Consumer Reports articles from February 2001

Consumer Reports archives from February 2001

Selling it.(labeling and ad anecdotes)(Humor)(Column)
February 1, 2001... Under the spreading chestnut twig... "We have 10 free flowering trees reserved for you," said a memo soliciting membership in The National Arbor Day Foundation. The mailing noted the "beauty and value... shade-providing trees can add to...

No-warning heart attacks.(Your Health)(Column)
February 1, 2001... It's a common--and unnerving--story: A man or woman who exercises diligently, doesn't smoke, and has normal weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels is suddenly felled by a heart attack. In fact, fully half of the people who develop...

Recalls: vehicles and equipment.
February 1, 2001... * '00 Buick, Chevrolet, GMC, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, and Saturn vehicles. Rear safety belts may not provide adequate protection in a crash. Models: 156,305 vehicles with TRW safety-belt buckle, made 4/00-5/00, including Buick Century and...

Recalls: household products.
February 1, 2001... * Century infant safety seats/carriers (various models) When used as a carrier, handle could break and allow infant to tumble to ground. Products: Approximately 4 million rear-facing safety seats/ carriers made 1/91-7/97 and sold for...

Small surprises.(Small Sedans)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... Small cars are coming of age. The latest models benefit from increasingly sophisticated safety features, more comfort and convenience features, and roomier, more efficient interior designs. For a relatively inexpensive price of between $14,000...

Minisystems: more ways to make sound simple.(Product Updates)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... As we noted in our November 2000 report, minisystems can offer decent sound quality in an economical, convenient package. The more elaborate examples of the breed have a CD recorder and dual cassette deck, or eschew the Stealth Fighter look...

Focus on frypans.(Product Updates)
February 1, 2001... As popular chef Emeril Lagasse might put it, cookware manufacturers are trying to "kick it up a notch" when it comes to the performance and sex appeal of those most prosaic of kitchen items, pots and pans. Lagasse himself figures in the...

MP3 players evolve as digital music digs in.(Product Updates)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... Despite highly publicized legal wrangles involving MP3.com and Napster, recent understandings between these music-distribution sites and some major record companies suggest that even the music industry realizes Internet music distribution is...

Wood or wood look?(special section - flooring)(Buyers Guide)(Industry Overview)
February 1, 2001... Deep gouges, split or warped boards, and other widespread damage are all reasons to replace a wood floor, rather than refinish it. Or, you may simply want to trade a threadbare carpet or a dingy vinyl floor for the warmth of wood. Either way, a...

The varnished truth: got a weary-looking wood floor?(special section - flooring)(Buyers Guide)
February 1, 2001... Refinishing an existing wood floor is your easiest option if only its surface is worn. At about 20 cents per square foot for the varnish, it's also far less expensive than the $4 to $8 per square foot you'll pay for new wood flooring. But...

Betting on death.(viatical insurance)(Buyers Guide)
February 1, 2001... Sarah Lorenti and Scott Ericsson have never met, yet the two are locked in a deal to the death. In early 1997, Lorenti and her husband, Raymond, then living in Naples, Fla., invested $50,000 to purchase a 22 percent share of Ericsson's $256,000...

Print for less.(computer printers)(Buyers Guide)
February 1, 2001... If you're shopping for a computer printer, odds are you're leaning toward an inkjet printer, currently the overwhelming favorite on the home front. Because they can print in color as well as black-and-white, inkjets are the best choice for...

America's fish: fair or foul?(Buyers Guide)
February 1, 2001... Fish is among the most perishable of foods, which is why Bud Knowles, director of quality control for the Stop & Shop Supermarket Co., which owns 270 stores in the Northeast, calls it "the most unforgiving item we sell." Unlike beef and...

Prescription for trouble.(online pharmacies)(Industry Overview)
February 1, 2001... One morning not long ago, CONSUMER REPORTS senior editor Tod Marks logged onto the Internet and did a simple search using the phrase "prescription drugs for sale." In seconds, the names of 150 sources appeared onscreen, nearly one-third of them...

Cellular without the static.(cell phone service plans)(Buyers Guide)(Industry Overview)
February 1, 2001... One day last July, someone somewhere in America walked into a storefront, clicked on a mouse, or dialed a toll-free number and signed up for cell-phone service. This unheralded event marked an impressive milestone: In just a decade, the...

Quick pick-me ups.(disposable dust cloths)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... When the dog and cat are shedding their winter coats, when guests are coming and there's no time to vacuum, when the ceiling fans and vents need dusting but you dread the dust shower that results, Pledge Grab-It, by SC Johnson, and Procter &...

Will this device save you fuel?(Platinum Gasaver)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... The Platinum Gasaver makes some impressive claims. The device, $188 for two, is guaranteed to increase gas mileage by 22 percent, says the manufacturer, National Fuelsaver. Further, the company quotes "the government" as concluding,"...

Boston Market frozen dinners.(Taste Test)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... The Boston Marketbrand of fast-food home-style dinners has a new home--your supermarket's frozen-meals section. H.J. Heinz, in a licensing deal with the restaurant chain, now sells ten frozen dinners under the Boston Market name. One in...

Your top gripes.(consumer complaints)(Trendwatch)
February 1, 2001... Consumer complaints about household goods--mainly big-ticket items such as computers, electronics, appliances, and furniture--are way up, so much so that the category is now among the top three that consumers gripe about. It even edges out car...

Avoid the airport pay-phone heist.
February 1, 2001... The conversation may be brief--a variation of "Honey, I've landed safely." But the cost of such an interstate call from an airport pay phone can be excessive--up to $7.66 for a three-minute call, or 60 times more than you need to pay. ...

A makeover for two Volvos: first look.(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... For 2001, they've been redesigned. The wagon is still called V70, but the sedan has been recast as a sports sedan and rechristened the S60. It's now 5 inches shorter (112 inches shorter at the wheelbase) than the wagon and it looks more...

Keeping houseplants happy.(potting soils)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... Potting soil with added time-released fertilizer is one of life's little problem solvers: You don't have to remember a fertilizing schedule or wonder about under- or overfertilizing. We tested Scotts Potting Soil Plus Fertilizer, $3.79 for 10...

New jump starts for hearts?(automated external defibrillators)
February 1, 2001... Thanks to an aggressive campaign by the American Heart Association (AHA) and medical-equipment makers, public buildings throughout the nation soon will have new easy-to-use defibrillators--laptop-size devices that can shock cardiac-arrest...

Learn what eco-labels really mean.(Editorial)
February 1, 2001... The grocery list used to be simple: bananas, coffee, maybe a box of granola bars. But now there are "Better Bananas," "Fair-Trade" coffee, and granola bars with The Nature Conservancy's logo. Everything from food to lumber sports...

Exploring the digital divide.
February 1, 2001... You've probably heard of the digital divide. It's the concept that, as digital technology profoundly changes how people communicate, work, shop, and participate in civic life, those who don't have a computer and Internet access are at a serious...