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Articles by Bens Bytes
GlassesShop Lyndon Frames Review
If any of you have visited your local eye doctor as of late, you are aware of the cost on a new set of frames. If I recall correctly, my last visit was in the $500 to $600 range, most of which was paying for two new sets of glasses with all the fancy upgrades. That’s certainly one reason that the new crop of online-only, direct-to-consumer glasses companies, like GlassesShop, are an attractive option to the frugal glasses buyer.
No Flawless Victory, But Not Off-Course
The momentum seems to have slowed down for Sony’s PS+ subscription service and its run of impressive monthly free games. From the release of the next-gen consoles – soon to be current generation – in November of last year, PlayStation has stayed in step with the curve by offering one juicy PS5-enabled game and two others that usually ranged in quality from good to excellent, with the trio of titles amounting to a relevant, audience-aware cluster of additions.
Back 4 Halloween Action
The tides seem to be turning once again for the monthly console subscription services, as one slips into the shadows with a trio of ill-fitting freebies and the other makes its presence well known with timely, substantive new entries into their included catalogue.
Best Buy provides exclusive access to high-demand products for $200-per-year, Totaltech subscribers
Home > Bens Bytes > Best Buy provides exclusive access to high-demand products for $200-per-year, Totaltech subscribers By Mike Flacy on October 6, 2021 Announced in a blog post yesterday, Best Buy’s $200-per-year Totaltech service has gone live at all stores in the United States.
Target schedules "Deal Days" event during October 10
Home > Bens Bytes > Target schedules “Deal Days” event during October 10 – 12, 2021 By Mike Flacy on October 1, 2021 Possibly planning ahead for another surprise October Prime Day (like during 2020), Target has announced a pre-November, Black Friday-style event that will kick off the retailer’s push into the holiday shopping season. Deals will be available on the store’s website, on the app and within physical Target locations.
July's PS+ Titles Slam Down Plagues, Zombies, Battle Royales
At this stage of the game, the PlayStation Plus subscription service knows what its true competition has become in terms of monthly download offerings, and what benchmarks need to be hit. Since the release of the PS5, they’ve really stepped up their game, even in a slump of a month like July where a lack of higher-profile titles could be forgiven.
Adventures by Land, Sea, Sky
As rumors once again emerge that there are plans in motion for Xbox Live to come to an end, eyes naturally turn to the Game Pass program and wonder if that’s now the correct direction to go in. Obviously, until online games are all free-to-play on current Xbox consoles, subscribers will either need to keep up their Live service or go for Game Pass Ultimate to continue with that.
Windows 11 is going to be free, but there's a catch
Home > Bens Bytes > Freebie Alert: Windows 11 is going to be free, but there’s a catch By Mike Flacy on June 25, 2021 Announced at a Microsoft press conference yesterday, the software company is making the upcoming revision to the Windows operating system, Windows 11, completely free to download and use if you are already using Windows 10. But there’s a couple requirements you have to meet. 1. CPU Requirements You will need a 8th Gen or newer Intel Core processor.
PS+ Free Titles For June Show No Lack of Faith With Dogfights, Fistfights
It’s a big month for the next-gen PlayStation system as the Ratchet and Clank series has arrived on the PS5 with Rift Apart, which will understandably be drawing the attention of those early adopters lucky enough to have obtained one of the systems.
Xbox Games With Gold Freebies for June Far From Super
Between last month and this one, there’s a lot of pretty great new video games to play across all platforms, and it’s possible that Microsoft hopes that’ll be enough to make one shrug off their inclusions for June’s Xbox Games With Gold. It’s tough to know what they’re really thinking with their choices nowadays, though, as this month’s roster makes it seem like they’re evading obvious ones and instead picking less desirable or dated substitutions.
Amazon's auto-opt in, network hive "Sidewalk" goes live June 8, here's how to opt-out
Home > Bens Bytes > Privacy PSA: Amazon’s auto-opt in, network hive “Sidewalk” goes live June 8, here’s how to opt-out By Mike Flacy on June 7, 2021 If you are unfamiliar, Amazon is automatically opting in all Echo & Rings device owners into the Amazon Sidewalk hive network. This means Amazon will use a small portion of your Internet bandwidth (80Kbps of your bandwidth, capped at 500MB usage per month) over a 900MHz Wi-Fi radio spectrum.
