Blog Archives for 2014

Saturday Night Live has dreamed up a new use for all those BOGO suit offers from menswear retailer Jos. A. Bank. In a hilarious mock advertisement, SNL touts these suits as a cheap alternative to paper towels.

Stores are constantly developing ways to get your hooked, from dressing rooms that text selfies to your friends, to racetrack layouts that let you charge through the aisles. Here's how your favorite retailer is getting you to buy and come back.

Taxes. They're a bummer, right? Well, it turns out they used to be much, much worse. So, as you put off filing your taxes, read this brief collection of historical taxes that are worse than yours.

Are you tired of reading rumors about the latest technology? Sick of hearing insane hearsay about Apple, Bradley Cooper, PS4, 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!

A new Senate report accuses Target of making mistakes and missing the warning signs that could have prevented last year's massive data breach. With more governmental investigations underway, lawsuits in the works, and public opinion (and revenues) sinking, Target's problems may just be beginning.

Due to the recession and the rise of Internet shopping, department stores are suffering, and shopping malls are full of vacancies. But discount stores are booming — and filling some of the empty space.

Film fanatics might have reason to rejoice in 2014, as it looks as if there may eventually be a way to pay less for movies that doesn't entail rolling into a theater before 10:30 am. The president of the National Association of Theater Owners announced this week that the organization will offer discounted admission on select days of the week.

With the rumor of an Apple-built cable box and news that both Sony and Microsoft are going to offer original programming, it seems like now, more than ever, everyone is trying to re-invent TV. Inside, we discuss if this is the beginning of the end for cable television.

The country's biggest cable company and one of its biggest tech companies may make a deal. While there are few confirmed details to go off of, what might this relationship entail, and what does it mean for streaming content?

If you hate your taxes, just imagine how celebrities feel, since they make way more money than you do! In fact, their hatred and avoidance gets many of them in trouble with the I.R.S. for failure to pay! We're serving up a list of the worst celebrity tax scofflaws.

Social media makes it easier than ever to make our customer service frustrations public, and it's especially popular with travelers who are experiencing grievances while flying. So if you're stuck in an airport with very little to do, which airlines are the most likely to respond to your pleas on Twitter?

Earlier this month, Radio Shack & Staples announced plans to close hundreds of stores and focus on building their .com sales. Is this shift merely a result of a each outlet's woes? Or do such tactics point to something greater on the digital side of things?

Not being able to face forking over a ludicrous $15 to see Muppets Most Wanted in theaters, we instead built our own Muppet puppet. We think you'll agree that the results are ... astounding?

Are you tired of reading rumors about the latest technology? Sick of hearing insane hearsay about Apple, Bieber, Epic-ness, 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!

The Internet can be a priceless research tool for separating fact from fiction, but when not used correctly, it can also help spread all types of myths that could result in consumers spending more money than they should. From overused buzzwords to high-priced TV cables, we shine light on 11 of the most common tech myths that people still fall for.

Pandora has had a rough week. On Wednesday, a federal judge said that Pandora would be subject to a higher royalty rate than traditional radio stations. That's bad news for Pandora subscribers, as the service announced Tuesday that it will be raising its subscription fees for the first time in May.

Verizon and Sony have started selling episodes of the Netflix-owned show, House of Cards, for $3 each — which may seem curious given the fact that a month of streaming at Netflix costs just $8. It sounds like it makes financial sense to stream the show rather than buy, but is there an argument to be made for owning media?

We've been playing games online since the dawn of the Internet. However, making real-world money in non-gambling online games is a relatively recent development. But as digital currencies like Bitcoin have begun gaining popularity, virtual transactions of all types — including those in games — are facing more government scrutiny. Because the IRS has been pretty vague about what gamers are supposed to do, we decided to consult an accountant. We were not prepared for the truth: it turns out Uncle Sam doesn't take too kindly to unreported income from hobbies, even virtual ones!

Apple debuted an 8GB version of the iPhone 5c in the UK, Australia, and China this morning. If it comes to the US and is added to the subsidization model, consumers will soon be getting less value for the same money they could have paid just a few months ago.

Who would've thought that Grey Poupon could make mustard cool through the use of Facebook? Or that Burger King could convince people to de-friend in the name of a free hamburger? Welcome to the age of savvy brands on social media.

Did you know that almost 1,000 Americans could become victims of identity theft when they file their taxes? Fortunately common sense and strategic measures can help cut the chances of this happening. We got an expert to give us some tips for making sure your Tax Day doesn't result in identity theft.

Are you tired of reading rumors about the latest technology? Sick of hearing insane hearsay about Apple, Starbucks, Sons Of Anarchy, 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!

Amazon announced that it will start charging $99 a year for Prime, but there's still time to lock in the lower rate. Today is your last opportunity to subscribe and pay just $79 for the shipping service.

The preppy clothing giant, Abercrombie & Fitch, is looking to slash prices on its expensive clothing lines. The announcement, which came during its earnings call late last month, indicates that the brand is looking to price its clothes more competitively in an attempt to revitalize a tired brand with a less than stellar reputation.

Credit cards can be used in responsible ways to earn cardholders money, but there's a balance between taking advantage of rewards, and overloading your wallet with unused plastic that may cost you in the end. So the question remains: How many credit cards does the average person need?

