Freebies

Update: Sigh. Sorry, folks. Barely an hour after I posted this, Circuit City bumped the cable's price up to $20. So there's zero point in taking advantage of this rebate--not when you can buy an HDMI cable for $3 shipped.

In light of yesterday's lively and enlightening discussion about rebates, I could not let this pass by: Circuit City is offering a 6-foot HDMI cable for $5.97, plus $6.99 for shipping, minus $20 after a mail-in rebate [PDF].

In other words, when all is said and done, you'll walk away with $7 and an … Read more

Normally $39.95, Paragon Software's Partition Manager 10.0 Personal can be yours absolutely free. Today only. From software-freebie site Giveaway of the Day.

If you haven't visited the site before, here's how it works: You've got until midnight tonight (ET) to download and install the software. Other than that, there are absolutely no strings attached.

Well, OK, one "string" is that if you ever need to reinstall the software, you're outta luck. Its setup/registration process is tied to the date. But, hey, keep in mind you're getting a $40 app … Read more

Like e-books, but hate paying those exorbitant prices? E-bookseller Fictionwise (which was recently acquired by Barnes & Noble) is offering a deal that's pretty sweet: a 100% rebate on all New York Times bestsellers.

Let me clarify: You get a 100% Micropay rebate. What's Micropay? One way to buy e-books from Fictionwise is to set up a Micropay account, which is basically just a debit account (not unlike Microsoft's Points system for Xbox and Zune).

Basically, you add funds to it (in $5 increments via check, credit card, or PayPal), then draw on those funds each time … Read more

Want to archive your DVDs to your hard drive? Convert them for viewing on your iPhone or Zune HD? What you need is a good DVD ripper.

From now until September 30, Digiarty Software is giving away WinX DVD Ripper Platinum, which normally sells for $24.95.

Just pop a DVD in your drive, fire up the program, and choose an output format: AVI, MP4, WMV, iPhone, PSP, 3GP, or any of half a dozen others.

DVD Ripper Platinum has a clean, simple interface; I think that most users will have zero trouble using the program. Advanced users have the … Read more

Good news for freebie junkies like me: Promo Dispenser offers free, no-strings-attached promo codes for iPhone apps.

Good news for developers: Promo Dispenser offers a free and easy way to promote your apps.

Here's how it works: Developers add their apps' info and promo codes to the site. Users (who must register with an e-mail address) grab the allotted codes on a first-come, first-served basis. (There's no waiting and no random draw, as with previously mentioned AppGiveaway.)

Users are limited to one code per day, and you can't get another code without first commenting on and rating … Read more

I'm back! Miss me? I missed all y'all so much that I'm kicking off this week with two, count 'em, two great freebies.

Amazon is offering a free download of Big Kahuna Reef, a Bejeweled-style puzzle game for Windows PCs. (The product page shows only XP, but it's running fine in Vista.)

Better still, when you "buy" the game, you'll receive a $5 credit good for any Amazon MP3 purchase(s). In other words, you get five free songs or $5 off any album. (I highly recommend Brendan Benson's new one, "My Old, Familiar Friend.&… Read more

Like music? Like free music? You may remember my previous post about the mammoth library of free MP3s at Amazon (which is now nearing 1,000 tracks).

Don't stop there. Music-marketing and -discovery site ReverbNation is offering 1,000 free song downloads. No strings, no software to install, just a big fat library of free tunes.

Though sponsored by Microsoft, the giveaway makes tracks available in both M4A and MP3 format--there's not a WMA in sight. Certainly no DRM.

The songs span seven genres, including alternative, pop, jazz, and hip-hop. You can filter the list by genre or … Read more

People routinely look at me as if I'm nuts. Oh, wait, there's a second part to that sentence: People routinely look at me as if I'm nuts when I tell them I don't use any security software: no Zone Alarm, no Norton, nothing.

Instead, I rely on the security measures built into Windows and a few tricks I've learned. So far, it works fine for me.

That said, I usually advise friends and family members to install some kind of comprehensive security package. Because I consider all of you to be like family (yes, even … Read more

My good buddy (and self-described Cheapskate fan) James is looking over my shoulder today, so I need an outta-the-park deal. And here it is: a Tiffen 52mm UV Protection Glass Filter for $4.99 shipped!

No, no, I'm kidding. Today's deal is literally a today-only deal: Freebie-software site Giveaway of the Day is offering Drm-Removal, which promises to strip the DRM from audio and video files alike.

Specifically, the utility claims to remove all copy protection from AAC, WMA, WMV, iTunes AVI, and other commonly DRM-infested files. And based on some quick tests I ran, it works.

Of … Read more