Target announces digital "Deal Days" sale to compete with Prime Day 2021
Home > Bens Bytes > Target announces digital “Deal Days” sale to compete with Prime Day 2021 By Mike Flacy on June 2, 2021 Starting on Sunday June 20 and running through Tuesday June 22, Target will continue their trend of competing with Prime Day sales with a digital sale event. Target will be pushing out sales on electronics, home items, essentials, toys and more. This is timed to overlap with Amazon Prime Day (June 21 – 22).
Dungeons, Dice, Legos
There are some mighty big games coming out this month that’ll likely be occupying the attentions of Xbox users – Resident Evil, Mass Effect, and a new open-world RPG in the same month? Yes, please! – so this would be one of those months where a lack of noteworthy Games With Gold could be acceptable.
Amazon bans Aukey, Mpow from site for fake, paid reviews
By Mike Flacy on May 11, 2021 During the late afternoon on May 10, Amazon removed the vast majority of product listings for electronics accessory companies like Aukey, MPow and Tomtop. This action comes roughly a month before Prime Day, typically quite profitable for Chinese sellers like Aukey. It’s likely this is due to a system for fake reviews that these companies implemented in order to inflate their position within Amazon’s sales listings.
Amazon Prime Day is officially scheduled for Q2 2021, likely June.
By Mike Flacy on April 29, 2021 On today’s Q1 earnings call, Amazon management confirmed that the company will shift the traditional Prime Day date from early July to an undetermined date during Q2 2021 (April through June). By moving away from July, Amazon avoids competing with the attention given to families traveling on summer vacations as well as the 2021 summer Olympics (which starts during late July).
Saving Money With DIY: How to Change a Shower Head
If you’ve put off replacing an old, leaky shower head at your house, you’ll be surprised how quickly this job can be completed. Replacing a shower head is one of the easiest ways to save money with DIY at your home. We’ll help you learn how to change a shower head with so little fuss and mess that you probably won’t even need a shower when you’re finished. Time Required This is one of the more straightforward DIY projects you can tackle.
Florida residents will be paying more taxes on online shopping purchases soon
By Mike Flacy on April 21, 2021 Going into effect on July 1, online shoppers located in Florida will be paying sales tax on purchases made with companies that don’t have a physical presence in the state. For instance, a purchase on Walmart.com would collect sales tax because the state has plenty of physical Walmart locations in the state.
PS+ Shows Signs of Life With April's Undead Free Games
Since the release of the latest round of video game consoles, Sony’s PS+ program has been on top of things with their monthly free games offerings. Some months are less impressive than others – in fact, this April might be considered one the “weaker” of those months – but those subtle dips and rises in quality matter less when the output remains consistent, modern, and appealing.
UBTECH Iron Man MK50 Review: I Almost Love It 3000
By Kristin Cook on March 30, 2021 There’s no doubt that the new Marvel Avengers: Endgame Iron Man MK50 Robot by UBTECH ($250) looks cool. But how does it measure up once you get it out of the box? To use other Marvel films as a scale, is it more of a Thor: The Dark World, or a Thor: Ragnorak? My 7 year old and I decided to find out! Unboxing The packaging is really nice. Super sleek; definitely looks like it was designed to impress adults more than grab the attention of little kids.
Xbox Games With Gold for April Are Way Off Track
For a number of months now, the games being offered as free downloads through Microsoft’s Xbox Games With Gold program have been notably lacking in strength and any sort of excitement factor. It’s been stated and restated before: there are no plans to phase out the standard Xbox Live program. However, the disparity between the quality of games offered under Xbox’s longstanding subscription program and their other program – Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate – has grown wider and mote prominent.
