Top 5 Back To School Backpacks 2011

It’s time to head back to the classroom. Here are our picks for the top 5 back-to-school backpacks for 2011.

SwissGear SA 1118 Backpack in Grey and Black

Dimensions: 13 x 8.5 x 18 inches

Empty Weight: 3.4 pounds

A main pocket offers protected packing for books, binders and other goodies. The contoured and padded shoulder straps make it a comfortable carry, and the internal pocket includes a special pouch for media players with a headphone plug that connects to an external port. There’s also an elasticized mesh pocket that expands to secure most cellphones on the shoulder strap for easy access.

SwissGear SA 1118 Backpack in Grey and Black Only $31.99 – Free Shipping With Prime

High Sierra Loop Backpack

Dimensions: 19.5 by 14.5 by 8.25 inches

Empty Weight: 2 pounds

The High Sierra Loop is an especially good choice for student athletes or folks heading to the gym after work. With a huge, multi-compartment design the loop has a zippered pocket for your media player with a headphone port, plus an interior organizer with a zippered mesh pocket, pen pockets, and removable key fob. There’s also a hanging accessory pocket, bottom straps for more gear, and side mesh pockets for water bottles. Cell phone pocket on the outside and ultra comfortable straps.

High Sierra Loop Backpack Starting At $26.99 – Free Shipping With Prime

Targus Groove BTS Backpack Case Designed for 15.6-Inch Laptops

Dimensions: 18 x 13.2 x 4.2

Empty Weight: 1.4 pounds

The Targus Groove is designed especially to protect laptops with up to 15.6″ screens. It’s also got a large compartment for books, binders and other supplies, a front storage area with pen loops and multiple pockets for accessories. Side water bottle pockets, padded shoulder straps and a convenient carry handle make the BTS Groove the perfect pack for work or school.

Targus Groove BTS Backpack Only $28.24 – Free Shipping With Prime

JanSport Classic SuperBreak Backpack

Dimensions: 13 by 16.7 by 8.5

Empty Weight: 12 ounces

Classic, indeed. Made of sturdy 600-denier polyester it’ll last for years of performance. Sporting a single main interior compartment and a front pocket organizer, the JanSport has plenty of space for multiple textbooks, binders, notebooks and more. It also keeps you comfortable all day with padded straps and back. Lifetime warranty.

JanSport Classic SuperBreak Backpack Starting At $16.90 – Free Shipping With Prime

Maxam Backpack for School and Hiking

Dimensions: 18 x 14 x 1 inches

Empty Weight: 1.6 pounds

The Maxam is basic, inexpensive and gets the job done. Tough nylon and polyester construction holds up well to daily use. With two roomy zippered interiors, an extrawide padded shoulder strap and harness and a padded hand grip, it gets you there in comfort and style (on the cheap).

Maxam Backpack for School and Hiking Only $12.58 – Free Shipping With Prime

The John Hancock Observatory…The Adler Planetarium…The Field Museum of Natural History…The Shed Aquarium…The Sears Tower – these are all places that are synonymous with The City of Chicago, visited by millions each year. If you’ve been considering a vacation or weekend trip to The Windy City, you’ll save more than 50% on admittance to these and other top Chicago attractions with a Chicago CityPASS.

For only $76 for adults ($59 for children) you’ll receive VIP admission to the following.

• The Hancock Observatory
• Skydeck Chicago with The Ledge
• The Field Museum
• Shedd Aquarium
• Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum

As an alternative to the Hancock, you could use your pass for the Museum of Science and Industry plus their Omnimax show. Not into Astronomy? Visit the Art Institute of Chicago instead. Whichever of these attractions you choose, you’ll save about 52% from the usual admission price with your Chicago CityPASS. Plus, you’ll skip the usual long lines to get in.

Here’s how it works. Simply follow this link to the Chicago page at Trusted Tours and Attractions. Scroll down the page a bit to Tour and Attraction Packages and click on the Chicago CityPASS. Order the passes you need through the secure Website. Once your order has been placed, you can print your eTicket right from the site. Present that ticket when you visit your first attraction, and they’ll give you your CityPASS booklets. From then on you’ll be in the fast lane for entry to all of the attractions you visit. You’ll get FastPass entry to the 94th floor observatory at the Hancock Building, plus a SKY Tour and a free coffee in its Lavazza Cafe. Enjoy FastPass access to the top of the former Sears Tower as well, including “The Ledge” (if you dare). Get VIP entry to all galleries at the Shed, including Amazon Rising, Wild Reef, the Oceanarium, Polar Play Zone, and one 4-D experience. Walk right in to the Field Museum, step up to the CityPASS counter and you’ll be hangin’ out with Sue the T-Rex within minutes.

At each of your selected attractions you’ll enjoy VIP entry, avoid the long lines and take advantage of valuable add-on experiences such as special presentations, guided tours and 3-D theater shows.

Treat yourself to the best that Chicago has to offer, at half the usual price. Particularly for families, this offer can’t be beat!

Click any of the images below to get started. Have fun!

Every now and then a deal comes along that’s just too good to pass up. If you haven’t made plans for a Summer vacation or weekend getaway yet, the time is now. You can take up to 30% off when you book through Expedia during their “My Summer Is Better Than Your Summer” Sale.

You can shop by destination to find the best deals for Las Vegas, Orlando, New York City, L.A., The Carribean, Hawaii or dozens of other great vacation spots – nearly a thousand deals in all. Or shop by perk, such as food and beverage credits, spa or resort credits, rewards cards, freebies and more. Needing suggestions? Take a look at staff picks, carefully curated by the experts at Expedia who know travel inside and out.

