Freebies

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

How many awesome photos have been ruined by a telephone pole appearing to stick out of someone's head, or people walking into the background at the last second?

Anyone adept with Photoshop can remove such unwanted elements, but it takes some doing. You need time, expertise, and, well, Photoshop (which ain't cheap).

Today only, Giveaway of the Day has Inpaint 4.7 for Windows free of charge. Normally $19.99, this clever utility can quickly and easily remove date stamps, power lines, people, scratches, and other undesirable elements from your photos.

Update: Make sure you click the "Download Inpaint 4.7 now" … Read more

Update: According to software developer WonderFox Soft, iWonderSky Software is not allowed to give away WonderFox DVD Ripper licenses. Therefore, at the former's request, we have removed the link for the promotion.

Why settle for one freebie when you can get three?

From now until October 19, iWonderSky Software (which I believe was formally known as WonderFox Software) is offering CNET readers this exclusive: three Windows video utilities absolutely free.

First up: WonderFox DVD Ripper. Normally $39.95, it can convert just about any DVD into just about any digital format. It comes with profiles for a wide variety … Read more