Get the Windows 7 Family Pack for $133 shipped
What's better than three Windows 7 Home Premium licenses for $150? The same three licenses for 17 bucks less. (Actually, 23 bucks less when you count shipping.)
As you might have heard, a couple days ago Microsoft re-released the Windows 7 Family Pack, a three-license upgrade edition of Windows 7 Home Premium (32-bit or 64-bit, your choice).
At $149.99 (plus $5 for shipping), it's a smokin' deal, especially considering that a single license retails for $119.99.
The deal just got better: Amazon has the Windows 7 Family Pack for $132.99 shipped. That's slightly more than $44 per license, a very reasonable price for upgrading your XP- or Vista-powered PCs to Windows 7.
Speaking of that, Vista users can just pop in the disc for an in-place upgrade, but XP systems require extra measures: there's no direct upgrade path from XP to 7.
Fortunately, there are ways around that. A utility like Laplink PC Mover Upgrade Assistant, for instance, makes in-place upgrades from XP to 7 fairly painless. It normally sells for $29.99, but Amazon has it for $19.99--might as well toss it in your cart while you're there.
If you're a little more tech-savvy, try the new Prowess SmartMigrate utility, which turns your entire existing XP installation into a virtual operating system you can run inside Windows 7. It's free for personal use.
One final note: the last time Microsoft offered this deal, it sold out quickly. Amazon's supply might sell out even quicker. If you're looking to upgrade multiple PCs on the cheap, I'd act fast.
Bonus deal: Virgin Mobile is soon to offer the Android-powered Samsung Intercept smartphone for $249. How is that a deal? Simple: there's no contract required, and monthly plans start at just $25 (which, incredibly, includes unlimited text, e-mail, data, and Web, plus 300 voice minutes). Rumor has it the Intercept just started selling at Target, but I don't see it online--might be in-store only. Anyway, I'll have more on this in the coming weeks.