Expedia is the top spot on the web for travel, where you can book hotels, cars, flights, cruises, activities or entire packages all on one convenient site. You can also get a wealth of information to help you plan every aspect of your trip at Expedia, and through their partners like TripAdvisor and Citysearch.

Here are just a few of the top deals we noticed today on Expedia.

Have your best summer ever in Colorado: Save up to 40% on hotels! – Expires 8/14/2011

Discover Puerto Rico and get your 4th night FREE! – Expires 7/31/2011

Summer Sale just got sweeter! Receive a prepaid $50 MasterCard debit card when you book 3+ nights! – Expires 7/31/2011

Labor Day Getaways: Save 30% on holiday weekend deals! – Expires 8/30/2011

Wherever you’re headed, you’ll always find great deals with our Expedia coupon codes and special offers.

Just follow any of the links in this post, or click on the banner below to get started planning your escape. Happy trails!

We’ve got something really exciting in our latest offers here at Mevio Coupons. You can save 10% plus get free shipping (on all of your purchases over $100) at Folica.com, the top site on the Web for all your hair care needs. Just use one of our Folica promo codes.

FOLICA PROMO CODES | Save 10% Plus Get FREE Standard Shipping

Folica is your single stop online for anything you can imagine having to do with hair care and hair styling. They offer thousands of items from more than 300 leading global hair care brands, including Chi, Sedu, Solia, Hot Tools Professional, and Kerastase Paris.

Whether you’re looking for quality shampoos, conditioners, flat irons, curling tools, hair dryers, hair brushes, or even spa products – you’ll find it all at Folica, and all at unbeatable prices. You’ll also find a wealth of helpful information, including top ten lists, specialty shops and other great tools to help you find precisely what you need.

Looking for advice for your special styling or hair care needs? Folica has a team of literally hundreds of stylists, editors and other hair care industry leaders offering their expertise, along with dozens of self-avowed “hair obsessed” staffers to help you out.

You can shop by hair type, concern or benefit – look for organic, natural and eco-friendly products – or check out the extensive selection of stylists’ favorites.

Tools, hair care, hair color, hair removal – anything you need is all here in one beautiful, easy to use site at Folica.com.

And now you’ll save every time you shop there with our promo codes. Just follow this link to get your money saving code today.

FOLICA PROMO CODES | Save 10% Plus Get FREE Standard Shipping

It’s all about the hair!

Father’s Day 2011 is coming right up. There’s still time to order something really spectacular for Dad. Here are our picks for top 5 Father’s Day gifts for this year.

Cuisinart 10-Piece Premium Grilling Set

If dad’s the grill master of the neighborhood, he’ll love the professional quality and feel of Cuisinart’s premium grill tool set. Made of durable stainless steel with wooden handles, the set includes a chef’s spatula, grilling tongs, a grill fork, 4 kabob skewers and a brass grill brush with 2 replacement grill brush heads. It all comes in a durable leather case for storing or traveling.

Cuisinart 10-Piece Premium Grilling Set Only $67.98

Quality Importers Desktop Humidor

The Milano glass top medium desktop humidor from Quality Importers is lined throughout with premium kiln-dried spanish cedar and uses proprietary “sureseal” technology to make sure the top seals properly when you close it. The bottom is lined with felt for scratch resistance, and the humidor includes a glass hygrometer with brass frame, gold-plated hidden quadrant hinges, a lock and key with tassel and an engravable brass nameplate to make it dad’s very own. It’s a manly accessory that he’ll treasure for years to come.

Quality Importers Desktop Humidor Only $61.61

Kindle, Wi-Fi, Graphite, 6″ Display

The Kindle has become one of the coolest specialized gadgets on the market. Whether dad is a serious reader, or just wants to keep his daily paper and magazine subscriptions handy wherever he goes, the Kindle is the perfect gift. With E ink Pearl technology, it reads well even in bright light, and weighs less than a single paperback, with room for up to 3500 books.

Kindle, Wi-Fi, Graphite, 6″ Display Only $114.00 With Special Offers

Garmin nüvi 1450LMT 5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Lifetime Map & Traffic Updates

Dad will always have the most up-to-date maps, points of interest and navigation information available with lifetime map and traffic updates. Garmin updates traffic information constantly, and map updates are available for download as many as four times a year. There are no subscription fees or anything to add-on. It’s all ready to go, right out of the box. The big 5 inch display makes it easy to use, too.

Garmin nüvi 1450LMT GPS Navigator Only $179.49

Victorinox Swiss Army Men’s 241199 Classic XLS Chronograph Black Dial Watch

The Swiss Army Men’s Classic XLS Chronograph sports a refined, circular dial with Arabic numerals for the hours, silver-tone luminous hour and minute hands, a visually striking red second hand, and understated date display. With three subdials for full chronograph function and a scratch-resistant, anti-reflective sapphire crystal, it offers precise Swiss quartz movement and is water resistant to 100 meters. The stainless steel bracelet band adds to the sharp look of this classic watch.

Victorinox Swiss Army Men’s Classic Chronograph Only $552.75

We’re always on the lookout for great deals on the Amazon Kindle, truly one of the coolest gadgets out there for people who like to read. You’ve probably read our previous post on how to save an additional $30 on your Kindle (or other items at Amazon). Recently, we’ve been learning more about the Kindle With Special Offers, and it looks like a winner.