Best Buy launches $200-a-year subscription service in 60 stores
Home > Bens Bytes > Best Buy launches $200-a-year subscription service in 60 stores By Mike Flacy on April 7, 2021 Looking for a way to rival Amazon’s popular Prime subscription model, Best Buy is launching a new membership service called Best Buy Beta. This service is going to provide access to exclusive sale pricing, zero shipping costs, and two year protection on some products.
PS+ Delivers Avalanche of Free Titles in March: FF7, Remnant, PS5 Debut
Sometimes, it’s tough not to outright compare the free games made available on Sony’s PS+ program to the other subscription services. Not even in a title-by-title way, but just whether one’s really doing something better than the others in a given month or series of months.
March's Xbox Games With Gold Unleash Lots of Shooting, Little Firepower
Several months back, Microsoft assured current Games With Gold subscribers that the baseline Xbox Live subscription service wasn’t going anywhere in the foreseeable future, despite some changes in marketing and a notable downward slope in the profile of the included monthly free games.
Fry's Electronics is closing all stores, including online
Home > Bens Bytes > Fry’s Electronics is closing all stores, including online By Mike Flacy on February 24, 2021 Blaming a lack of retail foot traffic from the COVID-19 pandemic, management at Fry’s Electronics has made the decision to close all 31 Fry’s Electronics retail locations in nine states within the U.S. The company ceased all operations abruptly as of today and posted a message on the website which reads: After nearly 36 years in business as the one-stop-shop and online resource for...
PS+ Has February Under Control With Racing, Painting, Psychokinesis
For the first time in numerous months, it looks if Sony has slowed down and might be playing a bit of catch-up with their PS+ free titles. Since the release of the PS5, they’ve been great about releasing significant, noteworthy titles for both their current system and the next-gen hardware. While they’ve still done so in this February, the profile of the titles isn’t nearly as high as the past few months.
February's Xbox Gold Titles Wage War on Winter Doldrums
For many months now, it has appeared that Microsoft was sticking to a holding pattern when it comes to their Xbox Games With Gold subscription program. With no new Series X free downloads in sight and a steady number of less-than-stellar titles made available month by month – and with a consistent rush of high-quality ones dumped into Game Pass – the future looked dire for the original sub service.
January's PS+ Titles Sink Teeth in 2021 With RPGs, Lara Croft
At this point, Sony’s PS+ service is competing against widely different rivals in terms of the free games they’re offering each month. Once a battle to see whose games would be better each month, now there’s little opposition between it and Xbox’s lower-profile Games With Gold monthly downloads. However, there’s no arguing with the momentum of that company’s Game Pass dedicated service and the excellent titles they’ve been making available.
Xbox Gold Titles for January a Little Scary, Little Punchy
With the beginning of 2021, eyes are on Microsoft and how they’re going to handle their subscription services on the Xbox for year(s) to come. Sure, they’ve confirmed that the baseline Live Gold subscription will be an option for the foreseeable future, but it’s hard to deny the assertive shift that the company has enacted toward their pricier but more rewarding Game Pass option.
Amazon ends Prime Pantry service
Home > Bens Bytes > Amazon ends Prime Pantry service By Mike Flacy on January 8, 2021 As of this week, Amazon has halted the Amazon Pantry service (also known as Prime Pantry), likely due to other popular options like Subscribe & Save as well as Amazon Fresh eliminating the need for it. The service allowed Amazon customers to place bulk orders of household essentials, specific to the size of the delivery box. The service has undergone a couple revisions over the years.
December's PS+ Freebies Deliver Worms, Just Causes and Jetpacks!
By Thomas Spurlin on December 17, 2020 Well, we’re about a month into the release of the next generation of video game consoles, and it’s been a pretty shaky period for owners of the new PlayStation console.
December's Xbox Gold Titles Suggest the Fire's Slowly Dying in Live Over Holidays
While things are looking good for the titles available through the Xbox Game Pass subscription platform right about now, times are getting tough for the old guard with standard Live memberships. As the high-value, game-focused service gets inclusions like Doom Eternal and Control, the standard “online-plus” level sees one of its most forgettable months in recent memory, sporting questionable choices even in which platform and what form an included title should show up in.
