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Free software to back-up digital photos — this week only

June 3rd, 2008, 10:11 am by

NewTech Infosystems NTI Shadow 3 back-up softwarePassing on deals when I see them… Irvine’s NewTech Infosystems is offering its NTI Shadow 3 back-up software for free — this week only. Offer ends June 8.

The software lets you back up photos, music, Word documents and all other files automatically. As a tech reporter, I’ve heard many sad tales of lost family photos and music files. So, I would urge everyone to use this product or something similar to back up those files.

The nice thing about this deal is this isn’t a trial version but the full license, which NewTech says usually sells for $30.

I just downloaded a copy for myself. One note about the download, the site provides a download ID code, which is separate from the serial number. After you download the software and start installing it, the download includes a separate text file that includes the serial number.

NewTech Infosystems NTI Shadow 3 back-up softwareNTI Shadow offers step-by-step directions to help you pick what files you want to backup and how often you want to back up (from every minute or every Friday or every time you save something on your computer). It lets you keep on file past backups, or limit it to one copy if you don’t want to clog up your computer.

I just tested this on a 200 MB file, which isn’t very large. It took less than 2 minutes to back it up. What I like best of course is the automation. With this, you won’t have to launch the software every time you add new photos to your “My Pictures” folder or download new songs from iTunes. This backs all those files up automatically — and for free!

NewTech Infosystems NTI Shadow 3 back-up software

Other features: Available for Windows and Macs and in 8 languages. Download it HERE.

Related stories:

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Free software every day plus win a clone of your dog and HDTVs

June 1st, 2008, 6:34 am by

Alt+Save: Deals and freebiesIf 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.

Free software every dayThe 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

Economic Stimulus checkInspired 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:

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Bank offers free anti-phishing software

May 23rd, 2008, 9:12 am by

ING Direct bank offers free security softwareIf you bank at ING DIRECT, the Wilmington, Del.-bank just announced it’s offering free anti-phishing software to all customers.

The Rapport software from Isreal’s Trusteer protects against online identity theft and threats such as phishing, pharming, keyloggers, man-in-the-middle attacks, man-in-the-browser attacks, screen-scrapers, and session hijacking. Did you know all of these even exist?

According to a Computer World article, “The tool is easy to install and, once in place, runs in the background — launching whenever the user logs onto ING’s site.”

Hopefully, it’s just as friendly as the image below from Rapport’s web site.

However, the software is not available yet. It’s coming this summer and will be available at INGDirect.com, according to the bank.

Trusteer Rapport’s anti-phisihing software

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Microsoft Office at 91 percent off

May 9th, 2008, 11:14 am by

Microsoft’s Office deal just $60 for studentsAn update to last fall’s Ultimate Steal promotion by Microsoft:

Now, apparently, anyone with an .edu address can get the Ultimate Microsoft Office package for $59.95, or 91 percent off the $680 usual price (and $399 at Amazon). It’s actually free to try and $60 to buy. Here are the rules.

I wonder if the same .edu address will qualify for the free game and software development tools
from Microsoft?

Spotted on Gizmodo via Lifehacker via a NY Times blog

Related:

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See Coachella for free… and other deals

April 24th, 2008, 11:49 am by

Coachella Valley Music FestivalCouldn’t snag a ticket for the Coachella Valley Music Festival?AT&T will broadcast the show online at attbluroom.com for free, and we like free, right? Besides, do you really want to be out in the hot sun with thousands of other sweaty fans? The webcast is April 25 to 27. After the show, AT&T will continue to offer coverage and exclusives from the show in the same blue room. More DETAILS. (And don’t forget to check out Register music critic Ben Wener’s coverage of the festival).

I also stumbled across some free security software for USB drives, iPods or any other storage device. DriveSentry in the UK sort of sells anti-virus software called DriveSentry GoAnywhere (I’m told the version for computers is free too). I say sort of because the company offers its software for free. However, I just learned, it began offering a one-time $9.99 fee for those who don’t want a window to pop up every time you try to drag a file onto the drive. But if you don’t care about that nuisance, it works just the same. Technically, the PC-only software checks with its online list of good/bad programs and then gives it’s approval or disapproval. I just downloaded and will report back if I have problems. Try it out yourself HERE.

Contests:

If you speak Dragon, you could win a Garmin Nuvi 360 Personal Travel Assistant Dragon NaturallySpeaking upgrades for three years. Dragon, the voice-recognition software from Nuance Communications, just announced its second “I speak Dragon.” Just submit your story about how Dragon has helped you at www.nuance.com/dragonstories. Deadline is June 30. More DETAILS.

Win Pokemon prize packageWin a sweet Pokemon game package from Nintendo that includes a limited edition Pikachu Nintendo DS, a Wii console, a high-definition TV plus assorted Pokémon games and merchandise. The contest is simple to enter — just hand over your personal information (!) to Nintendo. Reason for the contest? Two new games: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Darkness and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Time.

A contest limited to gamers who buy the new Rocky and Bullwinkle game from Zen Studios: Win “The Best of Rocky and Bullwinkle, Vol. 1″ DVD. Just be one of the first 200 people to unlock the 12 achievements in the game. More DETAILS.

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Fullerton students win honors in Microsoft eco-game contest

April 22nd, 2008, 8:18 pm by

Team Clean the WasteNot just anyone can build a video game. But if you’re a student, Microsoft provides free software tools to develop games for the computer and Xbox 360.

Two groups from California State University, Fullerton took Microsoft up on its offer and then entered their games into the Imagine Cup, Microsoft’s student technology competition. Results were just released and locals Team Green Pill placed second and Team CTW came in third in the national contest. Team Ligersoft from George Washington University took the first place trophy.

Not bad considering the 16,000 student teams registered for Imagine Cup, which included nine categories such as software design, algorithms and short film. All projects had to relate to this year’s theme, the environment, so it’s appropriate that the finals took place on Earth Day.

“You’d be amazed by the quality of these games. The artwork is really, really impressive,” said Jim Pinkelman, Microsoft’s director of academic relations for the U.S.

The students got to work with Microsoft’s XNA Game Studio Express, a kit for hobbyist game developers to turn pastimes into games for the computer or even the Xbox.

But will we get to see any these games for our own Xbox?

Read the rest of this entry »

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