Consumerist

WalMart.com and NewEgg Join Dell in the Irresponsible Shipping Hall of Shame

Yesterday, I showed you how Dell irresponsibly ships tiny flash drives in gigantic boxes, giving the finger to the environment. Well, Dell isn't the only offender when it comes to wasteful shipping habits. Above, reader Paul shows us how WalMart.com decided to ship a flash drive to him. And NewEgg? It's even worse. More »

12:30 PM on Tue Apr 22 2008
By Adam Frucci
26,817 views, 142 comments

Latest by kllngtme: im glad you are putting this out to the public. so many companies are doing this and its really obsurd. kinda gets you angry right? more »

net neutrality

Will Your ISP F You In the A? Bandwidth Hogs Beware

As the amount of bandwidth we devour has skyrocketed, so has ISPs' need to police our appetites, even as they offer more bandwidth to whet it. We talked to the biggest ISPs around to get their official positions on traffic management and content filtering to see what's in store for your pipes. Here's where you find out which ISPs may screw you, and which ones swear to Giz they won't. Update: We've got new responses from AT&T and Speakeasy. More »

12:45 PM on Mon Apr 14 2008
By matt buchanan
24,700 views, 70 comments

Latest by dry-roasted-peanuts: Stuff like this is why digital distribution becoming the primary media delivery means is still a long time away. more »

stabbing

Homemade Conan the Barbarian Booby Trap Almost Stabs Verizon Agent to Death

Long Island is a dangerous place, filled with bad accents and crazy people wandering around, like Verizon technicians. Eric Stetz knows mere deadbolts won't keep them out. No, you've gotta get medieval, Conan the Barbarian style. So he built a booby trap out of a massive knife, crutch and elastic trip-cord to poke intruders in the head. To death. Like the Verizon guy scheduled to visit his apartment. More »

3:55 PM on Tue Apr 8 2008
By matt buchanan
54,253 views, 76 comments

whaaaa

Comcast Pulls an About Face, Teams Up with BitTorrent for Net Neutrality

Comcast has taken a lot of crap from everyone from the FCC to consumers, and they've been listening. In fact, they've decided to stop all the fussin' and the fuedin' and actually team up with BitTorrent for the sake of net neutrality. But of course, dear readers, there's a catch. There's always a catch. More »

9:54 AM on Thu Mar 27 2008
By Adam Frucci
19,061 views, 90 comments

Latest by JennifARGH: Now everyone can enjoy the quality of Australia's broadband! more »

legalese

Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader Locked Up: Why Your Books Are No Longer Yours

If you buy a regular old book, CD or DVD, you can turn around and loan it to a friend, or sell it again. The right to pass it along is called the "first sale" doctrine. Digital books, music and movies are a different story though. Four students at Columbia Law School's Science and Technology Law Review looked at the particular issue of reselling and copying e-books downloaded to Amazon's Kindle or the Sony Reader, and came up with answers to a fundamental question: Are you buying a crippled license to intellectual property when you download, or are you buying an honest-to-God book? More »

1:00 PM on Fri Mar 21 2008
By matt buchanan
30,496 views, 62 comments

Latest by zc2009: the kindle is way overhyped more »

cables

Are Monster Cable's Markups Technically Worth It?

Consumerist found this amazing list of retailer cost for Monster Cable, where many of the cables went for nearly double what they cost. Monster responded with an answer that was thoughtful from their point of view. Many times, in "jewelery, clothing, and furniture, the markup is even greater." Fine, I don't know anything about retail. But technically speaking and from a consumer's point of view, here is what I think: More »

3:10 PM on Tue Feb 19 2008
By Brian Lam
28,252 views, 120 comments

format war over

A Consumer's Cheat Sheet to HD DVD's Death and Blu-ray's Victory

HD DVD is dead. Officially. That may mean a whole bunch for the early-adopter tech geek crowd that's been wading in the kiddie pool of technological bickering and backhandedness for years, but what does it mean for the average consumer with only a cursory interest in high-def DVDs? Here's our cheat sheet Q&A for you to whip out if you ever have to explain the high-def format wars to your parents.

