Freebies

I couldn't decide on a single deal today, so I thought I'd shake things up and bring you four of them.

1. Most bargain-priced laptops I see these days have fairly outdated processors, which are sufficient for everyday computing, but are pretty wussy overall. CompUSA has a new Acer Aspire AS5740-5255 15.6-inch laptop for $549.99. It's powered by Intel's thoroughly modern Core i3-330M processor and has 4GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, a spiffy blue shell, and Windows 7. That's a lot of laptop power for the price.

2. Speaking of bang … Read more

Your monthly iPhone bill is high enough without tacking on another $5, $15, or $20 for a text-messaging plan. That's why free-SMS apps are so popular: They let you text to your heart's content without putting a single extra penny in AT&T's pocket.

One of the most popular free-SMS apps, Textfree Unlimited, costs $5.99. That's pretty cheap considering the money it can save you in the long run. Well, now it's cheaper still: For a limited time, you can get Textfree Unlimited absolutely free. (After clicking that link, just click Download Now … Read more

The App Store is home to numerous apps that let you connect to a desktop PC from afar. Granted, navigating Windows on a screen as comparatively tiny as the iPhone's is not a lot of fun, but it works better than you'd expect.

Indeed, I've used remote-access (or "RA") software many times for simple tasks like e-mailing a file, peeking at a document, and even shutting down the PC (when I'm too lazy to walk down a flight of stairs).

My RA app of choice? LogMeIn Ignition, which works even better on the iPad … Read more

Are you in the market for a new phone? From today through Sunday, Wirefly has a pretty sweet deal: Every BlackBerry on every carrier is free.

Do you want a Storm2 with Verizon? You got it. How about a Curve 8520 with AT&T or Sprint? No problem.

Wirefly stocks about 20 BlackBerry smartphone models from the four major carriers, so you should be able to get what you want from the carrier you want.

The deal is available on all new and upgrade-eligible accounts. Suffice it to say, any phone that you buy requires the usual two-year service … Read more

You know me: I like free. Domain registrations aren't exactly pricey (many places will set you up for under $10), but when I can get one for nothing, well, I'll take it.

If you're looking to carve out your own personal corner of the Web, start a new business, set up an e-mail address for life, that kind of thing, 1&1 Internet is offering a free one-year .com domain registration.

Yep, free. This is good for new domains only, not renewals, and it's limited to one per customer. After the first year, you'll … Read more

The game Portal is regarded by many to be one of the best of all time. GameSpot awarded it a 9.0 and an Editors' Choice. IGN called it "quirky, clever, polished, and presented with a spark of a subtly evil humor."

Originally part of Valve's The Orange Box bundle, then later a $20 standalone game, Portal is now available absolutely free. And not just for PCs, but also for Macs. (Speaking of which, be sure to check out Rich Brown's recent hands-on testing of Portal on four different Mac systems.)

The one and only string … Read more

Microsoft isn't known for giving away software, but right now you can download the Top 100s by Year by Bing app free of charge. (Catchy name, huh?)

The app streams the top 100 songs of every year from 1947 to 2009. That's 62 years, for a grand total of 6,200 songs.

Whose top 100? Not Billboard's, as you might expect. Nor is the list based on sales. Instead, according to developer Nutsie, these are "lists of songs that have stood the test of time based on their initial and lasting popularity, and on their impact … Read more

You know me: I love a good freebie. Today I've got five of them for you, all Windows utilities that solve specific problems and/or make life a little easier. Best of all, not one of them will sell out.

Nepotism alert: Some of the links below lead to related posts on my Business Hacks blog--a great (IMHO) source for tools like these as well as everyday tips and tricks for making your workday work better. If you love me like you say you do, you'll bookmark it and visit daily.

I'm hoping this doesn't sell out as quickly as I think it will.

As I've said before, I have mixed feelings about security and utility software. Sometimes I think they do more harm than good. On the other hand, the latest versions of certain programs are vastly superior to their slow, clunky, trouble-causing forebears.

What's more, I always love getting something for nothing, especially when it's a software bundle worth $190.

Fry's is offering Norton Internet Security 2011 (three-user license), Norton Utilities 15 (three-user license), and Norton Ghost 15 absolutely free--if you're … Read more