Consumer Reports articles from December 2003

Consumer Reports archives from December 2003

Take a number.(have you heard?)(cell-phone numbers)
December 1, 2003... I get lousy coverage from my cell-phone service. So, I plan to switch carriers. But I'm waiting until Nov. 24 to make the change. You see, I want to keep my cell-phone number, and the Federal Communications Commission has set that as the date...

Bah humbug: gift cards that stop giving.(Up front: news / trends / advice)
December 1, 2003... Jake and Kendal Martin, ages 8 and 10, of Edmond, Okla., were thrilled by their Uncle Jack's birthday present: $25 Visa gift cards they could use to buy merchandise wherever Visa cards are accepted. Nearly a year later, as the cards were to...

Beware of the yo-yo ball.(Safety Alert)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... A widely sold toy introduced last year poses significant safety concerns. Yo-yo balls, a.k.a, water balls, are soft, rubbery objects that are filled with fluid and have an elastic cord. At the end of the cord is a loop that fits over a finger...

First look: product: GE profile harmony washer and dryer Clothes Care System.(Up front: news / trends / advice)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... The name alone--Clothes Care System--hints that these are not your average washday workhorses. They're billed as the first washer-dryer pair that communicate electronically: Via a wire, the washer sends load data to the dryer, which picks a...

When sharing (music) is illegal.(Up front: news / trends / advice)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... To stem the widespread copying of music online, the Recording Industry Association of America recently began suing people who use peer-to-peer (P2P) software to share copyrighted music via the Internet. The RIAA has announced settlements in 52...

Buzz, wiggle ... and rinse.(Up front: news / trends / advice)(electric toothbrushes )(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... 'Round and 'round is so square. Now electric toothbrushes oscillate, wiggle, and buzz. Many such electrics cost about $50 to $150, but Colgate, Crest, and Oral-B have introduced models that cost far less. A dozen staffers who brush with...

Costly cook's tool comes up short.(Up front: news / trends / advice)(HeartKit ceramic oven insert)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... HeartKit, a ceramic oven insert, seems like a holiday baker's dream: It's supposed to make a plain oven behave like a brick oven for baking crusty loaves of bread, nicely browned cookies, and crispy-crust pizza. In our tests, however,...

Claim check.(Up front: news / trends / advice)(Conair Hair Removal System)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The claim: Using a rotating abrasive pad, the Conair Hair Removal System claims to pulverize hair on legs or arms (not the face or anyplace else), leaving no cuts, no irritation, and no pain--just a bit of hair dust that you wipe off. Results...

Extended warranty? Ho, ho, no!(Up front: news / trends / advice)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... At this time of year, salespeople are apt to offer peace of mind and good will in the form of an extended warranty. But such warranties--about $60 to $300 for three years' coverage, depending on the product--are rarely a good investment. The...

Identity theft.(your letters)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2003... Your article on ID theft in the October issue was excellent. An individual's driver's license is one of the most obvious sources of a name, Social Security number, date of birth, and address. I counsel my clients to have the state registry...

Drugstore showdown.(your letters)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2003... I just finished reading "Time to Switch Drugstores?" in the October issue, and I thought you'd like to know about the experience of a friend of mine. Since her medical-insurance plan allows her to purchase for one co-payment up to a 90-day...

Driving blind.(your letters)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2003... Concerning your October report on backup devices, "Driving Blind," a simple no-cost solution is to back into the driveway, as one usually sees that it is clear when one drives up. Having backed in when it is clear, you can then drive out facing...

Exterior paints.(your letters)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2003... In the exterior-paint report in August, why didn't you review all popular store brands? RICHARD SMITH BELLEVUE, NE Several leading brands changed paint and stain formulations during or after our three-year tests. We don't include such...

Corrections.
December 1, 2003... * A Ratings chart in the September printers report incorrectly noted that the HP 1000 LaserJet has a parallel port. It does not. * In the October drugstore report, a Ratings chart incorrectly stated that South Dakota lacks Wal-Mart stores....

IBM expands computer monitor recall.(recalls & safety alerts)
December 1, 2003... IBM has widened its recall of G51 and G51t Touch Screen computer monitors, first announced in March, to include an additional 63,000 units that could overheat, smoke, and possibly catch fire. At issue is a potentially faulty circuit-board...

Best gifts.(Buyers Guide)
December 1, 2003... Here is the only gift list you'll need this season: The very best of some 2,800 products that we put to the test in the past year. These selections include everything from inexpensive headphones to near-fitness-club-quality treadmills, plus...

DVD players: the movie machine diversifies.(home Entertainment)
December 1, 2003... The DVD has come to dominate video even more quickly and dramatically than the CD conquered audio in the 1980s and 1990s. By the end of this year, more than half of U.S. homes are expected to have a DVD player, up from barely one in seven...

DVD recorders: time to toss the VCR?(best gifts)
December 1, 2003... While DVD players are replacing VCRs as the main movie machine in many homes, most TV watchers are still using VCRs to record programs. But DVD is poised to drive out videotape entirely to become your recording medium, too. Prices for DVD...

Television beyond the tube.(Special Section)
December 1, 2003... Cable TV revolutionized TV programming a generation ago, giving us new choices beyond the broadcast networks. Now the TV set itself is undergoing a transformation that's just as significant. Today's market offers TVs so thin and light that...

