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Apple Card users can soon sign up for a 'high-yield' savings account
Apple Card users can soon open a high-yield savings account that takes their Daily Cash or even their bank funds.
Epic Games offers ‘Fortnite’ discounts if you bypass Android and iOS app stores
Epic Games is offering 'Fortnite' discounts for players who make in-app purchases outside of the App Store and Google Play Store.
Nest makes its Seasonal Savings program free for all thermostat users
The feature makes small tweaks to Nest thermostat settings to help reduce energy consumption. Until now, Seasonal Savings were only available if a customer’s utility provider offered Seasonal Savings programs.
Amazon is having a sale on all of its Fire TV streamers
Amazon has dropped prices across its Fire TV range. These aren't the lowest prices ever, but it's a consistent cut across the board, making it a good time to buy in if you're updating your TV setup. First up, the second generation Fire TV Stick which packs in Alexa voice remote, HD and on-remote volume controls, which is the feature we didn't even know we needed in the Fire Stick's original form. Amazon's got this on offer for $25, instead of the usual $40. The Fire TV Stick 4K version, which supports Ultra HD and Dolby Vision, also has a solid 15 bucks off, on sale now for $35 instead of $50.
Apple's latest iPad is back down to $250 in Amazon's tablet sale
Amazon has slashed prices across Apple's range of iPads, and there are savings to be had whatever model you might be in the market for. The $250 10.2 inch 32GB deal is back again -- great for people on a budget. It's not the lowest price ever, but a saving of $79 off the usual list price is not to be sneezed at.
Amazon's biggest Prime Day sale starts on July 16th
If you're in the market for an Alexa-enabled product, it'll soon be the time to buy. Amazon says this year's Prime Day, starting on July 16th, is its biggest ever, with double the deals on its own devices and $100 off Echo Show. There will be more than one million other deals up for grabs, too -- so many that Amazon has extended the sale to 36 hours (compared to last year's 30).
Amazon brings Prime discounts at Whole Foods to 10 more states
Amazon's marketing modus operandi is to convince everyone to sign up to its $119 annual Prime Membership, and it's using that strategy to the max with its Whole Foods acquisition. The organic grocery chain is offering discounts to Prime members in ten more states, bringing the total to 23, nearly half the union. Henceforth, denizens of Arizona, Hawaii, and Washington and seven other states can get yellowfin tuna for $9 off per pound, or two Annie's Natural Macaroni & Cheeses for the price of one, instead of paying full price like non-Prime rabble.
HSBC trialling app that automates your savings
While all the major banks have pretty good online facilities, there's a whole breed of nimble startups using mobile apps and bank account data to create new, more personalised money management services. Hoping to learn some new tricks, HSBC announced today it has partnered with one of these fintech pups, Pariti, to launch a standalone iOS app geared towards "micro-savings." The SmartSave app, which you can link to any bank account HSBC or otherwise, will automatically transfer money into savings or investments accounts based on user-defined rules.
Study: A Tesla Powerwall pays for itself after nearly 40 years (Update)
The Tesla Powerwall promises to power your home in a more efficient, green way than traditional energy options, all for a manageable cost. The Institute for Energy Research looked into the numbers and found that it would take 38 years for the Powerwall to pay for itself if your home isn't already hooked up with the proper solar-power connections. If your house does have the necessary solar-cell components, it'll take about 31 years for Tesla's Powerwall to break even, IER says.
Legend of Dungeon devs' secret to saving money: Live in a tree
As a husband and wife development team, Alix Stolzer and Calvin Goble worked out a system that saw them through the first few years of crafting games: Calvin made their first two titles, Tiny Plumbers and IGF nominee Neverdaunt: 8Bit, while Alix worked a 9-5 job and provided input in her spare time. The situation was satisfactory, but eventually, Alix wanted more."While money was coming in from our games, it really wasn't enough to pay the bills," Alix told me. "We decided we'd rather reduce living costs and rough it, instead of one of us working a 'real' job. The opportunity came quickly."A friend offered them the opportunity to be his "mountain neighbor" in Vermont – meaning they would live in a mountainside forest, in a home they'd craft themselves out of trees and tarp. There, they could survive on $150 a month, plus food. Alix and Calvin seized the moment."We sold our house and used as little money as possible to build a small house-tent thing eight feet off the ground, on a platform our friend had made out of four trees," Alix said. "We spent maybe $1,000 on it, really using thrifty things like greenhouse plastic, and making our own solar panels, etc. It's an awesome adventure, but the downside is it slows down game development."The mountain, miraculously, hosted a strong cellular internet signal, and on sunny days Alix and Calvin were able to charge their laptops, one at a time, using the homemade solar panels. Cafes and the college campus in town, a half hour walk away, provided power and internet on cloudy days. Everything – food, heat, power, water – took extra time in the mountain home, Alix said, including video game programming and design.But the tree house didn't stop their game development. As the studio Robot Loves Kitty, Calvin (the Robot) and Alix (Kitty) brought their latest game, Legend of Dungeon, to PAX East, using not a lot of money and earning wild success.
