Remember Beacon? This is not Beacon, Amazon wants you to know. The retailer has launched a new program where you can connect your Amazon account to your Facebook account, but it promises it won’t broadcast your purchases or bug your friends. Instead, the connection seems designed to funnel all the likes and favorites on your Facebook account (and those of your friends as well) into Amazon’s giant brain, so it can refine its shopping recommendations. Oh, and it will remind you of upcoming birthdays. [More]
Use This Chart To Pick The Best Smartphone
By June 30, 2010
Lifehacker reader Apollo Clark has put together a matrix that compares seven of the most popular and/or feature-packed smartphones on the market, as well as the iPad for some reason. If you’re planning on trading up to a fancy new phone/multimedia device in the next couple of months, it’s worth checking out to see which phones best align with your wish list. [More]
Here Are The Best American Pale Ales
By June 29, 2010
If you haven’t tasted a Flying Dog Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale, you’re missing out on a “fresh, balanced and lively” drink that’s “almost Pilsner-like,” says a panel of beer experts in the New York Times. The Flying Dog took top honors in a taste test of 20 American pale ales, followed by Long Trail, Stoudts, Sly Fox, and Otter Creek. If you can’t remember these smaller labels this weekend on your way to the cookout, you can always stick with Sam Adams pale ale, which placed seventh. [More]
Want A Good, Cheap Chardonnay This Summer? Try 7-Eleven
By June 14, 2010
No, seriously. According to taste tests performed by wine experts at Consumer Reports, Yosemite Road chardonnay–which is sold by 7-Eleven for around $5 a bottle–is among the top four “very good” recommendations by the magazine in its July issue. [More]
Need Sunscreen? Here Are The Ones Consumer Reports Likes
By May 31, 2010
It’s Memorial Day! There is sunshine out my window, and it’s calling me to come bathe in it! But before I go get arrested for public nudity in the park, I’m going to apply some decent sunscreen that blocks both UVB rays and UVA rays. Consumer Reports tested sunscreens recently and says these are the top 4 products in terms of effectiveness. All of them are sprays, and fortunately the top scorer is also the second cheapest in the entire test group. [More]
Need A Blender? Here Are The Ones Consumer Reports Likes
By May 31, 2010
Consumer Reports recently tested the drink-making abilities of over 40 blenders, and then they passed out in a pool of frozen margarita. But seriously folks, you don’t need to spend $400 on a Blendtec “Total Blender”–there’s a $40 Oster model “did just as well.” [More]
Don't Bother Visiting The Grand Canyon Skywalk
By August 27, 2009
Update: We asked the Skywalk to confirm that they have a “no-refunds” policy. Their answer is at the bottom of this post.
By October 14, 2008
This $10 silicone bib for babies is stain-proof and non-porous, and it forms a scoop (you might even say a trough) underneath baby’s uncooperative mouth, so that food items end up there instead of on the baby, table, floor, dog, etc. It can even be thrown in the dishwasher. [Cool Tools]
Vodka Is Pretty Much The Same No Matter What Brand You Buy
By May 23, 2008
In what may have been the most awesome blind taste test ever, a BusinessWeek writer served his friends chilled shots of various brands of vodka to see whether there was any noticeable difference in taste. His argument was that vodka is a neutral spirit and by definition is nearly indistinguishable from one brand to the next—and that consequently the “brand story” (including country of origin) is really all that separates a Grey Goose drinker from a Ketel One alkie. To test this, he asked his subjects to pick their favorite brands from shots and mixed drinks.
Alternatives To Fire-Prone Turkey Fryers
By November 17, 2007
A turkey fryer has never really sounded like a safe way to cook—there’s just something inherently stupid about the act of dropping a dead bird the size of a basketball into a vat of boiling oil, no matter how tasty the outcome. According to TheStreet.com, “Turkey fryers are a known cause of many fires, so much so that the National Fire Protection Association advises against their use.” TheStreet test-drives an alternative, the $129 Char-Broil Big Easy oil-less fryer, which Char-Broil describes as “Just like a turkey fryer, minus the boiling, hot oil and visits from your local firefighters.” According to TheStreet, it doesn’t leave the skin as crispy as a real fryer would, but otherwise works great.
10 Great Wines For $10 Or Less
By September 24, 2007
The sommeliers who read The Consumerist may scoff, but there are actually some decent wines available for $10 or less, or so says the New York Times food critics.
Tecnu Washes Away Poison Ivy Oils Instead Of Just Dulling The Itch
By August 13, 2007
We got some poison ivy and first we tried our Hot/Cold water method. In this, first you run hot water on the rash until it’s so hot you can’t stand it. Then hold it there. Then flip the water to freezing. Your nerves will be so freaked out they won’t know how to itch for the next few fours.
By July 6, 2007
You can apply the principles of the Getting Things Done book to all aspects of your Consumerist lifestyle, from following through on a resolution to draft a budget, to remembering to call customer service, to funding your IRA.
Laid Back Bombay Furniture Does Right
By October 10, 2006
Bombay Furniture might be a bit laid-back in their customer service department. It might be a bit hard to get them to do something. But it’s sweet that they’ll take responsibility for other companies’ fuck-ups to guarantee your satisfaction.
Live Nation Continues To Rock!
By September 29, 2006
Every time Carrie writes us, I talk about what a sexy little minx she is. To be frank, I don’t know her. She could be fat as the queen of all sea cows for all I know; a decade of heavy cocaine use might have turned her nose into a flabby, cartilageless sack. But she’s got spunk! She’s got moxy! And she is unwaveringly optimistic! And hey, that’s sex appeal.
Monday Morning Readers Round-Up
By September 25, 2006
I mentioned it a bit earlier today, but companies are starting to read this blog. Last week, complaints about T-Mobile, Coinstar and Cingular led to direct intervention from the companies.
