The Cheapskate

Share your music with JBL On Tour portable speakers, $29.95

Don't keep that Brendan Benson collection to yourself. Or that Arcade Fire. Heck, even that John Mayer. Plug a set of portable speakers into your iPod, Zune, Zen, or other MP3 player and let the world (or at least the nearby) jam with you. B&H Photo has the JBL On Tour Portable Speaker System for $29.95, plus a reasonable six bucks (ish) for shipping.

These cool-looking curved speakers (which originally sold for $100) run on AC power or a quartet of AAA batteries--the latter good for up to 24 hours of play time, according to JBL. … Read more

Download DRM-free Police album 'Synchronicity' for $1.99 (today only)

I've gushed before about AmazonMP3, the online music store that sells DRM-free MP3s at reasonable prices. Head there today and you can get The Police's Synchronicity--not just the song, but the complete album--for only $1.99. Head there tomorrow and you'll find another album on sale for around the same price. Wowza.

This "MP3 Daily Deal" is a new thing at AmazonMP3. Lest you think it's a clearinghouse for crummy albums no one wants, I give you Exhibit A: Synchronicity (arguably The Police's best album). Exhibit B: Coldplay's Parachutes (one of last … Read more

Get 5x7 prints for 19 cents each from Snapfish

If you've snapped some mantle-worthy photos of a new baby, a recent graduate, a weekend wedding, or whatever, don't settle for puny little 4x6-inch prints. From now until June 28, you can get glorious 5x7s from Snapfish for just 19 cents apiece.

How good a deal is that? I did a little price-checking: CVS charges $1.49 per (plus sales tax in most states); dotPhoto, $0.89; and Shutterfly, $0.99. Snapfish even beats Wal-Mart's price of $0.58.

To take advantage of this deal, you must enter coupon code PRTS1908 when you check out. Oh, and … Read more

Get a dual-core Acer desktop for $350 shipped

In my experience, most computer users have pretty basic needs. Word processing, Web browsing, e-mail, maybe a little money management and photo organizing. The Acer Aspire Slim ASL100-ED420A has more than enough horsepower for tasks like those, yet it's priced at a mere $349.99. Free shipping, no rebates, and it's not even a refurb.

The Acer's specs include an AMD 2.2GHz 4200+ dual-core processor, a 320GB hard drive, a DVD burner, and even an 802.11b/g wireless card (fairly rare in a desktop)--all packed into a slim, stylish case. The only shortcoming I … Read more

Watch feature films free of charge at Hulu.com

Many people already recognize video-streaming service Hulu.com as a great destination for watching TV shows (it has every single episode of Arrested Development, people!), but did you know it also offers movies? Over 100 of them, in fact, and some darn good titles, too. Here are my picks for the Five Best Movies to Watch on Hulu:

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Ice Age Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World Monty Python's Meaning of Life The Usual Suspects

I didn't mention Sideways and The Big Lebowski because I think they're overrated--but they'… Read more

Score a 6-foot HDMI cable for free (after rebate)

Last month I mentioned that you shouldn't overpay for HDMI cables: The cheap ones are generally just as good as their pricey counterparts. Of course, the best deal is when you don't pay anything at all, like with eCost's free-after-rebate Azio 6-foot HDMI cable.

Shipping is way overpriced at $9.50 (for a cable? C'mon, eCost), but in the end you're getting an HDMI cable for $9.50--a great deal any way you slice it.

The rebate offer (PDF) is good until June 30, though who knows how long eCost's stock will last? For … Read more

Turn your iPod into a bookshelf stereo for $19.99 (after rebate)

Remember the Logitech iPod AudioStation? First it was $50 (after rebate), then $29.99 (after rebate). Now you can scoop one up for a measly $19.99 (after...you know). Shipping will run you around $14, which seems steep given the price of the hardware itself, but your out-the-door total is still pretty low.

The AudioStation (originally $150) is an iPod speaker dock paired with an AM/FM tuner. It includes a wireless remote, an audio input jack (for connecting non-iPod players), and composite and S-Video outputs (for watching iPod videos on a TV). It charges your iPod, of course, … Read more

Get a 500GB external hard drive for $69.99 shipped (after rebate)

I've yet to see a 500GB external hard drive for less than $80, even on Black Friday. But Buy.com has the Micronet Fantom Titanium II 500GB USB drive for $69.99 shipped (after a $20 mail-in rebate). That's a lotta storage for not a lotta cash. (Somewhere my old grammar teacher is feeling faint.)

This 7,200-rpm drive promises solid performance and near-silent operation, as it's housed in a fanless enclosure. It's not much to look at, but, hey, you're paying for gigabytes, not glamour. CNET hasn't reviewed the drive, but a couple users gave it high marks.… Read more

Get a JVC MiniDV camcorder for $119.99

Time was, a MiniDV camcorder would set you back $300 minimum. Now you can scoop up a JVC GR-DA30 for a measly $119.99 (plus 10 bucks or so for shipping). It's a manufacturer-recertified unit with a less-than-stellar warranty, but it's also a pretty impressive camcorder for the money.

The GR-DA30 features a 30x optical zoom (!), a sliding 2.4-inch LCD on the rear of the body (!), and a battery JVC says will give you 115 minutes of shooting time (again, !). It also promises video-noise reduction in low-light environments, though I'm skeptical about that: I've yet … Read more