network, and $100 is all you are willing to pay, then head on over to Amazon where marketplace seller Kanga Supply is offering certified refurbished LG G4 (Verizon) smartphones for $100 with free shipping.

[Read more…]

March 1, 2018 Filed Under: android Tagged With: , , , , ,

Saturday: refurbished Samsung Gear S2 for $100

One of the Amazon daily deals running until Sunday 3am ET (10/22/17) is the certified refurbished dark gray Samsung Gear S2 Smartwatch offered for $100 with free shipping, sold by a marketplace seller with the orders fulfilled by Amazon, so Prime members get free 2-day shipping.

This refurbished model averages 3.4 out of 5 based on 360+ customer reviews and has over 180 answered questions. This is a Tizen smartwatch OS device, but works with most Kit Kat and later Android smartphones.

I only recently finally gave in to the temptation to try out smartwatches with the Fossil Q Explorist, model FTW4004, an Android Wear 2.0 device. So far, I found it more useful than I had expected. Which is probably why I resisted for so long until the Watch OS matured more with Android Wear 2.0 🙂

October 21, 2017 Filed Under: tech Tagged With: , ,

Logitech G300s Optical Gaming Mouse for $24 [updated]

What do cats and gamers have in common? They love mice 🙂 Drum roll please? Okay, you can now start throwing rotting tomatoes at me 🙂

Okay of the more affordable name-brand gaming mice is currently the Logitech G300s optical gaming mouse with a total of nine programmable controls. And it is currently on sale with two options, you can get it in new condition for $24.

This sold out: or if you want to save even more, you can get it certified refurbished for $16.

The new condition averages 4.3 out of 5 based on over 410 customer reviews and has 59 questions answered, while the refurbished averages 4.1 based on 12 customer reviews. They are posted on separate listings, that’s why they have separate review pools.

Both options are Prime eligible. If not a Prime member, you get free shipping with a $35+ order.

March 15, 2017 Filed Under: tech Tagged With: , , ,

Seller Refurbished 32GB Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (unlocked GSM, 4G LTE, S-Pen included) for $150

If you want to get your Samsung Galaxy Note smartphone fix while waiting to see what the follow-up to the ill-fated Note 7 (which may have been the best smartphone of all time – ironically), the used market is one way to go. Among the latest eBay Deals, you can get the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 in seller-refurbished condition for $150 with free shipping by QualityCellz on eBay (99.4%, ships from Southern California). This is model N910, with 32GB on-board storage, microSD slot, and unlocked 4G LTE. No contract – you own the phone upfront!

NOTE if you are planning to use this with a cellphone plan (not as a Wifi-only device), make sure you check the bands are compatible with your carrier(s) of choice. If not certain, check the various Android/smartphone forums, or use your favorite search engine.

The S-Pen is included per the ebay listing. Some claim the Note 4 was the first in the Note series to “get it right” but of course that’s always subject to debate. It came out in 2014, with a Snapdragon 805, and 3GB of RAM which is nice (assume 1GB is eaten up by “TouchWiz”).

NOTE #2: the Note 4 is not currently among the first wave of smartphones supported by CyanogenMOD-Reborn, aka LineageOS. I wish they gave it a better name. LineageOS sounds like an ancestry-obsessed fan club 🙂

February 7, 2017 Filed Under: android Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Refurbished HTC One M8 for $110 [WinPhone or Android]

From the current flagship, we go to a flagship of yesteryear, it’s HTC time. It’s the One M8, the first flagship in their line to include a microSD memory card. This particular offer is “seller refurbished” which is a higher risk (and lower price) typically compared to manufacturer refurbished. So if you don’t like risks, you may want to skip this. On the other hand, if you are comfortable with the risk/reward of such offers, keep reading…

eBay seller “Quality Cellz” (99.2%) is offering the seller-refurbished HTC One M8 for $110 with free shipping, with a limit of five per customer. It ships from California.

IMPORTANT: this listing sells two different versions, Android or Windows. Make sure you select the correct OS! This is unlocked without any contract requirements.

The specs are three flagships ago, a Snapdragon 800, 2GB RAM, 32GB on-board, microSD, 5-inch 1080p display, etc. Be sure to check Bands and Network compatibility if you are planning to use it with cellular data.

