Have you ever used a muscle relaxer to treat muscle pain? In this video from our sister publication, Consumer Reports Health shows how that might not be the best first choice. [More]
consumer reports
Taste Tests Show Frozen Diet Meals Now Shockingly Edible
By 2.17.10
Our colleagues at Consumer Reports taste-tested frozen diet meals recently, finding them not just refreshingly frog-free, but surprisingly tasty! [More]
Science Reveals CVS Generic AA Batteries Suck
By 2.16.10
Our science-obsessed cousins over at Consumer Reports decided to test some AA batteries to see which ones were the best. The results? Generic CVS batteries suck! They took the fewest amount of pictures in CR’s digital cameras before giving out. [More]
iPhone Users Sucking Up 5 Times As Much Data As Blackberry Users
By 2.10.10
Just in case you didn’t already know this from all the times you’ve seen someone bust out their iPhone just to pull up imdb.com or Wikipedia to settle a bar bet, a new study published by our hot cousins at Consumer Reports shows that users of Apple’s super phone are using up to five times more data each month than Blackberry owners and nearly double that of other smart phones. [More]
Consumer Reports Science Shows Magic Jack Is Actually Worthwhile
By 1.6.10
Consumer Reports didn’t love Vince’s nuts, and their tests found that the Snuggie sheds like a pack of crazed Labrador retrievers. But in their article about informercial products this month, they did find one that their mad science shows actually works, provides good value, and is useful: the Magic Jack. [More]
Consumer Reports Science Proves Slap Chop Sucks
By 1.5.10
Consumer Reports decided to compare the infamous Slap Chop commercial to the actual reality of using a Slap Chop. Can you guess how this goes? [More]
Watch Out For Stricter Post-Holiday Return Policies This Year
By 12.22.09
If part of your plans this week involve trading in some of your holiday gifts for sweet, sweet cash, you may need to plan ahead. According to the National Retail Federation, 17% of stores have tightened their return policies since the end of last year. What should you know before you try to bring back that magenta scarf or duplicate toy? [More]
Senate Concerned About Buy.com's Aggressive Webloyalty Checkout Hardsell
By 12.17.09
Before you can finish your purchase at Buy.com, you have to go through an entire page trying to upsell you to the much-maligned Webloyalty program and click the tiny “no thanks” button at the bottom. You can find it located under the large YES! button. [More]
41% Of Sudden Acceleration Complaints Are Toyotas. That's A Lot.
By 12.7.09
Here’s a beauty contest you don’t want to win: 41% of the 2008 model safety complaints about “sudden acceleration” problems were for Toyota and Lexus models. That would be the same complaint lodged by that California family this summer when they crashed into a highway barrier at 120 mph when their loaner car wouldn’t stop speeding up, if they were still alive to make it. [More]
It's Official, Everybody Hates AT&T
By 12.2.09
There’s a new Consumer Reports survey out that ranks cellphone companies by customer satisfaction, and to pretty much no one’s surprise, AT&T comes in last in all 19 cities surveyed. (Verizon came in first.) As AllThingsD notes, the survey “suggests that AT&T’s shortcomings are more widespread than the carrier would have us believe and not simply the product of a high concentration of iPhones in the country’s larger cities.” [More]
Black Friday Picks From A Tightwad
By 11.26.09
We still think that shopping on Black Friday is a really, really bad idea, but apparently we’re in the minority. According to one recent poll, 54% of American consumers are planning on shopping at some point this weekend. We’re hoping that at least some of them are just going to pick up some Zantac to help deal with today’s excesses. For the rest, there are a few deals worth considering, if you know where to look. [More]
Scientific Proof That You Hate Christmas Creep
By 11.24.09
We’ve never doubted the fact that Christmas Creep is a nefarious plot to destroy Thanksgiving, Halloween, Columbus Day and even Labor Day (it’s run by a big eastern syndicate, you know). But we never had proof that our disgust with early Christmas promotions is shared by other consumers. That’s why we commissioned the Consumer Reports National Research Center to find out the truth. [More]
Which Condom Holds The Most Air Before Exploding? (Video)
By 11.2.09
You might be be surprised how much air a condom can hold, or water (try 25 liters). But which holds the most before bursting to pieces? Our friend Theresa at Consumer Reports donned a lab coat and glasses to find out which brand of condoms came out on top in their durability tests.
Some Ford Cars Are Reliable, Actually Worth Buying
By 10.27.09
Several Ford cars are among the world’s most reliable vehicles, according to the latest annual car reliability survey from Consumer Reports.
What You Know About Car Care Is Probably Wrong
By 10.22.09
Most Americans drive cars, but haven’t the faintest idea how they work. Often we have car care axioms inherited from our parents or driving teachers that apply to cars from a generation or two ago. What are some commonly believed car care myths that simply aren’t true?
Testing Stuck Accelerator Survival Strategies
By 10.17.09
The recent recall of millions of Toyotas due to their floor mats’ unfortunate tendency to trap the cars’ accelerators, a flaw which has caused at least one confirmed horrific fatal accident, has caused people to wonder: if this happened to me, what would I do? Equipped with several different makes of cars and a test track, our colleagues at Consumer Reports Cars decided to play Mythbusters and put different stuck-accelerator survival strategies to the test.
Consumers: Adopting Greener Behaviors Or Just Cheap?
By 10.3.09
This month, Consumer Reports is publishing the results of a survey of American adults asking about their adoption of “green” behaviors. Interesting, right? However, we can’t help but wonder whether some of these behaviors are more about saving money than saving the planet.
