Chapter 1:  Downloads

This is an extremely touchy matter and one that should be approached with extreme caution. Some people and companies are very sensitive about their intellectual property rights, and thanks to lobbying, as well as existing copyright laws, downloading music and movies for free can land you in a heap of trouble.

While it’s true that some CDs come with a notice that expressly says you can make an MP3 copy of it, that doesn’t mean you get carte blanche. If you make a copy only for yourself so you can listen to it on your iPod or other gizmo, that’s generally fine. But, just to be sure, consult your state’s particular laws regarding online copyright infringement.

Once you start making copies for sale, however, you’re seriously asking for trouble. Even if you don’t make money from it directly, for instance by putting it up on Youtube or another social media site for others to enjoy for free, you open yourself up for litigation, so please bear that in mind.

Ever watched something on Youtube only to come back later and find that it’s no longer up? Or that it is, but there’s no longer any sound to the video? That’s because someone put up copyrighted music.

That matter dealt with, there are a ton of videos out there worth downloading… but only for your exclusive self, of course. None of which you would ever redistribute either for free or for profit, of course. Right?

Movies, albums, and PDF books

There are a few good sites for getting free material. Hulu is a great way to watch movies and TV shows online, but it costs $99 a year and is only available in the US. For those of you not in America, another option is Kickass Torrents. Whether it’s a PDF version of a book or magazine you’re after, or a movie, TV series, or album, this is the place to go for your free downloads.

To use it, first visit their website to download their player, if you’re using Windows. If you’re using the Mac OS, download vuze, instead. Once you have either, visit Kickass’s website and enter the name of the movie, album, or book you’re after.

If they have it, you’ll be given a list of sites to download it from. Click on the one you want, and the program you downloaded will guide you through the process.

Do note, however, that Kickass Torrents has had to change its address several times due to some… errr… unhappy companies and people. If the link provided has been shut down, simply type “Kickass Torrents” into your browser until you find their new address. This will vary depending on where you are in the world. Sometimes it takes days for them to get a new address, so be patient and persistent.

E-books

Bookworm, are you? Then the internet is definitely your friend, even if you don’t want to type in your credit card number. Project Gutenberg boasts over 45,000 free titles which you can download or read online. This site also has partner sites, where more than 100,000 other free titles are available.

For even more options, check out FullBooks and ReadPrint. iTunes also has a free app that grants you access to 23,469 books. Simply visit their site and download their app to get started.

Videos from YouTube and other sites

Ever seen a great video you’d love to save, but can’t? It’s not as if you’re going to sell it, right? You only want to keep it because it touched you in some way and it’s too inconvenient to keep logging on in order to enjoy it.

While there are a number of programs out there that let you download videos from Youtube and other sites for free, most come bundled with freeware that’s more trouble than they’re worth. In many cases, such freeware are malicious programs that hijack your browser settings, so you keep getting redirected. In others, they keep flashing advertising content at you that you can’t get rid of. In both cases, they drastically slow down your computer.

If you’re using Firefox, a free extension that’s great at capturing Youtube videos is DowloadHelper. It doesn’t always work, especially on Youtube channels that are owned by some recording companies. The great thing, however, is that the folks who made it are always updating the program. In other words, while you may not be able to download that video today, be patient. You might get lucky tomorrow.

Keepvid is not a program, but a website, which is free to use. If DownloadHelper doesn’t work, simply copy the URL above the video you want to download. Paste it onto Keepvid’s search bar and let it do the rest.

If it’s a Youtube video you specifically want, another option is to type in “ss” in the URL before the “youtube” address. For example, if the URL reads: http://youtube.com/watch?v=abc, then type in http://ssyoutube.com/watch?v=abc. Doing so activates the default YouTube downloader.

When downloading videos from non-Youtube sites, add “sfrom.net/” before the URL. For example, if you want to save a video from http://www.iwantthatvideo.com/, then type in sfrom.net/http://www.iwantthatvideo.com/

Amazon’s free MP3 option

If you have an account with Amazon, check out their freebie section. It contains over 50,000 free songs that you can download without having to look over your shoulder.

Antivirus software

You don’t have to be a techie to understand the value of antivirus programs. While a number are free, such as Avast! and Malwarebytes, their free versions come with limited functionality. If you want one that comes with the whole package, you have to do some work.

Newegg and Fry’s Electronics both offer the complete fireworks, but with a catch. You have to buy the program but, if you do, you get a rebate equal to the purchase price, essentially making it free. It requires paperwork, true, but a fully-functioning antivirus program that comes for free (eventually) is a big deal.

Smartphone apps

Like iTunes’ book app, many more of these indispensable programs are free, while a number which are free are only so for a limited period, so timing is crucial.

For high-quality time-lapse videos made from your iPhone or iPad, download Time Lapse! here. Need to know the height and width of something but only have your phone on-hand? Get My Measures & Dimensions, which allows you to slide your phone along something to take accurate measurements.

If you’re an Android user, check out some of their free apps here.

Fast food and Android smartphones

The market is getting so saturated with newer models almost every day that they’ve started giving them away… well, sort of. Eat at Burger King? They’re giving away Androids, but on condition that you sign up for a 2-year contract. Ditto with Dominos, and for the same terms.