Available for the Wi-Fi Kindle and now the 3G as well, it brings the price down a full $25 from the regular versions.

So, what is the “Kindle With Special Offers?” Essentially, it’s the same Kindle you’d buy at the regular price, all the same features and quality. The only difference is that special offers and sponsored screensavers are displayed. In case you’re worried that you’ll be seeing advertisements while reading your Kindle eBooks, don’t be. The offers and ads only display at the bottom of the home screen, and via the screensaver. Also, you can actually let Amazon know what types and styles of messages you would most like to view. According to Amazon, their goal is “to display sponsored screensavers that you want to see.”

Here are the prices of the two models and their Special Offer counterparts.

Kindle, Wi-Fi, Graphite, 6″ Display with New E Ink Pearl Technology – $139

Kindle, Wi-Fi, Graphite, 6″ Display with New E Ink Pearl Technology – $114

Kindle 3G, Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 3G Works Globally, Graphite, 6″ Display with New E Ink Pearl Technology – $189

Kindle 3G, Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 3G Works Globally, Graphite, 6″ Display with New E Ink Pearl Technology – $164

The bottom line is that if you follow our “Kindle Coupon” strategy and take advantage of the special offers version, you can score a Kindle Wi-Fi for only $84, and get free shipping too. That, my friends, is an incredible bargain on an amazing device.

If you have an Android powered phone, you’re used to the fast browsing, wide array of apps and rock-solid reliability of the Android OS. Would you like a similar experience, but with a little more real estate on the screen? Take a look at some of the best sellers and brand spankin’ new arrivals at the Amazon tablet store. They get our votes for top five Android tablets.

Acer Iconia Tab A500-10S16u 10.1-Inch Tablet Computer

With a 10.1″ touch-screen and cool aluminum metallic design, the Acer Iconia includes the Android 3.0 “Honeycomb” OS which is specifically optimized for tablets. The HD multi-touch display features has 1280 x 800 resolution and advanced flash support for clear, sharp display of HD videos. Excellent for the Web, HD videos, gaming, eBooks, photos and more. Enjoy up to 8 hours of battery life when you’re on the go. The Iconia has a 5 MP rear-facing camera and a 2MP front-facing camera, 16 GB of onboard memory and can use up to a 32 MB micro SD card.

Acer Iconia Tab A500-10S16u Only $499.99 – Free Shipping With Prime

T-Mobile G-Slate 4G Android Tablet

Also with Android 3.0, the G-Slate connects via T-Mobile’s 4G Network. It includes an 8.9 inch HD wide-screen, 3D-capable multi-touch display, and playback with HDMI output so you can connect and watch your content on a 1080p HD external display. You can also create your own hotspot for up to five other devices with the G-Slate’s tethering capabilities. 32 GB onboard, front and rear cameras and other standard features that you might expect.

T-Mobile G-Slate 4G Android Tablet $799.99 – Free Shipping

Samsung Galaxy Tab (Wi-Fi)

The Galaxy Tablet is somewhere between your smart phone and a full sized tab, with a 7 inch multi-touch interface at 1024 x 600 pixels resolution, and weighing in at just over 13 ounces. It has integrated GPS, front and rear cameras, and a feature called the Swype keyboard that allows you to input text by swiping with one continuous finger or stylus motion across the screen. Pre-loaded with Kindle for Android, Slacker Radio and Gameloft’s Asphalt 5 HD. Ultra portable and packs a punch at a great price.

Samsung Galaxy Tab (Wi-Fi) Only $349.99 – Save 5%

MOTOROLA XOOM Android Tablet (Wi-Fi)

Winner of the Best of Show award at the 2011 CES, the XOOM has 10.1 inch widescreen HD display, speedy Wireless-N Wi-Fi, and a dual core processor with each core running at 1 GHz for lightning-fast performance. A front-facing 2-megapixel camera lets you do video chats over Wi-Fi using Google Talk, and a rear-facing 5-megapixel camera captures video in 720p HD (with LED flash for stills). Built-in barometer, e-compass, gyroscope and more. 32 GB of memory on board, Bluetooth connectivity and up to 10 hours of battery life. Sweet.

MOTOROLA XOOM Android Tablet (Wi-Fi) Only $588.99 – Free Shipping With Prime

ViewSonic gTablet with 10″ Multi-Touch LCD Screen, Android OS 2.2

A steal at this price, the gTablet sports a 10.1-inch TFT-LCD display with an LED driver system and 1024 x 600-pixel resolution, 1 GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor (dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 CPU), 16 GB of onboard memory, a 1.3-megapixel camera for chats and a full USB port to connect external keyboards, etc. Up to 10 hours of battery life.

ViewSonic gTablet Only $309.99 – Save $190.00!

If you’re struggling to find the perfect gift for mom, how about giving her the day off (or a night out) from child care responsibilities? Sure, she’ll want to spend Mother’s Day with her children, but what about giving her a much needed respite either before or after? Maybe she’d like to go out for the evening with friends, or relax for the day at a local spa. Or maybe she’d like to go to a romantic movie with dad. Whatever “relaxing time off” means to mom, she’s sure to appreciate it.

You’ll find the perfect sitter at the largest online babysitter network in the U.S., SitterCity.com. Our SitterCity free 7-day trial lets you give it a try for free with no obligation.

SitterCity originated caregiving sites on the Web, and it’s now the most trusted and the single largest online source for babysitters, pet sitters, senior respite care, house sitters, even housekeepers and tutors. They have more than a million caregivers across the nation ready to serve your needs.

