General

If you own a TomTom GPS and you're a "Simpsons" fan, you're in for a treat.

For the past couples years, you had the option of putting the voice of Homer Simpson into your nav system. Now, TomTom has landed two more "Simpsons" cast members: Julie Kavner and Harry Shearer, who lend their considerable vocal talents to Marge Simpson and Mr. Burns, respectively.

Excellent.

These "Voice Skins," which sell for $12.95 apiece, take the place of the stock voices contained in your TomTom. (Actually, you can switch back and forth between … Read more

Game time!

Today only, Amazon is having a pretty colossal sale on Mac and PC games. They're all downloads, and they're all $10 or less.

For example, Crysis 2, which debuted last March and lists for $39.99, is on sale for $9.99.

A few other titles you might want to consider:

Needless to say, there's some … Read more

Everything charges via USB nowadays: Kindles, iPods, Bluetooth headsets, smartphones...shall I go on?

In a perfect world, your home's AC outlets would have USB ports alongside their three-prong sockets. That way, you could dispense with all those bulky power plugs and just plug each device's USB cable right into the wall.

Until home builders get the memo, here's the next best thing: Lowe's has the RCA USB Wall Plate Charger for $14.99, plus sales tax where applicable. If you don't have a Lowe's store near you, you'll be on the hook … Read more

TGIF, am I right? To help kick off your weekend, I've rounded up five eclectic deals--a little something for everyone, I hope. First up: a ridiculously inexpensive HDTV.

1. An story in today's USA Today suggests that pre-Super Bowl TV deals are "less super" this year, but apparently Walmart didn't get the memo. They've got the Sceptre X460BV-FHD 46-inch LCD HDTV for $409.98, plus sales tax where applicable. You can bag free shipping with the site-to-store option. The user reviews are overwhelmingly positive.

2. Today only, 1SaleADay has the factory-refurbished Jawbone One Bluetooth headset, in black or silver, for $9.99. … Read more

This is an update of a post from many moons ago.

Mo' gadgets often means mo' problems--or, at least, mo' remotes. That's why I continue to champion Logitech's Harmony series of universal remotes, which not only take the place of multiple clickers but also let you set up crazy-handy macro functions.

One of the better models, the 650, usually sells for around $80. But if you don't mind going the refurbished route, you can get one for half the price. While supplies last, Ice Monkey has the refurbished Logitech Harmony 650 remote for $39.99 shipped.

In … Read more

About a week ago I featured Kingsoft Office Suite Professional 2012 in a bonus deal. Since then I've been test-driving the software on an old laptop. And you know what? I like it!

I mention this because although the Kingsoft Professional giveaway is over, you can still get Kingsoft Office Suite Free 2012 for, well, free. Update: This program is for Windows.

Until last week, I'd never heard of Kingsoft or this product. I had, however, tried all the usual freebie Microsoft Office alternatives: OpenOffice, LibreOffice, Lotus Symphony, Google Docs, and so on.

They're all OK--good enough, … Read more

Quick housekeeping note: I apologize to those of you who had difficulty on Friday getting the Acronis True Image freebie. When I wrote about the deal that morning, I'd followed the instructions, received my license keys (there were two), and successfully activated the software. I wish I could explain why some of you had a different experience, but I can't.

However, as some commenters noted, there are a number of extremely good backup programs that are always free--not the least of which is the one built into Windows 7. Other solid choices: Easeus Todo Backup and Macrium Reflect Free. … Read more

I like a lot of gadgets and gear, but it's rare that I fall in love.

When I connected the Zvox Z-Base 220 speaker cabinet to my bedroom TV, it was love at first sound. It's that good.

Allow me to explain. A couple weeks ago I wrote about a cheap and easy fix for the awful speakers built into your HDTV.

My solution? PC speakers plugged into your TV's headphone jack (or an RCA-to-stereo adapter). But let's face it: that's not ideal for everyone.

For one thing, while PC speakers may provide some improvement … Read more

To butcher an old saying, people don't plan to lose data, they lose data because they don't plan. In other words, many users don't bother to make regular backups, and often suffer the consequences when their hard drive dies or falls victim to a virus.

How can you avoid such consequences? Step one: buy an external hard drive. (If possible, go back in time a few months and buy one when they're significantly cheaper. Also: place a few strategic sports bets for me. Cool, thanks.)

Step two: get yourself a comprehensive, easy-to-use backup program--preferably one that … Read more