The Summer Infant video monitor recall: What it can teach us

Posted on March 9, 2011 by admin Leave a comment

Summer Infant video baby monitor

This past weekend, based on reports of two babies being strangled to death, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), in cooperation with Summer Infant Inc., announced a voluntary recall of approximately 1.7 million video baby monitors with electrical cords.

Not a new problem

This issue isn’t unique to Summer Infant. The CPSC has seen six reports of deaths relating to baby monitor cords since 2004. Summer Infant’s action to provide cord warning labels (think of the ones you see for hair dryers that tell you about electrocution if you come into contact with water) and to create the Safe Sleep Installation Guide , which shows consumers how to properly mount the camera on the wall, is meant to heighten consumer awareness of the risk.

In the two deaths related to the Summer Infant video monitors, neither were installed safely; in one case, the monitor’s camera was placed on the crib rail and in the other, it was placed on an adjoining changing table. The CPSC recall notice urges that parents check the location of their video monitors and all electric cords to make sure the cords are unavailable to children since any household cord can pose a threat as the 2009 death of Mike Tyson’s 4-year-old daughter proves — she was found strangled by a treadmill cord.

No cord is safe

It’s worth saying again: Any cord can pose a strangulation risk. Ultimately it is parents’ responsibility to ensure their child’s safety when it comes to household cords. If you have a small child in your house, follow this advice of the CPSC:

Check the location of corded monitors, including those mounted on the wall, to make sure cords are out of arm’s reach of a child.Place cords more than three feet away from any part of the crib, bassinet, play yard, or other safe sleep environment.Check the location of the monitor periodically, as what is within arm’s reach to a baby will change as the baby grows.If a movement monitor is used, make sure the sensor cords are taut and not dangling to reduce the strangulation hazard. The manufacturer’s instructions should show parents how to handle these cords.Finally, inspect the home to ensure children do not have access to other corded products such as decorations with ribbons or streamers, outerwear/jackets with drawstrings, and window coverings. Do not place beds, cribs, play yards, and other furniture close to window blind cords. The CPSC recommends the use of cordless window coverings in all homes where children live or visit.

For more CPSC advice (including what to do about movement monitor cords), you can download the baby monitor cord safety notice as a pdf.

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The good, the bad, the ugly: New infomercial gadgets

Posted on March 9, 2011 by admin Leave a comment

International Home and Housewares Show

If there’s one product category that we love covering at ConsumerSearch, it’s As Seen On TV products. Here at the International Home and Housewares Show, we’ve found plenty of new and existing ASOTV products, some that seem legitimate and promising, others that probably are better left on the drawing board. We’ll be posting new single-product reviews of some of these As Seen On TV goods in the coming months, but in the meantime, here is a rundown of just a few of the crazy gadgets and gizmos we’ve seen in Chicago.

The big As Seen On TV marketers, like Ronco and Telebrands, have a big presence here at the housewares convention, but most consumers are already familiar with products by these giants, like the Ped Egg and the Showtime Rotisserie Oven. As we walked the miles of aisles, we kept our eyes peeled for lesser-known and new ASOTV items, including some of the following:

Green Rest Easy bed bug spray. This is a pump spray containing cinnamon, lemongrass, clove and peppermint oils that promises to kill and repel bed bugs. Living in New York City, the bed bug capital of the U.S., this caught our eye, but after reading reviews in the Los Angeles Times and at Amazon.com, we’re skeptical. Exterminators say that bed bug are VERY hard to kill; the can survive the months in the freezer or even in an airtight bag. So we’re not sure a spritz of essential oils will do the trick. It might make our bed smell nice, though.

Elegant Shaper. A push-up bra (of sorts) designed to be worn over a regular bra, the Elegant Shaper promises to lift your bust and improve your posture. And if you feel your backside needs a little boost, too, the same company also makes the Butt Wonder.

Hollywood Smiles teeth whitening pen. We can’t help but wonder when we see products like this: Is it Celebrity Sexy Teeth redux?

Robomop. We blogged earlier about the Roomba and Mint hard-floor cleaners. Same basic concept. Looks a little like a plastic fedora with a ball in the middle that scoots across your floor and picks up dust and debris using O-shaped proprietary electrostatic pads. Users at HSN.com seem impressed, but if nothing else, it’s kind of fun to watch it scoot across the floor.