Safety has always been SitterCity’s top priority. Their special screening process includes background checks, access to references and actual parent reviews of caregivers. You’ll have all of the information you need to find a fully qualified,  trustworthy caregiver in your area. You can either post a job and let caregivers respond to it, or use the convenient search technology to find a match using more than a hundred different criteria.

Whether you’re looking for someone to clean house for Mother’s Day, or to watch the little ones while mom goes out to play – or you need to find help with caregiving over the Summer months when school it out – SitterCity is your first stop on the Web to begin your search. Now with our free SitterCity trial, you can check it out with no obligation. Follow this link to get started.

SitterCity Free 7-Day Trial Offer

Planning to read some stories to your favorite children over the Easter Weekend? The Bunny himself hopped by and dropped off this list of the top five children’s book classics, all currently available for free for your Kindle.

The Velveteen Rabbit

By Margery Williams Bianco

Okay, maybe the Easter Bunny is a little unfairly partial to this one, but we love it too. First published in 1922, Margery Williams Bianco’s story of how toys become real has been warming hearts (and tear-staining cheeks) ever since. In the words of the Skin Horse “Real isn’t how you are made. It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.” Follow the Velveteen Rabbit on his journey of love.

The Velveteen Rabbit FREE!

Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen

His original stories have been translated into more than 150 languages, and have been the inspiration for plays, ballets and movies (both animated and live action). This collection contains the familiar, such as “The Ugly Duckling,” “The Snow Queen” and “Thumbelina” – as well as some less well known works like “Grief,” “The Shadow” and “It’s Perfectly True.” Twelve tales in all, from one of the great story tellers of all time.

Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen FREE!

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

By L. Frank Baum

First published in 1900, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was an instant hit with the public, spawning a successful Broadway musical in 1902 and eventually the iconic 1939 MGM film. Although some have criticized the book in years since, it continues to be read, analyzed, rehashed and adapted to this day. Wicked, anyone? You owe it to yourself (and the kids you love) to read the original version of this American classic.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz FREE!

Beauty and the Beast

By Marie Le Prince de Beaumont

Beauty and the Beast was a classic French folk tale. Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont adapted the story in the mid 1700s from the first published (longer) version by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve. You’ll recognize this shorter version of the tale as the basis for the Disney movie (though, like other renderings through the years, the Disney version incorporates some characters and plot lines that weren’t in the original). At less than 50 pages, this edition is perfect for holding the attention of little ears on a lazy afternoon.

Beauty and the Beast FREE!

Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know

By Hamilton Wright Mabie

This collection includes fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm and others, with an introduction covering the history of fairy tales (and their importance to children) by the author. You’ll find The Magic Mirror, Hansel and Grethel, The Story of Aladdin, Tom Thumb, Puss in Boots and many more classic tales here. It also includes Beauty and the Beast and Andersen’s The Princess and the Pea, so if you want one collection that pretty well covers the waterfront, this one it is. Twenty stories in all.

Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know FREE!

Have you got favorite children’s books to share? Hit us with a comment.

Happy reading!

Opening Day 2011 has finally arrived, and we’ve got a Friday Freebie that’s a grand slam homer. Sign up for our Audible free trial offer and you can download any one of these great baseball audiobooks for free. Just click here to get started on your 14 day trial. The free audiobook is yours to keep whether or not you decide to continue after the trial period.

Here are our picks for the current top 5 baseball audiobooks. Play ball!

Pujols: More Than the Game

Albert Pujols burst on to the baseball scene a decade ago, and he has been compared with some of the greatest players the game has ever known. Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Kansas City, “El Hombre” was a Rookie of the Year, has played in 9 All Star Games, has been named National League Most Valuable Player three times, and led his team to victory in the World Series in 2006. Despite his accomplishments on the baseball field, Pujols measures his own worth by his faith and the example he sets for young fans. Authors Scott Lamb and Tim Ellsworth tell his inspirational story. Unabridged audiobook narrated by Wes Bleed.

The Baseball Codes

We all know about the written rules of baseball. Three strikes you’re out, the ground rule double, nine innings in regulation, run counter-clockwise, etc. But there are also a set of unwritten rules, some of which are openly discussed and others that are known only to a few. In The Baseball Codes, authors Jason Turbow and Michael Duca reveal the traditions and notions that have governed the game for decades. From beanballs and brawls to sign-stealing and superstition (never cross between the pitcher and catcher on your way to the batter’s box), here are the unwritten rules of our national pastime. Unabridged, narrated by Michael Kramer.

Baseball

If you liked Ken Burns’ classic PBS series about the game, you’ll love this companion audiobook, updated to coincide with the follow up Tenth Inning special that was recently produced. From the origins of the game in the 1800s, to the advent of the curve ball, the designated hitter, strikes, steroids and beyond, Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns cover every milestone in Baseball. It charts not only the history of the game, but the history of our nation and our enduring relationship to the most American of sports. Abridged audiobook narrated by Ken Burns.

We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball

Rube Foster, who was founder of the Negro National League, once said “We are the ship; all else the sea.” Author Kadir Nelson tells the story of the Negro League from its start in the 1920s on through its decline after Jackie Robinson broke the color bar and was finally allowed to play in the majors in 1947. Follow the story of gifted athletes, determined team owners, discrimination, sportsmanship, and the unsung heroes who overcame adversity of all sorts simply for the love of the game. We Are the Ship has been called “a tour de force for baseball lovers of all ages.” Unabridged, narrated by Dion Graham.

