bundle

Name your own price for a sci-fi e-book bundle

I love books. I also love bundles. Typically, the latter consist of things like indie games and productivity software and give you some pretty serious bang for the buck.

If only some clever developer would combine these two loves of mine.

Done! The StoryBundle Big Bang Bundle lets you name your own price for five "indie" e-books. And if you pay at least $7, you'll get two bonus books.

This is StoryBundle's first offering, and hopefully it won't be the last. As with any number of game bundles I've covered before, this one lets … Read more

Indie Gala Mobile 2 bundles more good games for good causes

Need some new games to while away your flight, train ride, car trip, or time in line at the post office with?

In terms of bang for the buck, it's hard to beat a bundle. Like this one: the Indie Gala Mobile 2 bundle lets you set your own price for three (or more) popular Android games -- and support some worthy causes in the process.… Read more

Halo 4 gets a $399 Xbox 360 bundle

Attention, Marines! Over the weekend at Comic-Con in San Diego, Halo 4 developer 343 Industries and Microsoft unveiled a $399 Xbox 360 console bundle featuring some fancy aesthetics and accessories.

Due on November 6, the custom-designed 320GB Halo 4 Xbox 360 features futuristic silver and blue markings on a see-through gray shell. To justify the massive cost for the elder console, the package includes two colorful controllers, a copy of Halo 4, and a wired headset.

Gamers also receive "Xbox Live tokens for exclusive Halo 4 in-game and avatar marketplace downloadable content," according to Xbox patriarch Major Nelson. … Read more

Get a $926 Mac software bundle for $49.99

Good news, Mac users: You're about to get a bundle of love. By which I mean software.

The iStack Mac Bundle comes with 10 apps that would normally cost $926. (And people say Mac software is overpriced.) Your cost: $49.99.

Let's start with the crown jewel of the bundle, the program that's most likely to make your wallet spring open: Parallels Desktop 7. A $79 program all by itself, Parallels lets you run Windows 7 and Windows programs on your Mac, no rebooting required. It's a top-rated utility, and with good reason.

Even if you … Read more

Indie Gala Mobile bundles Android games for a good cause

Game bundles are fairly commonplace these days, but most of them focus on PC and/or Mac titles. Here's something a little different.

Indie Gala Mobile lets you set your own price for four Android games, with the proceeds going to your choice of destinations, including two worthwhile charities.

Available through Friday, June 22, the bundle includes the following titles:

Cardinal Quest: an arcade-style dungeon crawler. Great Little War Game: a 3D turn-based strategy outing. Legends of Yore: a " roguelike" with 8-bit graphics. Smiles HD: a Bejeweled clone with some cool twists (literally).

The minimum buy-in is $… Read more

Get a Roku HD and Hulu Plus bundle for $79.99

Summer is a great time to catch up on the shows you weren't able to watch during the regular TV season -- or weren't sure would survive the year.

For example, Mrs. Cheapskate and I are planning to check out "Revenge," "Scandal," "Once Upon a Time," and perhaps "Grimm." Unfortunately, these freshman series have yet to show up on Netflix, so the only viable option for watching them on the cheap is Hulu Plus.

And for my money, there's no better way to pair Hulu Plus with your TV … Read more

Get a 12-game indie bundle for $5.99

I've seen some pretty good game bundles over the years, but this is arguably one of the best yet. It's certainly one of the largest.

The Indie Gala V includes as many as 12 titles -- some of them older, yes, but a broad and satisfying collection overall.

What do I mean by "as many as" 12 titles? The bundle is actually divided into three chunks. If you pay at least $1, you get the first batch of four games. Pay more than $3.99 and you get the second batch (plus some indie music). And … Read more

Get a $453 Mac software bundle for $49

You've heard of the "Apple tax," right? It's the notion that Mac users pay a hefty premium for their hardware.

But I also think there's a "Mac OS tax," meaning Mac software tends to cost more than equivalent Windows software. And deals tend to be fewer and farther between.

That's why I'm glad to see the occasional Mac software bundle. Like this one: the Mac SuperBundle Spring 2012 offers nine Mac programs for $49. Combined price if purchased separately: $453.

The bundle includes the following titles:

Compartments, a home-inventory program. Disk … Read more

Get a $50 game bundle for $4, help feed the hungry

The only thing better than a dirt-cheap software bundle is a dirt-cheap software bundle for a worthy cause.

An outfit called Groupees is offering the Be Mine 2 bundle, which includes five solid indie games and a boatload of extra content, all for a minimum donation of $4.

Here's the worthy-cause part: Every $2 pays for a meal courtesy of Feed Them With Music, a charitable organization that organizes concerts and other events aimed at feeding the hungry. So if you pony up, say, $10 -- a more-than-fair amount given what you're getting -- you're covering five … Read more

Get five indie PC games for cheap -- and help charity

Games. Philanthropy. Sweet deals. They all merge spectacularly in the Indie Gala III bundle.

Here's how it works: You decide what you want to pay for a collection of three "indie" PC games (meaning they come from independent, little-guy developers, not a big studio like Activision or EA).

The minimum buy-in is $1, but if you pay at least the average price (currently $4.57), you get two additional games.

You also get the three "secret bonuses" that will be revealed next week. These will probably be more games, though they could also be level … Read more