Choice (Chippendale, Australia) articles from April 2009

Choice (Chippendale, Australia) archives from April 2009

Consumer anguish over CPRS.(Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme )(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Over the next few months, the Climate Change Bill will be argued in federal parliament. The Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme White Paper, released in December 2008, announced weaker targets than expected of only 5% to 15% (depending on...

Cancer research updates: while there's concern about older women missing out on breast cancer screening, there's hope for a less invasive prostate cancer test for men.(HEALTH)
April 1, 2009... Breast cancer Women aged over 69 years are failing to access free breast cancer screening, according to recent research, because they no longer receive regular reminder letters, despite 26% of all new breast cancer cases occurring in this age...

Pharmacy diet plans.(CHOICE FORUM OF THE MONTH)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Our investigation into pharmacy diet plans [CHOICE, Feb 2009] generated quite a response from consumers as well as pharmacy industry associations. Go to www.choice.com.au/pharmdietpLans to read what members say about...

Navigating the MPS maze: a new website promises you better information about mobile premium services. But will it deliver?(MOBILE PREMIUM SERVICES)(Website overview)
April 1, 2009... A new online consumer guide to mobile premium services (MPS), www.19sms.com.au, has been launched by the industry group Communications Alliance. The site has a 19 Service Finder that can be used to find the name of the content provider, charges...

Life insurance in one click: you can now take out life insurance online in less than 10 minutes, but you may be paying dearly for it.(LIFE INSURANCE)
April 1, 2009... Life insurance policies are now available online direct from the insurance company. Application and approval is quick and easy; no medical assessment or blood test is required. But life insurance broker Lifebroker warns some of these policies...

Industry calls for review: increasing floods and fires signal a changing climate, but are our homes built to withstand the onslaught?(HOME INSURANCE)
April 1, 2009... Victoria's recent bushfires have sparked much debate about the suitability of Australian housing standards in an environment increasingly subject to extreme weather conditions. The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) is calling for changes to...

A spot of trouble ahead? While measles is under control in Australia, it still pays to be vigilant.(HEALTH)
April 1, 2009... Australia has been declared measles-free, with less than one case per million people annually in recent years. The few cases that do pop up each year are largely among non-immune travellers who bring the virus home from overseas. But despite...

The flight to cash: investors are switching in droves from shares to safer options, but timing is critical.
April 1, 2009... Superannuation's disaster year has prompted many fund members to abandon balanced and growth options in preference for more conservative cash and fixed interest funds, but they could be unwittingly "crystallising their losses", according to...

Clarification: Shadecloth, February 2009.(Consumer News)(Correction notice)
April 1, 2009... In the image on page 18, we stated that a fabric "claims 'UV Extrablock'", but the manufacturer has informed us Extrablock is the brand name and claims "maximum protection against harmful UVR rays" on the product and 95.5% UVR protection in its...

Recycling print cartridges.
April 1, 2009... As part of its national campaign, Cartridges 4 Planet Ark's annual recycling day is 22 April. So far, the campaign has diverted more than nine million cartridges from landfill into recycling. Specially marked recycling boxes are in many stores....

Weight loss surgery.
April 1, 2009... Medicare data shows an average annual increase of 40% in gastric banding and bypass surgery since 2006. While it may leave patients a few thousand dollars out of pocket, costs could be recouped relatively quickly through savings in medication...

Too much to gain.(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... During menopause, women often add a few centimetres to their waistline, despite unchanged eating habits. A recently published paper reports that one reason is a sudden drop in activity levels, to half their pre-menopausal levels. Lack of...

Picturing the location: along with sharp, clear images, this camera also captures your geographical location for posterity.(GPS CAMERA)(Nikon Coolpix)(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] We've seen GPS devices that can update continuously, show where the user has been and give directions, but what about a product that tags photos with the location? Nikon has released the Coolpix P6000 for anyone...