Walmart ends $35+ free shipping requirement for Walmart+ subscribers
Home > Bens Bytes > Walmart ends $35+ free shipping requirement for Walmart+ subscribers By Mike Flacy on December 2, 2020 Starting on Friday, December 4, Walmart is removing the $35 minimum order requirement in order to qualify for free next-day and two-day shipping. This new policy is on everything Walmart sells accept for groceries. Grocery orders will still require the $35 shipping minimum. Walmart Plus launched back during September 2020 as a rival to Amazon Prime.
Xbox, Amid a Series of Distractions, Sneaks Through November's Gold Games
The release of the new Xbox Series systems has finally arrived and, as one can expect, they’re a hot commodity and in short supply. Attention is fully on the new bells and whistles of the new system: games with day-one Series X upgrades, how backwards-compatible games look without the dedicated upgrades, what storage methods and accessories are necessary, etc.
PS+ Welcomes the PlayStation 5 With Quality Free Titles in November
By Thomas Spurlin on November 16, 2020 For the time being, the folks at PlayStation have made the future of their PS+ subscription platform much more concrete. The big news: Sony has made a “curated” lineup of 20 PS4 games available to play on the scarce, unsurprisingly popular PlayStation 5 for subscribers of their legacy service.
Lowe's announces holiday deals schedule, free Christmas tree delivery
By Mike Flacy on October 20, 2020 Starting on Thursday, October 22, Lowe’s is launching deals daily, online-only sales on tools, generators, pressure washers, patio sets, electronics, small appliances, floorcare, lighting and more through Wed, December 2. Other promotions include Up to $700 off on major appliances totaling $1,999 or more between Nov 19 and December 2. Buy one DeWalt 20V Max XR Power Detect Tool, get one bare tool free between Oct 28 and Dec 30.
GameStop becomes next retailer to announce store closures for Thanksgiving
By Mike Flacy on October 19, 2020 Following in the footsteps of retail giants like Walmart and Target, GameStop has announced that all retail locations will be closed on Thanksgiving this year. This is a shift from previous years where many locations were required to open up mid-afternoon on Thanksgiving to kick off the Black Friday shopping sales.
Xbox Gold Freebies for October Scare Up Interest Without Slaying
Well, we have finally arrived at the last full month of freebies from Xbox Live before the Series X consoles come into the picture, and it’s unclear exactly what the year ahead has in store. On the surface, the assumption that players will be focusing on the newest, flashiest games above older titles will naturally still be the reality.
PS+ Stalls Out With October's Attractive, Yet Anemic Free Games
By Thomas Spurlin on October 15, 2020 In the stretch leading up to the release of the PS5, Sony has decided to play it safe with their Plus free games for October. Sure, folks would like to see heavy hitters during this crunch time before new-console enthusiasm kicks into gear, but the pair of titles being offered this month manages, in theory, to deliver variety, bigger-budget substance, and a dose of Halloween-themed potency in one of ’em.
Walmart expands Black Friday plans with weekly events in November
By Mike Flacy on October 15, 2020 Likely looking to reach more online shoppers this year due to the COVID pandemic, retail giant Walmart is taking a new approach to Black Friday sales this year. Starting on November 4, Walmart will run it’s first “Deals for Days” event for online shoppers. Specifically starting at 7 p.m. ET, customers can visit Walmart.com to find deals like a $88 42-inch UHD Roku TV as we as Hotel Style bath towels on sale for $5.
Here are the times when Prime Day & other competing sales start
By Mike Flacy on October 12, 2020 If you are interested in snagging Prime Day deals (or deals at all the other competing sales), here’s a guide that will help you be online at the right times. Already Active: Walmart & Costco Walmart’s “Big Sale” promotion started Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m. PT. We’ve seen some solid sales on lower-end 4K televisions and toys. You can find all some of the best sales here in our Walmart-specific deal feed. Or you can check out the entire sale here.
Best Buy announces sale to compete with Amazon Prime Day
By Mike Flacy on October 9, 2020 Starting at the same time as Amazon Prime Day on October 13, Best Buy will be pushing a 2-day sale live that the company is promoting as “Early Black Friday deals.” Best Buy promises that there will be additional opportunities to score Black Friday deals later in October as well. Best Buy released few details on what products will be on sale. The company did note a 70-inch Samsung 4K Smart TV will be on sale for $529.99 (MSRP $749.99).
