Orange County Register

If you don’t know about Giveaway of the Day, bookmark it. It’s a site that offers one new licensed software product every day. This isn’t a trial version. It’s the real deal.

What’s the catch? Don’t expect free tech support or free upgrades to future versions. It’s strictly for personal use and mostly available for Windows PCs only. And you can’t just save the program to install at a later date. Install it on the same day it’s free otherwise it won’t work. I can live with that.

The site started in 2006 and surprisingly or not, it is still handing out freebies daily. If you want to dwell on the dark side of free, GotD was created to help software developers promote their products and get customer feedback. Companies want to know what you think. However, there’s no registration required to download so you’re not handing over any personal information, including an e-mail address. And the company still gets paid by GotD for the free licenses downloaded, although GotD doesn’t mention if it pays full price. It’s win-win, says GotD.

For consumers, the other nice thing about GotD is because it’s popular, there are a lot of users who actively comment. Comments will tip you off on whether the product works or what issues you may encounter. Friday’s giveaway, Xilisoft’s DVD Ripper Ultimate, has quite a few people mentioning installation problems. Others weren’t so impressed and even suggested a favorite alternative.

Either way, the site is a good spot to search and try new software. Keep it if you like. Delete it if you don’t. And for gamers, check out the Game Giveaway of the Day.

And for Mac users, GotD is considering offering Mac-related software someday. In the meantime, check out sites for discounted Mac software, such as MacZot.com, Softpedia.com and Mac Update Promo (mupromo.com).

Tax rebate discounts on electronics

Inspired by posts on Fast Food Maven and our retail blogger, I did some sleuthing about where you can get a little bit more from Uncle Sam & corporate America.

RadioShack will cash your federal stimulus check or refund and give you 10 percent discount on purchases between $50 and $2,500 — no product is excluded. If you don’t want to spend it all at RadioShack, the remainder will be put on a Vision Silver Prepaid MasterCard. Details HERE.

DealNews.com also mentions several other stores trying to lure you in, including Sams Club, Staples, Wal-Mart and Sears.

And while you’re at it, enter eBillMe’s Shopping Confessions‘ monthly contest to win $1,000. Just submit a story about what you’re doing with your tax refund of stimulus check. Best video or written confession wins the cash.

On to contests!

• Woof, woof? Get dear Fido cloned by entering BioArts International’s “Golden Clone Giveaway.” The company decided to give away a free slot after complaints from dog lovers that they can’t afford the $100,000-and-up price tag in the “Best Friends Again” auction. If you think you have the world’s most ‘clone worthy’ dog, submit an essay of up to 500 words on why your dog should be cloned and fill out this form HERE. Deadline is noon Pacific time on June 10. Caveat: Your dog must be alive.
• Win a 65-inch LCD HDTV by submitting a brief story about why your Dad deserves a giant HDTV. The catch? The winner has to live in an area that can get Charter cable TV service, which in the SoCal region includes parts of Long Beach, Cerritos, Alhambra, Pasadena, Glendale, etc. (see Charter’s locator if you don’t know). Enter at charter.com/hddad. Contest ends June 6.
• Win a 40-inch Samsung LCD TV by playing Buku Sudoku in the Xbox Live Arcade. Just earn 200 out of 200 achievement points in the first two weeks after the game launches and then enter the contest HERE. Sign up ends June 18.
• Don’t forget to check out my earlier post on 12 more ways to win a Wii or Wii Fit.

Past Free+Win+Deals posts:

• Win a Prius, HDTVs or a trip to China
• Win a Fender, sketch Obama, and what you get if American Idol’s Archuleta wins
• Free+Contests: Pink cameras, domains and $1,000
• Check the archive.
• Or sign up to get the Gadgetress by e-mail.

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