Steinbrenner: The Last Lion of Baseball

Love him or hate him, no other owner has had such a profound effect on the game of baseball over the past four decades than the late George Steinbrenner. From his purchase of the Yankees for $10 million in 1973, on through his tumultuous reign (and seven championships), Steinbrenner has been a lightning rod for controversy, and the target of hatred, jealousy and grudging admiration. What cannot be questioned is his effectiveness in rebuilding his franchise into the powerhouse of all sports teams. Author Bill Madden has covered the Yankees for more than 30 years, and brings colorful stories from those who knew the man best, along with Steinbrenner’s own perspective, given to Madden in his final interview for print. Unabridged, narrated by Kerin McCue.

Don’t forget to take advantage of our Audible trial offer to download your free audiobook, and check back here often for more great discounts and Friday Freebies!

The Amazon AppStore for Android opened earlier this week, and for a limited time only, they’ve got Angry Birds Rio available free of charge.

When rare and endangered birds are held captive by smugglers, it’s Angry Birds to the rescue! Among the captives they seek to save are  the stars of the animated motion picture Rio, a couple of rare macaws named Blu and Jewel.

Get the slingshot ready. If you thought the birds were angry at the greedy green pigs, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. Hell hath no fury like an angry bird who has just escaped from kidnappers. Red, Blue, Yellow and White birds are all here, each with their own unique style of attack.

The Angry Birds franchise boasts more than 50 million downloads. If you’ve never played, here’s your chance to see what all of the fuss is about, and if you’re already an Angry Bird addict, you’re sure to love this new variation with 60 Rio-themed levels.

The Amazon AppStore is your one-stop shop for Android Apps, all pre-screened for safety and tested for ease of installation, functionality and usability. Whether you’re looking for games, utilities, entertainment apps, business productivity or more, the AppStore has it all. They also feature a new app for free every day.

The Angry Birds Rio Android version is an AppStore exclusive, available instantly and free-of-charge for a limited time only. Follow this link to the Amazon Appstore to learn more. Then, let the feathered artillery fly!

Remember to wing your way back here when you get a chance to find more great deals and Friday Freebies.

Yesterday we shared our list of top 5 messenger bags, and while we were preparing the list we ran across a rather unique product that didn’t quite fit in with the rest. We thought you might be interested too, so here it is: The Timbuk2 bag for the 6 inch Kindle.

The design of this bag is very similar to its larger brothers. In fact, if you’re looking at the illustration to the left, you might think it was just another messenger bag from Timbuk2. It’s made of the same durable ballistic nylon exterior that we’re used to, and the styling is typical of Timbuk2, only smaller. In fact, at 12.8 by 5.1 by 8.6 inches, quite a bit smaller.

If it weren’t for the inner sleeve (or, as Timbuk2 calls it “studded condom sleeve technology for slim but sturdy Kindle protection”) it might be mistaken for, well…

Dare we say it? A man purse.

In fact, some reviewers have called it just that, despite Timbuk2′s marketing to the contrary.

Do we really care about all that? Certainly not. This is an exceptionally rugged, well-designed and useful item. We can imagine any number of situations where it would be the perfect bag when we’re traveling light, but still need to carry  the bare essentials and keep them organized. Kindle owners of any gender will find it an especially welcome accessory.

And, if you’re a guy who is confident in his masculinity, this may be the right bag for you, Kindle or not. Of course, since we’re all grown up here at Mevio, we’re perfectly comfortable sporting one of these whether we’re heading to a meeting or a round of beer call with the guys. We really think it’s ridiculous to define ourselves by the silly norms of what is still a largely homophobic society. This bag is extra cool, it fits my Kindle, and if I want to carry it, I will. Okay?

First one of you that calls it a purse though, I’m knockin’ you out.

From the pony express, to modern mail carriers to bike messengers, a fabric bag with a strap slung over one shoulder for easy access to the contents has been the design of choice. Once bike couriers in the big city began using old canvas utility linemen’s bags to carry their deliveries, it was only a matter of time before the trend caught on. Bags that once cost $20 now can cost many times that, and some (though not all) manufacturers have abandoned the rugged materials that were once a hallmark of the item. The variety is staggering.

Assuming that you’re not in the market for a Louis Vuitton messenger that will set you back a grand, here are our picks for top 5 messenger bags. Some were chosen mostly for their durability and utility, some partly for their cool looks, and some because – hey – they get the job done and the price is right.

Timbuk2 D-Lux Race Stripe Laptop Messenger Bag

This was our top pick from among the laptop messenger bags on the market. Timbuk2 is one of the premiere bag makers in San Francisco, a town that takes it’s bicycling seriously. Since the 1980s, they’ve been producing bags that are true to the spirit of the original messenger bag’s utilitarianism and toughness, with just the right amount of refinement and style. They brought lots of user feedback to the design table when developing the D-Lux to create a bag that works well whether or not you’re carrying your machine. Lots of pockets and compartments to help keep you organized on the go, and it looks as cool as any bag you’ll see. Oh, and street cred? Sure.

Timbuk2 D-Lux Race Stripe Laptop Messenger Bag Price From Only $82.46

Chrome Citizen Messenger Bag – Chicago Flag

Chrome Bags were first created in Boulder by some guys who just couldn’t find bags on the market that were tough enough for their needs. Made with weatherproof 1,000 denier Cordura, millitary-grade seam binding, and industrial strength hardware, the Chrome Citizen (like all of their bags) is guaranteed for life.

