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CNET's Cheapskate scours the web for great deals on PCs, phones, gadgets and much more. Questions about the Cheapskate blog? Find the answers on our FAQ page. Find more great buys on the CNET Deals pageand follow the Cheapskate on Twitter!

Good morning, cheeps. (Have you ever wondered about the etymology of that word? It comes from "cheapskates," of course, and also "peeps," meaning friends. Cheapskates + peeps = cheeps! Why not "cheaps"? Simple: It looks weird.)

Today I bring you a heaping platter of deals, everything from free software to crazy-cheap LED desk lamps to heavily discounted phones. Let's get to it.

WonderFox is once again holding a summer software giveaway, with seven apps available for free (ending tomorrow!) and seven more coming tomorrow.

First on the list: WonderFox's own DVD Ripper Pro -- assuming there's anybody left who still needs to rip DVDs. Also of note: six months of IObit Advanced Systemcare Pro 10 and one year of Sticky Password Premium. For most of these freebies, you'll download a Zip file containing instructions and/or the necessary license key. Make sure to follow the instructions.

Be sure to check that same giveaway page tomorrow for the next batch of freebies.

I've said many times that I like Microsoft Office a lot -- I just don't like having to pay annually for it. You can buy a license outright, but that's even costlier (at least initially) than the subscription option.

Not today. GamesDeal, for some reason, has a Microsoft Office 2016 Professional Plus 1-user license for $25.33 when you apply discount code GDdealnews25 at checkout. That nets you a license key good for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Outlook, OneNote and Publisher -- but not the Skype credit or OneDrive space you get as part of a subscription.

How can this be so cheap? I'm honestly not sure, but GamesDeal has a very high rating at ResellerRatings.com. I've heard stories of "gray market" Office keys that come up invalid after a short period of use, but if that were to happen here, you could almost certainly get a refund via your credit card provider (assuming GamesDeal refused to issue one for some reason). This seems perfectly legit, but as with any/all deals shared in this space, buyer beware.

A Kindle Paperwhite for $50 is a steal, even if it is refurbished.

There are times, like when I'm reading in bed, that I prefer a Kindle to a phone or tablet. It's lighter and easier to hold, easier on the eyes and brain (no blue light) and not in constant need of charging.

Of course, it has to be a touchscreen model and has to have a backlit screen. Like this one: While supplies last, Woot has the refurbished Kindle Paperwhite (2nd gen) for $49.99, plus $5 for shipping. A new, current-gen Paperwhite would run you $120. I don't think I've seen any model, refurb or otherwise, priced this low.

Interestingly, you can also get the 3G version for $64.99, though I can't say I've ever seen much value in having 3G in a Kindle. Are there really times when you need a book right now and there's no Wi-Fi available?

Either way, these are "used - good" stock, meaning they might have minor cosmetic issues. They come with a 90-day Woot warranty.

Speaking of B-stock, last year's premium phones are this year's bargains. Seriously: Just a year ago, an unlocked Galaxy S7 Edge would have cost you well over $600. Even now it retails for $570.

Don't mind a few scuffs or scrapes? For a limited time, and while supplies last, Garage Cell (via Ebay) has the refurbished Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge (32GB) for $274.99 shipped. It's a factory-unlocked GSM model available in your choice of gold, silver or black.

I've seen deals on the non-Edge S7 that came pretty close to this, but I've never seen the Edge this low. The seller has an excellent rating on Ebay, but if there's a caveat, it's the 30-day warranty. What do you think: Worth the risk to get the phone for half the price you'd pay elsewhere?

LEDs are just about the best thing ever. Way cheaper to operate than old tungsten bulbs, and way cooler (in both temperature and design) to boot. Oh, and they last significantly longer. In your face, Edison!

(I kid, I kid. Thomas Edison was a freakin' superhero.)

For a limited time, and while supplies last, Neon Mart (via Amazon) has the Lighting Ever dimmable LED desk lamp for $9.99, with free shipping for Prime subscribers. This long-neck lamp features seven brightness levels controlled by a touch-sensitive panel along the base, and has a 4.3-star rating from over 300 buyers.

Looking for something a little more stylish? From the same seller and company, this curvier LED desk lamp (pictured) is also $9.99 when you apply promo codeU8QSHF49 at checkout. But it has a mere three brightness levels and no user reviews. Decisions, decisions.

And that's it for this thrifty Tuesday.Who's buying what?

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Thrifty Tuesday: Free software, dirt-cheap Office and more - CNET

Has your computer been acting strange lately? Maybe your default search engine or other browser settings changed, or youre getting suspicious warnings about your computers performance.

Has your computer been acting strange lately? Maybe your default search engine or other browser settings changed, or youre getting suspicious warnings about your computers performance. Are you are seeing ads that dont seem to belong like ones that cover up parts of the webpage or are on a site that doesnt usually show ads?

If so, you may have unwanted software on your computer. Your next step: get rid of any malware.

But how does unwanted software get on your computer in the first place?

If you installed some free software, you may have accidentally downloaded it at the same time. Extra software and sometimes malware can get bundled together with popular free software downloads, and you might not realize what youre getting. To avoid this problem:

For more tips, read more about malware.

