General

In the old days, choosing a computer was easy: you bought the one with the fastest processor you could afford. And you knew which processor was fastest (more or less) by its numerical clock-speed rating.

These days it's a lot trickier. Only hard-core techies (and those with the patience to search in Google) know the difference between, say, an AMD A4-3305M and an Intel Core i3-2350M.

And even then, does it really matter? There's a strong argument to be made that processor performance, even in low-cost, entry-level PCs, has reached a level that's good enough for most … Read more

If you like reading, bundles, science fiction, fantasy, and/or supporting charity, today's your lucky day.

The folks at Humble Bundle, who regularly serve up indie games on the cheap, have created the Humble eBook Bundle, a collection of six sci-fi/fantasy e-books for whatever price you want to pay.

That means you can literally drop a penny to get half a dozen DRM-free novels. But you're not that cheap, right? Here's why you should give serious consideration to paying more:

Writers need to eat. I've often railed against e-book prices, but certainly a buck per … Read more

Do you travel a lot? If so, you've probably encountered hotels that have weak or non-existent Wi-Fi, or that charge extra for it while offering Ethernet-based connectivity for free.

A good travel router can save the day, turning that laptop-only Ethernet connection into a Wi-Fi hot spot for all. For a limited time, and while supplies last, Mwave has the Powerlink PT-AP2403 mini travel router for $19.99 shipped. It sells elsewhere for as much as $35.

Update: Aaaand...sold out. Sigh. But it's worth checking back later in the day in case Mwave releases more inventory. Trying … Read more

A couple quick housekeeping notes:

The recent SiriusXM freebie proved disappointing for a lot of folks. Some couldn't sign up at all, others received a confirmation e-mail for the one-year trial -- only to be informed a week later that the trial had ended.

As I noted in my original post, that deal was probably intended for Chevy customers, not the general public. The standard SiriusXM Internet Radio trial is 30 days, so it's not surprising the company quickly clamped down on what was meant to be an exclusive offer. That said, I feel like they should have … Read more

Let's face it: Zombies have the worst oral hygiene. I mean, have you ever seen one floss?

Alas, kids run them a close second, especially around Halloween, when the candy piles up like zombies on a cheerleader pyramid.

To help thwart the totally made-up condition known as "Zombie Mouth," PopCap Games has teamed up with the American Dental Association for a seriously cool promotion: Halloween-night coupons for a free copy of Plants vs. Zombies (PC/Mac).

Just print as many copies of the coupon page (PDF) as you like, then cut each one into eight individual coupons … Read more

Do one or more of the following traits describe your router?

1. It's old.

2. It supports only 802.11g or "draft-N" Wi-Fi.

3. It's not working as well as you think it should.

4. It died last night.

5. It doesn't support the cool DD-WRT firmware you've been itching to try.

If you answered yes to any of the above, today's your lucky day. For a limited time, and while supplies last, GearXS has the refurbished D-Link DIR-601 802.11n Wi-Fi router for $9.99, plus $4.99 for shipping. It sells … Read more

It's not uncommon to own multiple PCs. For example, you might use both a desktop and a laptop, frequently hopping back and forth between their keyboards. That's kind of a hassle.

Wouldn't it be great if you could control both those machines from a single spot? That's the idea behind ShareMouse (Win/Mac), an invaluable utility that lets you share your mouse and keyboard with multiple networked PCs.

The software normally runs $30 per license, and you need a license for each system you want to control -- in other words, a minimum of two. Today … Read more

Ever wonder how the sausage is made around here? I can't reveal all the tricks of the cheapskate trade, but I do want to shine some light on the "exclusive" deals I occasionally post.

Every so often a developer or vendor approaches me to ask if I'll spotlight one of their products. If it's a killer deal, I'll usually say yes. If it's a product or service I know well and really like, I'll usually say yes.

But sometimes I'll tell the rep or owner outright: This isn't a good … Read more

Being a cheapskate can get expensive. If you're anything like me, you're intimately acquainted with the phrase, "too good a deal to pass up." And so you end up spending a lot in order to save a lot. Oh, the cruel irony.

Today, I'm going help you get a lot without spending a lot. I've rounded up three pretty sweet deals, and the most you'll pay for any of them is two bits. (That's 25 cents for those of you not familiar with old-timey vernacular.)

1. 25-cent Android apps.

To help celebrate … Read more