Backup, backup: automatically store your precious files securely offsite for peace of mind.(ONLINE STORAGE)
April 1, 2009... Are all your important computer files safely backed up, right this very minute? If this thought gives you even a twinge of anxiety, it's time to do something about it. Even if you backup regularly to a local hard drive, you may still lose vital...

Internet radio goes mobile: play internet radio or your own music files wirelessly or over an Ethernet connection.(NETWORK MUSIC PLAYER)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Logitech Squeezebox Boom is made for constantly connected people, streaming music either over the internet or from a personal computer. Resembling a large clock radio, the Squeezebox has a subdued design with a...

Garden lights.(Coming)
April 1, 2009... Although some improvements have been made in solar garden lights since CHOICE last tested them, more work is still needed before they can be considered anything other than decorative. We compare solar lights with 12V models. [ILLUSTRATION...

Refrigerators.(Coming)
April 1, 2009... Some fridges are still being put out into the market labelled with energy claims that differ from their actual performance. Find out which models are the best buys in each size range as well as which have a good fresh food cooling speed to...

Car GPS.(Coming)
April 1, 2009... A GPS device should not be a substitute for your personal judgment and common sense when driving. While most perform well, none we tested were correct all of the time and most could improve in locations beyond the major cities. We've found some...

Superheated solar.(Emails Letters)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Your article on solar hot water systems (www.choice.com.au and search for 'solar') provided some helpful advice. I had an evacuated tube system installed in November. Alas, I was ignorant at that stage of the perils...

Security risk.(Emails Letters)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2009... My mum has just started doing our family tree at an online website. I told her she is creating a security risk for all of us because the website asks for dates of birth of family members, places of birth, maiden names, names of brothers and...

Thumbs up!(Emails Letters)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * CHOICE staff member, Alister Sharp (left) of Hunters Hill, NSW, is very impressed with NRMA Insurance, who processed the write-off of his car simply and quickly. Then, while arranging insurance for a replacement...

Faulty phone, faulty service.(LETTER OF THE MONTH)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2009... As an alert to other CHOICE readers, I would like to share the following story. When I tried to exchange a brand new but faulty mobile phone for one that worked, the assistant in the Telstra Shop told me it is Telstra policy not to exchange...

Come fly with us: in the era of bargain travel, convenience and value are king when it comes to booking a domestic flight, our CHOICE survey found.(CHOICE survey: Domestic airlines)(Survey)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Since Tiger Airways became Australia's third budget airline in late 2007, domestic air travel has never been more affordable. With return airfares between some capitals now costing less than $50, including taxes,...

Not quite like mother made: many supermarket cakes are packed with additives, including artificial colours linked to hyperactivity in children. We tell you which brands to avoid.(Food: Supermarket cakes)(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Make a cake at home and you're unlikely to use more than about six ingredients--butter, eggs, sugar, flour, milk and maybe chocolate, coconut or some fruit. But if you look at the ingredients listed on a cake from...

Off target: if a new bill becomes law, nearly a million households could be paying for renewable energy that does nothing to reduce Australia's greenhouse gas emissions.(Report: Renewable energy)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When CHOICE members Cath and Wally signed up for GreenPower in 2007, they wanted to make a difference to the environment. They knew government-accredited renewable energy would cost extra, but were prepared to pay a...

Just not the ticket: not all ticketing agencies are created equal--or charge equally. CHOICE finds out why and exposes the hidden costs to watch for.(Investigation: Ticket prices)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] You wanted tickets to Shore Thing--the annual New Year's Eve dance music event held at Bondi Beach--and found tickets going for two different prices. If you bought the ticket from Moshtix, one of the smaller national...

Share the wealth: the plunging share market is attracting savvy bargain hunters. CHOICE guides first-time investors through the options.
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In the past 18 months Australian shares have followed world indices deep into the red, falling by over 50% (see graph below). It's been the second-worst crash in our share market's history, and a devastating time for...

