By CNET.com
Between holiday credit card bills and the upcoming tax season, budgets are tight. Thankfully, there are plenty of gadgets and accessories available that won’t take a toll on your wallet. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite products available for under $50.
Roku LT
CNET rating: 4 stars out of 5 (Excellent)
The good: The Roku LT offers nearly the full Roku experience for $50. More than 1,000 channels are supported, including Netflix, Amazon Instant, HBO Go, Hulu Plus, Pandora, MLB.TV, Amazon Cloud Player, and Vudu. It also has cross-platform search that scours several major TV and movie services to find content.
The bad: There's still no official YouTube channel. Some services, including Netflix, have an outdated interface compared with what's on other streamers. The Apple TV still works better within the Apple ecosystem.
The cost: $49.99 to $64.99
The bottom line: The Roku LT is the best budget streaming-media device, easily topping the $35 Chromecast.
Dayton Audio B652 speakers
CNET rating: 4 stars out of 5 (Excellent)
The good: The Dayton Audio B652 bookshelf speakers sound great and are available for under $50.
The bad: The Daytons aren't the most attractive speakers you'll see. The spring-clip connectors don't securely grip the speaker wire, so an inadvertent tug might yank it out.
The cost: $43.98 to $99.99
The bottom line: The Dayton Audio B652 speakers are the best-sounding stereo speakers you can buy for under $50.
SanDisk Sansa Clip Zip
CNET rating: 4 stars out of 5 (Excellent)
The good: The SanDisk Sansa Clip Zip is an audio Swiss Army Knife that plays most audio formats, works with audiobook and subscription music services, can be used as a voice recorder, and tunes in to FM radio — all for under $50.
The bad: You get what you pay for in terms of construction quality.
The cost: $34.99 to $51.98
The bottom line: SanDisk's tongue-twister of an MP3 player is a stupefying value and its practical clip-on design is perfect for the gym.
Moshi Mythro earbuds
CNET rating: 4 stars out of 5 (Excellent)
The good: The affordably priced Moshi Mythro in-ear headphones are lightweight and fit comfortably. They sound good for the money and have an integrated microphone and one-button remote for making cellphone calls.
The bad: No carrying case included; no volume controls on integrated remote.
The cost: $30
The bottom line: The well-designed Moshi Mythro earbuds feature quality sound at an affordable price.
