(Credit:
Logitech)
My iPod spends more time in its speaker dock than it does anyplace else. The dock resides in the kitchen; the iPod serves up tunes when the Cheapskate clan is cooking, cleaning, eating, and so on. My only regret is that it doesn't have a radio, meaning we can't listen to NPR when the mood strikes.
That's why I'm seriously eyeballing the Logitech AudioStation, an iPod speaker dock that also has an AM/FM tuner. It's packed with other features, too, like a remote, an audio input jack (for connecting non-iPod players), and composite and S-Video outputs (for watching iPod videos on a TV). It also charges your iPod, of course, and cranks out 80 watts' worth of audio goodness.
The AudioStation sold for $300 (!) when CNET first reviewed it (and rated it 8/10), but now you can grab one for a mere $49.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate.
Note that TigerDirect won't let you return the item unless it's defective, and even then you can only exchange it for a replacement. On the plus side, it's backed by a 24-month Logitech warranty.
(Credit:
Buy.com)
If you frequent trade shows or spend a lot of time making new business contacts, you invariably wind up with stacks of business cards and the tedious task of adding the info to your contact manager. A card scanner can speed up the process considerably; now's your chance to scoop one up for $16.99, shipped, after a $60 mail-in rebate.
The Plustek OptiCard 820 is a portable color scanner designed for business cards and photos up to 4x6 inches. It weighs just under 7 ounces and draws power from your PC's USB port, so there's no bulky AC adapter to pack. Optical scan resolution tops out at 600 dpi, which is fine for cards and snapshot photos.
The included CardIris software, used to convert business cards into raw data, can automatically save to Outlook, Lotus Notes, Palm Desktop, and other popular PIMs. PC Magazine's review of the scanner dinged it for so-so character recognition, meaning you might have to do some manual clean-up of the card data--but it's probably still faster than entering it manually.
This rebate deal ends January 31.
(Credit:
Buy.com)
Here's the scoop: Buy.com has the Epson Stylus CX7450 printer/scanner/copier for $70. They also have a deal going where you can get a $70 mail-in rebate if you purchase a digital camera at the same time. Any digital camera. Like the $9.99 Argus Keychain Digital Camera. Add $6.79 for shipping and your out-the-door price is $86.78. Final price after rebate: $16.78. Woo!
The CX7450 employs four separate ink cartridges (one each for black, cyan, magenta, and yellow) and promises print speeds of up to 28 pages per minute. It includes a memory-card reader, a 120-sheet paper tray, and fairly basic scan/copy features. It's new, not a refurb. As for the camera, well, it's junk. It does double as a Webcam, though, so maybe you'll get some use out of it. If not, it's a perfect play-camera for the kids.
No rush on this one: The rebate deal is good until March 31. Of course, the $9.99 camera may not be around nearly as long. (Via Deals2Buy.)
(Credit:
Apple)
Update: It appears this may not work after all. And here I thought those Giz guys were crackerjacker hackers.
Renting movies from iTunes? Love it. Having to finish watching a movie within 24 hours of starting it? Not so much with the love. Fortunately, those crafty fellows over at Gizmodo figured out an easy way to turn the clock back, so to speak, thus extending your watchability window.
Basically, if you set your computer's clock ahead a few days (or weeks, or months) before starting the movie, then set it back to normal again, you'll have virtually unlimited time in which to finish watching. Already started the flick? Set the computer clock back a few days until you're able to reach the closing credits.
Apple will no doubt patch iTunes to prevent this little trick from working forever. But until then, at least you have a little more control over your rentals.
(Credit:
Apple)
From time to time I'll post deals on refurbished/recertified items, which are sold at a discount because they didn't meet a manufacturer's quality standards or were returned (for one reason or another) and can't be sold as new. What do you think of these deals? Have you had good luck buying refurb gear, or did you end up regretting it? I'd love to hear your stories--and so would your fellow Cheapskate readers.
I'll kick things off with one of my own. Last year, Mrs. Cheapskate needed an LCD TV with a built-in DVD player. I found a great deal on a 20-inch refurbished model. When it arrived, however, we discovered that the stand had broken clean off the base of the TV as a result of shockingly poor packaging. To the vendor's credit, they picked up the busted set and shipped a replacement with a minimum of fuss.
The replacement's packaging was equally atrocious (seriously, the TV was wrapped in a single layer of bubble wrap inside the box, nothing more), but it appeared to be intact. Most importantly, it worked.
In fact, it worked for 15 days, at which point the built-in DVD player refused to play any more DVDs (leaving my poor wife scrambling during a business presentation). And, naturally, the vendor's return policy for refurbished items expired after--you guessed it--14 days. I thought they'd cut me a break, but no, they sent me to the manufacturer for repairs (bad vendor, bad!).
Yeah, I made a few mistakes along the way (the big one: buying a TV with a built-in DVD player. Those things always break), but it's the only bad experience I've had with refurb gear. How about you? Hit the comments page and share your own tales of woe (or satisfaction).
