deal

Facebook just launched a new suite of features for Facebook Places that might be the beginning of the end for Web privacy as we know it. Luckily Natali Del Conte is around to calm us down and explain what's really going on with the new location-based deals.

Facebook Places is a service that lets users share their location directly on their mobile phones, but the latest product is called Deals, and it allows businesses to advertise to target customers by offering a special discount for those who "check in" at a location.

Once users activate it, Facebook will share the deal on their walls so others can cash in as well, and business can even offer "loyalty" discounts for members that return to a venue. The FourSquare and Loopt offices must be getting pretty hot right now.

If mobile tracking weren't enough, soon you won't even be able to watch a movie without being watched yourself! In an effort to combat Web piracy, some movie theaters are installing video cameras in front of the movie screens, designed to also monitor crowd reactions to trailers for market research on what audiences prefer to watch.

Even worse, the same company, Aralia Systems, is also planning to roll out infrared scanning systems at the ticket-purchasing stations that scan for recording devices and will sound an alarm to alert management if an illegal instrument is detected. It sounds similar to the TSA's "enhanced" security screenings we've been hearing about recently!

Internet "Captchas" have been around for a while--they're tests placed on some Web sites to determine whether the user is human, and they usually come in the form of a randomly generated word or phrase that you have to copy into a field to gain access.

They're only slightly irritating and require little participation to enter, but a software firm called NuCaptcha is hoping that video advertisement captchas will be the online ads of the future.

Instead of traditional squiggly words, the new system forces users to watch a video advertisement with a short message scrolling across it. After it's done, it'll ask you to identify and retype a part of the message to continue toward your destination, and although it sounds like an annoying process, companies like EA, Wrigley, and Disney have already signed up with hopes that people will actually pay attention to the ads instead of just clicking through. Soon we'll be reminiscing about a time when all you needed was a pop-up blocker to surf under the radar!

Thanks to Natali Del Conte for joining us on this rainy Thursday, and be sure to check us out tomorrow morning with Steve Guttenberg, aka The Audiophiliac!

It's obvious that Facebook sees serious potential in mobile check-in service Foursquare: it tried to buy it for $125 million.

That didn't work. So Facebook started to get into the location game, too. It launched Facebook Places, its own geolocation service. And today, Facebook went ahead and launched a big new suite of mobile features that includes, notably, enhancements to Facebook Places that let businesses easily automate "deals" for when users check in. On the surface, given Facebook's scale, this looks like it could spell difficult times ahead for Foursquare.

Like Foursquare, Facebook's new … Read more

As a bona fide cheapskate (and author of the eponymous blog), I'm a longtime fan of the Entertainment Book. For about $30 (a little more in some states), it provides substantial discounts for thousands of local stores, attractions, restaurants, movie theaters, and the like.

In my experience, the book pays for itself within a month or two, then offers additional savings (often major savings) throughout the rest of the year. Killer deal.

Just one problem: a lot of coupons go to waste because we don't know where the deals are. We might be out and about, looking for … Read more

Investors are cheering on Netflix as it moves from DVDs to streaming video, and keeps adding customers along the way. But "digital" doesn't equal "cheap" for Reed Hastings' company. In fact, the online move has cost Netflix at least $1.2 billion.

That's the amount Netflix has committed to paying Hollywood studios for the rights to stream their movies and TV shows. And it's up from $229 million three months ago, the company disclosed in an SEC filing yesterday.

Most of that leap comes from a five-year deal that Netflix previously announced with … Read more

We usually don't do this, but we're in the process of testing a pair of EB900 in-ear headphones and noticed they were on sale for $34.95 at J&R Music World and appear to include free shipping. The TDK900s have a list price of $122.85 but they really sell for around $70 at other online stores (see link below).

What makes them a good deal? Well, both Steve Guttenberg, our resident audio guru, and I felt they sounded as good or better than many $100 earphones. While the bass is a little boomy (too much), … Read more

The U.S. government has widened its probe into possible bribes paid by Hewlett-Packard to help it capture a lucrative contract in Russia.

Officials in the U.S., Germany, and Russia have been investigating allegations that current and former employees of HP engaged in bribery, embezzlement, and tax evasion in connection with a business deal between Hewlett-Packard ISE GmbH, a former HP German subsidiary, and the chief public prosecutor's office in Russia, according to an SEC document filed by HP on Thursday (see Note 16 under Russia GPO and Related Investigations).

According to the allegations, the HP subsidiary paid … Read more

With the third-generation Kindle now shipping, Amazon has begun offering refurbished second-gen Kindles at a discount. That includes both the Kindle and Kindle DX, which sell for $159.99 and $289.99 respectively in their refurbished states.

It's unclear exactly what condition these Kindles are in, but we presume they're basically indistinguishable from new product, and may, in fact, be extra stock that was left over when Amazon announced the new Kindle at the end of July. They may also be Kindles that customers returned shortly after learning that a new Kindle was on the way.

Either way, … Read more

In response to a recent Gizmodo article that called out the scam of cheap earbuds, V-moda is launching something called the Earbud Upgrade Program. The aim is to get consumers to trade in competitors' products for a chance to try out V-moda's earphones. Music fans who send in any other brand of earbuds will receive a $35 voucher toward the purchase of any Vibe, Vibe duo, Vibe ii, Remix Audio, Remix Remote, or Crossfade LP.

V-moda backs up its headphones with either a one- or two-year warranty, and as further proof that the company stands behind the quality of … Read more

I'm on a much-needed vacation this week, so I won't be posting any new deals (unless something really exciting crosses my radar).

I know, I know, you can't survive without your daily bargain. (I feel your pain.)  That's why I'm handing the reins over to you, my faithful Cheapskaters!

Time and again you've found great deals of your own and posted them in the comments. So for this week, that's what I'm hoping you'll do: find something really spectacular and share it with your fellow deal-hunters.

In other words, hit … Read more