With the rising cost of living that puts a strain on many families – not to mention Fed’s huge interest rate hike (to curb inflation) that is likely to affect your credit card and mortgage payments – Americans are looking for ways to save.
In fact, Google Search says there was a huge increase for words like “cheap” and affordable “ in recent months, which reached its peak in June (so far), Colette Garcia, Global Communications and Public Affairs, Search at Google, confirmed in an email to USA TODAY.
And with gas prices up to record $ 5 / gallon (on average) across the country, it’s no surprise that Google also says that there has been a jump in search queries related to electric vehicles (EVs).
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Speaking of technology, those who still want to treat themselves or loved ones – perhaps as a gift to dads and newbies this month – do not have to break the bank on premium products to get a premium experience.
That is, you may not hear much about cheap gadgets, but they are, and often are, uncompromising.
“Once consumers feel the effects of fuel and food inflation, they are likely to look for bargains in discretionary technology purchases,” confirms Avi GreengartCEO and chief analyst at Techsponential, a company that offers research and consulting to technology companies and resellers. “The good news is that there are deals to be made, especially on TVs and smartphones.”
The following are five such examples of “best value for money” technical articles.
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Bundle up
The only thing better than hooking up with one powerful smart speaker for $ 38 is when a smart light bulb is included in the price.
That’s the case brand new Amazon Echo Dot (4th generation), comes with the Wi-Fi-enabled LIFX Smart Bulb.
Use your voice to call Alexa, your personal assistant, to control your lights and other smart home equipment (like Wi-Fi thermostats), stream music and podcasts, shop online, set alarms or request information such as weather, news and sports scores . (While you can do that, you may not want to ask for stock prices until the market recovers!).
Unlike some other smart lamps, this dimmable LIFX lamp does not require a bridge or hub.
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Smart phone, smart price
For only $ 258, it just announced TCL Stylus 5G is a fraction of the cost of many premium smartphones, but still manages to impress with its deep features.
The 6.8-inch Android phone has a 50-megapixel AI-Quad camera, 13-megapixel forward-facing camera and up to 26 hours of talk time.
“TCL’s Stylus 5G has a 5G chipset from MediaTek, a large screen and software features for notes and drawing,” confirms Greengart. As the name of the product suggests, it also comes with a pencil.
“Are there compromises to reach that price level? Of course there are [as] This is not a Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, but the Stylus 5G offers a lot of productivity for $ 1,000 less. ”
Thanks for the memory
Starting at just $ 11 (for 32 gigabytes), it SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Luxe USB Type-C is a small storage solution that lets you easily move files between your USB Type-C smartphone, tablets and Macs and USB Type-As.
The rotatable design allows you to choose between the USB-A and USB-C connector.
With a capacity of up to 1 terabyte, the Ultra Dual Drive Luxe USB made entirely of metal can be easily attached to a keychain to keep it comfortable, wherever you go this summer.
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File transfer is fast thanks to USB 3.1 Gen 1 performance with read speeds of 150 MB / s.
When connected to an Android phone, it’s free SanDisk Memory Zone app automatically backs up photos and videos, as well as music, documents, and contacts.
(iPhone users, on the other hand, can pick up iXpand Flash Drivefrom $ 16 for 32GB, which has a Lightning connector on one end.)
Good advice
Do not want to spend $ 179 on AirPods or do not like the look of the white stems sticking out of your ears? (Or maybe they just do not stay in your ears, period?)
For music lovers on a budget, NexiGos Air T2 earphones ($ 69) is a pair of ultra-thin, light and really wireless headphones.
Available in black, silver or rose gold, they provide a comfortable fit, surprisingly powerful sound (with 13 mm drivers) and four built-in microphones for clearer voice calls.
While they lack powerful Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) technology – instead, it has CVC (“clear voice capture”) noise reduction linked more to phone calls – you can not beat the price, especially considering the impressive design and sound.
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The battery lasts up to 7 hours per charge and up to 28 hours with a charging case.
Gambling too
“Because the supply chain’s limitations for computer chips are slowly easing and cryptocurrency mining is less profitable, it should also be much easier to find game consoles and PC graphics cards at regular resale prices,” says Greengart.
“But for a real bargain, Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass lets you play games on computers and even Samsung Smart TV – just add a controller. ”
Instead of paying $ 60 or $ 70 for each new video game, Xbox Game Pass is a $ 9.99 / month subscription service that lets you play more than 100 high quality games on Xbox, Windows PC or select Samsung Smart TV (no console required) or $ 14.99 / month for an “Ultimate” plan (both platforms).
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