Halo Oven. The Halo promises energy-efficient, speedier, healthier cooking than appliances like a conventional oven. Like the NuWave Oven, another As Seen On TV product, it uses direct heat and convection to cook foods; unlike the NuWave, which uses an infrared light, the Halo uses a halogen bulb.

Magic Hands. Vaguely reminiscent of Michael Jackson’s silver “Thriller” glove, these textured, waterproof polyester gloves promise to make sponges, scrubbers and scouring pads obsolete. Moonwalking optional.

EZ Jet Water Cannon. A gussied-up, adjustable nozzle for your garden hose, the EZ Jet promises “the power of a pressure washer and the convenience of a hose” with eight different spray settings from fine mist to powerful jet.

Those are just a few of the seemingly endless number of As Seen On TV products we’ve encounter walking the aisles of the McCormick Place convention center. For reviews of similar products, be sure to check out our As Seen On TV section.

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

Posted on March 9, 2011 by admin Leave a comment

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.

What to watch

To receive TV programs from national and local broadcast channels, your best bet is to do things the old-fashioned way, using an over-the-air antenna. TV stations continue to broadcast signals, albeit now in digital format so you’ll also need a TV or another device (such as a digital converter box) with a digital tuner. In some cases TV reception is better than it was under analog broadcasting, but it’s worse in others. You can find out more details, including how to find out which signals are available at your location, in our report on TV antennas.

If you’re out of range of some or all the TV broadcasters you want to see, you’re not necessarily out of luck. Hulu Plus is an all-you-can watch video streaming service that carries lots of current-season programming. Netflix and the just-launched Amazon Prime streaming video service also offer unlimited viewing of TV shows, but mostly from past seasons. You can also rent or buy individual current-season programs from Amazon Video on Demand and iTunes — but if you watch a lot of TV, that can get expensive in a hurry.

That takes care of the basics, but what about the extras such as movies and sports? There the news is good and not so good; let’s explain. On the movie front, some premium cable networks (HBO, for example) aren’t in a hurry to give up their hard-fought-for and highly-paid-for exclusives. Others are more giving. For example, many of the movies and series available on Starz, and some of the content available on Epix, is available to Netflix users as part of their streaming video subscription — a good thing as Netflix has little else in the way of recent top movie titles.

If you want to watch new Hollywood hits, look to video on demand services such as Vudu, Amazon Video on Demand and iTunes, but at a cost per film that’s on a par with renting discs at a video rental store, and often higher than what you’d pay for rentals done through the mail or at a kiosk such as Redbox. On the other hand, the movies are often available on the same day and date as their DVD release — and weeks or months before they appear on the cable networks. You can find more about these and other sources for streaming TV shows and movies in our report on video streaming.

The picture is darker for sports fans, however. Bottom line: if a regional cable sports network holds the rights to your favorite local team, there’s likely no legal way to stream its games online. Of course, if you can receive your local TV stations over the air, you will get any local sports they carry. That covers most local NFL games, some but likely far from all MLB games, and few if any (depending on the market) NHL and NBA games. If your favorite teams play elsewhere, out-of-market NHL and MLB games can be streamed on line and to your TV via a few devices, such as the Roku XDS digital media player. Still, the bottom line is that sports fans who need or want to watch their hometown heroes play should probably think twice before cutting their cable ties.

How to watch it

Content is an important part of the cable-less TV picture, but so is the hardware. As noted, getting TV signals over the air requires an antenna and a TV or other device with a digital tuner.

Getting streaming content from the Internet to your TV used to be a pain, but it’s getting easier all the time. All major video game consoles have some streaming abilities. So do many Blu-ray players and some LCD TVs, plasma TVs and rear-projection TVs released within the last year. The retail version of the TiVo Premiere DVR also has built in streaming. You can read about the streaming abilities of all of those in their individual ConsumerSearch reports. If you don’t own any hardware with built-in streaming, or if the company that makes your gear hasn’t partnered with a specific streaming provider you want, the gap can be filled with a digital media player, and the top options are covered in our report on those.

However, just because a piece of home-electronics gear has built-in streaming doesn’t mean that streaming from the Internet will necessarily be a good fill-in for cable or satellite TV. Every expert says that the quality of the experience will depend greatly on the quality of your Internet connection. Ultimately, broadband is a must — and the faster the better. At the other end of the spectrum, don’t even consider streaming video as an alternative if you still use a dial-up connection.

