Our colleagues at Consumer Reports test all sorts of products to determine which are worth buying, and which aren’t. This month, they rounded up some laundry products currently on the market that aren’t worth picking up in the store: including a detergent blessed by Martha Stewart herself that wasn’t any more effective than plain water. [More]
consumer reports
New Kenmore Washer/Dryers Can Talk Directly To Tech Support
By 8.17.10
New Kenmore washer/dryers come equipped with voodoo science: when they have a service issue, you can dial the service number, press some buttons on the machine and then hold the phone up to the washer/dryer and it will transmit troubleshooting data directly through the phone to the company. “Over time, this technology will solve every problem. That’s our goal,” said a Kenmore product engineer. [More]
Consumer Reports Tests The Ab Coaster
By 8.4.10
The Ab Coaster promises to give you rock hard abdominals within weeks, so Consumer Reports decided to put their claims to the test. Especially the one about its patented “bottom up” method. [More]
How Would You Get Around iPhone 4's Death Grip Problem?
By 7.13.10
Yesterday, our more studious siblings at Consumer Reports made some headlines when they said they couldn’t recommend the iPhone 4 after lab tests confirmed reports that the device could lose its signal merely by being touched in one specific spot. As a quick-fix remedy, CR threw out the idea of using non-conductive tape like duct or electrical tape to cover the contact point. But we think there are some more creative ideas. [More]
Apple Deleting Any Mention Of Consumer Reports Findings From Support Forum Threads?
By 7.13.10
It would appear that Apple is unhappy with yesterday’s bad news from Consumer Reports over the iPhone 4. Hmm, or maybe it just looks that way due to a goofy software glitch. At any rate, CNET is reporting that the company’s forum moderators are deleting any mention of Consumer Reports’ findings that the antenna issue is an inherent design flaw, and not just a software issue. But maybe that’s for CR’s own benefit as well, since CNET says many of the posts were from iPhone 4 fans who were “vehemently” defending the phone. [More]
Consumer Reports Won't Recommend iPhone 4 Until Apple Fixes "Death Grip" Design Flaw
By 7.12.10
As we wrote last weekend, the tech types over at Consumer Reports had done some preliminary tests demonstrating that the reception on the new iPhone 4 dropped significantly when touched on a certain part of the device. Now, after more rigorous inspection, CR has announced that — in spite of the iPhone 4’s many positives — they just can’t recommend it right now. [More]
Consumer Reports Finds iPhone Signal Loss In "Informal Tests"
By 7.4.10
In “informal tests” this weekend, Consumer Reports has been able to “reproduce the signal loss that’s at the heart of the controversy” over the iPhone 4. And, no, it wasn’t just an inaccurate bar display, as Apple recently claimed. “The drop had a significant effect on both call success and quality,” according to CR. [More]
How To Take Better Pictures Of Fireworks
By 7.3.10
If you’re planning on snapping some pictures of fireworks this weekend, you may want to take a look at these tips from Consumer Reports first. While CR’s tips may seem most applicable to DSLRs, it’s possible to get decent fireworks shots with “advanced” compacts. The key: manual controls. Or you can just set the camera to its built in fireworks mode, and be done with it.
Consumer Reports Video Faceoff: Droid X vs. iPhone 4
By 6.30.10
Playing like a polite re-enactment of a gadget blog comments section flame war, two Consumer Reports journalists pit the features of the iPhone 4 against the new Droid X in this video thunderdome. Who will win? Will the iPhone’s Retina blind the Droid’s amber oculus? Or will the Droid’s tapered top-knob bash the iPhone into shards? “Two phones enter… one phone leaves…” [More]
Consumer Reports: New iPhone Is Best Ever
By 6.25.10
Consumer Reports sent their intrepid shoppers to wait on line for the iPhone 4 Thursday morning, and rushed the new models back to their labs. Their initial assessment: “Based on the first few hours of using this fourth-generation Apple smart phone, it’s the best iPhone yet.” [More]
Dyson's Freaky Air Multiplier Really Works
By 6.21.10
Dyson claims that its Air Multiplier, which looks sort of like an interdimensional portal from a bad sci-fi movie, can “generate smooth, uninterrupted airflow with no unpleasant buffeting” and “amplify the surrounding air.” And according to the lab geeks at Consumer Reports, it really works. Too bad that, at $300, it’s priced closer to an interdimensional portal from a bad sci-fi movie. [More]
Want A Good, Cheap Chardonnay This Summer? Try 7-Eleven
By 6.14.10
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]
Colbert Visits The Consumer Reports Labs
By 6.9.10
Stephen Colbert nearly breaks some plates, puts aluminum foil in the microwave, and hits on some sexy spinning robot ladies when he visits the Consumer Reports labs in part 2 of the series. He also asks the head of testing, “How did the Bible rate against the Koran?” [More]
Science Shows That Martha Stewart's Laundry Is Probably Stained
By 6.8.10
Those lovable nerds over at Consumer Reports decided to test laundry detergents — and what they found when they tested Martha Stewart’s detergent… well, it ain’t pretty. [More]
Consumer Reports Shows Some Love For The Ove Glove
By 6.7.10
I always get nervous when I find out that our labcoat-loving kin at Consumer Reports are about to test a product that I’ve grown to be fond of. It’s like taking one of those online IQ tests and worrying that somehow you’re going to find out you’re nowhere near as smart as your mom always said you were. Thus, I’ve been curious and anxious to find out the results of CR’s test on the Ove Glove, the Kevlar-containing oven mitt that has helped me fetch any number of piping hot items from the heart of a fire-breathing oven. [More]
Colbert Report Takes On Consumer Reports
By 6.4.10
Stephen Colbert paid a visit to our scientific siblings over at Consumer Reports, and got some shocking admissions from testing head Liam “Larry” McCormack, including the fact that the organization has never tested whether being electrocuted by a toaster makes you immune to electricity. (Alas, he did not ask about CR’s groundbreaking tests of the KFC Double Down or Snuggie, but there’s always Part II.) [More]
Indoor Tanning Quadruples Risk Of Skin Cancer
By 5.27.10
Think that tanning bed is safer than the evil ol’ sun? Not quite. A new study from the American Association for Cancer Research has determined that frequent use of tanning beds can quadruple your risk of skin cancer. But, hey, you’ll look great, and isn’t that the first step to good health? [More]
Witness The Horrific Abuse Humans Endure In The Name Of Testing Bug Repellent
By 5.27.10
Help! Consumer Reports is run by mad scientists who subject hapless humans to their cruel experiments — all in the name of determining which bug repellent works the best. Ok, so the testers are paid professionals and the bugs are disease-free. It sounds more fun the other way, doesn’t it? [More]