CDC adds in-store, Black Friday shopping to high risk list for Thanksgiving
By Mike Flacy on October 1, 2020 In a recent update to the coronavirus risk categories list as it related to virus transmission during holiday events, the Center for Disease Control has added in-person shopping around Black Friday to Thanksgiving’s high risk category.
Target announces October "Deal Days" to compete directly with Prime Day
Home > Bens Bytes > Target announces October “Deal Days” to compete directly with Prime Day By Mike Flacy on September 29, 2020 Launching on the same two days at Amazon Prime Day (Oct 13 and 14), Target is repeating their yearly tradition of “Deal Days.” Identical to Target’s Deal Days promotion in July 2019, the digital deals will start rolling out as Amazon Prime Day kicks off. This year, Target is claiming to offer double the total deals as last year.
Want to pay less for a new Amazon Echo? Get an extra 25% off with a trade-in.
Home > Bens Bytes > Want to pay less for a new Amazon Echo? Get an extra 25% off with a trade-in. By Mike Flacy on September 29, 2020 Starting today and running through 8:59 AM (Pacific Time) on Thursday, 10/1/2020, Amazon is offering a bonus credit when trading in an old Amazon device (or related devices from other brands). Amazon is offering the largest discount on Echo devices, specifically 25% off on the purchase of a new Amazon Echo, Echo Dot or Echo Show.
Ben's Bargains improves menu categories for easier deal hunting
Home > Bens Bytes > Ben’s Bargains improves menu categories for easier deal hunting By Mike Flacy on September 24, 2020 This week, we have launched a new category structure for Ben’s Bargains, specifically to help you find deals specific to your shopping list. Here are some of the changes and new categories you will find in the menu dropdown as well as the updated categories page.
Forget Ring. Wyze just announced a video doorbell for only $30.
Home > Bens Bytes > Forget Ring. Wyze just announced a video doorbell for only $30. By Mike Flacy on September 22, 2020 Once again positioning themselves as the low cost leader in technology, Wyze is planning to launch a wired, 1080p video doorbell for the low cost of $29.99, basically $70 less than Ring’s cheapest product. With preorders starting today, Wyze is planning to launch the video doorbell during January 2021.
September's Xbox Gold Titles Go Adventuring with The Division, Blobs, Unwritten Tales
Ever since The Great Virus has become a defining presence of this year, the game console subscription services have tried to find the right freebie titles to offer in each month cycle. It has been interesting to watch, especially when you combine it with the new consoles arriving later this year: managing expectations, avoiding touchy subject matter, yet maintaining some interest.
Sony announces PS5 price & launch date and preorder date for the digital-only and disc model
Home > Bens Bytes > Sony announces PS5 price & launch date and preorder date for the digital-only and disc model By Mike Flacy on September 16, 2020 After Microsoft released pricing on the upcoming Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S last week, Sony has responded today with the launch price of both the digital-only PlayStation 5 as well as the model with a disc drive.
Price Drop: Oculus Quest 2 debuts at $299, $100 cheaper than previous gen
Home > Bens Bytes > Price Drop: Oculus Quest 2 debuts at $299, $100 cheaper than previous gen By Mike Flacy on September 16, 2020 If you have been interested in the standalone Oculus Quest headset, Oculus just announced a new model of the popular VR system which will be sold for $100 less than the previous model on the October 13 release date. The 64GB Oculus Quest 2 is priced at $299 and the 256GB version is priced at $399.
Apple announces $279 Apple Watch SE, $15 Apple One subscription, & $599 iPad Air
By Mike Flacy on September 15, 2020 Announced at the Apple event today, the tech giant will be releasing a new model of the Apple Watch that’s targeted at consumers looking for a boost over the Series 3, but not as expensive as the new Series 6. Priced at $279 retail, we predict sales in the $250 range over the next 12 months on the Apple Watch SE.
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