Technology
DVD wars come to online retailers
Laura Heller
Nov 7th 2009 at 10:00AM
Filed under: Shopping, Technology
First books, now movies, the price wars between the biggest retailers just keep getting hotter. Walmart, Target and Amazon are all slashing pre-order pricing on some hot new releases like "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince." Walmart said Thursday it would reduce prices for soon to be released DVDs to $10 at Walmart.com. Target and Amazon quickly followed, threw in free shipping and forced Walmart to drop its prices down to $9.98. Keep in mind, the deals are for online pre-orders of movies not yet released.
All this price cuttings seems like a great deal for consumers, but is it really? Highly competitive pricing can't be sustained for long, or extended to the entire category. Retailers simply can't sell things at a financial loss indefinitely. They do it to increase traffic, turn up the marketing machine, get a lot of press and sell other, more profitable items.
Hot deal! $199 Xbox at Walmart with $100 gift card
Julia Scott
Nov 6th 2009 at 7:00PM
Filed under: Shopping, Technology, Bargain Babe
Walmart is selling the Xbox 360 Arcade console for $199 this Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009, but the package includes a $100 gift card -- shazam! "If you were thinking about purchasing an Xbox 360 this holiday season, this is the absolute best deal we've ever seen on the Xbox 360," BFAds.net reports.
Only problem is you'll have to wait for hours in line. Each store is only guaranteed to have 10 Xbox's at this price. It's almost as if Walmart is trying to create a pre-Black Friday hype. (That's Internet sarcasm for ya.)
The sales includes six other items, like an 15.6″ HP Laptop for $298, a Panasonic plasma HDTV for $788, a Sony Blu-Ray disc player for $148, a Magnavox DVD player with 1080p upconverter for $29, and a 42" Sharp LCD HDTV for $498.
Quantities are limited. (Walmart definitely wants you to remember that part.) Will the shoppers also be?
Firsthand report: WalletPop blogger and his new Verizon Droid
Josh Smith
Nov 6th 2009 at 2:15PM
Filed under: Shopping, Technology
This morning I braved the frosty morning to join 5-10 other shoppers in line at Verizon for the new Google-powered Motorola Droid. Sure, the Droid didn't come with nearly as much fanfare as Verizon would have hoped, and no professional line-sitters showed up like they did for the iPhone, but the release of the Droid will have a big affect on the cell phone business.Like Netflix for your closet: New way to swap old clothes
Bonnie McCarthy
Nov 6th 2009 at 10:30AM
Filed under: Bargains, Kids and Money, Technology
Has the passion waned? Lost that loving feeling? Instead of banishing your scorned clothing ("It's not you, it's me...") to the back of the closet, it may be time to 'ThredUP."
Transforming fashion flings into peer-to-peer style "swaportunities," ThredUP, a Cambridge, Mass. start-up plans to pioneer the $2 billion dollars-worth of potential they see in the used clothing market.
Touted as a fashionable blend of Netflix, StubHub and eBay, ThredUP is the brainchild of co-founders and "Chief Knitwits" James Reinhart, Oliver Lubin and Chris Homer. Reed Hastings, founder and chief executive of Netflix is an adviser to the company. Far from being fashionistas, the ivy league grads and former roomies are poised to capitalize on the convergence of trends in "green" recycling, economics and the public's ever increasing comfort with online transactions.
The new online clothing exchange, ThredUP.com has been live for five weeks and is currently in its beta stage with a small community of 6,500 beta members. In an interview with WalletPop, Reinhart says the beta members have been trading for two weeks and satisfaction ratings are posting high. He reports the amount of clothing posted for trade has also reached staggering proportions in only a few weeks.
WalletPop readers are invited to join the early adapters. When registering on the member screen, enter the code "WalletPop" and you can get started.
Leaving Verizon Wireless to get more expensive Nov. 15
Josh Smith
Nov 4th 2009 at 2:15PM
Filed under: Shopping, Technology
Leaving your wireless carrier can be an expensive undertaking, and starting Nov. 15 it's about to get more expensive for users of smartphones like the Motorola Droid, Blackberry Storm 2 and other "advanced devices" on the Verizon Wireless network. While employees have been ordered not to talk to customers about the change, starting on Nov. 15, the Early Termination Fee (ETF) for these devices will increase from $175 to $350. According to a leaked document the higher ETF, "fairly reflects the higher costs associated with offering feature rich advanced devices to customers at attractive prices."
