Marketplace Blog

If you were tantalized by the razor-thin MacBook Air when it debuted a year ago but disheartened by its price, here's good news: the online Apple Store is selling refurbished MacBook Air laptops for as little as $999 shipped. To put that in perspective, the least-expensive new Air sells for $1,799.

The $999 model sports a 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM, an 80GB hard drive, and all the other standard Air features: 802.11n, a built-in Webcam, a 13.3-inch display, and so on. Read CNET's review for all the details.

Needless … Read more

While I sit here rotting--er, working happily--in the Cheapskate Labs basement, the lovely Mrs. Cheapskate is busily pursuing a degree in nutrition. That means lots of chemistry classes, which, in turn, means lots of insanely expensive textbooks. And I mean insanely expensive: for some classes, the books cost nearly as much as the credit hours!

Fortunately, we've discovered Chegg, which allows us to "rent" textbooks for significantly less than buying them new--and, in many cases, for less than buying them used.

For example, when Mrs. C needed Macroscale and Microscale Organic Experiments, 5th Edition, for an organic-chemistry … Read more

I was a bit surprised at how many of you disliked the recent LiquidTV TiVo PC offer. However, I can take a hint, so here's a much cheaper TV-on-PC solution: Newegg has the AverMedia AverTVHD Volar USB TV tuner for $24.99 shipped (after rebate). Make sure to apply discount code EMCABAGDJ to get that final price.

For those unfamiliar with the concept, a TV tuner lets you watch live TV (via cable or antenna) on your PC. You can also record and time-shift (pause) shows using bundled software or a third-party solution like Windows Media Center or SnapStream … Read more

Epson's having a rare sale: you can get a refurbished Epson Stylus Photo RX595 all-in-one printer for just $55 shipped.

What's significant about this model? Most of the cheapie multifunction printers I come across have low-end print engines, meaning they're not great for photos. The Stylus Photo RX595, as you might infer from the name, was built with glossies in mind.

It accepts just about any memory card on the planet (USB drives, too), previews images on a 2.5-inch color LCD, and prints using a six-cartridge system. It can also print on CDs and DVDs, scan … Read more

Normally $19.99 and originally twice as much, the PC version of BioShock is on sale for just $4.99. No shipping, no sales tax (except in Washington)--it's a digital download. It's also one of my all-time favorite games. BioShock is like a suspense novel come to life, with you as the main character.

It's primarily a first-person sci-fi shooter, but with pivotal role-playing elements that fit perfectly into the story. I won't spoil one bit of that story, but suffice it to say it's compelling enough to keep you playing all the way … Read more

Call me crazy (you won't be the first), but I have a soft spot for all-in-one desktops. And with my noisy, hulking Pentium 4 tower just about ready for retirement, I'm seriously eyeballing this CompUSA deal: The Averatec D1002UHCE-1 all-in-one desktop for $699.99.

This is a new system, not a refurb. Ground shipping will run you a reasonable $23. Interestingly, Circuit City has the same system for the same price with free shipping, but you'll most likely have to pay sales tax (about $42 in my neck of the woods).

The iMac-like Averatec offers some impressive … Read more

Hey, remember the refurbished iPhones I wrote about a couple weeks back? Many of you commented that $149 wasn't a good enough deal when $199 would buy you a brand-spankin'-new unit.

Well, what about $99? That's the new price point for an 8GB refurbished iPhone 3G from AT&T. Want the 16GB model? It'll run you $199, down from the previous price of $249. (Find all the current refurbished-iPhone deals at AT&T's site.)

Everything else is the same: You have to sign up for a two-year contract, and you get a 90-day … Read more

I've made no secret of my love of e-books. I read 'em on airplanes, in bed at night, in line at the post office, and so on. But I do have a complaint: They're not priced substantially lower than their dead-tree counterparts.

That's why I'm tickled about this: e-bookseller eReader is offering nine Random House works of fiction absolutely free.

These aren't bargain-bin titles from no-name authors, either. The collection includes three crime-noir novels from Charles Huston, all of which earned 4.5 stars from Amazon readers; The Whiskey Rebels, a brand-new (and well-reviewed) historical … Read more

If you've deployed an 802.11n (a.k.a. Wireless-N or Draft-N) router in your home or office, you're not reaping the full benefits unless your laptops have 802.11n adapters.

Here's your chance to score one on the cheap: Newegg has the Linksys WPC300N-BP Wireless-N Notebook Adapter for just $16.99 shipped.

CNET had mostly kind things to say about the WPC300N: "A painless setup process, clear documentation, an excellent configuration utility, and a long warranty." They weren't wild about its performance, however, which is why you should be sure to download the latest drivers from Linksys.… Read more