Although they were conceived in Colorado and perfected in San Francisco, we found this bag bearing the proud emblem of the Windy City irresistible. To misquote the song, this is “one bag that won’t let you down.”

Chrome Citizen Messenger Bag – Chicago Flag Price From Only $149.99

Manhattan Portage Large Waxed Canvas Messenger Bag

Bike couriers in New York City first got their bags from DeMartini canvas company in Little Italy. They’d been making canvas bags for linemen since the 1950s. In the early 80s, Manhattan Portage started producing a bit more stylish and fuller-featured bag, replacing the canvas with cordura in some cases, adding reflective material, lightening up the hardware. Their bags became an instant success, and spawned an entire industry of copies. They still make an excellent waxed canvas bag, and it’s our pick for old school NYC throwback. Of course, if you want to go really old school, DeMartini is still in business too.

Manhattan Portage Large Waxed Canvas Messenger Bag Price From Only $77.82.

High Sierra Chip

High Sierra has been making serious gear for people who enjoy the outdoors since 1978. Casual day packs for people who trust the brand have been a big part of their business as well, so it only makes sense that they would start producing a laptop bag at some point. Since messenger bags are the predominant style for carrying notebooks, the almost too cutely named “Chip” was probably inevitable. Here’s where we get into pastel colors and a design that’s pretty far gone from the original lineman’s pouch, but this is a decent, serviceable bag at a good price, especially geared toward the ladies. As to the name, they also make messenger bags called “Rufus” and “Dwight,” so “Chip” really isn’t all that bad by comparison.

High Sierra Chip Price From Only $19.99

Columbia Luggage Marauder Horizontal Messenger Bag

This is another bag at which a true New York bike messenger might sneer, but it’s got all of the essential elements. Lots of pockets and compartments to help with organization, a waterproof design, and you can actually clip your rear bike light in the bottom-center loop. Colors like “zinc” and “elderberry” look better than they sound. Overall, it’s hard to beat this one for the money if you’re looking for a basic bag and you don’t need it to last forever.

Columbia Luggage Marauder Horizontal Messenger Bag Price From Only $25.60

We’ve sung the praises of Amazon Prime Membership many times on these pages. With free two-day shipping on millions of eligible items for up to four accounts in your household all for the same annual fee, many people find that it more than pays for itself if you do much shopping at Amazon.com. Now they’ve added another benefit to Prime membership that sends it way over the top. Amazon announced this week that members will also receive unlimited streaming of thousands of movies and television episodes at no extra cost as part of their membership.

A quick survey of the front video page shows current hits like The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo alongside classics like Dirty Harry and March of the Penguins. Some of the TV shows included are Doctor Who, Top Gear and quite a bit of content from PBS.

You can watch the videos on either a PC or Mac, and also on any of nearly 200 models of Internet connected TVs, Blu-ray players and set-top boxes such as TiVo.

Since movie rentals from Amazon generally cost $2.99, even if you only take advantage of the free streaming every couple weeks, it would easily pay for the Prime membership cost of $79 annually. Add to that the already valuable benefit of free shipping on your orders, and Amazon has proven once again what an incredible value Prime is.

What’s more, you can try it out, for free for a month.

Let us know what you think, and be sure to check back, same bat time, same bat channel, for yet another exciting adventure in Friday Freebies!

Remember the days of film cameras? Every shot, whether it turned out or not, cost you money. Film, flashbulbs, developing costs and the excruciating wait while your film was in the shop were all facts of life for the amateur photographer.

The convenience and low cost of digital photography give us all the opportunity to capture the moments of our lives as never before. The biggest concern for the avid photo bug is usually how to organize, share and display all that huge store of images you’re creating.

Snapfish solves the problem. Snapfish is the number one online photo service. A division of Hewlett-Packard, Snapfish reliably stores more than 2 billion unique photos for its 70 million members around the world. With free, unlimited storage of online photos to active members, Snapfish makes it easy to organize your image collection, share it with friends and family members, order prints that you can pick up locally (or receive by mail) and create all sorts of items such as calendars, mugs and more with your photos.

Now you can get 20 high quality prints for free just for signing up.

With your Snapfish membership, you’ll get secure, unlimited online photo sharing and storage, plus free online photo editing tools. You can order professional quality prints of your images for as little as nine cents each, and they also offer more than a hundred customizable photo gifts, from photo books and posters to photo mugs and jewelry. And all of their products are backed by a 110% quality guarantee.

Their exclusive PictureMover interface makes it easy for you to upload your photos. You can even upload, view and share photos from your mobile phone. Snapfish is private and secure as well. Only you and the people you invite will have access to your photos on the site.

Take advantage of our Snapfish coupons and get 20 free photo prints when you sign up. Just follow the link below to get started.

Snapfish Membership with 20 Free Photo Prints

It’s another great offer brought to you by MeVIO’s Friday Freebies!

We’ve often sung the praises of Amazon Prime membership on these pages. With unlimited free two-day shipping on most orders fulfilled by Amazon, if you shop there much it pays for itself in no time. Now, students can get a full year of Prime membership for free when they sign up for  an Amazon Student account. Here’s how it works.

Amazon Student is a free membership program created especially for college students. In order to join, you’ll need an Amazon account, a valid .EDU email address from your school, and you’ll have to be able to provide proof (upon request) that you are a student actively enrolled in at least one course at a college or university located in the U.S.

