Looking for a festive drink to serve over the holidays? Champagne can fill the bill—but “French” sparkling wines can be pricey. Consumer Reports just tested 11 sparkling wines costing from $5 to $37, with and without the French pedigree, to see whether you can indulge without splurging at the register.
Microsoft recently unveiled its new Surface tablet, and it offered two keyboards for sale right from the get-go. Consumer Reports says both have full-sized keys, are thin and light, and double as a cover.
Older Americans are easy victims for scam artists. But a Consumer Reports’ investigation has found increasingly it’s trusted family and friends who are abusing the elderly by draining bank accounts, selling valuables, or even taking over their real estate. And those crimes can often be very difficult to spot.
Nobody likes to vacuum. But have you ever thought about how many miles you’ve vacuumed in your life? Consumer Reports has! Its testers vacuumed 16 miles of carpets and floors to assess 73 vacuums, costing from $80 to more than $1,000.
They’re made for kids but they’ve got features that are all grown up. Some come with with real Android operating systems and features like Wi-Fi and expandable memory.
Among its tests, Consumer Reports assesses how fast each reader can turn a page. Some are really fast, while others are slower.
It used to be trichinosis was the big fear when eating pork, but the risk of getting that disease has been largely eliminated. However, Consumer Reports’ latest tests of pork find there are new reasons to take precautions.
Testers used a rack to evaluate battery performance. It was programmed to mimic a digital camera and a flashlight. The tests turned up big differences.
One of the big trends this year is toys that interact with apps on your smart phone or tablet. And ShopSmart thought the Monopoly game was a lot more fun with an app. Monopoly’s “Zapped” edition costs $30. You download the app for free.
Anyone who hosts Thanksgiving dinner knows how much work it is. A good store-bought stuffing can help relieve some of the stress in the kitchen. But it has to taste good!
Blueberries are touted as a super health food. Eager to capitalize on that, manufacturers of prepared foods are plastering the berries all over their packaging. But Consumer Reports finds just because it’s blue on the outside doesn’t necessarily mean it’s blue on the inside.
Single-serve coffeemakers that use coffee pods are gaining in popularity, and everyone wants a piece of the market, including Starbucks. Consumer Reports just tested the Starbucks Verismo machine and 21 others, costing from $25 to $300.
The Febreze ad shows “an experiment” using an old goat, a sweaty bodybuilder, and a day-old fish. A group of “real people” confirms that it all stinks. Then the room is treated with Febreze Air Effects and blindfolded people are brought in.
Big or small, tattoos are now mainstream, but recent outbreaks of tattoo-related infections are cause for concern.
Consumer Reports: Sparkling wines for less (Video)