New York attorney general sues Intel; accuses chipmaker of using bribery and coercion to crush competition
Mitch Lipka
Nov 4th 2009 at 11:11AM
Filed under: Technology, Consumer Ally
Intel, Cuomo said, bullied its business partners and pushed aside competition --hurting consumers who could have benefited from the cost savings that comes with a competitive environment. Intel's chips are the guts of the vast majority of PCs.
"Rather than compete fairly, Intel used bribery and coercion to maintain a stranglehold on the market," Cuomo said in a statement. "Intel's actions not only unfairly restricted potential competitors, but also hurt average consumers who were robbed of better products and lower prices. These illegal tactics must stop and competition must be restored to this vital marketplace."
In the lawsuit, Cuomo alleges: "Intel has distorted competition and harmed consumers, depriving them of the lower prices and increased rates of innovation which competition would have yielded. Absent Intel's illegal acts, prices would likely have been lower, product innovation more dynamic, and consumer gains greater."
Rumor: Apple to offer $30 unlimited TV package
Josh Smith
Nov 4th 2009 at 8:00AM
Filed under: Extracurriculars, Technology
In June 2001 Apple introduced the world to iTunes, a music marketplace that largely changed the way we buy music. And now, almost a decade later rumor has it that Apple wants to revolutionize the way we get our television delivered by offering all you can watch TV for $30.Before Apple can offer consumers the opportunity to ditch their cable subscriptions for an all-you-can-watch plan it has to convince the television networks that it's a good idea, just like it did with the music labels.
Given the numerous side projects of networks, like CBS' TV.com, and the attempts by cable companies to restrict online streaming to customers, Apple faces a big hurdle before it can offer a $30 unlimited TV package.
OMG: Text message tax spreading through California
Tom Barlow
Nov 3rd 2009 at 4:30PM
Filed under: Tax, Technology
Like H1N1, the notion of taxing text messages and other new electronic forms of communication has taken root and is threatening to go pandemic. The city of Vallejo, Calif. is voting today on expanding utility taxes to include text messages, pager messages and VOIP calls. The measure would lump these together with gas, electricity, water and other utilities, while lowering the overall utility tax rate from 7.5% to 7.3%.
This follows the example set by Sacramento and 40 other towns in California which have added electronic communications to their taxable utilities, both to reduce the burden on those clinging to land-lines and to increase city revenue.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Vallejo's general fund has lost $18 million in the past two years. It declared bankruptcy in 2008.
While officials contend that the change will have only a minimal impact on a typical resident's utility bill, some locals are concerned that the measure opens up the door for taxes on other forms of communication not presently taxed. I'm wondering about passenger pigeons.
As more and more people abandon land-lines, many communities will be looking to replace lost tax revenue by charging for text messages, voice-over-Internet calls, e-mails, and IM conversations. If they could, some would probably charge by the syllable for face-to-face coffee house conversations. If so, we'd probably learn to abbrev wht we sed 2 sv $.
Black Friday 2009: 6 tips from Coupon Sherpa
Josh Smith
Nov 3rd 2009 at 2:30PM
Filed under: Bargains, Shopping, Technology, Black Friday
Today at WalletPop we have a special treat. We packed our backpack, grabbed an oxygen tank and took off to the top of Deal Mountain in search of Coupon Sherpa, a master of deals who answers questions about deals at the Ask Coupon Sherpa Blog, to find out how he does it and share with you his 6 tips to gear up for Black Friday and holiday shopping.WalletPop: So, Coupon Sherpa, we know you're all about reliable coupons. What can you tell me about getting ready for Black Friday and holiday shopping?
Coupon Sherpa: Thanks for making the trek up to my summit on Deal Mountain. My first tip for shoppers is to save wear and tear on your feet and wallet by checking your junk mail for Black Friday sales, many of which include useful coupons. If you don't have a subscription, Thanksgiving is an excellent day to pick up your regional papers as Black Friday advertising consistently makes this the fattest newspaper of the year.
AVG Free provides antivirus protection gratis!
Josh Smith
Nov 3rd 2009 at 1:30PM
Filed under: Technology, Fantastic Freebies
One thing you should never do is run a Windows computer without some form of virus protection. In the past, in order to get any decent virus protection, you had to spend big bucks on security suites like Norton and McAfee; but now AVG Free protects you against the viruses and spyware for free.AVG has been in the virus protection business since 1991 and the free version of its AVG Anti-Virus program have been widely used by myself and many other users for many years as a free alternative to high priced year-by-year antivirus subscriptions.
Another added bonus of the free AVG Antivirus software is that the program uses relatively few systems resources so it won't slow down your computer.
The free version of AVG Antivirus works on the newly released Windows 7 and offers the following protection.
- Anti-Virus - Makes sure you can't get or spread a virus, worm, or Trojan horse.
