Why You Can Trust CNET Freebie Friday: A book, a game, a password manager and more
All the things, none of the money. Plus: The Cheapskate Mystery Box is coming! #mysterious
Cheeps! Mark your calendars, if you please: On Monday, at 12 p.m. ET / 9 a.m. PT, I'll be unveiling the first-ever Cheapskate Mystery Box. It's a straight-up fundraiser, so you can help a worthy cause while scoring some amazing loot. Supplies are limited, though, so do try to hit the blog right at go-time.
In fact, you can keep your wallet shut today so you'll have cash to spare on Monday. I've rounded up five -- count 'em, five -- freebies, stuff to keep you entertained, organized and... musical?
What's the password?
Sorry to sound like a broken record, but if you're not using a password manager, you're making your life harder and less secure.
RoboForm Everywhere syncs your passwords between devices, auto-fills forms and much more.
Haven't found one you like yet? Maybe you'll like this: Today only, Giveaway of the Day is offering RoboForm Everywhere 8.0 for free. It's a one-year license (for new users only) that would normally cost you $20.
The catch: You must install and activate it today. The full instructions are contained in the readme file inside the download, so be sure to read them!
Name those chords
Calling all musicians! Riffstation is a desktop app (Win/Mac) that can "listen" to any MP3 file and produce a full chord-accompaniment for the song. From there you can change the tempo and key, isolate the guitar and so on.
It's normally $35, but right now, you can get Riffstation for free. All you need is an email address.
Start a new book series
This $6.99 ebook is free for a limited time!
Like thrillers? For a limited time, you can 's="" eye"="" for="" free"="">get the Kindle edition of "Mind's Eye" for free. It's normally $6.99.
This is Book 1 in author Douglas E. Richards' Nick Hall series. It has a 4.3-star average rating from over 3,000 readers, so it's a good bet that if you like the works of Michael Crichton and Dean Koontz, you'll enjoy this as well.
If not, well, the only cost was a bit of your time.
Learn about particle physics. (You know you want to)
Science nerds, this one's for you: Google Play has the documentary "Nasa Presents: AMS - The Fight for Flight" for free.
Featuring George Takei, the 62-minute doc tells the story of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) and the gut-wrenching setbacks that plagued this potentially revolutionary experiment.
Build a galactic civilization
Galactic Civilizations II is "a strategy gamer's dream, boasting a rare mix of depth, customizability, humor, and replayability."
A top-rated strategy game for free? Yes, please!
It's also free, while licenses last. Galactic Civilizations II: Ultimate Edition includes two expansion packs and normally runs $20. GameSpot rated it a 9, so if you like turned-based sci-fi strategy games, I'd say your weekend -- heck, your month -- is pretty well set.
Speaking of which, have a safe and happy one, and I'll see you back here Monday with all the Mystery Box details!
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