Marketplace Blog

This is an update of a deal I posted a couple of months ago.

Finding out what all the "Downton Abbey" fuss is about. The arrival of movies like "Mission Impossible III" and "Team America: World Police" on Netflix. The early debut of shows on Hulu.

These are just a few of the reasons why you need a Roku. As I've noted before, I think these little boxes are the best way to bring streaming media into your living room. They sling not only Netflix, but also Amazon Instant Video, CNET, HBO Go, … Read more

Given the recent spate of seemingly instant sellouts and the risk of boring everyone with "yet another tablet/TV/flash drive," I'm going to broaden my focus here a bit and share the occasional niche deal.

Today, for example, I bring you something that won't appeal to everyone, but will definitely satisfy creative types. Today only, BitsDuJour has Pixarra's TwistedBrush Pro Studio 17 (Win) absolutely free. It normally sells for $79.

Update: If that link brings up a different program, use this one instead.

TwistedBrush Pro Studio is a sophisticated paint/image-editing program that gives … Read more

True story: The cable guy was over just last week, troubleshooting a signal-strength problem with our service. When he saw my CableCard-equipped media center PC, he said, "I've been wanting to do that with my computer, because Windows' channel guide is so much better than ours."

True dat. Windows Media Center offers a mighty sweet 10-foot interface, and when you pair your PC with a CableCard tuner, you've got everything you need for DVR awesomeness.

There are three such tuners on the market, and today's deal is for the most versatile of them. While supplies … Read more

What better way to celebrate Labor Day than by eschewing all forms of labor, instead kicking back with your phone or tablet and rocking some serious run-and-gun action?

To help you accomplish that nation-honoring act of laziness, Gameloft is offering three Android games on the cheap.

Throughout the weekend, you can get Gangstar Rio: City of Saints, Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation, and N.O.V.A. 3: Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance from Google Play for 99 cents apiece.

These titles normally sell for $6.99 each, meaning you're getting for three bucks what would normally cost you $21.… Read more

Let's see if we can get through one day -- heck, one morning -- without the product selling out, shall we?

While supplies last, Best Buy has the SanDisk Cruzer 16GB USB flash drive for $7.99 shipped, plus sales tax in most states.

Update: This appears to have sold out online, and is now available in-store only. So much for lasting the morning.

Whoops, sorry, sold out. Nah, I'm kidding -- as of this writing, it's still in stock. But just in case, I've queued up three bonus deals for you below. Because that's … Read more

Blu-ray players are notoriously unreliable. Check the user reviews for just about any model and you'll see any number of "died after a week!" and "died after two months!" comments. It's the unfortunate nature of the beast, I guess.

So call me maybe crazy, but why not keep a spare on hand just in case your primary player croaks -- which will invariably happen just as you and the kids are sitting down to watch "The Avengers." That way, boom, you just swap in the backup and dry everyone's tears.

And … Read more

So my wife and I just discovered what all the "Downton Abbey" fuss is about. We've been zipping through the first season on Netflix every night for the past week. I must admit, I don't like it -- I love it. (Yes, I realize I may have to turn in my Man Card.)

Alas, Season 2 isn't available for streaming on Netflix -- not yet, anyway. But you know what does have it? Hulu Plus.

Typically you can get a one-week Hulu Plus trial free of charge. Occasionally you see a special for two weeks. … Read more

And the moral of the story is, even if an item sells out early, don't give up. Sometimes the vendor releases more inventory, as happened yesterday with the Acer Aconia A200 tablet (which, incidentally, is still available as of this morning!).

Anyway, today I bring you something that can't possibly sell out: a 1-year CrashPlan+ subscription for $39.99. Regular price: $49.99.

CrashPlan is an automated backup service similar to Mozy and Carbonite. It works in the background, archiving all your stuff to the cloud, local drives, or a friend's PC.

In other words, you set … Read more

This is an update of a deal I posted a couple months back.

Sometimes I have trouble wrapping my brain around the fact that Apple still charges $499 for the entry-level iPad when there are deals like this to be had.

While supplies last, RedTag has the refurbished Acer Iconia Tab A200 10.1-inch tablet for $149, plus $1.95 for shipping. That's the lowest out-the-door price I've seen on any 10-inch tablet, ever.

Update: Sorry, folks, it's already sold out. (Check back throughout the day, though, in case RedTag frees up more inventory.) I realize this … Read more