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Still need gifts? Amazon’s secret sale site has great gadgets for $20 or less — and they'll arrive in time

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Amazon Echo Dot device and Blink Mini security camera on a green background.
With top shelf tech like this, they'll assume you spent a fortune. Photo: Amazon)

With just a few days left till Christmas, some folks are hustling to finish their holiday prep – while others of us haven’t even begun our shopping (show of hands, please!). Not to worry, Amazon’s super secret sale site has huge discounts on useful, thoughtful gadgets for everyone on your list. And our picks will arrive by the big day!

This week Amazon has put tons of popular devices on serious sale, many for $20 or less. Of course, feel free to take advantage for yourself too. Make your home smarter by grabbing an Echo Dot or Show, stream holiday shows for guests with a new Fire TV Stick or keep an eye on your home while away with a Blink camera.

If you’re a Prime member you can get your goodies even faster, with free two-day shipping on many items. Prime members also get access to streaming music, audiobooks and thousands of movies and TV shows. If you’re not already a member, you can easily sign up for a free 30-day trial here. Check out our picks from the Amazon super secret sale site below — and see the full array here.

Save 50 percent: Amazon Echo Dot smart speaker

Call friends and family, play music, get news and more. (Photo: Amazon)
Call friends and family, play music, get news and more. (Photo: Amazon)

The Amazon Echo Dot is a great basic smart home device. It's small and unobtrusive; it can play music, podcasts or audiobooks; it can make calls for you; and it can deliver weather, news and traffic updates. Using your voice you can ask Alexa to answer questions, set alarms, create routines or control your smart home devices like lights or thermostats. And save half off the regular price!

One scrappy reviewer shares, “I started putting in reminders for medications, starting dinner, to remember to switch the laundry…Now Alexa keeps all my lists and can read them to me. I set up a Google calendar and Alexa can also remind me what events are coming up. I wish I had tried it much sooner. My husband was so amazed, he bought a second one for me! He enjoys having Alexa play sports talk radio and news, and I’ve started to listen to audiobooks more.”

$20 $40 at Amazon

Save $15: Blink Mini HD camera

The Blink Mini 1080p HD camera gives a whole new meaning to smart. (Photo: Amazon)
The Blink Mini 1080p HD camera gives a whole new meaning to smart. (Photo: Amazon)

Smarten up your home easily with this mini 1080p HD indoor, plug-in security camera. It has motion detection and two-way audio (so you can chat with someone at the door, even if you're upstairs). The Blink Mini HD camera can be set up within minutes, and provides a clear detailed view day or night. It works with any Alexa devices, so you can use your voice to view a live feed or arm/disarm the camera. Motion alerts are sent to your phone. You can even customize motion detection zones (say, if you want to be alerted when those raccoons start messing with your trash cans). At this price, you can grab a few.

A pleased user, who says they rarely write reviews, reports: “The setup was a breeze, up and running in 30 seconds. The app is responsive and user friendly. My WiFi is slow, but it still loaded a 1080p HD quality view when I accessed it from my mobile app. My favorite feature is the night vision. All my previous cameras just showed a dark room or shadows but this camera shows a clear and crisp picture in pitch black darkness.” Now that's security.

$20 $35 at Amazon

Save $10: Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite

Fire TV Stick Lite using voice commands to make streaming easier. (Photo: Amazon)
Fire TV Stick Lite uses voice commands to make streaming easier. (Photo: Amazon)

The Fire TV Stick Lite is currently discounted from $30 to a mere $20. A small dongle that plugs into a TV and gives access to Full HD content, the Fire TV Stick Lite delivers an endless stream of entertainment: millions of movies and TV episodes from services like Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ or Peacock, plus music, podcasts and audiobooks from Spotify, Audible, Pandora and more.

The voice remote gives you access to Alexa and all her talents; just hold down a button to speak and have your smart assistant recommend movies, find TV shows, play music or access your other smart devices like cameras or thermostats. The Fire TV Stick Lite has legions of fans and more than 170,000 five star reviews. One reviewer says, “Oh my, I shouldn’t have waited so long to purchase. I wasn’t sure if I needed it but now I don’t know what I would do without it. It was super easy to connect to my TV and setup… I was ready to watch my shows in under 10 minutes!”

$20 $30 at Amazon

The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.

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