GeekSugar

Redbox May Challenge Netflix by Streaming Movies Online

GeekSugar — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 05:47:10 PDT

You already love Redbox, and now the movie dispensing units may challenge another red-hued company, Netflix, by getting into the streaming video market.

In a recent interview with Bloomberg, president Mitch Lowe outlines a plan to expand the reach of the movie-in-a-box units by offering online streaming options. Given the fact that so many of you already use Redbox as a source of entertainment, it wouldn't be too far fetched that you'd also hop online to stream a movie or two, which could cut into Netflix's market. Find out what I think, and learn about the kind of model I'd like to see coming from Redbox after the break.

Rent a Purse and Get a DS to Match!

GeekSugar — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 01:03:21 PDT

For some of us, buying a new bag is a big investment, and you want it to match (or at least "go with") the rest of your accessories – including your gadgets. If you're a cohesive color shopper, but can't throw down for that new Gucci, fear not. Make like Louise from the SATC movie and rent it! Renting is becoming as popular and as easy as Netflix, and now it's not only restricted to bags. FromBagsToRiches is offering up a pretty sweet deal: When you rent one of their featured handbags, they'll throw in a color coordinated Nintendo DS for 30 days free of charge!

But it's not only one of Nintendo's awesome colored DS' you'll get for a month (they even have the new metallic rose and silver models), but you'll get a game pack to go along with it. Cause really, what good is the DS without the game? Choose from Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir, Brain Age, Nintendogs, and New Super Mario Bros. to play while you're on the go. A new handbag, a new DS, and a fresh game to play for 30 days? What more can a girl want?

Why Do You Download: Environment or Convenience?

GeekSugar — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 06:00:38 PDT

A couple of weeks ago, I talked about a study that was conducted by CinemaNow shows that 94 percent of people surveyed think that renting a video from a store or even getting them through the mail from a service like Netflix will be the next tech dinosaur to be extinct. Movie downloads, they cited, are better for the environment. While that very noble reason is a bonus, I began downloading movies because of the convenience.

Obviously, it's great to have it both ways, but the results of CinemaNow's survey surprised me, because most of the people that I know who download movies are doing it for the convenience. So tell me - if you're a movie downloader, what is your main reason for doing it: The friendliness to the environment, or the fact that it's so easy?

Source

Daily Tech: Forget Renting, Now You Can Buy Movies Via Apple TV

GeekSugar — Fri, 02 May 2008 12:00:15 PDT

In response to major movie studios making new movies available for download on the same day as the DVD release, Apple TV is now offering movies available for purchase, whereas before, users could only rent them for short periods of time. - iLounge
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) aren't very happy with the GTA game series and are even trying to ban them. - Switched
Google has just rolled out mobile search for 33 countries and in 16 different languages. They've also launched Google News for the iPhone! - Crave
Goodbye boring Linksys router, hello gorgeous sleek, black router! Linksys has spiced up their line of routers and included this sexy one in the mix. - Popgadget
Every few weeks, Nintendo will be offering a series of worldwide Mario Kart Wii tournaments that will allow users from all across the world to compete! - Kotaku

Would You Rent Music on iTunes?

GeekSugar — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 13:15:37 PST

With Macworld 2008 just about wrapped-up and put away, we're left to reflect on what we won't be getting from Apple this year (just check out your comments on what the MacBook Air left out)! The New York Times couldn't help but ask if Steve Jobs has abandoned his thought that people want to own their content, as evidenced by his embracing rentals of movies on iTunes for Apple TV. If this is the case then why hasn't he done the same for music?

The article points out that the same technology that enables movie rentals for Apple TV is also found in newer iPods, so why can't we rent songs and albums? Whether it would be unpopular or not, Apple has made the decision for us. I think most of the time, I would want to own my music, especially at just 99 cents a song, but renting music could be a throwback to the days when we borrowed our friends' CDs for a week to test them out. So tell me what you think - Would you rent music or would you rather own it?

Which Online Movie Rental Service Do You Use?

GeekSugar — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 11:00:45 PDT

The New York Times reported that Blockbuster will be lowering its prices to compete with ever-so-popular Netflix. Supposedly they will be offering three movie rentals at a time for $16.99 a month, whereas Netflix charges $17.99 for the same thing. Hmm, I think I'll pay the extra buck and stick with my easy-to-use and reliable Netflix because last time I tried the Blockbuster program I received scratched movies. I know everyone isn't a Netflix addict, so let me know what you use below and if you'd consider switching.

How-To: Continue Saving Travel Dollars After You've Booked and Paid

Emily Co — Tue, 22 May 2012 11:03:26 PDT

Scouring for deals before you make your purchase is always smart, but you can save even more if you go the extra mile and get some money back after you've booked. Here are some savvy tips to get you more savings after you've forked up cash:

Air Travel: You can save more money on air tickets if the price of the flight goes down. Get refunded the difference when you buy your ticket from airlines like JetBlue, Alaska Airlines, and Southwest. Some airlines will charge an extra fee because they will consider it to be changing reservations. AirTran and Virgin, for example, charge $75, while United charges $150. An easy way to keep track of the changing airline prices is to use online price tracker Yapta.com, which will do the work for you and send you refund alerts when your fare has gone down. Be sure to also check out Yapta's other cool feature that keeps track of the flights that you're interested in buying and sends you alerts when the price drops.
Rental Car: Although Yapta tracks rental-car fares, there is an even better site that will do most of the work for you. It's called autoslash.com; it basically books the car for you, checks around for a cheaper price, then emails you when it finds a lower rate. If you want to go with the lower rate, it will rebook it for you.
Hotels: Pick a hotel with a good refund policy or one that allows you to cancel without any penalties if you want to get your money back when you spot a lower rate on a hotel.Then use Yapta as a price-tracking system for hotels, which alerts you when the price of a hotel drops. If the rate does decrease, you can just cancel your reservation and make a new one. You can generally cancel your hotel booking if you don't pay up front for your reservation, but be sure to read the fine print because every hotel has different policy.
Bonus: Alternatively, if you book through travel sites, you can get some sort of price guarantee for your flight, hotel room, and rental car. Keep in mind that every site has different requirements. For hotel stays, Orbitz will refund you the difference if you find the same room at the same hotel and dates at a cheaper price elsewhere. However, the claim has to be submitted before the hotel applies cancellation fees (which requires paying attention to hotel policies) and only works with rates that have the "Low Price Guarantee" or “Price Assurance.” Travelocity, Expedia, and Priceline all have some sort of price guarantee with some differences, so don't assume that the same policy will apply to the other sites.

Secrets to Saving on Your 7 Favorite Indulgences

Emily Co — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 13:25:48 PDT

We all have our weaknesses, and yours may be a Starbucks addiction or even an avid book reading habit. Although we advocate saving, we're also a big fan of being able to indulge on occasion. After all, if you keep denying yourself, it might be counterintuitive because you may end up buying on impulse. Here are some ways you can still enjoy your favorite purchases, yet save at the same time:

Starbucks: Sign up for a Starbucks card and you can accumulate rewards such as free drinks. Once you buy five drinks, you get free syrup or soy milk and free refills on brewed coffee, iced coffee, or iced tea. You'll also get a free tall drink if you buy a bag of coffee beans. Once you buy over 30 drinks, you get a free drink for every 15 drinks you buy. As a card holder, you'll also get a free drink of your choice on your birthday.

Frugal secret: You can make your own Starbucks drinks in your own home. Check out Squawkfox's recipe for a homemade Starbucks Frappuccino that costs only 32 cents to make. Don't forget to also check out YumSugar's Starbucks-inspired pumpkin spice latte recipe.
Books: If you got a thing for books, there's always the library of course. But for those who just love permanent additions to their budding book collection, you can consider joining book clubs like Barnes & Nobles, which sends regular discounts and coupons to your inbox. You can also get really cheap indie ebooks for free or for 99 cents on Amazon. Some of the books are actually really good, but check out the reviews before buying if you don't want to waste your time on a dud.
Frugal secret: Shhh, don't let anyone know, but you can get free books from authors, even the acclaimed and famous ones, if you try this trick. A lot of times, you can even get the book ahead of its release. All you have to do is start building up a nice repertoire of really solid and detailed book reviews on Amazon or Good Reads, the social network for book recommendations. If your Amazon reviews are good, people will start voting on them, which may qualify you for Amazon's Vine program, an exclusive club that "invites the most trusted reviewers on Amazon to post opinions about new and prerelease items." And if you're a popular Good Reads reviewer, authors will start reaching out to you to review their books.
Yoga: You can save on yoga classes by subscribing to daily deal sites and keeping an eye out for discounts at your local yoga studio. Lululemon also offers free yoga classes, so you might want to check out your local shop. A lot of studios have free or donation-based classes on occasion, so you might want to check with them, too.
Frugal secret: Become a yoga teacher to get access to free classes. You don't have to worry about teaching taking up too much of your time because I have friends who teach only once or twice a week and still get the perks of a full-time teacher, such as being able to attend classes for free. You can also offer to trade services (writing, graphic design, admin, or whatever skill you can provide) with the studio in exchange for free classes.

Read on for more.

Which Free Tax Preparation Software Is Right For You?

Leta Shy — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 14:03:42 PST

Tax season is never a fun time, but there is no end of online programs that want to make it as easy as possible for you to file. There are many e-filing options to choose from that offer free federal filing (with state filing costing an additional fee), guarantees on their calculations, and fast refund checks, but with all the similar names and features it can be hard to pick the right one for you.

Of course, if you are a homeowner, are self-employed, or invest, simple free filings may not be for you. But curious to know the basics of popular free tax software compared? Find out the major similarities and differences between five such programs after the break.

12 Things You Should Never Buy Full-Price

Business Insider — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:15:25 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart Business Insider story here on Savvy!

With the Internet, helpful mobile phone apps, and retailers scrambling to keep consumers in their shops, there's no need to pay full-price for much of anything these days.

To give you a boost, we tapped a few savvy shoppers for their tips on all the ways you can save.

Theater tickets

"One of the greatest savings areas recently has been the theater ticket business," says Anna Aronovich, CEO of GovernmentAuctions.org.

Even if you're not going to be around NYC to score discount Broadway tickets this month, there are opportunities in nearly all cities to see shows on the cheap.

Some rewards programs like Optimum Rewards cost nothing to join and offer discounts on shows.

Beer

If you're looking to stock the fridge for your next poker night, don't hit the liquor store until you've checked out www.saveonbrew.com.

The company's been featured on a host of deals sites lately as one of the best ways to find discounts on brewski, says Jennifer Davidson, director of operations. (See some incredible uses for beer.)

Read on for more.