Top Rated Websites
- Below you will find an eclectic group of Web sites that covers
everything from Computer information to personal shopping. Check them all,
and you will be sure to find some sites that appeal to your needs.
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- Download Squad
- www.downloadsquad.com
- Download Squad keeps you up to date on the latest happenings in the
world of software and Web applications. The site is informative, witty, and
graphical, and the bloggers post quite a bit.
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- GmailTips
- www.gmailtips.com
- This exhaustive Gmail tips site has all sorts of hints and tricks to
help you get the most out of the free mail service. The site is run by Jim
of Jim's Tips, and if it doesn't quench your thirst for shortcuts, go to his
main page (www.jimstips.com) for more mobile- and Web-application tricks.
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- The Green Button
- www.thegreenbutton.com
- Got questions about Microsoft Windows Media Center Edition? The Green
Button is the place to go. You'll find answers to all your MCE questions,
forums to discuss the latest updates, and even some useful downloads.
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- TechCrunch
- www.techcrunch.com
- TechCrunch has news and reviews of Internet sites and services that you
may not find anywhere else. Edited by Michael Arrington, the site keeps up
with beta software, new Internet start-ups, and the whole Web 2.0 movement.
Also, click the Jobs tab to go to CrunchBoard, a new job board exclusively
for Web heads.
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- Techdirt
- www.techdirt.com
- The regularly updated Techdirt brings you important news, analysis, and
"dirt" about the tech industry, laid out in concise nuggets. Users can
submit content—the site counts on it—from hard news to amusing tidbits. The
site also offers targeted research services and a daily newsletter.
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- TweakGuides.com
- www.tweakguides.com
- If your system needs a tune-up, TweakGuides.com is the place to go. The
site has guides to optimizing individual games, browsers, and drivers, as
well as a TweakingCompanion for getting the best performance out of Windows
XP.
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- Akihabara News
- www.akihabaranews.com
- Think Best Buy has the latest tech gear? You're living in a low-tech
U.S. bubble, my friend. For the real cutting-edge stuff, you'll have to head
across the Pacific. Akihabara News lets you do just that. The gadget blog
showcases new technology products that may never appear in the U.S., and the
English translation is off just enough to remind us that these wonders are
to be had only in foreign lands.
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- iLounge
- www.ilounge.com
- As the homepage suggests, iLounge is the place to go for "all things
iPod, iTunes, and beyond." This site is a repository of iPod-related news
and information: reviews, previews, feature articles, and even tutorials.
iLounge also offers an iPod Book 2.2 guide, 202 pages of comprehensive iPod
information, as a free download.
- Photonhead
- www.photonhead.com
- Filled with tips, tricks, and tutorials, Photonhead is a great resource
for newbies and not-so-newbies to digital photography. Photonhead covers
choosing a camera, taking photos, and photo editing, and has a cool "SimCam,"
which lets you adjust shutter speed, aperture, and ISO on a test image and
see the results as if it were a real camera. Look elsewhere for camera and
software reviews, though, as the ones on the site are ancient.
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- SLR Gear
- www.slrgear.com
- It can be tough to keep on top of the latest digital-camera news and
releases, and that's without even worrying about lenses, flashes, and all
the other accessories. That's what SLR Gear specializes in—going beyond the
camera body to test and review all the other stuff a photographer needs.
Whether you're looking for a new lens for your Canon Rebel XT or a camera
bag for your Nikon D200, SLR Gear can give you expert recommendations.
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- TechieDiva
- www.techiediva.blogs.com
- TechieDiva fills a void in the gadget blog arena by writing about
technology for women. Here, females can satisfy their tech tastebuds with
news and reviews on fashionable cell phones, laptop bags, Swarovski jeweled
desk accessories, and more. Sign up for the newsletter to be included in
giveaways automatically.
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- Indymedia
- www.indymedia.org
- Fight the power! Indymedia, a network of more than 150 "Independent
Media Center" sites, features grass-roots, non-corporate-media news from
activists and journalists on every inhabited continent. Want to find the
hottest protest spot? This is the place to look.
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- The Morning News
- www.themorningnews.org
- The site's name is actually a bit of a misnomer; it's updated every
weekday morning, but not always with news (though you will find the latest
news headlines in the right column). The Morning News features short works
of both fiction and nonfiction that range from the satirical to the serious.
Highlights are the "advice" column "The Non-Expert" and the multiple
"How-To" guides.