Onavo Extend stretches your data plan, now with CDMA/LTE support
What's Onavo Extend you ask? It's a free app that lets you save money on your data plan by compressing unencrypted data between your device and the web. The result is that you consume up to five times less data -- convenient when you're on a tiered / capped data plan, when you're roaming abroad or when you're on a slower 2G network. In addition, the app keeps track of how much data (and money) you save and which apps use that data. This works by setting up a local proxy server (and changing your APN), then connecting to the company's back end which accesses the internet on your behalf. Onavo Extend -- which was released for iOS last year and was launched on Android (Ice Cream Sandwich) at Mobile World Congress -- is gaining CDMA/LTE support today for the new iPad and the iPhone 4S on Verizon and Sprint. We first experienced the app at the Google booth in Barcelona and we've been using it on and off since. We've tested it on several devices, including a Galaxy Nexus HSPA+ and an unlocked iPhone 4S on T-Mobile's network (EDGE only) and it works pretty much as advertised. Want to find out more? Hit the break for a demo video along with the obligatory PR.
Apple cuts prices of refurbished iPad 2s
Just in time for Christmas, Apple has dropped the price of its refurbished iPad 2s by $80, which means you can now grab a sweet returned iPad 2 for as low as $419. These are of course items that have come back to Apple retail stores or otherwise not been sold due to defects, but they've been fixed up, tested and certified, given a brand new battery and shell, and are good to go with a one-year warranty. Sure, I bought my iPad 2 brand new, but I also spent another hundred bucks or so (I also went with the 32 GB -- the $419 price is for the 16 GB model). But if you're panicking about getting a sweet tablet under the tree this year, you won't find a better bang for your buck. [via AppleInsider]
Cubic Telecom's Maxroam data SIM card lets you roam the globe without breaking the bank
It's never easy to travel the globe on a tight budget, but Cubic Telecom is doing its best to ease the financial burden a bit, with its new Maxroam card -- a global data SIM card that allows American travelers to access the web for just 65 cents per MB. The card, available without any subscription or contract, works within a total of 43 countries, including India, Australia, South Africa and Europe. All you have to do is purchase the card, insert it in your unlocked handset and activate it online. From there, you'll be able to use Maxroam until you reach the data limit, without worrying about expiration dates or time constraints. It's available now at the source link below, though as Cubic Telecom points out, final data rates may vary with the euro/dollar exchange rate.
Engadget's Cyber Monday 2011 roundup
<div style="text-align:center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/engadgets-cyber-monday-2011-roundup/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2011/11/-2.jpg" style="border-width:0px;border-style:solid;margin:4px;"/></a></div> <div> Didn't feel like brawling for two-dollar waffle makers at Wally World this past <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/engadgets-black-friday-2011-roundup/">Black Friday</a>? Don't fret, because Cyber Monday is just a few hours away -- there are literally only a few clicks between you and some awesome online deals. Best of all, you don't even need leave your abode or bear lines in the cold. Just like we did for BF, we've spotted some deals in advance and thrown 'em just past the break -- sure, it's only Sunday, but don't tell that to the retailers whose sales are currently ongoing! Unless you want to miss out on some chances to save on the gadgets you've been pining for, join us past the break for our full rundown. And as usual, if you spot anything we've missed, be sure to let us know in the comments. Ready. Set. Save!<br /> <br /> (<em>pssst: Don't forget to keep checking back, as we'll be constantly updating this post with even more deals as we come across them!</em>)<br /> <br /> <strong>Update (6:45PM ET 11/28):</strong> Now with even more deals!</div>
Engadget's Black Friday 2011 roundup
<div style="text-align:center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/engadgets-black-friday-2011-roundup/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2011/11/untitled-1-1322062828.jpg" style="border-width:0px;border-style:solid;margin:4px;"/></a></div> <div> Black Friday is just around the bend -- in less than 36 hours, many a deal hunter will be camping outside their prospective Wally Worlds searching for prey. Thankfully, we've eagled-up in advance and thrown together a few deals in the meantime that should cause a sparkle in at least a few eyes. (Just to be safe, we've also included links to each store's full line-up of deals.) So, join us after the break, read along and see if anything strikes your interest. What's to lose, really? A chance to miss out on a good deal, of course! Feel free to thank us later or let us know about anything else you spot in the comments below.</div>
Google Wallet adds coupons, rewards points, Jamba Juice
Could Google Wallet really help you find Blackberry Bliss? Indeed it can, now that Big G has beefed up its mobile payment platform with a host of offers from retailers like Jamba Juice, American Eagle, OfficeMax and Foot Locker, among other partners. Yesterday, Google rolled out a new program whereby consumers can redeem coupons and accumulate rewards points at select locations, using only their handsets. The app's Offers tab, meanwhile, has expanded to include so-called "Featured Offers," where users can take advantage of discounts exclusive to the Google Wallet platform. Unfortunately, these features are only available at select locations, so check out the source link below to find the one closest to you.