July 1, 2016 Filed Under: android, windows phone Tagged With: , , , ,

Refurbished Nexus 6P (Huawei) for $350

If you want to get the latest flagship Nexus phone but don’t want to pay a flagship price, there is the refurbished option, which is more appealing when it is manufacturer refurbished. Which brings us to the manufacturer refurbished 32GB Nexus 6P (made by Huawe), unlocked without contract requirements, going for $350 with free shipping by Best Buy’s eBay store. This is an online only offer, there is no store pick up option. Limit three units per customer.

It is as usual a never-ending cycle, do you buy the latest phone now, or wait for the new Nexus phones in the fall that will likely come out to coincide with the release of Android 7.0 (aka Nougat)? This is where refurbished may be a good option, since we are closer to the future models than we are not.

July 1, 2016 Filed Under: android Tagged With: , , , , ,

Refurbished 15.6-inch Acer CB3-531-C4A5 for $115 [ChromeOS]

Many of the Chromebooks are on the smaller side of laptops, but not all of them. With prices dropping on computer screens, you don’t have to get a Windows machine if you prefer a budget 15.6-inch screen. You can get a Chromebook.

And if you are comfortable with manufacturer-refurbished, at Groupon Goods you can get the 15.6-inch Acer CB3-531-C4A5 for $115 with free shipping, and free returns, and a 90 day warranty from Acer.

This obviously has basic specs, 2GB RAM (ChromeOS is not as demanding as Windows, but websites continue to get bloated and fill up with all kinds of widgets and scripts, so keep that in mind), 16GB on-board SSD storage, only a 1366×768 resolution (despite the 15.6″ size), and it eats Celery. And by that I mean it is powered by the Celeron N2830 processor which currently ranks #1556 at cpubenchmark.net.

May 5, 2016 Filed Under: 15-inch laptops Tagged With: , ,

Refurbished 11.6″ Acer One Cloudbook for $100 [W10]

If you are going to get a really entry-level Windows 10 laptop, you might as well pay a really entry-level price, $100 with free shipping and free returns. That gets you the manufacturer refurbished 11.6-inch Acer Aspire ONE Cloudbook from Groupon Goods.

This has basic specs obviously, the Celery N3050 CPU (ranks #1592 at cpubenchmark), along with 2GB RAM, 32GB of on-board storage, 1366×768 screen, 02.11ac WiFi, two USB ports (one is 3.0), HDMI out, Bluetooth, SD slot, etc. It comes with a 90 day warranty from Acer. Its full name is AO1-131-C9RK.

April 26, 2016 Filed Under: 11-inch laptops Tagged With: ,

Refurbished 16GB Nexus 5 (unlocked) for $170 [was $150]

The 16GB Nexus 5 (made by LG) Android phone that is part of the Marshmallow wave is available in “certified refurbished” condition for $170 [was $150] with free shipping by two different sellers “BuySPRY” and “Magic Mobile Partners” with the order fulfilled by Amazon, so you get free Prime shipping (if a member) and you get to deal with the Amazon customer service in case of problems. This “certified refurbished” comes with a minimum 90-day warranty and testing/inspection according to the product listing over there… UPDATE 11/19/15: the price jumped from $150 to $170 🙁

From the same seller with similar terms you can get the 32GB version for $180. This does not have a microSD slot, so it’s a trade-off to consider. On the other hand, this is a 4G LTE phone, so if you have a fast connection and access to reliable Wifi, you may not need more than 16GB – at least for media purposes.

I haven’t yet bought any items that are part of Amazon’s Certified Refurbished category, so I can’t tell you what to expect. I am tempted by this Nexus 5 price though because I don’t currently have an officially sanctioned Marshmallow phone.

There are no customer reviews of either one of these listings, so perhaps this is for the more brave shoppers who don’t mind taking a risk.

November 17, 2015 Filed Under: android Tagged With: , , , , ,

Seller-refurbished Samsung Galaxy S5 (T-Mobile, Unlocked) for $210

If today’s Uncarrier X announcements got you excited about T-Mobile, but you don’t want to pay the big bucks for a new phone and you don’t want to sign up for those monthly plans, among the latest offers on eBay you can get the seller-refurbished Samsung Galaxy S5 (T-Mobile, but unlocked now) for $210 with free shipping by eBay seller “chubbiestech” (98.7%). This is available in either black or white, with a limit of 50 per customer. The gold color is sold-out.

