Marketplace Blog

My hunt for a new laptop continues. I want an ultrabook, something thin and light, but I certainly don't want to pay upward of $1,000 for it.

Last week I almost popped for the Vizio CT14-A4, which at $599 seemed too good to be true, but couldn't get past all the negative reviews of the keyboard. (It's still available at that price, FYI.)

Today I'm eyeballing another surprisingly good deal from the Microsoft Store: the HP Spectre XT 13 ultrabook for $699 shipped (plus sales tax where applicable). It normally sells for $999.99.

Although … Read more

How much do you value your productivity? If you're smack in the middle of an important work or school project, or you've got important life events to deal with -- eating, drinking, and so on -- you might want to steer clear of this deal.

Because I warn you: once you start playing Peggle, you won't want to stop.

Don't believe me? Peggle comes from PopCap Games, makers of such addictive pastimes as Bejeweled, Bookworm, and Plants vs. Zombies. And I'd say it ranks just as high as those classics on the time-suck scale.

It'… Read more

Problem: You're all fired up to play the hot new BioShock Infinite, but you can't scrape together $60 for the privilege. Plus, you know that roughly six months from now, you'll be able to get the game for half as much -- maybe even less.

Solution: Satisfy your game lust with 10 other titles and pay just one-twelfth the price. No, literally: five bucks.

Bundle Stars is offering an Indie MashUp 10-game bundle for just $5. Actually, that's the minimum price; you can also pay more if you feel the bundle is worth it, keeping in … Read more

Last September, CNET's Matt Elliott told you about SnipSnap, a rather ingenious iOS app that turns printed coupons into mobile ones.

It's been a long wait, but SnipSnap has finally made its way to Android. And if you shop for anything, anywhere, ever, that should come as very good news.

SnipSnap is like a digital coupon wallet: instead of schlepping a pile of paper coupons to the store with you (or, if you're like me, forgetting to), you simply take snapshots of the ones you want, then present the app at checkout. When possible, SnipSnap cleverly converts … Read more

You can't get something for nothing. There's no such thing as a free lunch. If you love something, set it free...

Oh, sorry, that last one doesn't really apply. And as it turns out, neither do the first two. Because today, you can get something for nothing -- and you'll save more than enough to buy yourself lunch. Dinner, even.

If you're a Mac user, head over to AppyFridays, where you'll find three Mac apps that have temporarily gone free. Their combined value when they're not free: about $32.

Here's a rundown … Read more

I love a good Bluetooth speaker, especially one that's battery-powered and portable. Mine goes everywhere with me: to the bathroom for shower tunes, to the garage for honey-do-project tunes, even on trips for hotel-room tunes.

Today only, and while supplies last, TigerDirect has the ChilBox Wireless Speaker for $49.99, plus around $3 for shipping. It sells for exactly twice as much if purchased directly from Chil, Inc.

The nicely rounded, brick-shaped ChilBox measures 6 inches by 2.5 inches by 2 inches and weighs around 14 ounces. Its built-in rechargeable battery is good for up to 12 hours … Read more

First up: Check out our fancy new comment system! Now you can follow conversations, sort by newest/oldest/number of likes, reply to replies, and so on. It's so...fancy!

Second up: Some 40-plus players have already signed up for my DietBet! Very excited to see how this whole thing plays out -- and hopefully drop 10 pounds in the process.

Third up: Today only, and while supplies last, 1SaleADay has the refurbished Google Nexus 7 (Wi-Fi) for $139.99. That's by far the lowest price I've seen for Google's popular tablet, and I'm just … Read more

Everyone wants to lose weight, but for many folks, the rewards of looking better, feeling better, and living longer aren't sufficient motivation.

Ah, but what if there's money involved?

That's the idea behind DietBet, a "social dieting game" with a twist: You bet some money with friends and/or strangers, then spend 28 days trying to lose 4 percent of your body weight. Winner takes the pot -- which can end up being pretty sizable. If there are multiple winners, they split the cash.

In other words, here's your chance to lose weight and … Read more

I haven't been in school for a looong time, but I still like to carry a backpack. To my thinking there's no better man-bag for traveling. And the pack I've carried for the last couple years is my all-time favorite: a Powerbag.

Though it looks like a regular backpack, the Powerbag (video) has places to stow a rechargeable battery and connectors for all my mobile gear. That not only saves me from having to pack a bunch of chargers and cables, but also lets me juice up on the run.

Today only, and while supplies last, Yugster … Read more