The Cheapskate

Got a spare PC lying around? Turn it into a sweet DVR with this TiVo-in-a-box package.

(Credit: Nero)

Update #2 (1:30 p.m PT): Sorry, folks, looks like the LiquidTV is sold out. It's worth checking back periodically, though, just in case Nero releases more stock.

Update: Use coupon code AP-4210-BJ6C to get an extra $4 off! Thanks to reader ThaBigGuy for the heads-up.

My unofficial motto: cheap things come to those who wait. Witness the Nero LiquidTV TiVo PC, currently on sale for just $39.99 shipped. Just two months ago, it seemed like a bargain at $69.99. And it originally sold for $199.99!

In case you're not familiar with it, TiVo PC is exactly what it sounds like: a combination of hardware and software that turns your computer into a TiVo.

Specifically, the retail package includes the Windows-based TiVo software, a TiVo remote, a USB IR receiver, a one-year subscription to the TiVo service, and a high-end USB tuner.

The software probably needs no introduction--it's nearly identical to what you'd find on a TiVo set-top box, complete with Season Pass and KidZone features (but without extras like music and photos).

The tuner is a Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-950Q, a top-rated model that, purchased separately, would cost you $99. So even if you toss out the software, you're getting a seriously good deal on the tuner.

It can pull down over-the-air digital signals (a small antenna is included, but you might need something larger), QAM channels, or analog channels. The remote is the same one that comes with the TiVo HD.

I reviewed a LiquidTV about a year ago, and while I encountered a few setup wrinkles, overall it did a fine job duplicating the TiVo experience. Just keep in mind that after the first year, a TiVo subscription will cost you $99 annually. That's cheaper than set-top box rates, but still--ouch.

CNET hasn't covered the product, but check out Maximum PC's LiquidTV review. Verdict: "Our new favorite PVR software solution for the PC." 'Nuff said.

Backup deal: Cell-phone reseller Wirefly has teamed up with Bing to offer $50 cash back on any phone Wirefly offers. For example, you can get the Verizon Droid Eris for $9.99 (with new service), then walk away with $40.01 in Bing Cashback cash. Definitely worth a look!

Real Tennis 2009 is one of eight games now on sale for 99 cents.

(Credit: Gameloft)

Remember a few weeks back when Konami cut its iPhone/iPod Touch game prices to 99 cents? (They're still available, FYI.)

Now Gameloft has followed suit, offering some (but not all) of its game titles for the appetizing price of a buck apiece--a significant savings in some cases. Here's the rundown (links are to CNET reviews where applicable, otherwise to the App Store):

• Blades of Fury (originally $6.99)
• Brothers in Arms: Hour of Heroes (originally $9.99)
• Castle of Magic (originally $4.99)
• Hero of Sparta (originally $5.99)
• NFL 2010 (originally $4.99)
• Real Tennis 2009 (originally $4.99)
• Shrek Kart (originally $4.99)
• Terminator Salvation (originally $9.99)

These prices are good until Sunday, November 29, so act fast if you want to stock up on some seriously good games for some seriously low prices.

Me, I'm grabbing NFL 2010, Terminator, and maybe Castle of Magic for the kiddos.

This 99-cent app serves up a wealth of free Redbox rental codes.

Good news for fans of Redbox movie-rental kiosks: the new Redbox app (free) lets you browse and reserve movies and find the kiosk nearest you. Cool.

Better news for Redbox fans: the new Red Box Free Rental Promo Codes app (from third-party developer Neese) means you may never have to pay for another movie.

The app aggregates codes from around the Internet and various promo mailings, updating them every 12 hours so you're sure to have the latest and greatest.

When you get to the Redbox checkout screen, just tap "Rent with a Promo Code," then type in any of the codes listed in the app. If one doesn't work, try another.

Red Box Free Rental Promo Codes costs 99 cents, so the first time you nab a free rental, it pays for itself.

I haven't had a chance to put the app to the test just yet (it does require a visit to a kiosk--you can't use the codes when reserving movies), but I'll update the post if I run into any problems. To me it seems like a can't-miss way to score free movie rentals.

While we're on the subject of using your iPhone to save money, be sure to check out "Five iPhone apps that can save you money," "iPhone apps for Black Friday shopping," and eBay's new holiday-deals app.

