How to get free books, music, movies on your phone, tablet
Given it’s the start of February, chances are you recently paid off your credit card bills tied to holiday shopping.
But just because cash might be tight doesn’t mean you can’t afford entertainment -- like movies, TV shows, music, books, and games – on your smartphone, tablet, or laptop.
If you know where to look, there’s no shortage of high-quality, legal and completely free media to consume at home or on the go.
You already know about downloadable games and apps you don’t need to pay for, but there’s so much more to take advantage of.
The following is a look at a few suggestions.
Free ebooks
Why buy books when you can borrow them instead?
Using the free Overdrive app, you can borrow ebooks and audiobooks from your local library. And it’s not just the classics, but current New York Times bestsellers, too.
Borrowing books digitally means you don’t have to physically make your way to a library, plus you’ll never face late fees again. All you need is your library card and the free OverDrive (overdrive.com) installed on your favorite phone or tablet.
For free classics in the “public domain,” be sure to check out Project Gutenberg, which offers more than 53,000 free ebooks to download or read online. Popular picks include Great Expectations (Charles Dickens), Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen), Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll), and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle).
Free music
Rather than buying music by track or paying for a monthly subscription service, those who are tight on cash might consider the free version of Spotify, a stellar digital music, podcast, and video streaming service that gives you instant access to millions of songs and other content.
Playable on smartphones, tablets and computers, simply type in the name of the artist, song or genre you like -- or browse by Charts, Moods, New Releases, Discover, and other sections.
Upgrading to Spotify Premium gives you access to high-quality streaming of more than 30 million tracks, no ads, support for offline play, and more.
Also consider the free TuneIn Radio app and website, which gives you access to more than 100,000 radio stations from around the world – from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe – and all searchable by genre, country or popularity. This also includes local radio stations, Internet-only ones, and countless podcasts, too.
Other recommended sites and apps for free music: Archive.org and iHeartRadio.
Free TV shows, movies
All the major TV networks – like ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX -- let you watch live or prerecorded shows on their respective websites and apps. For example, go to nbc.com (or download the NBC app) and you can watch episodes of Law & Order: SVU, The Voice, Celebrity Apprentice, Superstore, Timeless, The Wall, Dateline, This Is Us, Saturday Night Live, and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Sure, they have commercials, but hey, free is free.
Along with an entire section devoted to free films, YouTube has many episodes of mostly older TV shows, but can be a great way to relax on a lazy Sunday afternoon -- maybe by connecting your computer to your big-screen television wirelessly through a Smart TV, Chromecast or Roku, or via an HDMI cable (which you can buy at your local dollar store).
Also check out Hulu, Crackle, and tubiTV for free TV shows and movies.
Follow Marc on Twitter: @marc_saltzman. E-mail him at askmarcsaltzman@gmail.com.