RIFT's offers limited-time subscription discounts
Getting into the RIFT groove and certain you'll be sticking it out for a while to come? Then there's a way you could be saving some money as well by signing up for one of Trion Worlds' new subscription plans during the "Summer of Savings" period that began this month. By committing to three, six or 12-month subscriptions, players can enjoy RIFT for a substantially lower monthly cost than the standard $14.99 fee. The three-month option comes out to be $12.29 per month, the six-month is $10.29, and the annual option is $8.99. It's interesting to note that these prices are close to those set by Trion for pre-order founders. A player using founder's pricing can pay $59.94 for a six-month subscription while a Summer of Savings customer will shell out $61.74 for the same service. As with founder's pricing, players can lock in these discounted rates -- as long as they stay subscribed to the game. The small print informs us that if a promotional subscriber discontinues service and then re-ups later on, he or she will have to revert to standard pricing.
Best Buy's 3D bundle pricing isn't as much of a deal as it appears
It's no surprise that Best Buy is encouraging customers to pick up Samsung's 3DTV and Blu-ray player at the same time, but smart buyers should doublecheck to make sure they're actually saving money before they walk out of the store. Next week's advertisement does feature Best Buy's price on the UN55C7000 that's $300 lower than the MSRP, and grabbing the display and player all at once gets a free Starter Pack throw in with two pairs of glasses and the Monsters vs. Aliens flick, but the $3,419 package deal at the lower right and its "$780" savings?. That claimed price throws in a $150 Geek Squad install to set up the TV, connect WiFi and "sync your 3D glasses," while also including the TVs price and $349 estimated Starter Kit value. While there might be some customers who don't know their HDMI from their WEP key who can save that way, we're figuring most Engadget readers can keep a few bucks in their pocket and hook things up themselves, and if you're looking to grab another pair of glasses, it's probably important to save anywhere you can. The real insult here however, can be found to the right, encouraging buyers to pick up The Blind Side right away, instead of waiting to rent from Redbox or Netflix.
Walmart offering $100 gift card with any BlackBerry purchase (but only next week)
We're onto you, Wally World. Granted, you already confessed that you'd be dishing out a deal a week until sometime in the future, but hey, we'll feign surprise without thinking twice. Next week's bargain is a good one for those in the market for one of RIM's handsets, as Walmart shoppers will be given a $100 gift card (to Walmart, obviously) if they purchase practically any BlackBerry phone on a 2-year contract from AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile or Verizon Wireless. The offer begins at 8AM local time this Saturday and runs through November 20th, and if you're looking to see exactly which handsets are included in the deal, have a look past the break.
Being cheap made easier with CAG's new price tracking
There's nothing wrong with saving a buck or two (or twenty), which is why the wallet guardians over at Cheap Ass Gamer are doing what they can to make deal hunting easy. The site has just implemented an adjustable "Price Email Alerts" feature that automatically sends a tip to your inbox once a game hits the low price you've personally set. Just make sure to set somewhat realistic price points -- or you might have an empty inbox. In the video posted after the break, CAG's CheapyD explains how to use and benefit from the new feature. Additionally, CheapyD told us that CAG is planning to roll out a game trading system that will tie in with its new "collection" and "wishlist" features. "The main goal here is to make CAG a video game shopping portal," said CheapyD. "We want to have the best of everything related to video game shopping and trading." We were also told that the new trading system will have Goozex integration -- for all those who engage in other forms of online trading.Currently, the email alerts (and other new features) only work for US and UK deals, and are only available to members. Membership is free, though, in case any of you cheapos were wondering.