All this gets me wondering: Could your iPhone actually start paying for itself? I mean, if you can rack up 70 bucks' worth of savings per month by way of various apps, that would cover the cost of AT&T's low-end plan. Hmmm...

Save up to $5 on each game in Konami's impressive iPhone catalog.

I once wrote for an app review site where the guidelines insisted price shouldn't factor into a game's rating. Nuts, right? That's like saying as long as you like the car you're test-driving, forget about the sticker.

For a cheapskate like me, price absolutely matters, which is why I'm happy to see every game in Konami's iPhone catalog temporarily on sale for 99 cents each.

That includes Metal Gear Solid Touch, which is widely regarded as one of the top iPhone shooters. It normally sells for $5.99 (and was $7.99 at launch).

Other 99-cent titles include:

• DanceDanceRevolution S
• DanceDanceRevolution S+
• Field Prowlers Police Rush (a brand-new game)
• Frogger
• Krazy Kart Racing
• Power Pros Touch
• Silent Hill The Escape
• Silent Scope

These prices are good until Saturday (November 21), at which point they'll return to their previous levels: anywhere from $2 to $6.

Most of Konami's games have earned pretty high ratings from users, but there are some--like Frogger and Power Pros--that I just wouldn't buy for $2 or $4 (respectively). (Again: cheapskate.)

But 99 cents? That's my trigger point, the number that pushes me into what-the-hell mode. So I'm stocking up.

How about you? Does price factor into whether you'll buy an iPhone/iPod Touch game? If so, what's your magic number?

iPodMeister promises to turn your unwanted CDs and DVDs into bona fide gadget goodness.

Like many people, I have a fairly sizable collection of CDs sitting in a storage room collecting dust. It's literally been years since I even touched a CD, let alone played one. So why am I hanging onto them?

Forget Craigslist. Forget eBay. Forget garage sales. Do you want to spin that jewel-cased straw into gold? Head to iPodMeister, where you can trade your old CDs for a brand-new hard drive, iPod, or even iPhone.

Here's how it works: You pack up your CDs (or DVDs), then e-mail the company to let them know how many boxes you have. It then sends you prepaid FedEx labels. That's right: iPodMeister covers the shipping cost.

The number of discs you send determines what kind of booty you can get in return. The minimum, 150 discs, gets you a 1TB hard drive or an iPhone 3G. (Actually, you get a check covering the cost of an iPhone 3G, as iPodMeister can't do activations and all that.)

Scrape together 250 discs and you can land an 8GB iPod Touch or 16GB iPod Nano (current-generation models in both cases). For 350 discs, you can cover the cost of an iPhone 3GS. See the iPodMeister Web site for the complete list of trade options.

Interestingly, iPodMeister also gives you the option of digitizing your CD collection, meaning you get back not only your free gadget, but also a set of DVDs containing your music in (presumably) MP3 format. But that "costs extra" (meaning more discs). My guess is most folks have already ripped their CDs to MP3s.

I'll admit that all this sounds a little too good to be true, but I've yet to find a single complaint about the company. For your reference, check out Consumerist's recent interview with iPodMeister, this guy's review of the service from March, and the company's Facebook page.

I will say that the iPodMeister site looks atrocious and, suspiciously, offers no contact information except for an e-mail address and toll-free number. But with a little Google recon, I had no trouble finding an address and local number.

Did I mention I'm packing my CDs as we speak? It may take a couple weeks to complete my trade, but I'll definitely report back once it's done (so bookmark this article if you want to learn what happens).

In the meantime, I'm just kind of happy that I can clear out some boxes and don't have to spend a dime on shipping.

If you've tried iPodMeister, please share your experience in the comments!

Like audiobooks? Here's your chance to get two for free.

(Credit: Audible)

I'm a longtime fan of Audible, an audiobook-download service that lets you burn your own CDs and/or transfer books to portable devices (iPods, BlackBerrys, etc.).

The company has offered various free trials and promotions over the years, but this is the best one I've seen: Sign up for a 30-day trial of AudibleListener Gold and get two free audiobooks.

So here's how it works: You sign up for a new account (which does require a credit card), then download the Audible software (available for Windows and Mac, or as an iTunes add-on if you're doing the iPod/iPhone thing). You'll automatically receive two credits in your account, which you can use to download the books of your choice.

After the 30-day trial expires, you'll start getting billed $14.95 per month for your Gold membership, which entitles you to one audio credit, 30 percent off any additional purchases, and a free subscription to The New York Times or Wall Street Journal (the audio versions, natch).