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Cool cameraphone accessories

Posted on March 9, 2011 by admin Leave a comment

Gorillamobile for iPhone 4

As I discussed in my recent post on the best cameraphones by carrier, it’s becoming increasingly  common for people to use their cell phones for snapshots on the go. While there are a number of high-quality cameraphones out there, they all have their issues. You’re not without help, though. There’s a small market of cameraphone accessories, some of which can improve your shooting experience without a huge investment. 

You may be familiar with the Joby Gorillapod, a bendy tripod for digital cameras that can cling to trees or other objects and stand steady on just about any terrain. The company also makes the Gorillamobile for cellphones  (*Est. $30) and the Gorillamobile for the iPhone 4 (*Est. $40), so you can avoid blurry shots. The iPhone 4 version comes with a case for the phone. Another option is the Breffo Spiderpodium (*Est. $20), a bendable stand for smartphones.

An article on Squidoo lists, but does not review, a slew of cameraphone accessories. Notable among them are a lens cleaner, a stick-on self-portrait mirror and an external flash called the Phone Phlash. The Phone Phlash (*Est. $30) is also covered in a PCMag.com slideshow. In a review at OhGizmo, contributor Andrew Liszewski says that “a cameraphone with a built-in flash will produce far better results. . . the Phlash is an economical way to upgrade the quality of photos taken with flashless phones.” His review is very detailed, and includes a helpful picture of the Phone Phlash next to a quarter for size comparison (it looks about the size of a 50-cent piece.) For close-ups or wide angle shots, the online store Brando has a selection of lenses for the iPhone, as well as cell phones from Samsung, LG, HTC and Nokia.

You can also download any number of free camera apps on your smartphone that will let you simulate a fish-eye lens, add effects and backgrounds, or simply take a better shot. Gizmodo has a nice roundup of camera apps for iPhone and Android. The aforementioned Joby (maker of Gorillapod) offers a Gorillacam app, which adds a self timer, a time lapse feature and burst mode to your iPhone.

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Online stores most likely to leave their customers satisfied

Posted on March 9, 2011 by admin Leave a comment

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.

Amazon, Netflix customers are happiest of all

The top line numbers in the latest ACSI report are a bit disappointing, with overall customer satisfaction suffering its biggest quarterly drop since 2008. Still, there are some bright spots. Even though consumer satisfaction with online shopping dropped to its lowest point since 2004, mostly due to a large drop in happiness with smaller retailers, shoppers who buy online are still more satisfied than others. “Even with the decline, customer satisfaction with Internet shopping remains much higher than with in-store shopping, and online sales continue to grow at a faster pace too,” says Claes Fornell, founder of the ACSI.

Among all retailers of all types, Amazon scores the highest overall satisfaction, the Index reports. Netflix, which led in the last report, slips just a point behind. Other online retailers that do a good job of pleasing their customers include Newegg, Overstock.com, and eBay.

On the other hand, smaller sites and sellers are certainly struggling when it comes to keeping shoppers happy. “The large drop for smaller online retailers suggests that size does matter when it comes to the ability to price, make concessions on shipping costs, and create attractive sales promotions,” Fornell says.

Though most brick-and-mortar retailers don’t do as well as their online counterparts in customer satisfaction, the ACSI report identifies some that do better than others. Nordstrom leads the pack among discount and department stores, though it still trails Amazon by a fair margin. Other better-than-average department and discount stores in the Index include Kohl’s, J.C. Penney and Dollar General. Walmart has improved since the last report, but not enough to escape the dubious honor of having fewer happy customers than its competitors.

Specialty retailers also fared a bit better than most other brick-and-mortar stores. Barnes & Noble and Costco tie for the best scores in the category, followed closely by Staples and Office Depot, and then by Borders (though apparently relatively good customer satisfaction wasn’t enough to save that bookstore chain from declaring bankruptcy on Wednesday). The least satisfied specialty store shoppers are those that buy at OfficeMax and Gap stores.

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Is Best Buy’s “Buy Back” program a good deal?

Posted on March 9, 2011 by admin Leave a comment

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.

The fine print

The premise behind Best Buy’s Buy Back program is simple. Buy a technology product in certain categories — mobile phones (but not pre-paid phones), laptops, netbooks, tablet computers and TVs — from Best Buy, and the store will let you bring it back and receive a portion of the purchase price. What you get is determined by how long you’ve owned the product. Return your device within six months and you get half back. That drops to 20 percent back for products owned between 18 and 24 months, and down to 10 percent for TVs (only) that are between 24 and 48 months old.

