General

A scratched DVD is a worthless DVD. I learned this the hard way after the kids destroyed half our Pixar movie collection. That's why I'm a strong believer in making backups.

Today only, Giveaway of the Day is giving away Digiarty's WinX DVD Copy Pro 3.4.3 for Windows. (I mention the version number because if you have an older freebie, here's your chance to upgrade.)

To get the program, click only the link marked Download WinX DVD Copy Pro 3.4.3 now. There's a lot of promotional clutter on that page, including … Read more

Late last year I sung the praises of cash-rebate sites, which pay you back for making online purchases you were going to make anyway.

SwagBucks gives you prizes for doing stuff you already do, like searching the Web, playing games, taking polls, and watching videos.

It may sound a little scammy, but the site's legit: in the past couple years I've redeemed bucks for things like Amazon and iTunes gift cards. The challenge, of course, lies in earning enough bucks for a decent prize.

You now have one more tool in your arsenal: SwagBucks TV Mobile, a new Android app … Read more

Continuing this week's unofficial deals-under-$10 theme, let's talk cheap tunes.

For a limited time, Amazon is offering 129 one-hit wonder MP3s for 69 cents each. (That's the promotion's landing page. If you want to see the choices in list form, click here.)

You've probably heard most, if not all, of these songs on the radio, which is still the place where one-hit wonders are born. And maybe you even bought an entire album just to get one song--only to be disappointed by the rest of the tunes.

Heck, maybe you've long harbored a … Read more

OK, time to test the new-and-improved Cheapskate newsletter system, which shoots out the e-mail shortly after my post goes live.

That's key today, as we're looking at an item that's likely to sell out fast.

While supplies last, Buy.com has the Kingston 8GB DataTraveler Mini Fun flash drive for $7.95 shipped.

Update: Sure enough, it sold out. But as at least one helpful commenter pointed out, Newegg continues to offer the 8GB DataTraveler 108 drive for $7.99 shipped. Excellent alternative.

(In case of sellout, here's a preemptive backup: B&H Photo … Read more

You may think I'm scraping the bottom of the deal barrel today, but hear me out.

While supplies last, Cctveworld via Ebay has the Flexible Swivel Twist Angle 360 USB Adapter for $2.98 shipped.

Update: Sold out, but this seller has the same thing for $2.99 shipped.

Why would you want such a thing? Simple: To make USB cables go where you want them to go, rather than sticking out of your PC at aesthetically displeasing angles.

See, my laptop doubles as my desktop. Thus I keep various USB peripherals plugged in at all times: iPhone dock, … Read more

Not all refurbished products are created equal. The very definition can differ depending on what the product is and who's doing the refurbishing.

For example, I once bought a small, refurbished HDTV that had a broken stand, scuffed bezel, and barely there packaging. Bleh.

However, when it comes to Apple products, I see no reason to choose anything but refurbs. I say this not as a gushing Apple fanboy, but rather as someone who thinks most Apple hardware is overpriced--and sees refurbs as a rare opportunity to get it for less.

Here's a great example. Head to the … Read more

Happy 2012, everyone!

New year, new outlook. For example, while in the past I've championed freeware security tools over their pricey commercial counterparts, I'm starting to think there's something to be said for the latter--especially for less tech-savvy users. (You know who you are. :)

Expiring today, Newegg has Norton 360 5.0 3-user edition for free after a $45 mail-in rebate (PDF). That includes shipping of this boxed copy of the software.

For those unfamiliar with it, Norton 360 offers robust protection against the likes of viruses, spyware, phishing, identity theft, and rootkits.

It also provides automated … Read more

Early in 2011, when the Optoma Neo-i iPhone/iPod projector made its debut, the price tag was a stiff $450.

Today only, and while supplies last, Woot has the Optoma Neo-i projector for $219.99, plus $5 for shipping. Unlike much of what Woot peddles, this Neo is new, not refurbished.

The Neo-i combines an iPhone/iPod speaker dock with a 50-ANSI-lumens pico projector. To put that another way, when you plunk your iThing onto the connector and load up your library of, say, "Arrested Development" episodes, the projector beams them onto any available stretch of lightly colored … Read more

Did Santa bring you a new HDTV? Or a Roku box? Maybe a PlayStation 3? Whatever the case, you'll probably need an HDMI cable or two.

While supplies last, Newegg has the Rosewill Pellucid HD 6-foot HDMI cable for $2.99 shipped. That's the lowest price I've seen on a name-brand (as opposed to generic) cable.

Of course, as regular Cheapskate readers know, most generic, low-cost HDMI cables work just as well as their crazily overpriced counterparts. (I'm looking at you, Belkin and Monster.)

I'm running at least half a dozen "cheapies" in … Read more