All posts by: Carl Laron

Nintendo's 3D 3DS launches: Should you buy one?

Electronics
By Carl Laron on March 31, 2011 in

Nintendo 3DS

As noted in our report on hand held game systems, gamers young and not-so-young have been eagerly awaiting the debut of the Nintendo 3DS, a portable gaming console that brings with it glasses-free 3D gaming. That day has finally arrived and to no one's surprise, initial sales were massive. According to GameSpot.com, more people scarfed up the 3DS on its first day on the market than bought the Game Boy Advance, the original DS, the DSi, and the DSi XL on theirs. Now that reviewers have had ample time to fiddle around with Nintendo's latest hand-held gaming system, we have the first inklings of just how happy all of those new 3DS owners actually are. Read more

Choosing and using a fire extinguisher

Home & Garden
By Carl Laron on March 17, 2011 in

Fire Extinguishers

A few weeks back I shared some of the lessons we learned in the aftermath of a serious but thankfully not tragic house fire. Chief among them is that preparedness can go a long way toward protecting property and -- most important -- lives. Having a fire escape plan -- and practicing it -- is vital. So is having working smoke detectors throughout your home. However, there's another piece of equipment that experts say is important -- but that far too many homes lack: a working fire extinguisher. If that describes your situation, it's something you'll want to address sooner rather than later ... trust me. If you need guidance on the different types of fire extinguishers, how many you'll need for your home, and how to use them in the midst of the panic that a fire is sure to induce, you'll want to check out our report on fire extinguishers. Read more

Facebook to start video streaming service

Computers & Internet
By Carl Laron on March 9, 2011 in

Facebook video streaming

It's getting to the point where it will soon be easier to list the sites and services that don't offer video streaming of some type than it will be count the ones that do. Amazon, which already had a significant video-on-demand streaming service, launched a free unlimited streaming service for its Amazon Prime subscribers in February. Redbox, which rents physical DVDs through kiosks in supermarkets, convenience stores and other locations, has also announced plans to start a streaming service. On Tuesday, Facebook became the latest to offer streaming of Hollywood titles by announcing an agreement to offer Warner Bros. films to its members. Read more

Wellness recalls some canned cat foods

Family & Pets
By Carl Laron on March 2, 2011 in

Cat and cat food

After the massive recalls of a few years back, many pet lovers' hearts stop when they hear word that yet another pet food is being recalled by its maker. It's doubly distressing when it's a heretofore well-regarded brand. Yet that's just what happened on Monday as WellPet, maker of Wellness brand pet foods, voluntarily recalled certain lots of its canned cat food because they lacked sufficient levels of thiamine (also known as Vitamin B1). How serious of a problem is this, and what should you do about it? Read more

Cutting the cord: Is getting rid of cable TV a good idea?

Electronics
By Carl Laron on February 25, 2011 in

Cutting cable

We've all seen stories like this one about folks who've cancelled their cable or satellite TV service in favor of getting television programming over the air or via the web, either for free or at reduced cost . That many people are considering such a move comes as no surprise, given the state of the economy and that cable bills can run well over $100 per month for anyone desiring more than just the basics. This article at WalletPop.com explores just how much cord-cutters can save. On the other side of things, research indicates cancelling the cable subscription is probably not yet right for everyone. Whether it's right for you depends on factors like what you watch, how much you watch, the quality of your Internet connection, and even where you live. ConsumerSearch already has a number of reports that lay out some of the considerations for you, including brand new reports on video streaming services, and on digital media players that bring those services to any TV. Let's pull all of that together so you can see whether cutting the cord to your cable or satellite TV provider will work for you and your family.

Read more

Online stores most likely to leave their customers satisfied

Computers & Internet
By Carl Laron on February 17, 2011 in

Happy Shopper

If you buy gasoline or use government services, odds are that you've not been particularly thrilled with the experience of late. On the other hand, if you buy online, especially from larger e-merchants, you're likely to be more content than your neighbor who still shops the old-fashioned way, at brick-and-mortar stores. Those are some of the takeaways in the latest report from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). The report also drills down to name which retailers leave their customers mostly satisfied, and which have, shall we say, some room for improvement. Let's take a look. Read more

Surviving a house fire and its aftermath

Home & Garden
By Carl Laron on February 10, 2011 in

House Fire

You always think that it's something that happens to the other guy... until it happens to you. In our case, that "something" was a house fire that overturned our family's lives for well over a year, and we are among the very lucky ones because no one was hurt. According to FEMA, more than 18,000 people are injured, and 3,500 are killed, in house fires in the U.S. each year. In addition, while there was extensive smoke and water damage, thanks to the rapid response of our town's excellent volunteer fire department, my family's home was spared from too much structural damage. Now that our ordeal is mostly behind us, I thought this would be a good time to share some of the lessons we learned along the way. Read more

Is Best Buy's "Buy Back" program a good deal?

Electronics
By Carl Laron on February 5, 2011 in

Best Buy

At first look, Best Buy's recently launched program to buy back old (but not too old) technology products from consumers seems like a no-brainer for people who like to upgrade frequently, or who are simply afraid that next week's or month's new feature will make their new toy obsolete before they've finished reading the user's manual. We, along with lots of others, have crunched some numbers and found some interesting results. Because of how the program works, serial upgraders might find Buy Back worthwhile, and in very rare cases, even make a little coin from it. However, for most, it's a marginal proposition at best. That said, Buy Back does have one guaranteed winner... you guessed it: Best Buy. Read more

Keeping computer pests at bay

Computers & Internet
By Carl Laron on January 28, 2011 in

Antivirus software

It's cold and flu season here in the Northeast, something I can readily attest to as I post today between coughs and sneezes. However, for computers — especially Windows machines — every day is virus season. While the nature of the threats facing computer users has evolved over the years, so have the weapons computer owners have at their disposal to swat malicious code away. The latest countermeasures to keep computer pests under control are detailed in our newly updated report on antivirus software. Read more

IBM's Watson takes down Jeopardy! champs

Computers & Internet
By Carl Laron on January 25, 2011 in

IBM's Watson takes on Jeopardy!

From 19th century folk legend John Henry's race against a steam-powered hammer; to chess legend Garry Kasparov's face-off against IBM's supercomputer, Deep Blue; to works of speculative fiction such as Colossus: The Forbin Project and the Terminator series of movies, mankind seems to be obsessed with how it stacks up against its greatest electronic and mechanical creations. The latest example is a showdown between two all-time champions of the television show Jeopardy!, and IBM's Watson supercomputer. Read more

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