Of course, there are catches. For one thing, Buy Back isn’t free. Its upfront cost is based on what you’re buying and its purchase price, and can get hefty for some bigger-ticket items — $349.99 for a TV over $2,500, for example — and relatively hefty for some less expensive products — $69.99 for a netbook (even those selling for less than $300) and $59.99 for a TV under $500. Second, Best Buy won’t give you the Buy Back amount in cash. Instead you get it in a Best Buy gift card, which, naturally, can only be spent at Best Buy.

You’ll also want to take good care of your product and everything that came with it. To be eligible for Buy Back, the product has to be in at least decent working condition. Items that are working but judged to be in “poor” condition will only get half their buy back amount. If the product is received D.O.A., you get nothing. All accessories that originally came with the device — cables, mounts, software, remotes and even the batteries for the remote —  have to be present and accounted for or your Buy Back amount can be reduced by their value. You can read the full terms and conditions at Best Buy’s site.

Take it or leave it?

For most, that depends, though just about every expert notes that Buy Back is a terrific deal for Best Buy. Jeff Bertolucci at PC World takes issue with some of the wording in the program’s fine print, but says where Buy Back definitely does succeed is “in preventing customers from shopping elsewhere.”

Seth Fiegerman at MainStreet.com categorizes Buy Back as simply another extended warranty program, this time in case you get tired of an item instead of it breaking. “But just like with any extended warranty, there’s no guarantee this will actually save you money in the end,” he writes.

Harry McCracken at Technologizer.com is more conflicted. He can see it being helpful for the “phone fanatic who likes to carry the latest handset.” On the other hand, he complains that “It sounds like one more add-on that Best Buy clerks will try to foist on me whenever I buy anything of consequence there.”

All of these pundits, and many others, also remind their readers that while Best Buy will guarantee a buy back amount if you pay them their fee up front, you might actually do better selling gently used, recent tech via eBay, Craigslist or a similar avenue.

Of all product categories, Buy Back seems to make the most sense for mobile phones and other mobile devices purchased with a phone carrier subsidy, such as tablet computers or laptops with built-in wireless broadband. That’s because the buy back price of these devices is based on their normal retail, before the carrier subsidy. In fact, Forbes reports, that for certain devices the buy back and the original subsidy can offset the out-of-pocket cost and early termination fees by a very small amount. Whether it’s worth jumping through those hoops for relatively few dollars (around $20, the article estimates) is another story.

While we aren’t sold on Buy Back as a hedge against equipment obsolescence, some, such as CNET’s Martin LaMonica, note that the program has another benefit: it encourages greater recycling of unloved electronics. Bought back products that don’t have a resale value will be stripped for parts or recycled in the U.S., the CNET article says. It also quotes Best Buy vice president George Sherman as saying that Buy Back could increase recycling at the company’s stores by as much as 15 percent.

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Product Reviews

Facebook to start video streaming service

Posted on March 9, 2011 by admin Leave a comment

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.

Will Facebook transform Hollywood?

For now, Facebook’s video streaming is limited. Only one title, The Dark Knight, is being offered via Facebook at launch, but more are expected to be added in the future. Rentals cost 30 Facebook credits, or $3, for a 48-hour streaming window. According to the press release announcing the service, users will retain full Facebook features while viewing a streamed movie, including the ability to post comments about the film they are watching.

Facebook video streaming has stirred up a bit of excitement. Peter Kafka posting at All Things Digital notes that while most of the major players contending for a piece of the video-streaming pie are struggling to integrate social “hooks” into the experience, that’s not exactly a problem for Facebook. Kafka adds that Facebook is already one of the largest video sites in the U.S. — and that’s without the streaming of major movies or TV shows —  “So just imagine what could happen if Mark Zuckerberg and the big studios decide they’re really serious about making this thing work.”

Others, such as ZDNet’s Emil Protalinski, are equally excited about the future; it’s just the present that leaves them a little less enthused. “I’m interested but not impressed,” he says. Still, Protalinski sees the potential that the Warner/Facebook partnership represents. He adds that with the right pricing and the right studio agreements, “the movie industry could be transformed yet again.”

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