Consumer Reports articles from September 2006

Consumer Reports archives from September 2006

This issue by the numbers.
September 1, 2006... ONLINE SAFETY Number of virus variants created to 5,500 test security software BANKING Readers who responded to our survey 11,187 CEREALS Number of bags or boxes of products opened for testing ...

Sleepless in ... well, everywhere.(Have You Heard?)
September 1, 2006... The irony isn't lost on us. A few years ago, the buzz was all about drugs for erectile dysfunction. Now the ailment of the week is insomnia. Seems we're never satisfied with what goes on between dusk and dawn. We don't take either of those...

Clean dishes for pennies per load.(up front: News / Trends / Advice)(Product/service evaluation)
September 1, 2006... Although none of the seven dishwasher detergents we just tested beat the top-rated product from our previous test, in May 2006 (Cascade 2-in-1 Action Pacs), there's good news: Three detergents were very good at about one-fourth the cost....

Test tap water for a drop in the bucket.(up front: News / Trends / Advice)(Watersafe All-In-One Drinking Water Test kit )(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The Watersafe All-In-One Drinking Water Test kit lets you easily and cheaply test your water for several common contaminants or conditions: bacteria, lead, two pesticides (atrazine and simazine), nitrate and nitrite, total chlorine, pH, and...

Does Hellmann's make for easy squeezing?(CLAIM CHECK)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The claim. Hellmann's new Easy Out squeeze package pledges "no waste" and no "scraping, shaking, or banging" to get those last stubborn globs of mayo from the bottom of the bottle. The check. We tested six Easy Out bottles against Hellmann's in...

Must-see TVs good choices in LCD and plasma sets.(up front: News / Trends / Advice)(Product/service evaluation)
September 1, 2006... With the fall TV season gearing up and football-season promotions promising extra savings, great deals are out there for flat-panel HDTVs. You'll see some 32-inch LCD sets advertised for less than $900, and 42-inch HD plasma models start at...

When the fur flies.(up front: News / Trends / Advice)(pet transportation through airlines)
September 1, 2006... At vacation time, Whiskers and Buster can be a burden, but they should rarely be baggage--at least checked baggage. In June 2005, the Safe Air Transport for Animals Act began requiring domestic airlines to report when animals flown on their...

First look.(up front: News / Trends / Advice)(Toyota Yaris)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Product: Toyota Yaris Full report: December 2006 The recently introduced Yaris is a direct descendant of the discontinued Echo, the previous smallest Toyota that lives on (mechanically, at least) in the Scion xA and xB. The Yaris...

Watch for gotchas at SAT prep sites.(up front: News / Trends / Advice)(Scholastic Assessment Test)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... "SAT" may be the most anxiety-inducing acronym in the high school student's vocabulary. Changes to the test in 2005 have left college hopefuls with an even greater need to be prepared and have helped spawn sites offering practice tests,...

Steaming devices one smoothed best.(up front: News / Trends / Advice)(Conair Steam Press FSP5, Home Touch Perfect Steam PS-200, Rowenta Expert Steam DG980)(Product/service evaluation)
September 1, 2006... Paying a dry cleaner to remove wrinkles from clothes may not be as pricey as paying for Botox to remove them from other places, but it's not cheap. So you might be tempted to buy a steamer to do the job. We used three--the Conair Steam Press...

Digital cameras.(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2006... July's Annual Photo Guide didn't mention that the sensors of digital SLRs tend to collect dust specks, which eventually become visible on the images. The more frequently you change lenses, the more dust you get. There are Web sites that take...

Best restaurants.(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2006... I read with avid interest "Best Restaurants" in the July issue. It addresses most of the criteria one considers in selecting a restaurant. However, an important health trend was overlooked, that of clean air. How well are restaurants...

Tuna.(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2006... In July's "Mercury in Tuna: New Safety Concerns," you devoted attention to canned tuna. I eat sushi once or twice a month and grill ahi once a month. Does raw tuna have the same mercury content as canned? MICHELLE STEINER CHANDLER, AZ ...

Laundry rooms.(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2006... Your July article "Laundry Rooms Near Living Space" didn't mention an alternative that could be less expensive and disrupting: a laundry chute. Ours is part of a small, convenient bookcase in the second-floor hallway with its opening to the...

