Freebies

What's the only thing better than a cheap deal? A freebie, of course.

As you may recall from last Friday, I'm celebrating five years as The Cheapskate. (Confession: I think it's the single longest job I've ever held. It's definitely the best.) Where, oh, where did the time go?

I don't know (I've looked everywhere, even under the couch), but I'm thrilled to have the chance to offer some great prizes during this monthlong contest-fest.… Read more

Microsoft sure does some boneheaded things sometimes.

For example, on the surface, a free month of worldwide calls on Skype sounds like a great deal. You can call family overseas without spending a small fortune, or call anyone from your smartphone without burning through your monthly minute allotment.

But here's the rub: "Offer available only to existing Skype users who have been registered with Skype more than 29 days."

Hey, Microsoft, this is just what I remember from Marketing 101, but usually the idea behind promotions like this is to attract new customers. It's not to … Read more

There's no such thing as a free lunch, right? Actually, my favorite Chinese place gave me a punch card good for a free trip to the buffet after 10 punches, so there literally is such a thing as free lunch. (I know, you have to buy 10 not-free lunches first. Let's not ruin my analogy with semantics, shall we?)

There's also such a thing as free software -- if you know where to look. For a limited time, a site called AppyFridays is offering a free Mac software bundle. Combined value of the six included apps: $90.… Read more

It's my anniversary!

Five years ago this month (November 12, 2007, to be exact), I lucked into the best blogging job in the world. It was CNET's Matt Elliott who recommended me for the gig, Kelly Morrison who brought me onboard, and Margaret Kane who helped me through the Cheapskate's early stages. I can't thank them enough.

Of course, I'm most grateful to you, the readers. Sounds cliche, but it's true. So many people have sent me so many kind messages over the years -- words of thanks, words of support, and words of great deals for me to share! I actually keep a lot of those e-mails, referring to them when some crank tells me I'm a liar or an idiot. It's really gratifying to know that people value what I do, even more so when they reach out to tell me so.… Read more

I'm not scheduled to write another Cheapskate post until tomorrow (it's one you won't want to miss, by the way), but I couldn't let this go.

While supplies last, GameFly is giving away one of my all-time favorite games: BioShock (PC). I realize most serious gamers have played it by now, while others might have scooped it up when it was on sale for $5, but if you haven't yet had the pleasure (or the $5) -- well, now's the time.

What's the catch? No catch, except you will need to install the … Read more

Avid gamers will recall that EA's Battlefield 1942 was one of the most popular titles...of 2002. It was the game that kicked off the entire Battlefield series, which, in the past decade, has produced some monster hits.

To celebrate its 10th anniversary, EA's Origin store is offering Battlefield 1942 (PC) free of charge. Don't worry that it appears on Origin's Demos page; it's definitely the full game.

To get it, you'll need an Origin account and the Origin download client, both free, both akin to Steam (but solely for EA games, natch). With … Read more

I've made no secret of my total hatred of lack of excessive fondness for Windows 8. I think unless you're getting it on a tablet or smartphone, the OS is best avoided.

That said, plenty of users have no doubt taken advantage of Microsoft's upgrade offer, and plenty more will end up with Windows 8 on their next desktop or laptop. And I think it's a safe bet that most of those users will need some help learning to navigate, operate, and, ultimately, tolerate 8.

To that end, Dell is offering a free copy of "Windows 8 for Dummies: Dell Pocket Edition" in e-book form. … Read more

A couple quick housekeeping notes before we dive into today's deal...

First, I've heard one too many complaints from readers about 1SaleADay's slow shipping and poor customer service. I've asked the company to comment on these issues, but have yet to receive a response. Until I do, I won't be sharing any more of its deals. I'm not saying you shouldn't patronize the company, only that you should expect slow shipping and little-to-no information about your shipment.

Second, I get a quite a lot of reader mail, and I apologize that I can'… Read more

Who says you can't get something for nothing?

For the next 10 days, you can not only get something for nothing, you can get double. For this Cheapskate exclusive, Pogoplug is offering 10GB of cloud storage free of charge. Regular folks off the street get a mere 5GB.

Pogoplug, of course, makes the popular eponymous gizmos that plug into your router, effectively turning any USB drive into a network- and Internet-accessible storage. But the company is also pushing hard to become a cloud player, as evidenced by this latest offering.

That 10GB of space isn't quite as versatile … Read more