H&R Block puts tax software on USB thumbdrive
Yes, it's that time of year again. No, we don't mean the post-holidays, post-CES, post-Macworld winter of discontent (well, we do, but that's another story). It's tax time! Or at least it's almost tax time. Chances are you've already started receiving tax documents in the mail, and have shoved them in a drawer, where they'll languish until April 15th. At that point, you'll frantically download forms from the IRS web site and try to get everything done before it's too late. The tax specialists at H&R Block and the memory makers at Kingston think they've found a better way. For a mere $49.95 ($39.95 after rebate), they're willing to sell you a 256MB USB thumbdrive preloaded with H&R Block's TaxCut Deluxe software. Why a USB drive, instead of, say, a CD-ROM or a downloadable file? According to Kingston and Block, it's a "unique way for us to meet our customers’ needs and provide value beyond the tax season." We tend to think of it as a unique way to charge more for software that's available on CD-ROM for as little as $19.99. Of course, a 256MB thumbdrive will also run you about $20, so if you really want Block's software and need a relatively low capacity thumbdrive, this is something of a wash. Otherwise, stick to the CD. Or follow our example and download those forms on the 15th and race the clock.
