With everyone quarantined at home, you may find yourself with a computer deficit. Mrs. Cheapskate, for example, needs remote access for the first time, but there’s no extra machine for her to use. Sure, we could buy a new laptop, but I’m eyeballing another option: a mini-PC. Like this one: For a limited time, and …
Read More »
I am not shy about recommending mechanical keyboards to anyone who will listen. It doesn’t matter if you’re a gamer or just do a lot of typing — there’s nothing like the feel of real mechanical switches under your fingers, and I’ve used one at home for at least the last 10 years. I hate having to switch to my …
Read More »
Amazon continues to make small but worthwhile improvements to the Fire Tablet lineup. Today, for example, the company announced two new Fire HD 8 models, adding a faster processor, more storage and USB-C to the mix. In fact, the Fire HD 8 Plus also supports wireless charging, a rarity among modern tablets. Although you can preorder the new Fire HD …
Read More »
There are never enough places to plug stuff in near my bed — between my phone, iPad, headphones, lamp and Amazon Echo, I need to keep a deluxe USB power strip under my pillow. Here’s a better option. Right now, you can get the when you apply discount code 8RJ7O65J at checkout. That’s 60% off the regular price of $33, …
Read More »
Epitaph I’m adding to my tombstone: “Buy a soundbar!” Because as I’ve long maintained, TV speakers are terrible. But recently I realized that if you’re — sigh — over 50 like myself, you should probably consider a soundbar that can enhance dialogue, making voices easier to hear. Here’s a great deal on just such a product: For a limited time, …
Read More »
If you’re working from home on a laptop, it can be challenging to stay productive within the confines of a single, smallish screen. Thankfully, it’s easy to plug in an external monitor, either a big one that becomes your primary display or a second one you use alongside your laptop. Here’s an option for the latter category: For a limited …
Read More »
I readily acknowledge that while I can sometimes be a bit of an audio snob, I know that not everyone is an audiophile. Most people are perfectly happy listening to streaming audio and MP3 tracks of questionable bitrate with their inexpensive earbuds, and that’s totally cool. Years ago, for example, I subjected Cheapskate Rick to a blinded test in which …
Read More »
Are you curious if Tidal might be better than Spotify? How deep is its music library? Is the interface easy to use? These are the kinds of questions you might be asking, but there’s usually no way to find out without pulling out your credit card. Unlike Spotify, there’s no free trial over at Tidal. Here’s a deal that’ll let …
Read More »
Raise your hand if this is familiar: You’re dialed into the company meeting or Zoom call and you put your phone on speaker so you can do other things while listening in. But the sound quality is terrible, both for you and the people at the other end. That’s no surprise; your phone has to rely on one tiny microphone …
Read More »
Nothing beats escaping into your tunes while blocking the blare of the outside world (or, in these times, inside world). There are two ways modern earphones help you accomplish that. First, there’s a physical seal between the silicone ear tips and your ear canals. Then there’s ANC (active noise cancellation) technology, which produces a secondary noise that matches and reduces …
Read More »
