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Get 9 Windows utilities for free

From the Cheapskate: With a combined value of $440, this no-strings-attached bundle has all kinds of useful stuff. Plus: free music from SXSW!

Rick Broida Senior Editor
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida
3 min read

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If your weekend was as expensive as mine (travel tends to be that way), the last thing you want to do today is open your wallet.

No need! I've got a pretty sweet freebie lined up, followed by another sweet freebie below.

wonderfox-easter-giveaway.jpg

Thanks, Easter Bunny!

WonderFox Soft

For a limited time, to celebrate both spring and Easter, WonderFox Soft is giving away 9 Windows utilities, no strings attached. That means no "likes" or tweets required, nor even an email address. (Honestly, I can't figure that part out. Isn't the whole point of a giveaway to build your marketing database? That said, I'm certainly not complaining.)

Indeed, this is one of the easiest giveaways I've ever seen. To get any of the nine apps, just click the corresponding Get It Now button. That will download a ZIP file containing a Word document, which in turn contains the download link for the program itself and the license code you need to activate it.

One exception: In the case of WonderFox's own DVD Video Converter, the ZIP file contains the program as well. Oh, speaking of which, that utility normally runs $40.

The others have a combined value of $400. But what's nice is that you can pick and choose the ones you want; you don't have to take them all.

Other noteworthy inclusions here: system-optimization utility Wise Care 365 Pro (the free version of which scored very highly among users and CNET editors alike), Aomei Partition Assistant Pro and TunesKit DRM Audiobook Converter.

You also have the option of getting a "bonus gift worth $90" in exchange for sharing the giveaway via Twitter, Facebook, etc. -- though you'll need to take a screenshot as proof, then e-mail it to order@videoconverterfactory.com. (The instructions for this, located on the left side of the giveaway page, are a little vague.)

As with most such giveaways, you're probably not going to get free updates, and tech support may cost extra. But if you find even one product you need or want, well, your Monday just got a little happier!

Bonus deal: Free music, anyone? If you weren't able to attend this year's SXSW music festival but want all the tunes made available by the artists who played there, look no further than this SXSW 2016 torrent collection. It includes over 10GB (!) of DRM-free MP3s -- some studio recordings, some live performances, etc. You'll need a Bittorrent client to retrieve them; fortunately, that same page lists several good ones.

Bonus deal No. 2: OK, just in case you do feel like spending a little money, Meh.com has another solid smartwatch deal: the refurbished Apple Watch Sport (38mm) for $200, plus $5 for shipping, or the 42mm model for $250. Those are the lowest prices I've seen to date, and definitely closer to what I consider reasonable for the product. Of course, you may want to wait until after today's Apple event to see if there's a Watch 2 in the offing.