General

I love my Roku. I want to start with that so there is no confusion. I've been the proud owner of a Roku since 2010 (thanks Uncle Mike) and just upgraded to the Roku 2 XD. And today we've teamed up with the wonderful people at Roku to bring the CNET Exclusives' audience an unbeatable deal on a Roku bundle.

The Roku is a fantastic streaming media device that allows you watch content from Netflix, Amazon, Hulu Plus, Crackle, Pandora, and the list goes on and on. With an assortment of free and paid services, the Roku 2 … Read more

I'll admit that in recent years I've become pretty jaded on the subject of Black Friday. Grinchy, even.

That's because I don't think it's worth standing in long lines and fighting crowds just to save a few bucks. And I literally mean "a few": many stores' "doorbusters" aren't much cheaper than they are during other sales held throughout the year.

Still, as The Cheapskate, I couldn't help but peruse all the store ads that have been conveniently leaked during the past week. And you know what? I've spotted … Read more

Microsoft sure does some boneheaded things sometimes.

For example, on the surface, a free month of worldwide calls on Skype sounds like a great deal. You can call family overseas without spending a small fortune, or call anyone from your smartphone without burning through your monthly minute allotment.

But here's the rub: "Offer available only to existing Skype users who have been registered with Skype more than 29 days."

Hey, Microsoft, this is just what I remember from Marketing 101, but usually the idea behind promotions like this is to attract new customers. It's not to … Read more

There's no such thing as a free lunch, right? Actually, my favorite Chinese place gave me a punch card good for a free trip to the buffet after 10 punches, so there literally is such a thing as free lunch. (I know, you have to buy 10 not-free lunches first. Let's not ruin my analogy with semantics, shall we?)

There's also such a thing as free software -- if you know where to look. For a limited time, a site called AppyFridays is offering a free Mac software bundle. Combined value of the six included apps: $90.… Read more

This is an update of a deal I first wrote about back in June. With the holidays upon us, it's the perfect time for this "rerun."

Through the end of next week, and while supplies last, Roku is bundling the Roku HD box, a six-month Hulu Plus subscription, and an HDMI cable for $79.99 shipped. Those items would normally cost you around $128 if purchased separately.

A brief personal story: we're having a bit of trouble with our cable service. For some reason, the signal from ABC has degraded in the last couple weeks, leaving … Read more

It's my anniversary!

Five years ago this month (November 12, 2007, to be exact), I lucked into the best blogging job in the world. It was CNET's Matt Elliott who recommended me for the gig, Kelly Morrison who brought me onboard, and Margaret Kane who helped me through the Cheapskate's early stages. I can't thank them enough.

Of course, I'm most grateful to you, the readers. Sounds cliche, but it's true. So many people have sent me so many kind messages over the years -- words of thanks, words of support, and words of great deals for me to share! I actually keep a lot of those e-mails, referring to them when some crank tells me I'm a liar or an idiot. It's really gratifying to know that people value what I do, even more so when they reach out to tell me so.… Read more

I'm not scheduled to write another Cheapskate post until tomorrow (it's one you won't want to miss, by the way), but I couldn't let this go.

While supplies last, GameFly is giving away one of my all-time favorite games: BioShock (PC). I realize most serious gamers have played it by now, while others might have scooped it up when it was on sale for $5, but if you haven't yet had the pleasure (or the $5) -- well, now's the time.

What's the catch? No catch, except you will need to install the … Read more

Because I'm The Cheapskate, this is the time of year when people nudge me and say, "Bet you're getting pretty excited about Black Friday, huh?"

You know Black Friday: it's the day after Thanksgiving, the day when stores, both brick-and-mortar and click-and-order, serve up the very best deals of the year, slashing prices so low you'll be willing to freeze your butt off in an overnight line like you were waiting for Stones tickets.

But, frankly, I'm not that excited. In fact, allow me to confess: only once in my life have I … Read more

Quick housekeeping note: I've got something pretty sweet lined up for tomorrow. And next Friday. And the Friday after that. It's all part of a somewhat special occasion, and I'm really excited about it. Stay tuned!

If you ask me, there's no better gift item for a kid than an iPod Touch. Music, videos, games, e-mail, books, cameras, apps -- they're all there, all in one pocket-friendly package.

For a limited time, and while supplies last, Apple has cut prices on refurbished Touches. To wit: You can get a fourth-gen iPod Touch with 8GB for $129 shipped, … Read more