Click here to contribute your news or announcements Free

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SCAM ALERT: Beware of Free Software For Your Computer, Tips To Protect Yourself - SpaceCoastDaily.com

Mercedes-Benz is recalling hundreds of thousands of cars in the UK for a software update to reduce their nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions.

Almost every new diesel bought over the past six years is affected by the move, which the company said was voluntary and would involve owners being contacted to be offered the upgrade.

German owner Daimler said it was taking the action across Europe covering three million vehicles in total.

It refused to give a country-by-country breakdown but said one million were sold in Germany. It is believed the UK numbers are still being finalised.

The UK is one of its biggest customers in the EU - with 170,000 Mercs sold in the country last year alone.

The vehicles affected have diesel engines meeting the Euro 5 standard - implemented in 2011 - and the existing Euro 6 rules which further limited the output of NOx and particulates - blamed for thousands of deaths each year.

Sky News was seeking clarification from the company on whether the upgrade would have any effect on a vehicle's performance such as its acceleration.

Daimler said it was taking the action, at a cost of 190m, to "reassure" customers as many manufacturers move to shun diesel technology in the wake of the Volkswagen emissions scandal of 2015.

VW admitted then it had fitted so-called defeat devices to diesel cars sold in the US to cheat emission testing regimes.

It has since been forced to pay billions in fines and compensation in the US.

The company also remains the subject of criminal and regulatory scrutiny in Europe and is facing civil action by drivers in the UK who are demanding compensation, claiming they were also duped. VW denies it broke EU law.

The controversy prompted VW and its rivals to concentrate their development power on electric and hybrid technology as campaigners demand the brakes are applied to diesel technology on health grounds.

Dr Dieter Zetsche, the head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, said: "The public debate about diesel engines is creating uncertainty - especially for our customers.

"We have therefore decided on additional measures to reassure drivers of diesel cars and to strengthen confidence in diesel technology.

"We are convinced that diesel engines will continue to be a fixed element of the drive-system mix, not least due to their low CO2 emissions."

Originally posted here:
Mercedes recalls diesel cars for emissions software update - Sky News

Fstoppers

Fstoppers Reviews VueScan 9 Scanning Software Fstoppers It's difficult to review a software package without comparing it to other packages that I'm familiar with, so in this review, I'll be comparing VueScan to Epson Scan, the free software that comes with any Epson scanner, and SilverFast 8.8. I'll step ...

Read more here:
Fstoppers Reviews VueScan 9 Scanning Software - Fstoppers

A top-notch imaging program that's free for home use Thank you

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By Jon L. Jacobi

Freelance contributor, PCWorld | Jul 17, 2017 11:30 PM PT

Macrium was one of the first to release a free version of its backup software. Ten years later, to the benefit of users everywhere, Reflect Free 6 remains a stable, reliable way to quickly image and restore your system. It doesn't offer as much functionality as Aomei's Backupper, but there's something to be said for a backup program that hasn't failed its fans in over a decade.

Though Reflect is a bit old-school in appearance, the look somehow works better with the free version. Fewer options, less clutter, cleaner lines. Reflect Free is limited to imaging disks or individual partitions (no cloning, file backup, or other choices), but there's an option to select only those partitions required to restore the Windows operating system.

If you want file and folder backup, you'll need one of the pay ($70 or more) versions. Same deal with incremental backup, though the free version does support differential (all changes since the initial backup). Note that even the pay versions back up only folders, not individual files. You can always drag files to a folder, but it's still a slightly puzzling omission.

Reflect Free offers extensive schedule options and differential backup.

You may not be able to back up specific files or folders with Reflect Free, but there are extensive scheduling options and retention rules (how long to keep and what to delete when space is low), and jobs are saved as standard XML files. Password protection and email notifications are availableonly in the pay versions.

Several flavors of the Windows PE boot environment are supported by Reflect Free 6

Reflect Free supports both MBR and GPT disks (it was late to the GPT game), and it has a great boot media creator, which lets you change flavors of Windows PE to best suit the operating system being backed up. It also lets you choose the drivers you want to install. PE allows driver injection (adding them at restore time), so you're likely okay there anyway.

Macrium claims increased performance for the latest version 7, of which a free version is promised soon. That might be nice, as Reflect Free 6 took just over nine minutes to perform our 115GB system backup. That's about two minutes slower than any of the competition, though CPU usage was minimal. Backup generally takes place during off hours or in the background, so we don't lend performance a lot of weight in our evaluations.

On the bright side, the free version of Reflect spawns only a single background process, down from the three that the pay versions create. And much better than the six invoked by Acronis True Image.

If all you want to do is image your system or data, then Macrium Reflect Free 6 is a great way to do it. We've been using it for seemingly forever, and it's never let us down yet. That counts.

If you want sync or plain file copying, then look at the equally free Aomei Backupper Standard or Paragon Backup & Recovery. There's no rule against having more than one backup program installed.

on https://www.macrium.com/

This venerable freebie offers more than enough power for the average user. If all you want to do is create backup images of your system and disks, Macrium Reflect Free is a very reliable way to do it. Read the full review

Jon is a Juilliard-trained musician, self-taught programmer, and long-time (late 70s) computer enthusiast living the San Francisco Bay Area.

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Macrium Reflect Free review - PCWorld - PCWorld