All posts by: Tara Tuckwiller

Should you file your taxes on your smartphone?

Computers & Internet
By Tara Tuckwiller on March 26, 2013 in

TurboTax SnapTax mobile app

Yes, you really can file your taxes on your smartphone. But should you?

TurboTax's SnapTax 2012 (*Est. $25 to e-file (free download)) promises to do your taxes in 10 minutes. Snap a photo of your W-2, answer a few simple questions -- you're done. H&R Block 1040EZ for Smartphone (Free download and e-file) works the same way.

"But how good are they?" asks Salvador Rodriguez at the L.A. Times. "Can users file their federal taxes with just a few taps on 4-inch screens?"

Let's take a look: Read more

Cheap digital camera vs. smartphone camera

Electronics
By Tara Tuckwiller on December 20, 2012 in

Smartphone vs. digital camera

Smartphones are killing the cheap digital camera, some say -- even some professional camera critics.

"The cheap compact camera is sliding inexorably into obsolescence," declares Ben Keough at DigitalCameraInfo.com. "What good is a truly pocketable camera if you've already got a camera in your pocket, as so many of us do?"

Or, as his colleague Liam McCabe puts it: "Does anyone need a $280 camera that acts like a $200 smartphone?"

Not so fast, says Time magazine tech blogger Harry McCracken. He points out that even a "garden-variety $120 point-and-shoot" does things -- like zoom -- that no phone camera can.

Who's right? We tossed both gadgets into the boxing ring to find out. Read more

How to map your Black Friday attack

Automotive
By Tara Tuckwiller on November 15, 2012 in

Shopper loading car

This Black Friday, use GPS to transform yourself into the ultimate doorbusting machine.

Say you've scoured the ads, and you've found 10 stores you need to hit. They're scattered all over town. You could just guess at the fastest route to catch them all. Or you could punch them into an auto GPS unit -- or a free website called Driving Route Planner, although that's not nearly as slick -- and know for sure.

To find out how well it works, I tested Driving Route Planner. I typed in the addresses of seven stores (it will sort up to 25 stops), flung across all corners of my city. Read more

Raw cat food feeds your cat's inner predator

Family & Pets
By Tara Tuckwiller on October 8, 2012 in

Raw cat food

Would you spend $13 per pound for gourmet frozen duck -- to feed to your cat? Plenty of people do. More and more pet owners -- and some veterinarians -- argue that it's best to feed pets what they evolved to eat in the wild. For cats, they say, that means raw meat, bones and organs. Period. But for humans, is that a deal killer? Read more

Do your taxes on your iPad

Computers & Internet
By Tara Tuckwiller on March 19, 2012 in

Doing taxes on an iPad

You can do just about anything with your iPad these days: Add a joystick and play Pac-Man, create paintings with a virtual paintbrush -- and now, you can do your taxes. This year, TurboTax, H&R Block At Home and TaxACT all offer tax software that let you finger-tap your way through your tax return on your iPad. Read more

If your smartphone shoots video, do you really need a pocket camcorder?

Electronics
By Tara Tuckwiller on January 9, 2012 in

camcorder

Can you just skip the pocket camcorder and shoot HD videos with your smartphone or point-and-shoot camera? Sure, experts say -- but with a pocket camcorder, you'll shoot better video and have an easier time doing it.

One exception: The iPhone 4S (*Est. $200 and up with contract) brings full 1080p HD video to the smartphone world, and testers say it looks great. The top-rated pocket camcorder in our latest report on HD camcorders, the Samsung HMX-W200 (*Est. $145), still beats the iPhone 4S for pure video-shooting performance at CamcorderInfo.com, but the iPhone 4S has plenty of other tricks up its sleeve -- most importantly, its always-on wireless Internet connection, so you can instantly share your videos. Pocket camcorders can't share anything until you plug them into an Internet-connected computer. Read more

Budget ultra-zoom camera winners -- and losers

Electronics
By Tara Tuckwiller on December 22, 2011 in

ultrazoom digital camera

Ultra-zoom cameras take a pocket-sized, point-and-shoot camera body and add a twist: A telescoping lens that can shoot anything from wide-angle group shots to extreme close-ups of faraway wildlife or sports action. In our latest report, we find great ultra-zooms priced from $350 all the way down to less than $200 -- but experts caution that you don't want to go too cheap. Read more

DSLR cameras that shoot video: The perfect all-in-one tool?

Electronics
By Tara Tuckwiller on November 29, 2011 in

DSLRs

A few years ago, no digital SLR cameras shot video. Today, they nearly all do -- and full HD video, at that, as you'll see in our latest report on DSLR cameras. But don't sell your camcorder just yet. Yes, it's a tempting idea: After all, if you want the very best-quality still photos possible, experts say you've got to invest in a DSLR -- but a good one can cost $700 or more (much more). So why not make it do double-duty? Unfortunately, tests show that every DSLR suffers from at least one major flaw when it comes to shooting movies. Here are some common problems: Read more

Speakers that turn crummy computer sound into an audiophile's dream

Computers & Internet
By Tara Tuckwiller on October 26, 2011 in

Computer Speakers

If you've ever listened to music, watched a movie or played a PC game on a laptop, then you know: Built-in computer speakers are just weak. "Tinny" is how experts at ConsumerReports.org and CNET describe them. It doesn't take much to outdo them, as we found out in when we updated our report on external computer speakers -- with some great choices starting out for as little as $50. But what if you crave true "audiophile" sound quality? Can the right external speakers wring that out of your computer? The answer, experts say, is yes -- although maybe we shouldn't use the "A-word" (audiophile). Read more

Sports cameras that can take a beating

Electronics
By Tara Tuckwiller on October 23, 2011 in

skier

Try to capture photos or video of yourself skiing or snowboarding this winter, and you'll quickly figure out what experts already know: Your regular camera or camcorder (with some exceptions) just can't cut it. It's fragile, not waterproof, hard to operate with bulky gloves on and may not even work when it's below freezing outside (many don't). Besides, who has a free hand to hold the thing, anyway?

Enter sports cameras (aka action cameras or helmet cameras). These rugged camera/camcorder hybrids are designed to strap onto your body or equipment and take all the abuse you can dish out while skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, car racing -- even surfing, snorkeling or scuba diving, as the best ones are totally waterproof. We pinpoint the best ones in our new report -- and now, they're cheaper than ever. Read more

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