Last year, Beyoncé surprised the world by releasing a previously-unannounced album directly onto iTunes as an exclusive. It turns out that Apple and the record labels really like this idea. In this brief — yet lively — video, our experts discuss if music store exclusivity is a good thing for the consumers, too, or just the record industry.

The words "friendly" and "fraud" may not seem to go together, but friendly fraud — also known as chargeback fraud — is a real problem for a lot of online merchants. And thanks to heightened awareness of actual fraud, friendly fraud has become increasingly easy for cardholders to commit.

The new Veronica Mars movie will be available to rent or buy on the same day that it hits theaters. Here's why we think you should decide to opt for the stay-at-home option.

RadioShack wants to be rid of its dusty old image, but according to our readers, shoppers overwhelmingly turn to the retailer for emergencies rather than big purchases. Why? Because the prices aren't good enough.

While it was St. Patrick who drove the snakes out of Ireland, even he with his mighty staff cannot cast off the hangovers set to occur on March 18. After all, Americans will reportedly spend an extra $10 million on beer this St. Patrick's Day.

Are you tired of reading rumors about the latest technology? Sick of hearing insane hearsay about Apple, Windows, Keanu Reeves, 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!

It's the last day for Amazon's sale on Dr. Seuss app books, and we're feeling nostalgic for the stories of our youth. So to celebrate, we've analyzed the sale via Seussian prose.

Daylight Saving Time is sneaking in to steal an hour of your precious sleep! Make sure you still wake up on time with one of these strange and unique alarm clocks. (Sure, most of them wake you up by frightening or aggravating you, but hey, at least you're up, right?)

Climate change has led to severe winter snow storms in the east, droughts in the west, and now it's threatening the guacamole in Chipotle! Prices for avocados may increase so much that the burrito-slinging fast food chain will have to stop offering the delicious dip.

Between dismal grape harvests and California's never-ending drought, 2014 is starting off bad for wine aficionados. But a global shortage shouldn't mean having to pay more for your daily glass of vino. We contacted David Hunter, wine buyer at New York's Chelsea Wine Vault, for tips on picking the perfect bottle of wine without going over budget.

Uber has revolutionized the modern car service industry. But such on-demand taxi-hailing convenience comes at a cost to Uber users. Uber's surge pricing has been met with much criticism and the consumer backlash has resulted in the rising popularity of new real-time car service apps. But will Uber ever become unter?

Oh, to have the eyes of a hawk, able to spot a mouse a half-mile away! Of course, being more clever than hawks, ever-adapting human beings invented the binoculars, which give us even better long-distance sight. Whether your passion is watching birds, hunting, boating, or even studying the stars, here's some advice and deals to guide your hunt for the perfect pair of binoculars.

Are you looking for fun ways to improve your brain power? We've assembled some tips for helping you get the most out of brainy games — to help you know what you're buying, and help answer that most challenging of brain teasers: Can a game really improve one's brain power?

Are you tired of reading rumors about the latest technology? Sick of hearing insane hearsay about Doctor Who, Google, Dinosaurs, 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!

The app markets are filled with so-called "free-to-play" games, and it's no wonder: the most popular free games can rake in millions of dollars per day. These apps generally make money through a combination of advertising and in-app purchases. However, a recent survey found that about 0.15% of mobile gamers are making 50% of all the in-app purchases in free-to-play games. Read on as we take a hard look at this trend in mobile gaming.

The largest Bitcoin exchange in the world has shuttered its windows after apparently losing hundreds of millions of dollars in Bitcoins after a long-term hacker attack. The fallout has resulted in an increased scrutiny of Bitcoin safety — leading more people to consider pulling their Bitcoins offline — and raises questions about how far this nascent unregulated financial market will go.

Samsung has officially announced its newest flagship phone, the Samsung Galaxy S5, with less emphasis on internal hardware and more on additional features. In this brief — yet lively — video, our experts examine if the S5 lives up to the hype, whether we've maxed out on what's possible with smartphone hardware, and what it even means to be a flagship Android phone.

It's important to know which car models have the better shot of avoiding a bevy of mechanical issues. Inside, we've got the lowdown on the most common repair issues from a variety of sedans — and what those fixes will cost you in the long run.

Even though a whopping 32% of our readers claim to fear taxes more than death, the outlook for this year's tax season isn't too bad. Read on to find out what the average tax refund is for an individual, as well as details on what everyone is spending their money on.

Why is the PlayStation 4 outselling the Xbox One, when the Xbox 360 had been the dominant console for years? Our survey says that Xbox diehards are holding out for a deal while dual-platform gamers are opting for the PlayStation 4's better specifications.

Amazon just increased the price of Prime in the UK and Germany by 64%. Does that mean that higher rates are on the way for American shoppers as well?

Are you tired of reading rumors about the latest technology? Sick of hearing insane hearsay about Apple, Star-Lord, Warcraft, 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!

The time to finalize your spring break plans is drawing nigh, but this popular travel season can put you in the red faster than a student loan if you're not careful. However a recent study has revealed that choosing the right time to book and the right time to travel are the key components of scoring an awesome spring break travel deal.

Though many aren't aware, your ISP monitors your data usage. Go over your cap and you may be throttled, billed extra, or have your account suspended. But does the threat of data caps change how often you stream video?