Clarification.(Your Letters)(Correction notice)
September 1, 2006... The June report "Fat-Blocking Drug: Should You Use It?" stated that users of orlistat (Xenical) are supposed to take a multivitamin within two hours of taking the drug. We should have said that a multivitamin should be taken daily at least two...

Barbecue sauce.(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2006... Regarding your evaluation of barbecue sauces in June's Up Front, you also did one in July 1991. The difference between them is that in 1991 you didn't find any of the sauces to be excellent, so you published your own recipe. I tried it and was...

Unapproved cough and cold medicines linked to infant deaths.(Recalls & Safety Alerts)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The Food and Drug Administration has ordered drug companies to stop producing unapproved cough and cold remedies that contain carbinoxamine, an older sedating antihistamine linked to the deaths of 21 children under 2 years of age. Such...

'03-04 Jeep Grand Cherokee.(defects)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Electric heating elements in front passenger seat could overheat, posing risk of fire and injury to occupants. Models: 111,700 sport-utility vehicles. DaimlerChrysler has received 32 reports of fires. What to do: Have dealer replace...

'04-06 Toyota Prius.(defects)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Under certain conditions, steering assembly could loosen or crack, possibly resulting in loss of control and crash. Models: 170,000 hybrid vehicles. Hazard may occur if steering wheel is turned forcefully to the locked position at low speed...

'98-02 Volkswagen.(defects, Volkswagen of America Inc.)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Brake lights could fail or remain on, confusing other drivers and increasing risk of crash. Models: 362,000 cars, including '98-02 New Beetle and '99-02 Jetta. What to do: Have dealer replace brake light switch. For information, call...

'Wolfgang Puck' and various other beverages and soups in self-heating containers.(defects)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... May be contaminated with illness-causing bacteria as a result of leaky seals. Products: 600,000 10-ounce containers distributed since 3/05. The products were made by Lakeside Foods and include the following: Wolfgang Puck Rich Caramel...

Black & Decker automatic coffeemakers models TCM800 and TCM805.(HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Might not turn off as programmed, causing unit to overheat, melt, and possibly catch fire. Products: 420,000 8-cup coffeemakers sold 3/04 through 4/06 at home-improvement and discount department stores for about $40. The recalled...

Better banking: customer service is getting new attention, but watch out for those sneaky fees.
September 1, 2006... Where can you park your kids in a play area while you munch a little popcorn, watch a movie, or take a yoga class? Try your neighborhood bank. Our Personal Banking Survey of more than 11,000 CONSUMERREPORTS subscribers found high levels of...

Cereals & cereal bars: better granolas, cheaper flakes.(Buyers guide)
September 1, 2006... Is Tony the Tiger worth his stripes? Maybe not. For about half the price, you can buy a Kellogg's Frosted Flakes knockoff that's almost as grrreat. Our tests showed that the same is true for imitators of General Mills Cheerios and...

Store brands take on Tony, cheerios, and mini-wheats.(dollars & sense)(Product/service evaluation)
September 1, 2006... We pitted three top-selling cereals--Kellogg's Frosted Flakes, General Mills Cheerios, and Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats--against the smaller brand Malt-O-Meal and private-label knockoffs, some of which cost less than half as much. Sales...

Cyber insecurity: viruses * spam * spyware you're more vulnerable than you think.(CR INVESTIGATES)
September 1, 2006... Attacks on the Internet spread like measles across an animated world map in a war-room-style chamber. The red dots advancing across the projected continents signified attempts at unauthorized entry into enterprise or home computers, probably to...

Stay safe online: best software tools & strategies.(COMPUTER SECURITY)(Buyers guide)
September 1, 2006... Every time you go online, you step into the middle of a heated arms race. On one side, there's an invisible force of virus writers, spyware perpetrators, spammers, and con artists. On your side, an arsenal of software to detect and kill the...

Backup drives: essential but underused.(COMPUTER SECURITY)(Buyers guide)
September 1, 2006... Home computers hold a lot we care about, from pictures to music to letters. Yet most of us are surprisingly cavalier about copying that often-irreplaceable material to another location for safekeeping. One recent survey found that fewer than...

Canada extra: information from Consumer Reports[R] for Canadian readers.
September 1, 2006... IN THIS SPECIAL SECTION Ladders Flat-panel HDTVs Laptop computers Report: Online security Hatchbacks & minivan Recalls Contact info How to use the Canada Extra section Every month, Canada Extra provides...