Direct-view TVs: still prime time.(best gifts)
December 1, 2003... Though new TV technologies are making more of a splash, direct-view TVs--the kind with a picture tube--continue to be the choice of many consumers. Many of these sets offer fine picture quality at a low price. Even within this familiar group,...

Wine bargains: values in chardonnay & merlot.
December 1, 2003... Wine lovers have an extra reason for rejoicing this holiday season: The odds of finding good-quality wines at low prices are increasing. That's the result, in part, of two developments whose effects can be seen in our latest Ratings of...

Mail-order entrees: foods that go the distance.(best gifts)
December 1, 2003... Convenience helps explain why online food and beverage sales are booming. They are expected to reach $3.7 billion this year, a rise of some 40 percent over 2002, according to Forrester Research, a firm that tracks online commerce. Convenience...

Processors & mixers: the prep squad.(best gifts)
December 1, 2003... Food processors and mixers now run the gamut from basic, light-duty models that cost as little as $10 to the SUVs of the kitchen counter: multitasking workhorses that sell for $300 or more. Paying more typically gets you not only the power and...

Electric grills: sizzling choices.(best gifts)
December 1, 2003... George Foreman's Lean Mean Grilling Machine--and more than a dozen variations made by Salton--have just about KO'd rival indoor electric grills, winning almost 80 percent of sales. In fact, at many stores, Georges are your only choice. But in...

Toys: ready, set, go!(best gifts)
December 1, 2003... If weaning your kids from the screen is a priority for the new year, you're in good company. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is so concerned that the nation's kids are becoming less fit in front of TV and computer screens that it...

Desktop computers: getting down to realities.(best gifts)
December 1, 2003... Shopping for a desktop can be perplexing. The computer industry only adds to the confusion by hyping pricey new technologies that often deliver few immediate benefits for most consumers. How many gigahertz do you really need? Can you get enough...

Ski helmets: safety on the slopes.(best gifts)
December 1, 2003... Who knows whether Michael Kennedy or Sonny Bono would have survived if they'd been wearing helmets when each crashed into a tree while skiing six years ago. But doctors have little doubt about 5-year-old Eliot Levmore of Chicago. During a...

Weight-loss drug fattens heart risks.(CR health)(Meridia)
December 1, 2003... Is the diet drug sibutramine (Meridia) too dangerous to stay on the market? The Health Research Group at Public Citizen, a Washington-based consumer-advocacy organization, says it is, citing adverse events reported to the Food and Drug...

Pain reliever gets buff.(names & claims)(Tylenol 8 Hour)
December 1, 2003... "Not playing is not an option," say TV and magazine ads for Tylenol 8 Hour, a newly launched extended-release pain reliever. The ads show twenty-somethings running, rock climbing, kickboxing, and playing basketball so hard that they hurt. ...

Did you know?(CR health)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Whether dairy products agree with you may depend on your ethnic background. Lactose intolerance affects up to 95 percent of Native Americans, 90 percent of Asian Americans, 70 percent of African Americans, 60 percent of Jewish Americans, and 50...

Is your homeowners policy under water?(CR money)
December 1, 2003... If you own a home, its value has increased 24 to 67 percent, on average, just in the last five years. But if you haven't updated your homeowners insurance and a disaster occurs, those big gains could evaporate. About 64 percent of U.S....

A new formula for fun: sports cars the best blend a double dose of performance with a pinch of practicality.
December 1, 2003... The stereotypical image of a sports car is a small, low-slung two seater, with little or no rear-passenger space and barely enough cargo room to carry groceries. The reality, however, is changing. New designs are blending high performance with...

A challenging year for U.S. consumers.(View point: the consumers union perspective)
December 1, 2003... Media mega-mergers. Spiraling prices of prescription drugs. Staggering numbers of identity-theft victims. As the year closes, consumers face high-stakes battles in those and other areas of a complex, ever-changing marketplace. Consumers...

Brisker brushing.(then & now)
December 1, 2003... Judging from patent records, designing toothbrushes is as big a pastime as building better mousetraps. Electrified brushes certainly made things easier for consumers--if they survived their brushing regimen. Our 1962 tests included the...

Ready, world?(Selling it: goofs / glitches / gotchas)(Bow-Lingual translates dog barks)
December 1, 2003... Ever wonder what Fido is thinking when baying at the moon or whimpering at the weimaraner next door? Now there's Bow-Lingual. A Japanese product sold in the U.S. since mid-August. it's a battery-operated device designed to translate dog barks....

How green is my paper?(Selling it: goofs / glitches / gotchas)(Nature's Own Green Label Paper Plates)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Nature's Own Green Label Paper Plates. They sound great for the environment. Must be made of recycled paper, right? Well, no, but the label says they are "made from 100% paper; a renewable natural resource." Just like any other paper plate.

Ready, aim, floss.(Selling it: goofs / glitches / gotchas)
December 1, 2003... A reader who spotted these signs in Houston provided the perfect explanation. "I'm guessing," he wrote, "this dentist caters to those Texans who 'shot their mouth off.' "

The new shape is here!(Selling it: goofs / glitches / gotchas)(new shape in Apple Jacks cereal)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... For anyone who missed it, Kellogg has announced the winner of a competition for a new shape to appear in its Apple Jacks cereal: blue carrot pieces. Blue carrots won out over brown bananas and orange discs. What amused two Indianapolis readers...