Productopia

Tourmaline? Negative ions? Hair dryers get all sciency

By Christine Frietchen on November 9, 2009 in

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Today's blow dryers, like the top-rated Revlon RV544 Tourmaline Ionic, promise softer, shiner, healthier hair using features like "ceramic," "ionic," or "tourmaline," but critics are unsure whether these features actually make for a better dryer or not. The upshot? There's just no hard science behind whether these features actually make a big difference. Even so, reviewers and users do say these hair dryers work better than ordinary dryers, despite their weak scientific backing. Read about more fancy-schmancy (but not necessarily expensive) dryers in our updated hair dryer report. Read more

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Ditch the tin foil: Splurge on a good roasting pan

Kitchen & Food

By Christine Frietchen on November 9, 2009 in

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There's no doubt that a good roasting pan is an investment, but they needn't be confined to use on only two days a year. Roasting pans can be used to roast sweet potatoes and vegetables for a toasty side dish, and some even use them for monster dishes of lasagna. So while pricey, roasting pans can versatile. While the very best roasting pans, like the Calphalon Contemporary Stainless Roaster cost more than $100, we unearthed some solid values that cost much less. For example, the KitchenAid Gourmet Distinctions Roaster costs half as much and still gets excellent reviews. Read more in our timely report on roasting pans. Read more

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Drilling into Black Friday deals at Sears, Kmart, and Lowe's

Home & Garden

By Alex Nunez on November 8, 2009 in

Black Friday

Now that more Black Friday ads are being leaked (intentionally or otherwise), we're able to get an expanded picture of what some related items will be going for when the Christmas shopping season kicks off in earnest. Today, let's sort through some of the various cordless drill deals to see where the best values are. Read more

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Recycling your cell phone

Electronics

By Molly McLaughlin on November 8, 2009 in

Since You Asked

Why recycle?
Americans upgrade their cell phones far more often than they do their computers or TVs, switching to snazzier, more multifunctional units every year or two. According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, over 100 million cell phones will be replaced this year. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that just 14 million Americans recycled their old phones in 2007. Many of these discarded cell phones wind up in garbage dumps, where they can leach dangerous chemicals into the soil. Read more

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Humidifier for one. Make that to go

By Scott Nyerges on November 7, 2009 in

Editors Notes

Humidifiers can be useful appliances, particularly as the weather turns colder and heaters dry out the air. Used occasionally, they can also be soothing for people with colds or upper respiratory infections that dry out the sinuses or throat. As described in ConsumerSearch's full report on humidifiers, most models are designed to be used in large spaces like a bedroom or family room.

That said, if you need something for a very small space like an office cubicle, or if you're a frequent traveler and want something you can easily pack, these humidifiers are too big for the job. In that case, you might want to consider two mini cool-mist humidifiers, both of which are about the size of a squat hardcover book and use plastic water bottles (like you'd find in any convenience store) instead of a reservoir: the Air-O-Swiss 7146 Travel Ultrasonic Humidifier (*Est. $50) and the Sunpentown SU-1051 Mini-Humidifier (*Est. $50).

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Verizon increases early termination fees for some devices

Electronics

By Molly McLaughlin on November 7, 2009 in

Buyer Beware

Hot on the heels of the Motorola Droid release, Verizon Wireless is upping its early termination fees (ETF) on "advanced devices" to $350, double the current fee of $175, effective November 15. Earlier this week, BoyGeniusReport.com got hold of some internal documents and posited that Verizon is trying to prevent consumers from reselling devices for a profit. In BGR's example, you could take advantage of a buy-one-get-one deal on BlackBerry smartphones, pay the $175 fee and sell one of them on eBay for $300.

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Video game consoles keep racking up points

Electronics

By Carl Laron on November 6, 2009 in

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Plasma TVs continue to please

Electronics

By Carl Laron on November 6, 2009 in

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Though some manufacturers have moved on to greener pastures, plasma TV fans still have a bunch of great sets to choose from. Panasonic plasma TVs in particular, such as the Panasonic Viera TC-P50V10, draw kudos for dark, cinematic blacks and terrific picture quality overall. Samsung and LG also come through with plasma TVs that get their fair share of admiration from critics. Our latest report on plasma TVs fills in the details on the sets that deliver the best picture quality, and the ones that satisfy by offering terrific value. Read more

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Can hand sanitizer really intoxicate your child?

Health & Beauty

By Sage McHugh on November 6, 2009 in

Buyer Beware

With flu season upon us, many parents are relying on hand sanitizer to combat germs. As the use of hand sanitizer mounts, so do stories of children becoming ill after ingesting it.

The American Association of Poison Control Centers has confirmed that this is a potential hazard and not a myth. Most hand sanitizers have a concentration of at least 60 percent alcohol. The high level of alcohol is necessary to kill germs, but swallowing a few squirts could bring a child's blood alcohol level to .10.