The Canadian situation: in our first exclusive report for Canadian subscribers, we explore the state of the net in Canada to see how online threats compare with those in the U.S.(ONLINE SECURITY)
September 1, 2006... Canadians like to think they're safe from some of the worst crimes committed in the United States, but living north of the 49th parallel is no guarantee you'll escape the realities of Internet viruses and schemes. The Internet doesn't recognize...

Laptops: power up & prices down.(COMPUTERS)(Buyers guide)
September 1, 2006... The price of portability has plummeted, great news if you're in the market for a new computer. The average price of a laptop is now about $840, down from $1,091 just a few months back, according to Current Analysis, a Washington-based market...

Nursing homes: business as usual: two decades after the passage of a federal law to clean up the nation's nursing homes, bad care persists and good homes are still hard to find.(CR: INVESTIGATES)
September 1, 2006... In 1987, Congress passed a landmark law meant to improve nursing home care for the elderly. But our investigation reveals that poor care is still all too common, especially at nursing homes run by for-profit chains, now the dominant force in...

Ladders: some can extend your risk.(Buyers guide)
September 1, 2006... Household ladder injuries are one element of sweat equity you may not hear about on home-improvement shows. While human error may explain some of the roughly 180,000 emergency-room visits and 150 deaths reported each year by the Consumer...

Interior paints one-coat winners.(Buyers guide)
September 1, 2006... Choosing a color for your painting project can be fun, but it's not the most critical step. What really matters is finding a paint that covers previous coats well, stands up to stains and scrubbing, and lasts without fading. Fading...

Sleeping pills are they worth the risks?(CR: Health)(Buyers guide)
September 1, 2006... The green Luna moth that twinkles through TV ads for the sleeping pill Lunesta (eszopiclone) has been a hard insect to ignore. Since the April 2005 rollout of the drug, its manufacturer, Sepracor, has spent $227 million, making Lunesta the drug...

Homeowners insurance plugging the holes.(CR: Money)
September 1, 2006... Even if you haven't seen the latest disaster movie, last year's hurricanes and this year's tornadoes and floods have to make you wonder whether your homeowners insurance could withstand a major (or minor) disaster. What follows are some common...

Handy hatches: hatchbacks: the Mazda3 leads the field of four versatile alternatives to a small SUV.(Buyers guide)
September 1, 2006... Once a popular body style, hatchbacks nearly disappeared from the U.S. automotive landscape several years back. However, rising gasoline prices may be fueling a hatchback revival, as these vehicles offer the cargo flexibility of a small SUV...

News mergers threaten local coverage.(View point: THE CONSUMERS UNION PERSPECTIVE)
September 1, 2006... Despite 24-hour news channels and thousands of Web sites, most of us still turn to our local media outlets to find out what's going on in our communities. We expect our hometown newspapers and TV stations to cover the events that affect our...

Blue-collar soda? Yeah, we've got that.(selling it: Goofs / Glitches / Gotchas)
September 1, 2006... Whether you want to "party like a rock star" or picture yourself as an "influential cosmopolitan," Coca-Cola has a drink for you--or so it says. On a recent trip to a food-industry trade show, a CR reporter picked up some tidbits about how one...

What a deal!(selling it: Goofs / Glitches / Gotchas)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... "My son (who has no credit or job) received a credit card offer in the mail," a California reader wrote. The Tribute MasterCard's credit limit is $300--which is low, but that's not the problem. Check out the fees. "If he kept the card for 12...

Suave's vicious cycle.(selling it: Goofs / Glitches / Gotchas)(Suave Daily Clarifying Shampoo, labeling)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... A reader from New York was struck by dueling statements that appeared near each other on a bottle of Suave Daily Clarifying Shampoo he sent us late last year (see below). Now, Suave seems to have clarified the message. The newer bottle refers...

Gift rap.(selling it: Goofs / Glitches / Gotchas)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... We have absolutely no idea what this package is saying, but we like the part about the rarious high school.

... And no cellulite!(selling it: Goofs / Glitches / Gotchas)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... ... AND NO CELLULITE! Bet this real-estate agent was the butt of a few jokes.

A black hole award.(selling it: Goofs / Glitches / Gotchas)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... ... goes to Old London, for this box containing a lot of air and, oh yes, some Melba Snacks.