Membership provides you with a full year of free two-day shipping with Amazon Prime. You’ll also get exclusive discounts on a variety of products at Amazon. The promotional discount offers will be sent to your email account, or made available on the Amazon Student homepage. There is no cost to sign up and participate in the program, and it’s easy to do.

1) Submit your sign-up form.

2) Look for an email to the .EDU address you listed on the form.

3) Click the verification link in the email to complete the process.

You have to have an Amazon.com account first. It’s okay if you’re using a different email address for that. The only email Amazon will send to your .EDU address is the one to verify your student status.

Already a Prime member and wish you’d known about the free year for students? If you sign up for Amazon Student, they’ll refund the remaining months left on your current Prime account.

Get more information at the Amazon Student sign-up page.

Until next time, enjoy your freebies!

If your machine is running slower than it used to or you’re experiencing lots of errors and crashes, you may not need a new PC. Maybe you just need a tune-up!

PC Tune-up from CA Technologies is designed to eliminate slow system start-ups and helps to keep your Windows PC operating at peak performance, while also helping to improve system stability. Now you can see how it works for free with a trial download from CA.

PC Tune-Up takes all the guesswork out of maintaining your PC. It handles problems that once would have required a technician with extensive training to repair. The easy-to-use software interface makes it a snap to diagnose problems and fix them so you can maintain your PC yourself.

With intuitive wizards and alerts it’s truly simple to use, and PC Tune-Up is backed by CA Technologies’ first class customer support services, known around the world for quality.

In addition to keeping your system well-optimized, PC Tune-Up eliminates dangerous software Trojans, viruses, spyware, and browser hijackers that may be trying to interfere with your security settings and web browser.

Frustrated with trying to keep your system up to date with all the latest drivers, patches, and proper performance settings? PC Tune-Up handles all of that and so much more, helping you maintain your investment in your PC and increasing its useful life.

CA has stripped away all of the jargon and techy language, offering an intuitive user interface that divides performance chores into categories that are easy-to-understand: Speed, Stability, Security, and Performance. Maintaining your PC becomes such a simple task that you won’t dread it or overlook it again.

Stay informed of your PCs status, while eliminating serious problems that have become commonplace on Internet-connected computers with PC Tune-Up. Click here to download your free trial.

Be sure to check out the full line of software products available to download and try for free from our CA Coupons page, and check back right here next week for another edition of Friday Freebies!

If you’ve been searching for coupons for the purchase of a Kindle, you’ve likely become frustrated following link after link, only to learn that the already incredible price of $139 for the Kindle Wi-Fi is just about as good as it gets. We’ve searched high and wide ourselves, and were unable to turn up any legitimate coupons for discounts on buying a new Kindle from Amazon.

We do, however, know of a great strategy for saving $30 when you buy your Kindle, and getting free shipping to boot. Here it is, easy as 1-2-3.

Step 1 – Sign up for a free trial of Amazon Prime. As noted before on these pages, Amazon Prime membership has some wonderful benefits, including free two-day shipping on eligible orders placed at Amazon. We think it’s a bargain at the annual price of $79, but you can get the same benefits at no cost for a month when you sign up for Amazon’s free trial offer. As long as you haven’t been a prime member in the last 13 months, you can sign up, enjoy membership benefits (including free shipping on your new Kindle) for a month, and as long as you opt-out before the trial period ends, your credit card won’t be charged. You can read our complete Friday Freebies post about the Prime trial here.

Step 2 – Sign up for an Amazon Rewards Visa Card. Here’s where that $30 credit comes from, and it couldn’t be simpler to obtain. First of all, follow this link to get started. Click the button on the right hand side of the page and complete the short application form. If you’re approved for a card, it will be instantly added to your Amazon.com account. Once you place your first order at Amazon with the new card as the payment source, the card will automatically be credited the amount of $30 within a few days. That’s all there is to it. You’ll also earn points on every purchase made with the card, and you can redeem them for cash and other rewards.

Step 3 – Order that Kindle! Actually, it doesn’t even have to be a Kindle. You can use this process to save on most products offered for sale through Amazon. The free two-day shipping isn’t available on some items (particularly those not fulfilled directly by Amazon), and of course you have to be approved for the Visa card to get the $30 credit, but other than that there is no catch, and we can’t think of any downside to signing up for either of these programs.

You may actually find the Prime membership so useful and convenient that you’ll want to keep it after the trial period, but either way, you’ve saved on your Kindle – and since there’s no annual fee for the Visa card, you’re only incurring costs when you actually purchase something with it.

Now that you’ve ordered your Kindle, click here to take a look at the free books available from Amazon. You can also read our earlier post about additional sources of free books for your Kindle.

We’ll continue to scour the Web for the best deals and discounts on Kindles and other great gadgets, and when we find them, rest assured you’ll see them right here on the Blog. Happy deal hunting in 2011!

UPDATE: Save an additional $25 when you purchase the Kindle With Special Offers.

If you’re still struggling to find a last-minute gift, take a look at the great selections at Omaha Steaks. There’s still time to select the delivery service that best suits your needs.

Omaha Steaks offers a wide variety of premium steaks, red meats and other gourmet foods. They’re all  custom cut and packaged, and sure to be a hit at anyone’s table.

Your order from Omaha Steaks is unconditionally guaranteed, too. If you are not absolutely thrilled with your purchase, for any reason at all, they’ll cheerfully replace it or refund your money, whichever you prefer.

How about an elegant gift of filet mignons and warm-water lobster tails? Or maybe you’d prefer to give the steak lover’s selection. Whatever you choose, your recipient will enjoy the most sumptuous food available anywhere.