More »

2:09 PM on Tue Feb 19 2008
By Jason Chen
61,966 views, 93 comments

Latest by Flamsmark: greenhornetc13 makes an interesting point. Disks aren't just useful for movies - I rarely watch DVDs, but I use them to install software, backup data, and transfer large files. What do I do? When I start needing 15-50gb disks, will I more »

wireless

AT&T Now $99 for Unlimited Voice and $35 For Unlimited Data

AT&T's responding to Verizon's Unlimited calling and data contracts with a $99 all you can eat voice plan that can be combo'd up with any data plan. The data plans are a step in the non-evil direction for AT&T: $35 bucks for unlimited connectivity and messaging. An AT&T spokesperson tells us that includes 3G. More »

1:10 PM on Tue Feb 19 2008
By Brian Lam
18,990 views, 50 comments

Latest by SayAhh: @tluken1: "Now, the 5GB cap on air cards and tethering is actually a better plan than the unlimited." (Really? "Limited" is better than "unlimited"??) "Unbeknownst to most customers the fine print previously read that there is a cap of 3GB." (Why should more »

blu-ray

Wal-Mart Goes Blu-ray Exclusive in June

Wal-Mart is going Blu-ray exclusive by June—they won't even stock older HD DVD stuff at that point. While Netflix and Best Buy pulling Blu were hard blows to HD DVD, when the world's largest public corporation won't stock your products, you're basically doomed. Wal-Mart is the avenue to the unwashed masses, and, as an emerging format, if you're not rolling on it, you've effectively fallen off the radar of millions of people. It's probable Toshiba already knew this, hence the rumors of it finally pulling the plug. If they weren't considering it before, it's gotta weigh heavy on them now. Update: Press release below. More »

11:25 AM on Fri Feb 15 2008
By matt buchanan
11,151 views, 70 comments

Latest by Zlevee: @Samifumi: I agree it could have been a option for the high-end guyer, and many people would have gone for it. more »

starbucks

AT&T Bringing Free Wi-Fi to Starbucks (Finally!)

AT&T is popping Wi-Fi hotspots at over 7,000 Starbucks stores, exploding their own network and razing T-Mobile's biggest Wi-Fi front in one fell swoop. And they're offering the true killer app: Two hours of free Wi-Fi a day to Starbucks Card holders (like the gift cards, so just pre-pay for your fix) and unlimited internets to AT&T's broadband customers and Starbucks slaves. Update: Even though T-Mobile has actually gotten the boot from Starbucks, AT&T is letting T-Mo customers keep using the hotspots for no extra fee. More »

11:01 AM on Mon Feb 11 2008
By matt buchanan
19,877 views, 65 comments

Latest by osorno: This is a great move on behalf of ATT, I am a real estate agent specializing in Florida Keys Real Estate and this will allow me to login in quickly to the internet to check my email and communicate with more »

costco

The Truth Behind Costco Cash-For-Gadgets Program

When I learned about Costco's money-for-gadgets recycling program, I got excited. I calculated estimates for some old gadgets lying around my apartment, and I started looking forward to the $122 bonus that would surely come my way in time for the holidays. Nearly two months later, the estimate has been revised to $50, and I'm still waiting for the gift card. I can safely report that the truth was not nearly as good as the promise. Here's what I've been through so far: More »

11:00 AM on Fri Dec 28 2007
By Benny Goldman
18,116 views, 49 comments

Latest by brettmosleymaui: You could have tried buymytronics.com. They would have paid more than costco and faster. I have used them in the past and they are the real deal. more »

wal-mart report card

Wal-Mart Year-End Report Card: C

Oh, Wal-Mart. You are so easy to hate. What with your union-busting, mom-and-pop-killing, big box awfulness, who wouldn't hate you? It would be all to easy for me to come in here and just give you an F and everyone would agree with me and we could all walk hand-in-hand into the sunset, hating Wal-Mart. And while I do have my Wal-Mart issues, there's no denying that it's made some pretty solid moves in the tech world this year, and no matter how much I hate to admit it, I need to give Wal-Mart at least some props. More »

