My MovieBeam Player review posted on PCMag.com a few weeks ago and the only thing I really knocked it for was the price. The MovieBeam Player is an innovative, easy-to-use set-top box that offers a collection of 100 recent movies for rent. Initially, the player launched a $250 (with a $50 rebate), but the company quickly dropped the price to a flat $199. That is a great start, but I still think it is a little high for a movie-on-demand service that will go head-to-head with the similar services offered directly by cable operators. I was surfing the Web, err, working hard at the office and I came across this "special offer" to get the MovieBeam Player box for just $69.99.

I don't know how long it will last, but that seems pretty reasonable. After all, the company is going to make it money on the $3 and $4 rentals anyway. At $70, the player is almost an impulse buy. And once you get it home, the rentals will be the same.

Lance Ulanoff of PC Magazine is all over the robot beat. His newest story reports on this new contender in the "cute robotic toy that resembles the Sony Aibo" category: the Genibo, from a South Korean company, DasaTech. Lance writes: "He features a loud bark, a snout-based camera and, if the video presentation is to be believed, the ability to interact with other Genibos."

Look for the Genibo sometime in 2007. To tide you over, take a look at this video of the Genibo doing its tricks.

Playing music on your iPod is so yesterday. There's lots of other things you can do these days. That is, if you own a video iPod. Sci Fi Tech rounded up a list of 5 Creative Uses for Your iPod. And creative they are.

1. Hungry and need to know which subway line to take to get to the nearest Quiznos? Simple. Before you head out on your excursion, go to iPodsubwaymaps.com and download maps for Manhattan, Boston, and other 21 cities to your iPod.

2. Not that articulate? Or maybe you just can't remember the right word for something. For less than $10, you can download Merriam-Webster's Pocket Dictionary on your iPod.

3. Online Dating on your iPod. (Hey, it worked for me!) PodDater lets you view short videos of prospective singles looking for a date via iTunes. Best of all, it's free! How does it work? Go online and view video profiles and see who makes your heart flutter. Then you can upload your favs to your iPod, or upload your own video.

4. The iPod can also help you get in shape. How? The software TrailRunner provides route planning for running, biking, hiking, skating, skiing, and more. Basically, it can calculate a route at a desired distance and export directions onto your iPod. But, it's only available for Macs.

5. Play Doom, Tetris, Mario Brothers and other games! That's right. You can play these games and more if you install Linux on your iPod. But, you better know what you're doing if you attempt this! (I'd have no clue, lol.)

So go out and try 'em!

[via FosForGadgets]

If you're been following the Cheap Geek, you know that I have a fondness for inexpensive LCDs to replace those old, heavy, fading CRTs on your desktop. TigerDirect has lowered the price on the Hanns-G HN199D to $149 after $140 in rebates. We recently got one of these in and initial results are pretty positive. It comes with Computer Associates' very capable eTrust Internet Security Suite, which includes anti-virus, ZoneAlarm's firewall, anti-spyware and more. Don't want the software? You could pay $179 to not get it. But why? Even if your protection is up-to-date, someone you know needs help.