giveaway

AUSTIN, Texas -- Following a catastrophic server crash that occurred hours after Marvel Comics and Comixology announced a massive giveaway, Comixology has suspended the promotion.

Comixology CEO David Steinberger acknowledged that his company had "let down" customers. Previous orders under the "Marvel Comics #1" promotional, time-limited giveaway would be honored, he said, and he asked fans to fill out a form so they could be alerted when the promotion returns.

Because of Comixology's unique place in the digital comic-book distribution business as an iTunes-style marketplace with few, if any, direct competitors, other publishers' sales were … Read more

AUSTIN, Texas--Marvel Comics announced yesterday at its 1 p.m. South by Southwest panel here that it was giving away 700 first-issue comics, spanning its entire publishing history, via its Comixology-powered app.

Barely six hours later, Comixology tweeted that its servers had buckled under the traffic load.

The comics deal was slated to last only until the end of SXSW Interactive on Tuesday, giving fans of Spider-Man, Wolverine, the X-Men, and the Avengers around 60 hours to download as many of their favorite No. 1 comics as possible.

Both Marvel Comics and Comixology declined to comment for this story. It's currently not known when their servers will be back up, or if the giveaway might be extended.… Read more

Congrats to Richard G. of Hilton Head Island, S.C., for winning two leather iPad cases from Kavaj in last week's giveaway. This week, we're giving away words. Lots and lots of words!

They're not just any words, however. They're words about science and technology. This week's winner gets to pick five magazine subscriptions from the tech section of digital newsstand Zinio. Among the many choices: Macworld, PCWorld, Wired, Smithsonian, NewScientist, Home Theater Magazine, PCGamer, and PC Playgirl (nah, not really; just making sure you're paying attention). It's totally up to you.

Zinio … Read more

Congrats to Gene W. of Highlands, Texas, for winning a Kanex Sydnee four-port recharging station in last week's giveaway. Is your iPad in need of a new outfit? This week's prize is for you.

We're giving away two sleek iPad cases from Kavaj, a purveyor of leather gadget jackets started by two former employees of Amazon in Germany. The winner gets one Berlin case in black that fits the iPad 2, iPad 3, and iPad 4, and one Berlin case in brown for the iPad Mini. Both slender, supple jackets boast a classic minimalist style and can … Read more

Congrats to Johnal L. of Costa Mesa, Calif., for winning a pair of Aperio Audio Verus Forte speakers in last week's giveaway. This week's prize is sure to get the winner all charged up.

We're giving away a Kanex Sydnee recharging station, which charges up to four iOS devices at once through its four 2.1-amp USB ports. It works with all iPhones and iPads, and would be quite happy in any iFriendly home, office, or classroom looking to keep its gear organized and powered up. … Read more

Congrats to Michal H. of West Lafayette, Ind., for winning a copy of Nuance Dragon Dictate for Mac 3 in last week's giveaway. Now, get ready to pump up the volume. This week we're giving away a pair of satellite speakers from Aperion Audio.

Aperion -- whose home theater speakers have been called "spectacular" by CNET contributor and Audiophiliac Steve Guttenberg -- went petite with its Verus Forte speakers. Intended for small spaces, they measure 9 inches by 5 inches wide by 5.7 inches deep and weigh 6.5 pounds.

The callout feature on these … Read more

Editor's note: This contest is now closed.

Been staying up nights pining for a tablet of your very own? Here is your chance. Cast your vote below and be entered to win* one of five Geek Squad-certified refurbished Kindle Fires provided by our friends at Best Buy.

If you already have a Kindle Fire, then we know you are mostly using it to check out the latest in tech using the oh-so-cool CNET app, but we are curious to know what else you are using it for. Enter below for a chance to win one for a friend or … Read more

Congrats to Craig L. of East Wenatchee, Wash., for winning a $200 gift certificate to geek shop KlearGear.com in last week's giveaway, and to Chuck V. of Eden Prairie, Minn., for scoring a bag of CES swag the week before that. Now, on to this week's business...

Are you a fan of speech recognition software? Put your hands up in the air. We're giving away a copy of the latest version of Nuance's Dragon Dictate for Mac.

Dragon Dictate for Mac 3 promises 15 percent better out-of-the box accuracy than its predecessor, as well as … Read more

Feeling geeky? This week's giveaway lets you wear your geekiness on your sleeve, head, desk, or wherever else you can put it.

We're giving away a $200 gift certificate from KlearGear.com, purveyor of geek goods galore.

The gadget manufacturer and retailer sells more than a thousand items -- everything from an iBrick case that gives your iPhone that '80s je ne sais quoi to a mini solar-powered toy car and a USB brain massager that's supposed to gently relieve stress without costing you any neurons.

There's plenty of geek garb to choose from too, like circuit board cufflinks and T-shirts bearing such messages as "Byte Me," "Overclocked," "404 Not Found," and "Pwning the World, One Noob at a Time." … Read more