Blog Archives for 2014

The sharing economy is the rise of people renting out their stuff to others, over and over, to make money. Poster-company Airbnb is on track to be worth $10 billion! But here are 10 things we're hoping we never see enter the "sharing economy."

The Internet Tax Freedom Act of 1998 is set to expire on November 1, which means internet access and usage in the US could soon be taxed for the first time. Combined with efforts to standardize a sales tax on online purchases, these new taxes could mean a big hit on consumers.

The Samsung Galaxy S5, which has quickly become a media darling smartphone, will soon enter the DealNews hall of fame. It is on track to hit $0 (subsidized) before Black Friday, a feat that took its two predecessors much longer to accomplish.

Starting on June 9, Microsoft will begin selling its Xbox One console sans the Kinect sensor, effectively lowering the price to $399. The Xbox One is now in line with its biggest competitor, but is the lower price point as good as it sounds?

A recent study by Bankrate.com revealed that 80% of Americans carry less than $50 in cash at any given time. In this brief — yet lively — video, our experts reveal how close we are to a cashless society, and the pros and cons of ditching the bills.

Vibram has settled a lawsuit that accused the company of offering misleading claims about the health benefits of its shoes. In light of the dilemma, we asked our readers — who have been very interested in FiveFingers shoes over the years — what they thought. And apparently, Vibram love cannot be stopped by million-dollar lawsuits.

We took a look at eight foods that may be in for a price hike this summer, and there's good and bad news. You aren't likely to starve, but you may need to seek out some budget-friendly alternatives to your usual fare.

Not all freebies while flying have gone the way of the biplane. We spoke to some experts find out where you can get free rewards and other perks while flying. You just have to know what to do, how to ask, and where to look.

Skeptical about the benefits of barefoot running? You're not alone. Vibram USA, the company behind the FiveFingers running shoe, just settled a multi-million dollar class-action lawsuit over false advertising. If you own a pair, you may be entitled to some cash.

If Amazon is to be believed, drone delivery is the future. Not wanting to be left behind, we at DealNews have embraced drone technology, too! Watch our short infomercial announcing our new DealDrone delivery service!

Aereo, the company that rents antennas to watch over-the-air TV, is being sued in the Supreme Court by the nation's broadcasters for copyright infringement. In the meantime, we decided to take a look at this case from the consumer's perspective. The decision could affect not only Aereo customers, but traditional antenna users as well. Read on for our breakdown of how home antennas work, why Aereo is different, and how this case affects everybody.

As some of you might have noticed, Hooters is offering a peculiar promotion this weekend; any woman who comes to the restaurant with her brood in tow on Mother's Day will receive a free meal. Considering the establishment is best known for catering to men, this might seem like an unusual offer. So we wondered: How many people have actually availed themselves of this deal?

Most kids would probably like to visit Disney World year round, but there's no denying the fact that a trip during the summer months, when kids are free from school, makes the most sense for many families. But just because you have to travel to the Happiest Place on Earth during the busy season doesn't mean you can't try to save money in the process.

To help you pick the perfect grill for your outdoor cooking needs, we'll explore the charcoal vs. gas grill debate, looking at the cost of both, and weigh a number of other grilling variables.

These five subscription deals will keep on giving, allowing you to shop, game, or beautify better. Get a free subscription to BJ's Wholesale Club and a gift card, six month of unlimited free same-day deliveries from Google Shopping Express, and much more.

Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel claims personal responsibility for the company's data breach last winter, and is thus stepping down from his post. But is that enough for Target to win back the trust of consumers?

This morning, Amazon announced that it has partnered with Twitter to give customers a new and "exciting" way of adding items to their cart, with the use of a special hashtag. But is it actually saving shoppers all that much time?

The future is now with retail features like touchscreen ordering, computer scans for custom shoes, and personalized delivery schedules. Check out these visions of things to come — and make sure that you, the shopper, are as empowered as the retailers.

While information privacy has certainly been a hot topic of late, particularly in respect to retailers and security, a new study suggests that consumers might not be all that shy about their data if a deal is involved.

Are you tired of reading rumors about the latest technology? Sick of hearing insane hearsay about Apple, Primes, Goldbergs, and more? Well, neither are we! That's why we put all the latest biz-buzz from the Internet into one place, the Rumor Roundup!

Starting this summer, Hulu fans will be able to watch select Hulu programming for free from their mobile devices without the need for a paid Hulu Plus subscription. The move is a major change, though it's unclear what content will be available.

Apple slashed the price of its new MacBook Air laptops yesterday, and while that's fantastic for the consumer, we know that a lower MSRP for 2014 machines means that we will in turn see even cheaper prices on the 2013 MacBook Air. So how low could it go?

Google announced that its self-driving cars are now able to handle city streets. This means that the future of cars is an autonomous, robot-driven one. The way we build cars and use them is going to change in many unexpected ways.

We'd probably all love to snag cheap airfare on the regular, but at what point does a discount no longer become worth it? Frontier Airlines has debuted a barebones ticket option that will cost less, but won't include certain amenities that most people are probably used to, like a reserved seat or overhead storage.