1:00 PM on Wed Dec 19 2007
By Adam Frucci
8,424 views, 72 comments

Latest by EMoShunz: @neceros: fair opinion, i disagree since most of (in particular) sony's proprietary formats were better then their counterparts, failed or not, they pushed development forward to try and beat them. blu-ray/hddvd i think is moot given holographic storage being more »

busted

Linksys Seizes Misprinted Hotline Number, Puts An End To Sexy Party

Remember that misprinted Linksys tech-support number that led callers to a phone-sex hotline? Well, Cisco-Linksys has flexed its muscles, scooping up the number and reprogramming it with good old-fashioned helpful info. No more sexy time for you, unless of course you listen to our previously recorded version of the message. Linksys customers who want to bypass all shenanigans can call the usual US tech-support line: 800-326-7114. [Linksys]

3:29 PM on Mon Dec 3 2007
By Wilson Rothman
3,332 views, 8 comments

wtf verizon number one

Consumer Reports Cellphone Service Survey 2008 Published: Verizon Number One

Consumer Reports just published its latest Annual Survey of Cellphone Service in its January 2008 issue, consisting of responses from 47,629 readers. As it's noted in its previous surveys over the past six years, the respected nonprofit publication says that cell service is "among the lower rated services we survey." The wide-ranging poll found that "fewer than half of the respondents were completely or very satisfied with their cellphone service." More »

9:51 AM on Mon Dec 3 2007
By Charlie White
28,750 views, 65 comments

toll free sexy time

Linksys Tech Support Misprint Leads to Phone Sex Hotline

I hit Circuit City with my mom on Black Friday to pick up the greatest and cheapest router ever, the Linksys WRH54G, costing a slim Andrew Jackson after the mail-in rebate. As far as I could tell, there was only a single flaw with the thing: the toll-free technical support number in the manual wasn't that at all, but a promotional line for a "stimulating conversation" service. Hear it for yourself in the call video above, and check out the manual after the jump.
More »

5:33 PM on Wed Nov 28 2007
By Wilson Rothman
53,196 views, 51 comments

Latest by Brian Lam: Thanks John, appreciate the direct response, and btw, no one is making a big deal out of this. It's just funny. more »

holidays

The Pros and Cons of LED Christmas Lights

Consumer Reports writes about the pros and cons of LED Christmas tree lighting. In summary: More »

12:00 PM on Sat Nov 17 2007
By Brian Lam
54,377 views, 53 comments

Latest by DaTruthV2: Folks, check your LED's. Anything bought that was made in China is doomed to fail. Thier manufacturing is sub standard. I bought 12 60ct blue LED's with the Phillips name on them and after only 1 season 7 of the more »

cellphones

T-Mobile to Start Prorating Early Termination Fees Next Year

T-Mobile has plans to start prorating its early termination fees early next year, charging less if you've been under contract for a while. Previously, you were stuck paying the same hefty cancellation fee whether or not you signed up last month or 23 months ago. Thanks, T-Mo.

1:45 PM on Wed Nov 7 2007
By Adam Frucci
4,441 views, 22 comments

sprint

Sprint's WiMax Gear To Hit at Full Price, No Contract

When Sprint's WiMax "Xohm" group starts selling WiMax gear next year, it won't be subsidized, but it also won't have an associated contract. This makes sense, considering the Xohm website's puffy manifesto to WiMax-ify more than just computers and handsets, but MP3 players and other gadgets that wouldn't feel right with service contracts. More »

7:36 PM on Wed Sep 26 2007
By Brian Lam
6,239 views, 9 comments

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