The last great smart-display deal of 2019: JBL's Link View for $95 – CNET

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The JBL Link View features an 8-inch touchscreen, Google Assistant and great, bass-heavy sound.


Tyler Lizenby/CNET

Farewell, 2019! And thank you, readers, for joining me on this non-stop deal adventure. I hope you have an enjoyable celebration this evening and a safe, happy, healthy new year. On to the roaring ’20s we go!

Before we flip the calendars, however, let’s enjoy one last smart-display deal. And it’s a doozy: For a limited time, and while supplies last, Best Buy has the JBL Link View with Google Assistant for $94.99, which I believe is the lowest price to date. It lists for $300, though it originally sold for $250 via JBL proper.

The Link View mashes together a robust wireless speaker and an 8-inch touchscreen. The latter incorporates Google Assistant, meaning you can issue all the usual voice commands for things like weather, music, smart-home controls and so on.

Sound familiar? Yep, Amazon’s Echo Show 8 is a close competitor in terms of features and price (it’s currently $100, though often on sale for less). However, while that model may be a bit more streamlined in its design, there’s no question the Link View has the bigger, better speakers. In fact, in his JBL Link View review, CNET’s Andrew Gebhart wrote that it has “the best sound quality of all current smart displays equipped with Google Assistant.” (Granted, the Echo Show 8 uses Alexa, but you can tell just from looking that the Link View has more speaker meat to it.)

The Link View also offers built-in Google Chromecast, helpful if you want to incorporate it into a whole-home sound system, and it’s a straight-up Bluetooth speaker as well.

There’s a 5-megapixel front-facing camera for video calls, with a manual shutter for blocking the camera and a switch that mutes the microphone.

CNET’s aforementioned review awarded the Link View an 8.3 rating (out of 10) and dubbed it “The Google Assistant smart display with the best sound quality.” Over at Best Buy, some 86 buyers collectively rated it 4.8 stars out of 5.

Even if you aren’t that interested in the video features, $95 for a big, boisterous smart speaker is a darn good deal.

Your thoughts?


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This Bluetooth 5.0 speaker offers 24-hour playtime for just $9.99

Speaking of speakers, let’s get a little smaller, a lot more portable and way, way cheaper: For a limited time, and while supplies last, the Vtin R4 portable Bluetooth speaker is just $9.99 when you clip the on-page $5-off coupon and apply promo code S37W2CE2 at checkout. It’s available in blue, black and red; I tested the code only with the blue model, but I believe it’ll work with the others as well.

vtin-r4-speaker

How can this thing be just $10? Don’t ask questions.


Vtin

This is sold by VicTsing Direct; if you see a different seller listed, it might be because that vendor is sold out. If that’s the case, you probably won’t see the coupon, and the promo code won’t work.

This is the speaker you put in the bathroom so you can listen to music in the shower. Or in the garage for podcasts while you do… garage things. Or in your beach/pool/park bag. You get the idea. It’s IPX5-rated for water resistance (meaning it’s not waterproof, despite what it says in the product headline) and promises an impressive 24 hours of playtime on a charge.

It also has a microphone for speakerphone calls and an also-impressive 24-month warranty. There’s even a slot for popping in a microSD card. OK, but… sound quality? I don’t know, because I haven’t tried this one. But nearly 700 buyers collectively rated the speaker 4.5 stars out of 5, and both Fakespot and ReviewMeta indicate most of those ratings are valid. My take: Keep your expectations in check and you’re likely to be amazed at what your $10 bought you.


CNET’s Cheapskate scours the web for great deals on tech products and much more. For the latest deals and updates, follow the Cheapskate on Facebook and Twitter. Find more great buys on the CNET Deals page and check out our CNET Coupons page for the latest promo codes from Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon, and more. Questions about the Cheapskate blog? Find the answers on our FAQ page.

source: cnet.com