Just getting started in the kitchen, and don't know what you'll need? We spoke to some Chicago chefs to compile a list of must-have items for the beginning chef.

According to a DealNews survey, it would seem that shoppers are now more willing to spend $99 on an Amazon Prime subscription due to the addition of HBO content. That's good news for Amazon, as it strives to find more convincing ways to get users to commit.

With textbook prices increasing faster than tuition, classroom materials can cost students hundreds of additional dollars every semester. And with professors mandating which books to buy, students are a captive market. But here are some ways to save on that necessary reading material.

Amazon announced yesterday that it has entered a multi-year contract with HBO to be the sole streaming provider of its content. That means that only Prime subscribers will be able to stream HBO shows without subscribing to the channel itself.

We gave the "unnecessary censorship" treatment to our latest TV appearance! Come and find out what the best things to BLEEP in April are! (It's 100% SFW, we swear.)

As the battle rages on between state governments and online retailers who refuse to collect taxes, some states have more to lose from the missing revenue stream. So which residents might be more prone to ordering online to circumvent sales tax?

Recently, General Mills (makers of Cheerios and Toaster Strudel) modified their legal policy so that if a customer "likes" them on social media, or downloads an online coupon, that customer gives up all rights to take legal action against the company! In this brief — yet lively — video, our experts discuss if companies have the right to have such a clause.

A report by Hopper surveying ticket prices may give new insight on your bargain hunting. Hopper looked at popular domestic and international ticket searches since January 2013 to figure out the best days to book, the best days to travel, and how much you can save.

Looking to save money on gas this spring? Better get biking! We tapped Oscar Wastyn, the patriarch of the second oldest bike shop in the U.S., to generously dish some sound advice on how to choose and equip your new bike.

Are you tired of reading rumors about the latest technology? Sick of hearing insane hearsay about Apple, Mario Kart, Star Wars, and more? Well, neither are we! That's why we put all the latest nonsense from the internet into one place: the Rumor Roundup!

As Amazon Fire TV bursts onto the market to compete with streamers like the Roku 3 and Apple TV, you may be wondering what these set-top boxes offer over cheaper streaming sticks — specifically Google's Chromecast and Roku's Streaming Stick.

A recent study shows that millions of gamers are buying games they don't want from Steam, with about 26% of games never even being loaded. Because Valve's Steam store has captured a staggering 75% of the global market for PC games, this means that the vast majority of PC gamers have probably wasted their money on an unwanted game at some point. Read on to see where these ignored games are coming from, and why we keep buying them.

Some retailers release coupon codes on a predictably regularly basis, and are therefore more likely to pay off in savings if you take the time to search before placing an order. We dove deep into our coupon database, sorting through every offer we posted in 2013, to find out which stores are the best.

This week, Google updated its terms of service to explicitly state that it does, in fact, scan emails to more accurately target ads to users. In this brief — yet lively — video, our experts discuss the benefits and detriments of trading private information for goods and services.

This infographic tells the story behind the world's most famous logos, including the subliminal messages that brands are trying to convey. Plus, we bet you'll never guess how much it cost Twitter and Nike to score their now-iconic images.

Though they may seem confusing, the right pet insurance policy can make the difference between a $1,000 or $100 vet bill. Compare, research, and know that alternatives do exist.

Walmart may be the world's largest retailer, but when it comes to online shopping, the megastore lags behind the competition — even with its own customer base.

Are you tired of reading rumors about the latest technology? Sick of hearing insane hearsay about the iWatch, Android, Holly Hunter, and more? Well, neither are we! Hooray! That's why we put all the latest biz-buzz from the internet into one place, the Rumor Roundup!

Thanks to Target and the "Heartbleed" vulnerability, 2014 is shaping up to be the Year of the Hack. So what is Heartbleed, and what should you be doing about it?

While other sites are suggesting drinking games for this week's final season premiere of Mad Men, we here at DealNews think that saving money is the most fun activity of all.

Some companies are still offering legitimate warranties that you can take to the bank. These products might cost more, but that might be worth it for the real promise that they will be repaired, replaced, or refunded at any time.

This week marks the official demise of Windows XP! In this brief — yet lively — video, our experts discuss if it's even necessary to upgrade your OS.

We decided to take a look at how the current front-runners in the Android smartphone market — the HTC One (M8), the Samsung Galaxy S5, the Sony Xperia Z2, the LG G Pro 2, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, and the Moto X — measure up.

You may go to a warehouse club like Costco with a shopping list and be determined to stick to it, but how often do you leave with more goods than you expected to buy? We dug into the psychology of warehouse clubs and found the seven ways they prey on your wallet.

Amazon recently began listing Metacritic scores on its video game product pages, all but starting a riot in the gaming community. Proponents claim the change will help shoppers avoid wasting money on awful games. However, Metacritic critics point out that the site's grading system is controversial at best, misleading at worst. What does all this mean for the budget-minded gamer?