The Cheapskate

The Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-950, a "hybrid" TV tuner (meaning it can tune in over-the-air digital broadcasts or standard cable), normally sells for $79. Dell's Home store has it for just $40.79 plus five bucks shipping. That's after a $20 mail-in rebate, but I reckon Dell's good for it.

Hauppauge tuners are widely regarded as some of the best in the business. The HVR-950 comes with DVR software but also works with Windows Media Center. (Also included: Elgato EyeTV Lite, meaning you can use the tuner with a Mac!) You'll have to supply the antenna … Read more

In celebration of 25 years of PC hookups, Laplink is offering its PCmover migration utility--normally a $50 product--free of charge. All you have to do is head to Laplink's site and download the program, no strings attached.

PCmover is designed to help you transfer files, settings, and even programs from one machine to another. You can make the move using a network, removable media (like an external hard drive), or an optional USB cable. A wizard-driven interface promises to make the process relatively painless.

CNET hasn't reviewed this version of the program, but PC World covered it a few months back. … Read more

If you're still using a corded mouse, it's time to get with the 21st century. One-deal-a-day site Yugster has a Targus wireless rodent for just $6.95, plus five bucks for shipping. It's a refurb with a 90-day warranty.

This three-button optical scroll mouse relies on RF technology (meaning no line of sight required) to communicate with its USB dongle. When the rechargeable battery gets low, you simply connect the mouse to the dongle using the included cable. You can, of course, continue using it while it's charging. There's also a USB extension cable so … Read more

You've probably heard of eMusic, the online store that sells DRM-free MP3s. If not, well, it's an online store that sells DRM-free MP3s. The service traditionally offers 25 or even 50 free downloads as part of its one-month subscription trial, but right now you can get a whopping 100 tunes absolutely gratis.

eMusic boasts a library of 3.5 million tunes, the bulk of them from indie artists like Sufjan Stevens and Belle and Sebastian, but also a fair share from mainstream names like The Raconteurs, Barenaked Ladies, and Taylor Swift. The service now offers audiobooks as well. … Read more

Anti-virus software is a necessary evil (unless you're a Mac or Linux user, am I right?), but it doesn't have to be a costly one. Witness Grisoft's AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition, which offers robust virus protection without any money changing hands.

The just-released version 8.0 includes a spiffier, easier interface and a new feature called LinkScanner, which promises protection from malicious links returned by Web searches. Better still, AVG 8.0 adds anti-spyware to the mix, bringing it closer to that other free anti-virus favorite, Avast. (The latter includes rootkit protection as well, which AVG still … Read more

Got storage? You can get a Cavalry 500GB external USB drive for a mere $79.99 shipped. Granted, you'll have to wait on a $15 mail-in rebate, but you can spend the time filling this half-terabyte drive with all your videos, MP3s, backup files, and so on.

The NTFS-formatted Cavalry drive spins at a peppy 7,200 rpm and supports both Mac and Windows systems. Plus, it's stackable, so you can build a tower of terabytes if that's your thing.

Having recently experienced a near-catastrophic hard drive failure, I can't recommend an external drive highly enough. … Read more

Magazine-subscription service TradePub is offering a free one-year subscription to PC Magazine. All you have to do is complete a form and wait up to 12 weeks for your first issue to arrive (assuming you meet the publisher's "demographic and geographic requirements," that is).

What's the catch? Well, you're divulging your personal information, of course, including your e-mail address, but TradePub says simply that "you are giving us permission to contact you via email about your subscription and concerning customer service requests." Sounds pretty harmless. Will you end up receiving newsletters, promotional offers, … Read more

It's rare enough to find a 22-inch LCD for $200, but $179.99? That's a steal. And that's TigerDirect's price on the refurbished Gateway FPD2275W. Best of all, there's no rebate: $179.99 is your out-the-door price (plus about $17 for shipping).

Spec-wise, the monitor seems pretty solid. It offers a native resolution of 1680x1050, a 5ms response time (important for games, movies, and other fast-moving video), VGA and HDCP-compliant DVI inputs, and even a 4-port USB hub. CNET rated the monitor pretty highly, but found fault with its short warranty.

Unfortunately, the warranty on … Read more

Creative is clearing out a mess of refurbished gear, including 1GB Zen Stone MP3 players for $13.99, 2GB Zen Stone Plus players for $21.99, and my personal favorite: the 4GB Zen for $64.99. All prices include shipping!

In case you're unfamiliar with it, the Zen is Creative's answer to the 3rd-gen iPod nano. It offers a 2.5-inch screen, an FM tuner, an SDHC slot (for adding up to 16GB of extra storage via cheapo memory cards), a voice recorder, and support for music-subscription services. You can also stock it with TV shows and movies … Read more