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Turntable.fm: Hey DJ, Play it Loud!

As a prospective wannabe DJ and geek, three things in today's world incapacitate my productivity: finding good music, cute little avatars, and Facebook.

Enter Turntable.fm, one of the freshest streaming-music apps to hit the Web scene. Turntable.fm is part music-streaming service, part chat room, and part election. Turntable.fm is similar to other music-streaming Web apps like Pandora and GrooveShark; users can create their own custom playlists and listen to music of similar genres and interests. Now imagine taking that playlist you worked so hard on and sharing it with an audience. Live.

Users create a … Read more

Budget-style tax prep

There are numerous tax prep solutions available for those who want a little help filing without having to turn to an actual accountant. Each one has benefits and pitfalls. In the case of CompleteTax, the benefit is that it offers the most options for filing without paying a dime. Of course, you are going to have to sacrifice something, and in this case it's any user-friendly, clear, or detailed instructions.

But more on that shortly. First, there are some important things to note if you're keeping an eye on your wallet. For one, CompleteTax provides three ways to … Read more

Hassle-free tax prep

For the past several years, TurboTax has impressed us with its clear language and simple step-by-step tax prep, and Intuit's offering for the 2010 tax year is no exception. The software continues to offer a straightforward and streamlined interface with a few feature improvements worth noting. Sure, you'll pay a little more for TurboTax than its competitors, but its ease of use could make it worth it for some.

The first thing we want to point out is that TurboTax comes in four versions--Basic, Deluxe, Premier, and Home & Business--each of which offer both an online prep option … Read more

Tax prep at its most basic

When it comes down to it, the actual content of rival tax prep applications is nearly identical. So fear not. TaxAct's significantly lower price point doesn't necessarily translate into shoddier tax return calculation. We got virtually the same result using the other major programs available. (Disclaimer: this result may not apply to every tax scenario.) What you do sacrifice in TaxAct are the glossy graphics and the extensive FAQ database. On the plus side, the service has added audit support and a new Answer Center, which offers a variety of straightforward help files that are easily searchable.

Because … Read more

Tax prep at its most basic

When it comes down to it, the actual content of rival tax prep applications is nearly identical. So fear not. TaxAct's significantly lower price point doesn't necessarily translate into shoddier tax return calculation. We got virtually the same result using the other major programs available. (Disclaimer: this result may not apply to every tax scenario.) What you do sacrifice in TaxAct are the glossy graphics and the extensive FAQ database. On the plus side, the service has added audit support and a new Answer Center, which offers a variety of straightforward help files that are easily searchable.

Because … Read more

Giftmeister: A shopping tool for techies

It may be hard to believe that it's already November, but the 2010 holiday shopping season is just about upon us. With that in mind, Iron Horse Interactive has launched Giftmeister, an online social shopping tool that should be of particular interest to CNET readers.

Rather than focusing on just any old gifts, Giftmeister aims to help users find, purchase, and give tech products. The service offers a catalog of more than 225,000 gadgets, with live pricing from both online and brick-and-mortar retailers, such as Best Buy and Target. The tool also caters to shoppers on-the-fly with a … Read more