If you routinely buy one audiobook every month, the Gold plan is pretty solid. For example, Jonathan Tropper's "This Is Where I Leave You" (a terrific read, by the way) costs $23.95 on iTunes. If you used your Audible credit, it'd effectively cost you $14.95. Already burned through your credit? Your membership price is $19.59--still cheaper than iTunes.

Of course, you can always cancel your account before the end of the trial, end up paying nothing, and walk away with your two free books.

But if you spend a lot of time in the car, on the train, or even on the biking/hiking/jogging trail, nothing beats a good book. Like I said, I'm a longtime Audible fan. It's a great resource for scoring audiobooks for less than you'd pay elsewhere.

In the market for a new phone? You picked the right weekend to go shopping. I've got three pretty smokin' deals--something for everyone. Check 'em out:

• BlackBerry From November 14 to 20, Wal-Mart is offering a $100 gift card when you buy a BlackBerry. Eligible models include the AT&T Curve 8310, T-Mobile Pearl 8120, Sprint Curve 8330, and Verizon Storm 2. Given that some models are actually free (with two-year contract and activation, natch), you actually stand to make $100 on the deal. My buddy Dave over at Business Hacks has more details.

• Droid Forget that $149.99 deal on the Motorola Droid. From now until midnight, November 16, Overstock is offering the Droid for $119.99 shipped (plus activation and the obligatory two-year Verizon contract). Alternately, you can get the HTC Eris for just $19.99.

• Palm Pixi Normally $99.99 with a two-year Sprint contract, the Palm Pixi is available from Wirefly for just $24.99. (Actually, it will be available as of midnight Saturday.) If you've read any reviews of the new phone, you know it's pretty much a non-slider version of the Palm Pre. It also lacks Wi-Fi for some crazy reason. (What is it with Palm and Wi-Fi?!)

OK, phone fans, there you have it. My question for you: Will you pull the trigger on any of these deals? If so, which one(s)?

As you may have heard, Verizon Wireless' Motorola-made Droid smartphone goes on sale November 6. It's all anybody can talk about and arguably the most anticipated new phone since, well, the iPhone.

Verizon is selling it for $199.99 after a mail-in rebate, but Wirefly has the Motorola Droid for $149.99 shipped, no rebates required. (As always, there's that pesky two-year contract.)

Do you want to know more about this iPhone killer phone? Start with this CNET video, and then read the complete review.

When you're done watching, check out the Android Atlas blog for a lot of Droid-related goodness. (In case you didn't know, the phone runs Google's Android operating system--hence the name.)

I just got my first hands-on time with the Droid, and it's a mighty nice phone. It's a little heavy, but Android is really looking sharp and a lot of developers are starting to hop on board the platform.

Granted, it'll be awhile before we see 100,000 apps like there is for the iPhone, but you can already get cool stuff like Facebook, Foursquare, Slacker Radio, and the much-ballyhooed new Google Maps Navigation app.

So if you've been drooling over this phone and planning an early morning trip to your local Verizon store, consider Wirefly's deal instead. It'll save you 50 bucks and let you shop in your pajamas (always a plus).

Show of hands: Who's planning to bring home a Droid? If I weren't already an iPhone owner, I'd be very seriously considering it.

It's not very glamorous, but this battery pack delivers iPhone power on the cheap.

(Credit: Meritline)

The older your iPhone gets, the worse its battery performs. Don't blame Apple: it's just the nature of rechargeable batteries that they wear out over time.

Sadly, you can't just swap in a new one--not without some warranty-voiding surgery. But you can plug in external power, which is cheap, easy, and affordable.

For example, Meritline has an 1800mAh iPhone backup battery for $9.99 shipped. That's after applying coupon code MLC262531102717A (which expires Oct. 29) at checkout.

The standard iPhone 3G battery has an 1150mAh capacity, meaning this plug-in pack should afford at least 50 percent more runtime all by itself. You can use it for emergency power if your battery's on empty or to recharge your iPhone on the go.

And, hey, 10 bucks? Grab a couple. Throw one in the glove box, another in your coat pocket, etc. That way you'll always have backup power when you need it.

This battery pack is compatible with all iPhone and iPod Touch models. Keep in mind that because it ships from Hong Kong, it could take a couple weeks to reach your mailbox.