101 Ways to your wallet: advertising is no longer about a simple billboard or a catchy jingle. CHOICE reveals the latest tricks companies use to catch our attention and open our wallets.(Report: Marketing tactics)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] You may be surprised to learn that in an average day--commuting to work, buying a coffee or lunch, shopping, exercising, dropping your kids off at school and so on--it's likely you'll have been exposed to as many as...

Hey, big spender: credit and charge card loyalty schemes reward high spenders, but you can easily lose out. CHOICE crunches the numbers to find the most rewarding cards.(Money: Loyalty schemes)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The sheer number of reward credit and charge cards on the market is one of the biggest indicators of their popularity, but you have to be increasingly canny to make sure you--and not the financial institutions-are...

Are you allergic? Remember when peanut butter sandwiches were a staple on every kitchen table? Now, nut allergy rates are soaring. CHOICE investigates why, and what can you do if you think you have an allergy.(Health: Allergies)
April 1, 2009... Australia has one of the highest allergy rates in the world, and the number of people affected is growing at an astonishing rate. The number of children aged under five ending up in hospital with a life-threatening allergic reaction...

Drying times: not all clothes dryers are as quick and convenient as you might hope. CHOICE finds out which models do the job well--and fastest.(Test: Clothes dryers)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In a country the size of Australia, the need for a clothes dryer fluctuates wildly from Tasmania through to the dry interior. But there is no arguing that when you need your clothes dried quickly, and in the absence...

Pocket rockets: we test 26 compact and bridge cameras so you can see which type is best for you.(Test: Compact & bridge cameras)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... There are three basic categories of digital camera: compact, bridge and single lens reflex (SLR)--see CHOICEs November 2008 test of SLR models. "Bridge" is a term used to describe a camera that fits somewhere between a compact and an SLR. For...

Light my fire: no longer just a useful appliance, cooktops are now stylish and flexible.(Test: Gas cooktops)(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Design freedom for the homeowner is a major selling point of a cooktop, as they give you the flexibility of having a separate oven placed anywhere in the kitchen, at waist level or higher if required. With their...

Hands-on approach: these handheld vacuum cleaners are handy for cleaning up small messes.(Test: Handheld vacuum cleaners)(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2009... Handheld vacuum cleaners have come a long way since CHOICE last tested them in 2000. Generally, they run longer and are much better at picking up dirt and debris, including pet hair. However, they are also more expensive--in some cases, much...

Multifunction, multi-cost: don't be taken in by inexpensive printers--you'll pay big dollars in the long term.(Test: Multifunction printers)
April 1, 2009... A multifunction printer that prints high-quality documents and glossy photos, as well as copies, scans and faxes, is a smart way to save space in your home office. However, it may not save you much else as ink costs can make them expensive to...

Less clutter, less quality: if portability is more important than sound quality, these headphones may be a good fit.
April 1, 2009... If you find yourself turning up the TV to compensate for hearing shortcomings, or listening to music only you enjoy, headphones are a great alternative to being told to keep the noise down. These wireless headphones use signals such as radio...

Stable at the table: high chairs should be stable, sturdily built and safe.(Test: High chairs)(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Pumpkin puree on the parquetry should be the only kind of spill that happens during a child's meal time. Other spills, where the child falls from the high chair or it topples over, must be avoided at all costs....

Recalls & bans.(List)
April 1, 2009... Nowadays there are so many product recalls we may not be able to print all of them in CHOICE. For comprehensive recall information go to the Product Recalls Australia website: www.recalls.gov.au. If you don't have web access, call the Product...

The right medicine? CHOICE believes more extensive health care reforms are still needed.(HEALTH CARE)
April 1, 2009... In February 2009, following a comprehensive review of the health system in Australia, the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission released its interim report containing 116 proposals for health care reform. The following are key...

What about your social responsibility? CHOICE works hard to help consumers make informed, ethical purchasing decisions.(CONSUMER SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY)
April 1, 2009... Australia's Corporate Social Responsibility Index defines CSR as "the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development, while improving the quality of life of the workforce, their families and the...