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- Regret the Error
- www.regrettheerror.com
- Regret the Error is the site that takes the mainstream media to task,
reprinting corrections and errors from newspapers, magazines, and other news
sources. Funny headlines + media apologies = a great afternoon read.
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- 10x10
- www.tenbyten.org
- 10x10 offers an hourly updated snapshot of the world, with the 100
pictures that matter most on a global scale. 10x10 scans a handful of
reputable news sites to come up with the top 100 words and images. Clicking
on the images lets you dig deeper and find the stories behind them.
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- DealCatcher
- www.dealcatcher.com
- Dedicated to helping shoppers save money, DealCatcher offers online
coupons and codes for DVDs, video games, and more from Dell, Amazon,
Overstock, and many other retailers. You can also compare prices, receive
deal alerts, and view Sunday ads.
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- Etsy
- www.etsy.com
- Finally, you can turn your knitting addiction into cold hard cash! Or,
alternately, turn your compulsive spending habit into warm, fuzzy knit
scarves. Etsy is a marketplace where creators and consumers of homemade
crafts can easily do business.
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- gethuman
- www.gethuman.com
- Anyone who's wasted an hour on the phone sitting on hold or dialing
through labyrinthine automated menus will appreciate the gethuman database,
a simple but comprehensive list of major companies' customer-service phone
numbers and the steps to take to get a real human on the phone. Press 0 and
kiss that on-hold Muzak good-bye.
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- Insound
- www.insound.com
- Started by a group of indie rock fans tired of the iTunes and Amazons
that ignore the underground scene, Insound is dedicated to the world of
indie music. While you won't find the latest Justin Timberlake single,
shoppers can find rare or just underexposed CDs, LPs, and even MP3s from
bands and artists who break the mainstream mold.
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- AntiRebate
- www.antirebate.com
- This is one discount online shopping site where you won't have to deal
with any snail-mail forms and 8- to 10-week waiting times before your
supposedly great deal kicks in. Antirebate.com brings you coupon codes,
instant rebates, price breaks, free stuff, and other great deals you get
without having to resort to mail-in rebates.
- Bad Business Bureau
- www.badbusinessbureau.com
- If you've ever been victimized by a company, you know how hard and
costly it can be to get retribution. The Bad Business Bureau gives consumers
a way to get back at crooked companies. You can report companies who've
cheated you and search thousands of other reports for free. You can also buy
a DIY guide on sticking it to the scammers without hiring an attorney.
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- The Consumerist
- www.consumerist.com
- At The Consumerist, "shoppers bite back" at businesses big and small . .
. but mostly big. Amazon, Wal-Mart, and "Evil" have their own tabs at the
top of the page, and AOL's been occupying front-page space quite a bit
lately.
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- ConsumerSearch
- www.consumersearch.com
- ConsumerSearch aggregates consumer research and product reviews to give
you recommendations for hundreds of product categories. Looking for the best
hedge trimmer? Pickup truck? Electric toothbrush? ConsumerSearch can put you
on the right track.
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- Oodle
- www.oodle.com
- Described as the "search engine for local classifieds," Oodle lets you
search for apartments, electronics, concert tickets, pets, even babysitters!
We found three 1950s comics for $75. Sign up for Oodle alerts to receive
listings tailored to your needs. In addition, you'll discover volunteer
opportunities and charities to give back to your community.
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- PrivateWay.com
- www.privateway.com
- Maybe someday you'll be brave enough to take your 100-count container of
premoistened rectal pads proudly up to the drugstore counter for purchase.
In the meantime, there's PrivateWay.com, a site specializing in discreet
direct delivery of all of life's embarrassing necessities.
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- SnapShirts
- www.snapshirts.com
- If you love to read it, you might as well wear it. SnapShirts gives you
a way to wear what you read and share it with others. Its custom shirts show
off "word clouds" generated from the most frequently used words of your
favorite blog, Web site, or author. The word clouds are then printed on a
shirt, mug, or mouse pad of your styling, all for under 20 bucks.
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- Zunafish
- www.zunafish.com
- Zunafish puts a new twist on peer-to-peer sharing: Instead of swapping
electronic files, you swap actual books, CDs, DVDs, and video games with
other members of the Zunafish community. After creating a profile, put items
up for trade and find items you'd like to trade for. When you agree to a
trade, you mail the items to the address provided and your trading partner
does the same, all for a dollar a trade.