Speaking of iPods, Apple just announced a price cut on the 1GB iPod shuffle: $49, down from $79. If you can't make do with a measly 240 songs, cheer up: Apple also announced a new 2GB shuffle, though it won't be available for a couple weeks. That model will sell for $69, meaning anyone who just paid $79 for a 1GB shuffle will be crying into their beer.

Alas, I'm among those with teary beer: I bought a shuffle for Mrs. Cheapskate just a few months ago. But she absolutely loves it, so I will bottle up … Read more

Now that you've stocked your iPod with dirt-cheap, DRM-free MP3s (see yesterday's AmazonMP3 post), why not let others enjoy your great taste in music? No, I don't mean file-sharing those MP3s (that's illegal), I mean popping your iPod into a speaker dock and filling the room with your tunes.

Decent docks often run upwards of $100 or more, but Amazon has the SDI OutLoud iH80B iPod speaker dock on sale for $39.99. No rebate, free shipping, new in box--sweet.

The iH80B runs on 8 "C" batteries or AC power; the latter charges your … Read more

I just got back from a winter-camping weekend with some buddies, where the greatest shock was not how many of them snore like chainsaws, but how few of them knew about AmazonMP3. Clearly I've been remiss in my Cheapskate duties!

For others unfamiliar with it, AmazonMP3 sells DRM-free MP3s for 89-99 cents apiece; most albums sell for $9.99 or less. The key phrase here is DRM-free: Songs purchased from the service (which currently boasts about 3 million tracks) have no copy protection whatsoever, meaning they'll work with any gadget that plays MP3s: iPods, Zunes, smartphones, Creative Zens, … Read more

I know memory cards are boring, but it just blows me away to see 8GB SD media selling for $29 when a few years ago you'd have paid hundreds for a card with half the capacity.

This is a Transcend Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) card, meaning it should be compatible with all devices (smartphones, digital cameras, etc.) that meet the SD 2.0 standard. It includes a lifetime warranty, and best of all: no rebate. Alas, you'll pay about $9 for ground shipping, which is ridiculous given the size and weight of the product. But even at $… Read more

Windows Vista eats RAM for breakfast. If your notebook has only 1GB, check out Buy.com's deal on 2GB of Crucial PC2-5300 667MHz memory: $24.99 shipped after a $20 mail-in rebate.

This sale consists of a pair of 1GB modules, so you'll probably have to remove your notebook's existing RAM to make room. (Needless to say, you should then head straight to eBay and unload them). Check the manual to make sure the system supports this memory speed and configuration. It's pretty standard, though, so you should be fine. The rebate deal expires Feb. 24.… Read more

For about the price of a budget digital camera, you can snag a budget digital camera and portable snapshot printer to go with it. Circuit City has the Kodak EasyShare C613 6-megapixel camera and EasyShare G610 dock/printer for $129.99 shipped (plus sales tax in most states).

The camera's fairly basic, offering a compact design, 2.4-inch LCD, and 3x optical zoom; CNET readers rated it 6.2 out of 10, meaning it's probably fine for tossing in your bag for everyday use, but not the camera you want to rely on for the family photo that'… Read more

So you just bought an iPod touch or iPhone and want to stock it with movies from your DVD library. There are countless commercial utilities that promise to rip DVDs, but I recommend trying HandBrake. This open-source (read: free) utility for Windows (download), Mac (download), and Linux converts your DVDs for viewing on iPods, iPhones, Sony PSPs, and other portable media players. It's by no means new, but I just had to share my newfound appreciation for it.

I recently picked up the hilarious Flight of the Conchords on DVD. I also just acquired an iPod touch (quite simply … Read more

Good news for Zune owners: Buy.com has the Zune Home AV Kit for $19.99, a pretty sweet deal considering that big-box stores like Circuit City still sell it for the $99.99 list price.

The kit lets you connect your Zune (1st- and 2nd-gen models alike) to your TV or receiver, then control it from your couch via the included remote. That means you can listen to your Zune music library on your kick-ass stereo or watch videos on your big-screen TV (at a resolution of just 640x480, alas). The AC-powered Zune dock also charges your Zune, and … Read more

I'm no fan of Windows Vista, but I absolutely love Windows Media Center (which comes baked into most versions of the operating system). It turns your PC into a full-fledged DVR, one that supports multiple TV tuners, requires no TiVo-like subscription fees, and pairs very nicely with HDTVs.

Hewlett-Packard has a pretty killer deal on the Pavilion Slimline s3300t, a compact but feature-packed media center with a surprise inside: a Blu-ray/HD DVD combo drive. That's right: for $749.99, less than the price of a hybrid high-def DVD player, you can get an entire media center PC.… Read more