(Credit:
eReader)
I love e-books. For years I've read them on whatever PDA or smartphone I happened to be carrying at the time. (Currently it's a Palm Centro.)
Sure, the screens are small, but you get used to that pretty quickly. For me, nothing beats the convenience of having a good book in your pocket (or clipped to your belt) everywhere you go.
eReader, one of the oldest e-booksellers, was recently acquired by another e-book veteran, Fictionwise. To celebrate, the company just dropped the prices on over 8,000 titles: Every book over $10 has been discounted up to 20 percent.
That's great news, as I think part of the resistance to e-books in general has been their pricing. Surely a book that has zero printing, distribution, and shipping costs should sell for less than its dead-tree counterpart, no?
Anyway, the required eReader software is available for Palm, Windows Mobile, and Symbian devices, as well as for Windows and Mac PCs. While you're at it, sign up for the free eReader newsletter to get an additional 10 percent off each purchase.
P.S. I don't care what Steve Jobs thinks about the masses: I read, and I would love to be able to read books on my iPhone or iPod touch. Betcha lots of other folks would, too.
(Credit:
Creative)
Here's a simple math exercise: should you spend $199 on an 8GB iPod nano or $119.99 on an 8GB Creative Zen V Plus? Answer: a big fat "that depends."
The nano has a slightly larger screen (2 inches, versus 1.5 on the Zen), a way sexier design, and vastly superior software for managing music, podcasts, and the like. But for $80 less, the Zen nets you an FM radio, a voice recorder, compatibility with subscription-music services like Napster and Rhapsody, and even line-in recording.
So it boils down to style over substance. If you're in the market for a flash player and want a sexy status symbol, pony up for the nano. If you want more features and a bargain price (Buy.com has the Zen V Plus for $119.99 shipped after a mail-in rebate), get Zen.
It's worth noting that Creative actually has the same model on sale for $129.99, no rebate required, but it's out of stock at the moment. I can understand why: that's a pretty sweet player for the money.
(Credit:
Dropio)
If you've never heard of Dropio, it's worth checking out. The service provides temporary storage for your files--an online dropbox, so to speak--complete with a unique Web address you can share or keep to yourself.
Of course, lots of services offer this capability, but Dropio just added an entirely original feature: MP3 audio recording. Now, when you create a "drop," you get a phone number and special extension. Just dial in from your cell phone (or any phone), enter the extension, and start talking. When you're done, Dropio turns the recording into an MP3 you can play, share, download, or whatever. How cool is that?
You could use this to record a lecture, a podcast entry, an audio reminder to yourself, or even an interview (your phone takes the place of your voice recorder). There's no limit on recording length except for the 100MB cap on each free (!) drop; a 10-spot buys you a Premium drop with 1GB of storage.
(I know this is a little different from my usual gadgets-and-gear coverage--is that a good thing? Bad thing? Other thing? Let me know if you'd like to see more Web services in the mix.)
(Credit:
Symantec)
Are you making regular backups of your PC? Please, don't lie--it just embarrasses both of us. Don't tell me it's because you don't know how or you can't afford pricey backup software. Excuses don't pay the rent (or restore your data).
Buy.com has Norton Save & Restore 2.0, by all accounts a solid backup utility, for a mere $2.99 (shipped!) after a pair of mail-in rebates. Granted, one of them is a competitive upgrade, but just about any utility software qualifies: antivirus, antispam, firewall. You supply the proof of purchase (confirmation e-mail, a page from the manual, or even the CD itself), and Norton supplies the $20.
Save & Restore 2.0 can back up your entire hard drive or selected files and folders. It can also round up specific file types, like digital photos and MP3s. Computer Shopper rated it 7.0 (out of 10), the biggest knock being the price. That's hardly an issue now, right? Do yourself a favor and make regular backups, because hard-drive disaster isn't a matter of if, but when.
(Credit:
TigerDirect)
Welcome to the HD DVD Deathwatch, Day One. TigerDirect has the Toshiba HD-A3 player with 2 movies in the box (300 and The Bourne Identity) and 5 more by mail, all for just $129.99. That's practically a Black Friday price, which begs the question: Could this be the beginning of the end for HD DVD?
As you've no doubt heard by now, Warner Bros. Entertainment has decided to put its high-def eggs in Blu-ray's basket. It remains to be seen whether HD DVD can survive this move--the format's not much good if there are no movies available for it--but it could produce some killer deals on players. Like this one.
CNET hasn't officially reviewed the HD-A3, but you can check out a summary and some user ratings (7.2 out of 10 on average). The key thing to note here is that the A3 tops out at 1080i, not 1080p. I don't consider that a major shortcoming (my eyes can't see a difference between the two), but videophiles will no doubt raise the red flag.
What do you think? Good time to scoop up a clearance-price HD DVD player? Or is there no sense spending money on a doomed format? I'm eager to hear your thoughts. In the meantime, don't wait if you want this player; I guarantee they won't last long.