Now you can present your Omaha Steaks gifts in grand style with their elegant burgundy gift box with a graceful ribbon motif. They’ve also got a wonderful array of greeting cards from which to choose, with room inside for your own personalized message. Inside the signature gift wrap you’ll find that classic Omaha Steaks cooler, filled with dry ice to make sure everything arrives in perfect condition.

While you’re at it, why not pick out something for your very own special New Years Eve dinner? You won’t find a better selection of mouth-watering fare anywhere.

Take a look at the entire selection of high-quality, wholesome foods from Omaha Steaks. They’ve been in business since 1917, so you know you can trust their outstanding quality and service. Check out all of our Omaha Steaks coupon offers, available year around.

If you’re searching for hosting for your business or personal website, you’ve probably already run across any number of possibilities. There are literally thousands of hosting providers in the United States from which to choose. Some of the best providers offer discounts on webhosting here on our site, but wherever you look, you’ll need some basis for comparing the providers on your short list in order to make an informed decision about which to choose.

For a huge business concern with your own I.T. department, chances are that the in-house dataheads will already have taken everything into account and would be more than happy to present the pros and cons of various providers if you ask. All of the pros and cons. In minute detail. For several hours. With charts. Have fun with that.

If, however, you’re shopping for hosting for your own personal site or weblog, or if you want to put up a site for your small business, the sheer number of options available boggle the mind. How to even narrow them down? Fret not. Here’s a simple checklist of things to consider when selecting a host.

The Most Important Considerations

Uptime Guarantee – Your hosting arrangement should provide fast, reliable access to your site. Whether the site is there for making money or as a means of personal expression (or both), it’s not doing its job if people can’t see it. Look for uptime approaching 99.9% or at least in excess of 99.5%, and look for a guarantee in the terms of service, so that your costs are discounted or you receive a refund of some sort if your site is down for more than the stated percentage.

Support – Speedy access to technical support for your site is essential, and since things seem to go wrong at the worst possible time, it’s important to have around the clock support, every day of the year. Thoroughly research the tech support provisions your prospective provider offers, and make sure they match your own needs and level of expertise.

Value – Obviously, you’ll want to obtain hosting at the lowest possible price for the service you expect. This can be a tricky thing to evaluate, since you’ll need to compare the type and quality of services you’ll be receiving in order to do a fair comparison of price between providers. The main thing to keep in mind is that in general, you get what you pay for with hosting since competition is so fierce. This doesn’t necessarily mean that more expensive is always “better” though. Depending on your needs, more costly options such as “dedicated servers” or other often-touted hosting arrangements may not be necessary. The trick is to have a pretty clear idea of what you need, and then review the hosting plans side-by-side as much as possible to compare relative value. Apples, oranges, etc.

Other Important Features

Traffic Allowance, Storage Space and Resource Usage – In addition to the amount of disk space that will be available to host the pages, databases, media files and other components of your site, you’ll need to be aware of the limits for data transfer and resource usage in your hosting package. Most small sites that are not media rich will have way less than 3 GB per month in traffic (that is to say, the amount of data served by the host to people who visit your site). In fact, the vast majority of sites on the World Wide Web consume less than 5 GB per month. Still, it’s important to understand the limits and make sure that you don’t get hit with penalty charges for exceeding them.

Access and Management – Will you need access to the site via FTP (File Transfer Protocol), Telnet, etc.? Does the host offer a web-based control panel or dashboard that’s easy to use and fits your needs? What sort of statistics and analysis programs are offered? Look for at least the ability to manage things like security, email accounts, and FTP support yourself. You don’t want to be calling tech support every time you need to change a password. Look for a demonstration or screen captures of the management interface to see if it suits your needs.

Operating System and Programs – For basic, HTML-based websites, these won’t likely be of concern, but if you’re planning on a weblog or a script rich site, you may need to check for the inclusion of Perl, PHP, MySQL, etc. Much of the time support for programming languages is included in hosting packages without additional charge, but often databases are only available for an extra fee, or there may be a limit on the number of databases you can have for free. Check the fine print in your prospective host’s terms of service if any of this is important to you. Additionally, keep in mind that Unix operating systems tend to be more feature rich and stable, but if you’re site uses .ASP files they will require a Windows Server.

SSL – If you’re doing business online that requires a secure site, check to make sure your prospective host offers SSL transport layer security and how much it costs.

Email, Multiple Domain Support, Etc. – If you’re planning to have an email address associated with your site’s domain name, you’ll want to check out the email features offered. Is there a limit on the number of addresses you can have? Can you forward email from the server to another account? What are the software compatibility requirements? Is there a web-based email program offered?

Also, will you be allowed to set up additional domains or subdomains using the same hosting account? The ability to at least use additional subdomains can be a very handy addition to a site. Check to see what is allowed and whether or not there are additional costs involved.

Users Rule

When it comes to selecting a hosting provider, the value, services offered and terms of service are the most important considerations, but how do you know they’ll deliver? One of your best resources will be the user reviews you’ll find out on the Web. Yes, some reviewers will have an axe to grind, and you have to take into account relative levels of expertise, but taken together, the experience of actual customers will help you predict what kind of service you might receive. Do a search for “web hosting reviews” and you’ll find any number of credible, reliable sites with reviews and data about your prospective hosting providers.

The process of finding the right provider for your site can be daunting, but if you take a little time to investigate and compare, you’re much more likely to find fast, reliable hosting that meets your needs at a reasonable price.