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| Pandigital Kitchen Technology Center - the world at your sticky fingertips? |
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The Pandigital Kitchen Technology Center is a wireless Internet device with an integrated digital cookbook and recipe collection, which also does service as an HDTV and photo frame. Because, like, you know, people in kitchens have a lot of time to spare surfing, browsing photos and generally kicking back. The thing [...]
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| | 11/13/2008 9:11 PM (359d 7h 52m ago) |
| U.S. freezer sales buck overall appliance downturn |
| | As in many other industries, appliance sales have suffered as the U.S. economy has slowed and consumers spend less. Major-appliance shipments declined 7.4 percent for the year through August, according to the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers. But there's one bright spot in the market: stand-alone freezers. Shipments of freezers were up 3.5 percent for the first eight months of the year and rose 13 percent in August over a year earlier; upright models saw an annualized sales jump of nearly 17 percent in August; chest models, 10 percent. Rising food prices could be a factor in the growth of freezer sales. From 2005 to 2008, the overall cost of food for home consumption was projected to climb 4 to 5 percent, according to this Wall Street Journal report. The ever-increasing tab at the checkout line has spurred more Americans to buy in bulk at warehouse clubs such as Costco and Sam's Club, likely creating a need for more freezer space. If you're considering getting a stand-alone freezer, use our buyer's guide to get the right unit for your needs. Avoid placing the freezer in the garage, where fluctuating temperatures can force the compressor to work extra hard. If you find that after a while you're not using your separate freezer, consolidate frozen foods in your primary refrigerator-freezer and turn off the stand-alone freezer. As for what goes into the freezer, don't fill your new appliance with high-fat, high-calorie foods. As we reported in the July 2008 "Can Appliances Make You Heavy?" kitchen appliances could encourage poor eating habits. (Some freezers have dedicated storage compartments for pizza and ice cream, for example.) Visit ConsumerReports.org/health for diet and nutrition advice.—Daniel DiClerico Essential information: To determine which appliances you should fix and which you should nix, read our updated repair-or-replace advice. Then find out about the best places to buy new appliances. |
| | 10/27/2008 11:55 PM (376d 5h 9m ago) |
| Rebates and Tax Credits Can Lower Appliance Costs |
| | While you might have back-burnered your plans for a kitchen remodel or a new laundry room, you can’t ignore an ailing dishwasher, a struggling refrigerator, or a washed-up clothes washer.Fixing these appliances could be an option—see our repair-or-replace-it guide (available to subscribers)—but when you decide to replace appliances, consider more-energy-efficient models. This is one way to spend your federal economic-stimulus payment. And, as unlikely as it might seem, you can also turn to your utility company and the state and local government for some financial relief.As of mid-May, the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency, maintained by North Carolina State University’s Solar Center with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, lists 732 utility rebate and loan programs for consumers who buy energy-efficient appliances or other home systems. (The DSIRE's map is shown.) The site also includes details on 35 state rebate and loan programs and 13 personal-income-tax-credit or tax-holiday plans.You’ll also fund information on rebate and tax-credit programs from utilities, states, and partners at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Partner Activities search; if you don’t see a program listed for your area, look on your utility bill for more information or contact your state taxation office.Read more about rebates and tax credits. |
| | 5/15/2008 2:31 PM (541d 14h 32m ago) |
| Solid State Lighting Last 10 Times Longer Than CFLs with NO Harmful Mercury |
| | Solid-state lighting, or SSL, could be the next big thing in residential lighting. SSL refers to a type of bulb—or lamp, in industry parlance—that uses the movement of electrons through a semiconductor material to generate light. The semiconductor is in a solid block form, hence “solid state.” Because there’s no filament that heats up (and eventually burns out), SSL is up to 50 times more efficient than incandescent bulbs, claim manufacturers. SSL is also said to last as much as 10 times longer than compact fluorescent lighting and contains none of the potentially harmful mercury that has brought CFLs image down to earth and made recycling them a hassle.Read the full Consumer Report. article. |
| | 5/02/2008 7:36 PM (554d 9h 27m ago) |
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