The description over there states “phone in fair to good condition, Unit will have scuffs or scratches on body and screen. Comes packaged in after market box with compatible charger & battery”. If you are comfortable with the higher risk of seller-refurbished items, and you are not a perfectionist in terms of the cosmetic product condition, you may get a great deal out of this.

Since this is a T-Mobile unlocked phone, it should work great with T-Mobile. For other GSM carriers, check the bands to make sure it’s a good match. Of particular interest if you are a fan of microSD cards and removable batteries since Samsung yanked both of those features out of the Galaxy S6 🙁

No contract, you own the phone right away. You can always use it as a Wifi-only media device, or use it for development purposes or other experiments, or have it “eat” data from your mobile hotspot or other phones.

November 10, 2015 Filed Under: android Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Seller-Refurbished HTC One M8 (model 6525) for $170 [Verizon with Unlocked GSM]

If you are comfortable with beat-up smartphones (an anti-euphemism for seller-refurbished), all it takes is $170 (was $150) to get the seller refurbished 32GB HTC One M8 (model 6525) from eBay seller BidAllies (98.7%). The description over there calls it “This is a B+ Stock item, meaning unit is in good cosmetic condition and may have minor scrapes or scratches since it’s been handled.”… Price updated in this post on 11/10/15…

Now if you only want to use it as a Wifi-only device, you don’t have to worry about the cellular part. But if you do, keep in mind, this is a Verizon Wireless model, with the GSM part unlocked. Some recent Verizon phones have GSM so you can use it while traveling abroad. So if you are planning to use it on GSM, make sure you check the bands, and check various forums, to make sure it will work to your satisfaction on your chosen GSM network.

Over 4900 units got sold from this offer so far. Only the Gray color scheme remains in-stock. The rest are sold-out. Some prefer the M8 to the newer M9 flagship, but that depends on preferences. The M8 was the first HTC modern-era flagship to bring back the microSD slot (the M7 does not have it).

No contract, you own it right away. You don’t have to use it wirelessly, you just have it as a Wifi-only device, such as a media player, or remote control, or have it feed off your hotspot or your other phone’s mobile hotspot.

The price is very tempting, but make sure you understand the risks of a “seller refurbished” item, and the potential band issues if you are planning to use it on a GSM network.

November 8, 2015 Filed Under: android Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Seller-refurbished Samsung Galaxy S4 (Verizon) for $90

If you are not a perfectionist, and you are comfortable with the higher risk of seller-refurbished products, the Verizon version of the 16GB Samsung Galaxy S4, model i545, is offered in seller refurbished condition for $90 with free shipping, in three of the four colors (blue is sold-out), by eBay seller “GuaranteeCellular” (98.4%). Limit five per customer. No contract!

The description there stresses that it has “noticeable scratches or scuff mark”, but promises that it will be fully functional and have a clean ESN. As of posting time, over 1900 units got sold from this particular listing, despite the higher risk and the lower percentage of the seller. If you are risk-averse or a perfectionist, you may want to sit this one out.

October 29, 2015 Filed Under: android Tagged With: , , , , , ,

[DEAD] Scratch and Dent Samsung Galaxy Former-Flagship deals

This daily deal expired…
[Read more…]

October 21, 2015 Filed Under: android Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Refurbished Samsung Galaxy S4 (Verizon) for $120

If you are fond of the Verizon network and refurbished by 3rd parties (not the manufacturer) smartphones without a contract, Groupon is offering one such thing. It is the refurbished condition Samsung Galaxy S4, in either black or white, going for $120 with free shipping and free returns but only a 30-day warranty from an unspecified Vendor.

So if you are comfortable with taking on some risk, you may find it interesting. Otherwise, if you are more risk-averse, you are better off with certified-refurbished/manufacturer-refurbished and new condition.

This was the flagship two years ago, with a 5-inch AMOLED 1080p display, 2GB RAM, 16GB on-board, microSD, and such. It come out at Android 4.3 time. The official model names are SCH-I545ZW (white) and SCH-I545ZK (black).

October 20, 2015 Filed Under: android Tagged With: , , , , ,