- Anti-Spyware - Prevents unauthorized information access by spyware and adware.
- LinkScanner - Ensures every web page you visit is safe – even before you go there.
Columnist quits in protest after readers are forced to pay for his columns
Sarah Gilbert
Nov 2nd 2009 at 6:30PM
Filed under: Technology, Career
Saul Friedman has written a column for the Long Island, N.Y. daily newspaper, Newsday, since 1996. But recently, his weekly column on aging, "Gray Matters," became restricted behind a paid subscriber wall. As a result ,Friedman, who is the winner of journalism's prestigious Nieman Fellowship and who roused enough rabble to land on a list of Nixon political opponents, quit in protest. Friedman's reaction may well be justified. Only subscribers to Newsday, which is sold in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, and in New York City, can now read his full column online. In fact, Friedman, who lives near Washington, D.C. and isn't in the Newsday circulation area, can't even read his own columns online now. Customers of Cablevision, the company that owns Newsday, can also access Newsday online free of charge, but the rest of the world outside New York City's five buroughs and Long Island, has to pay $5 a week for the privilege.
AARP offers help to young people planning their financial future
Tom Barlow
Nov 2nd 2009 at 6:00PM
Filed under: Budgets, Insurance, Technology
In 1999 the American Association for Retired People officially changed its name to AARP to avoid the misconception that it was only for retired persons. Since that time, it has vigorously pursued baby boomers as they enter their golden years. Now, the association seems to be reaching even further down the ages, all the way to young people interested in gaining financial wisdom, by unveiling a new Web site, LifeTuner.
LifeTuner is "an online personal finance community site born out of a growing recognition that young adults need to take a much more active role than previous generations in planning and preparing for their own financial security."
The site contains the usual personal finance background information, calculators and other tools, expert Q&A and a community section where users can engage with one another. Like most AARP products, it seems well thought out and professional, and will probably be as good a resource as any for young people who want to start down the road of financial independence.
AutoTrader expert's tips on getting the most money for your car online
Josh Smith
Nov 2nd 2009 at 12:00PM
Filed under: Technology, Transportation, Economizer
Selling your car, rather than trading it in to the dealer, is a great way to get more money to put towards your new set of wheels. Long ago, when I was but the owner of a learner's permit, if you wanted to sell your car you focused on newspaper classifieds and high-traffic front lawns, but as car shoppers' comfort level with the Internet increased, so did the popularity of listing cars online. But, many people who have had great success selling their own car on-lawn haven't been able to sell as well on-line. If that's you, read on for these tips from AutoTrader Spokesperson Mark Scott for selling your car online.
Since you can't force locals to drive past your house, there are three things to focus on when preparing your car for sale online:
- How you describe the car in the ad.
- What you need to include -- and exclude -- from the pictures of your car.
- Research the prices of similar cars.
If George Costanza had an iPhone, he'd use this app
Aaron Crowe
Nov 2nd 2009 at 11:00AM
Filed under: Tax, Technology, Taxes-income-tax-basics, Taxes-tax deduction
In one of the great "Seinfeld" episodes of season nine, the character George Costanza has a wallet so filled with receipts, business cards and other things such as packets of Sweet'N Low that he sits on an incline when he puts it in his back pocket.
Eventually it all blows away onto a snowy and wet New York City street, leaving George to try to scurry after all of the little slips of paper that burst out of what he calls his "organizer, secretary and a friend."
If I were the folks at Shoeboxed.com I'd be doing all I could to get Jerry Seinfeld to allow commercial use of that scene in promoting its new free app for the iPhone or any cell phone with a camera.
Here's some of that "Seinfeld" episode, to refresh your memory:
Eventually it all blows away onto a snowy and wet New York City street, leaving George to try to scurry after all of the little slips of paper that burst out of what he calls his "organizer, secretary and a friend."
If I were the folks at Shoeboxed.com I'd be doing all I could to get Jerry Seinfeld to allow commercial use of that scene in promoting its new free app for the iPhone or any cell phone with a camera.
Here's some of that "Seinfeld" episode, to refresh your memory:
8 ways to save time and money on holiday shopping
Josh Smith
Oct 30th 2009 at 4:30PM
Filed under: Shopping, Technology, Black Friday, Economizer
It's still October and already schedules are filling up with things to do to prepare for Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Christmas, Hanukkah and more.On top of the normal things that need done -- changing your oil, sending out cards, finding time to work out -- you still need to shop for gifts, which is no small matter.
A recent analysis of shopping habits, sponsored by search engine Bing, found that in the process of searching for the right gift and looking for the best deal, the average American will lose $114 this year.
